Home Theater Projector Review: Sony VPL-VW60 LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons-2 Posted on December 10, 2007 By Art Feierman 1. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review: Overview and Physical Attributes - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Highlights:2. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review: Overview and Physical Attributes-2 - Sony VW60 Home Cinema Projector: Basic Specs - Sony PLV-VW60 Home Theater Projector: Physical Tour3. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality - The Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector: Skin Tones4. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-2 - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Black Levels and Shadow Detail5. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-3 - Sony VPL-VW60 Shadow Details6. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-47. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-58. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-6 - Sony VPL-VW60 home theater projector: Sharpness9. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-710. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-8 - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Overall Picture Quality - Sony VPL-VW60 Viewing - HDTV - Sony VPL-VW60 Picture Quality - Bottom Line:11. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance - VW60 Menus12. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance-2 - VW60 User Memory Settings - VW60 Projector - Remote Control - Sony VW60 Lens Throw and Lens Shift13. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance-3 - VW60 SDE and Rainbow Effect, Pixel Visibility - VW60 Projector Brightness - VW60 Projector - Light Leakage - VW60 Audible Noise Levels - VW60Projector Screen Recommendations14. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance-4 - VW60 Projector Measurements and Calibration15. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance-5 - VW60 Image Noise 16. Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Warranty17. Home Theater Projector Review: Sony VPL-VW60 LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons18. Home Theater Projector Review: Sony VPL-VW60 LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons-2 - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Pros - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Cons - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Typical Capabilities - Sony VPL-VW60 Summary: The Bottom Line19. Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Specifications Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Pros VERY film-like Great color – dynamic and accurate – after proper grayscale calibration One of the best at shadow details Really excellent black level performance Very good remote control 1.8:1 zoom lens for very good placement flexibility Supports HDMI 1.3, and 24fps Click to enlarge. SO close 3 User savable settings Very good color management system Has support for a 3rd party Anamorphic lens for those wanting true Cinemascope aspect ratio 2.35:1 Very quiet projector Excellent Price/Performance and Value Click Image to EnlargeSony VPL-VW60 Projector: Cons Weak out of the box performance, requiring a good grayscale calibration, as the default for Cinema, is way too cool (blue) Very limited brightness (one of the least bright) in its brighter modes (Standard and Dynamic) Image appears softer – less crisp – than the competition Inputs on the side, can be a little more messy looking in some rooms One of the larger units (but that’s not a “con” to most Only 2 HDMI inputs (although that’s average, a 3rd would be a plus Based on list price, more expensive than its predecessor Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Typical CapabilitiesClick to enlarge. SO close Average Brightness in Cinema mode Typical documentation, a good user manual, but limited descriptions of how to use many features Lamp life HDMI 1.3, but no support for Deep Color Setup Click Image to EnlargeSony VPL-VW60 Summary: The Bottom Line If the Sony VW60 was brighter, it would have no serious competition (at this time) in the under $5,000 US 1080p home theater projector market. Since it isn’t, it won’t be the right projector for everyone. The most important point though, once you get past its limited brightness in brightest modes, and decide that the Sony will work in your room, is that this looks to be the projector with the best overall image available today (12/07) for under $5K. It’s not just that the picture quality is excellent, and it truly is, but that it has the other bells and whistles – a wide range zoom lens, and much quieter than average operation, to name a couple. I haven’t found a real negative to the VW60’s capabilities (lumens notwithstanding), other than the out of the box color performance, which demands you do something, if you really want to get the most out of this Sony projector. You might start by plugging in the Gain and Bias settings I used here, with this unit. Better still, you are buying one fine projector, so go spend a few hundred to get it fully calibrated. Softness of the images is present, but it is not a major issue, and no doubt helps achieve that coveted “film-like” quality. Then, kick back and enjoy the Sony VW60. It will probably be the last projector you own for quite some time. If I had a smaller screen, say 100″ diagonal, I could be most happy with this Sony. Enjoy! 1. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review: Overview and Physical Attributes - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Highlights:2. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review: Overview and Physical Attributes-2 - Sony VW60 Home Cinema Projector: Basic Specs - Sony PLV-VW60 Home Theater Projector: Physical Tour3. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality - The Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector: Skin Tones4. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-2 - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Black Levels and Shadow Detail5. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-3 - Sony VPL-VW60 Shadow Details6. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-47. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-58. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-6 - Sony VPL-VW60 home theater projector: Sharpness9. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-710. Sony VPL-VW60: 1080p Home Theater Projector Review – Image Quality-8 - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Overall Picture Quality - Sony VPL-VW60 Viewing - HDTV - Sony VPL-VW60 Picture Quality - Bottom Line:11. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance - VW60 Menus12. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance-2 - VW60 User Memory Settings - VW60 Projector - Remote Control - Sony VW60 Lens Throw and Lens Shift13. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance-3 - VW60 SDE and Rainbow Effect, Pixel Visibility - VW60 Projector Brightness - VW60 Projector - Light Leakage - VW60 Audible Noise Levels - VW60Projector Screen Recommendations14. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance-4 - VW60 Projector Measurements and Calibration15. Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector Review – General Performance-5 - VW60 Image Noise 16. Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Warranty17. Home Theater Projector Review: Sony VPL-VW60 LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons18. Home Theater Projector Review: Sony VPL-VW60 LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons-2 - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Pros - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Cons - Sony VPL-VW60 Projector: Typical Capabilities - Sony VPL-VW60 Summary: The Bottom Line19. Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Specifications Home Theater Projector Review: Sony VPL-VW60 LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons Sony VPL-VW60 Projector Specifications