A COUPLE of weeks ago, I flew to Bangkok, Thailand, for Epson’s Regional Laser Projection Showcase 2019, and as I went around the exhibition area watching the various demos with the other media reps, I remembered how projectors were such a big deal when I was still in high school.
This was in the early-1990s, during the era of manila paper, blackboards and everything “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Back then, projectors were among the most high-tech equipment we had in our school. Using it inside the classroom was an event in itself, and I’m not even talking about video projectors—because those were reserved for very special occasions. I’m talking about those overhead projectors, which we rolled from classroom to classroom whenever we had a group reports. We would have our materials photocopied on “acetates” (transparencies) and “projected” these on the big rollup screen. One time, we forgot to print our last few slides and had to improvise by writing it on plastic covers that we cut into bond paper size. Everything was going well until the end when we noticed that our current slide was getting blurry, and that was because the heat from the projector was slowly melting our thin plastic sheet. Lesson learned.
At the event, Epson highlighted some of the creative ways projectors can be deployed to enhance collaboration and improve productivity at work, as well as create new experiences for play.
In the first booth, the production showroom demonstrated how their printers and projectors worked together.
Using the LightScene EV-100 series, users are able to work on their design through a customized app on tablets that allowed them to select from various templates and designs, and instantly view how it looks on an apron through a projection. Once they are satisfied with how it looks, they can send it for printing to the Epson digital textile printer and have their design out in just a few seconds. The LightScene projector uses colors and shape filters to mask the projection for a seamless viewing experience.
The next booth simulated a fashion designer’s workshop, showing how the design team is able to easily communicate and receive feedback from the corporate team even if they are located thousands of miles away through the Moverio smart glasses and KDDI Augmented Reality Recognition software. The team is able to give feedback on the designs by annotating on an ultrawide 177-inch interactive panoramic screen, consisting of two EB-1470Ui projectors via video conferencing.
Another cool application of Epson laser projectors is in the retail space that enhances the consumer’s shopping experience. Instead of having to line up at the fitting room to try on different clothes, shops can create an interactive virtual fitting room using the EB-1470Ui projector. Using gesture commands, customers can choose the clothes they’d like to “try on” and their image is projected on a mirror-like screen so they’d have an idea of how it would look on them before making their purchase. Another projector, the EV-100 can be used by shops to highlight products and display eye-catching content that can be easily updated, while the EB-700U can be used as digital signage and installed in any angle thanks to Laser Lightsource technology.
Restaurants and bars can also take advantage of laser projection with an interactive bar counter. Epson demonstrated it using the EB-L610U laser projector enabling downward tilting installation on the countertop. The effect changes whenever a glass is placed on a specific location which can make it more entertaining or even informative for customers.
For those who want the ultimate home theater system, they can opt for the EH-LS100 that can project up to 100 inches with a throw distance of 26 cm. Meanwhile, those who want to work out in their “health cave” can view different scene landscapes projected by the sleek LightScene projector.
My favorites, however, were the booths which demonstrated how interactive these projectors can be. The new EB-1470Ui can project an ultrawide interactive panoramic screen of up to 177 inches diagonally. You can write or move objects across the dual screen using your fingers or with an interactive pen. This is great for video conferencing and conducting presentations at the same time without anyone having to squint to see the details on the screen. Another great application is for those who have remote education programs, where the teachers and the classroom are in different locations.
No event will be ever complete without a photo booth and it was the last one in the exhibit area. Utilizing Epson’s High Brightness Laser projectors with Ultra short throw lens, the photographers say they’ve started to use it in their studios as a more economical alternative, allowing them to easily change the backdrop to suit the demands of the client.
Last, for those who need high-quality projections on a large scale, Epson’s latest laser projectors can easily handle the job. At the finale of the event, Epson’s brightest laser projectors, the EB-L25000U together with the ELPLU05 lenses, were used for a projection mapping on the Siam Museum, weaving a brilliant visual tapestry of Thai culture, in a stunning outdoor projection display.
Designed for installation flexibility, the EB-L25000U delivers 25,000 lumens of color and white brightness at a contrast ratio of more than 2,500,000:1. It was certainly more than just a light show, and perfect for the grandest outdoor events.
ENHANCING THE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE
BEFORE the projection mapping, we also had the chance to go around the Museum of Siam and experience how projectors can be used to make the museum experience more engaging and bring Thai culture and history to life. A total of nine Epson EB-G7400U high brightness projectors, each at 5,500 lumens, were installed in four out of the 14 rooms in the museum. The projectors were selected for its flexible installation and ease of set up.
In the display “Birth of Thainess,” projectors were used to tell the history of Thailand, with three deployed in a 15-minute narrative utilizing lighting, music and hydraulic movement of blocks.
The “Thailand’s 3 Pillars” room shares the key concepts of Thainess—nation, religion and king. Visitors are to fit the cubes tagged with QR codes to reveal the puzzle related to Thai national institutions and religion onscreen.
“Lessons in Thai” showed images of the development of Thailand’s educational system on a wall. Projections in a classroom allowed for a bigger display size, ensuring that every student in every corner could read even the details so they could learn more effectively. In an innovative showcase of Thai cuisine, visitors could play with empty plates. A Thai dish along with its story were projected onto the table when visitors placed the different plates tagged with the respective QR code. The system would then recognize the QR code and project the pertinent information accordingly.
The Museum of Siam is a discovery museum established in 2007, and is dedicated to share information about Thai national identity, the history of Thais, and the evolution of their culture and traditions. The museum invites guests to play and learn through a series of interactive exhibits, which demonstrates the development of Thailand from the past to present.
First 20,000 lumen Projector
EPSON continues to be the No. 1 selling projector brand in the market and the launch of its two new 3LCD laser projectors furthers its commitment to bringing more innovations to its products.
There’s the EB-L12000Q, which is the industry’s first 12,000 lumen native 4K 3LCD laser projector, and is one of the lightest in class; and the EB-L20000U, Epson’s first model in the 20,000 lumen WUXGA installation projection sector.
Meanwhile, the new EB-L12000Q projector comes with the Epson-developed native 4K panel, delivering stunning 4K resolution at 3840 x 2160 pixels for more than ultra-high definition quality projections.
The EB-L12000Q and EB-L20000U come in a light and compact design, making them easy to integrate into existing infrastructure, and is a breakthrough in terms of size at this level of brightness. With Epson’s original laser light source structure and advanced electrostatic filter, the projectors deliver up to 20,000 hours of maintenance-free use.
The projectors come with a triple layer dust-proof structure housing a sealed optical engine for excellent durability and resistance, reducing airflow by 86 percent compared to the previous models, greatly reducing the risk of dust and smoke intrusion. A newly developed liquid cooling system maintains optimal temperatures of key optical elements within the sealed optical engine. Additionally, the projectors come with a mechanical shutter that protects the lens from laser light damage.
The EB-L12000Q projector has been awarded the Good Design Award 2018 for its design. The awards are presented annually for designs that benefit and enrich people’s lifestyles and society in general.
The EB-L12000Q and EB-L20000U projectors will be available for sale in the region in the second half of 2019. These powerful projectors are designed to expand Epson’s lineup in the high-end AV rental sector, and are suitable for use in demanding environments including rental and staging events, large auditoriums and digital signage installations.
The most beautiful budget phone?
HONOR starts 2019 with a new look and a new addition to its already impressive midrange smartphone lineup—the Honor 10 Lite. Known as the younger sibling of Honor’s 2018 flagship, the Honor 10, the brand makes sure the Honor 10 Lite is nothing short of its predecessor and is definitely something that should not be taken lightly.
The Honor 10 Lite features a premium design that rises above the clutter of bold solid blues in the smartphone category. The Sky Blue version of the Honor 10 Lite passes off as a premium smartphone with a color gradient design that gradually fades from light to Honor’s signature blue.
It has a 24MP AI selfie camera with a low aperture level of F/2.0 combined with 4-in-1 light fusion technology and exposure compensation technology recognizes up to eight selfie scenarios that allow users to take beautiful selfies no matter what time of the day. Part of Honor 10 Lite’s selfie camera tech are stereoscopic photography lighting at different settings from soft lighting to stage lighting making studio-level portrait photography achievable even at home.
The Honor 10 Lite is the first handset from the brand that sports the dewdrop display notch letting users enjoy the phone’s full 6.21” Full HD screen with 1080 x 2340 screen resolution FullView Display. The almost bezel-less design allows for the 90+ percent screen-to-body ratio and pure 19:5:9 aspect ratio that comfortably fits in the grip of a hand.
Honor’s industry-leading AI tech enables the camera to recognize different subjects in the photos and make optimal adjustments depending on the current scenario. The rear camera shooters of the Honor 10 Lite is also armored with the AIS Super Night Shoot feature that allows users to take night shots in under six seconds of exposure paired with anti-shake feature that lets you capture every detail despite low lighting. Under the hood, the Honor 10 Lite is equipped with the powerful Kirin 710 chipset and comes with the latest Android OS (9.0 Pie) preinstalled so users can expect seamless performance and reduced power consumption.
A special treat awaits all Honor fans at Honor’s special activation happening today, January 26, at the third floor of The Annex of SM City North Edsa.
For one day only and open to all walk-ins, shoppers get to bring home exciting freebies worth P3,000 for every purchase of the Honor 10 Lite (3GB RAM plus 64GB ROM).