The Price: $350

The Verdict: I am in love with the concept, and this little LCOS-based 640x480 projector does some amazing things given its size and resolution. But even understanding its limitations, it still has some major build-quality issues that prevent it from true awesomeness.

As a portable projector for still presentations and videos alike, it has its strengths and weaknesses. It powers up easily, connects to composite and VGA sources (including component if you have the right cable adapters), and never gets so hot you can't touch it. It's got a tripod screw like most cameras, so you can easily position it where you want to. 3M doesn't disclose the lithium-ion battery life though it should given the LED's constant brightness. Still, plugging it into a wall isn't a big deal, so battery life may not matter. (I will continue to test that and update if there's anything significant.)

The MPro110 isn't going to be of help in a big boardroom—you can only get up to a 40-inch screen (by positioning it about 6 feet), but even then, fine details are blurred. Your best bet for readable viewing is a 20-inch screen at 4 feet. Update: It supports up to 1024x768 resolution input, but it doesn't display at a resolution greater than 640x480. Ironically, the fuzziness is more of a problem for the businesspeople for whom the product was intended—I didn't suffer much watching slightly blurred DVD rips or cable-box TV at the full 40 inches, though like most projectors, near-pitch darkness is required.

As you can see from the shots, there's some pinch distortion and not a lot you can do about it. There's no optical or digital compensation like on larger projectors—in fact the only control besides on/off is focus, and that only goes so far. Brightness-wise, it's okay, but it suffers noticeably the farther back you pull. Its colors are impressive, especially here, given the fact that I was projecting against a dark yellow wall.

Again, I was forgiving of limitations based on size and functionality—my biggest problems were in construction. The focus dial felt flimsy and wouldn't hold its place if jostled. Worse, it was hard to keep my computer connected, because the projector's VGA cable wouldn't stay inside the projector's jack.

Yeah, $350 is a lot for a toy, but it's not the reason I wouldn't recommend this. If 3M could apply more quality control, this would be a novelty more of us might carry. I can see it being a fun way to watch movies in hotel rooms when traveling, and as the technology behind brightness, throw and resolution improves, these could become hot sellers indeed. [3M MPro110 Product Page]

SONY INTRODUCES TWO NEW 1080p SXRD FRONT HOME THEATER PROJECTORS

DENVER, Sept. 3, 2008 (CEDIA Booth #600) – Sony Electronics today unveiled two full high-definition 1080p BRAVIA® projectors (models VPL-VW70 and VPL-HW10) offering more choices for customers looking for the ultimate home theater viewing experience.

The new 1920 x 1080 progressive Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD™) projectors feature 24p True Cinema™ technology, delivering film-like performance.

Built for the home theater enthusiast, the VPL-VW70 features 60,000:1 dynamic contrast, brightness of 800 ANSI lumens.

The model can accept an external anamorphic lens (sold separately) that, when paired with Sony’s Anamorphic Zoom Mode, allows users to take full advantage of panel resolution and screen size while watching a movie with native aspect ratio of 2:32:1. When Anamorphic Zoom is selected through the remote, the VPL-VW70 will output a trigger signal that can be used to activate the optional lens and screen transition to maximize the theater experience with a 2.35:1 movie.

For customers looking to enter the full HD home theater at a value, Sony’s VPL-HW10 model features a 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 1000 ANSI lumens for brighter room applications.

Specifically designed with the custom installation market in mind, the projectors are also equipped with a panel alignment adjustment function that aligns each red, green and blue pixel for precise images. The adjustment range is +/-1 pixel in 1/10 pixel steps. The VPL-VW70 takes it a step further with panel zone alignment allowing users to further calibrate the picture. The model also adds a unique automatic lens cover that helps protect the lens from dust.

Both models feature the BRAVIA Engine™ all-digital video signal processing engine with unique algorithms for noise reduction and color enhancement to deliver sharp, vibrant images.

The VPL-VW70 projector will be available in November for about $8,000, while the VPL-HW10 unit will be available in September for about $3,500. Both models will be offered direct at Sony Style® retail stores nationwide and authorized dealers around the country.

The projector demo was cool, because it's the first product Pioneer branded Kuro but didn't build itself. It was pretty impressive, though to be honest, there was no immediate comparison. Still, see for yourself: [Pioneer 2008 Kuro Launch on Giz]

More Kuro Than Kuro
On the plasma front, Pioneer's new Kuros fit midway on the contrast gamut between the previous generation and the "Extreme Contrast" panel shown at CES. The five-times-deeper blacks don't show up on the brightly lit sales floor as well as they do in a dimly lit home, but Pioneer's Russ Johnson says they will blow away videophiles, particularly with respect to color purity and gradations of shadow. The idea is that you will see more without colors being blown out, and without "hotspots" that make whites too bright. There will be two 1080p plasma TVs out next month, the 50" PDP-5020FD for $4,000 and the 60" PDP-6020FD for $5,500. They're both about 20% thinner than the previous Kuro models, now measuring 3.7" thick. Besides the features that it shares with the previous generation, these Kuros have a new remote control and new HD GUI for better ease-of-use. We're also told they have some networking capabilities—Home Media Gallery plus DLNA compatibility with PCs and other network devices. More on that when we check them out.In the Elite line, Pioneer is rolling out souped-up versions of the above TVs at $1,000 premiums—the 50" PRO-111FD and 60" PRO-151FD. The bigger news from a gadget perspective is that there will be two plasma monitors that are even thinner. They will be 50% as thick as the original Kuro, measuring just 2.5". As monitors, there have no ATSC tuners or speakers, but they will be highly customizable thanks to some serious connectivity and remote access tools. It's a rich man's product, for sure, but worth knowing it's hitting the market, since the tech will eventually trickle down.That Projector Rings a Bell
As for the KRF-9000FD projector that snuck out at the European launch, some were smart enough to spot it as a re-branded JVC RS2 or HD100, the two so similar they're referred to as "twins". Johnson tells us that the company chose the LCOS projector because its performance was "consistent with the deep black levels" of the Kuro line. Pioneer added some tuning options to jive with Kuro deep-black benchmarks, but at this time the company did not do too much to make it a product distinct from JVC's. It will be branded simply as the Pioneer Elite Kuro Projector, and it will sell for $9,000, as early as June via the Elite dealer network.

Why No LCDs???
Johnson was good enough to shed some light on the missing LCDs. It turns out, Pioneer Europe has a different LCD supplier than Pioneer USA. Pioneer's European supplier—Philips?—has Pioneer's global LCD partner—Sharp—supplies different product to Europe than it does to the US. Sharp supplies 1080p LCDs in 32", 37" and 46" sizes with 100Hz frame mode to Pioneer Europe, but can't bring them to the US—even for itself. Of course in the US, it would be 120Hz, not 100Hz, a PAL spec. Those are the baseline requirements for Pioneer to work its Kuro magic. These requirements can't be met by the US LCD affiliate, says Johnson, "not even in their own line-up", but he does expect them to come eventually. Since Philips is no longer in the US TV biz, and since Sharp appears to be Pioneer's other LCD partner, I guess we'll have to wait until Sharp catches up.

That Kuro Secret Sauce
All this hullabaloo about Pioneer quitting panel manufacturing and instead buying panels from Panasonic made us ask Johnson exactly how Kuro will stay alive, and he surprised us with some factoids:
• The second-gen Kuros gets the 5X deeper black with the same panel, plus better filtering and video processing.
• Even the "Extreme Contrast" CES panel, the one that freaked us out, was based on "current glass," and not some futuristic laboratory panel. "It's how you fire the pixel," says Johnson. We don't know exactly what that means, but it's strangely reassuring. [Pioneer USA]

While you might feel a bit claustrophobic wearing these things, their 432x240 LCoS display makes it look like there's a 50-inch screen six feet in front of you. And, if you don't feel like reaching up to the transport controls on the glasses, there's also an infrared remote included. These clunky shades aren't going to win any beauty contests, but they still may not be too unpleasant on a long plane trip. They're shipping at the beginning of December of this year for $399, but if you pre-order, you can get them for $299. [YelloMosquito, via Press Release]

As video editor Geoff Morrison's piece explains, part of the blur perception comes from the fact that, on standard LCDs, frames are frozen on the screen for 1/60th of a second, and then abruptly shift to the next frame. This is called "sample and hold." Other technologies like plasma and DLP don't hold the frame for that whole 1/60th of a second, but pulse from one frame to the next, with some healthy downtime. The obvious solution is to double the frame rate to 120Hz.

One 120Hz method simulates the other TV technologies by introducing that downtime. Between each bright frame is a frame that's totally black or very dim (as shown above). The rapid succession of bright and dark frames, 120 times per second, looks smooth to the eye, and keeps some of the LCD's issues hidden in the darkness. This technique is the best, according to Morrison. Alas, it is dying out.

The trouble with the method is that it reduces the prized brightness of an LCD. It is a sad truth that, in the cutthroat world of Best Buy TV selling, the brightest TV often wins.

That's why the second method (shown below) is coming into vogue. Rather than splice in black frames, LCD makers introduce a Photoshop-style interpolated frame, basically a morphed midpoint between Frame 1 and Frame 3. Thanks to faster processors, this is easier and easier to do, but it has problems. "There is the potential, though, of it looking too smooth," says Morrison. (What's funny is, "looking too smooth" was probably Morrison's life goal in high school, and now he condemns it!)

This is only a piece of the larger LCD issue Morrison discusses, and the gist is that even the inferior 120Hz concepts are improving the situation with motion blur on LCDs (and LCOS projection TVs like Sony's SXRD line). It's a great read, so have a look, or just share your own 120Hz opinions, revelations and nightmares. [Home Theater]

DreamBees come in a variety of colors and two flavors: standard and pro. The standard model's got the usual hookups, as well as two spots for HDMI, and a lamp that's 1000 lumens bright with a life of 2,000 hours. There's also a professional model, the DreamBee Pro. The pro model comes bundled with an external video processor and scaler that gives the user more source management options. The DreamBee Pro can handle twice as many inputs as the standard version—an impressive four HDMI inputs for the pro model, which is double what the Panasonic PT-AE1000U offers.

Despite its sleek design, the DreamBee's got a massive footprint that might be hard to handle at nearly 23" wide, 18.5" long, and 8" tall, not to mention it weighs 25 pounds. It's definitely made for a long-term home theater setup, without portability in mind. If you don't gawk at the size of the unit, you might at the price: over $14,000 for the standard, and $19,000 for the DreamBee Pro. [DreamVision via Shiny Shiny]

While that sounds great, personally I think I'd still choose an LCD over a rear projection, especially since LCD prices are still falling. – Louis Ramirez

Not Your Sports Bar's Rear-projection TV [News.com]

Um, sure, but the prices for the big stuff still aren't quite below your standard Plasma set.

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Where do y'all stand? What's your preferred technology? Personally, I'm rocking an LCD and it does a fine job of bringing me over-the-top Jack Bauer action in high def every week. – Nicholas Deleon

Newsmaker: Westinghouse plugs in to LCD TVs [CNET]

The 1080p projector is based off of Sony's SXRD tech, which stands for Silicon X-tal Reflective Display, a proprietary version of LCoS, or Liquid Crystal on Silicon. Basically, liquid crystals reflecting light from the 200-watt bulb, like so many little 5ms mirrors.

Throw in 2 HDMI connections, and an ultra low noise rating of 22db and we're talking about some serious home theater hardware. And by the way, forget about buying it, when it comes stateside (if it comes stateside) it'll probably cost as much as a used car.

UPDATE: Andrew writes in that this is probably going to be a cheaper version of the already-stateside VPL-VW100 projector that uses a 400-watt xenon bulb.–Brian Lam

Sony VPL-VW50 Projector [Bios Mag]

The remarkable component of this projector is its single 1.3-inch chip, capable of cranking out 2048x1536 pixels, well above what is necessary for 1080p, which is 1920x1080. Missing from its spec list is HDMI, were JVC saw fit to input this high-rez video via DVI—not a big sacrifice, but notable nonetheless. Set to ship July 1, it'll cost around $12,500. Expensive, yes, but just consider it a harbinger of even brighter D-ILA projectors, which will battle the impending onslaught of 1080p DLP models. Can't wait to see these 1080p projectors get into the sub-$5,000 range, so mere mortals might possess one. – Charlie White

JVC DLA-HD10K, the new HD D-ILA video projector [Akihabara News]

The digest of the three articles? LCoS looks wonderful, as agreed upon by both industry experts and off-the-street viewers.

LCoS Display Technology Shootout Part A [ExtremeTech]
LCoS Display Technology Shoot-Out, Part B [ExtremeTech]
LCoS Display Technology Shoot-Out, Part C [ExtremeTech]

Purchase info for original Canon Xeed (Realis) SX50 projector [Amazon]