It seems like the term “high definition” is used quite liberally in marketing these days. What’s normally associated with television and imaging is used loosely with everything from radio (although the “HD” in HD Radio doesn’t actually mean high definition) to cosmetics (however, Max Factor may have started using that term way before HDTVs came into the picture). Basically, the use of the term “high-definition” is to convey a sharper view or something more enhanced. Bushnell gives the HD treatment to one of its newest flashlights, the HD Torch ($110), a flashlight that produces a 165-lumen output and evenly distributed square beam of light.
The HD Torch is made out of rugged, waterproof, aircraft-grade aluminum with a scratch-free finish, and it’s powered by two 3-volt lithium batteries for 1.5-hour of continuous use. Unlike a regular flashlight that produces what Bushnell says is “non-uniform irregular ‘blobs’ of light,” the HD Torch outputs a uniform square of light that the company calls “High Definition Illumination.
While we don’t doubt the brightness of the flashlight, the use of “high definition” seems somewhat of a stretch. Consider that office projectors can produce lumen outputs in the thousands and that a compact fluorescent light bulb emits around 1,500 lumens, the flashlight doesn’t seem that high def to us when compared. However, it’s much easier to carry this flightlight in the outdoors than a projector.
Bushnell Official Website
[Via BeSportier: High Def Flashlights : Bushnell HD Torch]