There’s more than a few great home theater projectors to choose from. Many of these models have been on the market several years and are still popular. And guess what? With price markdowns, there are great deals to be had on these older but still highly functional models.
However, if you prefer the newest and latest 2014 home theater technology then we want to introduce the Sony VPL-HW40ES this is a LCOS type projector with built-in high frame rate SXRD panel technology, making it possible to bring the same high quality, captivating images seen of cinema into your home.
The price is outstanding for a model offering such quality. Before Sony released this model, owning a LCOS display projector with the level of contrast and HD performance would have cost $3000 or more. Amazon Price. There’s no doubt this model and its price took everyone by surprise the day it hit the market in 2014.
Picture Quality: 5 out of 5 stars
A person who spends $1000 or more on a new high definition home theater projector deserves great picture quality. There’s different attributes needed to supply a great picture.
Does the Sony VPL-HW40ES have what it takes to satisfy your home movie delight? Here’s a few of the most important assets you want to keep in mind when looking for a great picture:
- Projector type
- High definition resolution
- Brightness
- High contrast
- Sharpness
- Sony VPL HW40ES B SXRD quality
- Is the picture up to snuff?
This is an LCOS style projector (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) this is the style you want! This technology rules in the area of home theater!!! This style was once too expensive for, “common people” to own, we had to settle for either DLP or LCD styles. But the Sony VPL-HW40ES has changed this in 2014.
Besides style, another important aspect of picture quality is the level of resolution provided. This Sony model is tru high definition (HD), for pixel people this means 1080p Full HD (1920×1080 resolution).
Is it bright?
Many people turning off the lights to become fully immersed in the images of a greatly movie. But what if you want to leave the lights on to watch a movie or TV?
The Sony VPL-HW40ES provides 1700 ANSI lumen brightness.
What level of contrast does it provided?
Some will say the contrast ratio of a projector won’t tell you much about what you can expect to see on the screen. In some instances we do agree with this assessment. There will not be much of a difference between one with a ratio of 4,000:1 and another with one of 5000:1.
However, the contrast ratio of the Sony VPL-HW40ES is 120,000:1 this is absolutely huge!!! This can’t simply be ignored, tossed aside as if its not going to add to producing a great on screen picture. Not exactly sure what 120,000:1 means? The darkest colors on the screen will appear 120,000 times darker than the lightest colors.
How sharp are the images?
Out of the box the color sharpness is outstanding. The sharpness can be adjusted but the default settings seem to be right on.
The first thing you will notice when viewing a movie is this projector handles skin tones extremely well. Very vivid and life-like. We have read a few times online reviewers saying the images have a little extra red to skin tones in dark scenes. We have only noticed with when the actor/actress has very light skin.
Lamp Life 4.3 out of 5 stars
The projector provides the option of being played in a few different modes each having distinct levels of power consumption and drain on the lamp’s life. The most economical, the “power save mode” which will extend the lamp life up to 5,000 hours.
If the VPL-HW40ES is always ran at maximum power consumption the manufacturer says the lamp life will be decreased to 2,000 hours.
Replacement Lamp : LMP-H202: This is the lamp to buy when a replacement is need. We have seen this lamp selling online from $50 – $186 so if you ever do happen to need to be this make sure you look around for the best price and buy from a trust dealer.
Conclusion – Overall Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars
The Sony VPL-HW40ES home movie projector provides an outstanding picture. Colors are life-like and its an easy set-up. If you want a 120 inch high definition screen but can’t afford an HDTV this size then this is the perfect less expensive alternative.
The only real complaint heard, which we don’t necessary agree with is the levels of black are not the best. With this said, even the people who cite this complaint still go on to rave about the picture quality.
If you’re seriously considering buying this model then we wouldn’t say anything to stop you. We believe this model provides an enormous amount of quality and value for the asking price. At this price point, in our opinion the only other projectors in 2014 comparable are the Epson TW7200 and the Panasonic AE8000.
