InstallationTechnology Guide

A S p e c i a l P r o m o t i o n a l P u b l i c a t i o n F r o m

Projectors

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PPC Series movie www.vogels.com/professional

For more information: Call +31(0)40 2647400 or email salesprof@vogels.com

Universal projector interface

All mounts come with a universal projector interface. This projector interface is equipped with fine tune adjustability for precise alignment to the projection surface. Once aligned, the projector stays in position. Turning the unique friction ring (patent pending) will eliminate all play from the interface connections, making the mount a solid and very stable solution.

Height adjustable projector ceiling mount kits

The height adjustable projector ceiling mount kits can be used when the height of the ceiling is not known or when exibility is wanted. These mounts come in 3 lengths offering variable height adjustment from 400 to 1350 mm.This projector ceiling mount is suitable for mounting on at and inclined ceilings up to 90°.

Vogel’s Professional offers a complete new range of projector ceiling mounts. These projector mounts are especially designed for the latest generation projectors weighing up to 25 kg. The range includes basic projector ceiling mounts and height adjustable kits with telescopic poles.

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Welcome & Contents03Installation Technology Guide - Projectors - April 2014www.installation-international.com

Editor: Paddy Baker paddy.baker@intentmedia.co.uk

Managing editor: Joanne Ruddock jo.ruddock@intentmedia.co.uk

Deptuy editor: James McGrath james.mcgrath@intentmedia.co.uk

Head of design & production: Adam Butler adam.butler@intentmedia.co.uk

Designer: Tom Carpentertom.carpenter@intentmedia.co.uk

Sales manager: Ian Graham ian.graham@intentmedia.co.uk

Production manager: Evan Graham evan.graham@intentmedia.co.uk

A HEALTHY FUTURE IS PROJECTED

‘Projection technology has made enormous strides in recent

years’

EDITOR’S COMMENTApplication overview ..................04

How manufacturers address different markets

Market trends ...............................06Technological developments that shape the industry

Company listing ...........................14

PROMOTIONAL ARTICLESBarco ..................................................10

With brightness from 3,000 to 40,000 lumens, Barco makes projectors for numerous markets; installs include the Super Bowl and Eurovision Song Contest

NEC Display Solutions ..................12NEC’s projector ranges for the High Light Output sector combine qualities that have helped the company become a leading name in digital cinema projection

CONTENTS

The contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or in part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Great care is taken to ensure accuracy in the prep-aration of this publication but neither NewBay Media nor the Editor can be held responsible for its contents or any omissions. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or artwork. © 2014 NewBay Media. All rights reserved.

Installation is published by Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, UK Telephone: +44 (0)20 7354 6001

As we reflect elsewhere in this publication, projection technology has made enormous strides in recent years. Higher brightness is a never-ending quest; new illumination sources promise greater convenience as many of the hassles caused by the need for lamp replacement are negated; and projectors are now intelligent, interactive, networked devices. And as the market matures, specific functionality is developed to address the needs of particular application sectors – whether that be short throw, the best possible image clarity, or the highest levels of connectivity.

At times, you just want to take a step back and get an appreciation of the whole as well as the individual parts. And that’s what this, the first in a new series of Installation Technology Guides, is designed to do. Rather than provide insight into one specific aspect of projectors – as we would generally do within Installation’s regular feature coverage – we want to give a broad overview of how the market is developing, and what the key applications are that use projection technology. In addition, you can read about the latest offerings from leading projector manufacturers.

I hope you enjoy reading this Technology Guide. And if you have suggestions for subjects that we might cover in future publications, please get in touch.

Paddy Baker Editor, Installationpaddy.baker@intentmedia.co.uk

Technology GuideLook out for the next

from Installation: DIGITAL SIGNAGE For more information, contact Ian Graham

ian.graham@intentmedia.co.uk+44 (0)20 7354 6000

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APPLICATION OVERVIEWApril 2014 - Installation Technology Guide - Projectors04

It’s not just the transition from VGA to WUXGA resolution that has changed in the projector industry, nor average brightness having increased at least tenfold. There have been more fundamental changes to the way projector manufacturers design their products for different vertical markets, as Ian McMurray describesAwfully projected images once had their time to shine. Between 1990 and 2001 the InfoComm Shoot-Out provided a platform for manufacturers to pit their projectors against multiple others in a darkened room. In the quarter of a century since the first Shoot-Out, the projector industry has transformed in such a way that there are no longer shockingly bad projectors like the ones seen back then.

In the Shoot-Out era, projectors were differentiated largely on their brightness – which, in today’s terms, ranged from ‘scarcely visible’ to ‘somewhat dim’. Today, however, the industry is characterised by its fragmentation as the market has matured. Projectors are now designed to serve specific applications and market niches, with feature sets to match.

DIGITAL CINEMA EXTRAVAGANZA Certainly, at the InfoComm Shoot-Out, only the truly starry-eyed could have imagined a time not only when an electronic projector could begin to

rival the image quality of film – but that it might eventually replace film projectors altogether in cinemas. Yet, there are now some 100,000 screens worldwide that have made the transition – and the expectation is that the large majority of the remaining 30,000 screens will have converted to digital by the end of 2015.

Digital cinema is perhaps the pinnacle of digital projection achievement. Four manufacturers dominate this market: Barco, Christie and NEC all licence DLP Cinema technology from Texas Instruments, with a cumulative market share estimated at around 90%, while Sony is the lone representative of the liquid crystal camp with its SXRD technology. Whatever the underlying technology, these projectors are characterised by three factors: high brightness – it takes over 30,000 lumens to put an image on a 100ft screen (Barco claimed a Guinness World Record back in 2010 for its DP2K-32B with brightness of 43,000 lumens and has just launched a

60,000-lumen laser-based digital cinema projector) – high resolution (4K is, increasingly, becoming the norm), and optimisation of the electronics to generate a ‘film-like’ (rather than ‘video-like’) image.

Taking their place just below digital projectors in the projector hierarchy, but designed for a completely different application set, are so-called ‘large venue’ projectors. Here too, the primary distinguishing feature is brightness. It’s possible to sub-divide this market into two: fixed install, and rental/staging. In either case, the range of potential positions within a projection space is enormous, mandating the provision of a broad range of lens options. Because the projector could be placed just about anywhere, remote control is often a pre-requisite to account for accessibility issues. Certain applications call for more brightness than a single projector can deliver, meaning that projectors need to be designed for stacking. NEC’s PX700W can be stacked up to four high for total light output

of 28,000 lumens. Stacking is also giving rise to important functionality such as edge blending; the aptly named Christie Roadie range is a good example of the genre, while Barco’s offering comprises close to a dozen models with brightness between 8,000 lumens and 40,000 lumens. Surpassing even that is Digital Projection – one of the first-ever licensees of TI’s DLP technology – with over 40 models in its TITAN family.

In both areas of large venue projection, multi-lamp is widely used either to deliver higher brightness, or failsafe, or extended gaps between maintenance visits – or all three. The Panasonic PT-EX16KE, for example, features no fewer than four lamps.

PICTURE PERFECT Digital cinema (and large venue projectors to a slightly lesser extent) prioritise image quality. But a market where image quality is of greater importance, if not paramount to the projector’s operation, is visualisation, CAD/CAM

Shifting focus

Barco’s DP2K-32B holds the Guinness World Record for the brightest projector with an output of 43,000 lumens

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and medical applications. These highly specialist verticals that the projection industry has penetrated necessitate high degrees of detail and colour accuracy to create picture realism. A recent example of this is Sony’s 4K resolution SRX-T615, with its ability to switch between a standard sRGB colour gamut, DCDM or Adobe RGB as required. Canon has worked with Lariviere on its XEED range of projectors to be compliant with the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) standard required by many medical applications. Another company working within this area is projectiondesign – now part of Barco – which developed the FL33 using LED illumination to maximise colour fidelity, while the company’s WQXGA resolution FL35 is used by British Airways for simulation. BLURRED LINESThere’s a fine line between installation projectors and boardroom projectors. If there is a difference between the two, it is only that the former are perhaps more often found in entertainment applications, where the latter are strictly for business. Certainly, if there is a mainstream projector market, it’s the market for corporate meeting facilities, including training rooms. Here, companies like Acer, BenQ, Epson, InFocus, Optoma, Sony, ViewSonic and Vivitek have a plethora of solutions offering a broad range of brightness and throw distances. Quiet or silent operation is typically seen as mandatory in the corporate environment, as are network connectivity (increasingly wireless) and security. An example is the 3,000-lumen Epson EB-955W with zoom lens, BYOD connectivity, Kensington and password locks and a USB port for plug-in presentations.

Mention of training rooms moves the discussion on to what has become perhaps the largest market segment for projectors: the education market. Increasingly, it is the case that every classroom benefits from the ability to engage every pupil. At BETT this year, Epson announced the EB-5 series of interactive finger touch technology projectors, specifically targeted at schools and colleges. The company has incorporated new moderator software into these projectors, which allows teachers to present up to four

different BYOD screens to the class, while administrators can manage up to 1,024 Epson networked projectors using Epson’s EasyMP software or Crestron RoomView.

Concerns about the possible damage caused to pupils by looking directly into a projector’s lens, together with the potential on-screen disruption caused by movement between the projector and the screen, were key drivers in the search for projectors which could be placed much more closely to the screen. This resulted in a surge of popularity for short-throw and, eventually, ultra-short-throw projectors. An example of the former is the InFocus IN114ST with its throw ratio of 0.6 – in other words, for every metre of projected width, the projector needs to be set 0.6m (24in) from the screen. The Hitachi CP-A222WN ultra-short-throw projector can deliver a 203cm wide image from a distance of 50cm.

The short-throw and ultra-short-throw characteristics of projectors designed for education use have also enabled them to gain acceptance in the retail environment, notably in shop window displays.

AT HOMEIf the projector market has evened out in terms of image quality – which is now almost universally very high, certainly by comparison with what it once was – and has progressively diversified to serve the specific needs of a range of sectors, it also witnessed something of a remarkable transition in terms of price. Excellent projectors can now be bought for a very few hundred pounds, euros or dollars – compared to the thousands they once cost – and that has, increasingly, brought them to the

attention of consumers.Few consumers, however, are

seriously looking at the SIM2 Superlumis, with its eye-watering price tag in the UK of some £37,000 (€44,000). Announced in November last year, it is a 3-chip DLP-based projector of which one reviewer said that it featured “unbelievable, cinema-grade picture quality”. More typical of the high end of home cinema is the JVC DLA-X900R. Featuring JVC’s own D-ILA technology – a close cousin of Sony’s SXRD technology – it is still the price of a very small family car.

What can a customer expect, though, from a high-end home cinema projector at this level of the market? In the case of the Superlumis: brightness of up to 5,000 lumens, a choice of two lens types that maximise either brightness or contrast in order to fit the projector to the ambient lighting environment, a range of throw ratios and substantial connectivity. The DLA-X900R offers brightness of 1,300 lumens, and native contrast ratio of 150,000:1 (with so-called ‘dynamic contrast ratio’ of 1,500,000:1).

For the more typical home cinema enthusiast looking for a more engaging experience than that offered by a large plasma or LCD screen, there is plenty of choice – not least, for example, from the online store of their favoured supermarket. At the low end, the difference between a home cinema projector and a boardroom projector is largely about market positioning: even the provision of an HDMI input can be expected in a business projector, given the prevalence of video in today’s corporate world. One company that has developed a broad range of home entertainment projectors is Optoma.

The Themescene HD83 – at the top end of Optoma’s offering – delivers 1,600 lumens at a contrast ratio of 50,000:1. Almost silent in operation at 22dB – a key consideration in the confines of a domestic environment – it features two HDMI inputs as well as VGA and composite, and the triggers necessary to integrate it within a wider home automation system.

There is also a growing market for gamers – both PC and console – looking for a more expansive, immersive experience in which their entire field of view is occupied by, say, exploding fighter aircraft. For this class of user, there is rather less interest in absolute picture quality and more in input lag times… Epson markets no fewer than five projectors specifically aimed at gamers, with the EH-TW5200, for example, providing a ‘fast mode’ for more responsive gameplay.

And finally, no discussion of consumer projectors would be complete without at least a passing mention of pico-projectors – with their average brightness of 50 lumens, and available for less than £100 (€120) – which innovative manufacturers are beginning to incorporate into a range of end-user devices including cameras and smartphones.

It’s pico-projectors, though, that in some ways are most representative of how far we’ve come since the InfoComm Shoot-Out. Not in terms of image quality (although they’d have probably fared pretty well 20 years ago…) but in terms of the innovative ways manufacturers are applying technology to bring affordable projection to new classes of user and that look likely to safeguard the future of projectors for many years to come.

NEC’s PX Series DLP-based professional projectors are designed for ‘heavy duty’ applications

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MARKET TRENDSApril 2014 - Installation Technology Guide - Projectors06

The future’s bright,the future’s…?It’s exactly 30 years since Gene Dolgoff developed a digitally addressable LCD matrix device with sufficient resolution – a technology that would eventually create the projector industry we know today. Ian McMurray looks at how things stand in 2014

When Mitsubishi announced that it was exiting the projector business in October last year, there was a frisson of consternation in the market. After all, the company had only recently debuted its LaserVue projectors at ISE 2013, and had excited a good deal of interest with the launch of its Cloud Projectors at InfoComm later in the year. Did Mitsubishi know something about the projector market that no one else knew – or was it just about Mitsubishi? As some commentators pointed out, the company had pulled out of rear projection TVs at the end of 2012 – so it had something of a track record of refocusing its AV business.

A COMPLEX TRUTHFor sure, 2013 was a challenging year for projector manufacturers.

“According to PMA Research, the expected result for mainstream projectors will be a decline in volume of about 5% for 2013,” notes Bob

Raikes, managing director of displays consultancy Meko. “That’s a sharp contrast to the large flatpanel market, which is seeing good year-on-year growth - around 20%, according to Meko’s DisplayCast service for Europe, although we think 2014 may be a little slower.”

That overall slight decline, however, inevitably masks a more complex truth.

“It was a steady year for us in projector sales, with about 10% growth on the previous year,” says Roland Dreesden, managing director of integrator Reflex. “The majority of the uplift came from higher education projects – mainly in lecture theatres.”

“The projector business was good for us, because we had high end sales,” echoes Greg Jeffreys, managing director of projection solutions specialist Paradigm AV. “There are still important parts of the market - like simulation – where the image needs to have defined

parameters such as luminance, contrast, resolution, size, aspect ratio, shape and so on, where projection is uniquely placed to deliver the solution.”

It’s no coincidence that both Reflex and Paradigm have seen growth in markets that demand high image quality, high brightness – and where there is significant value for the integrator to add. As Raikes confirms: “High-end projectors are doing well. For very large areas, projection remains a cost-effective way of presenting digital content.”

The consensus in the industry is that the small decline in projector sales has been primarily in those market areas where flatpanel display (FPD) technology can deliver a similar image to projection – but often more conveniently and more cost effectively. Projector manufacturers are not standing still, however.

BANG FOR THE BUCK“Projection certainly has a place in the market,” believes Steve Gore-Browne, group technical manager, display technologies at integrator Saville AV. “The quality, life and running costs of even basic projectors are such now that they really do provide end users with the most ‘bang for their buck’. You can have a 2m-diagonal 720p wide screen with a colour-accurate image on a meeting room wall for as little as £500 (€600). Flatpanels cannot offer this and, over multiple rooms, the cost savings are quickly evident. The size of the flatpanel display needed for an average room is, almost always, underestimated by clients.”

Certainly, projector manufacturers are rising to the challenge. The last 12 months have seen some exciting developments in three key areas: cost of ownership, resolution and connectivity.

Of these, perhaps the most

At ISE this year, Digital Projection launched what the company claims is the world’s first 12,000-lumen laser-based projector.

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significant is cost of ownership – and, specifically, the issue of the regular replacement of expensive lamps, an annoyance that has plagued projector users throughout the history of the technology. It’s an issue thrown into greater relief by the fact that cost of ownership of a flatpanel is virtually zero.

The projector manufacturers’ response has been to bring to market alternative illumination technologies. “Laser and LED were probably the most exciting developments in the market during 2013,” says Chris Chinnock, president of market researcher Insight Media.

LEDS, LASERS LEAD THE WAY“One of the key technology developments in projectors is in light sources,” agrees Raikes. “Although some vendors remain wedded to lamps, solid state light sources such as LEDs and lasers are continuing to develop. It is sometimes said that bulbs are the last refuge of ‘glass, heat and vacuum’ technologies after transistors killed valves and LCDs killed CRTs.”

“Lampless laser projectors have been around for a while,” adds Dreesden, “and now, they’ve started to become much more visible thanks to the increased performance of the latest models.”

Gore-Browne isn’t quite convinced. “Laser/LED light engines are emerging as more mainstream now although, in truth, there is still work to be done to produce the same level of projected image quality that lamped units provide,” he says. “Some educational establishments will specify laser/LED due to the perceived lower running costs.”

He goes on to note that not all projector manufacturers are addressing cost of ownership in the same way.

“Manufacturers are now offering previously unprecedented extended warranty and lamp packages,” he continues. “Epson in particular is leading this, with the option for an end user to purchase, for a very nominal sum, a five-year warranty and an unlimited lamp usage package. This is to overcome the perceived advantages of the laser/LED units while offering the end user a far higher level of image quality.”

For Jeffreys, lampless projection is one of two important developments in the market: the other is 4K resolution. He has an ally in Nick Rogers, CEO of PMA Research (formerly Pacific Media Associates).

“4K resolution is one of the technologies that are driving the high end of the projector market,” he says. “Others include edge blending and video mapping.”

Certainly, anyone who was at ISE last month and saw the combination of a Christie 4K projector with a Stewart StarGlas screen couldn’t help but be compelled by what the higher resolution can deliver.

WELL CONNECTEDThe third area of development for projectors has been in connectivity – increasingly, an absolute pre-requisite for the mainstream corporate market.

“The development of Cloud-based and wireless ways to connect to projectors is an interesting one,” suggests Raikes. “Like corporate IT departments, those dealing with meeting room applications are having to handle BYOD and the fact that those attending meetings want to show content from a variety of devices, few of which will have VGA ports.”

“Wireless is growing, and HDbaseT is a growing standard,” notes Nick Rogers.

“Yes, HDbaseT is now standard on many models,” adds Gore-Browne. “Panasonic has been especially instrumental in leading this adoption.”

There can be little dispute that, in many applications – even in the mainstream boardroom and

meeting room market - projectors can bring value. The challenge is to communicate that value to prospective users, many of whom have been seduced by the allure of flatpanel display technology. It’s a value that good integrators bring.

“The important thing is to take on board the user experience, and sell on the basis of delivering what the application needs,” says Jeffreys. “We now have quality standards, such as ANSI/InfoComm PISCR [Projected Image System Contrast Ratio] to demonstrate and even certify a delivered result.”

“A good integrator is ideally placed to offer unbiased advice on choosing the right solution,” stresses Dreesden. “The integrator is also well placed to consider the technical aspects of the installation, offering design and installation to suit the brief and space. And, of course, an integrator is in the optimum position to offer ongoing support through maintenance and managed services.”

Gore-Browne agrees. “At Saville, we ensure that the portfolio of product we offer provides the client with the very best hardware at whatever price point they are working to,” he says. “A quality integrator will always asses their clients’ needs – both for now and in the future – the hardware’s intended use, required mounting position and environment before advising on the best unit to meet these criteria. They will then ensure that it is installed correctly – and safely – and that it’s commissioned and set up to the best standards.”

“Web-based suppliers will simply sell whatever the end user thinks they want,” he continues. “The reality of what the end user thinks they want and what will actually work for them is often not the same.”

MAKING IT WORK“A projector is invariably part of a complete solution that will likely involve networking, audio/video distribution and so on,” says Chinnock. “The ability to make that all work together and deliver a seamless end-user solution is where the integrator brings value.”

Although he believes that projection technology will find it increasingly challenging to compete with flatpanel displays, Raikes is

quick to acknowledge the progress projector manufacturers have made. “They’ve done an amazing job in boosting performance,” he says, “as well as reducing prices and making projectors easier to use.”

Jeffreys is similarly enthused. “I believe the medium/long-term future for projectors is good,” he smiles. “I think the manufacturers broadly ‘get it’ and are working intelligently to communicate their value to the AV food chain.”

Most commentators agree: the future for projectors looks brighter at the top end of the market, where the opportunities for innovation and differentiation – and thus profit – are unquestionably greater. Further down the market, the competitive environment is much more challenging: there are plenty of projector manufacturers vying for those spots on boardroom ceilings, in training facilities and in classrooms – and plenty of flatpanel displays looking to find a home where a projection screen would otherwise hang. That market may not be growing – but according to PMA Research, so-called ‘mainstream’ projectors still saw worldwide shipments of close to 7 million units in 2013, with around the same number forecast for this year – making it a very attractive, and perhaps lucrative, opportunity for manufacturers with the right products. It’s a market that, in unit terms, is ten times the size of the ‘high-end’ market – although less than twice its value.

Whether Mitsubishi’s decision to withdraw from the projector market will prove to be prescient, with others perhaps following the company’s lead, or whether it will just prove to be a single manufacturer realigning its business focus, remains to be seen. Certainly, at ISE in February, projectors were everywhere. Christie, Digital Projection – with what the company claimed is the world’s first 12,000 lumen laser-based projector - Hitachi, Panasonic (another laser-based projector), ViewSonic and Vivitek were just some of the companies to launch new products at the show, while plenty of others were showcasing projectors launched since ISE 2013. From the evidence available in Amsterdam, the projector market continues to be a vibrant one.

“One of the key technology developments

in projectors is in light sources.”

Bob Raikes, Meko

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BARCOApril 2014 - Installation Technology Guide - Projectors10

From 3,000 to 40,000 lumens: there’s a Barco to fit all needs

Brightness championsMost of the references listed above recently learned the meaning behind really bright projection – all having discovered Barco’s heavy-duty, high-definition three-chip HDF and HDQ projectors. Designed with the road in mind, the HDF-W22 (22,000 lumens), the HDF-W26 (26,000 lumens) and the 40,000-lumen HDQ-2K40 (2K resolution) projectors are Barco’s top-of-the-range series for the rental and staging market.

HDQ-2K40: the beastThe amazing brightness of the HDQ-2K40s is evident through countless testimonials from event organisers. The team behind the 2014 Super Bowl, for example, chose 12 HDQ-2K40s on account of their ability to project extremely bright images even amidst the glaring ambient light of nearby Times Square.

One of the most impressive HDQ-2K40 set-ups to date was at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). Barco has been a partner to ESC for years, yet the 2013 edition was bigger – and more challenging. Barco had to

find ways to project onto a large (40m x 8m), curved wall, ensuring there was enough light to compete with 500+ moving lights. In total, 60 Barco projectors were used to meet the challenge, including 28 HDQ-2K40s.

“It is changing the idea of how bright projection can be used in a show situation,” comments Mikki Kunttu video designer for the ESC. “Usually it is hard to get the projected image to appear brighter on stage with all the lighting going on so we used to dim the lights for video. Now it’s the opposite. With the HDQ-2K40 it takes guts to go 100% and in open white; we sure wiped the others off the stage.”

“This new beast, the HDQ-2K40 projector, is by far the brightest projection instrument I have ever seen,” adds ESC lighting designer Fredrik Jönsson.

Winning combination of quality and ease-of-useFor events that don’t require the massive 22,000 to 40,000 lumens light output, the HDX-W12, HDX-W14 or HDX-W18 projectors perfectly fit

the bill. Just like their ultra-bright counterparts, these three-chip HD series are equipped with Xenon lamps and a high-contrast optical engine, both of which guarantee vivid colours to present audiences with crisp, stunning images. The world-class image processing tools and Athena scaler, which are integrated as standard in all Barco’s HD projectors,

further add to the image quality and consistency.

All Barco’s HD series have a modular design that makes them simple to install and service. Equipped with a solid and adjustable frame, the projectors can easily be stacked and rigged as well. What’s more, they can all be controlled through smartphones and tablet computers - a must in

What links the Eurovision Song Contest, the Super Bowl, the European tour of will.i.am, the Cannakale Legend Demonstration Center in Gallipoli and Aachen University? Barco! Offering projectors with brightness levels of 3,000 to 40,000 lumens across many different markets, Barco is a true projection leader that provides a solution for every application.

THE BARCO WORLD OF CINEMABuilding on its reputation for superior

technology, Barco is constantly

expanding its digital cinema offering.

Besides providing a wide range of large

and small, 2K and 4K digital cinema

projectors, Barco also equips theaters

with its Auro 11.1 digital sound format.

And just last month, it took a giant

leap forward by launching its very

first laser-illuminated projector

- the first of its type capable of

showing 4K content at 60 fps and

3D movies in 4K resolution at such

high brightness levels.

“The new laser projectors

truly meet the needs of cinema

exhibitors, who are always looking

for more light output,” explained Wim

Buyens, Barco’s general manager

Entertainment and Corporate, at the

launch. Pioneering cinema chains

Kinepolis (Europe), Cinemark (US) and

several leading Chinese exhibitors

immediately ordered their first units.

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today’s increasingly mobile world.

FLEX: choose your brightnessAnother distinct asset of Barco’s

top-of-the-range HD projectors is that they are available with light-on-demand technology, making it possible to configure the projectors to generate any light output between 10,000 and 20,000 lumens.

“FLEX is a great way to standardise the fleet centered around fewer projector models and thus limit its running cost,” says Thierry Heldenbergh, general manager of Barco distributor AED Display. “We can, for example, evenly spread our stack of HDX-W20 projectors across our five branches. In this way, there is a high chance that we can immediately offer local customers a projector that meets their requirements, without the need for time-consuming and expensive shipments.”

Heldenbergh illustrates the FLEX benefits with a true story. “A customer recently rented four HDX-W20FLEX projectors for a corporate event in London,” he says. “Once the projectors had been set up, the organiser realised that more light output would be needed than the planned 14,000 lumens, because the room could not be darkened. As the HDX projectors come with wireless control capabilities, via a mobile phone, we could immediately change the light output from 14,000 to 20,000 lumens remotely, from Belgium. The issue was solved in only a few minutes.”

Stepping into the mid-segmentWhile the large-venue projectors described above highlight Barco’s longstanding market leadership in state-of-the-art, three-chip DLP projectors, the company is increasingly expanding its offering into the mid-segment too. The acquisition of the Scandinavian company, projectiondesign, was a smart move to embrace projectors with a light output below the 10,000 lumens range. Today, Barco’s product offering includes the full projectiondesign portfolio of single-chip venue projectors designed for professional projection in small and medium venues.

Available in various configurations, these compact and flexible systems offer a wide choice in resolutions,

lenses and colour wheels for any type of application. When looking for a compact single-chip DLP projector, the F12 – with WUXGA, 1080p or SXGA+ resolution up 4,100 lumens – is a valuable option.

The F22, F32 and F35 projectors feature up to 3,300, 8,000 and 7,200 lumens respectively. Besides these versatile projectors, the projectiondesign stack also includes the LED-lit FL33 and FL35 projectors. Considered the world’s highest resolution LED projector, the FL35 shows pictures at double the resolution and at 50% higher brightness than any other LED-illuminated projector, for the unmatched 100,000 hours lifetime of the LED light source.

Simulation and virtual realityThe F and FL series, as well as Barco’s wide range of SIM and Galaxy projectors, have found their way to numerous museums and planetariums, wordwide, where they are used for projection and simulation. The Çanakkale Legend Demonstration Center in the Gallipoli National Park (Turkey), for example, used a mix of F32 projectors with WUXGA, 1080p, or SXGA+ resolution options, to meet the application needs in its different galleries - from flat multiple projection, projection mapping and

curved screen multiple projection through to holographic and dome projection. The investment bore fruit: the museum is a real crowd-puller and won the InAVation Visitor Attraction Award at ISE 2014.

When it comes to training and virtual reality applications, Barco has instances of its technology from around the world. The AirTanker training center at Brize Norton, UK, which is the RAF’s largest military base, installed FL LED projectors in the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) simulator. Staff at the facility say that the projectors drastically improved the operation uptime of the simulator, as they no longer have to change lamps and recalibrate the projectors every 1000 hours.

The Center for Computing and Communication at the RWTH Aachen University - a global pioneer in simulation science - called in the help of Barco to design the world’s largest, most sophisticated virtual reality environment. The five-sided CAVE is powered by 24 Barco NW-12 Galaxy projectors. “We wanted the new CAVE to be larger, with 4K resolution and active stereo. There weren’t many companies that could meet our tough demands,” Professor Kuhlen explains.

True projection leader“Barco now is a true projection leader

EQUIPPING THE MEETING ROOM OF THE FUTURE

By teaming up with projectiondesign,

a market leader in one-chip DLP

projectors, Barco made a very clear

statement: it was determined to lead

the market for small- and mid-size

visualisation solutions too. First to

launch as a result from the combination

of R&D teams was an extended range of

business projectors.

Whatever the size, purpose or demands

Barco ensures that there is a projector

to meet any need for the corporate AV

market. The new portfolio therefore

comprises a wide range of single-chip

and three-chip DLP projectors – with

brightness levels from 5,000 up to

10,000 lumens and with resolutions

from XGA to WQXGA.

Ease-of-use and design

As behooves a Barco product, the

business projectors ensure excellent

performance, high brightness and

ultimate reliability. Ease-of-use was

another key criterion when designing

the new corporate AV range. In

meetings, people want to focus on the

presentation, not on the technology.

What’s more, thanks to their elegant

white design, the new projectors blend

in with the contemporary meeting room,

boardroom or auditorium.

Corporate collaboration

The full business projector fleet puts

Barco back on the map of the corporate

AV market from which it withdrew a

couple of years ago. The company

returned to the market in 2012, by

launching ClickShare - a wireless

presentation system that allows

meeting participants to share their

content with the click of a button.

ClickShare Inside

Just like ClickShare, Barco’s Corporate

AV projectors facilitate collaboration.

Supporting the integration of optional

connectivity modules, they are fully

future-proofed and can easily be

upgraded with extra functionalities. The

‘ClickShare Inside’ option can be nicely

integrated under the hood of Barco’s

business projectors, to allow users to

wirelessly share content on-screen.

Information

Barco NVPresident Kennedypark 358500 KortrijkBelgium

W: www.barco.com T: +32 56 233211 E: Info@barco.com

in the broadest sense of the term. Offering one-chip and three-chip projectors with brightness levels up to 40,000 lumens across many different markets, we can provide a professional solution for every application. As the market continues to change, we’re better equipped than ever to keep our finger on the pulse of the developments and cater to these,” concludes Wim Buyens, Barco’s general manager Entertainment and Corporate.

10 11 Barco Install Tech Supp Ad_Final.indd 2 04/04/2014 17:30

NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONSApril 2014 - Installation Technology Guide - Projectors12

ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE WITH AN OUTSTANDING VISUAL EXPERIENCEDelivering the perfect innovations for the toughest installations, NEC’s projector ranges for the High Light Output sector combine the knowledge and expertise that has helped make NEC the leading name in digital cinema projection and the peace of mind that users can expect the highest levels of performance and quality.

Empowering Innovation since 1899, the NEC brand represents a promise to provide peace of mind though the assurance of a superior product. Using quality Japanese components, NEC products are engineered to an exceptionally high standard for uncompromising reliability and longevity backed by a robust warranty and technical support service. NEC displays and projectors are trusted across the world in airports, hospitals, arenas and cinemas, corporates and institutions - where performance is critical.

Whether it’s affordable and flexible HLO projection or dedicated ‘virtual cinema’ quality 3-chip DLP projection, there is a projector in the

NEC portfolio that will meet every challenge, and since the projectors are all based on an advanced design concept mirrored from recent advances in NEC’s NC Digital Cinema ranges, users can expect a unique level of functionality, connectivity and quality.

NEC’s HLO projectors are rich with network, multi-media and professional installation features for superior projection performance. Highlighted here are some of the high-end features which aid simple installation, operation and maintenance, enabling users to engage their audience with an outstanding visual experience.

ADVANCED CONNECTIVITYDue to the vast number of connectors featured within the NEC projector ranges, including innovative HDBaseT, DisplayPort and a host of networking, analogue and digital connection terminals, NEC offers extensive connectivity which will continue to serve well into the future. With a host of extended network and multi-media features, users are also able to stream content over the network from any Windows network drive and administrators can monitor and control these projectors through a wired connection or over an optional WiFi module.

NETWORK MANAGEMENT FEATURES

Easy network connection - aside from conventional LAN connection, the WLAN Access Point Function and WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) function delivers an easy and versatile WLAN connection.

Powerful network control – enabling cost savings and convenient maintenance and management of content and scheduling, NEC projector ranges include powerful complimentary software utilities. The NEC NaviSet Administrator 2 Utility allows the monitoring and control of all projectors in a network. Http Browser Control means users can control a single projector from a web browser.

Network image transfer - the Network Projector function includes support for direct image transfer from Windows 7 or Windows 8. The Image Express Lite utility has a

wireless PC image transfer function not requiring any software installation and the built-in Viewer function enables presentation directly from a thumb drive. In addition, the PA (MM models), PX, PH Series supports a remote desktop function, through the Network Drives and Media Connect features, so the projector can substitute as a display device for multimedia files stored on a media server. Wireless Image Utility (WIU) enables wireless transfer of presentations or pictures directly from iPhone/iPad which can be used as a document camera.

PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION FEATURES

OPS expansion slot (PX and PH Series) - NEC, in partnership with Intel, has developed the Open Pluggable Specification (OPS), providing a platform for growth in the digital signage sector by defining standards for embedded devices. The standard makes it easy for player device manufacturers and display makers to develop products which are compatible out of the box and offers the end user greater choice and flexibility. A specialised slot-in PC can turn the projector into a digital signage content player or an

Designed for those who need the

very best and brightest picture

quality combined with maximum

levels of control, the NEC PH Series

is a heavy-duty installation projector

range, powered by a unique 3-chip DLP

system. Rich with network, multi-

media and professional installation

features for superior projection

performance, these workhorses

are ideal for rental and staging

applications and for fixed installations

in conference halls, museums and

higher educational

environments.

The PH1000U

and PH1400U

are high-end

3-chip WUXGA

(1920x1200) resolution installation

projectors delivering superb

brightness levels and colour ranges

for an outstanding visual experience.

Even in high ambient light conditions

the combination of ultra-high

brightness (13,500 ANSI lumens for

the PH1400U) and 10-bit Integrated

Device Technology HQV (Hollywood

Quality Video) signal processing allows

audiences to enjoy extremely detailed

picture quality.

PH SERIES

12 13 Buyers Guide_Final.indd 1 04/04/2014 17:33

NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS13Installation Technology Guide - Projectors - April 2014www.installation-international.com

Information

NEC Display Solutions

Athene

Odyssey Business Park

West End Road

South Ruislip

Middlesex

HA4 6QE

W: www.nec-display-solutions.com

T: 08701 201160

E: infomail@nec-displays.com

integrated OPS board with HD-SDI connectivity, ideal for broadcasting applications. HDBaseT interface or Miracast extension is also supported.

Projector stacking - NEC’s Stacking utility means that up to four projectors can be combined to create outstanding brightness for large venues with high ambient light. The stacking tool is easy to set up with automated features that automatically align the individual projector images to create a perfect overlay. This feature also prevents the complete loss of an image, should

one projector be out of action.Edge blending - this utility provides

an easy way to create larger pictures, particularly useful in large auditoriums. Edge Blending creates content for design applications or combines several pictures to form one picture of outstanding quality.

Geometric correction & 3D reform - advanced and finely tuned Geometric Control functionality allow flexible and easy installation in even the most irregular screen situations and applications. While 3D Reform corrects horizontal and

vertical keystone distortion, NEC HLO projectors can make many more complicated adjustments that compensate for the angular, three dimensional or irregularity of the projected surface, e.g. for simulation. Consistent projected images are achieved, even in extremely irregular screen situations.

Lens shift & lens memory - Lens Shift with vertical and horizontal adjustment and Lens Memory (PX/PH Series) makes setting up the perfect installation image easy. The projector is equipped with a Lens Shift that allows the user to adjust the projected image horizontally or vertically. The centered lens design on the PA and PX Series aids alignment for easy installation.

Choice of bayonet lenses – with up to six high-quality bayonet lenses available, customers can choose the one which best suits their application. The PX/PH Series supports Lens Memory which adjusts the lens focus/zoom/position automatically and individually, according to the

input signal and previous setting.Dual lamp system - best reliability

and system stability is guaranteed with the automatic dual lamp system on the PX and PH Series.

Rigging mount (PH Series) - The integrated rigging and stacking mount ensures that the projector can be installed and configured in a variety of ways to best suit the user’s requirements. The riggable design is easy to install into a racking setup with minor adjustment using lockable thumb-screws. With a robust full metal cabinet, the PH Series is designed and

built to withstand the rigors of 24/7 operation with constant de-install / re-install demands for rental and staging applications.

ECOLOGICAL FEATURESConforming to NEC’s Green Vision, every new product launched to the market incorporates innovative ECO features to maximise productivity and reduce power consumption.

The new PA Series2 incorporates long life inorganic panels and maintenance free filter intervals. Advanced ECO features (power consumption as low as 0,16W in stand-by mode) offered by NEC projection ranges help to minimise the cost of ownership without compromising performance while remote monitoring and management functions maintain best productivity.

The PX Series of heavy-

duty projectors is designed for fixed

installations in higher educational

environments, for critical signage

applications or events, combining

high brightness, image precision

and industry leading reliability and

performance.

Based on DLP Chip

technology, the PX Series

boasts up to WUXGA

(1920x1200) resolution,

a contrast ratio of 2100:1

and brightness up to 8,000 ANSI

lumens. Superb picture quality is

ensured thanks to 10-bit HQV colour

processing. Guaranteed flexibility on

signage applications can be offered

through the OPS compatible STv2

interface supporting the integration

of a single board computer, 3G SDI,

HDBaseT and WiDi/Miracast.

PX SERIES

Delivering many unique features,

NEC’s new PA Series2 is the world’s

first projector range to offer a 4K

interface for multi-screen display

capability. Outstanding picture quality

is guaranteed thanks to NEC’s 3rd

generation Sweetvision, brightness

up to 7200 ANSI lumen and NEC’s

scaler chip delivering a Cinema Quality

Picture.

The new PA Series

offers rich connectivity

including HDBaseT

(excluding PA671U,

PA621U) for transmission

of up to 4K signals,

2xHDMI and DisplayPort. With 360

degree free tilt, portrait mode support,

geometric correction, stacking and

edge blending functionality and active

single projector 3D support, the PA

Series2 offers unrivalled installation

capability, ideal for corporates, higher

education, museums and signage

applications in large rooms and

auditoriums.

NEW PA SERIES

12 13 Buyers Guide_Final.indd 2 04/04/2014 17:33

LISTINGApril 2014 - Installation Technology Guide - Projectors14

Projector manufacturersBarco

www.barco.com

BenQ

www.benq.eu

Canon

www.canon-europe.com

Casio

www.casio-projectors.eu

Christie

www.christieemea.com

Delta

www.delta-europe.com

Digital Projection

www.digitalprojection.com

DLP

www.dlp.com

Eiki

www.eiki.com

Epson

www.epson-europe.com

Hitachi

www.hitachidigitalmedia.com

InFocus

www.infocus.com

JVC

www.jvcpro.co.uk

NEC

www.nec-display-solutions.com

Optoma

www.optoma.com

Panasonic

http://panasonic.net/avc/projector

Ricoh

www.ricoh-europe.com

Sharp

www.sharp.eu

Sim2

www.sim2.com

Sony

http://pro.sony.eu

Vivitek

www.vivitek.eu

Viewsonic

www.viewsoniceurope.com

LAMP SPECIALIST

Just Lamps

www.justlamps.net

14 Manu List Install Tech Supp_Final.indd 1 04/04/2014 17:58

Installation is published by Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7354 6001

01 16 Install Tech Supp FrontandBack Cover_Final.indd 1 04/04/2014 16:24