High-quality projectors have made it possible to bring the movie theater viewing experience to the comfort of your home. However, the IMAX experience has remained exclusive to movie theaters – until now.
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On Sunday, Xgimi unveiled its new Horizon Max projector, the world's first IMAX Enhanced certified long-throw smart projector, according to the company.
The certification, previously exclusive to high-end projectors, ensures that customers can enjoy IMAX images and signature sounds in their own home. This includes the famous IMAX aspect ratio (1.44:1 or 1.9:1), higher brightness levels of HDR content and clearer images.
“With Horizon Max, we are reshaping home entertainment, delivering a cinematic experience previously reserved for high-end projectors,” said Apollo Zhong, CEO and founder of Xgimi. The Horizon Max sports two new and updated technologies that Xgimi is showing off at CES: ISA 5.0 (Intelligent Screen Adaptation) and Dual Light 2.0.
ISA 5.0 uses the projector's 3D ToF sensor to locate the best projection position on walls. And get this: The device can save software and hardware settings depending on the wall you're projecting on. For example, you can use the projector to game on one wall and film on another, and the Horizon Max will adapt its settings as you switch.
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The updated Dual Light 2.0 technology, as the name suggests, uses a dual light source to improve image quality, especially in brighter environments. Specifically, the projector uses a “triple laser” to display an expanded color gamut and phosphorescent light to enhance imperfections. A proprietary optical engine equipped with MCL lasers – commonly used in commercial cinemas, thus providing a cinematic viewing experience – is also involved.
The projector's design is meant to fit into any home, sporting a vintage look with wood-imitation panels, as shown in the photo at the top of the article. The price and launch date of the Horizon Max are still to be determined. However, Xgimi has mentioned that Dual Light 2.0 and ISA 5.0 technologies will be present in more of its lineup in 2024, so we'll see how prices vary depending on features.
At CES, Xgimi also unveiled Aladdin, a 3-in-1 product combining a ceiling light, a high-end projector and connected speakers. As shown in the photo below, the projector blends into the ceiling and looks like a regular ceiling light, hiding the projector almost entirely.
“Aladdin is a truly unique triple threat that represents the seamless fusion of cutting-edge projector technology and sophisticated smart home design,” said Zhong. The space-saving gadget delivers a 100-inch image directly from the ceiling, preventing direct exposure to light and enabling a 0.7:1 projection ratio. The projector won the CES Innovation Honoree Award and is expected to launch in Japan in June 2024.
Disclosure: The cost of Sabrina Ortiz's trip to Las Vegas for CES was covered by Xgimi, a standard industry practice for long-distance travel. The judgments and opinions of ZDNET writers and editors are always independent of the companies we cover.