Sony is out and about at the CEDIA Expo this week, wowing the custom install market with the VPL-VW1000ES, the company's very first 4K home theater projector for the consumer market. It was shown at the company's press event yesterday and will be out on the show floor for closer inspection later today. Our editor Chris Boylan saw a demo of it with some native 4K stills as well as 4K footage from Sony's upcoming summer blockbuster, The Amazing Spiderman, as well as upconverted Blu-ray material and thought it looked pretty impressive.
Designed specifically for the custom install market, the new projector promises a more immersive and realistic viewing experience, particularly on large screens. That seems about right, since the unit boasts four times the resolution of HDTV.
Besides the resolution, the brightness also got a boost, with the VPL-VW1000ES rated at 2,000 ANSI-lumens of brightness. This is about twice the output of any of Sony's current home theater projectors, making it suitable for screen sizes up to 200 inches diagonally.
The VPL-VW1000ES also has an entirely new SXRD 4K panel to get not only the extra detail but also better black levels, when combined with Sony's Iris3 technology. Sony claims that this projector can achieve a whopping 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast.
Other features include a 4K "upscaler," which provides a little 4K boost to all content, whether it's SD, HD, 2D or 3D. That's right; this one does support full HD 3D movies, as well as 2D and 3D movies in CinemaScope aspect ratios. To deliver the 3D goodies, the VPL-VW1000ES has an an integrated IR transmitter to drive the projector's TDG-PJ1 active shutter 3D glasses.
Dual triggers, a 2.1x motorized zoom, expanded throw distances, an RS-232 interface, control over IP, and compatibility with leading home automation systems all make this projector easy to integrate into today's high-tech home.
Despite the 4K features, Sony says that this is actually a "mid-level" home projector, when compared to the recently announced VPL-HW30AES and VPL-VW95ES 3D front projectors. Pricing has yet to be announced, but Sony reps said it will be priced "under $25,000." The VPL-VW1000ES should start selling sometime in December 2011.
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