VIDEO PROJECTORS RULE Conventional-looking cathode ray (glass-tubed) television sets were few and far between at this trade meet.
Instead, the dominant image-producers were video projectors - some as small as a cantaloupe, others as large as a Chevy V8 engine - that threw amazingly clear, full-color pictures onto 8-foot, 12-foot and even 25-foot-wide screens.
Most of the little projectors, capable of displaying high-resolution computer graphics as well as video, create their images with color liquid crystal displays (or LCDs). LCDs are controlled by hundreds of thousands of transistors and illuminated with powerful metal halide light bulbs. At present, such LCD projector technology is being marketed to consumers by only a handful of sources, most notably Sharp, with its SharpVision line starting at $2,500, and the high-end boutique brands, Runco and Vidikron.
But the big surprise at Infocomm was finding literally dozens of LCD-based projectors targeted to high-end users by familiar brands like Sony, Sanyo, Hitachi, JVC, NEC, Panasonic, Philips and Toshiba for prices averaging around $8,000.
Sharp's Bob Perry predicts ``at least four of those other makers will be introducing LCD projectors to the general consumer audience before year's end.''
A source at Panasonic said his company plans to popularize its line with smaller LCD panels and reduced price tags in the $2,000 range.
LCD projectors are universally prized for their light weight (7 to 35 pounds), compact size and easy usage.But until recently, the clarity and brightness of LCD projector images were often considered poor for extended viewing, especially in a lit room where Mom likes to read while Dad watches the football game.
