Castrade Co. Ltd. in Japanese will release its ultra compact LED projector "CV-MP02” on March 19, 2009.

The two major differences between CV-MP02 and the ultra compact projectors on the market are its low price and that it’s intended for automobile use. As an automotive device distributor, Castrade has planned to take advantage of its expertise in automotive audio-visual equipment and monitors to market the CV-MP02. Dedicated accessories will also be released to promote its use in vehicles.

The CV-MP02 will be priced from ¥35,000 to 36,000 (approx US$355-366) after release, which is similar to some of the competing products in market, but Castrade said they would try to further cut the price afterwards.

The LED projector features 640 x 480 pixels with a panel size of 0.44 inches. LCOS is adopted as the display element. The luminance is 10lm and the maximum power consumption about 10W. The outer dimensions of the projector are 115 x 50 x 23mm, and the weight is 160g including the built-in secondary battery which enables the projector to be operated for about one hour.