New Home Theater Projector Makes Wide-Screen Viewing Affordable

Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The thrill of a high-quality, wide-screen home theater experience will be available this month to a wider audience than ever with the introduction of the affordable PLUS(R) Piano HE-3100 home theater projector. The world's smallest, lightest home theater projector, the Piano HE-3100 will be available from PLUS via the Internet (http://www.PlusHomeTheater.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 DLP(TM) 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, theater-like screen. The PLUS HE-3100 goes on sale for $2,999 in early November when the new PLUS home theater website 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, wide-screen DVD images:

• High contrast ratio of 700:1, based on single-chip Digital Light Processing(TM) 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(TM) Widescreen (480P) Component Set developed by Texas Instruments. The DLP Widescreen (480P) 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 (480P) 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 Device(TM) 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 in. diagonal to be projected from a very short distance of 3.9 ft. (extending to a maximum image of 200 in. diagonal at a projection distance of 22.6 ft.). In addition, the projector can fill an 80-in. diagonal 16:9 screen from a distance of just 9.8 ft. 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 theater projector measures just 9.3 in. wide by 7.8 in. deep by 3.6 in. high and weighs just 4.4 lb., 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).

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here

SOURCE PLUS Corporation of America