Video Projectors
The Kronos One high-scan, HDTV-ready projector from Vidikron is capable of displaying any HDTV, line doubled NTSC and computer graphics. Designed primarily for smaller screens in the five to 20 foot range, the Kronos One delivers a bright image using three seven-inch CRT, color corrected, high- resolution lenses with dual focus adjustments. Adjustable blanking on all four sides of the image can be saved in up to four memories, for instant recall of various aspect ratios, including anamorphic. Compared to other Vidikron models, the Kronos One is quite compact at 22 x 28 x 10 inches. It is currently available in the Pininfarina-styled light gray at a suggested retail of $10,995. Coming in at the same price point, Vidikron’s DLP option is the Sole One. Able to maintain an 85-percent center-to-edge uniformity, the picture is vivid and very bright.
Reaching the pinnacle of high performance audio with Mark Levinson, Proceed and Revel brands, Madrigal Labs is launching Madrigal Imaging with two projectors, the MP-8 and the MP-9, eight- and nine-inch CRTs, respectively. Their goal is to offer quality and performance levels consistent with their other brands, completing the circle to ensure the most advanced home theater performance possible. To guarantee continued maintenance after installation, Madrigal has built in some unique user features. For instance, digital automatic convergence allows end-users to tweak the system without a service call. Additionally, several parameters such as gray scale and black level are easily customized and available for recall by the user. Like other Madrigal products, price is no object, with the MP-8 coming in at $45,000 and the MP-9 tallied at $60,000.
Entering the market for the first time, Marantz and Toshiba will soon be shipping DLP projectors. The Marantz VP-8000 ($9,000) weighs in at less than seven pounds and operates in a progressive scan mode natively, though it can be switched to a line-doubled mode for analog sources. The exclusive 3-D Motion Adaptive Line Doubling circuit converts interlaced video signals to a progressive scan up or down, while converting video sources as necessary. It displays either 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios. Three-color temperatures can be calibrated via manual adjustment. The remote offers a complement of features from digital zoom to freeze-frame.
The Toshiba TLPMTI ($4,995) includes Toshiba’s exclusive ColorStream™ component inputs in addition to the usual assortment of A/V connections. To display HDTV sources, a separate set-top box receiver must be added. A triple panel LCD is used instead of the usual single panel design for greater color saturation, clarity, contrast and corner-to-corner uniformity.
Once you lay your hands on a great projector, you need something to display the image. Da-Lite’s Horizon Electrol ($5,000) automatically adjusts to four pre-defined aspect ratios via a wall control unit. The screen and built-in masking system raise and lower as necessary to display the proper aspect ratio. When adjusting the aspect ratio, the screen and mask move in opposite directions to keep the center line of the picture in a constant position. The mask remains taut against the screen’s surface to prevent shadows against the projected image.
