DLP technology from Texas Instruments asked, and answered, the question of a lampless projector at this year’s Infocomm trade show. The new technology utilizes LED technology (version called PhlatLight Light Emitting Diode has been used in LCD TVs) in place of the DLP color wheel and mirror and light engine. Instead of a spinning red, blue, and green color wheel, there are RBG LEDs which plus rapidly to create the color.

The new product is the first of its kind with a regular sized chassis, but many new projectors using LED technology have been released for cell phones and so-called “pocket” projectors.

So what are the benefits? For starters, you could kiss the $200 - $500 cost of a replacement lamp goodbye along with any of the hassle of caring for it. That is good news for consumers who might have been hesitant to incur future costs after the purchase. It may also mean a dramatic increase in consumers choosing projectors as a primary display source, as the lamp life would be comparable to that of LCD and plasma TVs. Also, as we have seen with the pocket projectors, the lamp lack also allows for smaller footprints and even more portable opportunities. The fan will also not be required to cool that hot lamp, which means nearly silent operation and less energy consumption.

But wait, there’s more! With the new LED-based DLP technology, the color space possible for a projector is increased beyond that of traditional lamp’d projectors up to 50%. That’s a big benefit for the folks in the DLP camp, since color has been one area where they have been consistently challenged by 3LCD.

Are there any drawbacks to this new technology? Well for one, it’s new. So even though you won’t pay to replace the lamp, there will probably be a premium to pay initially. It’s not yet available to the general public yet, and won’t be for a while. And some reporting on the scene mention the color is not quite “lifelike” and has a bit of a red haze.

“But what about brightness?” you may ask. A good question, since previous LED projectors were in the 25 - 100 lumen range. The latest incarnation on the tradeshow floor is said to be very bright. TI claims a brightness from 500 - 1000 lumens, which was once considered a benchmark for home theater projectors. However, newer products are typically upwards of 1000 lumens. So, brightness is an issue that will probably need to improve.

But hey, nobody’s perfect on their first go. Texas Instruments says they will begin by focusing on Home Theater projection, since here is less brightness required and expects to have products released by manufacturer partners by the end of 2008. Watch us here for more updates on this potentially groundbreaking technology.

This is revolutionary. InFocus is the first projector manufacturer to bring models to market that use mini-USB to transmit video. Their new IN1100 and IN3100 series projectors feature “DisplayLink”, the technology that enables near instantaneous video connection via USB as well as multi-display capability to show multiple presentations on multiple projectors from just a single USB connection and single computer. More than that, when connected to the projector via USB, your computer can act as a fully functional projector remote control too.

Advantages of using the InFocus projector USB connection:

• Near instant recognition of video source
• No fumbling for the function key to toggle the image between PC or laptop display and the projector
• Smaller input real estate on the projector, so future projectors can continue to shrink
• Makes projector presentation setup faster and easier
• Computer becomes a projector remote control
• One USB output can power multiple projectors and presentations

InFocus projectors with the new USB video connection:

• IN1100
• IN1102
• IN3102
• IN3104
• IN3106
• Click here to see all InFocus projectors »

Previously, InFocus skipped the VGA connection in favor of the much less popular M1 connection. This new USB solution is by far their best innovation in some time.

What, pray tell, is a “hybrid filter”? That is what we wanted to know. So, when Hitachi visited our offices last week we took their new hybrid projector filter apart (see image here) and asked them how it worked.

The new hybrid filter has two-stage air cleaning to prevent dust particles from damaging the electronic components and obscuring the optical components. The first filter, with a corrugated design, traps larger particles, and the second filter, with a tighter weave, blocks the much smaller micro-particles. It acts like a HEPA filter in a vacuum. By limiting dust build-up and ensuring the free flow of clean air, the hybrid filter reduces wear and tear on your projector.

All LCD projectors have filters. But, Hitachi is the only manufacturer to offer this unique, hybrid filter design now available on the Hitachi CP-X201, CP-X206, CP-X301, CP-X306, CP-X401 and CP-X450 projectors.

Advantages of the new hybrid filter projectors include:

• Customers never have to clean the filter.
• Change filter only when it is time to replace the lamp.
• Each lamp ships with the replacement filter, which easily snaps into place.

Less wear and tear and dramatically reduced maintenance requirements translate to longer projector life and lower total cost of ownership. Now there’s a two-part approach we like.

More images: close-up of filters, filter put back together.