Epson PH eyes mass market for new 3D projectors

The two 3D home theater projectors – the Epson EH-TW6000 and the Epson EH-TW8000 — will be available starting December 2011.

Although the units have a price tag of P160,000 and P119,000, respectively, the company said their cost is still much cheaper compared to existing 3D projectors which are being sold from P300,000 to P500,000.

The 3D models are just two of the 17 new projectors which Epson announced in the Manila leg of the company’s largest-ever projector launch in Southeast Asia. The other models are targeted at different parts of the market such as schools and businesses.

The EH-TW6000 and EH-TW8000 are Epson’s first-ever 3D projectors. With a form factor that is slimmer compared to other 3D projectors, the units can be used in the homes.

By upgrading projector shutter systems from 240Hz to 480Hz, the company said it was able to make the technology viable for home use, as well as solve a common 3D concern with slower projectors (240Hz) on maintaining image brightness and picture quality.

Epson said the time is already ripe for the launch of the 3D projectors with the dramatic increase in the amount of 3D content being produced, as well as the more mature level of 3D as a technology.

A feature which Epson officials highlighted during the launch was the ability of the Epson EH-TW8000 to convert 2D movies to 3D.

The Epson EH-TW6000, the more affordable alternative to the higher-end EH-TW8000, meanwhile has the brightest 3D images in its class as it shares the same image engine of the EH-TW8000 with a 480 hertz refresh rate.

Although it lacks the 2D to 3D conversion capability and the advanced Epson image processing technologies like Super Resolution Technology and Frame Interpolation that the EH-TW8000 offers, it has a pair of 10 watt high quality speakers and auto color mode.

Also at the launch event, held at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City, the Japanese tech firm also unveiled the Epson MG-850HD – the world’s first Apple device HD projector — which allows owners of iPhones, iPads or iPods to dock their devices onto the projector for playback of movies, photos or music.

The projector also features built-in 10W speakers, and a brightness of 2800 lumens, a contrast ratio of 3,000:1, and a resolution of up to 1280×800 (WXGA) — along with a microphone port, for those who would like to use the projector for karaoke or business presentations.