Scott Wilkinson

Hidden in a hotel suite near the convention center, Taiwanese company Chi Lin Technology showed an early prototype of what the company claims to be the world's first LED-illuminated DLP front projector (though I doubt it will be the first to market; Optoma and Digital Projection are working on similar products). Based on the 0.95" DarkChip3 DMD, the illumination source is the PhlatLite LED module from Luminus. This puppy draws up to 3 amps of current to achieve a final peak light output of 600 lumens, requiring liquid cooling to prevent meltdown. It's worth it if the claimed contrast ratio of 100,000:1 can actually be reached. The unit I saw was an early prototype; the product is slated for sale in the third quarter of 2009.

With one of the longest model designations in the industry, Epson's new top-of-the-line 1080p projector will be available in two versions—the Pro Cinema 7500 UB (<$5000) and the Home Cinema 6500 UB (<$3000). Both include HQV Reon-VX processing, a purported contrast ratio of 75,000:1, Fujinon lens, and high-speed auto iris. The Pro version includes an extra lamp, ceiling mount, ISF certification, longer warranty, and anamorphic scaling with an optional Panamorph lens. Both should be available in December.

New from Marantz is the BD7003 Blu-ray player, shown here atop the SR6003 AVR. At $800, it quite pricey for a Profile 1.1 player, though it does play all recordable formats, which many BD players don't. Notice the gently curving facia on both units, an elegant design statement.

At the Planar press conference, we learned that its Runco brand will now command most of the company's home-theater focus, and Vidikron products will no longer be developed. One of several new Runco products is the DLP-based VW-100HD in-wall rear-pro, which is said to be installable in under an hour once the hole in the wall is complete, requiring only 33" of clearance. The 100" screen displays 1080p images enhanced with an internal ViViX II processor, all for $40,000.