BenQ has unveiled its first Blue Core interactive laser projectors designed for the classroom. The ultra-short-throw WXGA (1280 x 800) LW890UST, full HD LH890UST (1920 x 1080) and the short-throw WXGA (1280 x 800) LW820ST are the first interactive K-12 laser projectors from the new Blue Core family. The LW890UST and LH890UST can be configured for either pen or touch interactivity. The LW820ST comes with an optional interactive toolkit which provides templates and annotation tools so students and teachers can easily collaborate. Additionally, an optional wireless QCastMirror dongle enables BYOD collaboration for mobile device integration, facilitating the free exchange of ideas and teamwork.

These new models employ BenQ’s dual color wheel laser technology and offer a 20,000 hour life. They have a 100,000:1 contrast and a 1.07 billion color display. The LW890UST and LH890UST are 4,000 lumens and the LW820ST is 3,500-lumens. All BenQ Blue Core laser projectors also have instant power on and off, and this new trio of projectors is IP5X dustproof certified. The LW890UST and LH890UST projectors’ ultra-short-throw capability allows them to be mounted as close as 3.6″ from the wall and project images up to 100″ on a wall or whiteboard. They also include a tool-free mount design that enables the teacher to adjust the projected image to fit perfectly on a whiteboard or wall in seconds.

BenQ classroom projectors feature LAN control, for full access and control over every projector in the network including remotely powering them up and down, changing sources and upgrading firmware throughout the facility over the network. The new Blue Core series employ DLP technology and include a 10W built-in speaker.

BenQ is pricing its new projectors direct to educational institutions starting at $1,299 for the LW820ST, $2,199 for the LW890UST, and $2,399 for the LH890UST, with interactive pen and finger-touch upgrade modules available at $199.

Display market analyst firm PMA Research collects monthly sell-through data from dealers, distributors and retailers to produce a monthly series of Tracking Reports showing industry trends. Recent findings from the Distribution channel showed that Interactive display sales rose again in the third quarter, and growth was concentrated in the interactive projection space where sales and revenues both rose more than 50% over 3Q2017.