Not unlike the great Mark Twain, reports of DLP's death have been greatly exaggerated. Home theater projector shoppers will be the first to tell you: everything these days is LCD, LCD, LCD. However, there still remains a devout group of manufacturers (and consumers) who sing the praises of Texas Instruments' (TI) Digital Light Processing engine - and Italian high-end projector maker SIM2 is one of them. At this week's CEDIA Expo in Atlanta, SIM2 is dusting off and rejuvenating an old namesake with the introduction of their Grand Cinema "TEATRO 80" front projector.
Featuring a 3-chip DMD array of TI's newest DLP chipset, the 0.95" DarkChip4, SIM2's TEATRO 80 is a 1080p high definition device. And with its dual-300W lamp design, the TEATRO 80 is capable of some serious light output - to the tune of 4,500 ANSI lumens. You could light up a pretty serious screen with those numbers - anything from your typical 100-inch basement theater to a large, dedicated studio fit for a Hollywood director. Speaking of which, SIM2 is proudly touting their recent endorsement by Godfather and Apocalypse Now Director Francis Ford Coppola. Something tells me he's already got his TEATRO 80 on pre-order.
In addition to its high brightness, the TEATRO 80 offers six lens options, ranging from fixed short-throw wide-angle to long-throw. Motorized zoom, focus and both horizontal and vertical lens shift round out the package, making the TEATRO 80 a flexible machine ideally suited to the custom installation customer.
Inputs on the TEATRO 80 include six HDMI ports (1.3 with DeepColor), numerous analog inputs as well as a professional format digital SDI input. A rarity among front projectors, the TEATRO 80 also features an integrated Ethernet port, which SIM2 says "can be used to remotely control the projector using TCP/IP commands or to feedback projector operating status information."
Pricing and availability for the TEATRO 80 has not yet been announced.
Where to Buy:
More 2010 CEDIA EXPO Coverage Live from Atlanta:
