Products that combine breakthrough performance and a breakthrough price don't come along often. In his in-depth review in the December 2005 issue of Widescreen Review, video guru Greg Rogers put this projector through its paces and concluded: "The Sony VPL-VW100 1080p SXRD front projector ($9,999) is a breakthrough product that will have a major impact on the home theater industry. It shatters the previous $30,000 price barrier for 1080p front projectors...." Each of the VPL-VW100's three ultra-high-resolution SXRD (Silicon Crystal Reflective Display) panels has 1920 x 1080 pixels. That's twice the number of pixels available from 720p projectors — more pixels reveal greater detail, depth and dimensionality. And 1080p is also a pixel-perfect match for 1080i high-definition programs, the most common HD format. (HDTV reception requires a separate HDTV tuner.) All video signals are automatically converted to precisely match the projector's 1080p native resolution. The VPL-VW100's powerful video processing circuitry is actually more advanced than what you'll find in most current standalone video processors. Because there are three SXRD image chips — one each for red, green, and blue — colors look extraordinarily rich, radiant and rock-steady. The Real Color Processing color management system makes it easy to fine-tune specific colors and hues without affecting skin tones. Along with exceptional resolution and color, the VPL-VW100 provides contrast and black level performance that only CRT-based projectors could deliver before now. Sony's Advanced Iris system includes an "Auto" mode that monitors the incoming video signal and adjusts the projector's light output on the fly, optimizing black level and contrast on a scene-by-scene basis. Sony specs the maximum contrast ratio at an astonishing 15,000:1. (When Greg Rogers measured contrast for his review, the projector actually delivered 16,700:1.) With its standard-throw lens, the VPL-VW100 is a good choice for medium- and larger-sized rooms (you can place it on a table, or ceiling-mount it with an optional bracket). The 400-watt Xenon lamp generates a brighter, purer light than typical UHP mercury lamps, but for the best possible image quality, Sony recommends using a 120" or smaller screen. The projector's "lens shift" feature lets you adjust the image either horizontally or vertically, to allow for off-center projector placement. Unlike digital keystone correction, lens shift doesn't reduce image resolution. The VPL-VW100 has every type of video input you're likely to need. And for maximum future-readiness, the component video, HDMI and DVI inputs accept 1080p signals. This is one of the first projectors with that capability.
