In this month's sponsored article from Sony, we explore Sony's newest options for midsize auditoriums, conference rooms, and classrooms – the bright, powerful, and compact VPL-FHZ80 and VPL-FHZ85 laser projectors. The VPL-FHZ80 is rated at 6,000 ANSI (6,500 Center) lumens and the step-up VPL-FHZ85 is rated at 7,300 ANSI (8,000 center) lumens. Sony states that the VPL-FHZ85 is the smallest and lightest 3LCD laser projector available in its brightness class.
In addition to being very bright, these new midrange laser WUXGA business/education projectors feature 3LCD, a Laser Light Engine, and just about every type of input users could ever need. In this article, we are going to discuss the following features which make these two projectors a compelling choice for use in both the business and education markets: outstanding picture quality, installation flexibility, ease of operation, and reliability.
Sony offers projectors for nearly every type of business and education need. Whether you or your customer are shopping for a projector to install in a relatively small corporate conference room or an ultra-bright SXRD for a flight simulator, Sony has the right projector.
Even those with only limited experience in this industry know that Sony can produce innovative and often groundbreaking projectors with features and technology that have consistently set them apart from the competition. A great example would be the amazing Sony VPL-GTZ380 which we reviewed last year. The VPL-GTZ380 is a 10,000 lumen, native 4K SXRD projector that can be found not only in professional applications but also in the finest home theaters.
Sony has been a leading manufacturer of professional/education projectors for decades. While Sony Professional offers a wide variety of large display options including flat panels and direct LED, there are many applications where projectors are still the best option. To learn more, check out our article titled: “Why Many Video Enthusiasts Still Choose Projectors.”
For example, hitting a golf ball at a flat panel or Direct LED display probably isn’t a good idea, so projectors are commonly utilized in golf simulators. Due to their high brightness, reliability, interchangeable lenses, and compact size, Sony midrange 3LCD projectors like VPL-FHZ80 and VPL-FHZ85 are popular options for this application.
While Sony is a leader in the business/education projectors market, they continue to innovate and drive hardware performance to new levels and further improve installation and control features. Let’s take a look at some of the notable features found in the VPL-FHZ85 and VPL-FHZ80 that make these projectors an excellent option for many business and education applications.
Outstanding Picture Quality
The first thing you might notice about these projectors is how bright they are for their size. The VPL-FHZ80 (6,000 ANSI lumens) and the VPL-FHZ85 (7,300 ANSI lumens) can deliver the higher brightness needed to enjoy a large screen image while overcoming ambient light.
Another important consideration is the ongoing pandemic and the need for the public to socially distance in most indoor situations. High brightness ensures a vivid picture even in a room with some ambient light, like a lecture hall. A bigger, brighter projected image makes it easier for audience members to maintain a safe distance from other participants, as needed.
In addition to high brightness, the FHZ85 and FHZ80 include several features to ensure that their brightness capabilities are optimized based on the room environment.
Some other projectors use conventional signal processing that can raise the signal level to make a projected image brighter, but the color tends to wash out. In a strongly lit room, these other manufacturers may achieve a bright picture, but it’s not vivid or dramatic. And that might be okay for a classroom with a bunch of algebra equations projected on a big screen, but it won’t be compelling for an art show at a museum or a church service.
Bright View
The VPL-FHZ80 and VPL-FHZ85 laser projectors include Sony’s exclusive signal processing technology called Bright View that helps maintain exceptional color, even while projecting a bright image. This unique signal processing technology brightens images without sacrificing color in the high ambient light environments typically found in business and higher education environments. To facilitate this technology, a small sensor is built into each projector that continuously monitors lighting conditions.
Sony Brightview processing technology ensures a more consistent color even as the projector’s brightness automatically adjusts up or down in response to changes in the lighting of the room. Bright View creates bright and sharp images while maintaining color balance (High, Middle, Low). Thanks to Bright View, the image can be bright without color loss even in well-lit environments which is ideal for applications like classrooms or museum installations where it’s not feasible or safe to dim the lights completely.
Reality Creation + Reality Text
Both projectors can display WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution. To deliver the maximum amount of on-screen detail, the VPL-FHZ80 and VPL-FHZ85 include Sony’s newly updated Reality Creation algorithm. Over a decade ago, Sony introduced their Reality Creation technology that analyzes displayed images and compares them against Sony’s unique pattern database, using pixel remapping to ensure that video, diagrams, and text always look crisp and sharp.
There is also a new feature called Reality Text which improves the visibility of characters and is ideal for presenting in conference rooms and classrooms. Users have the ability to adjust both Reality Creation and Reality Text via the menu.
How does it work?
Reality Creation – When you increase the setting value, the texture and detail of the image become sharper.
Reality Text – When you increase the setting value, thin letters and lines are emphasized, and the visibility of the image is improved.
Intelligent Settings V3
To maximize their performance in any space, the VPL-FHZ80 and VPL-FHZ85 are also equipped with Intelligent Settings V3. The latest version of Intelligent Settings optimizes brightness, cooling system, and other projector settings to suit the usage environment of the location selected. These adjustments are all based on projector usage, image detail, color richness and fidelity, light output, cooling level, and output noise.
Use the Menu to set Intelligent Settings to ON and then choose a location that matches the environment where the projector is being used. For example, the Meeting/Classroom setting controls the laser output to maximize brightness levels based on actual usage times and operation frequency.
Location Options:
Meeting/Classroom – Optimizes the text and graphic quality so that they are displayed clearly.
Museum – Optimizes the color quality so that colors are reproduced accurately. This is suitable for use in quiet places such as galleries and museums.
Entertainment – Optimizes the image quality to achieve balance. This is suitable for use at theme parks, public entertainment facilities, conference rooms in the exhibition hall, and so on.
Multi-Screen – This is suitable when simultaneously using multiple projectors for projections, such as blending images from multiple projectors which are set up side-by-side.
Intelligent Setting V3 works in conjunction with Sony’s new, built-in ambient light sensor called Ambiance, which measures a room’s brightness to automatically adjust color gain, Bright View mode, and Reality Creation settings to match the environment and enhance the viewing experience.
In addition, the Intelligent Setting feature helps the projector produce a brighter image for a longer period of time while still delivering exceptional picture quality in nearly any environment.
