While most of the consumer industry focuses on the craze for the 4K UHD ultra-wide monitors and TV sets, there’s another trend emerging along the way that you may also want to pay closer attention to. As projector technology continues to evolve rapidly, companies such as Dell and Sony have been able to create innovative products aiming to take prosumers home viewing experience to a whole new level.
An example of this striking piece of technology is featured in a video created by Linus Tech Tips that brings an overview of Dell’s latest short-throw 4K HDR Projector that uses laser technology to provide viewers with unparalleled immersive experience in front of the big screen.
The Dell S718QL projector sports a mix of glossy and matte black construction alongside a short-throw design meant to be positioned right up against the wall. Don’t let the latter specification through you off, though, as once slumped up against the even surface, the S718QL will produce an image of up to a whopping 130 inches (or 3.3 meters) diagonally.
Ports on the unit include an HDMI 2.0 port, two HDMI 1.4 ports, Optical Audio Out, USB-A 3.0, two 5V USB Power Out ports, Mini USB-B port, 3.5mm audio output and even an Ethernet port which allows you to play media off a network server if you wish to do so. In addition, there is a built-in Bluetooth 4.2 that will be convenient in situations when you want to connect а supported audio system wirelessly.
As Linus states, the reason why this projector took so long to be developed was the price of using laser technology in general, which was initially reserved for large format theaters. As the technology becomes less expensive to manufacture, there’s now a particular model that is more than ready to break into the prosumer market. At $6,000 it’s reasonable enough to justify prosumer use, but it’s not necessarily a bargain for consumers on a budget.
Mainly due to the laser technology, the image quality from the projector is truly impressive producing a brightness of up to 5,000 lumens and a contrast ratio of 100,000:1, as far as projector standards are concerned. In fact, the performance of the device is so good that the produced images resemble that of an OLED display with deep blacks and crisp whites, according to Linus. That being said, watching high-resolution HDR videos is something that clearly you don’t want to miss.
Dell S718QL 4K HDR Laser Projector Highlights
- Single Chip DLP Dual LVDS. UHD TRP S610 DMD with XPR technology
- Native Resolution: 4K UHD (3840 x 2160)
- Contrast Ratio: Max: 100,000:1 High Contrast Mode; Native: 2,000:1 Typical (Full On/Full Off)
- Brightness – 5,000 ANSI Lumens
- Colors – 1.07 billion
- Vsync Frequency: 24-120Hz
- Projector Lens – F-Stop: F/2.74; Focal Length: 2.84mm; Lens Offset: 118%
- Projector Distance: 0.33 ft ~ 0.74 ft (101.5mm ~ 227.08mm) (from Projector Rear to Image)
- Lamp Hours: Up to 20,000
- 2x HDMI 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.0 (HDCP 2.2), 2x powered USB Type A (5V / 1.8 A Output), 1 x RS232 (9-pin D-sub)
- 1 x USB-A (3.0) (for PC Free Presentation), 1 x Mini USB-B, 1 x Audio out (3.5mm), 1 x RJ45, 1x SPDIF out
- Bluetooth 4.2; Bluetooth Audio Capabilities
- Weight: 33.07 lbs (15.0 Kg)
- Price: $6,000
Even though the Dell S718QL provides viewers with superb image quality, there is one disadvantage which may or may not be noticeable, depending on the audience. Since the laser projector relies on color wheels to produce an image (rather than simply having separate lasers for red, green, and blue), the so-called “rainbow effect” can be seen under certain circumstances.
These artifacts become most apparent when you move your eyes or head too fast. As a result, you can see the individual red, green, and blue channels emanating from the projector. While theoretically, it could sound concerning, it’s actually not that noticeable to average viewers. In fact, some people may not even notice the fault at all. Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about the Dell S718QL, head over to Dell’s official website here.
[source: Linus Tech Tips]
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