Sony's 4K VPL-VW1100ES Projector

While HDTVs still hold the dominate position as the leading technology in home entertainment, projectors are quickly becoming more and more popular. Using a projector, especially an HD projector with similar specs as an HDTV, allows you to watch TV, movies or play video games on virtually any surface and also cuts down on the space required for a home entertainment center.

But what is making projectors even better nowadays is the fact that they are able to keep up with the current display trends of HDTVs. Take, for example, the introduction of 4K displays for HDTVs. Well, projectors are right on top of that technology as well and Sony is offering a 4K projector in the form of the VPL-VW1100ES. Sony is billing this projector as a "premium home theater projector", though "premium" hardly begins to justify the price tag, but more on that later.

Of all the companies currently offering 4K projectors to movie theaters Sony is the most well known. However, Sony is also the only projector producer in the world that currently offers true 4K projectors for the home theater market, which means that they pretty much have the ability to set any kind of price they want because there is no other company fighting for consumers at the moment.

The VPL-VW1100ES is slightly large for a home theater projector, though it is definitely impressive. It comes with a 2.1:1 motorized zoom lens with power lens shift and focus and also claims to have a ridiculous 2,000 lumen output, meaning that, in theory, you could own a 200" diagonal screen and still have a picture as bright as a typical movie theater. In addition to this, the projector also has 3D capabilities that are impressive and has a decent amount of 4K movies that are available to watch right now thanks to Sony's 4K download service and the optional 4K media player.

Here's the kicker and the part that will turn away, I'm assuming, 99% of you. The VPL-VW1100ES will cost you $28,000. Yeah, you read that right, twenty-eight THOUSAND dollars. So if you happen to be one of those one percenters everybody hates then you can enjoy what is arguably the greatest piece of home theater technology currently available on the market today. Oh, I forgot to mention that the media player that you absolutely have to have in order to utilize 4K (if you're too impatient to wait for Blu-ray UHD) will cost you an additional $700 so the actual cost is more around $30,000 once you factor in cost, taxes, etc...

So if you want the latest and greatest in home entertainment projection technology then the Sony VPL-VW1100ES could be the projector for you, provided you don't need a new car, a new house or you need to send any children to college anytime soon.

What You Need To Know About Resolution Before Renting Or Buying A Projector

Last year there were a lot of resolution advancements, and along with it came major price changes in the projector world. Entry level projectors are now starting from as low as $300, but now the 1080p models have dropped in price tremendously as well. You can pick one up for well under $2000.

The lowest end projectors today will have a resolution of about 800 x 600, and can be bought for next to nothing. But these projectors aren't really good for a whole lot, and their pictures aren't even close to satisfying. These projectors account for a very small amount of sales, and are generally the ones you see used in elementary schools. Every current computer now has at least XGA resolution, and so are most tablets on the market like the iPad and most of the Android models. So if you are looking for crisp image reproduction, especially with small text and graphics, you need to make sure that your projector at least has XGA resolution or higher.

If you are looking for a projector for your business, you would benefit greatly from getting at least an entry level XGA resolution model or a widescreen WXGA model projector. This is the bare minimum that you should be using in order to deliver a professional presentation. If your budget allows, you could however step up to an SVGA projector with a higher brightness, or one of the many affordable 1080p models that are currently available.

For short term use for special projects, spending this type of money isn't really a great option. Instead of investing money in an outdated model that is going to deliver poor results, you can always consider a projector rental. Projector rentals are very affordable, and the staff will be able to answer any questions that you may have and be able to help you choose a model that will deliver the results you are looking for in order to make your presentation perfect in your specific setting. Even if you don't understand the details of projector technology, buying or renting from someone who knows what they are talking about can benefit you a great deal more than jumping blindly into an expensive investment.

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The Epson 5020UBe Offers Quality Beyond It's Price Range

Without a doubt, Epson is one of the best projector manufacturers today. They offer a ton of products for entry level home theater systems. The Home Cinema 5020UBe is one of the higher end models that they offer right now. It is a THX certified 3LCD projector with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 2400 lumens rated light output. It has an integrated 3D transmitter and comes with two pairs of rechargeable RF 3D glasses. The "UB" in the name stands for UltraBack. This signifies better black-level performance and better contrast than most lower end models. The "e" means that the projector has a build in WirelessHD receiver. That allows you to send HDMI signals wirelessly.

The 5020UBe is 18.4 x 15.6 x 5.5 inches and weighs 18 pounds. The square cabinet has rounded edges and a nice black/white brushed finish. The center mounted lens uses a 230 watt E-TORL lamp, which has a life of up to 5,000 hours. There are focus dial on the top and a 2.1x zoom, and there are also controls for vertical and horizontal lens shifting, just like Epson's higher end models.

On the back panel, you have two HDMI inputs, a component video, a composite video, and a PC RGB input. There is also a trigger output and a RS-232 port. The WirelessHD transmitter has five HDMI inputs and an HDMI output. There is also an optical digital audio output in case your pre amp doesn't have an HDMI input.

The 5020UBe comes with pretty much any picture adjustment you would need. It has five 2D picture modes and three 3D picture modes. You also have options for color temperature, RGB offset and gain controls, skintone controls, a color management system, five gamma presets, and advanced sharpness controls. The projector has a refresh rate of 240Hz in 2D mode and 480Hz in 3D mode. There are different frame-interpolation modes to reduce blur.

One of the best things about this projector is how bright it is. It is bright enough that you could actually watch it in a room with your lights on and still be able to watch HD content. The brightness also makes for a really good 3D experience.

Overall, this is a wonderful projector, especially for the price. You get all of the same functions as Epson's higher end models, and the brightness of a more high end model as well.

Looking For A Quality Epson Projector For Your Next Event? Check Out http://www.rentourprojectors.com/ Or Call 888-736-8301

A Buyer's Guide to Finding The Perfect Home Theater Projector

So if you were to decide that you wanted to purchase a home theater projector, would you really know what it is that you should be looking for? Well when I was totally honest with myself, I admitted that before I did some serious research I didn’t have a clue! Home theater projectors are becoming increasingly popular, and I feel that it is important to know the facts before you start your shopping.

The first and most important thing to consider about your home theater projector is image quality. Now when considering image you need to account for native resolution, your source material, and the uniformity of brightness.

As of now, the most common home theater resolutions found in projectors are WVGA (854 x 480), ¾ HD (960 x 540), and WXGA-H (1280 x 720). A projector with WXGA-H has two times the number of pixels of a WVGA projector. The more pixels a projector has the sharper the image quality and the better compatibility it has with HD sources.

It is recommended that if you will be using the projector for HDTV purposes, you should look into a product featuring WXGA-H (1280 x 720) resolution or high resolution XGA (1024 x 768). If you will mostly be utilizing your home theater projector with your DVD player (with a resolution of 480p), then it is much more cost effective to look into a WVGA projector.

The uniformity of the brightness of the projector is a big factor to consider too. The uniformity is defined as the percentage of brightness of the image that is carried from corner to corner and edge to edge. The higher the uniformity of your projector means the more consistency that can be found throughout your image. For a consistent image, you should look at projectors that have a consistency rating of 85% or more.

The next thing that you should consider after examining the uniformity of your perspective projector would be the actual brightness of it. The brightness of projectors is measured in ANSI lumens. Typically, the brightness of home theater projectors ranges from 700-2000 lumens or possibly more. The amount of lumens that you will need in your projector will depend on where exactly you’ll be placing your projector within your home. If you have an actual home theater room where there is controlled lighting and the room can be made completely dark, then you will be able to purchase a projector with lower lumens, but if the room features ambient lighting from windows a projector with a higher amount of lumens will be required.

For dedicated home theater rooms, it is recommended to look into projectors with 1000 lumens or more. When using your projector in a room with some ambient light, you should consider projectors with at least 1200 lumens. Any room with a high amount of light should have a projector with about 2000 lumens.

Once you have considered all of these factors, next you should consider what connections will give you the clearest image quality with your home theater projector. You should make sure that the projector you are interested in has at least one component video input and an HDMI or DVI connection. Component video is currently the most common high quality signal available, and the HDMI or the DVI connections will provide you with the best HD connectivity.

After all this you should probably learn about the lamp life of projectors. Most LCD and DLP projectors feature a lamp life ranging from 2000-4000 hours. This estimation actually refers to the “half-life” of the projector which is the point where the lamp is half as bright as it was when you purchased the projector. The longer the lamp life of the projector, the less money that you’ll have to put out to maintain the quality of your home theater. A replacement lamp costs between $200-$400. You should factor this into your decision, depending on if you will be using the projector as a television replacement or just as a movie and special events provider.

There are a few other things to consider when purchasing your home theater projector, but they mainly consist of what you prefer within your home. I hope that now when you go out to shop for your new projector, you have an idea of what you should be looking for. From the resolution to the connections that you need, you now possess the knowledge to make the best possible choice for you and your family’s entertainment needs.

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Looking for an Affordable LCD Projector Rental then call 800-736-8772 today. Ask about the newest type of projector that's "all in the mirrors" and see if a DLP Projector Rental is right for you.

Pico Projection in the Palm of Your Hand

Texas Instruments has been the big name for calculators ever since I can remember and have been into projectors for quite some time. Now Texas Instruments are making ground breaking technology with mini projectors. These projectors are about the size of a small flip phone and pack some seriously futuristic features. The Texas Instruments‘ DLP Pico Projector Development Kit includes a 7.5 lumen projector unit, combined with a Beagle Board (not included in the kit) embedded Linux developer platform.

Big things come in this little package as this tiny projector is capable of HVGA resolution (640×240 – near-Standard Definition quality movie) Two stacked on top of each other could effectively project 640×480 at true VGA, provided you have the right software and hardware to stitch the two images together. The DLP Pico Projector is perfect for field use and easy to set up and eventually you will be able to bring your presentations with you as easy as bringing your cell phone. The next step in this technology will allow the consumer to load a movie or presentation onto a SD card pop it into a Blackberry, or iPhone and the Pico Projector will be compatible.

The Beagle Board itself features an ARM-derived 600Mhz Texas Instruments OMAP 3530 processor, has an integrated graphics accelerator and digital signal processor, and runs on the Angstrom embedded Linux platform. The device also includes the MSP430 Low-Power micro controller, effectively making the Beagle Board a complete system on a chip which consumes only 2 watts of power and does not require a cooling fan.

The Beagle Board is powered entirely by the USB connection, interfaces with a PC using a DB9 serial connection, and interfaces to the Pico DLP via a miniature HDMI connector cable. The TI DLP Pico Projector Developer Kit is available from TI DLP authorized VARs at a suggested retail price of $349.

3 Projector Rental Tips

There are a few things to keep in mind when renting a projector.

The most important thing to remember when renting a projector is that you need to match the brightness of your projector with the size of your room and audience. The brightness of a projector is measured in lumens as described in an earlier post. Most projectors range from about 1000 lumens to 5000 lumens. A 1000 lumen projector is very practical for giving presentations in some ambient light. A 5000 lumen projector would be used for large events like conventions and trade shows where there may be up to a thousand people viewing.

Another important thing to keep in mind is the portability of your projector. The more lumens your projector has, the less portable it is. High lumen projectors are often larger and weigh more leading to less portability.

The last thing to think about when renting your projector is whether to get a LCD projector or a DLP projector. In general, you will be making a decision between full motion video and static data. If you are presenting video with your projector then DLP is the way to go. If you are presenting a powerpoint or detailed spreadsheets, then LCD should be your pick.

Interested in renting a projector? Check out our DLP Projector Rental page or our LCD Projector Rental page.