Sound & Vision (2019-04)

IN 2018, I reviewed Sony’s VPL-
VW885ES 4K laser projector, a
$25,000 model that I hoped would
be the successor to previous Sound
& Vision Top Pick winners from
Sony, the VPL-VW1000 and VPL-
VW1100ES, but it fell slightly short
of expectations. At CEDIA 2018,
Sony unveiled its VPL-VW995ES,
a next-gen step-up model in the
ES projector line that sported the
high-end optics missing from the
VW885ES plus a few new tricks. The
VPL-VW995ES appears to be a true
successor to the earlier designs,
but at a steep $35,000, does it have
the chops to command such a loy
price? Let’s find out.

FRESH FEATURES

From a design and hardware
perspective, the new VW995ES is

nearly identical to the VW885ES

that I reviewed last year. It features

the same native 4K (4,096 x 2,160)

SXRD panels, blue laser phosphor

light engine (with a rated light

output bumped up from 2,000 to

2,200 lumens), and signature Sony

chassis. Connections are also iden-

tical: two full bandwidth HDMI 2.0b

inputs, along with a pair of trigger

outputs, a LAN connection, and a

USB port for updates. One notable

exception is the significantly larger

lens that protrudes from the front of

the VW995ES.

While the VW885ES used the

same lens found throughout the

bulk of Sony’s projector lineup —a

fact I wasn’t thrilled with given its

$25,000 price—the VW995ES

features Sony’s ARC-F (All Range

Crisp Focus) lens, the same one

provided on its flagship VW5000ES

projector. This is a much larger,

all-glass version that delivers the

performance I would expect from

any projector siing at a price point

north of 15 grand.

I was expecting the ARC-F lens

to deliver an image quality improve-

ment, but ended up surprised at just

how much of a difference it made.

Focus was excellent across all areas

of the screen—a performance

parameter the VW885ES fell short

on. Chromatic aberration was also

significantly reduced, with conver-

gence paerns showing almost no

color fringing. The only artifact that

presented some concern was the

slight blue streaking that showed up

with white text on a black back-

ground, or from bright white objects

against a black background. This

was easy to spot with my nose up to

the screen but became completely

invisible once I stepped more than

a few feet back. Image quality from

my normal viewing position was

breathtaking.

The new lens also features a

dynamic aperture that works with

the projector’s laser dimming

system to increase contrast. I had

a few nitpicks with the VW885ES’s

dynamic laser dimming, which I

found to be too subtle with any

content other than a full fade to

black. The new iris on the VW995ES

doesn’t really add to measured

Major Laser

By Kris Deering

test report

SONY VPL-VW995ES LCOS PROJECTOR

RATING

Sony VPL-

VW995ES LCOS

Projector

PERFORMANCE

FEATURES

ERGONOMICS

VALUE

(^34) [ April May 2019 [soundandvision.com