InFocus LiteShow brings Wi-Fi to projectors

Macworld - Infocus Corp. has announced LiteShow, a new system designed to enable digital projectors to operate through wireless networking. What's more, LiteShow works with the Mac.

LiteShow works with most InFocus projectors released over the last four years, and operates using IEEE 802.11b or Wi-Fi, the same industry-standard wireless networking technology employed in Apple's own AirPort technology. Apple's AirPort Extreme networking uses 802.11g, a faster but downwardly-compatible networking technology.

LiteShow also incorporates Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 128-bit data encryption and system authentication protection, to make sure only authorized users can use the projector. LiteShow also supports auto-discovery to simply network configuration.

Normally using a digital projector requires users to attach the projector itself to their computer, requiring setup and teardown time. InFocus explained that LiteShow was developed to provide a "community-based atmosphere" where users can quickly project their own presentations directly from their notebooks through a shared projector.

The LiteShow system typically offers refresh rates of less than one second -- about five times faster than alternative solutions, according to InFocus -- making LiteShow suitable for slideshow-based presentations from software like Apple Keynote or Microsoft PowerPoint.

InFocus noted that the LiteShow projection system is compatible with existing wireless equipment, and specifically indicated that Apple AirPort is supported. Although the company said that LiteShow works with most of its projectors built since 1999, the company also added that LiteShow will work with any projector from other companies equipped with an M1-DA or M1-D connector (the device must comply with the VESA M1 standard to work).

InFocus Corp. plans to release LiteShow this summer for $499. The first version will support wireless projection from PCs and Macs in "ad-hoc" mode. An enhanced update will be released this fall which will provide wireless transmission through a corporate LAN.