Sony VPL-GTZ380 4K SXRD Laser Projector Review

If you are looking for the ultimate home theater experience, you should definitely take a close look at Sony's flagship projector, the VPL-GTZ380, which is a 10,000 lumen, native 4K SXRD projector that retails for $80,000 (minus lens).

In 2017 when Art reviewed Sony's amazing VW5000ES projector, he said it was easily the best home theater projector he had ever reviewed. Over the next several years, the VW5000ES reigned supreme as the "King of Home Theater Projectors".

However, many professionals and hard-core enthusiasts that loved the picture quality of the VW5000ES and its highly-rated professional twin brother, the VPL-GTZ270, desired an even brighter, higher performance unit.

Enter the VPL-GTZ380. Compared to its predecessors, the GTZ380 delivers much higher brightness and wider color gamut resulting in a massive increase in color volume.  The unit’s X1 Ultimate chip also provides a huge boost in video processing power which further improves both SDR and HDR picture quality.

The GTZ380 can deliver more onscreen brightness than a double-stacked pair of VW5000ES or four VW1025ES which is incredible for a projector of its size.

While some high-end home theater installers prefer professional cinema projectors in their jobs, the size, weight, connectivity, and special placement needs make most of those projectors completely impractical for all but the most expensive home theater spaces.

Many of these projectors require specialized cooling systems and they need to be isolated in a separate room to spare viewers from the huge amount of noise generated. Even if a client or enthusiast can afford one of these professional cinema projectors, they may not want to deal with the hassles associated with their installation.

The GTZ380 can deliver twice the peak brightness of the VW5000ES and the chassis size is nearly identical – it only weighs about 24 more pounds. Sony states that the GTZ380 is nearly 20% smaller than the next smallest 10,000 lumen native 4K projector on the market. Weighing just 112 pounds, it is both the most compact and lightest unit in its class.

It's not only smaller, but it's also less obnoxious. As mentioned previously, a high brightness home theater projector like this typically needs a special room to manage the resulting heat and noise.

The advanced phosphor wheel design features a patented spiral fin that ducts heat away efficiently for impressively cool operation – a frequent issue with other high-brightness projectors. Its liquid SXRD panel cooling system and streamlined airflow design make the GTZ380 supremely quiet for such a bright, professional projector at a minimal 39dB.

Sony was the first company to introduce a native 4K home theater projector and they still have the most comprehensive model assortment. Sony has seven 4K HDR home theater projectors in their lineup, starting with the VW325ES ($5,500) moving up to the flagship GTZ380 which is $80,000 (minus the ARC-F Lens).

In addition to the GTZ380, the are four additional laser-based 4K HDR models in the Sony lineup, including the VW1025ES ($40,000 SRP) and the VW915ES ($2,000 SRP) There are also two Sony 4K HDR home theater lamp-based projectors, the VW715ES ($10,000 SRP) and the entry level VW325ES ($5,500 SRP).

See below for a summary of the Sony 4K SXRD Home Theater projector lineup.

The GTZ380 utilizes a newly designed Z-Phosphor laser light source that incorporates a red laser diode in addition to the two different-wavelength blue laser diodes to achieve the full DCI-P3 color gamut without any loss of brightness. The additional red laser diode dramatically expands color volume, without the loss of brightness common to other high-end models that use a built-in color filter.

The GTZ380 uses three newly developed 0.74" SXRD panels to deliver true 4K resolution (4096 x 2160). The unit's ultra-high quality lens assembly ensures that every ounce of detail reaches the screen.

In addition to a rated brightness of 10,000 lumens, 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, and a 16,000:1 native contrast, the flagship GTZ380 is also equipped with the most powerful video processor that Sony has ever put into a projector, named "X1 Ultimate for projector".

While the X1 Ultimate processor was originally developed for Sony's Master Series LCD and OLED flat-panel televisions, this version has been optimized for projectors with the goal of enhancing the picture quality of projected images.

The GTZ380 is compatible with two motorized Sony ARC-F lenses which include an ultra-high-quality, multi-element, all-glass lens assembly. This ARC-F lens is a significant upgrade in optical quality compared to the very good lenses used on Sony's less expensive native 4K SXRD projectors.

Check out our interview with Rob Brennan (Sony's Product Technology & Training Manager) from the Fall 2021 Projection Showcase where we discuss the GTZ380 in detail.

Most home theater projectors require a color filter to display the DCI-P3 color gamut, but that type of filter can reduce the overall brightness by up to 45%. When viewing HDR content on a projector, I believe brightness is more beneficial than a wider color gamut, so I always recommend disengaging the color filter.

Since the GTZ380 utilizes an RBB laser light source, it can easily reproduce the DCI-P3 color space commonly used in HDR content without a color filter so you don't have to make a potentially tough choice between wider color gamut reproduction and brightness. You get all the benefits of exceptional color and outstanding brightness.

The Z-Phosphor light engine has a rated life of 20,000-hours so you will get years of nearly maintenance-free operation. If you watched the GTZ380 for 8 hours a day, five days a week, the laser light engine would last about a decade. There will probably be 8K projectors for sale by the time you’re ready to replace the light source on this unit.

The GTZ380 is only one of the four Sony laser projectors that have both dynamic laser functionality and a mechanical dynamic iris.

First, all Sony 4K Home Theater projectors (including the flagship GTZ380) use Sony's 4K SXRD (4096 x 2160) panels which is Sony's version of LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon). This three-chip 4K SXRD imaging system is very similar to what has been utilized in Sony 4K cinema projectors that are found in the best movie theaters in the world.

While most 4K UHD flat panels have a resolution of 3840x2160, the GTZ380 is a native 4K projector so it delivers the same 4096x2160 resolution as your favorite 4K movie theater projector. Unlike some competitor 2K pixel shifting projectors, it can faithfully reproduce all 8.8 million pixels.

It delivers more native contrast than the standard LCD panels or DLP chips used in most consumer projectors. These three SXRD panels eliminate the possibility of the Rainbow Effect (Color Breakup) seen on many single-chip DLP projectors and it also minimizes the "screen door effect" (blocky image distortions) compared to most 3LCD projectors.

The GTZ380 features a newly developed 0.74" Native 4K SXRD panel which is Sony's proprietary version of LCoS technology to deliver a 16,000:1 contrast ratio and deep blacks. Adopting a new liquid crystal material for the panel dramatically improves light stability and durability while producing a rated 10,000 lumens of brightness.

While the GTZ380 has a native contrast rating of 16,000:1, its dynamic contrast is nearly infinite due to the projector's ability to precisely modulate its laser light source.

These latest and greatest Sony SXRD panels also have a pixel density of about 61,000 pixels per square mm which is a much higher pixel density than imagers found in competing DLP and transmissive LCD projectors.

For comparison, the DLP chips used in professional 10,000 lumen Native 4K DLP projectors are not only up to 75% larger, but they can only have a native contrast ratio of 2,000:1 which is 8x less.

Smaller, denser SXRD panels reduce the size of the optical block and lenses, resulting in a compact projector that can deliver the performance of a larger model. This is one of the reasons why the GTZ380 is the lightest and most compact native 4K projector in its class.

To fully maximize the awesome capabilities of the GTZ380, it is the first Sony projector to utilize the new picture processor called "X1 Ultimate for projector". This video processor is based on the original X1 Ultimate Processor used for Sony's top-of-the-line BRAVIA TVs. While the processor was originally designed for Sony's Master Series LCD and OLED flat-panel televisions, this version has been optimized for projectors with the goal of enhancing the picture quality of projected images.

HDR analysis and tone mapping might be a new concept for a lot of projector manufacturers, but Sony began blazing the trail back in 2017 when their 4K TV lineup introduced the X1 Processor. HDR scenes are brighter, with richer colors and a better black level.

In addition, a second feature called Object-based HDR Remaster analyzes and adjusts the colors and contrast of individual objects on the screen. Some projectors can adjust contrast frame-by-frame, this is accomplished along a single contrast curve. The X1 Ultimate adjusts each object in each frame individually of both SDR and HDR content using multiple contrast curves per frame. Because of Object-based HDR Remaster, you will experience results in greater depth, richer textures, and an even more realistic SDR and HDR image.

In the GTZ380, this precision tone mapping is combined with a dynamic laser and a dynamic iris to greatly improve the look of HDR content. In a recent article, we took a deep dive into how the processing of the GTZ380 achieves such stellar results. Check it out!

The GTZ380 is compatible with both HDR10 and HLG content. Since most HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content is either backward compatible with or available in HDR10, you will be able to watch most of the HDR content available on 4K Blu-ray Disc and streaming services. HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) was developed for live broadcast, so you are all set to enjoy sports and award shows when the networks start broadcasting.

While more and more 4K HDR content is available every day, we still watch a lot of HD content. When HD content is projected onto a massive screen, you often see noise and artifacts. For even better 4K upscaling, the X1 Ultimate also includes Dual Database Processing. Two powerful image improvement databases work together, dynamically improving images in real-time. 4K X-Reality PRO™ upscales images to near 4K clarity while a second database cleans the picture and reduces onscreen noise.

The GTZ380 is compatible with two ARC-F lenses which are Sony's ultra-high-quality multi-element all-glass lens assemblies. These types of lenses are also used on the VW5000ES and the VW1025ES home theater projectors.

This ARC-F lens is a significant upgrade in optical quality compared to the very good lenses used on Sony's other, less expensive native 4K SXRD projectors.

If you plan on sitting close to a very large screen, you will definitely appreciate the additional sharpness. Currently, I am using a VW915ES as my reference projector and the difference in sharpness was noticeable on my 120" sitting 14 feet away.

As brighter, higher resolution professional and consumer projectors become available, screen sizes continue to get larger and larger. Distortion and lack of detail are far more noticeable when you sit close to a massive screen. With great optics, you can better appreciate all the exceptional detail found in today's 4K content. 

The 18 element all-glass large-aperture lens includes six Extra Low-Dispersion (ELD) elements which significantly reduce chromatic aberration (color fringing). If you are projecting onto a massive screen, high-quality optics are worth the premium to be able to extract every ounce of detail from the native 4K SXRD panels.

It is like looking through an open window. When viewed through the unit's ARC-F lens, things just seem clearer – richer, more real.

The standard lens (VPLL-Z8014) has a throw ratio of 1.40:1 to 2.73:1. For even more installation flexibility, there is also a short-throw ARC-F lens available (VPLL-Z8008) which has a throw ratio of 0.80:1 to 1.02:1.

Since many of the common features found in our older special feature section were repetitive, that information can now all be found on the new Sony Feature Explanation page. You also click any of the bolded/highlighted terms in the article to access a more detailed definition.

The GTZ380 uses a motorized lens assembly with Picture Positioning (lens memories). Lens Memories offers the ability to save different motorized lens settings, like one for HDTV and one for widescreen movies. If you want to opt for a 2.35:1 screen to take advantage of the entire screen area when watching widescreen movies, you will find this a very useful feature.

When used with a stationary anamorphic lens, the GTZ380 has several Aspect modes, including V Stretch and Squeeze, which can properly display both widescreen and 16x9 content on a 2.35:1 screen.

The standard lens (VPLL-Z8014) has approximately a 2x zoom range and also has a large amount of horizontal and vertical lens shift which really simplifies installation.

To maximize your gaming experience, the GTZ380 includes a Low Latency Game Mode. When this mode is engaged, the projector switches off most of its video processing to dramatically reduce game lag.

Sony quotes 27ms input lag with 4K content (up to 60fps). According to Sony, with 1080p games, input lag will be a bit longer due to the need to upscale HD to the projector's native resolution, but it is still in the 33-40ms range. We measured 4K/60p at 28ms and 1080/60p at 36ms, which is a good performance for most gamers.

Unlike most flat-panel TVs,  Sony home theater projectors like the GTZ380 still support 3D. The projector's built-in RF transmitter is compatible with third-party Active RF 3D glasses for wider coverage and greater stability.