The XW5000ES utilizes a new chassis that is more compact and lighter than previous Sony 4K laser home theater projectors. The chassis measures approximately 18 inches wide, 7 7/8 inches high x 18 5 /8 inches deep, and weighs about 28 pounds.
When I first pulled the XW5000ES out of the box, I was surprised by how light the unit was. Anyone installing the XW5000ES will appreciate the weight reduction, especially trying to mount it on a ceiling.
While the XW5000ES is still much larger and heavier than most DLP-based 4K laser home theater projectors, the larger chassis is worth it for the benefit of better black levels, horizontal/vertical shift, and quieter operation.
Sony claims a very quiet 24 dB which is significantly quieter than most projectors that I have reviewed. The projector’s intake vents are on the front of the chassis, flanking the lens and sides of the unit. The exhaust vents are located along the rear. Whether in a dedicated home theater, or a media room, it is very unlikely you will notice the nicely low-pitched background fan noise.
When looking at the projector from the front, the inputs are on the lower left side while the small control panel is located on the upper left side of the chassis as well. The XW5000ES also has dual 18Gbps HDMI inputs, which is more than enough bandwidth to support 4K@60P HDR with 10bit color. The power connection is located on the back of the projector on the lower right side.
REMOTE CONTROL
The XW5000ES includes Sony’s standard backlit projector remote control that is included with all their consumer 4K projectors. Since it is bigger than many projector remote controls, the buttons are large and well-spaced. You can use dedicated buttons to quickly switch between the Calibrated Picture Presets.
To make quick, fine adjustments to the image, there are buttons to directly access many of the picture quality settings including MotionFlow, Color Temp, and Gamma Correction. Having direct access to the HDR Contrast Enhancer via a dedicated button is especially useful when viewing HDR materials. It’s quick and easy to switch between the High, Mid, and Low settings to adjust the look of HDR content
LENS ASSEMBLY
The XW5000ES is equipped with a 1.6:1 manual zoom lens. Sony offers two quality levels of optics. The XW5000ES uses the standard lens, but it has been redesigned to match the new 0.61” 4K UHD SXRD panels. It delivers impressive sharpness and clarity, especially when compared to the optics found on 4K capable DLP projectors near its price range.
The lens on the XW5000ES is manual, so focus and zoom adjustments are made using rings located on the lens. The horizontal and vertical lines shift adjustment knobs are located on the top of the projector's chassis under a cover.
While the lens utilized in the older VW325ES offered more zoom and was motorized, switching to a manual lens on the XW5000ES is a worthwhile sacrifice to get a brighter laser light source and a better video processor for just $500 more than the older model. Many owners just utilize the motorized lens adjustment during setup, so the feature won’t be missed in a lot of projection applications.
Throw Distance for a 16:9 Screen
Screen Size (Diagonal)
Min Screen Distance (in)
Max Screen Distance (in)
80”
96 (2440 mm)
154 (3910 mm)
100”
121 (3060 mm)
192 (4890 mm)
120”
144 (3670 mm)
232 (5880 mm)
150”
181 (4600 mm)
289 (7360 mm)
200”
242 (6130 mm)
386 (9820 mm)
Throw Distance for a 2.35:1 Screen
Screen Size (Diagonal)
Min Screen Distance (in)
Max Screen Distance (in)
80”
102 (2580 mm)
162 (4130 mm)
100”
127 (3230 mm)
203 (5170 mm)
120”
152 (3870 mm)
245 (6212 mm)
150”
191 (4850 mm)
306 (7770 mm)
200”
255 (6480 mm)
408 (10370 mm)
The XW5000ES also offers a good amount of horizontal and vertical lens shift
Lens Shift Range: +85/-80% Vertical and +/-33% Horizontal
Having a large amount of zoom and shift capability makes installation a breeze, especially when you are trying to replace an older unit that was previously fixed mounted.
MENU
Even though the XW5000ES is utilizing a new chassis, it still uses a common menu system that Sony has used across their lineup of home theater projectors. While Sony has not changed the look and feel of its menus in years, they add extra menu items to control any new features and capabilities as needed.
Of course, the higher-end model projectors have more menus because of more features. For example, the step-up XW6000ES offers menus for Lens Memory which it supports, while the XW5000ES does not. While the type is small, it is still easily read from a normal viewing distance.
