Epson BrightLink 450Wi Interactive Projector

Grant's Perspective on ... Epson's interactive projector will change the whiteboard market

Epson has just announced a new interactive projector that will radically change the educational market and I believe it!

Interactive whiteboards have become a hit with teachers helping deliver classroom content. Students love interactivity in their lessons, therefore they understand and retain the information better. Now the Epson BrightLink 450Wi can project onto a regular whiteboard or wall and perform like an interactive whiteboard but (here's the clincher) without the interactive whiteboard component.

Up to now, interactive presentations have required both an interactive whiteboard and a projector to provide the interactive functionality. Now all you need is the projector! This significantly lowers the overall purchase cost and keeps the classroom looking less cluttered (and safer).

The projector comes with an annotation pen. This pen is used by the teacher or student to electronically "mark up" the image that is on the wall as the pen communicates with the projector to make the annotation visible. The advantages of the pens are that they are more reliable and accurate than fingers. I always do a circle test by drawing a large circle and looking for drop outs. I think of the pen as the "car keys" in that they are locked in a teachers desk and brought out when needed.

The 450Wi has an ultra-short throw lens allowing it to be wall mounted just above where the image is projected eliminating annoying "shadow puppets" caused by the teacher being between the projector lens and the screen.

Epson has announced that they will be demonstrating this break-through technology in Winnipeg, January 29, 2010 and in Edmonton, February 12, 2010.

Grant