DLP News Center
1/26/2009
DLP Pico Projector Development Kit Ushers in New Era of Affordably Flexible Light Projection and Development
Combining the power of DLP technology and innovations in pico projection, kit allows developers to creatively embed spatial light modulation into new applications.
San Jose, CA – January 26, 2008: Today at SPIE Photonics West, DLP® Technology from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) unveiled the DLP® Pico™ Projector Development Kit, a fully integrated light projection kit, which allows developers to affordably experiment with DLP spatial light modulation. The latest offering in the series of DLP® Discovery™ products created in response to demand by developers eager to develop with DLP technology, the DLP® Pico™ Projector Development Kit combines the imaging power of DLP with a tiny projector form factor to enable innovative mobile projection applications. The kit is designed to specifically interface to the popular Beagle Board, which is based on a powerful TI OMAP35x applications processor, and is supported by the open source Linux community at http://beagleboard.org.
The DLP Pico chipset represents a significant innovation for DLP technology. With it, TI is addressing two distinct market categories: consumer-focused products such as cell phones and portable projectors; and non-traditional, high growth markets that require light manipulation. The newly available DLP Pico Projector Development Kit addresses the latter and combines the proven robustness of DLP technology and innovations in pico projection to enable developers to embed spatial light modulation into a countless number of new applications.
“We are in an exciting time for light manipulation technology in which developers are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Arun Chhabra, business development manager, TI DLP Catalog Products, which is focused on applying proven DLP technology in new markets. “With the introduction of the DLP® Pico™ Projector Development Kit, we are helping further their development, allowing innovators the ability to embed light projection into devices previously deemed impossible. We believe, this in turn, will ultimately stimulate a wide-range of compelling and innovative industrial, medical and consumer solutions to address real-world problems.”
The DLP® Pico™ Projector Development Kit features an efficient design with ultra-low power consumption coupled with the DLP Pico chipset, a miniaturized version of the popular DLP chip found in today’s best projectors on the market. Using the kit, developers can begin to experiment with DLP technology as they address potential applications such as, simple 3-D measurement applications, augmented reality, battery or USB-powered display applications and projection of video and images and miniature appliances that don’t have space for a large display.
“The DLP Pico Projector Development Kit adds a new chapter to our 3D structured lighting domain, helping us to drive new and useful lighting applications to market,” said Gottfried Frankowski, President, GFM. “Armed with this technology, we are well poised to deliver truly unique light-based products as we will showcase at Photonics West this year. The applications ideas and uses are simply endless.”
The DLP Pico Projector Development Kit is designed specifically for use with the Beagle Board (sold separately) and includes:
• DLP® Pico™ Projection engine
• Universal power supply (operates from 110V - 220V)
• Video cable with I2C capability
• Input: HVGA or VGA
• Output: HVGA
• Solid-state 3-LED light source
Availability and Pricing
The DLP Pico Projector Development Kit is available now and can be purchased from any of the following approved DLP® value-added-resellers (VARs) with suggested retail price of US $349:
• Cranes Software – www.cranessoftware.com
• Digi-Key Corporation – www.digikey.com
• Digital Light Innovations (DLi) – http://www.dlinnovations.com
• Jetronic Technology Limited – http://www.jetronic.com
• Marubun Corporation – http://www.marubun.co.jp/product/semicon/display/qgc18e0000001sjv.html
• ViALUX GmbH – http://www.vialux.de/
• Visitech – http://www.visitech.no
• Wintech Digital Systems Technology Corp. - http://www.wintechdigital.com.cn ; http://www.dspchina.com
For more information about the Beagle Board, priced at US $149, please visit http://beagleboard.org. For more information about the DLP Pico Projector Development Kit, a listing of approved DLP resellers or to receive up-to-date information about DLP technology, visit www.dlpdiscovery.com.
About Texas Instruments DLP Products
DLP display technology from Texas Instruments offers clarity down to the most minute detail, delivering pictures rich with color, contrast and brightness projectors for business, home, professional venue, digital cinema (DLP Cinema®) and large screen HDTVs. Many of the world's top projection and display manufacturers design, manufacture and market products based on DLP technology. DLP is the only imaging technology built from a foundation in digital cinema where it set the industry standard demonstrated by the deployment of DLP Cinema technology in over 8,000 theatres worldwide. At the heart of every DLP chip is an array of up to 2.2 million microscopic mirrors which switch incredibly fast to create a high resolution, highly reliable, full color image. DLP technology’s chip architecture and inherent speed advantage provides razor-sharp images and excellent reproduction of fast motion video. Since early 1996, more than 20 million DLP subsystems have been shipped.
About Texas Instruments:
Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) helps customers solve problems and develop new electronics that make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun. A global semiconductor company, TI innovates through manufacturing, design and sales operations in more than 25 countries.
For more information: www.ti.com.
DLP and DLP Cinema are registered trademarks of Texas Instruments.