By MICHAEL FOREMAN
Cheaper, lighter and brighter liquid crystal display (LCD) projectors are finding users outside of corporate boardrooms, according to Epson, which is claiming market leadership of this growing market.
New Zealand general manager Greg Skinner said Epson accounted for more than 20 per cent of the LCD projector market according to figures supplied by Statistics New Zealand.
With total sales from all manufacturers running at around 100 projectors per month or 1200 to 1400 per year in terms of units, the market was "not huge," Mr Skinner said.
"However, the market showed 40 per cent growth in 2000 and in terms of dollars it's quite substantial."
Though the bulk of projector sales was still being made in the corporate market, new markets were emerging in the small business and education sectors.
"Schools aren't just thinking of buying one projector per school, they are talking about having one in every classroom."
Mr Skinner said the brightness of LCD projectors, measured in lumens, had increased to the point where the display was visible in ordinary classrooms without blackout curtains.
"A year ago an entry-level projector would have cost around $6000 to $7000 for 400 lumens. Now you are getting 1000 lumens."
Mr Skinner said a few sales had even been made to home users, who were using LCD projectors as part of home theatre systems, but he expected projector prices would have to drop before this became a high-volume market.
LCD projectors move out of the boardroom
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