Panasonic introduces PT-D10000U and PT-DW10000U HD DLP projectors

by Conrad Quilty-Harper, posted Mar 17th 2007 at 1:21PM

Panasonic recently announced two 10,000 lumen three-chip DLP projectors with specifications aimed very much at the high end market. The lesser of the two new models is the PT-D10000U, which features a native resolution of 1400 x 1050 pixels, and is apparently one of the smallest 10,000 lumen projectors out there: according to Panasonic, it's the only 10k lumen projector capable of operating from a standard 120-VAC outlet too. The bigger brother of the pair is the PT-DW10000U which ups the native resolution to 1920 x 1200 pixels. Both models feature 5,000:1 contrast ratios, 10-bit video processing, a liquid-cooling system that allows both projectors to operate in ambient temperatures of up to 45°C (113°F), individual screen sizes above 10 foot x 10 foot, 30 percent smaller casing than the models that they replace, and an Auto Cleaning Robot which keeps the filter clean for up to 2,000 hours without external maintenance. That "Robot" could simply be an automated wiper that moves dust away for all we know, but unfortunately we'll never get to check, because the PT-D10000U comes in with a MSRP of $54,999, and the PT-DW10000U at $74,999. Both should be available during the first quarter of this year.