Sony VPL-HW30ES Home Theater Projector Review

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Art Feierman

Specs Preview

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Sony VPL-HW30ES Specs
Price	3699
Technology	LCoS
Native Resolution	1920x1080
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)	1300
Contrast	-
Zoom Lens Ratio	1.60:1
Lens Shift	Yes
Lamp Life	2000-3000 hours per Sony, no published spec
Weight	22.1lbs
Warranty	3 years

Sony's VPL-HW30ES projector is Sony's new, and least expensive 1080p, 3D capable, SXRD (LCoS), home theater projector. The HW30ES is newest in a long series of "lower cost" LCoS home theater projectors that Sony's been offering for years. None of the VPL-HW30's predecessors, however, were 3D capable. The most recent models it replaces are the VPL-VWPro1, and before it, the VPL-HW15.

You may purchase the standard projector, the VPL-HW30ES - MSRP of $3699, or you may purchase, for $300 more in the US, the VPL-HW30AES, a bundle that includes two pair of rechargeable 3D active glasses, and the Sony emitter (transmitter), used to sync the glasses.

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Sony VPL-HW30ES Projector Overview

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Perhaps the big question is not so much how good the VPL-HW30ES is, but rather, how is it so much better a deal than the $9,999 Sony VPL-VW90ES and perhaps the 90ES's replacement, the VPL-VW95ES. You really do get a Sony projector that's close in terms of performance in most areas, but a bit less feature laden - such as manual lens features, instead of motorized, and no anamorphic lens option. Still, this Sony packs a lot of performance, especially for being barely 1/3 the price of the next model up!