LG Beefs Up Minibeam Series Projectors Ahead Of CES 2016

LG just announced plans to expand its Minibeam series of projectors at CES 2016. These projectors will debut next month at the Consumer Electronics Show and are a series of three new projectors in the Minibeam series. The models, which are the PH550, PW1000, and PW1500, feature Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity and improve on the one-hand grip design of the older Minibeam projectors while also featuring a slimmer profile for increased portability.

According to Brian Kwon, President and CEO of LG's Home Entertainment Company, "With more variety than ever before, LG Minibeam projectors offer enhanced portability with wireless connectivity for an enjoyable viewing experience anytime, anywhere. We look forward to officially unveiling the newest LG Minibeam series at CES 2016."

The compact PH550 eliminates the need for any and all wires thanks to its triple wire-free connectivity. This feature gives you the ability to send content from their smartphone or tablet to the projector via WiFi mirroring-enabled Screen Share. In addition to that, you can also connect speakers wirelessly through Bluetooth and even unplug from the wall for 2.5 hours of viewing using the rechargeable internal battery. All of these features give you a new level of connectivity and freedom and, despite the small size of the PH550, this projector is the brightest among LG's battery-powered projectors at 550 lumens.

If you are looking to get the best picture quality, then the PW1500 is your projector. It has the ability to render images at 1,500 lumens, which makes it the brightest projector in the entire LG Minibeam series. This projector is perfect for things like slide show presentations to theater-quality movies and is ideal for anyone who consumes a plethora of content. The PW1000 offers all the features of the PW1500 though at a lower lumen output and at a more competitive price.

These aren't the only things that LG has up its sleeve. Another key projector is the company's Ultra Short Throw LED Home Theater Projector, the PF1000U. This projector was honored with a CES 2016 Innovation Award and is a versatile HD projector with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and 1,000-lumen brightness that affords you clear visibility, sharp contrast, and rich blacks even in environments with lots of ambient light.

The PF1000U features Ultra Short Throw Technology (UST) and is able to project a 100" picture from only 15" away from the wall or screen. You no longer have to worry about installation or walking in front of the projector beam, which makes this projector perfect for conference rooms or offices. The PF1000U is also the world's first UST projector to weigh less than 4.85 lbs and, even with its Full HD resolution and 1,000-lumen brightness, it only consumes about a third of the power that competing projectors do. If you're a consumer, this projector gives you the most convenience while also providing you with excellent picture quality that is as good, if not better, than a lot of TVs.

The new, 2016 Minibeam models from LG are planned to be introduced in the United States and key European markets in the first quarter of 2016. The Ultra Short Throw LED Home Theater Projector  is currently available at U.S. retailers and all models will be on display at LG's booth at CES 2016, which will be taking place from January 6th through the 9th in Las Vegas.

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HDR-Compatible Gets An Official Definition

Ever heard the term HDR-compatible? Ever wonder what that exactly means? Well, wonder no more! The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has finally announced an industry definition for an HDR-compatible device. HDR is but one element of the fast-growing 4K Ultra HD display devices, which allow for increased range of brightness and contrast. The CEA partnered with manufacturers, content providers, and distributors in order to develop the list of voluntary guidelines in an attempt to make it simpler for retailers and consumers to identify HDR-compatible displays. Even though no official HDR logo was announced, it is expected that there will be one in the near future.

The CEA announced that the industry definition for HDR (High Dynamic Range) compatible video displays. This new designation is designed to assist retailers and consumers in identifying products that incorporate this interface and processing technology. HDR promises to deliver an expansive range of brightness and shadow detail, which further enhances the viewing experience.

According to the CEA, "HDR provides a significant step up in delivering an incredible viewing experience for the consumer." Senior Vice President of Research and Standards for the CEA Brian Markwalter added, "We encourage manufacturers and our industry partners to use this voluntary compatibility guideline to provide greater consistency and clarity while ensuring compatibility and interoperability across the full content development to display ecosystem."

Many 4K Ultra HD devices will include early implementations of various next-generation technologies, which includes HDR, wider color gamut, and higher frame rates. This provides a more realistic and immersive viewing experience. The following definition was approved by the CEA's video division board:

A TV, monitor or projector may be referred to as an HDR-compatible Display if it meets the following minimum attributes:

• Includes at least one interface that supports HDR signaling as defined in CEA-861-F, as extended by CEA-861.3.
• Receives and processes static HDR metadata compliant with CEA-861.3 for uncompressed video.
• Receives and processes HDR10 Media Profile* (see below) from IP, HDMI or other video delivery sources. Additionally, other media profiles may be supported.
• Applies an appropriate Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF), before rendering the image.

"CEA's leading role in defining HDR-compatible displays complements the work of other organizations, such as the UHD Alliance, that are reportedly developing HDR-related performance parameters and guidance for the video content, distribution and hardware ecosystem," Markwalter added.

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A Projector Rental Makes Any Night Movie Night!

Projectors have many uses, just like the one in the photo above! Here we see people enjoying an outdoor movie right in their own yard, utilizing a projector to deliver entertainment for the whole neighborhood!

Outdoor movie nights are perfect summer activities that both adults and children can enjoy. It provides a great atmosphere for people to socialize and for families to spend some time together. Unfortunately, projectors are expensive and if you are only looking to use a projector for something like an outdoor movie night then it doesn't really make sense for you to buy one. I mean, why would you buy an expensive piece of equipment that you are only going to use a couple of times (at most) out of the year?

This is where a projector rental comes in real handy. A projector rental allows you to enjoy all the benefits of doing something like an outdoor movie night without having to spend a ton of money on a projector. Projector rentals allow you to have the projector for however long you need it, ensuring that you aren't wasting time and money.

In addition to that, your projector rental from Rentacomputer.com comes with local delivery and installation anywhere in the United States. This means that you don't have to worry about any the logistics or any of the hassles of trying to hook everything up and wire everything because a local, professional technician will handle all of that for you.

But what about picture and sound? Sure the projector will project the image but that doesn't do you much good if you don't have anything to project it on. The picture above shows the users projecting their movie on a homemade screen created out of a sheet. While this is a decent DIY screen it won't give you the best picture quality possible.

A projector screen rental is a perfect solution. Projector screens are specifically made to work with projectors, meaning you are guaranteed to have the absolute best picture quality that your projector can produce. Sure you can project your movie on a sheet or the side of your house, but nothing compares to an actual projector screen!

Finally, you need to deal with sound. A lot of projectors have built-in speakers, but those are only really usable in a small room where sound doesn't have that far to travel. If you're doing an outdoor movie night, then you should also consider renting speakers for your projector. External speakers that you connect to your projector can really amplify your sound quality, ensuring that everyone can clearly hear.

If you're planning an outdoor movie night then a projector rental is the perfect solution! Add speakers and a projector screen and you'll have an outdoor activity that the entire block will remember!

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Touchjet's Pond Projector Comes With Android 4.4 Built-In

Remember when Pico Projectors were all the rage? The idea was simple. Let's create a projector small enough for you to take anywhere and project things whenever and wherever you wanted. The idea was so radical and interesting that it caught on like wildfire. Even smartphone developers were creating phones with Pico Projectors built-in. It seemed like this was the future of projector technology.

However, it didn't quite turn out the way that many people had hoped. Sure there are a ton of Pico Projectors still on the market these days but the idea is more of a niche product than anything else and, to make matters worse, it doesn't seem like the next generation of iPhones or Galaxy phones are going to be coming with built-in projectors. But that doesn't mean that portable projecting is dead and gone.

Take the Touchjet Pond, for example. This device is taking the opposite approach to Pico Projectors by instead packing all the functionality of an Android device into a projector, including a touchscreen. The idea originated as an Indiegogo campaign last year and the very fist product is now available for shipping for $599.

According to Touchjet, the Pond is the very fist consumer device that allows you to create a touchscreen out of literally any surface. The device is capable of projecting a screen size of up to 80" diagonally with a resolution of 854x480. You do have the ability to produce a larger screen but the 80 lumen output of the projector dims the picture significantly beyond this point.

The projector itself is entirely made of plastic, keeping weight down to just 9.6 ounces. Connectivity ports include a Mini HDMI and micro USB ports in addition to a headphone jack, in case you don't want to use the internal speakers which are, needless to say, rather small.

On the inside the Pond comes with a mid-range dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 18GB of user-accessible storage. While these specs aren't necessarily on the high-end they are more than capable of producing smooth performance and a lack of dropped frames. There have been reports of the device freezing, causing it to have to be powered off and powered back on. The storage is also non-expandable, which could be a deal breaker for some people.

To interact with the touchscreen display you will need to use one of the two included styli. The styli shine an infrared light that the projector tracks. In addition to that, they are also pressure sensitive, making them very useful for text and drawing. They are also made of metal instead of the projector's plastic, making them feel a little more sturdy in your hand. The Airmouse, which is the included remote for the Pond, doubles as a pointing device, allowing you to navigate around Android with the directional pad or switch to mouse mode to track movements in the air.

$599 is a bit of a hefty pricepoint for this type of projector so, at this point, it's hard to tell how successful the Pond will be. The small size makes the projector very portable and convenient and is easier to carry around than a laptop or a tablet. The display quality isn't the absolute best but the portable Android touchscreen capabilities do have merit for people like teachers and families. If you have the money to spend and actual, practical uses lined up then the Pond from Touchjet could be a very useful little projector.

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