The Best 1080p Resolution Home Theater Projectors of 2007
04/25/2007-Art Feierman

Overview
Image Quality
General Performance
Warranty
Summary, Pros, Cons

1080p Home Theater Projectors - Summary and Comparisons:

Click on these links to read more in-depth comparisons.

Panasonic PT-AE1000U vs Epson Home Cinema 1080
Epson Home Cinema 1080 vs Mitsubishi HC5000
3LCD: PT-AE1000U vs Home Cinema 1080 vs Mitsubishi HC5000
BenQ W9000 vs Panasonic PT-AE1000U
Sony VW50 Pearl vs Mitsubishi HC5000
Optoma HD81 vs. Sony VW50 Pearl
Optoma HD81 vs BenQ W9000 and W10000
BenQ W10000 vs JVC RS1
JVC RS1 vs Sony VW50 Pearl
JVC RS1 vs Optoma HD81
JVC RS1 vs Panasonic PT-AE1000U
Summary - The Bottom Line

Optoma HD81 vs Sony VW50 Pearl

Another tough competition. As of this writing (late April '07), Optoma HD81 recently dropped their pricing from $7999 to $4299, and threw in a $300 mail-in rebate as extra incentive. I'm not really privy to dealer costs, but typically Optoma provides good margins, so I expect that it is selling for at least few hundred dollars less than the Sony Pearl VW50.

First, of course, the HD81 (shown here, without its outboard processor box) is a single chip, Darkchip3 DLP projector, so a very, very small percentage of buyers will see rainbows, and scratch the Optoma from their short list. The Sony, a 3 chip LCOS (they call it SXRD), like LCD, is rainbow effect free.

The Optoma has a few advantages - it's physically much smaller, and it has outboard processing. The outboard processor (with only two cables from processor box to the projector, to carry all signals), simplifies wiring, and can save you a bunch of money in terms of cost of cables, and wiring. As noted, the Optoma also has far more inputs (including 3 HDMI inputs) than the Sony VW50 Pearl (or any other projector), which can be a huge plus for those without an AV receiver that has multiple DVI or HDMI switching built in. For example I have a Marantz AV receiver with two digital inputs (DVI - HDMI compatible), and one out, and my JVC has two HDMI inputs, but that still isn't enough, for me or many others (think HDMI for cable box, DVD player, and hi-def player, and maybe game machine. I have my PS3 for gaming and Blu-ray, and HD-DVD player, a regular DVD player (which I guess I don't need anymore) and cable box - making four. As a result, I spent $300 on a 4 in, one out HDMI switch box, to give me sufficient switching. (Sony Pearl image on the right.)

The Optoma also cranks out more lumens, with a measured 674 lumens in best mode compared to only 430 for the Sony. Convert that into screen sizes, and the Optoma HD81' extra 50% more lumens can handle a 123" diagonal screen as easily as the Sony can do a 100". It gets murkier when you need maximum lumen output, as the Sony cranks out 925 lumens in brightest setup. The Optoma, as mentioned earlier and in my review, really doesn't have a real "crank out the maximum lumens" mode, and foolishly, when I reviewed it, I didn't create a user setup for maximum brightness. Still, based on my best estimate, the Optoma should be able to kick out at least 1100, and probably 1200 lumens (but I won't guaranty that). As such, assuming something between those two numbers, the Optoma's advantage drops from over 50% brighter (best modes) to almost 30%. (The difference between a 100" diagonal and about a 113" screen.

For many, most significantly, the HD81 definitely produces a sharper image than the Sony. Again, the Sony is a bit soft, and the HD81 as sharp as any of these projectors but the Mitsubishi. The HC5000 seems to definitely be the sharpest, although probably due to the underlying pixel structure - not more detail. Still if you think it looks sharper, well, then to you it is sharper.

The Optoma HD81 is also ISF certified, which means it supports the ISF Day Night modes, and has all the goodies the calibrators want to work with. Don't score that too high, however, the big Sony home theater projectors are well known for having a superb level of service level controls, and I doubt any professional calibrator will find anything they need to be absent.

Lastly (I think), the Optoma HD81 has a three year warranty instead of the Sony VW50 Pearl's two year warranty.

The Sony VW50 on the other hand, has the advantage in overall image quality. It is extremely film-like, trailing only the JVC, and has perhaps the most natural color handling of all (possibly because its defaults provide a slightly undersaturated image, easily fixed by upping the Color (saturation) setting. Complementing that, are superior black levels. Even though the Sony VW50 Pearl relies on dynamically improving black levels, with their iris setup, etc., they simply do a better job of it than any other projector, except the JVC. On mixed scenes (lots of really dark but some very bright), I would conjecture that the Sony VW50 Pearl still generates blacker blacks, and on really dark scenes, it definitely is a step up, in that regard, compared to the HD81.

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The Sony is also extremely flexible in terms of placement. It's vertical lens shift and 1.8:1 zoom, sure blows away the Optoma's 1.2:1 zoom, and of course the Optoma has no lens shift. As a result, this comparison will be academic for many, who just can't use the HD81 in their room.

It's a minor point, but I didn't like the Optoma remote, because of its limited range, which will force many to point right at the projector to change settings, turn on, etc., because they won't be able to get a good bounce off of the screen, as almost all projector remotes can handle. I also favor the Sony remote in general. Don't let that be a deal breaker - you can always buy a programmable remote.

Which to own? For most people, it is going to be the Sony, for its picture quality, which is its biggest (yet not great) advantage. Those black levels are just that impressive, compared to the Optoma. Others will pick the Optoma - for small size, longer warranty, lower price, and more lumens: In other words, the "purists" will, in general favor the Sony, even though the Optoma is also very film-like and no slouch in that regard, it's just the Sony is a bit better. If I had to guess, the Optoma HD81 will outsell the Sony, but probably not significantly, among those shopping between the two.

Click on these links to read more in-depth comparisons.

Panasonic PT-AE1000U vs Epson Home Cinema 1080
Epson Home Cinema 1080 vs Mitsubishi HC5000
3LCD: PT-AE1000U vs Home Cinema 1080 vs Mitsubishi HC5000
BenQ W9000 vs Panasonic PT-AE1000U
Sony VW50 Pearl vs Mitsubishi HC5000
Optoma HD81 vs. Sony VW50 Pearl
Optoma HD81 vs BenQ W9000 and W10000
BenQ W10000 vs JVC RS1
JVC RS1 vs Sony VW50 Pearl
JVC RS1 vs Optoma HD81
JVC RS1 vs Panasonic PT-AE1000U
Summary - The Bottom Line

Overview
Image Quality
General Performance
Warranty
Summary, Pros, Cons