Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector: Picture Quality Posted on November 22, 2014 By Art Feierman 1. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – A Review - Sony VPL-VW1100ES Projector - Overview - VW1100ES Highlights2. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES Projector – Special Features - Native 4K Resolution - Reality Creation - Sony 4K Video Server and 4K Download Service (Optional) - Thoughts About 4K Content3. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Home Theater Projector – Special Features 2 - Dynamic / Auto Iris - Lens Memory - 3D Capabilities - Networking - Color Management System4. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Home Theater Projector – Hardware - VW1100ES Hardware Overview - Control Panel - Inputs and Connectors - FMP-X10 4K Media Player5. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Hardware Tour 2 - VW1100ES Remote Control - VW1100ES Menus - FMP-X10 Inputs6. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector: Picture Quality - Out of the Box Color - and Color Modes - Skin Tones - Sony VPL-VW1100ES Picture Quality - 1080p/1080i Images - Sony VPL-VW1100ES Picture Quality - 4K Content7. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Picture Quality 2 - HDTV and Sports Viewing @2K: 1080 content - No 4K HDTV Yet - 4K Download Service8. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Picture Quality 3 - VPL-VW1100ES Black Level Performance - Dark Shadow Detail - Sony VPL-VW1100ES Overall Picture Quality9. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Performance - VW1100ES Brightness - Post Calibration Reference Mode - Affect of Zoom Lens, and Eco mode, on Brightness - VPL-VW1100ES Sharpness - Audible noise and Image noise10. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Calibration & Settings - Sony VPL-VW1100ES General Settings - VPL-VW1100ES Calibration - Mike's General Notes - Mike's Grayscale Calibration Notes11. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Advanced Calibration Information - Mike's Notes - Calibration Charts (Before and After)12. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Summary - VPL-VW1100ES Picture Quality - The 4K Future13. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Summary Page 2 - VPL-VW1100ES Features - Sony's VPL-VW1100ES Home Theater Projector - The Bottom Line - Pros - Cons14. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Home Theater Projector Review – Specifications VPL-VW1100ES 4K PROJECTOR PICTURE QUALITY: Out of the Box Picture Quality and Modes, Skin Tones, Calibrated Reference Mode Image Libraries, HDTV and Sports Out of the Box Color - and Color ModesWith lots of modes there’s plenty of good, to exceptional picture quality to choose from, pre calibration. Reference is the best starting mode though, for calibration per Mike. Mike only calibrated Reference mode. After the first couple of images in this player, you’ve got one image for each of the nine modes. There isn’t a whole lot of difference in brightness between the modes, but a couple, including TV are less bright. I tried to adjust brightness a bit. “Out of the box,” I preferred Reference mode, followed by Cinema Film 1 as the two best modes for movie viewing, but for extra “umph” for sports and when ambient light is present, my first choice is Bright Cinema. Bright TV is cooler and should be more fun for sports, but I don’t like the overall balance as well as Bright Cinema. The images of Tris are in this order: Reference, TV, Photo, Game, Bright Cinema, Cinema Film 1, Cinema Film 2, Cinema Digital. At least five of these modes would be considered gorgeous by the average consumer, even if only the Reference image is the result of calibration. Skin Tones Post calibration skin tones are excellent, but they weren’t far from that in the better modes. The calibrated Reference mode, however, produces a picture that is both accurate, and extremely natural looking on skin tones. (All images above are 1080i or 1080p, except the last which is 4K from a video from the download service). As great as these photos look, the projected image on my screen is way better, and more natural. As many of you know, I usually have Epson’s far lower cost 5030UB here as a sort of reference projector. While that Epson calibrates very nicely, I still encounter some scenes in some movies – especially when the director is affecting color, where that Epson just doesn’t look quite right even considering the circumstances. Somehow, though, the Sony never seems to have that issue. In those same scenes, the Sony’s skin tones remain believable and right, within the affects of “lighting” adjustments. I’m watching Ender’s game right now. It’s an excellent example. There’s a strong lighting caste (actually several different ones), yet Ender, and Mazer, and Capt Graff (Harrison Ford), manage to be completely believable in different setups. In other words I keep waiting for the Sony to show some failing in naturalness re skin tones, but haven’t found it yet. Of course there are other ways to affect skin tones – by using controls like Reality Creation, crank them up, and affect naturalness (of textures and contrast) that way. That “detail enhancement” creates minor trade-offs, in the form of contrast and minor artifacts seen under close examination. Sony VPL-VW1100ES Picture Quality - 1080p/1080i Images These images are all from satellite, or Blu-ray disc, so 1080i or 1080p. There’s no real difference in accuracy between these images and the ones in the player below, which are true 4K images downloaded from the 4K service, and other 4K content provided. More thoughts about the picture will be covered in the Overall Picture Quality section on the next page. Sony VPL-VW1100ES Picture Quality - 4K Content Talk about “wow” factor. Every one of these images above look killer even on my MacBook Pro. The original 4K footage, projected onto my 1.3 gain Studiotek 130 screen, by this Sony, is far more dramatic. The nature footage is so stunning when projected that I’ve had a great many hours of this type of content on, with my sound system playing favorite music, while I’m writing. I would have liked to see some compatible 3D 4K content. But that’s something that’s going to have to wait a bit longer it seems. 1. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – A Review - Sony VPL-VW1100ES Projector - Overview - VW1100ES Highlights2. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES Projector – Special Features - Native 4K Resolution - Reality Creation - Sony 4K Video Server and 4K Download Service (Optional) - Thoughts About 4K Content3. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Home Theater Projector – Special Features 2 - Dynamic / Auto Iris - Lens Memory - 3D Capabilities - Networking - Color Management System4. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Home Theater Projector – Hardware - VW1100ES Hardware Overview - Control Panel - Inputs and Connectors - FMP-X10 4K Media Player5. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Hardware Tour 2 - VW1100ES Remote Control - VW1100ES Menus - FMP-X10 Inputs6. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector: Picture Quality - Out of the Box Color - and Color Modes - Skin Tones - Sony VPL-VW1100ES Picture Quality - 1080p/1080i Images - Sony VPL-VW1100ES Picture Quality - 4K Content7. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Picture Quality 2 - HDTV and Sports Viewing @2K: 1080 content - No 4K HDTV Yet - 4K Download Service8. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Picture Quality 3 - VPL-VW1100ES Black Level Performance - Dark Shadow Detail - Sony VPL-VW1100ES Overall Picture Quality9. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Performance - VW1100ES Brightness - Post Calibration Reference Mode - Affect of Zoom Lens, and Eco mode, on Brightness - VPL-VW1100ES Sharpness - Audible noise and Image noise10. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Calibration & Settings - Sony VPL-VW1100ES General Settings - VPL-VW1100ES Calibration - Mike's General Notes - Mike's Grayscale Calibration Notes11. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Advanced Calibration Information - Mike's Notes - Calibration Charts (Before and After)12. Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Summary - VPL-VW1100ES Picture Quality - The 4K Future13. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Summary Page 2 - VPL-VW1100ES Features - Sony's VPL-VW1100ES Home Theater Projector - The Bottom Line - Pros - Cons14. Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Home Theater Projector Review – Specifications Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Hardware Tour 2 Review: Sony VPL-VW1100ES 4K Projector – Picture Quality 2