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A few years back, projector manufacturers used 1.3inch liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in their "portable" units-those smaller projectors that performed well enough but lacked the light power of the projectors that used larger LCDs. At that time, 1.8-inch or larger LCDs were used in the higher-power projectors, and the new class of units based upon 0.9-inch LCDs were beginning to make a dim impact upon their lighter 11 ultra-portable" category. But now look at how things have changed. Every class of projector has taken a giant step forward-the 0. inch ultra-portables are no longer dim and the 1.8-inch LCD class rivals "large venue" performance, while the 1.3-inch-based "portables" can put out as much light as.. well, pick a year and I'll have a story. I can remember a time when it took a 300-pound LCD projector using 15-inch LCDs and a lamp close to 600 watts to make only 800 lumens, but today's 15-pound Eiki LC-X990 does way more than that with its little 1.3-inch LCDs powered by a 200-watt lamp.
The last time I looked at an Eiki 1.3-inch XGA projector (an earlier model, the X970] was in June 1998 for Presentations magazine. That 14.4-pound unit, using one of the new 120-watt "ultra-high pressure" UHP lamps, almost broke through the 700 lumen barrier [685.05 ANSI lumens on the screen, according to my measurements). Last year, Eiki improved upon the 970 and produced the 14.6-pound X980. The 980 was advertised to generate 1,900 lumens with a 150-watt UHP, but I didn't have an opportunity to verify that claim. However, I tend to believe Eiki, since I've looked at most of its products (sold by it and its OEM partner Sanyo) over the last 10 years-starting back with the VGA resolution "Big Show." I know that it's quite possible to go from 700 lumens to 1,900 lumens with a little more lamp wattage-along with a healthy dose of aperture-increasing microlenses and polarization conversion was crucial to bringing more light into the LCD as well (see sidebar).
Employing all kinds of modern technology, the 970 evolved into the 980 and got much brighter. Like I said, I'm not sure if they actually made 1, 900 lumens or not with the old 150-watt lamp, since that means more...