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In April, HP announced two new lightweight units, both targeted squarely at the projection road warrior. The xb31 is a 1500-lumen, XGA resolution projector in a 3.5-pound package, while the sb21 offers 1000 lumens and SVGA resolution in a 2.2-pound box. The xb31 carries a $3,699 list price, the sb21 sells for $2,499, and both shipped on April 15. Both projectors feature an 1800:1 contrast ratio and are based on Texas Instruments' Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology. They also include automatic image synchronization; support for PAL, NTSC, and SECAM video formats, including HDTV (up to 1080i) compatibility; and compatibility with XGA, SVGA, VGA, and Macintosh video signals from a single DV-I input terminal. In keeping with their tradition, these new projectors find HP teaming with another firm to create their end-product. Taiwan-based Coretronics co-designed the projectors, developing the electronics while HP contributed the optics. With HP on the cusp of its proposed merger with Compaq (awaiting final vote tally at press time), it's no surprise that Coretronics also makes Compaq's portable projector lines, including the recently launched iPAC MP4800. That 5.8-pound unit throws out 2000 lumens, making it bright enough for conference room applications. The company predicts the sub-three-pound projector market will grow almost 130% by 2004. Dell president Michael Dell announced his company's plans at an industry conference in Chicago. He didn't announce details—those were to come in another announcement in May—but with its domination of the personal computer market, Dell is expected to take the same low-cost, direct-distribution approach to projectors and other peripherals. In 2001, Dell began selling local area network switches and now claims to own 5 percent of that market. Dell currently offers ViewSonic, NEC, Epson, Philips, and Mitsubishi projectors for sale via its Web site. A company spokesperson would not comment on whether or not Dell's new projector offerings would be in partnership with one of these manufacturers.
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