Sony VPL-VW285ES True 4K Home Theater Projector – Summary 2

VPL-VW285ES Projector Summary, Pg. 2:  Pros, Cons

True, no projector is perfect – of course, so we like to do a pros and cons breakout for each projector we review to help you see most aspects in one place.  Here goes, with the Pros first.

• True 4096×2160 4K resolution (can’t beat that until 8K comes along)
• Very nicely sharp image, as expected
  • Remember to do the panel alignment for best results – it just takes 3-10 minutes, but is simple to do
• Claims 1500 lumens but beats that even after calibrating it – basic light canon
  • Enough brightness to work well in media rooms and other non-theater rooms as long as there’s reasonable light control and a suitable screen
• Supports 4K with HDR and BT.2020 color
  • Also supports the HLG standard for streaming 4K
• Sony has HDR “figured out” – bright picture no dimness
  • I suggest adjusting the Contrast HDR control a bit
• Great “right out of the box” color and overall picture
  • Improves with calibration but not greatly, because it’s already close
• Black level performance very good  despite lack of a dynamic iris
  • I expected this to be a weakness but performed better than expected

• Great placement flexibility – a 2.06:1 zoom lens and lots of vertical and horizontal lens shift
• Very good CFI for smooth motion – called Motion Flow – great for sports, some TV, I don’t recommend anyone’s CFI for movies
• 2 HDMI inputs with 13.5 Ghz speed
  • Not the highest (18 Ghz) but all you need for any practical purpose
• Quieter than most of the competition – reasonably quiet even at full power, in Eco – very quiet
• Good remote control, well laid out
• Good looking when the lights are on, but largish projector – coarse dark gray finish, almost invisible control panel, and recessed connectors make it look fairly sleek
• One of the very best values around
• 3 year parts and labor warranty

OK let’s consider the less than great:

• A dynamic iris would further improve the already respectable black level performance
• As I say about all projectors – make the smart like TVs
  • Sony really should they have a competitive advantage in that they sell smart LCD and OLED TVs
• No Lens Memory (which makes going wide screen practical, but motorized features let you do it manually in less than a minute’s time
• HDMI is only 13.5 Ghz, while 18 is considered what’s needed very all capabilities including best sub-sampling, but that means little, so – no practical issues despite the negative mention
• Warranty (while long) lacks a rapid replacement program
• While quieter than most HT projectors, could be a bit quieter still at full power
• Could use a third HDMI input