To Ship $999 1080p DLP Projector
By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, July 20, 2009
New York - Vivitek Corp., a manufacturer of high-performance DLP projectors that is part of Asia's $5.6 billion Delta Corp., used a media visit here Monday to announce its intentions to aggressively pursue the U.S. home-theater projector market with a line of high-value models addressing key price points.
As part of that effort, Vivitek unveiled this week its latest FullHD 1080p home-theater projector - model H1080FD FullHD - which will be introduced in August at a $999 suggested retail.
The 1080p projector is based on Texas Instruments' S450 chip/light-engine design with Dark Chip II technology.
"Today's consumers are looking for quality and value with their electronics purchases. The Vivitek H1080FD home-theater projector is able to deliver amazing images and performance at an amazing price point," said Christopher Yang, Vivitek senior product manager. "We're pleased to introduce a true 1080p home-theater projector that the general consumer can enjoy. By combining the latest digital technologies in a portable and economical package, people can enjoy amazing HD content without compromises."
Features include 1,800 lumens of brightness and a 5,000:1 contrast ratio.
The unit's I/O ports include: two HDMI inputs, composite video, S-video, and component video inputs, RS-232c data control and a 12v trigger.
Lamp life is rated at 3,000 hours and Vivitek has designed the cabinet for easy bulb access, enabling users to replace burned out lamps.
Vivitek offers a one-year limited warranty on parts and labor and a 90-day lamp warranty.
The unit's noise level is listed at 29dB, and the fan vents from the sides, unlike many competitive models that vent from the front.
As for distribution, Rick Nguyen, Vivitek executive VP and general manager, said the company has plotted a course that should see it significantly grow its share in the education, corporate and retail home-theater spaces in the next several years.
Nguyen recently joined Vivitek from Optoma where he ran sales and marketing for the company.
He said Vivitek is compiling a full line of home-theater and business projectors, and is in the process of selecting authorized dealers to carry top performing models for custom installation and specialty A/V channels.
The company is hiring new channel specialists, is revamping it Web site and has signed AVAD, Tech Data and DBL Distributing to help get the products and the brand to the right dealers, Nguyen said.
In addition, the company will have models, such as the H1080FD, that will target broader audiences and will also sell through select retail and e-commerce accounts.
"One of our key opportunities in the next six months is stealing a lot of share in 1080p at the opening price points," said Nguyen who in past helped drive the 720p projector business for Optoma by launching the first sup-$1,000 HD models. "Education will also be huge for the company as will corporate. My personal background includes retail, so I expect to be getting the brand out to retail very soon."
