Pure AV Laser Showcase success

Wednesday 12th October saw the Pure AV Laser Showcase arrive at the Victoria Warehouse Hotel, Manchester.

A mix of exhibition, presentation and a six projector shootout, the day’s events gave everyone the opportunity to take a fresh look at what laser projection has to offer.

Pure AV welcomed delegates from a variety of sectors including education, healthcare and enterprise to view the latest laser products from leading manufacturers, Canon, Christie, Digital Projection, Epson, NEC, Panasonic and Sony.

The event was opened with a key note on laser projection and standards delivered by former InforComm president and founding director of Visual Displays Ltd, Greg Jeffreys. Discussing the importance of standards and offering guidance on the evaluation and assessment of images, the presentation set the scene nicely for the projector shootout that followed.

A six projector shootout encouraged delegates to take a closer look at the image quality on display and invited them to score the projectors out of 10 against a range of criteria including, greyscale, contrast, uniformity and colour rendition.

The introduction of cabinets to hide the identity of the projectors created an added twist and encouraged lively debate as to which projector was which; as well as ensuring that judging was based solely on image quality.

Delegates responded with enthusiasm to the concept of the blind showcase shootout and much careful consideration went into the process that saw the Panasonic PT-RZ660 emerge as the day’s overall top performer.

Special mention should also go to the other brands involved in the shootout. Each manufacturer put on an impressive display and demonstrated that laser projection has a lot to offer as a display technology.

A mini-exhibition area offered manufacturers the chance to showcase a broader range of product and take delegates through the wider features and benefits of their laser solutions.

A very busy day was finished off with some informal drinks and networking with a number of customers going on to join the Pure AV team and supporting vendors at an evening meal in Central Manchester.

Managing director Peter Sutton said of the Laser Showcase: "We are delighted with the way that the delegates embraced the concept of the event. There was much lively debate during the shootout, followed by lots of constructive dialogue with the manufacturers as they presented the wider merits of their solutions in the exhibition area. "Early feedback from customers and suppliers has been extremely positive. We seem to have found a format that has encouraged everyone, Pure AV staff, manufacturers and delegates alike to take a fresh look at what laser projection has to offer."