
It makes the 4 inch image 200 times brighter than the square meter image, or roughly 1200 lumens. In the case of the 3M MPRO 110, what happens to the 6 ANSI lumens when you reduce a square meter image to a 4 inch image? I'll spare you the math. Or conversely, the smaller the image the brighter it will be for a given ANSI lumen rating. The higher the ANSI lumen rating the brighter the image will be for a given image size. ANSI lumens are measured by averaging the lumen reading on 9 separate points on a 1 square meter image. This is definitely intended for smaller viewing.ĪNSI lumens are the basic metric for defining how bright an image you can expect. You're not going to use this on a 100" screen. For you gear heads that know all about ANSI lumens, stop rolling your eyes. Case in point, the 3M MPRO 110 pico projector is rated at 6 ANSI lumens.

Since projectors tend to get less bright the smaller you make them, it should come as no surprise that pico projectors are dimmer than theirīigger cousins. Laser technology is also in development, but to our knowledge no laser units are shipping. The display technology will either be DLP™ or LCoS and you might consider looking at both technologies to see if you have a preference. Picos use LEDs as their light source, which means the light source will outlive the projector's useful life and provide efficient use of your battery power. You can expect to find some of these models under other names as private labeling is a common practice. But for best results, try and set your input source to match the resolution of the pico projector.Ībout a dozen manufacturers have announced or are shipping their first pico projectors either as stand-alone units or integrated into other handheld devices. The higher resolutions will be scaled down to fit the resolution of the pico projector. A few pico projectors are even lower resolution (480 x 320).Īll of the stand-alone models we have seen will accept a higher resolution, in some cases as high as WXGA. On average a pico projector is about an 8th the size, a 4th the weight, a 10th the brightness, and a 3rd the cost of a pocket projector, but with slightly less resolution (640 x 480) than a pocket projector (800 x 600). The pico projector will continue to be integrated into other mobile technologies such as cameras, computers, cell phones, media players, PDAs and gaming devices provided that the power management and cost can be effectively managed.Īs a stand-alone device, the pico projector is about the size of a cell phone and fits easily in your pocket. It is also being integrated into other handheld devices, such as the Logic Wireless Bolt cell phone and the Butterfly Micro-projector MP3 player (also sold under the name Focupix). Today the pico projector may be purchased as a stand-alone unit, such as the 3M MPro 110 and the Atlantis APSE-10A. You will likely find the performance of these speakers wanting due to the lack of size and power.

Audio can be supported by plugging in a headset and a few pico projectors have also integrated a small speaker. The pico projector is a handheld projector designed to project your photos, video, presentations, or electronic documents onto almost any surface, anywhere, and anytime for personal viewing or viewing by a small group. However, if you're looking for a personal projector that fits comfortably in your pocket and is suitable for video or data viewing by yourself or with a few friends or associates, the pico projector may be what you need.
#PICO PROJECTOR FULL#
If you need something to light up a theater, or to take on a sales call, or connect with a classroom full of kids, there are plenty of projectors to choose from. So before we begin, let it be known that projectors are packaged to serve specific needs. Now pocket projector would have been a good name had the industry not alreadyīestowed that name on another small projector - the pocket projector. The truth is these 'video flashlights' are pocket size, and in time they'll be bundled in everything from PCs to cell phones.

Technically speaking, pico implies a trillionth (10-¹²) of something and while these puppies are tiny compared to the traditional light canon, they're a far cry from a trillionth. The name, pico, was intended to imply a very small projector, but pico was pushing it.

The pictures you see in this article are some of the early contenders. This article focuses on a new generation of personal projectors that, for better or worse, have been called pico projectors by the industry. With over a 1,000 different projector models to choose from, it helps to know what you want. Today theyĪre of theater quality, rich with features, very affordable, and designed to serve a wide range of applications. The evolution of digital projectors began about 20 years ago with products that were big, expensive and of limited performance.
