Planar just made the jump into the 3-chip DLP projector market. The Viper is a mighty beast, promising a slew of video delights for the discerning enthusiast with 15 grand and a hankering for images 100 inches and larger.

“Viper’s exceptional image performance, most notably in contrast and black levels, combined with its exclusive design and integration features, reaffirms Planar’s commitment to offer the most impressive video displays where the image experience really matters,” said Brian Carskadon, Planar’s director of product management.

DLP allows the native 1280 x 720 Viper to achieve a 10,000:1 contrast ratio at 2,000 lumens brightness. The company also boasts 1080i interlacing, deep blacks and crisp high-def images.

“Planar truly has hit a home run with Viper,” said Joel Silver, president and founder of the Imaging Science Foundation. “Its superb image quality is a revelation at this price point, as is its dazzling feature set. Planar’s attention to detail here is phenomenal.”

Planar’s Viper has five lens options, power zoom and focus, horizontal and vertical lens shift, an RS-232 interface and two HDMI 1.3 inputs. The unit is available now.

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.