[Cain]

This was released to the Press last Thursday.


It really has no new info with the exception of the statement that they the HT 300 is "shipping now":


-----------------------


Featuring Faroudja technology and a new TI chip-set the HT 300 is poised to become the new reference standard in projectors featuring DLPâ„¢ technology.


MIRAMAR, FL – OCTOBER 25, 2001 – SIM2 Multimedia S.p.A., the leading manufacturer of home theater projectors, announces, through its sister company SIM2 Sèleco USA Inc., the newest addition to their award-winning line of Grand Cinema projectors: the HT 300. Based on the new 16:9 Texas Instruments DLPTM chip set the HT 300 Grand Cinema delivers native 720p for true High Definition capability.


This new 16:9 chip set boasts a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels for support of native 720p HDTV resolutions. The HT 300 also features one of the highest contrast ratios (>1000:1) of any DLP™ technology-enabled projector currently available. “With the announcement of the major networks rolling out more HDTV

programming, we wanted to be among the first manufacturers to offer a projector featuring DLP technology that will display these high-bandwidth, progressive programs in their native resolution,†stated Dan Drook, vice president for SIM2 Sèleco USA, Inc.


“This is an exciting announcement by SIM2,†said Adam Kunzman, manager of Home Portable Entertainment Products for Texas Instruments’ DLPâ„¢ Products division. “Their products are well-respected in the industry for setting high standards, and we expect that the introduction of the HT 300 High Definition projector - based on our new HD-1 device - will allow SIM2 to continue their success.â€


A newly designed optical engine dramatically improves contrast, color rendition and resolution, and the built-in deinterlacer and video enhancement (DCDiâ„¢) powered by Faroudja (a division of Sage, Inc.) further contributes to the extraordinary performance of the HT 300. This new technology applies motion adaptive

deinterlacing that prevents the introduction of motion artifacts and jagged edges from video signals that originated from video cameras. The DCDi also features patented 3/2 pull-down with advanced edit detection for exact reconstruction of the original film frame.


The HT 300 is equipped with a 6-segment color wheel that dramatically reduces color separation artifacts (commonly referred to as a "rainbow effect") by increasing the frequency of the colored images. Other features of the HT 300 include; double keystone adjustment with 16-degrees of optical correction for greater placement flexibility and an all new aggressive, yet elegant design whose smooth curves make it a high-class focal point of any décor.


Since their entrance into the US home theater market in 1999, SIM2 Multimedia - through its sister company SIM2 Sèleco USA, Inc. - has dedicated its resources to designing, developing and marketing products that meet the demand of the US market. SIM2 Multimedia, a worldwide leading manufacturer of home theater products for over ten years, successfully executes its mission of engineering home entertainment products that deliver uncompromising performance to fulfill the requirements of the most demanding home theater enthusiast.


Technical features and spec sheet are attached. The MSRP for the HT 300 is $14,995 and is shipping now.


SIM2 Multimedia: www.sim2.it. SIM2 Sèleco USA Inc.: www.sim2selecousa.com


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PS my e-mail did not have the Spec sheet attached. Perhaps someone else's did ???


-- Cain

 

[David Mendicino]

Wonder what the lumen rating is for this machine.

 

[Chris Dallas]

David,


I believe that the lumens in this baby is a disappointing 800 & if I'm wrong it is 100 higher or lower & no more than that.


Too bad! argh!!!


Chris


Just found this info on this baby & I was off! Lumens only 650!! ARGH!!!!!


Some prelimiary specs on the 300 are: Throw Distance: 1.76 x Screen Width (Minimum) Lumens: 650 Contrast Ratio: 1100:1 Resolution: 1280 x 720 Inputs: Composite, S-Video, Component w/HV Sync; VGA; RS232 Built in Faroudja Processing: FLI2200 & FLI2220 component set Yes, there is a slight difference in the throw between PAL and NTSC - PAL is typically a bigger image. It would be safer to give yourself a little leeway just to be safe.


The lamp life will be 3000 hrs or more, and replacement cost probably close to $500

 

[Cain]

The last Lumen figure Seleco told me, before the official release, was 700 ANSI, so I'll assume that is what it will be, perhaps a little more, maybe a little less.


The HT300 is a little brighter than the 200DM which is 650 ANSI Lumens at 16:9.


I have discovered, however, that rated Lumens are by no means the key to having an outstanding picture.


-- Cain

 

[David Mendicino]

The trend with the HD1 chips and their great contrast is, in my opinion, definately linked to the pultry lumen output. There IS a reason for this. Put a 2000 lumen bulb in there, and I am sure those contrast ratios would drop like rocks. So, instead of saying that their is something inherently better about the HD1 chips, other than their aspect ratio..I don't know what else there is.

Are these the dark chips?


Other than that, I think we are all getting hosed by these companies selling these things for outrageous prices. How can HD1 be so much mroe than XGA, when it uses only 135168 more pixels.


Stick a 6x colour wheel in the LT150, and here I come...

 

[Cain]

Yep these are the Dark Chips..


And yes, Lumens go up Contrast goes Down; but until this new TI Chip Lumens going down did not mean Contrast would go up for digital projectors...


I'm sure future generations of HD chips will have high contrast and higher Lumens.

 

[Spizz]

Last I had heard from a show in the UK was the globe is going to be 2000 hours. The same as the Sharp XV-Z9000.


Spero D.

 

[Cain]

Yep last I heard was also 2000 hrs. The other projector's bulbs last 3K hrs.


-- Cain