Friday, September 05, 2008

Epson First to Drop Below $2K With 1080p Projector [CEDIA 2008]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/383348473/epson-first-to-drop-below-2k-with-1080p-projector

Last year, Epson brought the price of 1080p projectors down to $2,700 and today it's dropping it again, to $2,000 (officially $1,999) for the all-new Powerlite Home Cinema 6100. We're not saying it's going to be as high-performance as Sony's or Panasonic's new $3,500 projectors, but damn if that's not the right price to build yourself a "budget" home theater. Epson is also launching its Pro Cinema 7100 and 7500 UB 1080p projectors with some seriously high contrast ratios, but they'll come at a much higher—and as yet unspecified—price. More info below.

Epson America Unveils Industry's First 1080p Resolution Front Projector to Break $2,000 Price Mark

Epson Builds Upon Leadership Position as Number-One Selling Projector Brand Worldwide With New High-Performance, High-Value 1080p PowerLite Home Cinema 6100

DENVER, Colo. – Sept. 4, 2008 – Continuing its long-established leadership role as the number one selling projector brand worldwidei, Epson today announced the introduction of its latest 3LCD 1080p front projector, the high-performance, and high-value PowerLite Home Cinema 6100. Redefining the price-to-performance equation, the Home Cinema 6100 provides full 1920 x 1080 progressive high definition resolution at an amazing $1,999 price point, bringing the big-screen high definition home theater experience to an even wider range of consumers.

"Our goal is to drive the growth of the home theater market in a wide range of customer segments, bring i! ncredibl e big-screen experiences to first-time home entertainment consumers and to the most discerning AV elitists," said Rajeev Mishra, director, Projector Marketing and Development, Epson America. "The Home Cinema 6100 is especially ideal for home theater enthusiasts, delivering the optimal balance of quality, performance, ease-of-use, and flexibility at an outstanding value."

At the heart of the Home Cinema 6100's optical imaging engine is Epson's latest-generation D7 high definition resolution LCD technology. Unlike projectors which use a spinning color wheel with a white segment, 3LCD technology delivers realistic, vibrant colors without the possibility of color break-up. This latest technology also provides substantially improved contrast, reaching an incredible 18,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (a 50 percent improvement over earlier models) to deliver brighter and more accurate whites and darker blacks.

Another contributing factor to the Home Cinema 6100's increased contrast is its exclusive Dynamic Iris system, which allows light to be controlled precisely on a frame-by-frame basis. This feature is especially ideal for projecting fast-action movies that involve quick changing scenes. This is largely due to the Dynamic Iris system's ability to make automatic light output adjustments up to 120 times per second. The projector also features Epson's exclusive Cinema Filter that delivers a larger color space for improved color accuracy and a more film-like image. Epson has also collaborated with Fujinon – the leading provider of precision optics to the digital film and HDTV camera industry - to develop this projector's unique OptiCinema™ multi-lens system. This feature projects clean, precise edges with consistent image quality across the entire screen. It also gives users more options and flexibility in terms of where they wish to install the projector.

The Home Cinema 6100's light source uses a newly-updated E-TORL® (Epson Twin Optics Reflection Lamp), an exclusive! Epson d esign. Unlike off-the-shelf lamps, the ultra high efficiency E-TORL design provides optimum light uniformity and is rated at 200 watts (compared to 170 watts with earlier models). This enables the projector to deliver an incredible 1,800 lumens of white and color light output. It also allows the projector to be used with larger screen sizes (greater than ten feet diagonal), while still providing a bright, impressive picture.

A significantly improved airflow system in the Home Cinema 6100 contributes to more efficient use of power, reduced cool-down periods and lower fan speeds that result in quieter operation (only 22 db) than earlier models. The airflow system also takes advantage of an advanced air filtration system that achieves up to 98 percent efficiency which contributes to longer filter life.

The Home Cinema 6100 features numerous high definition inputs, including a high definition component video input as well as two HDMI version 1.3a digital inputs. An S-video input and a composite video input are also provided, along with a VGA-type RGB input (D-sub 15) to accept a wide variety of computer resolutions including high definition, bringing the number of HD-compatible inputs to four.

Stylishly designed, the Home Cinema 6100 features a white casing with silver accents and a reversible Epson logo on the front panel that can be reoriented for tabletop, shelf and ceiling mounting. An integrated cable hook ensures that connections always remain solid and secure, while an optional rear panel cable cover fully encloses the input panel to hide wiring.

Availability and Support
The Epson Home Cinema 6100 will be available in November through authorized Epson projector dealers and select retail outlets for an estimated street price of $1,999. The projector also comes with the service and support only Epson can offer, including a two-year limited warranty with toll-free access to PrivateLineSM, Epson's priority technical support, and free overnight exchange with ExtraCareSM Ho! me Servi ce.

About 3LCD Technology
3LCD is the world's leading projection technology, delivering unbelievably bright and natural color, amazing detail and road-tested reliability. Using an advanced, 3-chip optical engine, 3LCD offers full-time color for brilliant quality images without the possibility of color break-up. 3LCD is based on LCD technology, which is used by leading manufacturers worldwide for the ultimate viewing experience in flat panel TVs and projectors. To find out why more users choose 3LCD than all other projection technologies combined and to get the latest list of leading companies offering 3LCD technology in their products, visit the 3LCD website at http://www.3LCD.com.

Epson Adds Two New Pro Cinema Projectors to Award-Winning Line for Custom Installers and Home Theater Enthusiasts
Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 7100 and 7500 UB Projectors Give Installers Outstanding Package with Extraordinary Image Quality, High-Performance and Value-Add Features at a Superior Price

DENVER, Colo. – Sept. 4, 2008 – Epson America announces today at CEDIA Expo 2008 two home theater projectors designed to meet the expanding needs of both custom installers and home theater enthusiasts. The PowerLite® Pro Cinema 7100 and 7500 UB feature true 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution using the latest generation 3LCD chips with D7 technology to deliver substantially higher contrast and brightness. These projectors also give professional installers the benefits of ISF Certification and other features that help ensure their clients' projectors deliver the most brilliant image quality possible.

Epson, the number-one selling projector brand worldwidei, has packed the Pro Cinema 7100 and 7500 UB with advanced 3LCD technologies and impressive features to offer top-of-the-line projectors in each of their respective categories, sub $3,000 and sub-$4,500. Epson's D7 high definition 3LCD technology is at the core of each projector's optical imaging engine, de! livering realistic and vibrant colors without the possibility of color break-up, unlike projectors that use a spinning color wheel with a white segment. This latest technology delivers significantly improved contrast, with the Pro Cinema 7100 attaining an 18,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and the Pro Cinema 7500 UB reaching an industry unprecedented 75,000:1, resulting in brighter whites and darker blacks.

"Epson is committed to providing the custom installation channel with high-performing, high quality products that are designed to support enormously successful businesses," said Rajeev Mishra, director, Projector Marketing and Development, Epson America. "The latest additions to the Pro Cinema home theater line allow installers to provide their customers with the greatest performance and quality combination available today."

Flagship Epson Pro Cinema 7500 UB
Housed in a newly-designed sleek all-black casing, the flagship Pro Cinema 7500 UB features a host of technological refinements and upgrades to provide the ultimate at-home big-screen experience, including C2Fine ™ technology for visibly increased high definition picture detail, Epson's exclusive UltraBlack™ technology, and new Vertical Alignment technology that together combine to deliver a new industry standard of deep blacks and impressive brightness and contrast.

For optimum picture detail with both movie- and video-originated content, the Pro Cinema 7500 UB also adds Epson's new FineFrameTM technology to deliver substantially smoother and sharper motion pictures while eliminating judder. Additionally, Epson's new 12-bit 3LCD driver technology provides a dramatically increased color gamut over 10-bit drivers, which translates into 68.72 billion available colors. This eliminates gradation artifacts to provide a much smoother, natural-looking picture. The Pro Cinema 7500 UB is also equipped with Silicon Optix's HQV Reon-VX scaling and deinterlacing video processor for true four-field deinterlacing and scaling of! 1080i H D signals, and features impressive noise reduction tools to eliminate mosquito and block noise, along with multi-level contrast enhancement and other picture improvement options. Typically found only on high-end high definition broadcast monitors, the Pro Cinema 7500 UB also features Color Space selection, which allows a user to select between the three industry color space standards – SMPTE-C for standard definition (Rec.601), HD (Rec. 709) for high definition, and EBU to match the European PAL video standard.

The Pro Cinema 7500 UB offers the ultimate widescreen high definition experience with anamorphic lens compatibility and "vertical stretch" picture mode. With an optional external anamorphic lens (available from Epson) , the viewer can use the Pro Cinema 7500 UB with a cinematic-sized front projection widescreen for true 2.35:1 and 2.40:1 ultra widescreen viewing, eliminating the black bars above and below the picture for a full theatrical image.

Full-Featured Epson Pro Cinema 7100
Featuring a stylish black and silver design, the new PowerLite Pro Cinema 7100 is a high-performing projector featuring native 1080p resolution, higher brightness of up to 1,800 lumens and superb contrast of up to 18,000:1. For easy set-up and calibration, the Pro Cinema 7100 offers ISF Day and Night modes which provide for easy one-button switching between picture modes and lamp output, as well as Epson's Color Isolation system to allow for quick, easy and accurate fine-tuning of color saturation and hue without the need for blue and red optical filters.

Shared Features of the Pro Cinema Line
The Pro Cinema home theater projector line integrates a range of value-add features with high-performance and versatility, including:

*
Dynamic Iris System: Exclusive system makes automatic light output adjustments at up to 120 times per second – ideal for fast-action movies.
*
Cinema Filter: Unique feature delivers larger color space for improved color accuracy and a more f! ilm-like image.
*
OptiCinema™ Multi-Lens Optics System: Developed by Epson and Fujinon – the leading provider of precision optics to the digital film and HDTV camera industry – the OptiCinema lens delivers clean, precise edges with consistent image quality across the entire screen while providing users with more options and flexibility in terms of where they wish to install the projector.
*
E-TORL® (Epson Twin Optics Reflection Lamp): Exclusive and newly-updated 200 watt high efficiency light source delivers optimum light uniformity and increased white and color light output for larger screen sizes (more than ten feet diagonal); both models come equipped with a spare lamp.
*
ISF Certification: Suite of video calibration tools allow installers and calibrators to fine-tune picture quality and match output with front projection screens.
*
New Airflow System: Enhanced airflow system contributes to more efficient use of power, reduced cool-down periods and lower fan speeds that result in quieter operation (only 22 db); new system also takes advantage of an advanced air filtration system with 98 percent efficiency for longer filter life.
*
Input Options: Panel features high definition component video input, dual HDMI 1.3a digital inputs, S-video input, composite video input, and VGA-type RGB input (D-sub 15).
*
Installation Versatility: Installer-friendly features include a ceiling mount, reversible front panel Epson logo that can be reoriented for various mounting positions, included rear panel cable cover to hide wires from the input panel and an integrated cable hook to ensure connections remain secure.

Availability and Support
The Epson Pro Cinema 7100 is available in November and the Pro Cinema 7500 UB will be available in December through authorized Epson projector dealers and select retail outlets; pricing will be available at that time. The projector also comes with the service and support only Epson can offer, including a three-year limited war! ranty wi th toll-free access to PrivateLineSM, Epson's priority technical support, and free overnight exchange with ExtraCareSM Home Service.

About 3LCD Technology
3LCD is the world's leading projection technology, delivering unbelievably bright and natural color, amazing detail and road-tested reliability. Using an advanced, 3-chip optical engine, 3LCD offers full-time color for brilliant quality images without the possibility of color break-up. 3LCD is based on LCD technology, which is used by leading manufacturers worldwide for the ultimate viewing experience in flat panel TVs and projectors. To find out why more users choose 3LCD than all other projection technologies combined and to get the latest list of leading companies offering 3LCD technology in their products, visit the 3LCD website at http://www.3LCD.com.