Milpitas, CA (August 5, 2009) Breaking new ground in price and performance in home theater projectors, Optoma Technology, Inc. has introduced the HD20, the company’s first HD (1080p) DLP® digital projector for under $1000. Priced at $999, and delivering 1700 ANSI lumens and a robust 4000:1 contrast ratio, the HD20 represents a significant breakthrough for consumers seeking Hi-Def home theater performance at a more affordable price.

Responding eagerly to this price barrier breakthrough, leading retailers and e-tailers have moved quickly to carry the new projector, including: Adorama, Amazon.com, Beach Camera, Best Buy, B&H Photo Video, CDW, Fry's Electronics, J&R, Micro Center, Nebraska Furniture Mart, PC Richard, ProjectorPeople.com, Staples.com and Visual Apex.

“We’re very excited to be at the forefront of such a significant breakthrough in HD projectors,” said Jon Grodem, director of product and marketing for Optoma. “This new low price opens up a whole new audience to the high definition, large screen, home theater projection experience. Viewers will love how the HD20 displays an image more than 9 times larger than a 40” flat screen television, projecting a screen size image greater than 120 inches.”

According to Grodem, the HD20 offers many of the features found on more expensive home theater projectors. Based on Texas Instruments’ 1080p DLP chipset, and BrilliantColor™ technology, the new projector offers the connectivity necessary to meet most consumer’s needs. Two HDMI inputs allow users to connect to more than one device at a time, such as their cable/satellite receiver and DVD player or video gaming system. It also provides VGA, component and composite video inputs for connection to other devices, as well.

The HD20 operates at a native 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels), while it also is compatible with most computer formats, such as UXGA, WXGA, SXGA+, SXGA, XGA, SVGA, VGA resized, VESA, PC and Macintosh, and it can also accept common global video inputs and video formats up to 1080p (HDTV, EDTV, SDTV, NTSC, PAL, SECAM).

Like all Optoma projectors, the DLP engine operates without filters, keeping ownership and maintenance costs low while ensuring consistent performance throughout the projector’s life. The projection lamp is rated to last up to 4000 hours in standard mode or 3000 hours in bright mode. The HD20 also incorporates a rapid shutdown feature that further reduces ownership costs, and it comes with a one-year parts and labor warranty, with the lamp being covered for 90 days.

The HD20 weighs 6.4 pounds and is equipped with a remote control (with batteries) that has backlit illumination for user convenience in darkroom viewing, a composite video cable, and other accessories. Additional product details and specifications are available at www.optomausa.com.