Short throw projection from BenQ
London's St Martin's Lane hotel yesterday saw BenQ (slogan "Bringing Enjoyment 'N Quality to Life") showing off its latest projectors, with technology partner Texas Instruments on hand to deliver its usual spiel on DLP (Digital Light Processing).
'Short throw' was one of the key watchwords for BenQ: a projection engine with a short throw can deliver a decent-sized image from a small distance, which has several advantages: it allows presentations to happen in smaller rooms, keeps the projected image nice and bright, reduces the chance of someone obscuring the light beam and is less likely to dazzle the person doing the presenting.
The most interesting business product on view was the MP522ST (ST, Short Throw, you see?). This is an XGA DLP-based projector with 2,000-lumen brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and an integrated 5W speaker. It can project a 1.4m image (55in.) from only a metre, thanks to its aspherical lens. It's pretty quiet, too, being rated at 31/26dB in normal and 'eco' mode respectively. The MP522ST is available now, with online prices ranging between £510 and £550 (ex. VAT).
BenQ has a few clever image-enhancing tricks up its sleeve, including a 5-segment colour wheel, integrated colour management and a feature that lets you correct for a non-white projection surface (a painted wall, for instance).
Look out for reviews of several new short-throw business projectors in the coming weeks.