Portable projectors get more advanced<\/p>\n
Zatni Arbi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, zatni@cbn.net.id<\/p>\n
The news about TFT LCD monitors (thin Liquid
\nCrystal Display monitors that have very high contrast ratio and
\nwide viewing area) is very exciting these days. Not only has the
\nquality improved, demands for them - as reported by Nikkei
\nMicrodevices in AsiaBizTech last week - have suddenly rebounded,
\nforcing LCD makers in Japan, Korea and Taiwan to work around the
\nclock at full production capacity. If this upsurge continues,
\nprices will fall fast, making it more affordable to replace CRTs
\n(cathode-ray tube or the usual television monitor technology)
\nwith LCDs.<\/p>\n
What else is exciting in the IT market except LCD monitors?
\nMore and more retailers are offering portable presentation
\nprojectors. Compaq and IBM are among them. Mobile projectors -
\nportable multimedia projectors that you can connect directly to
\nyour notebook computer - have become very popular, although they
\nstill cost an arm and a leg.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, I have noticed that people in Jakarta tend to
\nalways call them \"InFocus\", in the same way that everyone calls
\nphoto cameras \"Kodak\", or packaged drinking water \"Aqua\", or
\ntoothpaste \"Pepsodent\".<\/p>\n
InFocus Proxima is one of the leaders in portable projectors,
\nand its immense popularity seems to have made it a generic name
\nfor these products. Yet, there are dozens of other companies that
\nalso make high-quality desktop and portable projectors, including
\n3M, ASK, Epson, Hitachi, Kodak, Mitsubishi, NEC, Phillips, Plus,
\nPolaroid, Sony, Toshiba and ViewSonic, in addition to the PC
\nmakers mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n
A Sanyo Projector<\/p>\n
As you may recall, there are two types of technology used in
\ntoday's projectors, the DLP (digital light processing) and the
\nLCD. DLP technology was developed by Texas Instruments, and its
\nstrengths lie in its ability to project moving images, such as
\nlive videos, with better quality images than the LCD models. DLP
\nprojectors are smaller and lighter too, but they generate more
\nheat than their LCD counterparts. LCD models, on the other hand,
\nproduce better color saturation.<\/p>\n
For a year or two I was intrigued by the news that Sanyo was
\nalso manufacturing several models of LCD projectors. Sanyo used
\nto be known for low-cost electronics of average quality. However,
\nin recent years, they have clearly been making serious efforts to
\nfix the image, and its projector-PLC-XW20 is proof of its
\nsuccess. Courtesy of PT Datascrip, a local dealer of Sanyo, Canon
\nand other makers of office technology, I was able to test drive
\nthis compact, portable projector.<\/p>\n
Several years ago I had the opportunity to play around with a
\nsmall Sony projector that looked more like a toy. As far as I can
\nrecall, the quality of the projected image was far below that
\nproduced by the PLC-XW20 in terms of the richness of color and
\nsharpness.<\/p>\n
Features<\/p>\n
The projector itself is quite small (25.7mm x 76mm x 22.9mm,
\nWHD), and weighs only 2.8 kg. This projector comes with its own
\npadded bag, and extra care is needed when handling it because of
\nthe contraption's sensitive optics. I was told to wait until the
\nfan really stopped after I turned it off before unplugging its
\npower cord.<\/p>\n
More important, though, are its capabilities. I used it in my
\nliving room, with a blank white wall above my piano as the
\nprojection screen. I placed it around 2.5 meters from the wall,
\nand I had an image as tall as 1.2 meters, which was large enough
\nfor the small room. The leaflet says that this projector can be
\nplaced at a maximum distance of 8.1 meters from the screen, and
\nwith a maximum zoom setting it gives an image as tall as 5
\nmeters.<\/p>\n
Even during the day, when I had ample light in my living room,
\nthe projected image was still very clear. This very bright
\nprojector uses a 150-watt UHP lamp (ultra high performance lamps)
\nthat produces 1,100 ANSI lumens (standardized scale of projector
\nbrightness).<\/p>\n
Subjectively speaking, the color saturation was excellent. The
\nfocus of the image was good in all areas. At 300:1, its contrast
\nratio is also quite good, although other projectors now claim to
\nhave a contrast ratio of 400:1. A low contrast ratio, such as
\n200:1, will give you a muddy image. This projector's maximum
\nresolution is XGA or extended graphics array (1,024 x 768 dots),
\nbut I had no problem using it with my 800 x 600 resolution
\nnotebook because it had the capability to automatically detect
\nand adjust its resolution to the input signal.<\/p>\n
Datascrip only supplied me with a power cable and a male-to-
\nmale cable to connect the projector directly to the external
\nmonitor port of my notebook. The remote control, which looks more
\nlike a thin chocolate bar wrapped in aluminum foil, replicates
\nthe controls that are on the unit. When the unit heats up, a
\nremote control becomes very handy. To secure it to a fixture, use
\na Kensington lock and chain.<\/p>\n
Sanyo has an optional remote control that also has functions
\nfor using a mouse. The unit itself has a slew of ports and jacks
\nfor all needs, including a PS\/2 (IBM personal system to personal
\ncomputer) jack for remote mouse control, S-video input (a type of
\nvideo signal), audio input and output ports. It even has a USB
\n(Universal Serial Bus, a device invented to replace PC cable
\nclutter and can support up to 63 devices) terminal.<\/p>\n
Other features<\/p>\n
It was very easy to connect this projector with my cheap,
\nChina-made VCD player, but the result was very good. I was able
\nto watch movies as if I was in a small, private theater. The
\ncolors were natural, including the skin tones. I did not test the
\naudio function of the projector, although it has its own
\namplifier and speaker.<\/p>\n
This projector, which is HDTV (high definition
\ntelevision)-and-DVD-ready, has almost all of the features that
\nyou would expect in a high quality projector, including zoom, on-
\nscreen menu display, 10-bit digital gamma correction, a cinema
\nmode for optimal movie screening, 3D Automatic Uniformity
\nCorrection Control (AUCC) to produce uniform and more natural
\ngradients.<\/p>\n
In addition, it also features a keystone adjustment to correct
\na trapezium-like projection caused by the position of the unit,
\nwhich is too low for the projection screen, image freeze and No
\nShow to avoid distracting your audience as you search for or jump
\nto the earlier slides in your presentation. You can zoom in and
\nenlarge a particular area of your slide, too. However, this
\nprojector does not handle the DVI (digital visual interface)
\ndigital signal.<\/p>\n
According to Budi Haryono, marketing manager for the
\nMultimedia & Presentation Systems division at Datascrip, overall
\nsales of projectors in Indonesia grew by 30 percent last year
\nwhile their prices dropped by 20 percent. What is also
\ninteresting is that the ultra-portable models, which weigh less
\nthan 2 kilograms are increasingly popular. Weighing just 2.8kg,
\nSanyo calls the PLC-XW20 a \"Micro Portable Multimedia LCD
\nProjector\".<\/p>\n
At US$3,999 this projector is definitely beyond my financial
\nreach. However, if your job involves giving high-powered
\npresentations, you may consider this one as a companion for your
\nnotebook computer. Just make sure to check out the fact sheets
\nfor things such as weight, resolution (nowadays XGA is considered
\nthe norm), ANSI lumens, contrast ratio, remote control functions
\nand the price of a replacement lamp when you make your final
\nchoice.<\/p>",
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