Sony VPL-HW50ES Projector – Physical Tour

Note, while some of the product shots of the HW50ES were taken by me, once again, it’s hard to pass on the professional photography Sony provides.

Very dark gray/black throughout, with just a bit of a two tone look.  Overall, it’s slightly larger than most home projectors (typical for LCoS), but still a good bit smaller than some others.  It is just a bit larger than the Panasonic PT-AE8000 or Epson HC5020, HC6020, smaller than the JVCs…   Overall it is a clean looking design, one that other than size, shouldn’t have much problem with the “wife factor” (how politically incorrect is that phrase)?  That of course, assuming that you are placing it on a ceiling that’s dark, not white.

The VPL-HW50ES sports its lens shift dials on the top, right behind the lens.

As has been Sony’s design for several years now, the inputs, and noticeably, a small control panel, are located on the left side (when facing the projector).   More below on both.  Four screw thread adjustable feet adorn the bottom of the projector for those of you not ceiling mounting.

For the most part, the VPL-HW50’s input panel is similar to previous HW and VW LCoS (“L-cose”), that is, SXRD projectors.

The connector area is located on the side of the projector, below the control panel, and runs from back to front. Furthest to the rear, is the power receptacle. Just forward, and above, are two HDMI 1.4a inputs (one circuit, two connectors, as is typical). Next up, is a standard HD15 analog computer input, for hooking up to a traditional PC.

That’s followed by the usual composite video (yellow RCA jack), and then the three (R,G,B) color coded RCA jacks for the component video. Note, should you need two component video connections, the HD15 computer connection should be able to double as your second one.

After the component video, is an ethernet type jack (RJ45) for an optional 3D emitter for the VPL-HW50ES projector.  With the less expensive HW30, there are two versions, one with the emitter and two pair of glasses, the other without. The point being, you needed to have the emitter for 3D with the less expensive Sony projector, but not for this VPL-HW50ES.

An emitter is still available as an option for the HW50, in the event you have a larger than typical room.  So far in my fairly typical sized theater (the space above a two car garage (a little more than 400 sq feet), no problem from anywhere in my room.

Next (second from the front) is a jack to hardwire the remote control (for long distances, or rear projection, where there’s no line of sight).

As is typical, there’s the usual RS-232 serial port for command and control from a room or whole house system

The VPL-VW50ES lacks a 12 volt trigger (for controlling an anamorphic lens, or a motorized screen), found on the more expensive  $6999 VPL-VW95ES, or $24,999 VW1000ES.