Planar Viper DLP 3-Chip HD Projector

Lurking in your home cinema room like some monstrous black hat-box, Planar's Viper projector is the company's first to use a 3-chip DLP system, with full HD support for screens larger than 110-inches.  The Viper has a native resolution of 1280 x 720, contrast ratio of 10,000:1 at 2,000 lumens brightness and 10-bit independent dual image and motion adaptive processing.

As well as native support for 1080p, 1080p-24, 1080i, 720p, 576p and 480p, the Viper uses proprietary video processing to eke more detail out of 1080i interlaced content. The company partnered with Texas Instruments to develop better performing DLP chips especially for the Viper.

Home automation and installation is made straightforward with five lens options, power zoom and focus, and horizontal and vertical lens shift, as well as an RS-232 automation interface with discrete on/off, input selection and aspect ratio control, as well as two HDMI 1.3 with Deep Color inputs. The Viper is on sale now, priced at $15,495.

Press Release:

Planar Announces Its First 3-Chip HD Projector for the Custom Home Theater Market

Viper uniquely combines Planar's engineering expertise with 3-chip DLP® image accuracy to offers stellar big-screen HD performance to demanding video aficionados.

Beaverton, OR – August 21, 2008 – Planar Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLNR), a worldwide leader in specialty display systems, today introduced the brand's first 3-chip DLP® projector built exclusively for the custom home theater market –Viper.

Planar's Viper was specifically designed and engineered to bring unprecedented imagery and installation versatility to the larger screen sizes (greater than 110 inches) where 3-chip high-definition DLP projection remains the ideal video solution. "The combination of Planar's display prowess and superior 3-chip DLP technology afforded us the opportunity to produce a custom home theater projector that is unrivaled in this market segment," said Brian Carskadon, Director of Product Management, Planar Systems Inc. "Viper's exceptional image performance, most notably in contrast and black levels, combined with its exclusive design and integration features, reaffirms Planar's commitment to offer the most impressive video displays where the image experience really matters."

Planar's Viper is the first 3-chip projector system to feature superior technology enabling some of the best contrast ratios and color performance achieved through an exclusive partnership between Planar Systems and DLP, Texas Instruments (TI). DLP enables the native 1280 x 720 Viper to achieve an astounding 10,000:1 contrast ratio at 2,000 lumens brightness to deliver the deepest black levels and unrivaled high-definition video performance. "DLP's latest advancements have been incorporated into Viper to set a new industry benchmark in black level reproduction for front projection," said Nancy Fares, business manager for DLP 3Chip products and DLP Cinema®. "Viper delivers video performance that is simply without compromise."

Planar's Viper offers a stellar home theater projection solution that is beyond impressive in style and imagery. Viper features Planar's unique curved industrial design elements and high-gloss piano black finish, combining elegance with the ultimate viewing experience. Built to match the excellence of the esteemed theaters it will grace, Viper delivers rich, accurate colors, as well as proprietary advanced video processing with 10-bit independent dual image and motion adaptive processing. Viper's true 1080i interlacing provides increased detail enhancement, while its artifact-free, pristine reproduction of all native film and native video formats (1080p, 1080p-24, 1080i, 720p, 576p and 480p) will win over even the most discerning video aficionado.

"Planar truly has hit a home run with Viper," said Joel Silver, president and founder of the Imaging Science Foundation. "Its superb image quality is a revelation at this price point, as is its dazzling feature set. Planar's attention to detail here is phenomenal. Viper's full complement of installer-friendly options and tools will enable Planar dealers to create world-class home theaters that fully exploit this projector's significant technical capabilities."

A true specialty integration projector from ground up, Planar Viper's unique system design offers a multitude of custom installation-friendly features for jaw-dropping performance even in the most demanding home theater applications. Viper delivers the ultimate installation flexibility with five lens options, power zoom and focus, and horizontal and vertical lens shift. Planar's innovative intelligent lens shift technology prohibits lens shift outside the image area to eliminate shadowing or clipping the image, which is a revolutionary software function for home theater projectors. Also included are an RS-232 automation interface with discrete on/off, input selection and aspect ratio control, as well as two HDMI 1.3 with Deep Color inputs.

The Planar Viper is available for immediate shipping.

Planar specialty home theater products are available exclusively through authorized Planar Specialty Home Theater Dealers. For more information, please visit www.PlanarHomeTheater.com.