Tiny Projector Promises Bigger Kiosks, Cheaper Digital Signs
Author: Bill Gerba on 2005-02-11 15:29:09
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While reading one of my favorite blogs,
Engadget, I came across
this article about the Mitsubishi PocketProjector,
a tiny SVGA projector that uses LEDs instead of a traditional
incandescent light bulb. Expected to cost just $699 when it's
launched in July, the projector will have a bulb life in excess of
20,000 hours, and will dissipate substantially less heat than
traditional bulb-powered units. While Mitsubishi's PR focuses
mostly on consumer applications, I think that there is a tremendous
amount of potential to use these things for
digital retailing applications like
large-format digital signage,
interactive store windows,
in-store TV networks and
digital POP displays.
Up
until now, the biggest drawback to using projectors for digital signage
has been that their bulbs are expensive and need to be replaced
frequently. Think about it: if a typical projector bulb has an
average life of 1,000 hours, and you're running digital content 12
hours a day 7 days a week, that's only about 12 weeks of operation
before the bulb needs to be replaced. And given that the bulbs
can cost $200-$300 apiece and require an on-site technician to install
them, many
electronic sign network
owners have been reluctant to use projectors at all. Now if the
hype turns out to be true, and the PocketProjector really does have a
20,000 hour bulb life (which would rival most plasma screens), their
main deficiency will be addressed, and digital content network owners
will have a new option for powering their displays - one that costs a
lot less than large format LCDs, and doesn't have the burn-in problems
of plasmas. Granted, projection systems aren't ideal for all
locations, and they would need to use some kind of
polarizing substrate (or a turnkey system like
Holo FX) for maximum impact, but another display option is certainly a welcome thing in our industry.
You can read more about the projector, including a full press release:
here [ ChaitGear ]
here [ slashdot.org ]
and
here [ Techworthy.com ]
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