Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 5 Posted on January 4, 2010 By Art Feierman 1. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Review2. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Review 2 - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Overview - VPL-VW85 Projector Highlights3. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Review 3 - Specs for Sony VPL-VW85 - Sony VPL-VW85 Special Features - Sony SXRD panels - (LCoS) 4. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Review 4 - Individual SXRD panel adjustment - CFI - MotionFlow - Film MotionFlow5. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 2 - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector - Appearance - VPL-VW85 Control Panel6. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 3 - Input/Output - VPL-VW85 Menus7. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 4 - Sony VPL-VW85 Remote Control8. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 5 - Sony VPL-VW85 Remote Control - Lens Shift - VPL-VW85 Anamorphic Lens9. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 2 - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector - Image Quality - VPL-VW85 Out of the Box Picture Quality - Flesh Tones10. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 3 - Sony VPL-VW85 Black Levels & Shadow Detail11. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 412. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 513. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 6 - Shadow Detail Performance14. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 715. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 816. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 917. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 10 - Overall Color & Picture Quality18. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 11 - The very bottom line on overall image quality and color: - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports19. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Performance - Sony VPL-VW85 Brightness - The measured brightness of each mode (pre-calibration): Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom): - Color Temp over IRE Range (Best Mode, Pre calibration):20. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Performance 221. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Performance 322. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Performance 4 - Sony VPL-VW85: Bottom Line Sharpness - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise23. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Calibration and Settings - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Calibration and Settings - Sony VPL-VW85 Color Temperature - After calibration, the measurements are even closer to 6500K, and overall, an excellent set of results: - Sony VPL-VW85 Basic Settings24. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Calibration and Settings 2 - RGB Settings25. Sony VPL-VW85 – Screen Recommendations26. 7Sony VPL-VW85 – Warranty27. Sony VPL-VW85 – Review Summary - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector - The Bottom Line - Sony VPL-VW85 Brightness28. Sony VPL-VW85 – Review Summary 2 - Fancy features: - The very bottom line: - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Pros29. Sony VPL-VW85 – Review Summary 3 - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Cons - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Typical Capabilities The VW85 is a very good looking projector physically (“wife friendly”), in almost all ways, except that it is one of the largest home theater projectors around, in the under $10K price range. The top of the projector is done in a nice, shiny, black finish with embedded blue speckles. When the room lights are on, that does add just a touch of blue to its look. Most of the other surfaces are a matte very dark gray. Sony VPL-VW85 Remote ControlBelow the navigation area are five buttons that provide direct access to some of the more frequently selected controls: Gamma, Black Level settings, Advanced Iris, Color Space, and Color Temp. Then there’s a decent space, and three more buttons. On the left, is Wide Mode, which lets you toggle through different aspect ratios, RCP, which is Sony’s color management system, and lets you individually tune each primary and secondary color. Note; We do not work with this section as part of our own “basic” grayscale calibration of the VW85. Most likely, if you hire a good professional calibrator, they will adjust the individual colors, as well as the grayscale balance. That leaves just six more buttons – actually 3 pairs of direct controls. They are Sharpness, Brightness, and Contrast. Again, an excellent remote. It is logically laid out, the buttons have a good feel. It fits well in your hand (mine is pretty average sized), and has excellent range. Lens ShiftThe VPL-VW85 has both vertical and horizontal lens shift. Both functions are motorized, and controlled by the the remote control or the small on-board control panel For a 100″ screen, the center of the lens can be placed as high as approximately 7.5 inches above the top of your screen surface Actually Sony quotes, in their manual a maximum of 31 – 7/8 inches above the center of the screen, which is about 49.5 inches high, so top of the screen is about 24.3 inches above the center of the screen. VPL-VW85 Anamorphic LensThe Sony VW85 does support an anamorphic lens and motorized sled, for those wanting to go with a 2.35:1 (Cinemascope) shaped screen. This is one of those extra features that Sony has put on the VPL-VW85 to differentiate it from the lower cost VPL-HW15. 1. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Review2. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Review 2 - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Overview - VPL-VW85 Projector Highlights3. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Review 3 - Specs for Sony VPL-VW85 - Sony VPL-VW85 Special Features - Sony SXRD panels - (LCoS) 4. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Review 4 - Individual SXRD panel adjustment - CFI - MotionFlow - Film MotionFlow5. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 2 - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector - Appearance - VPL-VW85 Control Panel6. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 3 - Input/Output - VPL-VW85 Menus7. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 4 - Sony VPL-VW85 Remote Control8. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 5 - Sony VPL-VW85 Remote Control - Lens Shift - VPL-VW85 Anamorphic Lens9. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 2 - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector - Image Quality - VPL-VW85 Out of the Box Picture Quality - Flesh Tones10. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 3 - Sony VPL-VW85 Black Levels & Shadow Detail11. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 412. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 513. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 6 - Shadow Detail Performance14. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 715. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 816. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 917. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 10 - Overall Color & Picture Quality18. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 11 - The very bottom line on overall image quality and color: - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports19. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Performance - Sony VPL-VW85 Brightness - The measured brightness of each mode (pre-calibration): Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom): - Color Temp over IRE Range (Best Mode, Pre calibration):20. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Performance 221. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Performance 322. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Performance 4 - Sony VPL-VW85: Bottom Line Sharpness - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise23. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Calibration and Settings - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Calibration and Settings - Sony VPL-VW85 Color Temperature - After calibration, the measurements are even closer to 6500K, and overall, an excellent set of results: - Sony VPL-VW85 Basic Settings24. Sony VPL-VW85 Projector Calibration and Settings 2 - RGB Settings25. Sony VPL-VW85 – Screen Recommendations26. 7Sony VPL-VW85 – Warranty27. Sony VPL-VW85 – Review Summary - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector - The Bottom Line - Sony VPL-VW85 Brightness28. Sony VPL-VW85 – Review Summary 2 - Fancy features: - The very bottom line: - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Pros29. Sony VPL-VW85 – Review Summary 3 - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Cons - Sony VPL-VW85 Projector: Typical Capabilities Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Physical Tour 4 Sony VPL-VW85 Projector – Image Quality 2