The VPLVW40 BRAVIA home cinema projector uses Sony’s BRAVIA Engine & trade full digital video processor for crisp and clear images. A digital contrast enhancer circuit improves contrast by enhancing all areas from dark to bright in parallel with texture control providing a three dimensional picture. Details in dark areas of the picture are there, just like they are supposed to be. Sony’s Advanced Iris function uses algorithms designed to analyze the histogram of each picture along with nonlinear amplification to dynamically adjust the iris for its optimum opening. The result is a stunningly high contrast ratio of up to 15,000:1. A Sony-designed fan efficiently removes heat at a barely noticeable noise spec of 22dB. Advanced Sony technologies ensure a clean picture, while the ultra quiet fan means noise won’t distract you from the beautiful projections. A specially designed crisp focus lens was developed to take full advantage of the full 1920 x 1080 HD resolution that the SXRD panel device offers. SXRD is a display technology developed by the legendary television engineers at Sony to meet and exceed the demands of a high definition image at its full 1080-line resolution. It is a 1920 x 1080p panel characterized by several key benefits, including full HD resolution, smooth film-like image with minimal screen door effects, high response times (2.5ms rise and fall), high contrast ratios, and accurate color rendition. PC video input, remote network connections (RS-232C), 12V trigger input Acceptable signals – 480/60i, 480/60p, 575/50i, 575/50p, 720/50p, 720/60p, 1080/50i, 1080/50p, 1080/60i, and 1080/60p Ultra high-pressure lamp (200W) for natural color 900 lumens brightness 3DY comb filter DRC palette presets (mode 1, mode 2) Color system – Auto, NTSC, PAL, and SECAM Wide mode – Wide zoom/normal/full/zoom Dimensions – Width 15.55 x Height 6.83 x Depth 18.56 Weight – 24.25 pounds

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars I’m in Heaven
I just hooked up my Sony vpl-vw40 projector and I’m very happy with it. I must admit that I have little experience and don’t have an extensive comparison backround, but it is more that I had hoped for. Nice blacks, vibrant colors. Also a very simple remote with intuitive functions. I just had over 20 people over- we watched “Night at the Museum” on Blue ray with a superb full 1080 res and then “Crouching Tiger” on traditional DVD. Upscaling to 1080p was great. Not quite as good as the BlueRay but pretty dang good for making up info. Everyone was amazed at the clarity. I hooked it to a Denon AVR-2308CI Home theater A/V Receiver and Fluance(tm) 5 Speaker SXHTB+ Surround Sound Home Theater System SX-HTB+. The speakers just boggle me. So much for so little. Anyways- there’s not any reviews I can see so far on this new projector, so hopefully this will be of use.

Jim

5 Stars VPL-VW40
Only one word…..AMAZING…..The picture quality, the blacks, the contrast….all excelent. Thanks to Sony for make another great product.

5 Stars 1080p front projection finally at an affordable price
I picked up the Sony VPL-VW40 to replace an aging 720p VPL-HS51 that has worked pretty well for over 3 years. One warranty repair was needed on the HS51 for a problem with the blue filter about a year and a half in, and it’s now out of warranty and was also about due for another lamp replacement so it seemed like a good time to upgrade.

I was a little worried that the VW40 might not be bright enough since it reportedly has a little lower maximum light output than the Epson 1080UB (which I also looked at), but I shouldn’t have been worried since I only project an about 85″ image (small room). To me the VW40 actually looks slightly brighter than the HS51 if anything. The big difference, though, is in resolution and black level. The image is much sharper and more detailed, especially with a 1080p source. I think it even looks somewhat better on upconverted content. It’s also quieter and I can’t even hear the fan noise unless I listen carefully for it. One thing I struggled with a bit is the sheer size and weight of the VW40. It’s a significant increase in both size and weight from the HS51 and I had to modify my home built ceiling mount to ensure it could handle it. It’s over 24lbs while the HS51 was less than 13lbs.

My reasons for choosing this model over the 1080UB include a couple of main factors. First, I’ve become accustomed to Sony projectors and I liked the similar features/connections/menus/etc. Secondly, the Sony is an SXRD (LCOS) projector vs the 3-LCD Epson. It has a sealed light path, so the need for a frequently replaced fine particle air filter is largely eliminated as is the danger of getting “dust blobs” in the picture. I’ve also heard some reports of convergence problems on the Epson. Otherwise, the performance of the projectors is very similar, with the Epson having a slight edge in maximum light output as well as black level, however both are so much better than the previous generation that the difference between them seems minor.

So far I’m very pleased with the projector’s performance, however, since it only comes with a 1-year warranty and my HS51 needed a warranty repair after more than 1 year I went ahead and got the extended warranty on this one, and would probably recommend that others do the same. As such you may want to factor that in to the total cost when comparing this unit with other models that may come with longer standard warranties (I believe the Epson has 2 years). I think you can even add the warranty to a refurbished unit if you want to make up for some of the extra cost, and Sony sometimes has an extra 10% off coupon for refurbished products.

Buy/More Info

Black reproduction is the key to stunning home theater and the HC5500 LCD projector brings more life to your screen with faster transitions between light and dark scenes and sharper overall details in dark areas. This portable home theater projector projects at a full HD(1920 x 1080) 1080p resolution. Digital video output gives you seamless performance with the Blu-ray 24P next generation optical disk. And a 1.2x powered zoom and focus lens lets you enjoy the big screen even in smaller spaces.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great price
I did a lot of research on projectors before purchasing. The Mistubishi was the cheapest I found for a new 1080p projector. Quiet, sleek, and ease of setup make this a quality purchase. However, the image isn’t quite as clear as I want it, but that may be do to projector settings and the screen I am throwing it on. Not buying the Mistubishi mount to hang from ceiling proved difficult as there are only three holes on the projector off center, and the universal mount made installation difficult. All in all, when the picture is over 100″, not really sure what more you could ask for. The more you spend the better the picture I am sure, but I am very happy with this product.

5 Stars Just get it
Picture is bright in Low lamp mode. I am not a video expert, but this unit is amazing. If it is the right price, just get it and be happy. I have owned this model for over 6 months and I’m still amazed every time I turn it on.

5 Stars Great 1080p Projector!
We purchased this projector a few months ago, and still are amazed by the picture quality. We use it in a semi-dark environment, and even with the ambient light the picture looks great! The projector is very quiet – I have to listen to ever hear it. The projector does throw a log of heat. So keep the room ventilated. Great projector. Very happy with our purchase!

Buy/More Info

Black reproduction is the key to stunning home theater and the HC5500 LCD projector brings more life to your screen with faster transitions between light and dark scenes and sharper overall details in dark areas. This portable home theater projector projects at a full HD(1920 x 1080) 1080p resolution. Digital video output gives you seamless performance with the Blu-ray 24P next generation optical disk. And a 1.2x powered zoom and focus lens lets you enjoy the big screen even in smaller spaces.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Everything that you would expect from a PJ
I did a lot of research before buying this PJ, the deciding factors for me were the Hollywood FX upscaling chip and the noise levels that are the lowest in the industry.

The upscaling chip helps upscale any lower resolution image to 1080p and does it handsomely. We will not be watching blu-ray movies all the time and this was an important factor for me.

As far as the noise levels are concerned, I have heard projectors that emit a low (or sometimes even high!) pitched whine while running, and once you know about the noise it can become very distracting. This PJ on the other is practically noiseless, you cannot hear it while it is running even if you put your ear right next to it.

Picture quality is outstanding with none of the “flicker” normally associated with fast moving objects with LCD projectors. I watch action movies and have not seen any “flicker” at all.

It does need a reasonably light controlled room as it is not as bright as an Optoma HD71 for example, especially at the “low” lamp setting, but on the other hand the “low” lamp setting is supposed to give you 5000 hours of usage.

Buy it, you cannot go wrong.

5 Stars Just get it
Picture is bright in Low lamp mode. I am not a video expert, but this unit is amazing. If it is the right price, just get it and be happy. I have owned this model for over 6 months and I’m still amazed every time I turn it on.

2 Stars Good for dark rooms
I would rate this projector 4 or above if I want to use it only in dark room. If you have reasonable ambient light in room then forget about any night scene. May be this was with my unit only so I returned. Good service from Amazon no hard time in returning.

Buy/More Info

The PT-AX200 is ideal for watching sports events or playing video games in daylight conditions and surely for viewing movies in a dark room. Powerful 2,000-lumen brightness and new Light Harmonizer 2 technology make it easy for people to enjoy vibrant, dynamic images even if they don’t have a special theater room. Together with the 2,000-lumens brightness, Panasonic’s Light Harmonizer 2 technology produces vivid and easy-to-see images even in the kind of bright lighting that makes images from other projectors look whitish, faded or lacking in detail. The Light Harmonizer 2 circuit not only adjusts the gamma curve, but also controls the iris setting, lamp power, and picture sharpness to maintain easy, comfortable viewing at all times. The PT-AX200 features a Game mode that improves signal processing for better response, allowing you to play games with minimal stress. It also reveals gradation in saturated areas to show details that are otherwise lost in very dark areas. The Pure Color Filter was born from Panasonic’s pursuit of optical technology that delivers true Hollywood picture quality. The light spectrum is adjusted to produce a level of light that maximizes the performance of the LCD panels, which expands the color range and produces truer blacks. The high definition picture of the PT-AX200 is remarkably smooth and film-like, while remaining amazingly sharp and detailed. Dynamic Iris has been refined to provide deeper, richer blacks for true image reproduction with stunning smoothness. This technology adjusts the lamp power, iris, and gamma curve according to data obtained from frame-by-frame histogram analysis of the image brightness level. The new Advanced Dynamic Sharpness Control determines image areas that need to be sharpened at varying degrees by examining small changes in brightness levels within the image. This greatly reduces noise amplification and delivers clear and natural looking images.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Essentially perfect
I had a Panasonic PT-AE900U that bit the dust after 3 1/2 years of constant (~4 hours a day) use, so I opted for this unit as a replacement, which is now 2 generations ahead of the PT-AE900U, which was pretty darn good by any measure. All I can say about this latest version is that it is indeed an improvement in every sense, at about 60% of the price I paid for the old one. Better in every way: Brighter, sharper, yet smoother and more film-like in its presentation. I was able to simply plug it in in place of my old one and it looks fabulous right out of the box. I don’t see any need for adjustment. I watched ‘Dark Knight’ on Blu-ray as projected onto my Da-Lite Manual 106″ Diagonal HDTV Format Home Theater Wall Screen with High Contrast Matte White Fabric (1.1 gain) and it looked just gorgeous. Excellent contrast and depth, color is perfect and the blacks are deep and no longer have the annoying “sheen” I was seeing on the older model.

There really is no reason whatsoever to spend 2x as much (or more) to go 1080P. The difference, even doing an A/B comparison, would be virtually unnoticeable. The only format that even has 1080P is Blu-ray, and I cannot imagine that it could look any better than presented by this unit, which accepts the 1080P signal and scales to 720P. High-def is high-def. Indeed, HDTV is all 720P, and ESPN prefers it to 1080P due to the fact that it’s better for motion shots.

This unit is now available for less than ten Ben Franklins. At that price, it’s insane not to buy one. You could buy one of these brand new every time the bulb burned out (2000 hours) several times in a row and still spend less than what one 1080P projector would set you back.

And did I mention the Game Mode? PS3 ‘Motorstorm Pacific Rift’ and ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ are just nuts with this unit! Have your pals over for some life-size gaming action and they may never leave!

So just buy it already!

5 Stars Jaw Dropping
Understand that I’m new to projectors, so I don’t have a lot of background for comparison. I recently moved to a new apartment with a massive living room and I thought to myself “This would be a great opportunity to set up the home theater I always wanted.” I spent a good two months researching online for the perfect entry-level hd projector. After slogging through hundreds, if not thousands, of amateur and professional reviews, it was neck and neck between the Panasonic and the Optoma HD65. The Optoma is significantly less expensive, but I was scared off by the potential for “rainbows”. (Google “rainbow effect” if you don’t know what I’m talking about.) Rainbows tend to occur far more often with high-contrast images, and since I watch a lot of B&W movies, I wanted to make sure this wouldn’t be an issue, and as the Panasonic is an LCD projector, it won’t be. I ended up purchasing a refurb model of the PT AX200u on eBay for a terrific price.

The biggest concern I had was what to do for a screen. If you spend any time on AV forums online you find that, like with many things, there’s an ongoing battle over whether to use a high-end screen from a trusted manufacturer (Draper, Da-lite, etc.) or to make one yourself. I decided that, as a noob, I would just paint a screen on the wall and save up for a nice one. When I got the projector yesterday I set it up (which took about five minutes) just to make sure it was working properly. I hadn’t gotten around to painting the screen yet, since I was planning it as a project for the weekend. I connected my mac mini, which I use as a media center pc, and switched on the projector. Cue the stunned silence. In a moment I had an image of my mac desktop covering nearly the entirety of my living room wall, about 7′x 13′!!! Since I haven’t received my blu-ray player yet (it arrives tomorrow) I decided to pull up Front Row and check out how some of my movies looked. I have a number of dvd’s ripped to an external harddrive. The first one was “Casablanca”. For a regular old MP4 rip of a standard def dvd it looked amazing. For contrast, I pulled up “Kingdom of Heaven” and, with a color film, you can certainly see a bit more grain and the film titles have a fair amount of pixelization, but it’s still totally watchable. Did I mention I hadn’t painted the screen yet? It turns out our pale green walls, which have a fair amount of gray in them, work perfectly well as a screen. I had to do some color correction to make sure the skin tones looked right, but I’m perfectly satisfied.

Now, if a THX tech came by tomorrow he’d probably laugh in my face over how amateur my setup is, but for a first time projector owner, I’m floored by how great the picture looks. The thing is also incredibly bright. Though at night our living room is very dark, I’m currently writing this at 9:30 a.m. on a drizzly morning and the picture is perfectly viewable, even with tons of ambient light. Overall, I’m very impressed. I’ll leave you with this: My wife, who resisted the whole idea of a home theater for a long time, came into the room last night just after I got the projector set up. She stared at the wall in silence for a moment, then said to me “We’re having people over this weekend.” How’s that for a seal of approval?

UPDATE 6/15/09

It’s been about ten days and this may be the greatest thing I’ve ever owned. Hooked up a Panasonic blu-ray player and wow. Just…wow. Had friends over the other night and watched Kubrick’s 2001 in blu-ray projected about 14′x8′ (the size of some arthouse multiplexes I’ve paid good money at in LA & NYC) and everyone was blown away. We’ve also watched standard dvd’s upconverted and they really look pretty darn good. Even Netflix instant watch and Hulu are completely watchable, though I usually shrink the screen to about 120″ diagonal. I’ve got a movie theater in my apartment!!! How cool is that?

4 Stars low noise and high res.
quiet, high res, many features for a really good price. Adjustable throw distance is a plus.

Buy/More Info