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epson posts

Epson concocts world's first 4K HTPS panel, 4K 3LCD projectors closer to reality

by Darren Murph posted Nov 9th 2009 at 9:09AM

Oh, the beauty of progress. Just a few months back, Epson seemed fairly content showing off an HTPS panel with a WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution, though today that very product just seems lackluster. Up until now, 4K x 2K projectors were reserved strictly for cinemas, businesses and consumers with a) more money than sense and b) room for a 200-pound beamer in their basement. The planet's first 4K-compatible high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT liquid crystal panel for 3LCD projectors measures just 1.64-inches and supports displays with resolutions as high as 4,096 x 2,160. Your guess is as good as ours as to when this stuff will actually hit the market in a functioning product, but yesterday is as good a day as any to start saving up.

[Via Akihabara News]

Epson adds tethering, remote shutter release to P-6000 and P-7000 photo viewers

by Darren Murph posted Oct 22nd 2009 at 3:19PM

Epson's P-6000 ($599.99) and P-7000 ($799.99) Multimedia Viewers were always a bit too rich for our blood, but those hemming and hawing might just have the final bit of motivation they need to pull the trigger. A forthcoming firmware update for the 80GB and 160GB (respectively) photo viewers brings along a hotly-anticipated new feature: tethering. Put simply, pro shooters (and novices, we guess) can now connect select Nikon and Canon DSLRs to their photo viewer via USB, and in real time shots will be simultaneously captured to the camera's memory card and the viewer's hard drive. Moreover, the update includes a remote shutter release function for added convenience, though we're sad to say that the retail pricing of these buggers hasn't budged. If you're a proud owner already, keep your eyes glued to Epson's support site -- the download should go live in "late-October."

[Via Slashgear]

Epson's PictureMate Charm is the cutest photo printer we ever did see

by Darren Murph posted Oct 13th 2009 at 1:27PM

Epson's PictureMate line is one with a long-standing history, but as with most everything else in consumer electronics, the latest in the lineup seems to have shrunk. The appropriately named PictureMate Charm is a kinda-sorta portable printing solution, delivering 4- x 6-inch color prints in as little as 37 seconds. The mini printer also boasts a 2.5-inch LCD, a multicard reader, optional Bluetooth support (via a separate adapter) and room for either 150 glossy sheets or 100 matte sheets of 4- x 6-inch paper. It'll ship next week a buck-fifty, but the replacement ink and sheet packs will probably drive you into bankruptcy.

Epson blows the roof off of your house party with two new projectors

by Laura June posted Sep 17th 2009 at 9:36AM

Epson's just announced two new additions to its home theatre lineup which should make your bi-weekly showing of House Party even more of a success than usual. First up, the PowerLite Home Cinema 705HD boasts a 720p resolution, a brightness of up to 2,500 lumens, and 1.2x optical zoom. The 705HD is an entry-level HD projector, so its pricing -- $750 -- is a bit less than some other models. The other model the company's outing is the MovieMate 60, a combo affair housing a 16:9 native resolution-having projector, plus a built-in dvd player and two 10 watt speakers. The projector has a brightness of up to 2,000 lumens. The MovieMate 60 retails for $650 -- and both are available now.

Continue reading Epson blows the roof off of your house party with two new projectors

Epson's 2010 PowerLite Home and Pro Cinema projector lineup given US pricing, dates

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 8th 2009 at 7:34AM

We already snuck a peak at the European version of Epson's Home Cinema 8500 UB (the EH-TW4400) and Pro Cinema 9500 UB (EH-TW5500) at the big IFA show in Berlin. Now they're US official, and joined by newly anointed PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and Pro Cinema 9100 models. The new 8100 doubles the reported contrast of the old 6100 (on paper anyway) which should equate to a visible black level improvement for an asking price of just $1,500 after $100 rebate -- very reasonable for a Full HD home theater projector of Epson quality. The 9100 adds support for an anamorphic lens, ISF certification for professional setups, a bundled ceiling mount and spare E-TORL lamp, and a 3-year replacement warranty for a beefier $2,600. Expect the 8100 to hit US retail in October along side the "sub-$4,000" Pro Cinema 9500 UB while the 9100 lands in November with the "sub-$3,000" Home Cinema 8500 UB. Your holiday slide-shows will never be the same.

[Via The Art of Home Theater Projectors]

Read -- PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB
Read -- PowerLite Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB

Epson's Endeavor Na02mini-V netbook won't excite many

by Darren Murph posted Sep 7th 2009 at 6:58AM

Epson's Endeavor Na01 shipped with an astoundingly predictable set of specifications last November, and lo and behold, the unit's successor has a BOM that's equally guessable. If you're not in the mood for playing games (and be honest, you aren't), we'll inform that this bugger touts a 10.1-inch display, 1,024 x 600 resolution, 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor, 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, WiFi, a trio of USB 2.0 sockets and a multi-card reader. It's also sporting one of the classier cases out there, and the built-in VGA / Ethernet ports are also handy. The included Li-ion isn't anything special, but we're told an extended cell that offers up ten hours of life should be coming soon; for those who can hardly wait, it should be ready to purchase this November for ¥39,800, or just north of $427 at current exchange rates.

[Via Engadget Korea]

Continue reading Epson's Endeavor Na02mini-V netbook won't excite many

Epson's EH-TW5500 and EH-TW4400 flagship projectors seen hanging out with high contrast blacks, Germans

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 7th 2009 at 3:59AM

It's that time again: the end-of-year rush to launch the best and brightest home theater projectors for the holiday cocooning season. Epson's casting its 2009 lot with the EH-TW5500 and EH-TW4400 3LCD projectors featuring Full HD (1920x1080) resolutions, a 1600 ANSI lumen brightness, and quiet 22dB operation. The TW4400 (aka, Home Cinema 8500UB as it will be known Stateside) touts a 130000:1 contrast while the TW5500 (aka, Pro Cinema 9500UB) ratchets the hyperbole up to 200000:1 -- that's about double the claim of Epson's previous high-enders that already featured excellent black performance. To be fair, Epson makes some of, if not the best, home theater projectors for the money thanks to its D7 C2Fine LCD panels manufactured in-house. Other specs include 12bit video processing, improved frame interpolation and 4-4 pull-down, x.v. color mode, 2.1x optical zoom with horizontal/vertical lens shift, and a range of inputs including 2x HDMI, YUV, and RGB.

We gave the TW5500 an eyes and ears-on here are IFA in Berlin in a finely-tuned home theater setup and came away extremely impressed with the image -- enough so that we'd be tempted to layout the €3,299 European asking price (€2,799 for the TW4400) come November if only we had the space to let this baby shine. But let's wait and see what the competition has in response when CEDIA kicks off later this week -- it's best to be informed and 3 grand ain't exactly chump change.

Read -- Press Release
Read -- Art Feierman's opinion

Empty ink cartridges repurposed as glorious lamps

by Darren Murph posted Aug 3rd 2009 at 5:37AM

We all know that those ink cartridge refills never really function perfectly as advertised, so rather than paying too much to have a lackluster printing experience, boxlightbox has decided to repurpose his empty Epson boxes into prepossessing lighting instruments. The simple (albeit masterly) lamps maintain the iconic presence of an ink cartridge while still fitting into the overall feel of an art deco home. At $350, the sensational Ink-Cartridge Chandelier shown above certainly isn't the cheapest of fixtures, but for those who spend entirely too much time at Kinko's, it's totally worth the investment. Hit the read link for more ways to spend money that you don't have -- or, you know, to just get a few ideas for scratching that DIY itch.

[Thanks, David]

Video: Epson and 3M create the 0.3-mm spokesmodel, eating disorders skyrocket

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 9th 2009 at 4:09AM

The technology behind this display might not be new, but the approach to demonstrating it is absolutely captivating. Good thing too because the idea here is to combine Epson's rear-projection technology with 3M's 0.3-mm thin Vikuiti film to project talking avatars on shop windows in a bid to lure lusty nerd-boys and impressionable Cosmo-girls in for a closer look. Check it after the break courtesy of Impress.

Continue reading Video: Epson and 3M create the 0.3-mm spokesmodel, eating disorders skyrocket

Epson begins mass-producing 'world's smallest' LCD for 3LCD data projectors

by Laura June posted Jun 29th 2009 at 10:38AM

Epson's started volume production of what it believes to be the "world's smallest" XGA high temperature polysilicon TFT (HTPS-TFT) panel for 3LCD data projectors. The chip used (an L3P05X-91G00) is approximately 23 percent smaller than its predecessor, and the 0.55-inch panel boasts natural XGA (1024 x 768) resolution. Epson says they're working to increase the resolution on these types of displays, which are currently being manufactured only for 3LCD data projectors. Pretty impressive -- though, we'll just hold out until they start putting these babies into really tiny television sets.

[Via About Projectors]

Seiko Epson envisions large inkjet-printed OLED TVs, unicorns for all in 2012

by Darren Murph posted Jun 24th 2009 at 1:51PM

As much as we'd like to put stock in Satoru Miyashita's forecast, we're still hesitant to believe that we're just two Consumer Electronic Shows away from seeing big-screen OLED TVs for sale. After Sony's polarizing XEL-1 hit the scene around two years ago, we've seen an anemic amount of action in the commercial OLED TV space. Sure, we've heard promise after promise, but we've still got no solid evidence that a large-screen set is anywhere near a Sam's Club shelf. In a recent interview with the general manager of Seiko Epson's Core Technology Development Center, OLED-Info managed to get this out of the exec: "We see 2012 as being the year that 37"+ OLED TVs will be launched by various makers, and 2015 as the year that sales will really take off for this market." He's referring to the year in which OEMs will begin to use its new inkjet-printing approach to making OLED TVs, which will hopefully allow for easier development of larger panels. 'Til then, we suppose we'll just have to be content with using the Zune HD as our primary television.

Epson's WUXGA HTPS-TFT Panel hints at ultra-bright, high-contrast PowerLite projectors in September

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 11th 2009 at 4:50AM

As a leader in home cinema systems, it's always a good idea to keep tabs on Epson's core technologies as a preview of what's coming up in next generation home theater projectors. Today Seiko-Epson announced the start of volume production for its 0.94-inch HTPS-TFT LCD capable of a WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixel) resolution for 3LCD projectors pushing 1080p. The panel supports a brightness of 5000 lumens (or more!) using Epson's D7 process technology while achieving "higher than ever contrast" through its C2 Fine inorganic alignment layer tech. What this means is simple: expect to see a new brightness and contrast champion PowerLite Home Cinema projector announced at the end of Summer, as CEDIA tradition dictates, with product shipping by end of the year.

Seiko Epson's inkjet tech brings big-screen OLED TVs closer to reality

by Darren Murph posted May 26th 2009 at 10:34AM

We know it's been burning on your mind everyday since December 6th, 2007: "What on Earth are those guys and gals over at Seiko Epson doing now that they've killed production of RPTVs?" At long last, we've located an answer. According to a prideful new release from the outfit, it has developed a new inkjet technology that will enable the "uniform deposition of organic material in the production of large-screen OLED TVs." For what seems like years now, manufacturers have teased us with 37-inch OLED HDTVs, but they've skirted around questions relating to "price" and "release." Now, the last remaining excuse seems to have been vaporized, so if we don't see a market-ready big-screen OLED at CES 2010... well, let's just say the knee-capping club is dying for a reason to reunite.

[Via Akihabara News]

Epson launches next-gen Ensemble HD Home Cinema System

by Darren Murph posted Apr 28th 2009 at 4:10PM

Considering that Epson's highest-end HTIB is nearly two years old now, we'd say an update was definitely in order. Today, the outfit has just taken the wraps off of its next-generation Ensemble HD Home Cinema, which gets updated by way of including the PowerLite Home Cinema 6100 or Home Cinema 6500 UB. As with the prior kit, these two also include a motorized 100-inch screen, integrated surround sound, AV controller with built-in DVD player, universal remote and all virtually components needed for installation. The only thing that's glaringly absent is a Blu-ray player, which -- at this point -- is completely and utterly inexcusable. At any rate, those content with treating themselves to upscaled DVD can fork out $4,999 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 720p, $6,499 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 6100 and $7,999 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 6500 UB.

Video: Epson's multitouch X-Desk is your next coffee table

by Darren Murph posted Apr 18th 2009 at 1:23AM

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense for Epson to get into the touch-surface game -- most of the larger versions are projector-based, and Epson's been making great little beamers for quite some time. Showcased earlier this year at ISE 2009 alongside a multitouch air hockey table, the Core 2 Duo-powered X-Desk boasts a 1,024 x 768 resolution panel and possesses the ability to recognize up to 16,000 objects using "Smart Tags." Also of note, gesture recognition software enables users to actually speak to the table and see results, though there's no word on whether raising your voice or blurting out obscenities improves efficiency. Like all of these things, we've nary a clue when they'll really be available for the layperson to purchase, but you can certainly live vicariously by hopping past the break.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Continue reading Video: Epson's multitouch X-Desk is your next coffee table