Barco Announces the F90 Series -- Small, Lightweight 4K Laser Phosphor Projectors with 13,000 lumens

Global projection technology provider Barco is launching the F90 series, a brand-new portfolio of DLP laser phosphor projectors for the pro AV and events market. Featuring a laser phosphor light source, the projectors offer up to 13,000 lumens brightness and long lifetime with reduced total cost of ownership. The first two models launched at ISE 2016 offer 4K UHD and WUXGA native resolution. The WUXGA F90-W13 will be shipping from early third quarter 2016 onwards, and the 4K UHD F90-4K13 will be commercially available from fourth quarter 2016.

"Professionals in the venue and visitor attractions markets are facing a number of challenges where visitors expect to be wowed by a unique experience. This demands AV products to deliver superior image quality, while reducing installation time, downtime, and setup and maintenance costs," comments Gary Fuller, VP pro AV at Barco. "When developing our latest projector platform, we investigated how we could address these challenges. The razor-sharp image quality and laser phosphor light source of the 1-chip DLP F90 projectors enable venues to provide stunning experiences while saving both time and money."

Designed for installation in boardrooms, auditoriums, and visitor attractions such as museums and planetariums, the rugged F90 projectors are equally suited for concerts and events. Thanks to their motion platform compatibility and 3D functionality, the company says they are also a perfect match for theme park dark rides and interactive experiences.

By using an F90 projector, the company says, customers increase uptime while driving costs down. A solid-state laser-phosphor light source combined with advanced cooling design provides up to 40,000 hours operating time without need for lamp changes and virtually maintenance-free. This results in considerable cost-savings on maintenance and consumables.

The F90-4K13 delivers razor-sharp images at 4K UHD resolution -- projecting over 8 million pixels on screen -- with a high level of detail, and highly saturated colors that meet the Rec. 709 color space. Featuring an advanced optical design, the projectors provide a constant light output, which makes them more dependable, for long-term, worry-free operation.

The solid-state Barco laser light engine allows the projectors to run in any orientation. This gives system designers extended flexibility in projector location and orientation for complex setups, demanding applications, and blends. Coupled with a wide array of high-resolution Barco FLD and FLD+ lenses -- ranging from ultra-short throw (0.28:1) to long throw (9.75:1) -- each providing a wide lens shift range, the F90 series can accommodate almost any projector configuration. What's more, these lenses are compatible with the Barco F32 and F35 projectors.

"By expanding our projector fleet with a 4K, laser phosphor unit, we've also made a significant move in the 13,000-lumen projector segment for the rental and staging and corporate events industries," says Carl Rijsbrack, VP events at Barco. "Excelling in image quality and flexibility, rental customers can now choose for the future -- reaping the business benefits for many years to come."

Barco will be showing the F90 series at the ISE trade show, RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands, February 9 - 12, exhibiting at hall 11, booth F100.