Okay, just in case that headline threw you a bit, what it actually means is a home theater setup with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 for less than fifteen thousand dollars.  Yeah, I know it read like a Japanese real estate listing, but still, in the end it works.

And it’s also terribly important, because most home theaters do NOT have a 2.35:1 ratio.  It just doesn’t happen in home theaters that cost less than fifteen grand because it’s actually pretty difficult to achieve without specialized equipment.

But this one did exactly that.  And what did it pull this little wonder off with?  Adjustable side masking panels.  But that’s just a start–they’ve also got a Denon receiver, Home Theater Direct bookshelf speakers,  JBL subwoofer, Oppo DVD player, Optoma projector, and a homemade one hundred and three inch screen.

It achieved the nearly impossible and did it for a shockingly low amount of cash as home theaters go.  So when you consider them all together, there’s no other choice but to count this one as a sweet home theater setup.

You’ve got to hand to Ashok Kimar.  The guy’s a software programmer who’s been enamored with movies most of his life.  And he’s always been fond of the big screen, but he hasn’t had the opportunity to indulge that fondness until recently, when he bought a new house that had an extra room in it that made for a great home theater setup.

So he set out to get what amounts to a few basics in, with a plan to expand later.  To that end, you can see what he’s done–there aren’t any structures for most of his material.  A lot of it is simply sitting out in the open, waiting to be replaced with one part or another. He expresses his overall strategy like this:

“My goal for this home theater was to build my equipment slowly, get small components one by one, and to get the absolute best equipment in the midrange,” says Ashok. “In my opinion, after a certain price point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in, where you get only small improvements in quality for larger increments of money. That was the guiding principle behind all my purchases, from the receiver all the way down to the speaker cable.”

And replace he has.  Check out what he’s put in!  He’s got an Onkyo receiver and speakers, an Optoma projector, an Oppo DVD player and even a couple game systems in there.

It’s a pretty sweet home theater setup, if for no other reason than, in ten years, it’ll probably still be this sweet because he can easily adapt to changing trends.

Optoma has today announced a pico projector for those who are looking to spend the least amount of money possible. That pico projector in question is the PK-100, a device expected to retail for right around $199.

Of course, with such a low price you’re going to get a rather small set of features as the PK-100 features only 11 ANSI lumens, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, a 480 x 320 resolution and just one composite video input. Additionally, it’s capable of projecting an image up to 66″ but with such a lower resolution, who would want to do that?

via TWICE

Optoma has two brand new projectors for you to play with: the Pro250X and the Pro150S. These new DLP projectors will offer you a brightness of 2,800 ANSI lumens, a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, composite, S-video and VGA ports and resolutions from 800 x 600 (Pro150S) to 1,024 x 768 (Pro250X). On top of that, both projectors will offer full HD support which means that both machines will support 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions. Sure you’ll say that’s a bit weird considering these contradicting resolutions above but you’ll certainly love that HD support, won’t you?

How much will they cost? The Optoma Pro250X will be available for $640 while the Pro150S will cost you just $549.
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It looks like Vivitek isn’t the only one with a $1,000 HD projector as Optoma has recently come forth to show us their HD20 projector.

Just like Vivitek’s offering, the HD20 will sell for $999 and feature 1080p, DLP technology, 1,700 lumens, a 4,000:1 contrast ratio, 2 HDMI ports, along with composite, component and VGA in addition to 4,000 hours of battery life.

There’s no word on when this will hit the market but lets hope this entices more projector manufacturers to release cheap 1080p projectors.

via Twice

Optoma is proud to announce that they are now shipping their ES522 and EX532 projectors worldwide. If you’ve heard of these projectors before it was because they have been available in Korea for some time now.

Both the ES522 and EX532 will feature DLP technology with 2800 ANSI lumens and a 300:1 contrast ratio. That’s where the similarities end, however, as the ES522 will feature an 800 x 600 resolution while the EX532 will feature a 1024 x 768 resolution.

While these are marketed towards the educational/corporate market they would make a good low-cost alternative to hold you over until you save up to buy a better projector. Just how low-cost, we aren’t sure as no official retail price has been announced.

via AboutProjectors

The Optoma EP709 DLP Projector has XGA (1024 x 768) native resolution, 1800 ANSI lumens, and a sharp 2000:1 contrast ratio to deliver vivid, colorful pictures and sensational clarity. HDTV signal compatibility, verticle keystone correction and a full-function wireless remote control work to give you clear, bright visuals and easy navigation of the onscreen menus.

Optoma EP709

A wide range of connectivity options, including digital and analog inputs, gives you flexibility in selecting an input source, so you can get to your presentation faster. It’s perfectly portable, able to go from classroom to boardroom with ease. The Optoma EP709 DLP Projector helps to bring your ideas to life. Retails for around $399.99

Optoma has decided to finally launch some new products at CES. These are two high-def projectors, the HD8200 and the HD808. Both processor have Pixelworks’ PW9800 co-processor with DNX MotionEngine. The will get you 1080p resolution in case you were wondering.

The HD8200 is the most expensive one at $4,999.99 and it sports 1,300ANSI lumens and 20,000:1 contrast ration. The HD808 costs $3,499 and it will bring you 1,200 lumens and 15,000:1 contrast ratio.

via PCMag

In case you can’t always carry around your big screen TV with you then you should get a small projector. Maybe a smaller than small. Luckily some people at Optopma have one of those projectors custom made for your pocket. The Pico PK101 measures just 5 x 10cm and weighs 115g. It will project images from your phones or iPod of up to 100 inches can be achieved from 2.5m. The lamp will last for about 20,000 hours or 17 years but I guess that in a few years they will upgrade that poor 320×240 resolution so you’ll give this Pico up in favor for it’s successor.

The projector can be a great device if you’re traveling a lot but still want to enjoy your videos and presentations other than from a 4 inch screen. The projector costs £249.99 which is a little high considering the bad resolution.

via pocket-link

Optoma has recently revealed their latest high-end projector to hit the scene entitled the TX1080. Featuring Texas Instrument’s DarkChip DLP chipset along with BrilliantColor technologies the TX1080 ouputs a 1080p image at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 3700 lumens and a contrast of 2200:1.

This projector doesn’t mess around, with a plethora of different ports such as DVI, VGA, S-Video, composite, RS-232, USB and RJ. Priced at $3,499.99 this may be the perfect gift for the aspiring home-theaterist.

You remember that Pico projector we told you about some time in the past? Well, if you’ve been dying to get your hands on it, now’s your chance, if you live in the UK that is.

Optoma recently announced that their Pico projector is now available at PC World, both online and off. Priced at £249.99 the Pico Projector allows you to project the image from let’s say, an iPod, to over 100 times the original size.

Perfect to wow your friends with, or maybe even a nice presentation, but can anyone think of any other practical reasons to pay £249.99 for this?

Read (Pocket-lint)