Epson BrightLink Pro 1410wi
I had the opportunity to see a 30 minute or so demonstration of Epson's latest concept, the Brightlink Pro 1410Wi. While the Brightlink Pro is essentially an ultra-short throw projector, Epson has gone a bit further, and it's impressive. Epson has multiple Brightlink projectors but the Brightlink Pro 1410Wi is designed to be a complete presentations system targeting the business world.
This is more of a complete system than a stand alone projector when it comes to feature set. You can even order it with a whiteboard. Once set up, this Brightlink 1410Wi system not only can project as usual, but it is interactive, using a pen. And you can record and save everything. Both what a computer or other source provides, and all your interactive efforts, and upload for sharing. There's even a wall control panel for the projector that you would mount next to the white board. That will even accept a USB thumb drive, with the content you wish to project. I should mention that it is a widescreen projector, 16:10, which is a more suitable ratio than 4:3 such as XGA, when working interactively.
Brightlink 1410wi shown below saving an annotated presentation.
Projector and wall control have been brightened for visibility
And you don't even need a computer to save your presentation session. Even that is handled by the system and small wall controller.
There's so much more, so check out the press release. We will be reviewing this Brightlink Pro 1410Wi as soon as available.
This is a bright projector designed to easily handle ambient light on this large whiteboard, including windows without shades and fluorescent lighting on. This second picture shows you part of the displayed screen, with the shades open on half the windows. The overhead lighting was on as well. That's very impressive:
Brightlink 1410wi complete interactive presentation system
As to pricing, The standard system, including wall mounting gear is $2999 MAP. Additional discounts available for major accounts and education. Two additional versions include matching whiteboards, and come with an esthetically designed plate to cover the projector. The aluminum finish system is $3999 while the wood finished is $4499. We're talking suitable for a fancy boardroom.
Not only does this system do all the things I mentioned, and then some, but during the course of the demonstration I received, it all worked, and I mean smoothly. (And brightly!)
Presentations were available from USB thumb drives and the network. Note: wireless presenting is also an option from people's computers without plugging in. Or a computer at the front of the room could be plugged right into the wall control unit.
The Epson product manager demonstrated a great many features, including those, lots of interactive functions, lots of highlighting and writing on the screen, etc... Even saving all the work to the network went exactly as planned. What a great way to get information out to people who could not attend a presentation.
Now that's exactly the way things should be, but quite often aren't. What makes this demo even more impressive, is the whole system at the time was still pre-production or engineering sample as the Brightlink 1410wi wasn't even announced yet, let alone shipping.
People think of the Brightlink 1410wi as similar to the combination of a Smart Board and a projector, except, better, and unless you want a very small board (like 40") the Brightlink will cost less. Looks to be a pretty outstanding new product - art
Press Release
Epson Introduces the Ultimate Meeting Room Productivity Tool
BrightLink Pro 1410Wi Provides an Easy-to-Use Instant Collaboration Projection Solution to Present, Annotate, Capture, and Share
LONG BEACH, Calif. – March 27, 2013 – Epson today introduced the BrightLink
® Pro 1410Wi – an ultra-short throw meeting room projector designed to provide increased organizational productivity and efficiency. The BrightLink Pro turns a traditional whiteboard, wall or virtually any flat surface into a new digital surface and offers a variety of features to boost meeting room collaboration, including video conferencing compatibility and remote collaboration.
The BrightLink Pro projector solution can be used as a digital whiteboard, to present and annotate on existing content, and can instantly capture and share newly created content by saving, printing or e-mailing through the network – no computer or special software required. A simple to use, but powerful device, users can power BrightLink Pro on and present, annotate and capture with no technical expertise needed to drive a collaborative instant meeting. With a 100-inch, widescreen display area, users can display presentations and a live meeting at the same time with the split screen option. In addition, users can connect up to four BrightLink Pro units that all reside on the same network, regardless of location, for remote collaboration.
To enhance ease-of-use, the BrightLink Pro comes with a Control Pad, which acts as a convenient USB hub, an extension to USB ports or as a remote control unit. Meeting participants can use the Control Pad to connect to USB thumb drive, a PC or printer. To further streamline meetings, it also offers buttons to power the BrightLink Pro on and off, and to select major functions, including Whiteboard Mode, Source Search, Capture, Print, or Save.
“With the BrightLink Pro 1410Wi, Epson is creating a new category in the display industry with a powerful and simple solution to address a need faced in every meeting,” said Sean Gunduz, product manager, Corporate Projectors, Epson America. “The BrightLink Pro works as a stand-alone appliance, with no computer or software required, making it very simple to use and allowing users to project, collaborate, capture and maximize their productivity.”
In conjunction with Chief Milestone AV Technology, Epson is offering all-in-one mounting solutions with the BrightLink Pro to corporate users that want a sleek finish to match existing conference room décor. These mounting solutions include the BrightLink Pro, mount and whiteboard, bordered by one of three different finishes – a deep cherry, sleek aluminum or beautiful teak – to seamlessly fit in with the existing décor at any corporate setting. Users can also purchase a basic package with the BrightLink Pro and wall mount, with no special finish.
“We’re very excited to partner with Epson to create a completely new integrated solution for customers,” said Derek Derks, business development manager, Chief Milestone AV Technologies. “This new all-in-one system combines an Epson BrightLink Pro with Da-Lite screen technology and Chief mounting systems to create a complete installation and superior customer experience.”
More About BrightLink Pro – the Meeting Productivity Tool
The BrightLink Pro 1410Wi offers several features to boost meeting room collaboration, including:
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Three Times Brighter Colors with Epson1: Epson 3LCD 3-chip technology ensures the projection of brilliant images with true-to-life color
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Images in HD: Delivers high definition WXGA widescreen resolution and 3,100 lumens of color brightness and 3,100 lumens of white brightness
2
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Digital Whiteboard: Users can simply turn on the projector and start writing without using a PC; images, basic shapes and templates can be inserted and up to 50 pages created; multiple pages can be saved as a single PDF or multiple PNG files on a USB or network drive, printed to a local or network printer, or e-mailed to another user
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PC-Free Annotation: Allows users to connect the BrightLink Pro to a variety of devices, including most tablets and smart phones, document cameras, DVD players, and more, to share their content; annotate on it, capture and share their notes without a computer
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Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Leveraging the free Epson iProjection™ app, users can bring their own iOS Apple devices running iOS 4.2 or later and most Android devices running Android 2.3 or later, project on BrightLink Pro, annotate, capture and share.
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PC Interactivity: Turns the interactive pen into a wireless mouse and
Provides flexibility to run any application on a computer, access the web and edit documents on the go; can be enabled via a combination of HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, and USB cable or wirelessly using free EasyMP
® Network Projection
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Video Conferencing: Allows users to connect a video conferencing system to display an image as large as 100-inches diagonal, effectively replacing the need for a flat panel display
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Remote Collaboration: Using EasyMP Network Projection v2.81 (or higher), users can share content via the network on up to four remote BrightLink Pro units; all locations have the ability to annotate on the projected image and their annotations are visible at all four locations as well as the computer
Availability and Support
The Epson BrightLink 1410Wi projector will be available in April through VARs and resellers for $2,999* or $3,999* and $4,499* for the Chief Milestone AV Technologies all-in-one aluminum and wood finish solutions (respectively). Epson’s projectors come with a two-year limited warranty (three years for Brighter Futures customers) that includes two elite technical support services – Epson PrivateLine
® phone support with direct access to an expedited support telephone line via a phone card included with the product, and a two-year Road Service projector replacement program that includes projector exchange in one business day with paid shipping. For additional information, visit www.epson.com/blpro.
Color Brightness Specification and Projector Performance
The new color brightness specification (measuring red, green and blue) published by the Society of Information Display (SID) allows consumers to compare projector color performance without conducting a side-by-side shootout. With today’s high definition content, corporate and higher education presenters can display content with higher quality in brighter environments. For a truly impressive image, projectors need to offer both high color brightness and high white brightness. High color brightness is important for larger screen sizes and provides flexibility for a variety of screen materials. Without sufficient color brightness, images may be muddy, soft and lose detail, even in a dark room. For more information, visit http://www.colorlightoutput.com.
About Epson
Epson is a global imaging and innovation leader whose product lineup ranges from inkjet printers and 3LCD projectors to sensors and other microdevices. Dedicated to exceeding the vision of its customers worldwide, Epson delivers customer value based on compact, energy-saving, and high-precision technologies in markets spanning enterprise and the home to commerce and industry.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 81,000 employees in 97 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates. Epson America, Inc. based in Long Beach, Calif. is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: www.Epson.com.
You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EpsonAmerica), Twitter (http://twitter.com/EpsonAmerica) and (http://twitter.com/EpsonEducation) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/EpsonTV).
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* Estimated street price; Brighter Futures education pricing available
1 Compared to leading 1-chip DLP business and education projectors based on NPD data, July 2011 through June 2012. Color brightness (color light output) measured in accordance with IDMS 15.4. Color brightness will vary depending on usage conditions
2White and color light output will vary depending on mode selected. White light output measured using ISO 21118 standard.
Note: EPSON is a registered trademark, EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark and Epson iProjection is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. BrightLink and PrivateLine are registered trademarks of Epson America, Inc. All other product brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.
