projectors

When Sony's SXRD technology came out in 2005, first in expensive front projectors and then in rear-projection models starting with the ridiculously overpriced Qualia 006, we liked it a lot. That basic evaluation hasn't changed much over the years, but the realities of the market have, forcing Sony to axe its rear-projection SXRD line--along with all of its other RPTVs--and make the excellent KDS-A3000 series the last of the breed. But SXRD still has a place among front-projectors, and that's a good thing.

At $3500 list, the company's VPL-HW10 represents a new low price point for SXRD projectors, but this PJ hits plenty of performance high notes. It evinced the same deep blacks we've come to expect from the technology, and it even improved on the color accuracy of last year's excellent--and more expensive--VPL-VW60.

What's not to like? Well, if you have a huge screen, don't expect the little HW10 to get bright enough, but we're talking larger than 92 inches wide. Even with that caveat, and some minor performance gripes, the "bargain SXRD" is easily the best projector in its price class we've tested so far.

Read the full review of the Sony VPL-HW10.

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Personally, I like strong and silent types when it comes to gadgets, but if you're attracted to chatty electronics, you might want to listen up. Toshiba has introduced what is says is the first projector with voice guidance.

The TLP-X200U wireless projector delivers audible messages about the system, including the on/off status, lamp life, air filter checks, and cooling fan status. This is aimed at making the product easy to use and helping users take good care of their machines so they can (hopefully) avoid maintenance updates.

The projector features wireless network capabilities, closed captioning, 3LCD technology, and … Read more

If you don't live in a big city or have never used public transport, you won't be aware of the great British tradition of annoying people on a bus. To participate in this ritual you must be between 14 and 18 and a half and you must own a mobile phone equipped with speakers. You must then use this phone to annoy all other commuters hoping to enjoy a quiet journey to or from work.

Now, technology has brought us yet another one of its inevitable advances, one that will bring new levels of irritation to public transport: … Read more

BenQ describes its MP512ST projector as "designed for the Nintendo Wii," and by that we assume they mean white, inexpensive, and standard-definition. All the more reason for us to be surprised when this little unit produced a decent picture, albeit not quite at the level found on more-expensive high-definition projectors. Still, for less than $600, or about the price of a bargain-brand 32-inch flat-panel LCD, it's tough to complain.

Read the full review of the BenQ MP512ST.

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It looks like 3M is trying to bring back the good old-fashioned vacation slideshow.

The company is reportedly close to rolling out a miniature, portable digital video projector, the likes of which could be used to project digital photos, PowerPoint presentations, or cat-on-a-treadmill videos wherever you see fit.

The lucky ducks over at Popular Science got an early look at the MPro110 and report that after plugging it into a DVD player, they were able to project a movie up to 11 inches wide on various pieces of furniture, walls, and co-workers' body parts. The picture fared much better (and … Read more

Sony has stopped producing SXRD-based rear-projection HDTVs, but its lineup of front projectors using the company's proprietary projection technology has just been expanded.

The more-expensive of the two SXRD models introduced today at CEDIA is the newest member of the so-called "Pearl" models, technically called the VPL-VW70 (November, $8,000 street). It improves upon the current Pearl, the VPL-VW60 we reviewed earlier this year with a higher contrast ratio (60,000:1 vs. 35,000:1), and since the two projectors' lumens ratings remain the same at 1,000, we guess that the improved contrast ratio indicates … Read more

Korea Electronics Technology Institute is developing a 4-ounce device that can basically throw pictures off your mobile device to a 60-inch full-color SVGA image more than 6 feet away. KETI's "Eye Glass Display" can receive picture input signals like S-video, composite, component, and analog RGB, and it comes equipped with controller that can realize 3D images. Lest we get too excited about the potential waiting to be unleashed here--from billboard-type messages to sales pitches--the device is still in gestation mode. But with any luck it won't be long before we can turn our mobile phones into … Read more

The Panasonic PT-DZ12000's reported native curve screen support may be a cool feature, but what caught our attention was its water-cooling system.

This takes the heat off the DLP three-chipper efficiently, while four built-in lamps deliver a whopping combined 12,000 lumens for installation in large venues. The latter also give this 1,920x1,200 light cannon enough headroom to power up to an epic 600-inch projection from a minimum throw distance of 12.4 meters.

The projector is scheduled to be released in August. Pricing is unclear, but you can be sure it won't come cheap.

(Source: … Read more

When CNET reviewed the Yamaha YSP-3000 Digital Sound Projector, we singled out its "limited video capabilities" as one of the main shortfalls of the virtual surround speaker system.

Yamaha must have listened, because the company has just unveiled an upgraded version that addresses that very issue. The YSP-3050 adds to the mix the conversion of analog to digital video, but it's essentially otherwise identical to its predecessor. That's not a bad thing, either: we've found that the Yamaha YSP line remains the best choice for delivering convincing virtual surround-effects from a single speaker, and its all-in-one design precludes the need to purchase a separate AV receiver.

According to the specs page on Yamaha's site, the YSP-3050 has a component and composite video input, in addition to its two HDMI ins. … Read more