SANYO Unveils New High Resolution Wide XGA Projectors in the U.S. Market

SANYO North America Corporation (SANYO), subsidiary of SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of LCD and DLP projectors, announces the introduction of four new high performance Wide XGA format projectors to the US market.

Targeting a wide range of environments, including large conference rooms, lecture halls and digital signage applications, the PLC-WM5500 (with standard zoom lens:LNS-S20), and PLC-WM5500L (with optional lens) have a very high brightness of 5,500 ANSI lumens, and the PLC-WM 4500 (with standard zoom lens:LNS-S20), and PLC-WM4500L (with optional lens) have brightness of 4,500 ANSI lumens. Each projector features two new modes that enable the simultaneous presentation of two images. All four projectors use Wide XGA panels in 16:10 widescreen aspect ratio, with 1280 x 800 resolution, allowing for the display of significantly more information than is possible with 4:3 XGA panels and 1024 x 768 resolution. The PLC-WM5500 [$5,645] and PLC-WM4500L [$4,095] have scheduled availability of July 2010, the PLC-WM4500 [$4,545] August 2010 and the PLC-WM5500L [$4,995] is expected in June 2010.

The new projectors will be displayed at InfoComm 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada, from June 9 to June 11, 2010.

Two new operating modes enable these projectors to simultaneously display two video sources. The Picture-by-Picture Mode allows the display of two images in fixed screen locations of equal size. The Picture-in-Picture Mode displays an inset image within the full-frame image, with size and position of the smaller image specified by the operator. In either mode, for example, video material can be displayed adjacent to an accompanying slide show, or live video conferencing can be displayed alongside a video presentation viewed by all conference participants. By eliminating the cost and need to install a second projector, these features make these new projectors ideal for video conferencing and other applications where the display of two images is required.

"These wide format projectors set a new performance standard for brightness and resolution in their price class,” states Sam Malik, Vice President and General Manager of the Presentation Technologies Group in SANYO North America’s Consumer Solutions Division. “With their wide aspect ratio and new functions like our Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture modes, they provide users with not only a larger display palette, but the ability to simultaneously display in a more than one format. Further, their high brightness levels mean they can be used a wide variety of ambient lighting conditions and environments, including very large spaces.”

Exceptional brightness of 5,500 ANSI lumens is achieved through a newly developed optical engine and new cooling technologies. With optical efficiency 40% greater than conventional projectors, SANYO’s New Optical Engine uses inorganic liquid crystal panels, which are combined with new heat dissipation and cooling technologies that minimize the effects of heat on the optical components - resulting in higher reliability and durability. Maintenance costs are kept low through SANYO’s Active Maintenance Filter (AMF) system, which extends the replacement interval of its filter cartridge to 10,000 hours. Rather than individual filters, each projector uses an AMF cartridge that contains a filter roll equivalent to 10 filters, advancing automatically as needed without requiring user attention.

Recognizing the increased usage of the HDMI interface in commercial applications, each model provides an HDMI 1.3 input in addition to DVI-D, composite video, RGB D-sub 15, VIDEO/Y-Pb/Cb- Pr/Cr (both BNC and RCA) and S-video inputs. A Power Vertical/Horizontal Lens Shift control facilitates image alignment to the screen without moving the projector, and SANYO’s Lens Centering Design simplifies installation. The WM5500 and WM4500 models have remote controllable Power Zoom and Focus, and the WM5500 models also have a Corner Keystone Correction function to eliminate geometric distortion resulting from projector placement at an angle to the screen. A mechanical shutter assembly provides a convenient method of stopping light projection on the screen. When required, the projectors can display an image on floors or ceilings through a vertical 360-degree tilt angle projection capability.

Each of these projectors conforms with the EuP-Directive Lot 6 for reduction of energy consumption and the EU RoHS Directive for reducing the use of hazardous materials in electronic products.

Source: http://us.sanyo.com/