Projectors Gain Power, Shed Prices

Benq, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Sharp, and Epson show lower-cost models that don't skimp on features.

Melissa J. Perenson, PC World

ATLANTA-- Another wave of inexpensive projectors are coming soon to store shelves near you. On display this week at InfoComm, the annual professional audiovisual confab here, are many lower-priced projectors now packing a greater array of features.

"The market is definitely growing," says ISuppli/Stanford Resources analyst Sweta Dash of the prospects for sub-$1000 projectors. "It's going beyond the home and office. We're now seeing small- and medium-sized businesses and educational [institutions] buying these, since it's the right price point."

More for Your Money

Not only is the market for inexpensive projectors on the fast track, you'll get more for your money, according to Dash. Foremost among the performance enhancements: "Brightness is increasing by 200 to 300 ANSI lumens."

Leading the charge are Benq, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba--all unveiling sub-$1000 SVGA (800-by-600 resolution) projectors that improve on the specifications of earlier models in this category. These projectors are considered "crossover" products. Their low price appeals to home users who want to watch sports and movies on a giant screen, and to small businesses seeking an inexpensive way to project PowerPoint presentations.

Also demonstrating moderately-priced models are Epson America, which along with InFocus helped break the $1000 barrier a year ago. Sharp Electronics is also demonstrating a unit in the $1500 range. The projectors include features not usually found on projectors in this price range.

"The good news is, besides products continuing to get brighter, they're also costing less," says James T. Hall, Epson marketing director.

Projectors are trending heavier, too, now, Hall adds. "Since a huge proportion of the total units sold are $999-category products, and it's such a large volume, the average projector weight is up substantially," he says. "In the past, the trend was toward smaller, lighter, brighter. Now, the trend is brighter--and at a lower cost and a heavier weight than a year ago." For example, Epson's second-generation PowerLite S1+, which shipped a few months ago, bumped the brightness up by 200 lumens, to 1400 lumens.

Broader Appeal

Improvements in lamp technology and lamp production are helping broaden this class of projectors' appeal. Previously, lamps could cost a small fortune. But, as Epson's Hall notes, "It didn't make sense to launch for $1000 a product with a $500 lamp. So we negotiated a $199 lamp price for that particular product."

Because of the push for sub-$1000 projectors, "There's been a rapid transition in how projectors are sold," says Bruce Pollack, associate director channels management at Sharp's LCD Products Group. "The retail channel is going gangbusters." Traditionally, projectors were sold in the reseller channel, limiting the audience for such products.

Case in point: With projectors now being sold everywhere from CompUSA to Costco, Pollack notes that it's just as plausible to buy a projector while shopping for sundries as it is to buy through a bulk purchase program. "I see receipts that show someone bought a gallon of olive oil, two pairs of Levis, and a projector," Pollack says. "It's opening up the market [considerably]."

The challenge for manufacturers lies in producing a quality projector at a low price point. Dell is currently the least expensive on the market. Its low-cost 2200MP model is listed at $809.

"Dell is at $799 with rebate. There's very little margin at $799, and you'd need very high volumes," says Jane Poon, marketing manager for Toshiba's projector division.

Nonetheless, Toshiba's first $999 products are flying off shelves, Poon says. "Sales are exceeding our expectations," she says.

Under $1000

The sub-$1000 category continues to grow. Benq is introducing here a $999 general-use projector, the PB6110, a minor update over its current $999 model. Due out by September, this six-pound model uses Texas Instruments'.55 DDR DMD DLP chip, is rated at 1500 lumens for brightness, and has a high contrast ratio of 2000:1.

More interesting is a product Benq is discussing, but not showing: the PE 5120. This $1000 model, due in October, is targeted at home cinema use. It has native 16-by-9 widescreen resolution and is rated at a 2000:1 contrast ratio and 1800 lumens brightness. While a good fit to play back DVDs via a progressive scan DVD player, the resolution is 480p native. If you want to display high-definition content, the projector must scale the resolution up to 1080i by 720p.

Also coming in October is Mitsubishi's SE2U, a $995 model. This is an all-purpose unit that's rated at 1500 lumens, weighs 5.8 pounds, and has a contrast ratio of 1500:1.

Toshiba is showing an impressive-looking new line of low-cost DLP projectors. The sleek SVGA TDP-S20U boasts a street price of $999 and offers 1400 lumens brightness and a 2000:1 contrast ratio. Its XGA sibling costs only $200 more, and adds 802.11b wireless connectivity and PC-free presentations via a PC Card slot. Toshiba is using TI's latest DLP chip, the HD2 Plus, for improved performance, also unusual for this category of projector.

A Grand Gets You More

Both Epson and Sharp are introducing portable models that provide features not commonly found in projectors priced at $1500 or less.

The $1499 Epson PowerLite 61p offers SVGA resolution, a whopping 2000 lumens brightness rating, and a wide range of audio and video inputs (so up to four different media sources, such as two computers, a DVD player, and a document camera, can connect at once). If you choose to use the built-in speaker, expect it to sound less tinny than the typical integrated speaker you'd find on a projector: This unit's speaker has 5 watts of power. Among the programmed modes of use are a blackboard, which lets the projector compensate for the color of the display surface (such as a green chalkboard or an off-white wall) and adjust the image accordingly.

The 61p also supports network monitoring and control, a rare find in this price range for projectors. Epson offers it as an option via an extra-cost, third-party USB connection from Lantronics. The only drawback: the 61p weighs 8.9 pounds, making it best for conference room or educational use, when you won't move it often. The 61p ships later in June.

By contrast, Sharp brings ultraportability into the realm of affordability with its SVGA, 1100 lumen XR-1S. With an expected street price of $1299 (the list price is $1895), Sharp's stylish model is compact and lightweight (3.2 pounds for the base unit), ideal for mobile presenters.

This projector was one of seven new DLP models unveiled at InfoComm. It also marks the entry of Sharp, traditionally an LCD company, into DLP models. The reason for the shift, according to Sharp's Pollack, is that "DLP, in terms of its quality, reliability, and brightness, is providing more advantages to the customer." The unit ships this month. Meanwhile, Sharp will continue to offer its existing $999 model, the 6-pound 1200L, as well.