In this concluding installment of Your Guide To Classroom Projection, we’re going to have some fun and take look into the crystal ball to see where projection technology is headed. The art and science of image projection is constantly evolving, and today’s “hot” technology may be passé less than a decade from now.
We’ll also examine how projection technology is adapting to a greener environment by becoming more energy efficient, reducing hazardous materials, and helping to eliminate waste paper and other physical media used for everyday instruction.
To HD — and beyond! It may be hard to imagine, but achieving full HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels) was once the ‘holy grail’ of the projector industry. Nowadays, 1920x1080 resolution and its PC-based counterpart, 1920x1200 (WUXGA), is becoming commonplace on auditorium and lecture hall projectors.
The next step? You’re going to hear more about 4K image resolution, which is about twice the number of pixels in a 1080p projector. 4K resolution (commonly 3840x2160 pixels for a widescreen image) is currently limited to electronic cinema and specialized large venue projection. But it offers four times the resolution of a 1080p image, and is of great interest to medical, geophysical, industrial design, and graphic arts programs.
Research and development of 4K camera and projection systems has been ongoing for several years in Japan. In fact, recent demonstrations of Ultra High Definition TV this past spring featured a camera and projection system with 8000 pixels of resolution — four times that of 4K! Look for the growing 3D production community to adopt 4K imaging to deliver even more lifelike images.
While there’s no definite timetable for when on when 4K will become commercially available to the education market, it’s on the way.
A bright(er) idea: Projectors have relied on short-arc pressurized lamps for almost 30 years. These lamps, which usually contain salts of mercury, have evolved from temperamental, short-lived, and costly products to stable, affordable and extremely efficient designs that provide several thousand hours of service and extremely bight images from a small package.
Now, there are newer sources of light energy looming on the horizon. One in particular is the light-emitting diode (LED), which also shows promise as a general purpose illuminant for home and office. LEDs come in a variety of colors and can provide white light from a mix of red, green, and blue LEDs, or directly from white LEDs.
How long do they last? LEDs can easily reach 30,000 hours before hitting half-brightness, which is about ten times the life of a typical short-arc projection lamp. In the typical education application, that could mean 10 years or more of usage, by which time the projector will be scheduled for upgrading anyway.
LEDs are perfectly suited to ultraportable and small desktop projectors. They can use conventional cooling fan designs, and have an ‘instant-on’ cycle time — push the power button, and images are seen within seconds. They don’t need a cool-down cycle, either. LED-powered projectors are just now coming to the home theater market — look for them to start appearing in classroom projectors by the middle of the next decade.
Cutting the cord: Wireless connections are here to stay, and they’ll become more pervasive in the classroom over time. With the recent adoption of the Wireless-N standard (IEEE 801.22n), connection speeds will soar far beyond those of Wireless-G.
In fact, Wireless-N can potentially move data as fast as 300 megabits per second (Mb/s).
That’s about 20 times as fast as the speed used to transmit high-definition television programs
to your home! Needless to say, wireless connectivity is the key to connecting and sharing
rich media files — video, audio, or still photos.
Wireless connectivity is just now appearing in classroom projectors. Within a few years, it will move from a novelty to a ‘must have’ for instructors, and incorporate automatic configuration, provision for secure media exchange, and ‘plug and play’ operation.
And the industry isn’t stopping at Wireless-N! Already, faster versions of the 802.11 standard are being considered, as are alternative fast wireless connections including WiMax. Numerous demonstrations of 1920x1080p HDTV wireless streaming have been conducted in the past year between hard drive and optical disc video players and projectors.
Energy smart: Projectors are getting more efficient with each successive generation of models. Improvements in airflow design have not only resulted in quieter projectors, but have also reduced power consumption by fans. Automatic air filter changers ensure airflow is as clear as possible, extending projector life.
Improvements are also being made to both imaging panels (larger apertures for increased brightness) and optical components (improved light transmission for a given wattage, along with higher brightness and contrast). The goal is to deliver more lumens for the same or less wattage.
Think about this: 15 years ago, a ‘portable’ projector weighed at least 30 pounds and, on a good day, could crank out about 400 to 500 lumens. Today, a 6-pound projector can push over 2000 lumens to the screen without breathing hard! Four times the light for one-fifth of the weight. That’s all due to continuing improvements to everything in the optical chain…improvements that are on-going.
Any throw you want: The education market has embraced short-throw projector designs with enthusiasm. These projectors allow the instructor to stand at the screen without blocking part or all of the image. Short-throw projector design is continually being refined to improve edge-to-edge sharpness, focus, and geometry.
How about curved-screen short throw projection? It’s being tested. Image projection from handheld devices, such as PDAs and cell phones? We’re starting to see those come to market. Projectors built-in to other electronics equipment, such as projectors, DVD players, and digital cameras? You’ll be encountering those in the future, too.
Projection technology has gotten so advanced that it’s going to be possible to place a projection engine in just about any space within a decade. In addition to LEDs, lasers are also being tested as alternative illumination sources.
The term “green” has been used so often to describe any process or product that reduces energy consumption and preserves the environment that it’s almost a cliché. Yet, projection technology can and does make a contribution to reducing waste materials and cutting electric bills.
We’ve already seen how ongoing improvements to optical components and lamps are producing more lumens per watt than ever before. Sanyo and other projector manufacturers are also engaged in research to reduce hazardous substances in projector components, as well as improved methods for disposing of used projectors. There’s also an effort to move to recyclable packaging materials.
Reducing paper consumption is also important. All Sanyo projector manuals are available on CD-ROM, and there’s a distinct trend in all manufacturing industries to move away from printed copies of owner’s and operating manuals to delivery on compact disc. Owner’s manuals and other supporting documentation can also be downloaded from the Web.
Heat and dust are the two biggest enemies of projectors. Sanyo research and development has led to quiet, efficient cooling systems that move large quantities of air quietly and preserve optical components. Projectors fitted with Sanyo’s automatic air filter cycling systems will ensure worry-free operation for several lamp life cycles — just replace the filter when prompted. Less dust means less heat and stress on the projector!
As for the classroom, it’s a new age of environmental consciousness. Centralized media storage and retrieval via wired or wireless Ethernet connections means fewer videotapes and DVDs sitting on shelves and a reduction in throwaway packaging. Computers, flash drives, and ‘do-it-all’ handheld electronics should also result in a reduction of paper usage during class instruction.
Lower prices on notebook computers and netbooks mean less reliance on hardcover books, which can be downloaded as Adobe PDF files. As you read this, there are several universities experimenting with distribution of all class texts via e-Book readers, such as Amazon’s Kindle.
This is a significant test, because many expensive, specialized textbooks cannot be reused or recycled. Are the days of textbooks numbered? What will the school bookstore look like in the future? It’s an exciting time for teachers…and Sanyo projectors will be part of it, as an integral part of the 21st-century classroom!
Sanyo has just introduced the PLC-XM150/150L and PLC-XM100/100L 3LCD large venue projectors. Both models incorporate Sanyo’s proprietary Active Maintenance Filter (AMF) system, along with a new optical engine that ensures high reliability.
The PLC-XM150/150L is rated at 6000 lumens, while the PLC-XM100/100L is rated at 5000 lumens. Both projectors offer XGA (1024x768) resolution and are perfect for large auditoriums or lecture halls. Light efficiency is approximately 20% higher compared to Sanyo's conventional models, enabling big screen projection in well-lit areas.
The PLC-XM150/150L and PLC-XM100/100L employ the latest in imaging technology. Inorganic liquid crystal panels were incorporated into the newly-developed optical engine and combined with superior cooling technology, allowing both projectors to achieve such high brightness levels.
Both models are equipped with SANYO's exclusive Active Maintenance Filter (AMF) system. A single cartridge contains 10 filter rolls and lasts approximately 10,000 hours. When the system detects air blocks or clogs, the filter reel scrolls to the next clean filter.
There are five lens options available for the PLC-XM150/150L and PLC-XM100/100L, enabling the best lens selection for the installation site. Installation and operation is quick and fast, thanks to power vertical/horizontal lens shift and zoom/focus functions. Sanyo’s vertical 360-degree tilt angle feature allows projection on the ceiling, floor, or any surface desired.
Of course, both models are compatible with Sanyo's optional PJ-NET Organizer that enables centralized control of the projector over a network through the projector's wired LAN terminal (RJ-45). These projectors also conform to the EU RoHS Directive and the packaging contains pulp molds, which can be recycled as used paper.
The PLC-XM150/150L will be available in mid-November, while the PLC-XM100/100L will be available in mid-December. Both models are sold with or without a lens.