InFocus and DisplayLink Boost Apple’s Presence in Projector Market

At CES 2009 a company called DisplayLink unveiled a new driver technology that allows video to be transmitted via USB cable. The company also introduced technology that converts video from a USB port to any standard projector input such as a DVI cable input. This small change in the way digital video is transmitted means big changes in the projector industry and beyond.

Projector manufacturers are not wasting anytime in implementing the new technology. Consider InFocus. On the heels of CES, projector maker InFocus just announced that they will be launching a new projector, the IN3108 that is included in their IN3100 series. The IN3108 projector will have the DisplayLink driver preloaded onto its interface so that users can use a simple USB 2.0 cable to run video display from any computer to the projector.

Not only is this great news for the projector industry because it will make projectors easier to use, but it is also great news for computer companies like Apple. Apple will benefit because the DisplayLink’s USB technology will prompt projector manufacturers like InFocus to start developing Mac drivers for their projectors. InFocus is one of the first projector companies to develop a DisplayLink driver for the Mac computer.

This news amounts to big changes in the way video will be delivered to digital output devices in the future and projectors are definitely a large part of that equation. Assuming that the quality of the image is not compromised with the DisplayLink’s USB video transmission technology, it is feasible that other more complex and cumbersome modes of transmitting video will fade the way of the Dodo and Betamax. Regardless of what happens, USB companies have now found another industry in which their product will be widely used and I think the projector industry will welcome this change.