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Good picture, better price.
It's been about a year since the first projectors with a street price of less than $1,000 were released, and there are now several models in that category from a variety of companies. all are SVGA, LCD based, and 4 ½ to 7 pounds and come with few thrills. Mitsubishi's new 1200-lumen SE1U matches all of those markers and even awkwardly cuts a few features. But when it comes to pay dirt-picture quality-Mitsubishi has something special at the price.
There should be no surprise that this value-oriented sector of products is growing quickly and that more manufacturers are throwing their hats into the ring. Money talks, and these landmark low price points are bringing new users into the fold. Individual companies can't afford to miss such a market that could bring potential lifetime consumers into the fold.
From small businesses, educational organizations, and nonprofits, there's always been plenty of interest, even demand, for projection and display technology. However, past prices have been prohibitive. Although just a few thousand dollars for a quality model may seem like a steal by the standards of just a couple years ago, it pretty much still ends the discussion for budget-strapped groups. But at less than $1,000, the price of large display is no longer an order of magnitude above that of desktop or any other display; it's within the realm of possibility for many more users.
The trouble for the industry is that, at these prices, margins are extremely low, and there's very little room for companies to maneuver. There are a lot of me-too products in the space and little way to differentiate. Companies can't easily add features without adding cost-of-goods expenses and jeopardizing the higherend, higher-margin product lines that keep the companies viable. So for now, at these price points users are likely to see only small steps toward specific advantages.
Not surprisingly, then, the SE1U has plenty of...