The take-everywhere 24” display: the SPUD on Kickstarter

 

 

It seems to be a golden age for Kickstarter projects related to photography: the latest is the SPUD (Spontaneous Pop-Up Display) created by Arovia, which is essentially an HD projector connected to a collapsible screen. The project is doing terrifically well on Kickstarter: at the time of writing, the project has received $387,512 in funding towards a $33,000 funding goal, from over a thousand backers.

The SPUD's central technology is a high-definition projector offering a display output of 1,280 x 720 pixels. The smaller HD format was chosen over 1,920 x 1,080 pixels as a compromise between cost, performance and projector size. The display is a cunning design, using a collapsing mechanism to go from a full 24" display to a compact package by just sliding the projector in and out. When the SPUD is collapsed, it is around 5 1/2 inches wide, just over 2 inches high, and 7 1/2 inches long. The SPUD uses a built-in battery for power, offering plug-free usage for up to 10 hours.

 

 

The SPUD Kickstarter has already achieved two of its stretch goals - built-in stereo speakers, and an upgrade on the internal battery from 6 hours to 10 hours. A third stretch goal, offerred at $500,000, will be to offer the SPUD in an additional titanium color. You can back the project and pre-order a SPUD for $399, shipped anywhere in the world, and the target delivery date is June 2017.

• SPUD •