Epson has just announced a couple of 1080p front projectors for the masses in North America, where they are the PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB to further expand its 3LCD home theater projector family. Both models will come with D7 technology for brilliant color and detail, alongside a higher contrast ratio count with the Home Cinema 8100 reaches a 36,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio while the Home Cinema 8500 UB manages to achieve an unprecedented 200,000:1 figure. Both the Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB will also boast the latest technologies in real color reproduction capabilities which ought to keep home entertainment and AV enthusiasts more than satisfied.

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Mention ViewSonic and most of the time you would probably think about LCD monitors, but this time round they have released two devices for the masses – the smallest DLP projector from the company to date known as the PJD2121, while the WPG-350 wireless presentation gateway offers a solution for meeting rooms that won’t break the company budget. These devices are able to offer decent performance and capabilities despite their small size, making them suitable for those who do not want to be limited by projection technology in their line of work.

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Every once in a while, you have to ask yourself how close we are to an age of Star Wars technology. Today, I found that the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) graphics lab has figured out a way to make holographic communication.

As you can see, there is a holographic head in a box there, very reminiscent of Laddy the genie from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Unlike Laddy, the person can view the floating head in three-dimensions. What you don’t see is what is happening to the “head-guy” on the other side.

The head uses special cameras to get the information on the profile, and the project it onto a spinning mirror. Most holograms use lasers, but this uses a rotating mirror so that multiple images can be seen. There is a video of this here if you want to see a better demonstration.

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It’s cool enough to have holograms, but what if you could actually touch them? This was a project that some researchers at the University of Tokyo took on, and have achieved some interesting results.

You can watch a video of what they have done after the jump, but here is a quick summary. First, they used two Wiimotes (yes, Wiimotes) to track a holographic object in realtime and space. So when that hand that you see in the picture tries to dribble that tiny ball, it responds like a real superball would.

Ultrasounds are then given so the hand can actually “feel” the impact. Experiements have shown that the ultrasounds can disrupt things from a distance, and if focused properly, they can create a sense of touch. At the end of the video is that hand underneath some raindrops, and it can apparently “feel” them.

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I’ve covered mini-projectors several times on this blog, greatly anticipating the day when every consumer has one. Yesterday, a landmark was made as Nikon announced that its Coolpix S1000pj will include a miniature LED projector.

This 12.1 megapixel camera comes with a 2.7 inch LCD viewscreen, a 5x wide-angle NiKKOR lens, and can capture HD video at 1280 x 720 pixels. Oh, by the way, Nikon also put out three other cameras, but who really cares about that, let’s talk about the projector on the S1000pj!

All the user needs is a flat surface and he or she can beam their images to a 40-inch size. The user can also mix music, and create effects along with transitions for these pictures.

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NEC Display Solutions of America is back with a brand new projector, although this time round they won’t be offering one that will target home theater systems. Instead, the latest addition to the family would be the NEC NP4100 professional installation projector, and by its name itself you can tell that it is able to handle even the most demanding integration projects. This powerful NP Installation Series model will cater to those who want to have a projector work in large venues, boasting exceptionally bright light output that is more than capable of handling huge areas despite of high ambient light.

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I’m sure most of the readers are familiar with WowWee, makers of some of the coolest toy robots on the market. I’m also sure that many of you are aware of the Pico Projectors designed to project video files form mobile devices.

Welcome to the new age of the Cinemin Swivel, a mini-projector with 480 x 360 resolution, a three-hour battery life, and an adjustable 90-degree hinge.

It is designed to work with the iPhone, iPods, and other mobile devices, as well as laptops. Once it is connected, it projects what the user wants, wherever the user wants. My source does not say how big the projection is.

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Pocket projectors are all the rage now, the ability to use a projector the size of an iPod to display information on a wall is a godsend for the business set, who look to expand the ability to make presentations without having to travel with expensive projectors or having to customize their presentations to what equipment is available. But while getting more popular, projectors like the PICO and the Mili Pro – which can connect to an iPhone or iPod Touch – are still in their infancy.

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