Permanent linkIn the mind of many die-hard home theater pros Ive talked with over
the past year, the biggest news in the chip world, i.e. the DLP and
3LCD worlds, is news that has not yet arrived: These home video gurus
are clamoring for a 2.35:1 chip from any camp, DLP, 3LCD, or the
smaller but innovative LCoS camp.
Well, 2.35:1 was not here yet, on the floor of CEDIA (unless you do it
with lens attachments), but what was in ample display on the show floor
of CEDIA was an array of new technologies that demonstrates the
resourcefulness of both DLP and 3LCD projector manufacturers. (LCoS
cannot be overlooked; Sony and JVC had great demos at CEDIA, but for
the sake of space Ill restrict this blog to the two larger camps, and
revisit LCoS later.)
My DLP quest began at the projectiondesign booth. Perennially pushing
the DLP envelope, the engineers at this Norway-based innovator showed
an entirely new line of home theater projectors, the avielo series --
the spectra, optix, and prisma. The most impressive was the optix,
which uses a two-lamp, two-color wheel system. Yes, while the debate
over 3LCD vs. single-chip DLP has been going on, projectiondesign did
an extremely clever end-run: theyre running single-chip DLP with two
color wheels. And theyve moved their standard color wheel
configuration from the previous RGBCMY wheel to a RGBRGB wheel. (But
they claim that theyre still squeezing TIs BrilliantColor, in a
fashion, out of the spokes on the wheel, while toeing to the RGB gospel
for the color purist.)
The newest high-definition video projector from Italian manufacturer
SIM2 is its new Grand Cinema HT30000 HOST system, which pairs a
surprisingly compact projector, with a discrete outboard video input
processor that connects via SIM2s proprietary, three-line
optical-digital High-Definition Optical Signal Transfer (HOST) system.
SIM2 says that HOST is able to link the projector and processor over
distances up to 750 feet (250m). HOSTs 10-bit video processor will
feature six HDMI 1.3 inputs along with numerous component, composite,
RGB, and S-video inputs.
The two-piece HT3000 HOST begins with an ultra-compact projector just
17 inches square and weighing only 24 lbs., housed in Ferrari-like
exterior created by noted designer Giorgio Revoldini. The projector
utilizes the latest-generation, 0.95-inch DLP chip from Texas
Instruments to deliver full-HD 1080 progressive imaging.
Digital Projection Internationals recently launched displays, shown at
CEDIA, are the TITAN and LIGHTNING Ultra Contrast displays, delivering
up to 5000:1 contrast, with great dark area detail and saturated, vivid
colors. And DPIs iVision 30 and dVision 30 WUXGA displays, presenting
a 16:10 aspect ratio and capabilities of displaying full 1080p video
with no scaling required, bring up the single-chip DLP line. DPI also
showed its TITAN 700 Series displays, an extension of the popular 600
Series, with enhancements including higher brightness, standard HD-SDI
input connectivity, longer-life HID lamps and improved rigging
flexibility.
Of particular interest to me at CEDIA was DPIs demo of a rear-screen
configuration using a 3-chip TITAN projector on a DNP rear screen. The
image was produced with very bright wash lights shining directly onto
the screen. It also brought to the forefront a very significant trend
in video projection: the use of rear-projection systems for home
theatersor better said, home environments. This trend has installers
increasingly putting large screens in brightly lit rooms, outdoors by
pools basically, a lot of places that screens have not gone before.
Its all about putting a large screen in a place where theres a ton of
ambient light (that would wash out front-projection systems)
Speaking of rear projection, at CEDIA 2008 Runco previewed its new
CineWall CW-95HD in-wall projection display, featuring Runco's CineWide
2.35:1 technology. The CW-95HD combines the sleek look of a flat-panel
display, but with 2.35:1 solution available in an enormous 95
diagonal, achieving the same 2.35:1 imagery that previously only front
projectors featuring lens attachments could achieve.
There were just too many DLP projectors -- not to mention DLP RPTVs --
at CEDIA, to even skim the surface here. On the TV front, Samsung
showed only LED-based DLP TVs in its booth. And Mitsubishi, showed, for
the first time publicly, laser-based DLP TVs at CEDIA. Mitsubishis
laser-illumination system with a DLP light engine, the LaserVue, will
be available in 65- and 73-inch models with the 65-inch Diamond
shipping to authorized retailers in the third quarter of this year and
the 73-inch Diamond to follow.
According to Mitsubishi, they have an advantage because of their
majority share of the world-wide high-performance red laser market.
According to Mitsubishi, the color gamut as a percentage of BT.709 for
LaserVue prototypes, has been measured at approximately 200 percent,
delivering over twice the color of many of todays HDTVs, and with
operating power targeted at under 200 watts, they are environmentally
friendly, consuming approximately one-half the power of today's LCD
TVs, and one-third of plasma TVs.
And speaking of non-lamped displays, at least five different projector
manufacturers are actively developing LED-based DLP front projectors.
These are lampless projectors, as TI likes to call them. The bottom
line is that there are three tiny LED arrays, one each for R,G, and B.
Each in a tiny 16x9 frame no bigger than a few millimeters long. No
lamp. No heat. About 700 lumens out of the gate in early 2009, and some
claiming theyll have 1200-1500 lumens by late 2009. Digital Projection
is one of exhibitors with a back-room LED/DLP projector demo at CEDIA.
Its not fully here yet (the plethora of animated film demos at these
showings attests to the fact that skin tones are a bit on fire at this
point) but its coming soon.
3D is being touted by TI as the future of much of the market. But most
of the active 3-D demos weve seen in the past few years are SXGA+.
(There are of course lots of passive 3-D demos, including some at CEDIA
08, but passive 3-D is nothing new.) The hurdle is taking active 3-D to
1080p. Its not as easy as it looks through funny glasses. You need
dual processing, all the way to the light engine, to do 3-D right, at
120Hz. The resolution X frame rate = Bandwidth equation is not stepping
aside for 3-D. On the contrary its harder to accommodate. And its
where DLP has a processing/refresh advantage over 3LCD projection (or
LCD panels).
At CEDIA 08, 3LCD--as a chip manufacturer--focused its message on the
benefits of more efficient power consumption. Briefing reporters from
the Denver Athletic Club adjacent to the Convention Center, the 3LCD
marketing team cited recent studies showing that 3LCD projectors are up
to 29-percent more energy efficient than comparable DLP projectors.
3LCD said that in the study (by projectorcentral.com) 3LCD projectors
demonstrated on average, power usage/output of 14.5 lumens per lamp
watt, compared to just over 11 lumens per lamp watt for DLP (750
shipping models compared, all resolutions and brightness levels).
Specifically for 1080P projectors, 3LCD claimed that the comparison
broke down to 7.5 lumens per lamp watt for 3LCD, 6.2 lumens per lamp
watt for 3DLP, 5.2 lumens per lamp watt for one-chip DLP, and 4.5
lumens per lamp watt for LCoS.
(This study only focused on single-chip DLP vs 3LCD. Digital Projection
International, the DLP manufacturer of projection systems, announced at
CEDIA the companys initiative to lead the projection display industry
in efficient product designdelivering measurable results. According
to DPI, DPs CoolTek Engineering platform introduced last year, allows
the current 3-chip DLP TITAN and LIGHTNING projectors to deliver the
highest efficiency, lowest cost of ownership and smallest physical and
environmental footprint of any comparable display products.)
There has not been any major new chip development this year for 3LCD
(as there has not been for DLP or LCoS), but there was no shortage of
3LCD product news from the show floor. Probably the most interesting
3LCD news at CEDIA was not a breakthrough to new technical levels for
3LCD, but a broadening of features to lower-priced units. This is
perhaps best exemplified by a product that was introduced just a few
months ago and has proven popular. Epson has been shipping since early
2008 a new, fully-integrated high-end home entertainment solution --
the Ensemble HD Home Cinema System -- to dealers and installers. It
really is making the selection of a projector -- as opposed to a large
flat panel -- easier for many consumers (especially those on the
low-mid end of the market). The systems offers a choice of Epson
PowerLite 3LCD (three-chip) high definition multimedia projector with
either 1080p native resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) or a more
affordably priced 720p option. Also included is a 100-inch motorized
screen with front-channel ceiling mounted speaker system; Audio/video
controller with integrated upconverting DVD player; Atlantic Technology
speaker system and a proprietary 150-watt subwoofer containing all 5.1
channels of amplification; Universal remote that controls the entire
system including the motorized screen; all audio, video and power cable
needed to complete the installation while maximizing performance
(including HDMI); wire management track system that hides all of the
included cables from the site of users; and necessary mounting brackets.
Technical breakthrough? Not really, but its a marketing breakthrough
that will ripple through both the CEDIA and the CES markets. (The
Ensemble HD Home Cinema System is available for a suggested retail
price of $6,999 for the 1080p system, and $4,999 for the 720p version.)
Epson also announced at CEDIA the introduction of its latest 3LCD 1080p
front projector, the PowerLite Home Cinema 6100, with a price below
$2Ka significant drop in price point and a first for the industry for
1080P 3LCD.
At the higher end of 3LCD, Mitsubishi introduced at CEDIA its new
HD8000, designed, with 5000 lumen output, to produce well-saturated
images even with ambient light. The HD8000 uses three 1.1 inch
inorganic LCD panels for long color life.
Posted by David Keene at 09/10/2008 12:00:00 AM |
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