Review: Sony VPL-VW100 SXRD Pt. 2 (Ultimate AV)
The Sony VPL-VW100 SXRD projector is so impressive, Ultimate AV had to split their review between two articles. Or something like that! 
I covered part one of the Sony VPL-VW100 SXRD review already. This is my coverage of part two. What does Mr. Norton have to say? Read on…
First of all, he noted that several times the projector just would not power up for him. Quite annoying to say the least. A little hardware fiddling would get it to run, but if this were my projector I would be totally ticked off. This is an “early unit with no serial number”, so hopefully the problem has been fixed with production run projectors.
There is good news, though, on a different front. Mr. Norton tested the projector’s ability to lock onto 1080p sources through its HDMI input and sure enough, it works like a charm. So future PS3, HD DVD, and BD owners rejoice! Also, Mr. Norton did some gamma testing, and after a problem figuring out a good way to test gamma, found that the gamma tracked very well, though a bit on the “laid-back” side.
Lastly, Mr. Norton compares the Sony VPL-VW100 to the Yamaha DPX-1300. The Yamaha comes out on top when it comes to sharpness, brightness, adjustability, cheaper replacement lamps, and accurate colour points. The Sony beats the Yamaha on noise levels, black level, lack of rainbows, and silky smooth image. Also it helps that the Sony is less expensive.
Mr. Norton concludes by saying:
The Sony is a remarkable value and without question one of the best video projectors on the market. If you are looking in this price range—or even significantly higher—you’d be crazy not to put it at or near the top of a very short shopping list.
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February 21st, 2006 at 9:46 am
[…] Reuters notes that Sony is waiting “for the final specifications on some of the technology it is using in the PS3, such as that related to the Blu-ray drive and to input and output video and sound.” Well, if you read my HDBlog, you know that AACS is now a go for Blu-ray and HD DVD players, so that’s not a problem for the PS3 anymore. As well, Sony seems to have a handle on 1080p HDMI stuff now that they have a projector that accepts it (the Sony VPL-VW100 SXRD projector). So I don’t know what else they’re waiting for. But then, it’s not like I have an inside line or anything, so… […]