Sony VPL-VW1000ES Special Features 2

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Art Feierman

"Future-Proofing" the Sony VPL-VW1000ES

I queried Sony product / marketing folks about 4K content. Sony's attitude made clear to me, is that they plan to keep this projector reasonably future-proof. No electronics product is future-proof for too long, especially with todays rapid changes, but Sony seems committed to making sure that they can keep the VW1000ES compatible with the most important 4K types of content expected to come out in the next few years. I believe that Blu-ray 4K is defined, or at least that's my take from this quote from cnet.com earlier this year:

"Looking to the future, Sony is reportedly keen to have the forthcoming "Spider-Man" reboot become one of the first 4K Blu-ray movies, and is apparently in talks with the Blu-ray Disc Association to finalize the specification."

So figure we will have a Blu-ray 4K standard, and perhaps the downloading world will have its own, and then, don't forget HDTV, although I'm pretty sure satellite and cable companies would rather not - they don't want to NEED 4x the bandwidth, and the TV studios don't want to buy new cameras, et al. Still 4K is here, the first 4K (or Quad-HD) LCDTVs are announced and should be shipping.

Having any serious quantity of content other than stills, may be a year or 3 off, but then this is a $25K projector, and I figure most folks buying this one are planning to hang on to it for some time - well into a time where 4K content is common.

The bottom line is wow! This folks, is real 4K, just waiting for more content. It is not to be confused with some fancy engineering that claims 4K, but can't actually produce 4K of distinct data. Now that I'm spoiled I've seen enough 4K content, and 2K content at 4K, I can't wait until I can afford one.

Dynamic Iris

The iris action on this Sony is excellent. It is rarely going to be noticed unless you are specfically looking for its operation signs. The iris, combined with other abilities allows Sony to claim 1,000,000:1 contrast. I've only ever seen that claim one other time, on that "legendary" Epson "R" series Pro Cinema 61000 (using reflective panels), that has been shown at several shows, but has yet to make it to market. Back when I saw the 61000 it had by far the best blacks ever, from a projector using an iris. This Sony seems right up there, and with more apparent dynamic range.

VPL-VW1000ES 3D Abilities

I am rather happy with the Sony for 3D. Sure, some more lumens would be better, but the 3D is rather clean. Even in the High setting for the glasses, it was rather good. Certainly the best I've seen from an LCoS projector or 3LCD projector. Single chip DLP's are different, when it comes to 3D artifacts. I haven't had a good one of those in here in a while. I think just about everyone will find the 3D to be at least satisfactory.

Click Image to Enlarge

3D active glasses

I find them a bit tight for my extra large head, but Sony tells me they are adjustable. I'll have to see if there's a way to make them a little looser around my head. I wear glasses and the Sony's fit nicely over them. The world obviously needs 3D glasses that are adjustable, and definitely also in kid's sizes. All considered, even with my super-sized head, not bad, but there are some a bit more comfortable. If I owned this VW1000ES I'd have to look for even more comfortable 3rd party compatible glasses, or figure out how to further adjust these. Hmm. I think this may be my single biggest complaint about the Sony VPL-VW1000ES projector. Well, the biggest except for the $25K price. The thing is, I "complain" about the price because I can't afford one. From a price performance standpoint, this Sony is probably a real bargain, compared to the direct competition, including the SIM2 3D2 projector, or the Runco LS10d (lacks 3D).