Texas Instruments DLP: Old Chipset, New Tricks, Futuristic Products

by Ant Pruitt
2 min read
Written by Ant Pruitt

Ant Pruitt of aNewDomain looks at Texas Instruments DLP tech to see how the old chipset technology is fitting into futuristic products later this year.

aNewDomain — I didn’t go to CES 2014 to see a classic TI-85 calculator or other classic Texas Instruments gear on display at the LVCC North Hall. But I did check out TI’s cutting edge DLP chipset tech so I could give you an idea of what the DLP chipset is going to bring us in 2014.

For example, check this out, below. It’s the upcoming Sekonix projector. It uses the TI DLP tech to give you easy, portable projection capabilities on the road. This small projector fits easily in a briefcase, pocket or on a keychain, but yet it is capable of packing enough lumens and resolution to show off that signature-inducing presentation, execs showed.  The Sekonix projector will be available later this year.

dlp-trp-diagram

I don’t have Google Glass because I’m waiting for version 3.0. But I like the idea of a heads-up display while I’m on the highway. I need something not too intrusive, but still functional and useful. At the TI display, I ended up checking out a great-looking heads-up display as prototyped by Texas Instruments.

A TI exec warned me this would be more impressive than what I’ve seen before in HUD technology. He was right. This was a great-looking display. The projector was a wide VGA resolution, but it looked incredibly clear and unobtrusive. This particular display showed a vehicle speedometer and other vital gauges. Check out my video demoing the HUD at the bottom of this piece.

The screen is a simulation of a vehicle driving down the road. But the HUD is behind a simulated windshield that’s getting the HUD projection.

Sure, CES 2014 mainly was about curved 4K televisions this year. But I don’t buy into the idea. Curved TVs only make sense in super-large home theater rooms. That’s a rarity. But DLP tech for projectors and heads-up displays is something everyone can get behind.

And that old calculator was pretty cool. Check out my video, below.

I’m Ant Pruitt for on aNewDomain.net.

Based in Charlotte, NC, Ant Pruitt is an IT pro, a columnist and the podcast captain at aNewDomain.net. Look for his Smartphone Photographers Community and Yet Another Tech Show. Follow him @ihavnolyfe or on Google+ and email him at Ant@aNewDomain.net. See all Ant’s articles on aNewDomain.net by following this link.

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