Tuesday, June 24, 2008

New Implementation of TI's DLP Technology By AVIO Said To Be Best Ever

I remember the first DLP projectors manufactured in 1995. They were huge clunkers, and I doubt any of them are still working today.

Times have changed. You probably even know what DLP stands for. That's not the way it started.

I had lunch yesterday with my old friend Yukinori Kimura, International Sales Manager for Nippon Avionics, a company I first met in 1994. He was fresh from INFOCOMM, the annual trade show and convention for projector manufacturers and the display industry, where he had met with Texas Instruments executives and showed them the new AVIO iP-40SE projector.

"The best implementation of DLP technology for business users," said the TI executive. I wouldn't disagree. What AVIO has done is taken the best TI has to offer (6-color processing) and made a projector with a high resolution "document camera" inside. Then, they added a high-quality Carl Zeiss lens and a slot for an IC card, which means with one device, a presenter can do all of the following:

* make a PowerPoint presentation
* show live images of papers, documents, 3-D solid objects

And, by hooking up a DVD player, you can project videos, movies, etc. All from one unit.

Impressive.

Not quite sure how the AVIO iP-40 works? Since seeing is believing, click here to check out this video on You Tube showing how the iP-40 works.

Here's the official press release:

(July 7, 2008) San Diego -- Alliance International, distributor and authorized service center for Nippon Avionics AVIO projectors, has introduced a new AVIO projector with built-in camera, Carl Zeiss optics and a built-in SD card slot that is portable. The iP-40SE at 11 lbs. is half the height of previous AVIO models, allowing it to be easily carried to remote locations to project live images of documents, 3-D solid objects, computer presentations and video from one projection device.

The main benefits of the iP-40SE are:
** Improved optics, with the Carl Zeiss fish eye lens, so that images appear more clear.
** IC card, so that PowerPoint presentations and other images can be shown without a computer.
**Increased portability, because of the size reduction, less weight (weighs only 11 lbs.) and all-in-one design.
**Quicker set up time and less clutter, because the camera is built-in; there is no need to set up a separate document camera and connect it to the projector.
**Ease of showing documents and 3-D solid objects; just lay them on the flat platen, as you would a photocopy machine or scanner.
**Clear image even when showing full page documents because of the high-resolution CCD camera built-in with over 4-million pixels.
**Improved viewing in brighter rooms, because brightness has been increased from 2,000 to 2,500 lumens.
**Improved video image, by utilizing DLP's latest 6-color wheel processing technology.
**Easy to save images and annotate over images, using the built in image capture and electronic whiteboard annotation features.

Unlike other projectors with an optional camera arm or using a traditional document camera or flex camera which is a separate device, the AVIO iP-40 projector has a camera built-inside, allowing users to easily place documents and 3-D objects on a glass platen incorporated into the images tops. The AVIO iP-30SE projector offers users convenience, because they can project clear images of full-size documents and 3-D objects without having to set up and use a separate document camera. And, the camera lighting is built inside, so you don't need to depend on their being light in the room to show objects.

Showing documents and 3-D objects is as easy as using a traditional overhead projector (OHP) or a photo-copy machine -- just place the document on the glass platen and the image appears.Nippon Avionics, based in Japan, has been producing LCD projectors with cameras built in since 1995. In the past, the projectors have been bulky, with a depth of 12 inches, or more. The AVIO iP-40SE is shipping, and available to government customers on the GSA contract through Tierney Brothers, to education customers through CamCor or available on-line at www.alliancewarehouse.com The price is $4,995. Click here to see the You Tube video of the AVIO iP-40.

Adopters of the AVIO's technology have been attorneys, who use the projector in the office for client presentations and internal meetings, and easily bring it to a courtroom for presenting evidence. Other AVIO projector adopters have included schools, colleges and large manufacturing companies who use the projectors for training.

About Alliance International:Alliance International Trade & Investment Group, Inc. was founded in 1997 as a wholesales distributor and international trade consultant to the professional audio visual, telecommunications, computer and software industries. The company's long-term clients have included JABRA Corporation (hands free Earsets), InFocus (projectors), PolyVision (electronic whiteboards), Yokogawa (document cameras), and Media Go Engineering (Digital Class electromagnetic LCD monitor with annotation software). In 2004, Alliance was appointed U.S. distributor for Nippon Avionics AVIO projectors with built in camera, and completed service center training in October, 2007.ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL Trade & Investment Group, Inc. San Diego, California, USA Tel: (858) 558-2030 Fax: (858) 558-2031 Corporate Website: www.alliance-intl.com E-store: www.alliancewarehouse.com E-mail: info@alliance-intl.com