What stood out at ISE 2026 and why it actually matters

By Jeremiah Barkman, Product Manager & Technology Writer

Barcelona’s ISE 2026 was the usual spectacle of blinking displays and ambitious booth designs, but the conversations at InFocus kept landing on the same question: “Okay, but how long will it actually last?”

It’s a fair question. Between budget pressures and technology that seems obsolete before the invoice is paid, nobodywants to gamble on equipment that might need replacing in three years. So instead of talking about pixels and lumens, let’s talk about what happens after you buy the thing.

The Laser Projector That Doesn’t Dim

The IN1108SL got a lot of attention, mostly because laser projection has finally hit the point where it makes financial sense for regular classrooms and meeting rooms, not just premium installations.

Here’s the pitch if you’re a reseller: your customers won’t be calling you every 18 months for replacement lamps. Traditional projectors burn through bulbs every 2,000-5,000 hours,¹ which sounds like a lot until you realize that’s 1-2 years in a classroom that runs 5 hours daily. At $200-$500 per lamp,² that adds up fast. The IN1108SL’s laser light source is rated for 30,000 hours³ with zero maintenance. Do that math and it’s about 16 years of classroom use before it hits half-brightness.

For teachers, this solves the “why is my projector so dim?” problem that always seems to pop up mid-semester when there’s no budget left for replacements. Laser technology doesn’t gradually fade like lamp-based projectors (which can dim by 20-30% in just the first few months).⁴ It stays consistent. You set your brightness once and it actually stays that way.

The educational flexibility is nice too. And bright enough for lights-on environments, works for everything from presentations to video playback, and you’re not juggling lamp inventory or scheduling maintenance windows.

The Display That Actually Works With Google

The IN7513 is a 4K interactive display with proper Google Mobile Services certification. That certification matters more than it sounds like it should.

If you’ve sold displays into schools, you know the IT objection: “Will this work with our Google ecosystem?” GMS certification means yes, definitively. Drive, Classroom, Meet. All native, all tested, no weird workarounds or compatibility patches six months later. For resellers, that’s fewer support tickets and faster approvals when IT isn’t nervous about integration headaches.

The pricing is competitive enough to win in budget-conscious segments, which describes most education procurement right now.

On the educator side, teachers don’t want to learn another platform. They’ve got Google Classroom materials ready togo. The IN7513 just… works with what they already have. No training sessions, no “okay but how do I share my Drive folder on this thing?”

Ultra-Short Throw Without the Drama

The IN2009UT solves the “we don’t have ceiling infrastructure” problem that kills a lot of projector sales. Project 100+inches from inches away. No ceiling mount, no shadows when you’re presenting, no installation complexity.

For partners, this opens up spaces that wouldn’t work with traditional projection, libraries where you can’t drill intohistoric ceilings, multi-purpose rooms that need flexible setups, temporary venues, anywhere installation budget is tight. Lower install costs mean faster ROI for your customers and fewer project delays while facilities figures out mounting.

Teachers like it because shadow-free presenting is legitimately better. You can walk up to the screen, point at something,annotate directly without blocking half the class’s view. Plus you can move it between rooms without calling facilities. Just wheel it in, plug it in, done.

The IN2009UT comes in both traditional lamp and laser configurations. Laser models hit 20,000-30,000 hours.⁶ Even the lamp versions run 10,000-15,000 hours in eco mode.⁷ Still 2-3x what you’d get from older projector technology. Either way, it’s designed for the kind of use where it gets moved around, bumped occasionally, and still keeps working.

Why 38 Years Matters

InFocus invented the digital projector in 1990.⁸ That’s not brand mythology. They literally created the category. First DLP projector, first sub-five-pound portable, first all-in-one interactive whiteboard with touch and video conferencing built in.⁹

What does that actually mean for a purchase decision? Supply chain stability. Component quality that’s been field-tested across thousands of installations. Engineering teams that have seen every failure mode and designed around them. That’s not the same as a consumer electronics brand deciding to try their hand at educational displays.

The warranty structures reflect that institutional focus too. These aren’t consumer-grade “good luck after 12 months” warranties. Commercial deployments get commercial support.

For resellers, reliability translates directly to business development. Schools that trust your recommendations comeback for expansions. Service calls decrease. Referrals increase. Your margins might be slimmer on reliable equipment than on cheap stuff that needs constant replacement, but your customer relationships last longer.

For educators and administrators, it’s simpler: budgets are predictable and lessons aren’t interrupted. Technology thatworks consistently means less emergency procurement scrambling and more time actually teaching.

The Actual Cost of “Cheap”

Nobody’s saying buy the most expensive thing because it’s expensive. But the ISE conversations kept reinforcing this: the lowest sticker price is rarely the lowest total cost.

A laser projector costs more upfront but eliminates $1,500+ in lamp replacements over its operational life. A commercial-grade display that runs 10+ years costs half as much as buying two consumer panels that fail after five. An ultra-short throw projector that eliminates ceiling infrastructure costs pays for itself in installation savings.

The question isn’t “what’s the cheapest option?” It’s “what’s still working in seven years without surprise repair bills?”

What’s Next

If you’re a trade partner: Missed Barcelona but want to talk through how these fit your customer mix? We can walk through positioning for education vs. corporate, typical project timelines, margin structures. Whatever helps you evaluate whether these make sense for your portfolio.

If you’re an educator or administrator: Want actual specs, district pricing, or more information? Reach out. We can arrange product demos or send over detailed information on the IN1108SL, IN7513, or IN2009UT.

The core message from ISE was pretty straightforward: 38 years of building display technology means we’ve learned whatactually breaks and what doesn’t. These three products reflect that, not bleeding-edge experimental tech, just solid solutions designed to work reliably for a long time.

Because in education especially, “reliable” and “boring” are compliments, not criticisms.

About the Author

References

1. ProjectorCentral.com, “Classroom Projector Buyer’s Guide: Lamp Life” – Traditional halide lamp projectors typically offer 2,000-5,000 hour lifespans depending on usage mode and maintenance.https://www.projectorcentral.com/classroom_projector_buyers_guide_lamp_life.htm
2. ProjectorCentral.com, “Classroom Projector Buyer’s Guide: Lamp Life” – Replacement lamps for classroom projectors with 2000-3000 lumens brightness range from $200-$500.https://www.projectorcentral.com/classroom_projector_buyers_guide_lamp_life.htm
3. InFocus Corporation, “Laser Projector Technology” – InFocus laser projectors deliver up to 30,000 hours of maintenance-free operation. https://infocus.com/
4. Pure Theatre, “Laser Projectors vs Lamp Projectors” (December 2025) – Lamp-based projectors typically experience 20-30% brightness degradation in the first 200-300 hours of operation, while laser projectors maintain consistent brightness throughout their lifespan. https://www.puretheatre.com/blog/laser-projectors-vs-lamp-projectors
5. Ingscreen.com, “How to Choose Commercial Digital Screens: 7 Key Factors” – Commercial-grade displays are rated for 50,000 to 100,000 hours of operation, representing 5 to 11 years of continuous use in professional environments. https://www.ingscreen.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-digital-screen-for-commercial-use
6. Dangbei, “LED vs Laser vs Lamp Projectors: A Comparison” (March 2024) – Laser projectors offer lifespans ranging from 20,000 to 30,000+ hours, significantly exceeding traditional lamp-based alternatives.https://us.dangbei.com/blogs/newsroom/led-vs-laser-vs-lamp-projectors-a-comparison
7. Amazon.com, “Optoma EH412ST Short Throw Projector Specifications” – Modern ultra-short throw projectors with lamp technology in ECO mode can achieve up to 15,000 hours of operational life.https://www.amazon.com/Optoma-EH412ST-Professional-Presentations-Classrooms/dp/B07TR7K33F
8. InFocus Corporation, “About Us: Company History” – Founded in 1986, InFocus released the INF1, recognized as the first full digital projector, in 1990. https://infocus.com/about-us/
9. ProjectorCentral.com, “InFocus Projectors: Company Profile” – InFocus pioneered multiple industry firsts including the first DLP projector, first sub-five-pound projector, and first all-in-one interactive whiteboard with integrated touch technology and video conferencing. https://www.projectorcentral.com/InFocus-projectors.htm