Optoma Technology has announced the availability of its next-generation, high performance digital projector for home theater enthusiasts that breaks the $10,000 price barrier (albeit, by a dollar). With a suggested retail price of $9,999, Optoma's product is designed to rival the cinematic experience of motion picture theaters. (The projector is available through Optoma's network of CEDIA Channel Resellers.)
The H79 projector has a high-contrast ratio of 4500:1, native 720p resolution, and a 1,000 lumens rating. It features Texas Instruments' advanced DarkChip3 and DLP (digital light processing) technology, which allows the projection of higher brightness and deeper black levels by "filling in" the area where the digital micro-mirror connects to its hinge--for producing smoother, film-like picture quality. Also, Optoma said the gap between mirrors has been further reduced and the mirrors' backings have become more light absorbent.
Incidentally, Optoma said it is extending a "Zero Dead Pixel Policy" which allows consumers to return the H79 for free repair "in the unlikely event that any one of its 921,600 pixels stops working properly."
