DLP recently teamed up with former LucasFilms effects studios Kerner Optical and Tippett Studios to work on a stereoscopic 3D Trailer for their cinema projectors. Pushing this style of filmmaking (kinda like the 3D attractions at theme parks) forward was something they were all excited about, and they took me around Kerner Optical’s facility and showed me the latest camera gear they used to make the 3D trailer.
Hot on the heels of the Optoma pico-projector that uses a TI chipset, TI itself has announced the “industry’s first home-theatre lamp-free projector.” It uses a PhlatLight LED illumination source instead, and a Brilliantcolor chipset to give a 1080p display. This makes it capable of a 50% bigger colour gamut than traditional projector tech (that’s over 200 trillion colors!) and a contrast ratio that can go up to 500,000:1. The lamp-free bit is the part that will interest consumers: as well as not requiring expensive new bulbs, the LEDs consume far less power so you’ll pay for less electricity if you’re a heavy projector user. Apparently “multiple DLP customers” are expecting to launch projector products with the tech late this year. [Digitimes]
Samsung’s new P400 Pocket Imager projector is designed mainly for businesspeople on the go, so it’s pretty tiny. Inside, its DLP unit is a native 800 x 600 resolution and its LED lighting pushes out 150 lumens, resulting in a 30- to 40-inch display capability with 1000:1 contrast ratio. It takes the standard RGB, composite, S-video and audio inputs, and has two 1-watt speakers. Plus, though it’s no pico-projector, it’s just 12.7 x 9.4 x 5 cms in size and weighs 860 grams, so it’ll carry nicely in your laptop bag. And you know what? Just coz it’s businessy doesn’t mean it has to look ugly or utilitarian: so Samsung has actually made this thing look pretty good. Available now for US$749, full press release below.
A new DLP projector by Projectiondesign promises not only a 1080p image at 60Hz, but one that you can watch in 3D. But it’s no simple feat. While most normal DLP projectors simply shine light through a colour wheel, this projector is driven by an unconventional two imaging chips (one for the left eye and one for the right) that each take turns controlling colour wheel rotation.
If you have money to burn on a home theatre projector, but you are on the fence about the virtues of buying an LCD over a DLP, the guys over at PaNLoaD have thrown in their two cents. Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages to both technologies, but in the end, the nod went to DLPs for a number of reasons: DLPs tend to be smaller and lighter, have better contrast and suffer less from pixelation issues. For a full breakdown of the LCD vs. DLP verdict, hit the following link. [PaNLoaD via AboutProjectors]
How well equipped is your command centre? Mitsubishi is currently trying to woo customers to its 80-inch 1400×1050-pixel VS-80PH40U “MegaView Wall” display. My guess is that Mitsu may see it as the last market for DLP rear-projection sets, now that everyone is pulling out. Though Mitsu isn’t talking prices yet, the extra bright, front-accessible screen could well be a fairly affordable way to line the whole CIC with dynamic data monitors (DRADIS showing incoming Raiders, comms waveforms, FTL drive status, etc.), not like Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s single, solitary, donated 103-inch 1080p Panasonic plasma. [Mitsubishi via SlipperyBrick]
IMAX and Texas Instruments announced they will be working together to transition IMAX from a film-based projection format to a DLP-based technology instead. Starting in the middle of 2008, all new IMAX projectors will include the digital DLP technology and eliminate the need for elaborate film-based projector setups currently found in IMAX Theaters. This raises the question: which billionaire will be the first to have a digital IMAX theater installed in his mega mansion?
newVideoPlayer("curvedlcd.flv", 475, 286,"gizmodo_ces_2008.png"); The sighting: We can’t have one of these Alienware curved monitors until the second half of this year, but until then, we’ve been abducted by its four nearly seamless and sharp screens of DLP goodness. Lit by LEDs, this 2880×900 monster is well over three feet wide and is said to have an other-worldly .02ms response time, great for gaming. The Soylent Green: You can see the seams between this monitor’s four segments, but the Alienware humanoids tell us that flaw will be gone by the time this craft lands on Earth. The blacks look a bit washed out to our eyes, too. Price is yet to be determined.
Infocus just released this Play Big IN1 Gaming projector, which is remarkable for it’s lowish res 640 by 480 pixel count, $549 price point, yet decent 1500:1 contrast ratio and awesome capability to flip images from wall to ceiling by means of mirror.
To me, that last feature says that gaming is sooooo hard sitting on your couch, you’d better lie flat on your back, brain settling into the back of your skull while thumbing a joypad. DLP, takes up to 1080i signals via component (before squishing them to fore mentioned VGA), there’s no zoom, an the max image size is 8 feet across kitty corner. Good for the kids, but not quite powerful enough for the high def gamers. [Infocus]
Mitsubishi just unveiled a pretty amazing set of giant screens set up to create a walk-in panorama. Consisting of a whopping 17 pairs of 67-inch panels arranged in a 340-degree near-circle, this $1.3-million setup creates a feeling of total immersion. The screens are all DLP, and in total it’s packed with 27 million pixels. It was custom-built for a rich, secretive customer, but Mitsubishi hopes to start producing the setup for museums and other such institutions in the future. Holy crap do I ever want to play video games on this thing. Let’s make that happen, Mitsubishi. [Iza via Pink Tentacle]
