Sanyo has switched from a bulb to a laser light source resulting in a much brighter and richer picture. Efficiencies in light usage result in a projected image with brightness of 7,000 lumens, which is a record for laser projectors, said Reina Mito, a Sanyo spokeswoman.

The use of a laser and an improved image processing engine also means the projected image has a color range of about 170 percent that of a standard NTSC image. That means colors are about twice as rich as could be expected from an LCD television, Sanyo said.

It can also project bigger images managing a full high-def 100-inch image over 63 centimeters or a 150-inch image over 94 centimeters. These combine to give the projector the shortest throw ratio yet accomplished with such a projector, said Mito.