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Matchbox Sized Color Projectors?
Justin Nolan sent in a very brief link about
ultra small projectors which says
"Upstream Engineering is willing to provide miniature color video projectors for use with portable video player, travel TV, laptops and handhelds next year. Upstream's patented technology, called Photon Vacuum, maximizes the amount of photons sent to the target from the light source in a minimum space and allows the creation of devices free of a variety of components currently used in projectors that unnecessarily waste energy. Photon Vacuum enables the smallest projector designs in the world, ultimately to a size of matchbox. The company says is going to push the power consumption of the whole device ultimately to below 4 watts while still gaining a travel-TV sized color projection" You can also read Upstream's website for almost as little information.
The new Swedish "OptiLight" projector for should drive prices down later in 2004. It's expected to retail for $500.
In the shop I work in we demo projectors regularly. 1000 lumens can be seen adequately when projected through a sheet of perspex onto a blue wall in full indoor lighting. On a proper white screen with the lights dimmed 700 lumens should be fine. Even better for lumen-optimisation is using it to project onto a sheet of paper from behind - looks like a nice flatscreen TV, very portable and doesn't depend on light conditions nearly so much.
If I were buying a proper projector for home cinema I'd go for 1900+ but something cheap and portable to show up charts or a slideshow of my graphic work would work fine with 700.