PROJECTOR REVIEWS

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/1006meridiandila1080.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=312>

• $4,500
• 1920x1080 three-chip LCD
• Key Connections: HDMI and DVI inputs, rest TBD

I've only been living with the new Optoma HD81 DLP projector for a little over a week, but it's already becoming obvious that new 1080p projectors selling for more than the Optoma's $7,000 price are likely to have a difficult time in the market. Even the sub-$7,000 price category is destined to be a battleground. There have already been announcements from Sony (SXRD), Mitsubishi (LCD), Panasonic (LCD), Sanyo (LCD), and BenQ (DLP) of new 1080p projectors priced lower, and in some cases considerably lower, than the Optoma. We expect to see more, and perhaps a lot more, such models at the 2006 CEDIA Expo in Denver later this week. We'll be reporting on them, and other new developments, in daily reports from the show floor. Stay tuned.

• $2,999
• 1280x720 single-chip DarkChip2 DLP
• Key Connections: One HDMI input and one DVI-HDCP input, one component input

• $6K
• 1920x1080 single-chip DarkChip3 DLP
• Key Connections: TBD

I love surprises. Ok, that's a lie. I hate surprises. How is giving me an attack of tachycardia (learned that one on House) anyone's idea of a good time. But, in the HT world, surprises are usually good. Take this $3,000 projector, for instance. By all accounts, it should be an average performing mid-to-low-priced HD projector. Then you look at the contrast-ratio measurement and see it's better than every other projector we've ever reviewed. Surprise!