Sony VPL-VW60 user reviews

Pros Perfect Picture, Easy Setup

Cons I had hoped for HDMI 1.3

Summary I had held on to my CRT projector because the skin tones on digital projectors had always seemed pasty to me. With the arrival of HDMI high definition DVDs, I decided it was finally time to upgrade.

Before my purchase, I narrowed my choice to the JVC DLA100, the Mitsubishi HC6000, and the VW60. I rejected the JVC because of price, and the Mitsubishi because I thought brown skin tones were decidedly green in the unit I viewed.

I found the VW60 easy to set up. Zooming and centering took about two minutes. Holding the focus button let me move close to the correct focus. Single clicks move the focus in tiny increments. I set the focus half way between the two points where I could actually perceive any difference. The lens focus was so good that when I looked with a magnifying glass, I could clearly distinguish pixel edges and could see what looked like a tiny wire in each pixel.

Contrary to my fears, the skin tones seem clear and natural. The picture truly is almost 3 dimensional. I haven't tried the detailed color setup, but I did move the color range slightly toward the red.

The VW60 is clearly a great projector and a step forward from the VW50. I would gladly recommend it to any one!

Pros Great color, Excellent contrast, Sony quality

Cons Could be brighter, Zoom memory, Still expensive

Summary I’m a “big screen nut”. For film, the involvement that comes with a ten foot screen has it all over any other kind of viewing device. My last video projector was a SharpVision 3 panel LCD I bought twenty years ago. Although impressive at the time and a big improvement over my 3 tube Advent, the LCD was plagued by “screen door” pixalization, no remote control and low light output. After losing it in one of our “Cah-lee-for-nya” wildfires, I took some time in selecting its replacement. The idea of a single chip DLP running through a motorized color wheel seemed very Mickey Mouse to me, (why are 3 chip DLPs so outrageously expensive and not just three times a single chip unit - greed)? Anyway, when Sony developed the SXRD process
and 3 chip to boot, it seemed a natural winner. Although Sony has stumbled on occasion, their stuff is usually fabulous to wit, the Trinitron TV, the XBR LCD TV and now the incredible OLED
TV.
The VW60 is no exception; whata picture! Like all high definition electronics, whether audio or video, it is very sensitive to the signal you feed it. Even with 1080p upconversion, poorly digital-transferred DVDs with lots of compression lose all definition, especially on long shots; close ups fair better. Well transferred DVDs look very film-like with rich color and subtle shading. With the HD disc war over, I am anxiously awaiting a Blu-Ray purchase. Pixels are invisible from the viewing position (the tiny squares do appear when your nose is next to the
screen and actually aid in focusing with the remote). Brightness is good, but as with most front projectors in this price range, you should have a partially darkened room. Yes, there are a zillion adjustments you can make in its Setup Menu, but only if you want to optimize; the projector performs very well right out of the box. If you mess up when making your own djustment, the "Reset" feature will correct that particular adjustment, rather than reseting every paramenter on the projector.
Although the list price of $5,000 may seem high, comparing the VW60’s performance with the competition; the Sony VW 100 & 200, the JVC IDLA-RS2, etc. it is a relative bargain. There are other projectors out there in its performance class, but my limited time auditioning the unit in the showrooms combined with the professional reviews which were so unanimously positive, confirmed my choice. Finding a low internet price of $3,400 made it even better. You’re not going to find a JVC RS2 for that kind of money – Sony is selling tons of SXRD projectors (economy of scale).
All things considered, the VW60 is the best “bang for the buck” in home theatre; you will not regret your purchase.