Hitachi’s ultra short throw CP-A100/ED-A100 LCD projector

It’s one of those things that you really have to see with your own eyes to fully comprehend – just how close Hitachi’s ultra short throw LCD projector can be to the screen. The figure of 42 cm for a 60 inch screen just doesn’t hit the brain with quite the same impact as seeing it because we really did a double-take. The CP-A100/ED-A100 LCD projector is the first of a new generation of projectors that may well “revolutionise the way that projectors are used in education and business” as the press hand-outs claim.

With the CP-A100/ED-A100 projector sited so close to the screen, the shadowing effects common with conventional projectors are eliminated meaning users can engage better with their audiences and no longer need to carefully avoid projector beams.

The CP-A100/ED-A100 projector is designed to work either stand alone or to be integrated seamlessly with its interactive whiteboards. This offers customers great flexibility in creating their own solutions. As projectors and whiteboards tend to have different lifecycles this enables customers to unbundle the buying decisions of the two items and ensures that they maximise existing investments in whiteboard technology.

The high quality 3LCD panel in the CP-A100/ED-A100 provides crisp, flicker free images at XGA resolution. This first product offers brightness levels of 2000 (lm) in normal and 2500 (lm) in bright mode. A wide selection of options for audio, visual, computer and network connectivity help to ensure easy and versatile operation.

A PIN lock and MyScreen PIN lock, a Kensington lock attachment, a stainless steel security bar and tamper-proof labelling improve security on multiple levels. An email alert provides additional security when the projector is detached from the network.

The very quiet operation of the CP-A100/ED-A100 is due in part to the highly effective filter that can maintain temperature levels while using a slower, low noise fan. When the long life cycle components eventually require maintenance, easy access to both the lamp and filter help reduce service effort to ensure the lowest possible cost of ownership.

Hitachi claims an in-house breakthrough in optical technology has resulted in only a minimal price premium for the new projectors, which will be available prior to the holiday season this year.