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Acer breeds LEDs with lasers, new hybrid projector is born
Acer usually graces our pages for its pico projector range, but the company's taken a leaf out of the high-end book for its latest non-portable model, the K750 LED-laser hybrid. The world's first combo projector spits out 1080p, just as you would expect, at a contrast ratio of up to 100,000:1. Acer claims the color brightness, saturation and fidelity are significantly better than mercury lamps, and appears to be leaning towards the business and education markets, citing the K750's instant on / off capability to sway the productive types. If you fancy one of these in your house, however, better start saving your cash -- AVForums claims it'll be available in the UK later this month bearing a price tag of around £1,700 (approximately $2,650).
Taiwan subsidizes development for Delta's glasses-free 3D projector and AUO's flexible AMOLED
You know the Taiwanese are pretty serious about technology when you see them liberally throwing cash at factories. According to DigiTimes, Delta Electronics and AUO are two recent winners for a shared NT$600 million (US$19.6 million) government grant, which will cover 45% of each of their research expenditure -- so probably not a fifty-fifty split. If all goes well, Delta will bring out glasses-free, wide-angle 3D projection that's enabled by using multiple high-res LED beamers; whereas AUO will take advantage of the recent AMOLED shortage and develop high-res flexible panels. Nice going, folks, just don't let us catch you all partying on the factory floor with that money.
Acer rights its wrongs with K11 pico projector
Why hello there, Acer. Not only does this K11 DLP pico projector look sexier than its predecessor, but it's also been given some nice internal enhancements. Starting with display performance: the K11's resolution remains about the same at 858 x 600, but it's twice as bright at 200 lumens (while maintaining the same 20,000-hour lamp life) and has twice as much contrast ratio at 2,000:1. As for connectivity this machine now packs an HDMI socket (along with the usual VGA and composite AV ports) as well as an SDHC card reader and a USB port for opening music, video and picture files. Even with all these extra goodies, the K11's only managed to gain 0.13 pounds (reaching 1.34 pounds) while sporting a smaller body. All we need now is a price, launch date, a few friends and a destination for our road trip. Oh, and some content. Update: apparently an Acer representative hinted that the K11 will be available for about €500 ($685; translated page shows "$" instead of "€"). Yikes. Anyway, vielen Dank, Felix Fdot!
Video: Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam gets hands on, ads galore
The just-announced Nikon Coolpix S1000pj digicam / pico projector has been blowin' up the Interwebs this morning, and we have the video to prove it. First of all, there is a hands-on provided by What Digital Camera over in the UK, and aside from the projector they've uncovered a pretty straight forward digital shooter: 12 megapixel, 5x optical zoom, pretty standard dimensions, and a 2.7-inch LCD. However, the projector itself seems to do the job quite admirably. Sure, it's not an extensive demo, but the image looks clear and crisp. The reviewer deems it "a very, very clever party trick." And if the straight ahead tech demo doesn't get you in the mood to snap pictures and project them onto something, advertisers have offered us two visions of the future: take your pick from a spirited get together choc full o' photogenic American actors, or a somewhat subdued, more elegant affair in the presence of photogenic French actors. All that fun (and more) is to be had after the break.
Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam beams into reality along with friends
Man, the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj has gone from crazy rumor to seemingly-real to whoa-here's-the-press-release in record time -- the compact cam with the integrated projector was just officially announced, along with the three other cams we saw leaked earlier today. Leaked specs for the S1000pj were dead-on: a 12.1 megapixel sensor with ISO 6400 sensitivity mounted behind a 5x wide-angle zoom lens with five-way VR stabilization, and that LED-powered projector that'll put up a 40-inch image for slideshows complete with music, effects and transitions. We're a little less excited about the $430 list price this thing will carry when it hits in September, but on the whole it's a pretty terrific idea and we're completely intrigued -- looks like we'll be saving our pennies this month. Pictures of everything in the gallery, deets on the other cams and a video of the S1000pj after the break.
Rumor mill: Nikon VP650 camera / projector combo soon to be revealed
Looks like our one of our dreams just might come to fruition after all, if this newest rumor coming from the vicinity of Nikon is to be believed, anyway. Now, there aren't a lot of details to go round here, but Nikon Rumors is reporting that Chasseur d'Image -- a print magazine in France with a history of publishing rumors that turn into reality -- has published a report that Nikon will soon announce the VP650. What is this VP650, you ask? Well, it's a hybrid compact digital camera with an LED projector (which may or may not be manufactured by Taiwanese company Foxlink) that can project 8 x 12 images in "good quality" in the dark. Chasseur d'Image reports that the VP650 will ship in September. Like we said -- not a whole lot of detail, but we'll keep our eyes peeled to see if this thing ever appears. We'll say this though -- such a product would probably make the tiny projector a lot more attractive.
BenQ GP1 LED pocket projector reviewed: loved, possibly lurved
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.Read -- TrustedReviews Read -- TrustedReviews (video)Read -- SlashGear Read -- iLounge
Vivitek's HC7500A is world's first 1080p LED projector
Vivitek didn't really do an awesome job of making its very first projectors anything memorable (see, you didn't even know they were in the beamer biz, now did you?), but it's hoping to remedy that here at CES 2009 with the beastly HC7500A. Said device is the world's first 1080p LED projector, offering up a 35,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution, 700-lumen brightness rating and a lamp-free LED light source that can keep shining for around 20,000 hours. We know, you're impressed. But impressed enough to drop $13,999 for one in June? Full release is after the break.
Castrade's CV-MP01 LCoS VGA projector fits in a wine glass
See there? It really fits in a wine glass, which means this diminutive PJ is well suited for any random underground movie marathons you've got rolling around in the back of your mind. The LCoS-driven beamer can only output in VGA (640 x 480) and packs just ten lumens of brightness, but with a shell this small, we're willing to forgive most of the obvious drawbacks. You'll find an obligatory AV input as well as built-in speakers, but there's no mention of a price just yet. In fact, call us when you've managed to get 1080p out of something this size -- then you'll have our full, undivided attention.[Via FarEastGizmos]
Dell's Pocket Projector is easy to overlook
We can't blame you if you missed it, but Dell's latest leaked PowerPoint had one little gem tucked away near the end of the 31 slide deck. No, not the Coolslice homeslice, rather the Pocket Projector. Weighing just 1.1 pounds, this LED projector is either incredibly small, or that's a Texas-sized coffee mug... either of which could be true in Dell country. No word on release date though we expect it to pop with the rest of the Latitude E-series in Q4.[Thanks, William]
Sony unveils "world's smallest" LED projector
The mere claim of "world's smallest" almost guarantees there's something floating around that's smaller still, but we can't really recall spying anything in production quite as tiny as Sony's new LED projector. Using three backlit 0.62-inch LCDs and a whopping 14 LEDs of various colors, the projector can output a 800 x 600 image at an acceptable brightness. If you set it up with Sony's proprietary screen technology that helps reject ambient light, the model can display an almost LCD-ish 292cd/m2 brightness across a 20-inch display area, but we can't think many people will be interested in the 58cd/m2 brightness you'll be seeing on normal screens. No word on price, availability or even model number, but we'll keep an eye out for eye-strained, space saving home theater enthusiasts.
