It all started 18 months ago when prices
of projectors started falling. The Indian market, like many of its south Asian counterparts, is extremely price sensitive, and projectors did not catch on in the market not because they were not good, but because they were expensive. Not anymore, though.
These days, educational institutions, business small and big, and even home users (who want them for home entertainment systems) are lapping up projectors. Naturally, the price fall has resulted in higher demand for both LCD and DLP systems, the two kinds of technologies used in projectors.
Studies indicate that between DLP (Digital Light Processing) and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), DLP projectors remain intact after 2000 hours of viewing time, while LCD displays deteriorate the light source necessarily has to be replaced.
LCD and UP Explained
An LCD display is essentially electrically controlled light polarising liquid trapped in cells between two transparent polarising sheets, placed perpendicular to each other. The cells possess electrical contacts that allow an electric field to be applied to the liquid inside. LCD ensures superior picture quality with minimum radiation.
DLP technology was originally developed by US based IT products manufacturer Texas Instruments, though licenses are issued to several manufacturers to market products based on their chipsets.
In DLP projectors, images are created by microscopic mirrors laid out on a semiconductor chip, the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). These mirrors spin rapidly to
reflect
light through the lens. Single chip UP systems can display up to 16.7 million colones, whereas 3 chip DLP systems can display up to 35 trillion colones, DLP is generally believed to provide smoother images, better colour accuracy, have lower power consumption as well as higher contrast and brightness than LCD projectors.
Trends For Today And Tomorrow
Hewlett Packard, a strong proponent of DLP technology, offers projectors priced between Rs 80,000 and Rs 3 lakh. Says Manu Sharma, country category manager, imaging products (imaging and printing group), HewlettPackard India, "In 2004, we sold nearly 26,000 units. The commercial market has shown a 40 per cent increase in sales in the past year. The trend will continue this year with newer models being launched on a regular basis. India is a good market to be in right now."
One reason HP continues to back UP technology is that it feels that the Indian market is right for that kind of usage, where people do not have to bother too much about changing light sources.
Epson is a leader in the number of patents in projector technology. Epson believes that because of its aggressive pricing policy (prices start at Rs 75,000); projectors will continue to grow this year, even if no new technologies are introduced. The focus will be on creating
lighter, sharper projectors. Says K Venkateshwaran, Epson's all India product manager, "We will manage to easily sell 50 per cent higher than 2004, primarily because schools and other educational institutions, apart from corporates, are accepting the projector as an important tool."
Innovations within the segment include projectors with wireless capability and projectors with client and server based networking capabilities like the InFocus LP840 and LP850. Such projectors allow companies to monitor and use multiple projectors from a single PC, thus helping organisations share technology resources and also maximise usage time.
Although projectors are an integral part of corporate presentations, they are becoming increasingly popular as home theatre units. Says Ashutosh Parande, who has a
projector at home, "Projectors help me recreate the 'movie theatre experience' at home... I also get the kind of clarity and image quality that any high end home entertainment system can offer. I think they will soon become a popular, cost effective solution for home users."
weight
Projectors have been traditionally heavy and bulky; just like laptops. But, even this aspect is undergoing an overhaul and fast! This year, the several companies are focussing on this aspect as much as on increasing clarity of the image or other key features.
Price
The increase in projector usage can be attributed to one factor price. This is a global phenomenon and India is no different. Says Sharma: "The proliferation of electronic media for teaching purposes and not just communication is another major reason for the increased acceptance of projectors. Today, they are an integral component of corporate presentations, classrooms, training centres and even home theatre systems.
Apart from customised solutions for SMBs, this year will also see projector solutions for laptops, tablet PCs (projectors with wireless capabilities), and for PDAs (projectors with thumb drives to store PowerPoint presentations). "Our big focus this year is the mobile segment we even have projectors that weigh less than 1 kg. Now wireless networkable products are in demand even in educational institutions," says Sharma.
Toshiba, another major player that retails both DLP and LCD projectors in India says the biggest boost for the projector market will come through government institutions, schools, colleges and management institutes Says Virendra Rajput, zonal sales manager, Toshiba: "Maharashtra is one of the fastest growing regions because of the high rate of industrial growth. Even the home segment is now growing and I am guessing that for this year, our growth rate will be anywhere between 60 and 70 per cent."
