CHATSWORTH, CA. — October 20, 2009 –SANYO, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of LCD and DLP projectors, announces the release of a new two-lamp projector, the PLC-XF1000, which features the exclusive QuaDrive™ optical engine for exceptional colour reproduction for brighter capacities, 12,000 lumens brightness, 4000:1 contrast ratio, and the proprietary Active Maintenance Filter (AMF) for increased reliability. The high brightness, two-lamp PLC-XF1000 projector is the second SANYO model to be equipped with their proprietary QuaDrive optical engine. Unlike conventional 3LCD (red/green/blue) systems, the QuaDrive includes an additional colour control device that allows the PLC-XF1000 to automatically control the amount of yellow light in the image, producing higher luminosity with improved colour accuracy and clarity.

The demand for even brighter projectors continues to come from the field as systems integrators are asked to install video displays in extremely large venues such as convention halls, conference rooms, auditoriums and houses of worship with high levels of ambient light. It is also especially well suited for the digital signage market where high resolution is in demand. However, as brightness levels increase on traditional 3LCD projectors, there is a reverse effect in colour reproduction. colours become noticeably washed out, lacking vibrancy and realism.

SANYO’s innovative QuaDrive technology provides a solution for these specific cases, providing new projectors capable of extremely high luminosity without the trade off in colour accuracy. The PLC-XF1000 is rated at an extraordinary 12,000 lumens, the highest brightness available in 100V AC projectors. Coupled with the impressive high contrast ratio of 4000:1, the PLC-XF1000 is capable of generating clear and color-rich images that are more vivid for cases where brightness and high resolution become primary installation factors.

The PLC-XF1000 is equipped with two high-output 330-watt lamps, improving light efficiency and achieving the industry’s highest brightness of 12,000 lumens. It uses a basic 100V AC electrical outlet for ease of use and installation convenience.

The QuaDrive optical engine uses an inorganic panel for increased reliability contributing to the projector’s outstanding 4000:1 contrast ratio for improved image depth, resulting in a 3D-like appearance. With the incorporation of three mirrors and SANYO’s two-lamp combining technology, the overall colour uniformity is significantly improved resulting in richer high definition images. The new design allows the PLC-XF1000 to produce the same brightness with two lamps as previous models did with four.

Maintaining projectors in the field can be costly and time-consuming. The integration of SANYO’s exclusive Active Maintenance Filter (AMF) system enables filter cartridge replacement intervals of approximately 11,000 hours because a single cartridge contains a filter roll that is equal to 10 individual filters.

Installation is also simplified with key SANYO features such as the Power Vertical/Horizontal Lens Shifting and Power Zoom/Focus functions, which enable easy projection adjustments without changing the projector’s position. These power-driven systems can be easily operated with the supplied remote control, which is especially convenient when the projector is installed on the ceiling or wall. Moreover, the projector can be installed in virtually any location, due to versatile setup positioning functions like the Vertical 360-degree Tilt Angle and a centre Lens Design. There are ten optional lenses available for use with the PLC-XF1000, ranging from short to long-focus choices.

Other features include a mechanical shutter, which can completely block projection light, convenient for presenters making presentations on stage, easy stacking grooves for placing a back-up unit on top of the main projector, and a built-in MVP expansion-slot system that enables the addition of SANYO’s network and uncompressed HD data wireless transmission boards.

SPECIFICATIONS
• Resolution: 1024 x 768 (WUXGA)
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3
• Brightness: 12,000 lumens
• Contrast Ratio: 4000:1
• Uniformity: 90%
• Projection Lamp: NSHA 330W x2
• Screen Size: 40″-600″ distance varies based on lens type used
• Input Terminals: DVI-D (HDCP), RGB D-sub 15-pin (input and output), RGBHV/Y/VIDEO, Pb/Cb,Pr/Cr (BNC x5), S-video
• Control: RS232C (in)/ D-sub 9 x 2 (out)
• Dimensions: 21 (W) x 10.55 (H) x 30(D) inches
• Weight: 60.1 lbs (excluding lens)

Like all new SANYO products, the PLC-X1000 conforms to the EU RoHS Directive. It will be available from the beginning of December 2009 for an MSRP of $US24,995.00, (excluding lens).

This is their top 10 in best phones. The mobile phone with less radiation (0.15 – 0.35 W/kg) is the Samsung Impression SGH-a877. Second position goes to the Motorola RAZR V8 (0.36 W/kg), and third is another Samsung, the SGH-t229.

1. Samsung Impression (SGH-a877)
2. Motorola RAZR V8
3. Samsung SGH-t229
4. Samsung Rugby (SGH-a837)
5. Samsung Propel Pro (SGH-i627)
6. Samsung Gravity (SGH-t459)
7. T-Mobile Sidekick
8. LG Xenon (GR500)
9. Motorola Karma QA1
10. Sanyo Katana II

But wait, where are the big names? Well, as you probably guessed, those are the ones with the bad grades, way down in the list. All the iPhone models have poor scores, with the iPhone 3GS getting 0.52 – 1.19 W/kg. The Palm Pre gets a pretty lousy score too, sitting at 0.92 W/Kg, and so does the T-Mobile G1, at 1.11 W/kg.

So there you go: If you are paranoid, and use your mobile phone a lot without an ear piece, then better be safe than sorry, no matter what the research says now. [All mobile phones Ranking and Smartphones Ranking]

I say “looks”, because it’s hard to 100 per cent confirm from the Google-translated Japanese. The spec listing certainly says “Eye-Fi forwarding, power management, access point management”, but the fine print reads “Eye-Fi card will be sold separately.” Confusing. Being able to wirelessly send videos and photos to your computer without the need for an Eye-Fi (Wi-Fi enabled) SD card would be fantastic, so this is definitely a model we’ll be watching. And Sanyo’s Xacti line up is so big that many models make their way States-side.

The CG11’s other key features include anti-shake shooting, a built-in stereo microphone, mono speaker and built-in 40MB memory. It can also shoot stills up to a resolution of 4000 by 3000, and its battery should provide about 40 minutes of video shooting. It hits stores in Japan for about $US316 in September. [Sanyo Japan via Impress (both translated)]

If you live in colder climates or enjoy winter sports, something like this might be useful. Be careful though—with all of the news about batteries spontaneously catching fire, melted throats could be a concern. [Sanyo via Boing Boing Gadgets]

To juice up, you connect your USB-charging device to the included Lithium Ion booster pack, which acts as a reservoir drawing power from the panels.

Sanyo claims a full charge to the booster in good sunlight will take 3 days with one panel (¥9,000; about $US100) and half that on the two-panel version (¥14,000; about $US150). [Sanyo Japan via Akihabara News and PC World]

Executives at Sanyo-which employs more than 85,000 people worldwide-said they were initially overjoyed that someone had actually purchased one of their products. The celebration was short-lived, however, as it soon dawned on board members that their organisation would face financial ruin if forced to honour Cinelli’s rebate.

[The Onion]

Weighing in at 19kg (still way heavy compared to most bikes, let alone peak gear) and charging in 3.5 hours, Sanyo’s CY-SPK227 electric bike (the first carbon fibre model in the world) achieves 62 miles of assisted motor range through an integrated lithium ion battery and dynamo-based recharging that kicks in whenever you cruise downhill or brake.

Of course, all of this fancy blacknerness comes at a price: $US6,700 when it hits Japan October 1st. For that much, we might prefer to indulge in a full-out electric motorcycle. But if Batman chooses to chase down the Riddler on this thing just so he has a change at shacking up with Poison Ivy and her posse of Greenpeace sidewalk solicitors, so be it. [Sanyo via CrunchGear]

The lamp is intended to spend most of its time on a wireless charging stand, which not unlike the Palm’s Touchstone or, more precisely, Sanyo’s wireless eneloop Wiimote charger. There, it can be switched between the brighter white light mode and a low-draw blue, or “Healing Light,” mode. The stand feeds power into the unit’s two AA batteries, which power the lamp when it strays from home. Sanyo’s press release says it’ll switch modes when it’s turned horizontal, mentioning that there’s some kind of accelerometer, although it seems like a simple activate-on-disconnect system would work just fine.

At first, I had trouble imagining too many uses for a lamp/torch hybrid, but then it hit me: midnight pooping. For that, this lamp is genius. No price or domestic availability info is available yet; Japan will see a launch on September 11th. [Akihabara News]

Faster Wi-Fi should imply higher quality signals for video streaming, with “n” speeds having set the benchmark for wireless HD in the home theatre industry already. But technically, no streaming bitrate limitations are listed on the product at this time.

The system also features a Vista-friendly Windows CE infrastructure with 4GB of storage that’s compatible with MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, and WMV. You get home theatre ports like HDMI and component. And the projector itself creates a WXGA (1280 x 800) image at 3,800 lumens.

Oh…but…it’s gonna be like $US6500 when it hits Japan this June. (The headline read “first!!” not “cheap!!”) [Sanyo via SlashGear]

Sanyo’s Eneloop label, known for Wii charging stations and batteries, is taking cycling for a spin with the CY-SPG226 battery-assisted bicycle. Don’t let the 85km range fool you though—there’s still pedalling to be done.

The impressive range is accomplished, Sanyo says, by a battery that recharges itself on downhill stretches or when the cyclist brakes.

There’s also that big honkin’ basket on the front, capable of carrying more than 9 kilos (perfect for a chance encounter with an animatronic alien), but that has little to do with the batteries. Sadly, there is no little bell to ring when you arrive with a delivery.

The bike is, unsurprisingly, being marketed to courier and maintenance companies for about $US1,300 (Japan only). That may sound expensive to some, but if you really hate pedaling or doing more work than is absolutely necessary, like I do, it might not be so bad. [CrunchGear]