Sony Officially Unveils The VPL-VW10HT By Gary Reber
Sony officially introduced the VPL VW10HT at the CEDIA Expo, September 24-26. Sony is the only manufacturer of a 16:9 (1.78:1) aspect ratio LCD projector for the home theatre market. The image was remarkable and although it wasn't as good as a CRT, its features are so appealing that home theatre buyers should consider the VW10HT as an alternative to more expensive CRTs. The video quality was excellent no doubt due to Sonyís suberb built-in DRC scaler, a scaler that rivals the best scalers in the market. The VPL VW10HT uses three 1366x768 poly-silicon LCDs and delivers what Sony claims is 1000 ANSI lumens of light output. Other features include 3D Gamma correction, Digital Keystone correction and a special Sony Cinema Mode. In Cinema Mode, the projector readjusts the contrast ratio and gamma curve to produce a black level that is almost black - something that LCD projectors typically can't do. In Cinema Mode, the lamp life of the projector is extended from 1000 hours to 2000 hours with proper 6800 degree Kelvin color temperature. Finally, the VPL-VW10HT includes 49 pre-set memory settings for signals ranging from VGA to 720p HDTV and six customizable memory blocks. The suggested retail price is $6,990.00 with availability in December.