So far, 2019 is proving to be a remarkable year for projector technology. New projector models offered to the worship market provide increased brightness and better image quality, as you would expect. And projectors are also becoming noticeably more compact and lighter, with more thought given to ease of installation and operation--all this as lower maintenance and operating costs are reducing the cost of ownership.
Here is a look at just a few of the notable projector innovations for 2019, from some top projector manufacturers.
Barco – Compact and Brighter Options
Barco has expanded its projection portfolio in 2019 with new G60 and F80 series projectors. These lines provide excellent mid-range and high-end solutions for houses of worship.
Barco designed the three single-chip G60 laser projectors, with bright levels from 7,000 lumens to 10,000 lumens, to handle basic projection needs of compact installations without compromising on quality. In addition to a noticeably compact format, the G60 series offers the possibility of working with short-throw lenses for increasing image size or shortening the projection distance--perfect for a compact installation. Available in both black and white versions, the G series is compatible with other Barco products and equipped with the Projector Toolset software to guarantee consistent and easy installation and maintenance.
Barco F80
For 2019, Barco also extended its F80 projector series with the new F80-12Ks, a 12,000 lumens, 4K UHD, DLP laser phosphor projector offering 4K capabilities, low maintenance, and minimal operating noise. The F80-4K12 delivers 4K images with a remarkably high level of detail, along with highly saturated colors that meet the ITU-R Recommendation BT.709 (Rec. 709) color space. It also provides more flexibility in location and orientation, since it can run in any orientation and supports an array of all-glass lenses and wide lens shift ranges.
Both products take advantage of Barco’s Pulse and Single Step Processing (SSP) technology to offer audiences higher image quality, less latency, and smooth overlap in a multi-projector display set-up.
Canon – Native 4K in a Small Package
Realis 4K6020Z and 4K5020Z are Canon’s new 4K laser LCOS projectors. Compact and lightweight, they measure 18.8 inches wide by 7.1 inches high by 21.4 inches in diameter, and they weigh about 42 pounds, making them the smallest and lightest projectors in their class. They are, in fact, less than half the weight of competing native 4K laser projectors. Both projectors feature LCOS panels and Canon’s proprietary AISYS optical system that, when combined with true Native 4K (4096x2160) resolution, produces a cleaner and more robust image with virtually no grid lines.
Canon Realis 4K6020
The laser-light source employed by the Realis 4K6020Z and 4K5020Z can achieve up to 20,000 hours of operation in typical use or up to 40,000 hours in Long Duration Mode. The laser light source allows the projectors to start up in as little as two seconds using Fast Boot Mode. The HDR technology of both projectors increases the dynamic range achievable, expanding not only the color-gamut range but also the overall brightness, resulting in a more realistic and lifelike image. In addition, both projectors offer an impressive five-year (or 12,000-hour) limited warranty.
Christie – High Quality and Easy to Install
For houses of worship, Christie’s new DS series of 3LCD laser projector checks all the boxes. The company’s new trio, LWU755-DS, LHD878-DS, and the LWU900-DS, range in brightness from 7,500 to 9,000 lumens and offer 4,000,000:1 contrast ratio, but they are also lighter and quieter than most in their class. The compact size of DS series, 360-degree orientation, built-in edge blending and warping projection features, and comprehensive input/output options (including HDBaseT) make these projectors easy to install into tight spaces and able to blend into any worship or educational environment.
Christie DS Series
All three DS models provide easy integration with control systems such as AMX and Crestron, and are equipped with a LiveViewer, a feature that allows users to share audio and video content directly from their computer or laptop via the LAN or wirelessly (an optional USB dongle required). An HDMI Loop-Through allows input signals from one projector to be passed along to other DS Series projectors without a distribution amplifier or splitter.
Digital Projection – Large-Scale 8K Immersion
Last year, Digital Projection announced the world’s first 8K DLP laser projector. This year, the company is offering up an even brighter, next-generation model with its Insight Laser 8K projector.
Digital Projection Insight Laser 8K
The Insight Laser 8K provides an ultra-high 8K resolution (7680 X 4320) of 33-million pixels through 36,000 lumens of solid-state laser-phosphor illumination. The company calls it the ultimate solution for the most elaborate, immersive visualization and large-venue applications. In addition to the resolution and lumen performance, it incorporates proven DLP technology, employing three 1.38-inch DarkChip DMD chips and Digital Projection’s ColorMax technology to ensure extraordinary color accuracy and black levels, vital imaging characteristics when matching projectors in tiled or blended applications.
Designed for elite entertainment venues that demand the most immersive experience through large-scale imagery, the upgraded Insight Laser 8K is once again pushing the bounds of industry performance.
Epson Pro – Going Big with Power to Spare
New for 2019, Epson has added the L30000U as a big brother to its line of Pro L laser projectors. Pro L projectors are Epson’s most compact, interchangeable-lens laser projectors. The Pro L30000U is a 30,000 lumens high-end laser projector and the company’s brightest projector to date, surpassing last year's 25,000-lumen model, L25000U.
Epson Pro L30000U
Offering 4K enhancement, HDBaseT and wide lens shift features, Pro L projectors are powerful and versatile equipment designed for large, live venues usage. However, these projectors also work well for permanent installations.
As with previous models, the L30000U employs a sophisticated color-matching system that uses a CMOS camera to monitor the projector's output in order to automatically correct color inconsistencies between multiple projectors or to improve consistency when projecting to screens that have become unevenly colored over time. The function can be utilized prior to projection mapping or tiling to ensure a uniform image.
Epson also added a 9,000-lumen projector this year to round out the company’s popular Pro L1000-Series, which ranges from 6,000 to 15,000 lumens and primarily serves the rental and staging markets.
Panasonic – Smallest of the Small
Where some have gone big in 2019, Panasonic has gone small, laying claim to having the world’s smallest and lightest 4,500-6,000 lumens laser projectors. The amazing projectors in the PT-VMZ60 series can develop up to 6,000 lumens from a unit that weighs just under 16 pounds. With a projector body you can easily carry from room to room or pack along on a road trip, this mighty little projector equipped with a 1.6x zoom and vertical/horizontal lens-shift capability can put great images up just about anywhere. All models will accept a 4K input signal and all but the model PT-VMZ40 provide DIGITAL LINK (a connection system based on HDBaseT) to simplify integration.
Panasonic PT-VMZ Series
The 2019 Panasonic models PT-VMZ60, PT-VMZ50, PT-VMZ40 offer 6,000-, 5,000- and 4,500-lumen brightness, respectively, with each providing WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution. Models PT-VMW60 and PT-VMW50 offer 6,000- and 5,000-lumen brightness with WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution. All models can operate wirelessly with Panasonic's optional AJ-WM50 wireless module.
Sony – Focused on Midsize Environments
The VPL-FHZ75 and VPL-FHZ70 are Sony’s new projectors that cater to the increased demand for immersive and high brightness projection. They are particularly well suited for midsize environments.
Sony VPL-FHZ75 and VPL-FHZ70
Offering WUXGA resolution and light output of 6,500 lumens and 5,500 lumens, respectively, the VPL-FHZ75 and VPL-FHZ70 use Sony’s 0.76-inch LCD panel with an incorporated optical compensator to deliver bright and vibrant images with better contrast, true blacks and accurate-to-life color reproduction. Developed for Bravia displays and high-end home theater projectors, Sony’s unique super-resolution technology Reality Creation analyzes images to the pixel level to enhance clarity. Combining high contrast with the benefits of Reality Creation, the technology packed into the VPL-FHZ75 and VPL-FHZ70 provides exceptional clarity for both images and text.
Both models offer an Intelligent Setting feature that simplifies the installation process by automatically selecting the best configuration based on the projectors’ environment.
