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Raja Simhan T.E.

Wonder what you can do with all that wall space? A digital cinema theatre projector can turn your wall into a movie screen.

GOT that space on your wall - but cannot afford a big screen television or plasma screen? No problem. Consider a digital cinema theatre projector.

This is more than the conventional projector used to project images from transparencies or a Power Point presentation from a personal computer on to a screen or a blank wall.

Digital projectors are emerging as multi-purpose entertainment devices. The package typically includes a VCD (video compact disc) or DVD (digital video disc) player.

Today, technology companies such as Hewlett Packard, which were conventionally focussed on the information technology market segment, are wooing a wider consumer base to use their projectors to watch movies and television. And, competing with HP in this space are companies such as Canon and InFocus.

HP Instant Cinema is a portable movie projector that comes with an integrated DVD player. "This product is to tap consumers who would like to party and have frequent get-togethers," says See Chin Teik, Vice-President, Consumer Products and Mobile Business, HP Imaging and Personal Systems Group (Asia Pacific and Japan). "It is a different market, but a huge one," he told eWorld in Bangkok recently.

The instant home cinema digital projector has a built-in surround sound with 20-watt stereo speakers per channel and a 30-watt subwoofer. It also supports VCD, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-audio and MP3 audio playback. It can also display jpeg image slideshows from a disc.The projector gives the audience an experience like that of a movie theatre in one device, which has a booming stereo audio. The compact size makes it easy to set it up for viewing and conveniently store when not in use, he says.

Further, HP utilises the Digital Light Processing technology that produces sharper images and better contrast and detail than a LCD projector. The controls of the device are simple and aimed at home users, including the elderly. The projector comes with a zoom feature to enlarge the image and a keystone adjuster for aligning the image as a perfect square on screen, he says. In India, HP has introduced three variants of the home projector. The entry level is priced at Rs 80,000 plus taxes, and products with higher resolution and an in-built (being part of the projector unit) DVD player costs over Rs 1 lakh, says Manu Sharma, Country Category Manager-Imaging Products, HP.

Quoting a third party, Sharma says the estimated market for home projectors in India for the year 2005 is 5,000 units. The target audience for the product is primarily those with income upwards of Rs 50,000 a month. This person is looking for theatre-size entertainment to watch movies, sports and the like in the comfort of his/her home, he says.

Canon also sees the potential of the home cinema segment, which is growing at a brisk pace. Its Home Cinema Projector LV-7230 — Hollywood at Home — can be used in large boardrooms and offices, as well as classrooms with lots of ambient light (room brightness). The projector weighs 2.9 kg, and can go anywhere with its user. Further, the automatic multi-scan system allows the projector to conform to almost all computer output signals instantly with no need for manual adjustment of frequencies and other settings, there is no need for manual image adjustment, says Alok Bharadwaj, Vice President (Volume Group), Canon India Pvt Ltd.

The LV-7230 also automatically detects the signal type and resolution, and sets itself up accordingly. The product is priced at Rs 1.37 lakh. In the next category is Home Cinema Projector LV-S4 - Cute Cinema, which is priced at Rs 90,000, he says.According to Bharadwaj, a plasma TV weighs about 50 kg whereas a projector will weigh around 2.2 kg. This makes a projector not only mobile but easy to manage as well. A plasma TV spans just up to 42 inches whereas a projector spans up to 120 inches, making movie or TV viewing a greater pleasure. A plasma TV is not movable and occupies a lot of space whereas a projector can be installed overhead and one need not worry about space constraints either, he says. Further, if one gets closer to a plasma TV he/she would realise that the picture is not that clear whereas this problem does not occur in projector viewing. Plasma TV is huge in size whereas a projector is small and mobile and does not make one change the ambience and set-up of one's house. The projector is much cheaper than a plasma TV. A plasma TV starts in the Rs 2 lakh range whereas a complete projector solution is available at Rs 1 lakh, says Bharadwaj.

Above all, images thrown on the wall by a projector are not as harmful to a child's eye as the normal TV. This is because plasma TV has direct viewing light whereas a projector enables reflective viewing. In the case of reflective viewing, light doesn't fall on your eyes, it falls on the screen, thus protecting your eyes, he says.

`It feels great'

Vijay Tadepalli, software professional, is the proud owner of an InFocus 4805 digital projector. He bought it for Rs 1 lakh, and often uses it for community get-togethers in his apartment. He connects the projector to his Bose home theatre and to his television through a cable. The experience in a projector is superior to a television, he says. "It is a good investment and I am very happy about it," he says.

Picture by Bijoy Ghosh

raja@thehindu.co.in

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