HITACHI LAUNCHES A BROAD NEW RANGE OF INSTALLATION LCD PROJECTORS

MAIDENHEAD, U.K. 18th May 2012 – Hitachi Digital Media today announced the launch of six new LCD projectors for installation environments. The models feature a contemporary new design and deliver substantial improvements in performance, flexible installation, connectivity and most importantly, total cost of ownership.

To deal with the high demands of installation environments Hitachi has also launched a family of optional lenses to accompany these new installation models. The lenses cover a wide range of projection distances and lens shifts, enabling them to adapt to the available space.

“With a convenient motorised lens shift, zoom and focus and even a 360 degree vertical tilt[1] these new models provide outstanding flexibility and high performance,” said Axel Kutschke, Senior Manager, Presentation Products for Hitachi Digital Media Group. “This flexibility, combined with a filter maintenance cycle of up to 20,000 hours, makes the models particularly suited to rental, creative and large theatre applications where the compact design and built-in instant stack features are also a great benefit.”

The intuitive motorised vertical and horizontal lens shift mechanism provides fast and efficient installation; users can easily adjust images ± 50% horizontally and up to 60% vertically. This functionality is ideal for theatres and conference suites which require continuous changes to projection set-ups.  When stacked, users can achieve double brightness levels. This unique set up also acts as a fail-safe operation mode; if one projector fails the other will continue to operate unaffected. 

The 6000 ANSI Lumen colour light output of the CP-X8160 means that users have great scope to project large but bright images in all environments. With six models on offer there is an assortment of brightness levels and resolutions to suit all needs and budgets. The CP-X8150 and CP-X8160 offer an XGA resolution, while the CP-WX8240 and the CP-WX8255 provide a WXGA wide screen format. The CP-WU8440 and CP-WU8450 deliver a high performance WUXGA resolution.

Whether deployed in conference auditoriums, exhibition halls, large lecture theatres or stage productions, audiences are sure to be impressed with the high contrast picture quality that these new projectors deliver whereas AV professionals will appreciate and benefit from easy installation and maintenance. With AV professionals in mind, Hitachi has also integrated features such as a central lens position and Perfect Fit technology to ensure this innovative range is geared up for simple, user friendly functionality.

The powerful network management software available helps to control, diagnose, monitor and manage projectors connected to a local network. The projectors can also send an email alert to warn of impending maintenance needs, which is particularly important with such a long time between scheduled maintenance activities. There is also the ability to project the same image on up to 12 projectors simultaneously using the multi-projector facility. Each model also features 2 HDMI input ports in order to future proof investment and maximise flexibility with extra connectivity for this increasingly popular format. In addition the Crestron RoomView™ software provides a custom configurable interface to monitor, manage and control every device in every room remotely from any computer.

All models are network enabled and are compatible with an optional wireless network USB adapter that supports the latest wireless standards including IEEE 802.11n and the latest encryption standards for secure operation.

The new installation range dramatically reduces cost of ownership by eliminating costly maintenance cycles through the use of extremely long life components. The new models features a 5000 hour lamp life and a super hybrid filter that operates for up to 15,000 hours under normal operating conditions, enabling huge savings in maintenance costs over the lifetime of the projector.

The CP-X8160 and the CP-WX8255 offer even greater capability with a 360 degree vertical tilt angle, enabling users to project downwards onto a floor or upwards onto a ceiling. Both the CP-X8160 and CP-WX8255 also contain a superior 3-layer hybrid filter lasting up to a remarkable 20,000 hours. These models also cater for an increased environmental operating temperature range of 0 ~ 45C. All models are now able to operate at a class leading 10,000ft or 3048m, which is important in some applications.

While not intended for actual medical diagnosis applications, the medical industry-standard DICOM simulation mode is available on all models for the accurate reproduction of greyscale levels. It is an invaluable feature for viewing medical images such as X-rays in training and educational environments.

The full range is now available across Europe.

[1] Available on professional models only.