Audio Video News

You want brightness? Toshiba's got it. The company's new X-Series LCD multimedia projectors produce up to 2400 ANSI lumens, bright enough to create startling images in well-lit rooms.

Toshiba has introduced four new compact, lightweight models: the TLP-X21 (the least heavy of the bunch at barely over eleven lbs.), the TLP-X20, the TLP-X11, and the TLP-X10. The first two will output 2400 ANSI lumens; the last two are capable of a very respectable 2000 ANSI lumens brightness, as good as many of the most expensive projectors on the market.

These all-purpose multimedia projectors excel at static graphics---offering full XGA (1024 x 768), compressed SXGA (1280 x 1024) and compressed UXGA (1600 X 1280) resolution.--- but are completely at home with full-motion video, with a choice of 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, and include built-in digital progressive scan circuitry for full compatibility with 480p and 720p formats. X-series projectors can also accept 1080i signals and display them in the EDTV format. Projected images can range from a mere 30 inches diagonally to up to 25 feet. Light source is a 2000-hour UHP lamp illuminating a 1.3 inch polysilicon TFT LCD panel.

Video inputs include composite, S-Video, and component video plus analog and digital RGB. X-Series projectors are claimed to be compatible with all video formats including NTSC, PAL and SECAM, according to a Toshiba press release. An unusual feature on the TLP-X11 and TLP-X21 is a built-in video camera that can swivel a full 360 degrees, allows either projector to function as a videoconferencing tool. Using the cameras, anything within sight can be captured on video and output directly through a PC.

Toshiba claims "extraordinary visual clarity" from the X-Series, which enjoyed their official debut at November's Comdex computer show in Las Vegas. Prices, as of November: the TLP-X21 and TLP-X20 will be available in November at $10,995.00 and $9,395.00 respectively and are available now; the TLP-X11 and TLP-X10 will be available in December at list prices of $9,995.00 and $8,495.00 respectively.