In typical RED fashion, the company’s founder Jim Jannard has posted vaguely on the Reduser.net forums regarding an upcoming product. No renders this time, though, just some laudatory quotes from industry people who have seen the device. And what is it? A 4K laser projector, and apparently a very good one.
Actual details as scarce, but we know it is not based on TI’s DLP technology and that it produces an image that can be used for passive 3D — i.e. with polarized light. It’s for “theater and home,” though at RED prices it would probably be more accurate to say theater and exquisitely-appointed mansion.
Stephen Pizzo of Element Technica and 3eality Technica describes it:
Comparing it to traditional professional systems is completely inadequate. I have never witnessed 3D that was as bright or brighter as the best 2D projections until now. It generated the best color, best dynamic range and best images I have ever seen in 3D or even 2D.
And Mark Pederson of OffHollywood concurs:
You have to see it to believe it. I have NEVER seen better projection – from any projector – at any price point. I can’t stop thinking about it. It was beyond stunning.
If it sounds too good to be true, keep two things in mind: one, RED has a history of leapfrogging the rest of the industry, and two, this thing is going to be expensive as hell. Sony’s 4K projector, the announcement of which prompted Jannard to hint at the existence of their own, hasn’t been priced yet, but it’s expected to be between $20,000 and $30,000. RED tends to undercut the professional pricing but still put itself well out of reach of enthusiasts. I’m going to guess the RED projector will be $12,000-15,000, but I could be off by miles.
We’ll probably know for sure on November 3rd, the date RED has scheduled for announcing their updated Scarlet compact HD camera. Jannard said the projector will be coming “sooner rather than later,” which makes sense because there just isn’t as much QA and debugging as there is for a camera.