Now that home theater manufacturers have finished pushing out their top-of-the-line 1080p projectors at this year’s CEDIA, some more practical (and affordable) projectors are starting to come down the pipe. Toshiba’s TDP-EX20U DLP projector boasts an extremely short throw distance, built-in 802.11g wireless compatibility and a host of other features for $1599.99.
The projector’s native resolution of 1024 x 768 may not make any eyes pop in amazement, but its ability to throw a 60-inch screen from three feet away just might. Besides the flexibility the short throw lends in setting up a projector room, Toshiba claims it makes the projected image brighter by reducing the amount of ambient light that can interfere with image quality, and also prevents presenters from casting shadows on the image until they get extremely close.
The TDP-EX20U has a number of possible ways to set up movies and presentations. Aside from the traditional 15-pin computer inputs plus component and S-video jacks, the projector can actually display images without any computer or video components at all. An integrated USB port makes it possible to store presentations in JPEG format on a thumb drive and use the projector alone to showcase them. It can also be controlled through either a wired or wireless network connection, allowing presenters to hook up to the projector from anywhere in the room.
Brightness of 2,300 ANSI lumens should make the TDP-EX20U bright enough even in rooms that aren’t perfectly dark. Contrast should be more than adequate with a ratio of 2,000:1, and Toshiba claims the six colors in its DLP BrilliantColor display technology won’t fade over time.
The Toshiba TDP-EX20U is available immediately from Toshiba dealers.
