Why Choose InFocus?
In just a few short decades, InFocus has completely revolutionized the projector and collaborative products markets. The company’s long list of industry breakthroughs includes the first digital projector, the first DLP projector, the first projector television with an ultra-thin display, and the first touchscreen collaboration board. InFocus projectors offer great value for the money and are packed with useful features. They can be found in boardrooms, university lecture halls, and concert venues as well as home theaters. Whether you are looking for an entry-level projector with ultra-long lamp life or a premier laser model that’s tough enough to run continuously for years, you can find something that meets your needs in the InFocus projector line.
History
When InFocus invented the digital projector, it created a whole new class of products. InFocus went from startup to market leader in less than two decades, but years of steady growth came to an end when the company’s success attracted the attention of some of the biggest names in the electronics industry. When the market became far more competitive and sales began to fall, InFocus engineers moved the goalposts once again by creating the world’s first interactive collaboration board. Let’s take a look at this innovative company and its many milestones.
Founding and Milestones
InFocus was founded in Oregon in 1986 by two entrepreneurs named Paul Gulick and Steve Hix. Before starting their own company, Gulick and Hix both worked for the Oregon-based technology company Tektronix. The company was formed during the early days of the digital revolution, and it was soon a major player in a Portland-area technology hub the media named Silicon Forest. Other companies that set down roots in the area include Xerox, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and Epson.
Gulick and Hix wanted to change the way information was shared, but developing groundbreaking technology is expensive. Building the world’s first digital projector would cost a lot of money, so the entrepreneurs needed a product that they could bring to the market right away. That product was an LCD panel that could display images from a computer using the lamp from a traditional overhead projector. The panel sold well, and it generated enough revenue to fund the company’s ongoing research and development efforts.
Those efforts received a significant boost when InFocus entered into an agreement with Texas Instruments to use the Dallas-based company’s DMD chip technology. InFocus then used this technology to make the first DLP projector and the first lightweight projector. This project brought meetings, conferences, and presentations into the information age, and it created a whole new market segment. InFocus projectors were a huge hit with consumers and had little or no competition, so the company’s growth was swift. By 2002, InFocus employed more than 1,200 people and had annual sales of almost $900 billion.
That kind of success tends to be noticed, and it was not long before companies like Epson, Sony, and NEC introduced their own DLP projectors. InFocus projectors were suddenly competing with products made by global manufacturers with huge marketing budgets, and these competitors’ projectors were powered by the same DMD chip technology. The days of heady growth had come to an end, and InFocus soon found itself battling for survival.
The company’s projectors story took a major turn in 2009 when it was purchased by John Hui. Born in China and educated in England, Hui had made a name for himself when he purchased Packard Bell. Hui sold Packard Bell to Acer in 2008, and he used the proceeds to purchase InFocus. Hui was convinced that the company’s best days still lay ahead, so he set about reorganizing and revitalizing it. He moved the company to a new headquarters in Tigard, Oregon, and he tasked an experienced team of designers and engineers with developing its next breakthrough product.
The device they came up with revolutionized digital collaboration. It was a huge LCD display with the interactive features of a smartphone or tablet screen. The Mondopad had videoconferencing tools, a digital whiteboard, and a web browser, and it set a new standard for collaborative technology. The company now makes digital projectors for home and business use and interactive displays for corporations and universities, and its name is still associated with quality and innovation.
Production and Manufacturing
The InFocus projector line has a model for every budget. The entry-level Genesis Series offers excellent bang for the buck and some of the longest-lasting lamps on the market, and the top-of-the-line Quantum Laser Series can project ultrahigh-definition images continuously for years on end. Let’s take a closer look at these projectors and the technology and features that make them stand out.
Products
The current InFocus projector range is divided into four product lines, and even the least expensive models boast impressive features like advanced digital image correction and adjustable zooms. Let’s take a look at what makes the Genesis, LightPro, Quantum LED, and Quantum Laser digital projectors stand out:
- The Genesis Series: The new Genesis Series of regular and short-throw models was introduced to give buyers with entry-level budgets access to the latest portable projector technology. Genesis projectors are easy to connect and use, have long-lasting lamps and low latency, and are bright enough to project images that can stand up to ambient light. These compact projectors are available in the most popular resolutions, making them ideal for both home and office use.
- The LightPro Series: Silent bearings, smooth flow fan technology, and enclosures designed to maximize cooling make the LightPro Series the quietest projectors in their class, and they are almost whisper-silent when operating in eco mode. These projectors take collaboration and entertainment to a new level with superior brightness and enhanced features, and three HDMI inputs allow users to connect several digital sources without changing cables. These standard and short-throw projectors also have USB connections that make it easy to use them with Android TVs and Amazon FireSticks.
- The Quantum LED Series: Tipping the scales at just 4.4 pounds and packaged in attractive compact cases, the Quantum LED Professional Series projector was engineered to be extremely portable and easy to move from place to place. This is a great projector for business travelers or people who have to make presentations on the road, and they don’t have to sacrifice premium features in order to enjoy portability. This projector delivers long-lasting images and unbeatable brightness thanks to its Quantum Color Engine, and its impressive list of standard features also includes MiraCast and Apple AirPlay support.
- The Quantum Laser Series: With up to 5,500 lumens of brightness and a wide choice of resolutions, the Quantum Laser Series of digital projectors are perfect for offices or conference rooms. HDBaseT connectivity allows audio and video to be transmitted simultaneously, and HDR image performance makes projected images clear and sharp. Quantum Laser Series projectors can be placed on tables or hung from ceilings, and their light sources have been engineered to work flawlessly for up to 30,000 hours.
You can expect any InFocus projector you choose to contain the latest technology. The company’s Quantum Color Engine uses laser phosphor illumination to produce vivid colors and incredible image quality, and digital corner correction makes adjusting images a lot easier. InFocus projectors can display images, present documents, and play music or video directly, so they don’t need to be connected to computers to make presentations. If you would like to learn more about these projectors, you will find plenty of useful information including links to InFocus reviews on our main projectors page.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing state-of-the-art electronic products requires a state-of-the-art production plant, but building such a facility and equipping it with the latest assembly-line robots and autonomous manufacturing machinery would be prohibitively expensive for a company like InFocus. Instead, the company entered into a manufacturing agreement with one of the most respected names in smart manufacturing.
Maxnerva Technology Services Limited offers IT services to smart offices and retail establishments, but the Hong Kong-based company is best known for its advanced manufacturing solutions. InFocus projectors are made to exact tolerances by assembly-line robots that are closely monitored by highly skilled technicians, and the entire manufacturing process is monitored in real time by the latest cloud-based software.
This manufacturing arrangement gave InFocus access to the same kind of technology that manufacturing giants use. Foxconn, which operates some of the most sophisticated production facilities in the world, uses Maxnerva’s autonomous and semi-autonomous manufacturing solutions to make products for companies like Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft in factories as large as some cities.
Key Facts
The electronics industry changes lives for the better, but it also uses vast quantities of some of the world’s most scarce resources. Electronic devices contain small amounts of palladium, copper, gold, and platinum, and rare earth minerals like lithium and cobalt are used to make the batteries that power them.
InFocus has always strived to be a responsible company, and it has taken bold steps to ensure that its supply chain does as little damage as possible to the planet. The company urges its suppliers to source raw materials from producers that obey environmental laws and provide their workers with a safe environment. It also supports efforts to recycle electronic products all over the world.
When InFocus started selling smartphones, tablet computers, and LED televisions in India, the company entered into an agreement with the recycling company Attero to set up recycling centers for electronic devices that would otherwise be discarded. There are now more than 400 of these centers all over India, and they have kept thousands of tons of valuable resources out of landfills.
Warranty Information
InFocus backs its lamp and LED projectors for two years and its laser projectors for five years or 20,000 hours. These warranties protect projector owners from manufacturing or material defects, but they do not cover damage caused by third-party hardware, accidents, or abuse. Only individuals or companies that purchase New, InFocus projectors from an authorized retailer are covered by the warranty, and the coverage is not transferable to subsequent owners.
InFocus also offers a 30-day Dead on Arrival warranty. If a new InFocus projector does not work or stops working within the first 30 days of ownership, the company will replace it and pay all associated shipping costs. Projector owners who wish to make a warranty claim can start the process by visiting the InFocus projector https://infocus.com/support/technical-support/ support page and entering their name, address, and projector serial number, or they can call (877) 388-8360 and give the information to a company representative. If they use the online form, they can expect to get a response in one or two business days.
InFocus Appliance Parts
InFocus does not have a separate parts hub, but accessories and replacement components for many InFocus projector models can be purchased from the main company website. To find out which parts and accessories are available, projector owners should visit the website’s accessory portal and look for the model number of their device. Once they have selected their preferred language, they can click on a link to download a parts and accessories guide.
Website visitors can see and order popular parts by clicking the “Accessories” link from the “Products” dropdown menu. The parts available include:
- Lamps
- Cameras
- Keyboards
- Soundbars
- Carts
- OPS modules
- Cameras
- Cases
- Remote controls
- Air filters
Check Out More InFocus Content From TheProjectorExpert
If you want a projector that offers color accuracy good enough for watching movies and input lag low enough to make playing video games enjoyable, check out TheProjectorExpert for important industry news and reviews of the latest models. We put projectors to the test in real-world situations so that you will know exactly what to expect, and our press release and recall sections are packed with important industry news. Before you purchase a standard or short-throw projector, visit TheProjectorExpert to find out how it stacks up against competing models from other manufacturers.
InFocus Projector Reviews
Our InFocus projector reviews ignore marketing hype and concentrate on facts to help our visitors make smart decisions and avoid expensive mistakes. We let you know how well projectors deal with ambient light and how easy they are to set up and use, and we provide detailed lists of specifications and features. Our reviews let you compare InFocus projectors with similarly priced models from competing manufacturers, and they also tell you what other consumers have lauded or complained about in online reviews.
InFocus Projector Roundups
Digital projectors all tend to look alike, but the technology inside them can be very different. If you can’t decide which InFocus projector best fits your needs, a product roundup from TheProjectorExpert could point you in the right direction. When we compile a roundup, we select five popular models from a manufacturer’s lineup and take a look at the things that make them special. The condensed reviews describe key features and include comparison tables, and they present all this information in a concise format that is easy to read.
InFocus Press Releases
When InFocus projector models are upgraded, the company sends out press releases to let the media know about improved components or new features. Press releases are also issued when new projectors are introduced or old models are retired. Keeping track of all these press releases would be a daunting task that could take hours to complete, but you don’t have to worry about that because TheProjectorExpert has done it for you. Our press release pages are where you can find all the latest projector industry news, and they tell you about upcoming sales and rebates as well as new or improved models.
InFocus Recalls
Projectors made out of the best materials available and assembled in state-of-the-industry facilities are not recalled very often, but you can rely on TheProjectorExpert to give you all the important details when they are. We let you know what kind of problem prompted a projector recall, and we tell you about the steps the manufacturer is taking to rectify it. Defective projectors are usually replaced at no cost, but a repair may be offered if the defective component is inexpensive and easy to replace.
Where To Buy
A lot of websites and brick-and-mortar electronics stores sell digital projectors, but they don’t all offer attractive prices and excellent customer service. If you want a great deal and an enjoyable purchase experience, you can find retailers that offer both at TheProjectorExpert. We check inventory levels, return policies, and online reviews as well as prices, and we review them regularly to make sure that our information is up-to-date. Here are some links to retailers where you can shop with confidence:
Deals
InFocus projectors offer excellent value for money, but sometimes the deals get even better. When sales are announced or rebates are introduced, TheProjectorExpert lets you know all about them right away. Special projector deals are usually offered for a limited time, so check back at our deals section often.
Similar Brands
You can’t go wrong with an InFocus projector, but that does not mean you should ignore other brands. TheProjectorExpert covers all the major manufacturers, so you will be able to find useful content on the site no matter what kind of projector interests you. Before you make your final purchasing decision, you may want to check reviews of projectors made by:
Online Presence
InFocus projectors are made by an information age pioneer, so the company’s beautifully designed website with clear product and support links should come as no surprise. You can also learn about InFocus projectors on popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Here are some links:
Contact Information
If you have a question about an InFocus projector that only an authorized representative can answer, you can get in touch with the company by phone or email. Representatives are available to take calls on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, and emails are normally answered in one or two business days.