Sony Unveils Full High-Definition Home Theatre Projector With New SXRD Technology

12-Sep-03

Sony Electronics introduced a full digital high-definition home theatre projector powered by Sony's proprietary SXRDô (Silicon Crystal [X-tal] Reflective Display) technology with 1920 x 1080 native panel resolution. The new QUALIA-004 projector is the first product introduced in the U.S. as part of Sony's QUALIA concept recently announced in Japan. The model is also the company's first full high-definition (HD)-compatible home theatre front projector.""This SXRD projector is the home theatre projector that expert A/V enthusiasts and the custom installation industry have been waiting for,"" said Tim Baxter, Senior Vice President of Sony's Home Products Division. ""Just like being at the movies, the new projector flawlessly displays natural skin tones and a brilliant color palette in spectacular HD resolution, while maintaining optimal brightness and the highest contrast ratio. Consumers can finally experience full high-definition content reproduced the way it was intended to be seen right at home."" The QUALIA-004 projector features more than 2 million pixels contained in three 0.78-inch SXRD panels for over 6 million total pixels (technology announced in February 2003). By reducing both the size of each individual pixel, as well as the space between the pixels, SXRD technology more than doubles the pixel density and achieves a 10-fold inter-pixel spacing in comparison to high-temperature poly-Silicon liquid crystal display (H-LCD) devices. It also has a pitch of nine micrometers arranged 0.35 micrometers apart. In addition, each SXRD liquid crystal cell gap measures less than two micrometers, which is much thinner than conventional H-LCD or Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) devices. Sony's SXRD liquid crystal materials utilize an innovative molecular material, which is vertically aligned to the cell substrate, as opposed to the twisted Nematic liquid crystal commonly found in other projection devices. According to Baxter, this new material ensures improved optical performance and enhanced driveability, even in such a thin cell gap. The combination of the new material and the thin cell gap is claimed to result in exceptional black level performance, in addition to a rapid response time of less than five milliseconds.The new QUALIA-004 model offers an array of technical attributes and advanced convenience features for consumers. Among them: - Pure Xenon Lamp: The first for a home theatre projector and developed exclusively for the SXRD projector, a pure Xenon lamp is used for accurate, natural color reproduction. The Xenon lamp, which has similar characteristics to sunlight, can reproduce colors closest to the natural spectrum, including the red bandwidth, and is widely used in professional film projectors in movie theatre. - Optical Engine: The new projector includes a proprietary Optical Engine designed to maximize picture quality by keeping equal illumination length (red/green/blue illumination path), which minimizes color shading and maximizes color uniformity. It houses the SXRD panels, Xenon lamp and optical iris, and extends out to the projection/zoom lenses. It also features automatic power lens shift for vertical picture adjustment as well as manual horizontal adjustment. The SXRD panels are completely sealed within the Optical Engine to avoid dust contamination. - Cinema Black Pro: The Cinema Black Pro technology is said to improve image quality and contrast level by simultaneously controlling the lamp (low, high) and the iris (on, off) for optimized picture performance for any screen size and room environment. This feature enables the iris shutter off (open) for high brightness or on (closed) for low brightness and greater contrast level. - Carl ZeissÆ Lens: Another feature in the QUALIA-004 projector is its use of three interchangeable, all glass, multi-AR-coated Carl Zeiss Vario-SonnarÆ zoom lenses (wide, mid, tele) for low distortion and chromatic aberration. Each of the three lenses used in the new projector feature a minimum of five ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses and put through MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) inspection to ensure the projector's high resolution and contrast level, as well as offering the best throwing distance and zoom ratio. These lenses are secured via a Bayonet-mount interchangeable system. - 12-bit Panel Driver/3D Gamma Correction: SXRD panel performance is optimized by pairing the full 10-bit digital signal processing with a 12-bit panel driver which is said to result in minimized video noise and rich color gradation. Gamma correction is accomplished with the new 3D Gamma Correction circuitry, which analyzes and monitors levels of brightness images at over 6,000 points vertically and horizontally, even with low level signals in dark areas. - Signal terminal: For hiding connection cables, input and output connections are located on the bottom of the unit. The digital connections are found on the left side and feature the HDMI and DVI-D digital connections, and also USB and Ethernet ports for access to the product information Web site. Analog connections are on the right side and include component, S-video and composite video inputs. These features are housed in a full-metal chassis with aluminum surrounding, which protects the unit from heat and contributes to noise control generated by the built-in fan. The QUALIA-004 SXRD projector also has a special foam aluminum (5mm) top to further absorb noise. In addition, it features a special airflow design that pulls the hot air from around the optical engine through the chassis and pushes it out toward the back. This design is claimed to be effective in cooling the heat generated by the Xenon lamp while minimizing noise. The new projector also includes a remote control that lights up when lifted. ""We also included new, sophisticated software that custom installers will really appreciate when setting up the new projector,"" Baxter added. ""Installers and dealers can apply these tools to set up and maintain the projector for an extraordinary home theatre experience."" The QUALIA-004 SXRD projector integrates a newly created on-screen menu for set-up and also includes the Image Director 2 CD-ROM for picture adjustment. Additionally, Internet Protocol (IP) control is provided for access to product information, service and maintenance support. The new QUALIA-004 digital HD SXRD front projector will be available at select Sony authorized custom installation dealers this winter for about $25,000. Optional Carl Zeiss zoom lens selections will also be available to best meet the user's room environment.QUALIA, derived from the Latin ""qualia"" which means quality, is a Sony global movement aiming to touch people's hearts and to evoke strong emotional value with products and services that go beyond the boundaries of manufacturing and design excellence. For more information about Sony Electronics, visit www.sony.com.

Read More:
http://www.sony.com