For centuries the Europeans have been known for their prowess in elegant and stylish design. This trait has been carried forth into the field of home theater projector design by Italian manufacturer SIM2. Now the French are getting into the act. Cineversum (www.cinversum.com) this week introduced its new BlackWing One projector.

John DiLoreto
Analyst and Editor for
Insight Media

This projector was demonstrated at this September’s CEDIA Show in Denver, Colorado and was awarded as Product of the Year 2008 for this category by Electronic House magazine.

The super-quiet projector is housed in a metallic black ABS plastic chassis, giving it its futuristic look. It utilizes three 0.6-in SXRD LCoS panels made by Sony. As far as we know, this is the first branded introduction of a home theatre projector that acknowledges the use of the Sony SXRD panels.

Sony has had an off-and-on history of supplying LCD and LCoS panels to other OEMs. However, this latest move is not surprising given the discontinuation within the last year of Sony’s RPTV business using these SXRD panels.

The BlackWing One will begin shipping in mid-December for $6,500. The projector joins the already existing BlackWing Two and BlackWing Three models, which retail for $9,995 and $13,500, respectively.

Home theatre typically demands ultra-low black levels, ultra-high contrast ratios, and exacting video calibration. In addition, home theatre projection is expected to be smooth and crisp with artifact-free video processing, performed in this model by an HQV video processor/scaler from Silicon Optix (now part of IDT).

This "entry-level" projector offers 1920×1080resolution with 24p capability, two HDMI 1.3 connections, and a 15,000:1 contrast ratio at 1400 lumens. Also interesting is that the projector is pre-calibrated to the D65 color temperature and CIE-709 color space for HD source material.

"Entry-level" home theatre is not to be confused with other front projection home entertainment applications whose projectors might cost in the $2-3K range, and whose performance falls short in some of the above considerations.

But that line is blurring with recent projectors from manufacturers like Epson, Panasonic and Sanyo, which tout their viability in a home theater. A budget conscious consumer can go to a Magnolia or other high-end video retailer and put together a system with a decent screen and Blu-ray player for half as much as a "real" low-end home theatre system.

This phenomenon, we expect, will become an increasing challenge for CEDIA dealers, when a consumer can go to Magnolia and put together a system whose visual attributes many would not easily distinguish.

For those who are more pure in their definition of home theatre, this category remains more of a luxury, especially in today’s economic climate. As such, the BlackWing One, with its performance specifications and elegant French design, will be an attractive option.