Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector – Hardware Tour 2 Posted on August 27, 2016 By Art Feierman 1. Sony VPL-HW45ES Home Theater Projector Review - VPL-HW45ES Overview - VPL-HW45ES Highlights2. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Special Features - REALITY CREATION - Panel Alignment - 3D Performance - Sony VPL-HW45ES Input Lag - for Gaming3. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Special Features 2 - 3D Glasses Are Optional - About Dynamic Irises - or lack of them, and Black Levels - SONY Wireless HDMI Option - Sony Motion Enhancer - Creative Frame Interpolation4. Sony VPL-The VPL-HW45ES Projector – Hardware Features and Tour - VPL-HW45ES Projector: Overview - From the Front - Lens Controls - Sony VPL-HW45ES - Control Panel: VPL-HW45ES - Inputs and Connectors: Sony HW45ES Projector5. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector – Hardware Tour 2 - Sony Remote Control - Sony VPL-HW45ES Menus - Bottom Line on Hardware and Menus6. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector: Picture Quality - "Out of the Box" Picture Quality - Skin Tones - Sony VPL-HW45ES Black Level Performance - Descriptions of the Images Above7. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Review – Picture Quality 2 - Sony VPL-HW45ES Dark Shadow Detail - Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector For HDTV And Sports - Overall Picture Quality: VPL-HW45ES - Mode Comparisons8. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Review – Performance 1 - Sony VPL-HW45ES Brightness - Effect of Lens Zoom on Brightness - Sony VPL-HW45ES Brightness: Calibrated - Reference vs Bright Cinema - Sony VPL-HW45ES Brightness: Calibrated, Eco-mode9. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Review – Performance 2 - Sharpness and Image Noise - Audible Noise10. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector – Calibration & Settings - Sony VLP-HW45ES Calibration Presets notes - Pre-Calibration Color Temp (D65 pre-set) over IRE Range - Sony VPL-HW45ES Pre- and Post-Calibration Settings, By Mode - Reference Mode Pre-Calibration - Bright Cinema Mode Pre-Calibration - Post-Calibration Color Temperature11. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector – Advanced Calibration Information - Reference Mode Post-Calibration - Bright Cinema Mode Post-Calibration12. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector: Summary - The HW45ES Picture - and the Competition - Sony VPL-HW45ES Picture Examples - Sony HW45ES Brightness13. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Review – Summary 2 – The Bottom Line, Pros and Cons - The Bottom Line: Sony VPL-HW45ES - Sony VPL-HW45ES Pros - Sony VPL-HW45ES Cons14. Sony VPL-HW45ES Home Theater Projector Review – Specifications Sony VPL-HW45ES PROJECTOR: HARDWARE TOUR Page 2: Sony Remote Control, Menus Sony Remote ControlSony’s Remote Control for the HW45ES has good range, good layout. Sony’s remote control for the HW45ES (not the same as the HW55ES’es) is a long well balanced remote control with a reasonably bright blue LED light when you press the button on the top left. In the center position on the top row is the input selector. The Sony has an auto sensing feature so it will search for a live input source, but to switch manually (if there are two live sources), pressing that button once brings up the list of inputs. Each additional time the input button is pressed, it moves through the list to the next source. Power is the upper right button, in green. As is most common, press once for on, twice for off. Moving to the next section of the remote control, there are nine buttons for the 8 pre-programmed picture modes, and the last one is the User button (which we’ll save the calibrated settings in). Navigation is next. The four navigation arrows are in a round formation. They are surrounded by three other buttons, the bottom one is the menu. The upper left has a test pattern for focus and overscan. Opposite on the right is the Reset button. I always consider that to be in a strange place, but don’t worry, pressing it once won’t get you into trouble. The next second has 9 buttons, including direct access to most of the image controls. I’ll just run through top row first, left to right: Aspect Ratio, Motion Flow, 3D Color Space, Color Temp, Color Correction Gamma Correction, Contrast Enhancer, Reality Creation That’s about it, but for the three rocker switches at the bottom: Sharpness, Brightness, and Contrast. That covers it for the remote. Next… The next section has all the major and most minor menus. Bottom Line: One of the better remotes around. In the past I complained about Sony remotes not having discreet buttons for each source, but since this projectors has only two inputs (both HDMI), you just press the Input button once, and to change to the other HDMI, press it again. Done, easy! Sony VPL-HW45ES Menus All of the menu pictures are from the older HW55ES. The two sets of menus are virtually identical, if not identical. The one major issue difference is that the HW55ES (predecessor to the HW65ES) has the controls for the dynamic iris, which the HW45ES lacks. Sony VPL-HW45ES Menus Main Picture menu Main Picture menu, the other main menus are displayed as icons on the left side Picture - Calibration Preset menu The various modes/preset calibration settings. Picture - Reality Creation menu Reality Creation - dynamic detail enhancement, first menu Picture - Reality Creation ON menu Adjust the "resolution" and the sharpness - I vary depending on content. The text changes back and forth about every second Picture - Reality Creation Resolution menu The slider goes from 0 to 100. 20-30 is probably the range that anyone critically viewing a movie would prefer. That said not a huge difference between 20 and 50. 50 on sports? Nice. Picture - Motionflow menu True Cinema is the "least intrusive" motion smoothing mode, suitable for movies - "if you must" mess with the "director's intent." I never use CFI for movies. Picture - Expert Setting menu RGB Grayscale menu Adjusting Grayscale (to D65) Setup menu Function menu Function - 2D and 3D Settings menu 3D Settings choice expands when in 3D mode, to include 3 brightness settings options for glasses and 3D depth. Installation menu Installation - Panel Alignment menu HW45ES offers a full screen alignment. Higher end Sonys also offer fine tuning by aligning quadrants individually. Installation - Panel Shift Alignment menu (close) Installation - Panel Shift Alignment menu Information menu Shows lamp hours, serial number, current source resolution. As you can see, this is an HW45ES menu. Bottom Line on Hardware and MenusEvolutionary. Less inputs than predecessors – now basically down to a pair of HDMI inputs. Quiet operation Good remote, yellow-orange back light Vents out the front Very small “micro” control panel on the side (above the inputs) Lamp door on top (no need to unmount, to change) Menus virtually unchanged 1. Sony VPL-HW45ES Home Theater Projector Review - VPL-HW45ES Overview - VPL-HW45ES Highlights2. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Special Features - REALITY CREATION - Panel Alignment - 3D Performance - Sony VPL-HW45ES Input Lag - for Gaming3. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Special Features 2 - 3D Glasses Are Optional - About Dynamic Irises - or lack of them, and Black Levels - SONY Wireless HDMI Option - Sony Motion Enhancer - Creative Frame Interpolation4. Sony VPL-The VPL-HW45ES Projector – Hardware Features and Tour - VPL-HW45ES Projector: Overview - From the Front - Lens Controls - Sony VPL-HW45ES - Control Panel: VPL-HW45ES - Inputs and Connectors: Sony HW45ES Projector5. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector – Hardware Tour 2 - Sony Remote Control - Sony VPL-HW45ES Menus - Bottom Line on Hardware and Menus6. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector: Picture Quality - "Out of the Box" Picture Quality - Skin Tones - Sony VPL-HW45ES Black Level Performance - Descriptions of the Images Above7. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Review – Picture Quality 2 - Sony VPL-HW45ES Dark Shadow Detail - Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector For HDTV And Sports - Overall Picture Quality: VPL-HW45ES - Mode Comparisons8. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Review – Performance 1 - Sony VPL-HW45ES Brightness - Effect of Lens Zoom on Brightness - Sony VPL-HW45ES Brightness: Calibrated - Reference vs Bright Cinema - Sony VPL-HW45ES Brightness: Calibrated, Eco-mode9. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Review – Performance 2 - Sharpness and Image Noise - Audible Noise10. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector – Calibration & Settings - Sony VLP-HW45ES Calibration Presets notes - Pre-Calibration Color Temp (D65 pre-set) over IRE Range - Sony VPL-HW45ES Pre- and Post-Calibration Settings, By Mode - Reference Mode Pre-Calibration - Bright Cinema Mode Pre-Calibration - Post-Calibration Color Temperature11. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector – Advanced Calibration Information - Reference Mode Post-Calibration - Bright Cinema Mode Post-Calibration12. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector: Summary - The HW45ES Picture - and the Competition - Sony VPL-HW45ES Picture Examples - Sony HW45ES Brightness13. Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector Review – Summary 2 – The Bottom Line, Pros and Cons - The Bottom Line: Sony VPL-HW45ES - Sony VPL-HW45ES Pros - Sony VPL-HW45ES Cons14. Sony VPL-HW45ES Home Theater Projector Review – Specifications Sony VPL-The VPL-HW45ES Projector – Hardware Features and Tour Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector: Picture Quality