Epson, the number one selling projector brand worldwide, made some major noise at Infocomm in Las Vegas last week, just ahead of ISTE next week in Atlanta. The company revealed several new projectors and refreshed several of their projector lines. One of the most exciting announcements is the new BrightLink Pro series projectors.

With the new BrightLink Pro 1430wi and 1420wi Epson has thought of just about everything you would need in a projector in both the classroom and the board room.

The BrightLink Pro series can turn any surface into an interactive whiteboard without the need for a computer. Gesture movement combined with the internal software make it easy to share, collaborate, annotate and educate with these new projectors. Teachers and meeting leaders can activate interactive content, write and add to presentations in real time as they’re on the screen.

Epson has taken the Brightlink Pro lineup to the next level by enhancing it with collaboration features never seen before in a projector. Typically collaborating either in a room full of students or in a conference or meeting, required not only the presentation device but other software and hardware to make collaboration possible. Epson has built it all into the projector line.

The new series feature a new Whiteboard Sharing Tool that allows up to 15 participants to join a whiteboarding session directly from any mobile device with a web browser or from another BrightLink Pro – without using a software or app.

“According to a recent study², 37 percent of employee time is spent in meetings. We created BrightLink Pro to ensure that meeting time is spent in the most productive and efficient manner,” said Sean Gunduz, senior product manager, Projectors, Epson America, Inc. “In addition, both in-room and remote collaboration needs are becoming very critical for today’s meetings and training sessions. Our simple interactive tools take meetings to the next level, allowing users to engage in a truly immersive and collaborative environment.”

Designed for businesses, as well as higher education and K-12 environments, BrightLink Pro ultra-short throw interactive meeting room projectors are easy to use and work like an appliance. Users simply turn on the projector and start writing with no PC required. Unlike traditional whiteboards, users can add up to 50 blank pages for virtually unlimited writing space, as well as save, print and email notes, with improved email functionality. For users editing and annotating on top of existing image or document files, these models also deliver improved object tools such as copy, paste, crop, and rotate for ease-of-use. The BrightLink Pro 1430Wi supports gestures³, up to six fingers for annotations, as well as dual-pen support.

Epson has packed all of this into the BrightLink Pro:

• Whiteboard Sharing Tool: Allows 15 participants to join a whiteboarding session via other BrightLink Pro 1430Wi and 1420Wi projectors, PCs, smartphones, and tablets using a web browser and to engage collaboratively without the need for a software or app
• Finger Touch Annotation: BrightLink Pro 1430Wi supports finger touch capabilities with up to six fingers annotating simultaneously
• Improved Email Functionality: Offers address book access and ability to send e-mails to up to 10 recipients, for increased productivity
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Leveraging the free Epson iProjection™ app, users can bring their own iOS Apple devices running iOS 4.2 or later and most Android devices running Android 2.3 or later to project on BrightLink Pro, annotate, capture, and share⁵
• Advanced Connectivity Options: Includes two HDMI ports, one with MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) support for connecting multiple digital devices, including mobile phones, tablets and other portable devices, for enriched high definition viewing capabilities
• Control Pad: For increased ease of use, the control pad acts as a USB hub, extension to USB ports or as a remote control unit. Connect to USB thumb drive, PC or printer; also offers buttons to power the BrightLink Pro on and off, and to select major functions, including whiteboard mode, source search, capture, print, or save
• PC Interactivity: Turns the interactive pen into a wireless mouse and provides flexibility to run any application on a computer, access the web and edit documents on the go; can be enabled via a combination of two HDMIs, VGA, and USB cable or wirelessly using free EasyMP^® Network Projection
• Video Conferencing: Users can easily connect video conference equipment and leverage split-screen⁴ capabilities to view two sources side-by-side, creating a display as large as 100-inches diagonally
• Three Times Brighter Colors with Epson⁶: Epson 3LCD 3-chip technology ensures the projection of brilliant images with true-to-life color
• High Brightness: Both models offer 3,300 lumens of color brightness and 3,300 lumens of white brightness⁷

You can see the new BrightLink Pro as well as Epson’s complete lineup of projectors for the classroom at ISTE 2014 starting this Sunday in Atlanta Georgia.