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proposition of the VW995ES
as most projector designs at or
near this price point are typically
quite bright and designed for
use with large, cinema-style
screens that are perforated
or weaved designs. I made
the same comment in my
review of JVC’s similarly priced
DLA-RS4500, but that model
delivered modestly higher light
output with its 3,000-lumen
design.
Out of the box, the projec-
tor’s accuracy in the Reference
picture mode was quite good. I
selected the 2.4 gamma option,
which produced an overall
gamma average of 2.23. Sony
only provides a two-point gray-
scale adjustment, but with some
work I was able to dial in an
average gamma of 2.4 (targeting
BT.1886) and a max dE of 1.5.
(Delta E, or dE, is a figure of
merit indicating how close the
color comes to the standards,
either D65 for the white point or
the color coordinates for each
of the primary and secondary
colors that define the color
gamut under test. Values below
3 are generally unnoticeable.)
While these results overall
are outstanding, I’d like to see
premium projectors like this
one feature at least 10-point
grayscale adjustments similar
to what’s provided in the user
setup menu of most consumer
flat-panel TVs. It would allow
for a more precise level of
adjustment during calibration,
which can be very important for
properly dialing in the gamma
of a display. This comment
applies not just to Sony but to
their rivals as well. Sony does
offer specialty soware to their
dealers and installers that offers
this level of adjustment for
projectors, but it is not available
to end users.
Colorimetry was also quite
good with the VW995ES, which
automatically selects the proper
color gamut based on the
input signal. Pre-calibration,
the projector’s REC.709 color
performance was spot-on, but
when I switched to the REC2020
color mode the results weren’t
quite as stellar. Unlike Sony’s
VW5000ES, VW1100ES,
and VW1000ES models, the
VW995ES does not feature a
color filter to increase gamut
size. Without a filter, the projec-
tor’s measurements showed
only 87 percent coverage
of the P3 color gamut within
REC.2020. This was a nitpick
I had with the VW885ES, and
for the VW995ES I was hoping
that with Sony would implement
the same filter used by its other
premium projectors. Gamut
accuracy was quite good,
however. When evaluated
using CalMAN’s color checker
feature, the majority of color
points inside the P3 gamut
were below a dE of 3, and the
numbers only crept up when
you measured the extremes
of the REC.2020 gamut, which
no projector on the market can
currently reach.
Calibration complete,
I turned my aention to
contrast performance. For the
VW995ES, Sony has added
an iris system to the lens.
Similar to what we see with the
company’s lower-end models
and projectors from competing
brands that feature apertures,
I was hoping the iris system
would let me dial in peak white
point while simultaneously
increasing contrast, but the
iris unfortunately is only meant
to work in conjunction with
the projector’s laser-dimming
feature in dynamic laser mode.
I found this a bit disappointing
since lowering the laser output
on the VW995ES decreases its
overall contrast, and contrast
is something you want to do
everything you can to preserve
with a projector.
My contrast measurements
of the VW995ES were quite
different than what I expected.
I started with native contrast
measurements—ones taken
with no dynamic laser dimming
engaged. First up was tradi-
tional full-on/off (a full white
screen followed by a full black
screen), and for the next round
I used my single-pixel paern
(see sidebar) in place of the full
black screen.
I wasn’t expecting to see
any difference between the
contrast ratio sets since a
dynamic system wasn’t involved
and a single white pixel out
of 8,847,360 pixels should
have lile effect on the black
measurement. But that didn’t
turn out to be the case. Full-on/
off measured higher than the
VW885ES I reviewed last year
and came in at 16,400:1 at my
normal zoom position. Peak
native contrast measured
20,000:1 at minimum zoom
and 14,000:1 at max zoom (full
laser output only). When I did
the exact same measurements
with the single pixel added to
the black image (far right corner,
away from the measurement
position) the projector’s native
contrast dropped to 12,000:1
at my normal zoom setup with a
peak measurement of just under
14,000:1 at minimum zoom—a
significant drop.
Engaging the dynamic
dimming system on the
VW995ES did boost contrast
ratios, but even with the new
iris added to the lens, measure-
ments were not much different
than what I got with the previous
VW885ES. While black levels
did drop a bit, a corresponding
drop in white level kept the
overall contrast ratio nearly
the same. Full-on/off contrast
ratio in Limited mode measured
24,000:1, while Full mode was
Contrast Ratios
Average
Display
Luminance
Dynamic
Full
On/Off Infinite 24,118:1 16,400:1
1 Pixel 18,636:1 17,826:1 12,000:1
1% 4,774:1 6,164:1 6,286:1
2% 3,348:1 4,257:1 4,190:1
4% 1,929:1 2,234:1 2,444:1
5% 1,684:1 1,961:1 2,075:1
10% 1,169:1 1,200:1 1,201:1
20% 617:1 624:1 627:1
Dynamic
Limited Native
My contrast measurements of the VW995ES were done a bit
different than in the past. We are seeing more laser and LED
projectors hit the market now with dynamic systems that
allow them to shut off the light source completely to achieve
“infinite” contrast ratio specifications. And while “infinite”
may be the case when the light source is completely blacked
out, once a single pixel gets illuminated, the situation is far
different. I asked Stacey Spears (co-creator of the Spears &
Munsil HD Benchmark video test disc) to work with me on a
testing solution for such projectors and he created a pattern
that was full black with only a single white pixel located at
the upper right of the image. When displaying the pattern,
the projector under test should be prevented from fully
turning off its laser while delivering the best black floor
possible to evaluate contrast performance. I’ve also added
contrast ratio measurements for different average display
levels that represent the luminance levels of most real-world
content. I plan on using these new contrast ratio measure-
ment techniques for all projector reviews going forward
regardless of the design.—KRD
antfer
(Antfer)
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