New Compact PLUS Home Theatre Projector Makes Widescreen Viewing Affordable

22-Oct-01

The thrill of a high quality, widescreen home theatre experience will be available this month to a wider audience than ever with the introduction of the affordable PLUS¨ Piano HE-3100 home theatre projector. The world's smallest, lightest home theatre projector, the Piano HE-3100 will be available from PLUS via the Internet (www.PlusHomeTheatre.com) and through partner dealers for less than $3,000.Having advanced the state of the art in business mobile projectors through its pioneering use of DLPª technology and a series of innovations in electronics and video technologies, PLUS now brings that experience to bear for consumers who want to enjoy movies and special events in sharp, DVD-quality detail on a wide, theatre-like screen. The PLUS HE-3100 goes on sale for $2,999 in early November when the new PLUS home theatre Web site makes its debut. Consumers have the option of purchasing the projector through the site, or visiting one of the listed PLUS partner dealers for a demonstration and then ordering the projector from the dealer for direct shipment from PLUS to the consumer. This dual distribution system allows PLUS to pass along to consumers the savings that direct sales provides while simultaneously offering the sales and service support of a retail dealer network.The Piano HE-3100 offers an array of advanced features designed to deliver high-quality, widescreen DVD images:- High contrast ratio of 700:1, based on single-chip Digital Light Processingª technology developed by Texas Instruments, and excellent gradation expression to provide the best-quality images for movie viewing wherever the Piano HE-3100 Home Projector is set up.- Built-in high-performance Silicon Image SIL 503 digital video processor/progressive scanning converter. A highly integrated, single-chip solution, the SIL 503 features a deinterlacer, horizontal scaler, color lookup table, chroma upsampler, memory controller, color space converter and DLP/LCD/CRT controller that ensures high quality, vivid, color-rich images from either progressive or non-progressive DVD outputs, with no additional image-enhancing components required. It also allows 3:2 pull-down detection. Combining this converter with the Piano HE-3100's special motion compensation feature produces clean, realistic images that are extremely faithful to the original movie.- Native 16:9 projection - the most popular format among DVD system users - is provided by use of the DLP Widescreen (480p) Component Set developed by Texas Instruments. The DLP Widescreen Component Set features both a native 848 x 480 resolution mode that permits the Piano HE-3100 to project 16:9 aspect ratio images with no scaling required, and an 800 x 600 resolution mode that permits the Piano HE-3100 to project 4:3 aspect ratio images.- Four-times, six-segment RGB sequential illumination is also provided through the use of TI's new DLP Widescreen Component Set, which features support for a 240 Hz color scan rate. By featuring higher-speed (240 Hz) color wheel operation, the new HE-3100 is able to minimize color separation artifacts. As a result, longer movies will be much easier on the viewer's eyes.- Superior movie quality is made possible by the extremely fast response of the Digital Micromirror Deviceª at the heart of DLP technology, which also enables the smooth imaging of constantly fast-moving events such as sports matches.- Superior fan noise reduction to 32 dBA, thanks to the high air throughput of a sirocco fan, ensures distraction-free listening during a movie, especially during intense scenes calling for completely focused attention.The Piano HE-3100 features a short-focus lens, which enables a perfectly formed image of 36 inches diagonal to be projected from a very short distance of 3.9 feet (extending to a maximum image of 200 inches diagonal at a projection distance of 22.6 feet). In addition, the projector can fill an 80-inch diagonal 16:9 screen from a distance of just 9.8 feet. As a result, the HE-3100 will provide an optimal home theatre viewing experience that can be enjoyed in any size room in the house, from the family den to a child's bedroom -- and enhanced in all cases by a brightness level of 450 ANSI lumens.Special features also include inputs for a wide selection of video signals for a number of viewing options, including a composite input, an S-Video input and a component input, as well as a DVI-D input for a computer signal (enabling connection to the projector by PC users). Moreover, the Piano HE-3100 projector comes as a complete package that includes a compact and easy-to-use remote control, all required connector cables, and a soft carrying case. In addition, an optional ceiling mount kit is available.The Piano HE-3100 home theatre projector measures just 9.3 inches wide by 7.8 inches deep by 3.6 inches high and weighs just 4.4 pounds, and so can be maneuvered easily to make any location in the home a movie theatre-like viewing experience. In addition, it will be available in a choice of five colors (silver, black, white, red and blue).""Drawing on our expertise gained as the pioneer in the development of ultra-portable business mobile projectors, PLUS Corporation has brought the world's smallest, lightest and most affordable home entertainment projector to the marketplace,"" stated PLUS Corporation of America President Tom Oishi. ""Now, the enjoyment of high quality DVD movies at home on a large, theatre-like screen is no longer limited to hardcore enthusiasts with unlimited budgets. Instead, consumers considering the purchase of a large screen direct view TV have a DLP projector to consider as a viable alternative.""""We're delighted that PLUS is among the first companies to leverage the capabilities of our recently announced DLP Widescreen Component Set,"" said Dale Zimmerman, Product Manager for Home Entertainment Products at the DLP Products Division of Texas Instruments. ""We expect to see strong demand for the PLUS Piano from consumers who are looking for outstanding image quality at a very affordable price. DLP technology is establishing a leadership position in this rapidly expanding market segment.""The debut of the Piano HE-3100 home theatre projector is but the latest in a series of milestone introductions from Japan's number one DLP projector manufacturer. These include: the UP Series of sub-10-pound digital projectors in 1998, followed by the U2 Series of sub-6-pound digital projectors in 1999 and the U3 Series of sub-3-pound, ""palm-sized"" digital projectors in 2000.For more information about PLUS Corporation of America, visit www.plus-america.com.

Read More:
http://www.plus-america.com