3D, Gaming, Pico Projectors Rocked Computer Electronic Show

One of the bright spots of CES 2010 was the projector scene. Home theater, gaming, and and 3D projectors were abundant. So were pico projectors, which are getting brighter, higher resolution, and adding innovative flourishes.

Although the televisions being shown at CES generated most of the 3D buzz, we were pleased to also see the introduction of several 3D-ready projectors, for both home-theater and educational use. The ViewSonic PJD6531w is a 3,000-lumen DLP projector capable of either 2D or 3D operation. It's designed for tabletop use, but can also be mounted on a ceiling for use in a classroom or meeting room. Along with the pico projectors mentioned below, Optoma announced the first two models in its GameTime projector line. Both the GT360 and GT720 are 3D-ready and optimized for use with gaming platforms, the GT360 for the Nintendo Wii and the GT720 for the Wii, Microsoft Xbox, and Sony PlayStation. Optoma plans to launch half a dozen additional 3D-ready projectors in the first six months of 2010.

Now, on to the picos. Microvision demoed the production version of its long-awaited ShowWX, the first laser pico projector we've looked at. It still has some kinks to iron out, but laser projectors have one big advantage over other technologies: you don't need to focus them, ever, due to the nature of collimated laser light.

3M and Optoma each came out with their third-generation pico projectors. 3M showed off its MPro150 Pocket Projector, building on its predecessor, the MPro120, by offering both built-in memory and micro-SD card slot, 15 lumens of rated brightness, and a suite of applications for business and recreational use. Optoma countered with a pair of pico projectors, the PK201 and PK301, both with 854-by-480 native resolution (a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio). The PK201, which Optoma sees as a companion for mobile devices, is rated at 20 lumens in bright mode, 10 lumens in standard mode. Optoma bills the PK301 as a business tool, a projection companion for netbooks, and cites a brightness of 50 lumens when using AC power, 20 with battery power. Even 20 lumens are considerably brighter than previous-generation models.

Favi Entertainment is also introducing a 50-lumen business pico projector, the Favi RIOLED-Q, and a consumer counterpart, the RIOLED-V. The latter is a WiFi-enabled model that uses Linux to run Web apps; the company sees it as a hybrid projector/media player.

HD resolution for pico projectors is still a dream, but may not be far off. Syndiant, a maker of hi-res microdisplays for pico projectors, teamed with Foryou Multimedia Electronics to demo a prototype 1,024-by-600 shirt-pocket-sized projector, designed for use with relatively high-resolution devices like laptops.

One accessory that created a lot of buzz at CES is the BlackBerry Presenter. When plugged into a projector or monitor, this dongle lets people run a PowerPoint presentation directly from their BlackBerry smartphone.

We're looking forward to testing and reviewing the BlackBerry Presenter and several more of these projectors as they become available. We're hoping that their reality lives up to their promise.