CES 2009: Printers at CES 2009
Sharp HN PP100 printer
The HN PP100 printer from Sharp not only prints digital photos, it can also be linked directly to a TV to display pictures on screen.
We saw the HN PP100 in action at CES 2009 in Las Vegas. The printed photos were sharp with good colour contrasting, though we didn’t have a chance to test how quickly the device handles colour prints.
It’s a very compact device, so shouldn’t take up much space on a desktop. It would be easy to carry it to another room if you wanted to link it to a TV.
The HN PP100 has slots for USB memory sticks, compact flash cards, SD memory cards and MMC cards, so most major memory formats for digital photos are supported.
If you display your pictures on screen, you can choose from several display options, such as scrolling pictures at random with background music. The printer comes loaded with 10 music tracks, and you can also add one more of your choice.
The HN PP100 comes with a small remote control that lets you scroll through your pictures as you display them on a TV screen.
We felt that the TV display functionality was a fairly useful feature, though it should be kept in mind that increasing numbers of new HDTVs have built-in SD memory card readers, letting you display your digital photos on screen with ease.
Lizzy Payne, Which? printers expert, said, ‘This isn't the first printer we've seen that can be connected to your TV for photo viewing. However, it's interesting to see that Sharp have taken it one step further and added background music and a remote control.’
Lizzy added, ‘This is the first printer we've seen from Sharp so it's difficult to say how well the inks will age over time, and how resistant they are to moisture. We're also unable to comment on running costs, as Sharp haven't given any details about this yet.’
The HN PP100 will be available this spring, at around US$249 (about £165). Details on UK price and availability are yet to be confirmed.
For more on choosing a printer, see the expert Which? printer reviews.
To see more pics from our time at CES 2009, check out the Which? CES 2009 photo gallery on Flickr.
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