LEGO movie theater with working projector

Posted in Home Theater by Conner Flynn on March 31st, 2009

LEGO movie theater with working projectorThis tiny LEGO movie theater is awesome. It actually features a working, very tiny movie projector. The projector works at 24 fps, so it may not be good picture quality, but Lego minifigs have a different eyesight than you have. It’s nicely detailed. Even the seats are numbered. Make sure you check out the video below.

The builder, Ricardo M. Oliv, did an awesome job. Now all he needs is full length movies and he can sell tickets to other geeks who can sit their minifigs in the seats with a miniature popcorn and soda.

Epson announces new PowerLight 410W projector

Posted in Epson by Shane McGlaun on March 30th, 2009

epsonprojector-sbWhen I was in school, we didn’t have projectors in the classes. If we needed to see something projected on a screen we had a filmstrip device or one of those transparency things that showed a clear piece of paper on the screen and put out about a billion BTUs of heat. We also had to walk to school up hill (both ways) in the snow with 75 pounds of books in our backpacks without a cell phone or MP3 player, life was hard.

My son’s second grade class has a projector connected to a computer that is used for showing things to the entire class at once. Epson has announced a new projector aimed at classroom use called the 410W, which is the follow-up to its 400W projector. The 410W is a short throw projector for smaller rooms.

Forever Plus makes Pico projectors high def

Posted in Projectors by Conner Flynn on March 26th, 2009

Forever Plus makes Pico projectors high defSurprisingly, it isn’t a huge name taking the Pico projector to 720p. Forever Plus gets the credit for the world’s smallest 720p projector. It measures just 0.49 x 0.59 x 0.19-inches and projects footage from HDMI at 1,280 x 768 resolution for 30,000 hours via LED lighting.

Nothing yet on price or availability. We’re not completely sold however. We’re a little skeptical that they didn’t list the brightness or contrast ratio. Makes you wonder why. They probably aren’t that good. Now the rest of the big names have to get in on the action.

Dell preps DLP projector with dual VGA, HDMI

Posted in Projectors by Conner Flynn on March 18th, 2009

Dell preps DLP projector with dual VGA, HDMIOn Wednesday Dell quietly updated its projectors and added the 4210X. This brand spanking new 4210X DLP projector from Dell comes with an HDMI input so you can enjoy high definition movies. The 4210X also supports dual VGA connectors allowing you to connect two computers simultaneously.

It boasts a brightness level of 3,500 lumens and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, an Ethernet jack, component, RCA and S-video connectivity options. The device will produce resolutions up to 1024×768 (with input support for up to 1080i) and has fairly strong image quality.

The E-Pod iPod dock

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on March 17th, 2009

The E-Pod iPod dockThe latest conceptual iPod dock is called the E-Pod Dock and has a lot of functionality. It’s compatible with your iPhone, iPod touch and iPod classic and functions as a speaker, movie projector and an alarm clock.

Forget its compact size, it will offer you quality hi-fidelity audio. Quite a device. As long as we’re dreaming, how about if it tweets everything you are watching and listening to. One thing is for sure, it would look good on any late night talk show host’s desk.

Sanyo shows off new pro PDG-DHT100L projector

Posted in Sanyo by Shane McGlaun on March 10th, 2009

sanyodht100lProjectors come in many different shapes and sizes. Each projector is aimed at a specific usage scenario from giving presentations in the boardroom or office to watching HD movies on a massive screen in the home. Sanyo announced its latest professional projector today that is appropriate for movies and more.

The projector is called the PDG-DHT100L and it offers full 1080p resolution. The single chip DLP projector uses a dual lamp system for increased light output when needed and has a user changeable twin color wheel system that increases color reproduction.

EyeClops mini projector for kids

Posted in Projectors by Conner Flynn on February 11th, 2009

EyeClops mini projector for kidsKids have it good today. I don’t think we had any cool projectors when I was a kid. This one is from toymaker Jakks Pacific and looks pretty neat. It’s expected to be at next week’s Toy Fair in New York.

There aren’t any full specs available yet, but we know that it will project a 70-inch image via LED, and it can be hooked up to the other gadgets your kid owns, like DVD players, cameras, and game consoles. What’s interesting is the price. The device is expected to sell for under $100, which is much cheaper than the adult versions we enjoy.

Miniature cube projector with docking speaker

Posted in Projectors by Conner Flynn on February 9th, 2009

Miniature cube projector with docking speakerThe Sanko branded Miseal mini projector has a unique cube shape that fits in the palm of your hand, as opposed to typical handheld pico projectors . One interesting feature is that it snaps into a matching docking station for extra juice to supply an additional 2 watts of power for bigger sound.

It’s an LCOS based projector with SVGA, 800×600 resolution. The light source uses white LED to illuminate 25 lumens at 100:1 contrast. It measures nearly 70mm on each side, and weighs only 0.6 pounds. Don’t let the small size fool you as it can display up to a 112-inch diagonal from 16 feet away.

MPJ-101 Mini Projector and PMP

Posted in Projectors by Conner Flynn on January 21st, 2009

MPJ-101 Mini Projector and PMPLancerlink of Japan has introduced its MPJ-101 mini projector that also doubles as a decent portable media player. It doesn’t come cheap though at $1,000. Some features include: 640 × 480 resolution, 10 lumens brightness, 1GB internal flash memory, SD/SDHC/MMC/MS Pro memory card slot, USB connectivity and Two 0.5W speakers.

Supported file formats include MPEG-4 (AVI/ASF/MP4), H.264 (MP4)?MotionJPEG (AVI), MP3 and JPEG. MP4/ASF/AVI. It comes bundled with the ArcSoft Media Converter, so you can carry around your favorite shows and movies on a memory card and watch them whenever you want.

Music Drop MP3 projector concept

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on January 19th, 2009

Music Drop MP3 projector conceptHere’s a concept design you don’t see everyday. The Music Drop Player is an average MP3 player, with one difference. It uses a projector instead of a small screen as a display. This way if you want to see the track info, just push a button and project the info on a wall.

The projector would be bright enough to show on almost any surface like walls, tables, or even your own hand when you’re traveling. Oddly, it displays the information in a spiral pattern that forces the user to turn their hand around or tilt their head just to read all the info. With this device, you would get an on/off switch and iPod-style buttons for skipping tracks, rewinding, fast-forwarding, and volume control.

Cinemin mini-projectors turn your iPhone into a portable theater

Posted in Projectors by Conner Flynn on January 12th, 2009

WowWee diversifies at CES: Cinemin pico PJ, new Alive Cubs and moreLast week we told you about some of WowWee’s new products. Much to our surprise that included non-robot items. Like these Cinemin mini-projectors.

They’re all designed to support your iPod or iPhone. The projector product line includes the Cinemin Swivel for $299, which features an adjustable 90-degree hinge for ceiling projection, the Cinemin Stick for handheld projections, for $349, and the Cinemin Station at $399, a base station of sorts that allows you to dock your iPod/iPhone and features embedded speakers. This entire line of projectors connect to all the iPods and most laptops.

3M introduces palm-sized Micro Projector

Posted in 3M by Shane McGlaun on December 2nd, 2008

3M Micro Projector MPro110One of the ways for fans of mobile multimedia like movies and personal video on the go can view content on a larger screen is with a small projector. Some day mobile phones will have projectors built-in, but until then 3M has a perfect projector for someone looking for a very portable unit.

The projector is called the 3M MPro110 and is one of the tiniest projectors ever made. It measures in at a mere 115mm x 50mm x 22mm (L x W x H) and weighs 152g. Despite the small size, the projector can throw an image of 5-inches to 50-inches and offers a resolution of 640 x 480.

Hitachi unveils 7,500 lumen pro projector

Posted in Hitachi by Shane McGlaun on November 25th, 2008

Hitachi CP-X10000 ProjectorHitachi isn’t a name you hear as often in the consumer electronics realm as Sony or Samsung. Despite that, Hitachi makes some fantastic home theater and AV products. I own one of their plasma TVs and it is by far the best set I have tested. Hitachi is branching into the professional market with its latest AV projector.

The projector is called the CP-X10000 and offers a whopping 7,500 lumens of brightness and a contrast ratio of 2500:1. The projector offers ultra-wide range lens shift and a 10-bit full digital video processor along with a 10,000-hour filter.

Mitsubishi projector offers wide-angle and short throw

Posted in Mitsubishi by Shane McGlaun on November 20th, 2008

Mitsubishi WD500U-ST ProjectorWith some projectors that are used in the classroom or living room, getting a large image on the screen or a wall means needing a big room so the projector can be far enough from the surface the image is on. If you are in a smaller room that means you can end up with a smaller than ideal image.

This is where short throw projectors are perfect. Mitsubishi has announced a new short throw projector called the WD500U-ST that can throw an image 50-inches in size from only 28-inches from the screen or whiteboard.

Mitsubishi launches 3.3 pound pico projector

Posted in Mitsubishi by Shane McGlaun on November 14th, 2008

Mitsubishi XD95U ProjectorAsk most people about projectors and they think of home theater setups, but many professionals use projectors to give presentations for business. This type of user doesn’t care as much about resolution as they do brightness and how compact the projector is.

Mitsubishi has a new projector that just launched called the XD95U that weighs only 3.3 pounds and is smaller than a normal sheet of notebook paper. The small size makes it easy to carry on the bus, train or in an airplane when working on the road.