BenQ’s new IL550 interactive digital signage display showing interactive information on BenQ projectors. (Credit: M. Brennesholtz)
BenQ was showing its new IL550 55” Interactive LCD/LED flat panel digital signage display with FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution and 450 cd/m² brightness. The 10-point touch system is based on IR technology. The unit has built-in 2 x 10W speakers. The IL550 and other members of the IL series offer over 50,000 hours life. It is equipped with an Android processor and can be controlled through BenQ’s exclusive X-Sign cloud-based content management software to help users create, schedule and display digital signage content using various templates. The Multiple Display Administrator (MDA) application controls multiple displays simultaneously through the local network and coordinates content within the same LAN environment.
The BenQ rep told me that Android will be incorporated in all future BenQ digital signage products.
Two of the new BH2801 displays (bottom) were shown with an existing BH3801 display (top) (Credit: M. Brennesholtz)
BenQ was also showing its new BH2801 and BH2501 very wide aspect ratio digital signage displays. The BH 2801 has a 16:3 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1920 x 360 and a 27.6” diagonal, giving it a viewing area of 27.1” x 5.1” (68.9 x 12.9cm). It has up to 1000 cd/m² output and is designed for 24/7 operation. The BH2801 is said to be ‘coming soon’ and includes Android support.
The new BH2501 was shown in an in-store promotional application at ISE. (Credit: M. Brennesholtz)
The new BH2501 is similar to the BH2801 or the BH3801 except it is even narrower. It has a 10:1 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1920 x 192. Its 24.6” diagonal gives it a viewing area of 24.5” x 2.4” (62.2 x 6.2cm). This is narrow enough to be used as a shelf edge label, if desired. Brightness is 1000 cd/m². Unlike the BH 2801, this unit has 2 x 2W built in speakers. The BenQ rep said the BH2501 will not be coming as soon as the BH2801.
Serving both the corporate and education markets, BenQ showed the Google Jamboard, the 55 inch, 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) touch-enabled smart digital whiteboard. The Jamboard is aimed at enhancing collaboration within corporate environments and classrooms in a fast, efficient and productive way without complicated set-up or training. BenQ is the global distributor for the Google product and has been shipping for some months, now.
Visitors at ISE had a chance to see the previously introduced BenQ PL553, a LCD panel designed for tiling into large arrays. It has one of the slimmest bezels in the market at 1.8mm. Each 55” panel has FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 500 cd/m² and a contrast ratio of 1200:1 or 500,000 dynamic contrast. The life is said to be 50,000 hours. They have software support for color calibration, X-Sign and MDA. They are said to be particularly easy to tile into a 2 x 2 array for a 4K/UHD, 110” image.
BenQ also demonstrated the LU9915 BlueCore Laser Projector at ISE 2018. This projector is a single 0.67” DLP WUXGA (1920 x 1200) projector with 10,000 ANSI-lumen brightness and a 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The BlueCore laser engine supports 360° or portrait installation and 24/7 operation. The LU9915 is compatible with a selection of lenses for a wide range of installation possibilities. It is designed as an installation projector for applications in museums, entertainment venues and large corporate spaces.
BenQ’s BlueCore laser-phosphor technology (Credit: BenQ)
Other projectors on the BenQ stand at ISE include the LK970, The W1700, LH770 and the LU951ST. The BlueCore LK970 was introduced last November and is priced at €9900. It is a single chip 0.66” DLP projector with UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution using XPR technology, which is BenQ’s name for pixel shift. Output is 5,000 lumens.
BenQ LK970 projector at ISE 2018 (Credit: M. Brennesholtz)
The L1700 is a lamp-based home cinema projector that was just launched. It is a single panel DLP projector with UHD resolution (3840 x 2160) and produces 2200 lumens with a 240W lamp. Lamp life is said to be 4000 hours in the normal mode, 8000 hours in the SmartEco mode and 10,000 hours in the Eco mode. It has a MSRP of €1599.
The LH770 is targeted at meeting rooms and will ship at the end of February or beginning of March. It is a BlueCore single panel DLP projector with 1080P (1920 x 1080) resolution and 5000 lumens output but complete specs are not available yet.
The new BenQ RP750K and RP860K are 4K Interactive Flat Panel (IFP) displays for education and corporate environments. These IFPs are equipped with instant plug and play, multi-platform compatibility, 20-point multi-touch, smart eye-care and handwriting recognition. –Matthew Brennesholtz
