INFOCUS LP130

…With Guts to Boot!...

Yet again ! The Infocus group recently presented their new line of video projectors – the LP350 - whose praises have been sung from many a rooftop in the specialist press – as well as the value for money base-line model - the LP260. Today, in spite of the recent arrival of their catalogue of new DLP products (LP350, see our article of 14th November 2000) and Tri-LCD (LP260, see our article of 13th February 2001), the manufacturer has launched a new colt onto the track, scheduled for weaning in the month of March: the LP130.

LP350, LP260, LP130... Don’t worry too much about the modest aspect, because in fact, this little monster is, in reality, a highly concentrated ball of technology, as witnessed by its incredible size and weight (170mm x 219mm x 51mm, for 1.36 kg), as well as its surprising specifications:
- New DLP matrix by Texas Instruments, whose native resolution is 1024 x 768 in true XGA,
- UHP lamp with a power of 120 watts, whose life expectancy is more than 2500 hours,
- Contrast ratio of 400:1,
- Luminescence of almost 1100 lumens Ansi,
- Pallet of 16.77 million colours.
In summary, a system able to "atomise" a screen without any problem, with the image of a film on DVD.

The engineers have thought of everything, whether it be in terms of total compatibility with video signals dedicated to High Definition TV - 720p and 1080i in RGB computer format - which it processes without any problems… or in processing and diffusion, adapted to all video standards available on the planet today: from NTSC in all its forms, to PAL (BGHI, M,N) and even SECAM.

With a view to facilitating the work for the user during installation, and above all to avoid the hassles of a “keystone” picture effect, Infocus have equipped their LP130 with a projection angle corrector, allowing it to diffuse the most perfect image possible. On the other hand, it doesn’t dispose of an electric zoom or focus: you have to do this manually. As is the case on most other machines, the adjustment menus can either be found on the machine itself or with a remote control.


Interface

In order transport the video message, the LP130 disposes of a very complete set of connectors:

- 1 composite Input,
- 1 S-Video Input,
- 1 RGB computer Input, with separate H/V synchro,
- 1 separate USB Input, for Plug and Play connection.


Availability and Price

We have spoken to Infocus, who have announced an approximate price of US$7,000, with world-wide release set down for mid-March.