Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance Posted on October 22, 2013 By Art Feierman 1. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector Review - VPL-VW70 Projector Highlights - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector Overview2. Sony VPL-VW70 Special Features - SXRD (LCoS) Panels - Iris Modes - Panel Adjustment3. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector – Physical Tour - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector - Appearance - VPL-VW70 Control Panel - Input/Output4. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector – Physical Tour 1 - VPL-VW70 Menus - Sony VPL-VW70 Remote Control5. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector – Physical Tour 2 - Sony VPL VW70 Lens Throw - Lens Shift - VPL-VW70 Anamorphic Lens6. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality - Sony VPL-VW70 Out of the Box Picture Quality - VPL-VW70 Flesh Tones - VPL-VW70 Projector Black Levels & Shadow Detail7. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 1 - Shadow Detail Performance8. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 29. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 310. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 4 - VPL-VW70 Bottom Line: Shadow details - Sony VPL-VW70 Overall Color & Picture Quality11. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 5 - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports12. Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance - Sony VPL VW70 Brightness13. Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance-2 - Sony VPL-VW70 Sharpness14. Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance-3 - Sony VPL-VW70: Bottom Line Sharpness15. Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance-4 - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise16. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector Calibration and Settings - Sony VPL-VW70 Color Temperature - Sony VPL-VW70 Basic Settings17. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector Calibration and Settings-2 - Sony VPL-VW70 Post Calibration Graysca - RGB Settings18. Sony VPL-VW70 – Projector Screens - VPL-VW70 Projector Screen Recommendations: 19. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors - VPL-VW70 vs. JVC DLA-RS10 and HD35020. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors-2 - Sony VPL-VW70 vs. Mitsubishi HC7000 - Sony VPL-VW70 vs. JVC DLA-RS20 and HD75021. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors-3 - Sony VPL-VW70 vs. BenQ W20000 - Sony VPL-VW70 vs. Epson Home Cinema 6500 UB and Pro Cinema 7500 UB22. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors-4 - VPL-VW70 vs. InFocus IN83 23. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors-5 - VPL-VW70 vs. Planar PD815024. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector – Warranty25. Sony VPL-VW70 – Review Summary - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Bottom Line26. Sony VPL-VW70 – Review Summary-2 - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Pros - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Cons - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Typical Capabilities Sony VPL VW70 BrightnessThe VPL-VW70 is below average in brightness, post calibration. In Cinema mode (“best mode”), were the VW70 measurements included in our 1080p Comparison Report, the VW70 would be the second least bright of the nine projectors. Out of the box (pre-adjustment) measurements, for these measurements, the Auto Iris was disengaged in all modes: Cinema: 555 lumens @ 6783K (Auto Iris disengaged, but most will run it engaged) Standard: 602 lumens @ 7539K Dynamic: 609 lumens @ 8368K however, we would recommend using the Medium color temperature setting, instead of the default of High. Using medium: Dynamic: 636 lumens @ 7223K – slightly brighter, and much better color. Because it is unlikely that most users would want the dynamic iris turned off when using Cinema mode for movies, we also measured Cinema mode with the Iris set to Auto 1. This yielded much lower brightness, and a slight shift in color temperature, and the measurement we will use for comparing to other home theater projectors: Cinema (Iris Auto 1): 366 lumens @ 6478K Switching to low lamp mode, reduced brightness approximately 37%, a larger amount than with most other projectors (typically you see a 20-25% drop). We measured with the Auto Iris disengaged, and measured 349 lumens down from 555 lumens with lamp at full power. More details and information can be found in the calibration page of this review. With a 1.6:1 lens, the brightness difference between closest position (wide angle) and furthest (telephoto) is not near as great as the many projectors with 2:1 zooms, but greater than those projectors with 1.2:1 zooms (mostly DLP models). We did our measurements in Dynamic mode, with the Auto Iris disengaged. The same percentage drops and increases should be consistent in other modes. At full wide angle, brightness increases by approximately 9% to 662 lumens compared to the mid-zoom point. At full telephoto mode, brightness decreases by 19% to 492 lumens compared to the mid-zoom point. Bottom line, if ceiling mounting is your thing, you can up your brightness slightly by mounting the projector so you are almost to full wide angle. Conversely, if you shelf mount in the rear, you are likely to be at full telephoto, or close, on the lens, which will result in almost a loss of 20% of brightness. If you haven’t already visited the Image Quality page of this review, where we discuss (among other things) brightness, you may want to check out the HDTV section of that page. There you will find images showing the Sony VW70 with a sports image of about 100 inch diagonal, with the room dark, and other with modest ambient light present. There is also a good shot of the room to give you an idea how lit up the room was, when the ambient light photo was taken. You’ll also find the same image with ambient light present, in Cinema mode, and another in Dynamic mode, to show the brightness difference. 1. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector Review - VPL-VW70 Projector Highlights - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector Overview2. Sony VPL-VW70 Special Features - SXRD (LCoS) Panels - Iris Modes - Panel Adjustment3. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector – Physical Tour - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector - Appearance - VPL-VW70 Control Panel - Input/Output4. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector – Physical Tour 1 - VPL-VW70 Menus - Sony VPL-VW70 Remote Control5. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector – Physical Tour 2 - Sony VPL VW70 Lens Throw - Lens Shift - VPL-VW70 Anamorphic Lens6. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality - Sony VPL-VW70 Out of the Box Picture Quality - VPL-VW70 Flesh Tones - VPL-VW70 Projector Black Levels & Shadow Detail7. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 1 - Shadow Detail Performance8. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 29. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 310. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 4 - VPL-VW70 Bottom Line: Shadow details - Sony VPL-VW70 Overall Color & Picture Quality11. Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 5 - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports12. Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance - Sony VPL VW70 Brightness13. Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance-2 - Sony VPL-VW70 Sharpness14. Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance-3 - Sony VPL-VW70: Bottom Line Sharpness15. Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance-4 - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise16. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector Calibration and Settings - Sony VPL-VW70 Color Temperature - Sony VPL-VW70 Basic Settings17. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector Calibration and Settings-2 - Sony VPL-VW70 Post Calibration Graysca - RGB Settings18. Sony VPL-VW70 – Projector Screens - VPL-VW70 Projector Screen Recommendations: 19. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors - VPL-VW70 vs. JVC DLA-RS10 and HD35020. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors-2 - Sony VPL-VW70 vs. Mitsubishi HC7000 - Sony VPL-VW70 vs. JVC DLA-RS20 and HD75021. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors-3 - Sony VPL-VW70 vs. BenQ W20000 - Sony VPL-VW70 vs. Epson Home Cinema 6500 UB and Pro Cinema 7500 UB22. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors-4 - VPL-VW70 vs. InFocus IN83 23. Sony VPL-VW70 – Competitors-5 - VPL-VW70 vs. Planar PD815024. Sony VPL-VW70 Projector – Warranty25. Sony VPL-VW70 – Review Summary - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Bottom Line26. Sony VPL-VW70 – Review Summary-2 - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Pros - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Cons - Sony VPL-VW70 Projector: Typical Capabilities Sony VPL-VW70 – Image Quality – 5 Sony VPL-VW70 – Performance-2