While we use our Cinemin Swivel with our iPhone and iPod it is not just for those devices. You will find that it comes with a 3.5mm AV cable and a composite video cable. It works with other video sources and is pretty easy and straight -- you literally plug and play. I envision that people will be using this pico projector with cameras and camcorders. Since we are in the era of HD the current new models will only be for showing off mostly. The resolution currently is pretty low and so is mostly good for quick playbacks and not so much top notch presentations. But I feel that over time this will change as it has with most new technology that has a place in the market space.
These are so new that maybe you have or maybe you have not heard of these new tiny projectors. They go by various names, the most commonly used are Pico Projectors, Mini Projectors, Pocket Projectors and LED Projectors.
While these projectors are tiny, the term Pico is really a misnomer, as "pico" when used scientifically is something representing "one trillionth" of something. So by way of an example you might say, if you were a scientist of course, since real people don't speak this way, that a pico second is one trillionth of a second.
A more common and alternative definition that makes more sense in this usage case is referring to something that is "very small". So if you run across this term you can now be a smarty pants and tell everyone that the term Pico is not really accurate and why that is, however it does seem to be the term that the manufacturers and press are using for these projectors.
At 5x3x8.5 inches and around 6.4, I would consider the Cinemin Pico Swivel to be a mini or pocket projector because that is how people really speak. I also think that it truly fits as a better definition. Most of these pico projectors are marketed as fitting in a shirt pocket but I think the term pocket projector would be confused with pocket protector, don't you?
Another term I have come across in my research is LED projector. This appears to be a fairly poor choice to describe them. While they do use LED light source, most projectors today, large and small now use LED light sources and so this would lead to confusion. You can find lots of rather large and bright projectors, for both business and home theater that use LED these days. If you check out Vivitek and BenQ, to name two, their home theater projectors have LED light sources, so LED can not define this mini pico projector market.
Also there are some of these pico projectors, like the Microvision Show WX, that does not use an LED light source. It uses a laser light source instead. One superior function of the Laser light will be that you will not need to focus your projector. As with any new technology, expect to pay more, some where around $400 and $500.)
So by pointing out this issue that both large and small projectors currently use LED light we should adopt the term Pico or mini, or micro Projector to avoid confusion. While it is not optimal, it is catching on as the markets standard term to describe these projectors.
So what capabilities and features can you find in your typical pico projectors?
Pico Projectors: Highlights
* They fit in your pocket and tend to be smaller than a pack of cigarettes
* Currently they are using LED light source over your traditional projection lamp and laser light is being introduced in future models.
* 640x480 or less is the typical current resolution but that will change as the technology advances. Already in markets outside of the USA you can find wide screen pico projectors.
* They come with rechargeable batteries and can run 1 hour then take about 4 hours to recharge, so buy extra batteries to watch movies like "Titanic" or when having a Karaoke party
* Some Pico Projectors have their own multi-media player built in so you can use them without bringing along the source device
* You will find pico projectors with card slots (SD) so that you can input photos, videos.
* 90 day warranties are the norm, so you may want to consider extended store warranties...perish the thought.
* Reasonable prices abound beginning around $200 and going up. These prices are sure to come down as the technology advances.
* While, currently a pico projector can not rival your home theater projector or any other larger projector, this will certainly chance as technology advances. Think digital cameras when they first appeared and the amazing megapixel values you have today.
* These are "plug and play" and pretty straight forward and don't even have menus in most cases. They basically only come with On - Off and Focus controls.
* Be the first to jump on these new cool products. Wow the boss, wow your friends, maybe that is why one of the companies that produces these is called WowWee
No comments:
Post a Comment