About a month ago Insight Media published a report on Low Cost Projectors, which we defined as products that could reach a $300 price point within the forecast period. In the last week, we have seen products that confirm that low cost is indeed the trend that will drive the projection industry into new customer categories.

In our report, we highlighted a number of projectors, among them the Hasbro ZoomBox. This is a projector DVD combination product geared toward children that has very poor image quality but a low price. We noted the prototype-like nature of the unit after we took it apart, but said if offered potential for future improvement.

Well guess where you can buy this projector now? At Target! We just happened across it while browsing through the Target catalog. It is being offered for a very low $228.99 with a coupon. It is positioned on a page with other kid’s versions of adult products like a video camera for $68.99, a personal multimedia player for $74.99 and colorful handheld game players for $27.99. All are made by Hasbro’s own Tiger Electronics, a US-based company that focuses on video-based toys. The projector appears to be the most expensive product in its catalog.

Creating a toy projector is one way to create a low cost projector.  But cost reducing a business projector is another way to reach low-cost territory.  The cheapest business projectors today are around $600, but this barrier was smashed the other day when BenQ announced a projector for $499 MSRP.  You can bet the street price will be lower than this, perhaps running down close to $400.

The MP510 is a DLP model with 1500 ANSI lumens, 2000:1 contrast, weighs 5.9 pounds and offers SVGA resolution - a basic business projector.  Compare this to the Hasbro unit, which has about 8 lumens, resolution of 557 x 234 and contrast that is probably less than 100:1.  Yeah, the Hasbro projector has a built-in DVD player, but BenQ is offering a lot of projector for $400.

At Insight Media, we like to identify the new frontiers in display technology and products and be there with news and reports to help product designers and marketers commercialize products at the right time.   The timing of these two products is fascinating and reinforces the conclusion that the time is now to consider the threat, or the opportunity, presented by low cost projectors. -CC