PFU America, which is part of the Ricoh Group, has added three laser projectors to its lineup, including its first short-throw model – a WUXGA box built around "advanced 3LCD projection technology" and capable of 4,500 lumens.
"We are thrilled to offer these three new laser projectors featuring Ricoh’s innovative projector lens technology, the proven choice for many of the top projector manufacturers around the world," said PFU America's CEO and president, Daisuke Kutsuwada. "We are particularly excited to enter the short throw projector category to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners."
That short-throw model is dubbed the WUL5A40ST, and wears the expression of a frightened one-eyed creature. It operates using multi-module laser diodes for the promise of "stunning visuals and lifelike color reproduction," with PFU saying that even if one diode fails "the overall brightness remains relatively unaffected."
The 3LCD projection engine tops out at 1,920 x 1,200 pixels for 16:10-aspect visuals at up to 150 diagonal inches, but it can accept 4K input. There's support for over a billion colors, along with 5-million:1 contrast. Manual zoom is available, and vertical/horizontal keystone correction caters for placement flexibility, plus there's support for four-corner, six-point and curved adjustments.
Inputs include HDMI 1.4, Mini D-SUB and USB Type-A, there's Ethernet LAN and a built-in 16-W mono speaker too. Designed primarily for business, education or digital signage applications, and measuring 390 x 319 x 132 mm (15.35 x 12.5 x 5.2 in), the WUL5A40ST is available from PFU's network of AV resellers for a suggested retail price of US$2,750.
Next up is a compact projector wearing the PJ WUL5A50 moniker, which has been designed "for daily use in a variety of environments." This one's also built around 3LCD projection tech and multi-module light source but puts out 5,200 lumens. It has same image resolution as the short-throw model but can manage up to 300-inch visuals. This laser projector comes in at 390 x 294 x 116 mm (15.35 x 11.5 x 4.5 in), and is priced at $2,600.
Rounding out the new additions is a model called the PJ WUL6760 that now sits at the entry point to the company's high-end laser projector range. It also throws out WUXGA visuals up to 300 diagonal inches, and is built around a multi-module light source that's good for 6,000 lumens – for projections that "can be seen clearly in a variety of settings, including brightly lit rooms." This one is reported to sport HDMI 2.0 and HDBaseT inputs, and is a price on request kind of deal.
Source: PFU-Ricoh
