21st January 2009:
Breakfast’s “Inspector Gadget” John Buckley reviewed a range of the latest video projectors for the home as well as a nifty new pocket projector. Click the image to see the interview.
The business projector that also does a great job at home: Canon SX7
A great projector which spans the gap between work and home. This portable machine contains the high optical quality you would expect from a maker like Canon and a bunch of automatic features.
Technical Specs:
• LCOS technology with SXGA+ resolution
• Ultra-bright 4000 lumens with AISYS optical system
• 1000:1 contrast ratio
• Just 31dBA operation in Quiet Mode
• 1.7x powered zoom
• Automatic set-up
• HD Ready with HDCP-enabled DVI port
• Adobe RGB and sRGB support
• Compact, lightweight design
Recommended retail price: $9110 incl. GST
Available from: Direct from Canon (Phone: 0800 222 666) and select Audio Visual dealers.
Product Website
Rating 4 out of 5
A great entry level projector for the home: Panasonic PTAX200E
The powerful PT-AX200e with high 2000 Lumens brightness is great for sports and video games in daytime conditions, and ideal for watching movies in a dark room.
Technical Specs:
• Brightness: 2000 ANSI Lumens
• Contrast Ratio: 6000:1
• Resolution: 1280 x 720
• 16:9 Aspect Ratio
• Up to 1080p signal compatibility
• Optical lens shift horizontal and vertical
• +/- 30 degrees Vertical Keystone correct
• 2 x HDMI inputs
Recommended retail price: $2499.00
Available through local consumer electronic such as Harvey Norman, Dick Smith
Electronics.
Product website
Rating 4 out of 5
High Definition Heaven: The Panasonic PT-AE3000 Full HD home theatre projector.
The new Panasonic PT-AE3000e projector is a full-HD 1080p projector that is designed to maximize your Blu-ray Discs and HD. It also has an optical system that is specifically designed to maximize your home theatre viewing by achieving a 60,000:1 contrast ratio and 1,600 lumens of brightness.
Technical Specs:
• Brightness: 1600 ANSI Lumens
• Contrast Ratio: 60,000:1
• Resolution: 1080p
• 16:9 HD Aspect Ratio
• Optical lens shift horizontal and vertical
• Digital Keystone: Vertical
• 2 x HDMI inputs
• Image smoothing technology
Recommended retail price: $4999.00
Available through local consumer electronic such as Harvey Norman, Dick Smith
Electronics.
Product website
Rating 5 out of 5
3M MPro 110 MicroProjector.
This handheld micro-projector definitely has the “James Bond Gadget’ factor but it’s fair to say this technology is in the early development stages. Good for: projecting images from a video game console or video i-pod. Not good for: full business presentations.
Still, we eagerly await the introduction of this projection engine into laptops and other hand-held devices like PDA’s MP3 players in the coming months.
Technical Specs:
• Technology LCOS
• Image Resolution 640 x 480 Pixels
• Image Aspect Ratio 4:3
• Projection Distance 305–1800 mm (12″–70″)
• Image Size 163–975 mm (6.4″–38.4″)
• Weight 160 g (5.6 oz.)
• Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery
Recommended retail price: $899
Available from Norman Ross Stores
Product website
Rating 2.5 out of 5
All prices correct at time of publishing. Products subject to availability
