Audio Video News

SIM2 USA, a division of SIM2 Multimedia S.p.A., has become the first manufacturer to launch a projector and monitors using Texas Instruments' new HD2 Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) chipset. The company's new projector is the HT300 Plus, the latest addition to the renowned line of Grand Cinema DLP projectors. Also new are two models in its Grand Cinema RTX line.

The HT300 Plus improves upon SIM2's highly regarded HT300 by boosting the contrast ratio, adding a digital input, and offering new cabinet colors. TI's HD2 chip, combined with an improved color wheel, helps the HT300 Plus attain a contrast ratio of more than 1800:1, with excellent color balance and saturation. The HD2 chip has the same high-definition resolution that its predecessor had—1280 x 720 pixels—but it can tilt its millions of micromirrors 12° instead of the previous 10°. The six-segment color wheel is said to offer significant reduction of color separation artifacts ("rainbow effect") by increasing the frequency of the colored images. The HT300 Plus has a DVI-D 24-pin input for forward-compatibility with coming generations of equipment with digital outputs.

The HT300 Plus has a completely enclosed light path—everything after the lamp and up to the lens is sealed—making it the only projector on the market so equipped, according to SIM2. The result is said to be "dramatically improved contrast, resolution, and color rendition" and "a brighter, more dramatic picture." The picture is further improved by Faroudja video processing ("motion adaptive deinterlacing" designed "to prevent the introduction of motion artifacts and jagged edges from video signals that originated from video cameras") and 3/2 pull-down with advanced edit detection for exact reconstruction of the original film frame.

Placement of the projector isn't critical, thanks to a double keystone adjustment feature with 16² of optical correction. Cabinet colors are gunmetal gray, light gray, and burgundy. Suggested retail is $13,995.

SIM2 USA has also incorporated the HD2 chipset in two new Grand Cinema RTX rear-projection monitors, the 45" RTX-45 and the 55" RTX-55. Both offer resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels for true high-definition capability. An innovative feature is the use of a single fiber optic cable, allowing connection to video sources up to 1640 feet away—without any loss of quality. SIM2's proprietary DigiOptic Image Processor (DOIP) also improves ease of installation. Like the HT300 Plus, the two new displays have inboard de-interlacing and video enhancement by Faroudja, as well as an RS232 port that facilitates firmware upgrades directly from the manufacturer's website.