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Optoma's $199 PK-100 pico projector goes for the bargain crowd

by Darren Murph posted Oct 3rd 2009 at 4:12AM

You know what's better than a PK-101? A PK-102. You know what's not better than a PK-101? A PK-100. Unless, of course, you're focused solely on price. Quietly announced to hit the lower-end market, the PK-100 is described as a simplified version of its more sophisticated siblings, boasting the same DLP-based engine as well as 11 ANSI lumens of brightness and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Unfortunately, you'll only find a single composite video input and a 480 x 320 native resolution, but hey, for an estimated retail price of $199, what else did you really expect?

[Via PicoProjector-Info]

Optoma's PK102 pico projector slims down, boosts connectivity

by Darren Murph posted Sep 11th 2009 at 11:01AM

One thing's for sure: the obsession with pico projectors has certainly calmed since these things first hit the scene right around a year ago. Optoma's PK101 was somewhat of an industry poster child, so it makes sense to see the company outing a successor in hopes of catching the interest of those who held off on adopting early. Still, the predictably titled PK102 does little to improve upon the past, boasting the same native resolution (480 x 320), a 2,000:1 contrast ratio (up from 1,000:1) and the traditional DLP engine. On the plus side, it has managed to trim down ever-so-slightly, step up to 4GB of internal memory and add a few new connectivity options including a composite video input and a universal port capable of receiving VGA and component video signals. Best of all, the PK102 is available now for just $229, which pales in comparison to the $430 or so it took to snag the PK101 on launch day.

[Via PicoProjector-Info]

Mitsubishi rolls out 1080p HC3800 projector for $1,395

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 9th 2009 at 6:05PM

It's not always easy for a projector to stand out from the pack these days, but it looks like Mitsubishi has turned to one of the most tried and true tricks in the book for its new HC3800 model: offer a ton of features for a great price. That starts, naturally, with a full 1080p resolution, and things stay more than respectable all along down the line with 1,300 lumens of brightness, a 4,000:1 contrast ratio, a promised 5,000 hour lamp life (in conservation mode) and, get this, full support for anamorphic lenses in case you're really looking to top off your home theater. Best of all, the projector is set to run just $1,395, and should be available sometime in the third quarter of this year.

[Via About Projectors]

LG HS200 'pocket projector' hands-on reveals an FM transmitter and embedded DivX surprise

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 6th 2009 at 2:48PM

Small, bright, and wireless: a potent trifecta of win for an ultra-portable projector. LG's new HS200 DLP projector is here at IFA sourcing DivX video off local USB media and throwing the audio over its embedded FM transmitter. And because it's LED-based, it racks up numbers like 200 ANSI-Lumens and 30,000 hours of operation before burn-out -- that's 4 hours of operation per day for oh, say, 20 years. The 80-inch, 800x600 pixel moving image that we saw was reasonably bright in a demo-room where ambient lighting was on par with a daytime living room, curtains closed. The viewing and listening experience was more than passable, enjoyable even, and far superior to what you'll get from a pico projector. Jacks include HDMI, RGB / component, and composite with an expected price of €499 when it lands in Europe this month (coming to the US a few months later). See it for yourselves in the video after the break.

Gallery: LG HS200 video hands-on

Continue reading LG HS200 'pocket projector' hands-on reveals an FM transmitter and embedded DivX surprise

Samsung's P410M pocket projector is just a little bit better

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 22nd 2009 at 6:43AM

Samsung's looking to update its original P400 pocket imager with the P410m. Other than pumping out 170 lumens off a 30,000 hour LED to the P400's 151 lumens, the P410M looks like the same 800 x 600 pixel DLP beamer with 1,000:1 contrast first spotted at CES back in January 2008. But hey, brighter is better especially in this milquetoast-class of ultra-portable projectors.

[Via Slashgear]

Viewsonic announces three new 3D projectors

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 15th 2009 at 3:31PM

Good news, 3D fanboys and girls, looks like Viewsonic's back on the scene with a clutch of 120Hz 3D-enabled projectors. The first new model, the PJD6381, looks to be aimed at schools and businesses, with an extremely short throw ratios (around .68) for reducing shadowing effects, and a number of interactive whiteboard options. Available in August, this guy has 1024 x 768 XGA resolution, 2,500 ANSI lumens, a 2,500:1 contrast ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, and is compatible with the both Texas Instruments' DLP Link and NVIDIA's 3D-Vision 3D technology -- expect it to have an MSRP of $1,249. The PJD6211 and PJD6221 ($849 and $899, respectively) also sport 1024 x 768 XGA resolution, as well as up to 2,700 lumens, a 2,800:1 contrast ratio and both DLP Link and 3D-Vision compatibility. These two should hit the stores some time in July.

BenQ GP1 LED pocket projector reviewed: loved, possibly lurved

by Thomas Ricker posted May 25th 2009 at 5:14AM

The universal acclaim for BenQ's GP1 LED projector is deafening. Naturally, some trade-offs were made in brightness, contrast, and resolution in order to squeeze things down to a palm-sized 5.4 x 4.7 x 2.1-inch footprint. But at just 1.4-pounds, it won't cause your bicep, atrophied by pantywaist netbooks, too much strain. Thanks to a LED light source with a 20,000 hour lifespan, this $499 DLP projector manages to spread 100 lumens across 858 x 600 pixels with a 2,000:1 contrast -- specs that give solid results when projecting a 40-inch image in a bright, shades-drawn room on up to 80-inches in near-black environments. Better yet, pop in a USB stick loaded with images (JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF) or videos (MPEG4, MJPEG, xvid, 3ivX) and the projector will automatically launch a media playback menu -- no laptop required. The lack of zoom, an ailment common in all these tiny projectors, will limit placement and a measured 38dB (from a distance of 30cm) operational hum will be distracting to home theater buffs or cubical monkeys forced into the sleepy corporate dens of PowerPoint. But all-in-all, BenQ's come up with a winner, and truth doesn't make a noise.

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Prototype Sanyo projector throws up 1080p at near point-blank range

by Darren Murph posted Apr 14th 2009 at 2:14PM

Sanyo's had a knack for pumping out short-throw projectors, but its latest prototype unquestionably takes the cake. Debuting without so much as a model name, this here DLP beamer -- which, at 93- x 20- x 25-inches, easily doubles as a bench -- throws up a 100-inch 1080p image with just 24-inches of space between it and the wall. Better still, that can scale up to 150-inches by adding just another foot of breathing room -- and just to remind you, we're talking full 1,920 x 1,080 resolution here. Sanyo also tossed in 7,000 lumens of brightness, though mum's the word when it comes to price or nearness to production.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Gallery: Prototype Sanyo projector throws up 1080p at near point-blank range

BenQ GP1 (P1) LED pocket projector eyes-on

by Darren Murph posted Mar 5th 2009 at 12:48AM

Remember that GP1 pico projector that was quietly announced alongside a slew of others at CES this year? Apparently it's sporting the P1 moniker in Europe, which is infinitely confusing given that BenQ used to have a PJ that looked mighty similar to this one, and yeah, it too was called the P1. At any rate, the GP1 you see here is BenQ's first ever LED beamer, and with it will come an 858 x 600 native resolution, 100 ANSI lumens, 2,000:1 contrast ratio, an integrated USB reader, TI's DLP technology and a lamp life of 20,000 hours. It should be out in Germany by April, but we're still expecting it here in the US next month for a lofty $599.

Gallery: BenQ GP1 (P1) LED pocket projector hands-on

NTT docomo and Sharp show projector phone at MWC

by Sean Cooper posted Feb 18th 2009 at 4:47PM

We had a brief peek at yest another pico projecting set at MWC, this time an NTT docomo Samsung affair without a name, price, or even a release date. Specs are as sketchy as these are usable in a brightly lit room, but the hopes are this device will be used for services like mobile TV, home theater (yeah, right), document editing, presentations, and video calling. We were enthused to see the mock ups (pictured above) of where the design of this device could go -- and we're hoping that by next year the bricks we've seen lately will be gone and sleek design will become the norm. We filmed a bit of it in action and honestly, we've seen TI's pico projector before and it doesn't seem to have changed significantly. Follow the link to see the media.

Gallery: NTT docomo and Sharp show projector phone at MWC

Continue reading NTT docomo and Sharp show projector phone at MWC

Samsung Show hands-on and video at MWC

by Laura June posted Feb 18th 2009 at 1:02PM

The Engadget Spanish team just got their hands on the Samsung Show (the European, i7410 model) projector phone that we first caught a sneak peek of a CES. The Show's projector is powered by Texas Instruments' DLP pico technology, and though the fact that it packs a projector does increase the bulkiness of the phone as far as looks are concerned, the phone is still rather small and light. The Show can project an image of anywhere from five to fifty inches, with a 480 x 320 resolution. It's got a 3.2-inch WQVGA touchscreen, the TouchWiz UI and also boasts a 5 megapixel camera. There are plans for this bad dude to hit Asia and Europe (but no word on if it'll ever make its way to North America), but we still haven't heard when, nor how much it'll cost when it arrives. Check the video after the break.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Gallery: Samsung Show Hands-on

Continue reading Samsung Show hands-on and video at MWC

Texas Instruments out-picos itself with newer, tinier projector chip

by Laura June posted Feb 17th 2009 at 12:03AM

We love pico projectors, we love phones -- so the combo pack known as the Samsung Show stopped us in our tracks when we first spied it at CES. Well, Texas Instruments, makers of the DLP projector chip that runs the Show, if you will, have just announced the second generation DLP chip which is -- you guessed it -- smaller! The second-gen chip is about 20 percent smaller and thinner in fact, and it boasts the ability to display WVGA resolution (the previous model has HVGA resolution), all while delivering a brighter display! TI's press specifically mentions mobile phones, so don't be surprised if the Show doesn't have a host of comptitors to deal with any day now. Texas Instruments is on hand at MWC, and their press conference is tonight, so we'll be watching, magnifying glass in hand, to see what else they have in store for us.

Video: Samsung Show W7900 projector phone gets specced, demoed

by Darren Murph posted Jan 27th 2009 at 12:04PM

Samsung's Show (formally known as the W7900) made a brief but resonating appearance at CES this year, and now, the lucky kids over at PopSci have managed to acquire a few more juicy specifications as well as a few moments of coveted hands-on time. The forthcoming projector phone, which is apt to land in South Korea first, includes a 3.2-inch OLED display (400 x 240 resolution), quad-band GSM connectivity, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, a five megapixel camera, support for video calling and the obligatory ten lumen projector that shoots 480 x 320 images out at up to 50 inches. The entire device measures in at 4.4- x 2.2- x 0.7-inches, and it actually doesn't emit a half bad image when the lights are all down. Have a look for yourself just after the break.

Continue reading Video: Samsung Show W7900 projector phone gets specced, demoed

Samsung Show finally makes projector phones sexy

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 12th 2009 at 3:05AM

Is 2009 finally the year of the projector phone? Eh, not likely -- but there are finally a few models filtering into retail after years of talk, prototypes, and empty promises, including the Logic Bolt from independent manufacturer Logic Wireless and this puppy from Sammy. We're told that the aptly-named Show is inbound for release in South Korea before the end of the month, it runs Samsung's ubiquitous TouchWiz platform, and it packs DLP-based pico projector tech from TI, but that's about all we (and Samsung's US reps) seem to know about it. The projector can be used to view media stored in phone memory, pull up mobile TV via Korea's T-DMB airwaves, or simply project light, a function luddites may know better as a "flashlight." Most importantly, it actually isn't half-bad looking -- a symptom of a major manufacturer getting involved and throwing some won and industrial design staff at the thing, we bet.

SIM2 aims high with $58,000 Grand Cinema HT5000E DLP projector

by Darren Murph posted Jan 9th 2009 at 3:54PM

SIM2 never fails to stun, and it's proving yet again that it couldn't care less about the global economic situation (or that it just aims at a class of people that are simply unaffected) with the Grand Cinema HT5000E. Said device was actually outed yesterday courtesy of an HDGiants pair-up, but today we're being gifted with the official details. The three-chip DLP beamer includes a trio of 0.95-inch DarkChip4 DMDs, a 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution, six lens options, Ethernet jack for remote control and world-class color uniformity / edge-to-edge focus capabilities. Yeah, it'll cost you more than most vehicles and even some diminutive homes at $57,995, but at least the white glove delivery service is included. A true bargain, let us tell you. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading SIM2 aims high with $58,000 Grand Cinema HT5000E DLP projector