Sony's 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector: Your wall as TV screen
One of Sony's big reveals at CES 2014 was the 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector, which turns your wall into a 147-inch TV screen.
We were wowed by the demo, but we didn't get a lot of details about pricing or availability -- until now.
This week, Sony showed it off at IFA, a huge consumer tech show in Berlin, Germany.
There we found some good news and some bad news. The good: it will be available this month. The bad: It's an ultraluxury product that will cost upwards of $50,000 and is only available to people in the New York area.
Still, it's an intriguing concept with some crazy potential uses.
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Projector as credenza
Rather than projecting from the back of the room to the front, the Short Throw Projector projects on the wall it's nearest to.
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4K laser projector
The projector uses SXRD laser technology (yes, frickin' laser beams) to render a 4K image on the wall.
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Matt Damon's stubble, rendered in stunning 4K resolution
Turn the lights out, and you've got a real movie theater experience. And unlike with a standard projector, you don't need to worry about ceiling mounts, or a ceiling fan, getting in the way of the beam.
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Part of Sony's Life Space UX collection
The Short Throw Projector was presented at CES as part of Sony's Life Space UX concept. Here, the projector is working in concert with a ceiling-mounted projector and a wall screen (on the right) to present a single "sunset" motif.
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Under the sea
Another motif for Life Space UX: an underwater theme.
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One night in Paris
Yet another theme: a Paris street scene.
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From mirror to...
About that side panel we mentioned earlier, it doubles as a decorative mirror when not in use. But activate the touch screen, and ...
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Touch-screen display
...Once activated, it's yet another touch screen.
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Table projection
On the other side of the Life Space UX room was the ceiling-mounted table projector. Here, the downward-firing projector is built into the light fixture, and displays objects on the table.
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Start manipulating, Tom Cruise-style
It's yet another take on the idea of a "Minority Report" interface; you can manipulate the projected objects on the table via touch.
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Not coming soon
While Life Space UX was among the more impressive tech in the room, it's not expected to reach consumers anytime soon.
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Also not coming soon
So that's the deal with Sony's 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector and the Life Space UX. But if you don't have 50 grand to spare on such things, don't despair.
At IFA 2014, Sony debuted a smaller, more portable, and presumably less expensive model of the same concept. The Portable Short Throw Projector is also on the horizon. This one was part of a smart-home demo, and we don't have an expected launch date or price yet. But whenever it does come around, it will show a 23-inch image, and it's waterproof, so you can use it in the bath.
