BIOS: Technology Means Business

Epson has announced the PowerLite Cinema Home 20 projector in the US and Canada (UK availability likely in Q1 2006), with an estimated street price of $999 (US). The product is also now available through Epson’s Web site.

The PowerLite Home 20 is a new 480p native resolution 3LCD projector that comes equipped with everything necessary for entry-level users and video enthusiasts to enjoy big screen movies, video games, televised events, PC use and more.

Its sleek design not only makes it an ideal installation projector, but its small shape also allows it to be used as a portable, table-top solution that can be set up in other rooms around the home or even transported to other locations and special events.

Other key features and benefits include 1200 ANSI Lumens of brightness and 1000:1 contrast ratio, Epson 3LCD technology for rich and accurate colours (uses 8-bits per colour to project more than 16.7 million colours), and an optical/offset lens shift to easily setup viewing space in any area without distortion.

The PowerLite Home 20 uses a triple LCD imaging system, also known as 3LCD. The relatively new 3LCD Group is formed of six projector manufacturers (Fujitsu, Hitachi, Panasonic, Sanyo and Sony) and headed up by Epson, from whom the 3LCD logo is licensed. 3LCD is an alternative projection system to DLP that uses three LCD panels, also known as high-temperature polysilicon or HTPS. Images projected with 3LCD are bright, natural and are easy on the eyes, although the technology is far from new.

3LCD uses dichroic mirrors to break the white light from the lamp into its red, green and blue components. Each of the three colours of light is then passed through its own LCD panel and then recombined by a prism before being projected onto the screen to produce clear, detailed images, which are gentle on the human eyes. Thus, you should not encounter colour breaking or the rainbow effect, a result of colour sequential technology, which can be distracting.

The projector also sports a short throw distance, allowing for projection of an 80-inch widescreen image from just 6.6-feet away, six preset colour modes tailored for different lighting conditions, 3000-hour lamp life, and input sources for component video, VGA (for PC use) and composite video.

‘The PowerLite Home 20 is an outstanding value for customers who want to bring the excitement of a cinematic experience into their homes and have the versatility of using it with other components, such as a DVD player, computer, an HDTV cable box or satellite receiver, video game console, and more,’ said Fabia Ochoa, group product manager, Home Entertainment Division, Epson America. ‘And, considering the visual benefits that come from Epson’s 3LCD technology, consumers know their projected images are going to look great, no matter what video device they're connecting to it.’

More information on the PowerLite Home 20 can be found here.

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