BenQ’s implementation Philips ImageCare technology on the DLP platform has been doing the rounds of the trade shows for the best part of a year. To give credit where it’s due, BenQ is the first vendor of DLP projectors to bring a version of ImageCare to market and as such hopes to have a six month advantage over its competitors.
Why is that a big deal? SmartEco is all about total cost of ownership (TCO). End-users make savings on energy consumption and replacement lamps. If customers can be persuaded to buy on a TCO basis they can shop further up the range. With typical savings over 3 years of more than £400, they could, for example, buy ultra short-throw models rather than just short-throw. In other words, a lot of extra benefit for much the same cost over the life of the projector.
In essence, SmartEco adjusts the lamp power dynamically, based on the projected content, so saving energy saving and increasing lamp life. The technology incorporates a number of features including:
• Eco Blank, which helps blank the screen and conserve lamp power by up to 70% when the projector is not actively in use. By blanking the projection screen, teachers get to redirect students’ focus back on themselves.
• SmartEco Mode, which adjusts the lamp power to maximise power saving by delivering the best contrast and brightness performance using only as much light as needed.
• Automatic switch to Eco Blank after the projector is turned on for over three minutes without a display source, this eliminates unnecessary energy wastage and prolongs the life of the projector lamp.
For a full account of the value of energy saving technologies see the November 2011 issues of AV News UK.
