Texas Instruments is slated to garner considerable momentum in its mission to build the home theater market share for its DLP projection television technology at next week’s CEDIA Expo, here.
The chip supplier expected a broad slate of manufacturer announcements on new models based on the latest TI DLP chip designs.
Most prominent among the new offerings will be front- and rear-projection TV monitors employing the TI HD-2 (aka “Mustang”) widescreen HDTV DLP chip, which offers full widescreen high-definition picture performance and lower prices.
A look at what a number of companies planned for DLP showcases at CEDIA follows:
InFocus planned a press conference to unveil its next-generation DLP home theater projector — the Screen Play 7200. The company held back product details until the show, but indicated it would be a more advanced version of its popular Screen Play 110 unit.
Marantz planned to show its VP-12S2 DLP projector as the successor to the popular VP-12S1. The VP-12S2 ($12,499 suggested retail) features the HD-2 chip, and a DVI input. Also slated is the VP-16 DLP projector, which Marantz bills as “a high-performance video projector that makes Marantz DLP image quality more affordable than ever.”
Optoma — the supplier of high quality projectors for the institutional and corporate markets — planned to expand its offerings for the home theater market with its first rear-projection products. The company will unveil a pair of HDTV-grade rear-projection monitors based on TI’s HD-2 DLP chip. The two monitors — in 65W-inch and 50W-inch 16:9 screen sizes — offer 1,280 x 720p native resolution, DVI digital interface jacks without HDCP protection and video processing/line doubling using Silicon Image DVDO technology.
Model RD-65 is a 62W-inch 16:9 DLP unit, slated to ship in December at a $12,999.95 suggested retail. Model RD-50 is a 50W-inch 16:9 model that is scheduled for a November delivery at an $8,995.95 suggested retail price.
The company will also show its previously announced Theme Scene H55 home theater front projector, which is currently available at a $7,995 suggested retail price. The projector is based on a TI’s .7-inch DLP chip. Resolution is listed at 1,204 x 768 pixels. Outputs include RGB via a 15-pin D-sub connector.
Panasonic planned to unveil its second-generation DLP rear-projection HDTV monitor, using TI’s 16:9 chip. Model PT-52DLS2 has a 52W-inch 16:9 screen and is slated for an October delivery at a $5,999.95 suggested retail price.
PLUS will show its Piano Avanti HE-3200 ($3,299 suggested retail) DLP front projector, which lists widescreen 480p native resolution and built-in Silicon Image progressive scan processing. The projector will also accept 480p, 720p and 1,080i DTV format input. Input connectors support RGB via 15-pin D-sub, HD component, S-Video, composite and DVI-D.
Runco International will showcase it Reflection VX-5000c one-chip widescreen DLP projector based on the HD-2 chip. Featuring custom optics, the projector can be configured with one of five optional lenses to meet any throw distance from 0.8:1 to over 7.0:1. It is packaged with Runco’s PFP controller featuring VIVIX technology. The system produces 1500 ANSI lumens of brightness and 1,280 x 720p resolution.
Samsung, which is currently engaged in limited distribution market trials of its first rear-projection DLP products based on the HD-2 chip, said it plans to broaden distribution by the end of the month. Samsung has announced four models in the 43W- and 50W-inch screen sizes at suggested retails ranging from $3,999 to $4,699. The company was also contemplating a new product announcement at the show.
Sharp will unveil its SharpVision XV-Z10000U second-generation HDTV-level front projector based on the HD-2 chipset, and will show the SharpVision XV-Z90U portable DLP projector with a dual-mode .55-inch DLP chip and a long-throw lens.
Sim2 Sèleco USA will announce two new products, both utilizing TI’s new HD-2 DLP chipset. Details were to be released at a press conference prior to the show. The company assures it will have the first HD-2 products “ready to ship at CEDIA.”
The company will also discuss a new feature for its DLP product that uses digital optic image processing through fiber optic cabling. The new DigiOptic Image Processor (DOIP) allows users to connect to video sources up to 1,640 feet away without compromising quality.
Toshiba planned to unveil a front projector based on the HD-2 chipset. Model TDPMT8U produces HDTV-grade 1,280 x 720p resolution and features HD component video and digital DVI input connections. It is slated to ship in October at a $9,999.95 suggested retail price.
Also to be shown is the EDTV-grade TDPMT5U DLP front projector, which carries a $5,799.99 suggested retail price.
Yamaha will unveil its DPX-1000 DLP front projector, which uses the HD-2 chip. The projector, which will ship in October at a $12,000 suggested retail price, features a Fujinon 1:1.6 motorized zoom lens offering greater mounting flexibility, and will project up to a 100-inch screen size from a distance of 9.9 x 15.9 feet.
Signals are processed using Faroudja DCDi de-interlacing technology. Interfaces include DVI, HD component video with BNC terminals, RGB, composite and S-video inputs.