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Sony VPL-VW300ES 4K projector test: all details on big screen

The latest ponces of the season – vertu phones, the price – and 300 thousand Dollars is not the limit. But even in a crisis vertu sells like hotcakes. What can I say?? Wonderland! The crisis is not a reason to save money… Looking at the consumer mayhem, I want to offer quite a worthy alternative to the collective insanity. There is a cooler innovation in the video projectors segment, which absorbed the latest and the real comprehension of Hi End. Personally, in my sober mind, I would never in my life would trade the Sony VPL-VW300ES 4K cinema projector for two poncy smartphones..

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Sony VPL-VW300ES 4K projector

You meet by design

The new 4K projector from Sony has a killer design and unusual body materials. It’s not a toy, but a serious Hi End, obviously reflecting the status of its owner.

The design is exquisitely spiced up by the wide eye, which looks like a gold turbine nozzle. The contrast with the case was accentuated you can’t take your eyes away ! attention on the front panel. Very stylish and functional! The turbine lens not only makes the image look pretty, but it also blows air to cool the projector. A powerful lamp is why it lasts so long, because it shines “in the wind” all the time…

A special word deserves the materials of the body. At first I was surprised that the front panel shines with glossy plastic. What about scratches and dust on the mirror reflection? And then I gave up thinking about it – no scratches, no dust, only glossy plastic, impregnable for pests…

The glamour of the front panel goes well with the matte finish. I touched it, looked closely to the surface – it’s rough, with small dotted reflections. It’s even harder to get scratched or smudged with fingers, prints don’t really stick. To tell the truth, there is a nuance – wiping rough plastic will be quite funny, because it immediately begins to spread apart into fibers … I’ll have to look for a rag at the level of Hi End!

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A set of connectors: there is everything you need for real pleasure

All of the connectors are located on the right when looking at the projector from the lens side. A nice bonus for the user will be a built-in 3D synchronizer.

Sometimes it’s better to show than to tell: the projector interface has two HDMI jacks for connecting a decent video sources , LAN-jack – for connecting to a home or corporate network, a mini-jack IR IN can amplify the IR control potential of the remote control by wires, RGB digital component input, as well as two Minijack – TRIGGER connectors, which allow synchronizing with the video player and, for example, light control in the cinema hall: the movie starts, light turns off ..

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One look is enough to understand the interface features

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Buttons of manual control

The manual control buttons are located on the other side of the projector. It feels like they’re made in such a way that no one will press them under the ceiling anyway. I found it very convenient to have a joystick, instead of four arrow buttons. I think it’s much more convenient.

We found it even more convenient to set the projector position. If you open this setting, instead of the image you get a grid which aligns the picture almost perfectly, much more precisely than by eye. Correct horizontal positioning of the projector guarantees a sharp image on the whole screen, especially if the screen is the size of the whole wall. I can also mention motorized lens which changes image diagonal by remote control.

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The lens drive also allows you to shift the projector considerably in relation to the screen center: 31 per cent horizontally and 85 per cent vertically. However, experienced installers try to avoid such shifts. As it is known from school physics the inclined rays passing through the lens refract differently and the splitting effect of white light into spectral components occurs remember Newton’s experience with the transparent prism ? . With a small shift, though, the dispersion of light is almost imperceptible, but if you shift the lens too much, the consequences may be unpleasant. So that zero shifts guarantee the best image quality.

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Of course, a projector of this class has a comprehensive set of different projection aspect ratios, which can be displayed on almost any screen geometry.

The remote control that comes with the projector is very ergonomic. It is perfectly balanced and does not pull away even on the outstretched hand. The back of the remote has a ribbed surface – it won’t slip out in the dark. All the modern options like backlighting for buttons, everything is there. By the way, the set of three buttons at the bottom of the remote will not let you drown in the menu after the initial setting of the projector, and will quickly jump to another mode.

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By the way, about the menu. Sony took the laconic route of “necessary and enough”, the menu has nothing extra, but all the necessary items in a prominent place: color temperature, gamma, adjustment of RGB channels and more.

True, this time we could not do without the “cryptic settings”, forcing users to delve into the manual. Here’s a concrete example: “color space 1,” as it turns out, is a preset for watching TV in bright ambient light. There are other secrets that stimulate the study of the manual.

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A set of viewing modes are standard for Sony projectors: Movie 1, Movie 2, Sample, TV, Photo, Bright TV, Bright Movie, Custom. In my opinion, these modes are good enough for your eyes and ears. Most likely, there will be one or two adjustments on the fly, no more than that.

The projector has, in several modes, a newfangled technological chip – motionflow, smoothing out sharp movements from jerks and dilatation by contrast boundaries. About this digital signal processing they obligatory write in every review of almost every projector: the function really works, but to use it or not is a matter of personal taste.

Contrary to the absolute merits of Motionflow I will only note that not all the settings of this option work with 4K signal, there are limitations for 3D signals, which is clearly visible in the following tables.

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Perhaps there is one more thing to grumble about: the projector menu, which is quite handy and simple on the whole. The thing is that the translation inside the menu doesn’t always look American, which misleads even experienced users. Here’s an example: in the main window there’s an item “EXP. STAN” – is what: EXPOSITION SETTINGS or EXPLOSION SETTINGS? Inside of this item are gamma, white point, noise reduction, color spaces… As it turned out, the original name of this item is EXPERT SETTING, which would be logically translated as WIDE SETTINGS.

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However, despite the difficulties of translation, the Sony VPL-VW300ES projector is a splendid thing, it shows amazing movies with great potential in the settings. From the first glance at the screen it was clear to me that this time I don’t think we need any major adjustments to the image. Though after running tests with JVC projectors, the only real competitor of Sony in this segment, the bar for quality is set really, really high.

A comparative evaluation: digital or analog signal processing?

This time we could well do without a detailed visual test. There’s nothing wrong with a projector at this level – there’s nothing to catch at a glance. Shadows and highlights are full of detail and colors are lush and vivid. But there’s another idea.

Not so long ago we tested in detail other Hi End projectors, also based on LCoS-technology, and in the same price range, but with an alternative signal processing. Here’s a subjective comparative evaluation of two projectors with digital and analog processing.

You can already place your bets. There is uncompromising opposition … As you know, Sony’s signal processing is digital … A generation of fans has grown up: some are for analog, others are for digital. And it’s impossible for them to find a consensus.

Such a sign of the times. There are music lovers, for example, who started a new vinyl turntable boom, thinking that MP3 and other digital formats rob music of its soul. And photographers don’t want to part with conventional film..

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We will judge the quality of the picture with the help of the legendary “Avatar”. Contrary to expectations the Sony digital picture doesn’t look digital. I didn’t notice any noise, stippling, or the plastic tones inherent in digital processing. Colors are saturated, but just enough, I’d recommend adding a little more to the settings for those who like dense colors.

Very pleased with the color in the shadows. It is difficult for any projector to reproduce color on the dark areas, but Sony copes with this task perfectly. And the midtones of the picture are simply gorgeous, they’re contrasty and not too scattered in brightness. At this stage I’m totally confused: the images of my competitors are practically indistinguishable.

But the situation with shadows in the digital version of LCoS technology is much more interesting and paradoxical. To understand the paradox, I will refer to measurements of contrast in the projector with analog signal processing: every time the test software instead of a specific value gave solid question marks “?????”. Why? The answer is simple – you can’t divide by zero. As you know, contrast is the ratio of the brightness of the white point to the brightness of the black point, which has always been measured at 0.00 cd/m2, which means that the light does not come out of the lens at all. Black in analog turned out to be absolute black, like a black hole. But measuring the contrast in digital has always given a concrete result. With the eye, of course, one black color cannot be distinguished from another, but the software still catches the difference.

So, back to the paradox: Test measurements clearly showed that digital blacks are not as absolute as analog blacks. And it’s a good thing it works out that way!

The thing is that in very deep shadows the 2 times luminosity change is practically imperceptible to the eye, but for the projector this gradation is very serious. In practice this can lead to the fact that the shadows, which after digital signal processing will have distinct details although not significant , in an analog LCoS-technology will turn into a “Malevich square” without much detail. So, Sony’s brighter lighter shadows do have some advantage after all. Here’s the paradox: Digital signal processing gives a very natural picture, I would even say – no less alive than the analog version.

So, the debate about what’s cooler, analog or digital, becomes meaningless. The more so that in Hi End devices the calibration is able to return any details in the shadows I mean the range Video 16-234, the interval 0-16 Under Black is not used , except of course for special content, where the director’s idea is “a dark cellar, where you can’t see anything”…

I should note that S-curve of gamma curve has received optimal view in the factory settings. If you want you can optimize gamma curve in your own way: by calibrating by 2 points in the menu or by 10 points with special Sony software. Though I doubt that an owner of such a Sony projector would need to calibrate.

And most of all I am pleased with the fact that during the test I first saw a true, honest 4K image as opposed to all kinds of interpolations in other projectors . On the big screen, 4K resolution gives much more presence than 3D Full HD. The picture becomes more voluminous and you don’t get the impression of 3D applique, where objects are like three-dimensional cardboard standing further or closer.

As you know, there is not enough 4K content for everyone. But when creating a modern home theater, you have to look to a brighter future. And it can be done even now – with Sony projector.

And now everyone is invited to the test measurements of the flagship 4K.

Test measurements

The Sony VPL-VW300ES was tested in a professional studio, in a totally dark room with neutral walls, where the color distortion is practically eliminated. The projector was clearly set to the Cima by Stewart 135″ screen – exactly centered on which the test image was projected with the size of 313×180 cm. Distance to the screen – five meters.

Measured with an X-Rite i1Display Pro colorimeter. We chose HCFR Colorimeter 3 as our software.1.0.6. This program understands the correction profiles supplied by the manufacturer and the spectral correction profiles, which are designed to increase the accuracy of measurements.

During the test we used a profile to measure the projectors. We tested all the modes of the projector: Game, Movie 1, Movie 2, Sample, TV, Photo, Bright TV, Bright Movie. We were interested in the main parameters that affect image quality:

  • – Color Gamut
  • – Contrast
  • – Gamma curve
  • – Grayscale
  • – Color rendering accuracy
  • – Color temperature stability

Color gamut

We start our test review with the CIE chart. With it we can estimate not only the color gamut, but also get an idea of the color temperature and parasitic shades.

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In color gamut, Sony engineers also decided to go the “necessary and sufficient” route. In all modes the projector reproduces almost all colors of sRGB aka BT.709 , and the color gamut goes except for the photo and sample mode beyond the standard space. But it comes out much less than in the same JVC projectors.

At first glance it looks like Sony is the underdog in this situation. But on closer examination… A slight overlap of the standard coverage allows you to use this mode all the time without tripping over the insidiousness of extra colors. Let me explain: if the color space of the projector is too big, then any paleface has all chances to become a “redskin chief”… Of course, you can disable the extended color gamut, but then the standard gamut comes back. And Sony allows you to get a little brighter color, but still maintains the naturalness of the image.

In terms of color gamut, all profiles can be categorized into three groups:

  • Equivalent sRGB – sample, photo and, by extension, TV
  • Moderately extended – bright movie, movie 1, movie 2, game
  • Advanced – bright TV

In Bright TV mode, the color gamut is much higher than in the other modes. But it can hardly be called extended. Note that two sides of the triangle in this mode passes almost along the boundary of sRGB. Only on the green-red edge we see a large number of additional colors. Looking ahead, I will say that Bright TV is described by the S gamma curve and for this reason is not very suitable for everyday use.

This is the same story for all modes with moderately expanded color gamut. Good or Bad? It’s probably a good thing that the projector reproduces these colors – warm green, yellow, orange, warm red. The grass is more natural in the first place. Contrary to what we are taught as children, the grass is more yellow than green! At least in RGB and LAB color space.

Going down closer to the red top, we get tones of yellow foliage, skin tones, wood tones. All of these objects are most often central to the frame or create its atmosphere. Of course, we want these objects to stand out – at least with an extra color.

Now let’s have a look at the neutral tones. For that let’s use the grey shading dots. Let me remind you that their location shows the stability of color temperature at different brightness levels and the overall location determines the color temperature.

In our tests with other projectors the grey dots were like the holes in a target after a novice shooter – he pierced all around. In case of Sony it looks like a shotgun blast! All of the dots are arranged oh-so-very-crowded.

I think there will be nothing to comment on in the color temperature measurements for this mode. Note that all the dots are centered right on the curve. This means a very important thing – the absence of parasitic shades, which spoil even the contrast of the image.

Here are two pictures for example.

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If you look closely, in the second picture the contrast is worse, the image has a hardly noticeable green tint. And the Sony project under test is devoid of this drawback, which is not easy to achieve.

The measurements showed that we can distinguish only two modes – TV and bright TV in which the gray dots are a little bit separated from each other. Slight scatter goes along the curve, so the shadows and highlights will only be slightly warmer or cooler than they should be.

Speaking of color temperature, you can divide the modes into the following groups:

  • Near the standard – the game, movie 1 and 2, a sample.
  • Colder than standard – TV, Bright TV, Bright Movie
  • Warmer than standard – picture

The results of color gamut measurement are as follows: thanks to Sony engineers, nothing to complain about, although I would very much like to expose something.

Color temperature

Let’s take a closer look at the color temperature of each mode. The obtained graphics allow us to estimate the color temperature depending on the lightness level, but in contrast to the previous diagrams do not give an idea of the presence of shades.

Measurements showed: the color temperature stability of the projector is amazing. Even a quality monitor can’t give you this kind of stability. Let me remind you that the fluctuations of +/- 500K can be considered quite normal, especially for a projector. But Sony device shows +/- 150 oscillations in almost all modes!! Bravovo!! Only in TV and bright TV modes we can see a bit more fluctuation, which was predicted already in the previous step of the test.

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In general, the color temperature is a bit warmer than it should be. So, in the game, film 1 and 2 modes, the color temperature should be 6500K, but in practice it is at the level of 6250K. There is a slight, microscopic shift to warm colors. In my opinion, the shift can even benefit the image. Warm colors are much less likely to spoil an image than cold colors. And in these modes, the image will look like it should be.

Color temperature in photo mode is 5250K, which is also 250K warmer than it should be, because the factory setting is D55 5500K . By the way, the D55 is sometimes used for photography. However, for the unsophisticated user, I would not recommend getting carried away with this setting, as you need to understand very well what you are doing.

Digital photo archives are another matter – this color temperature would be quite interesting for viewing family albums, if, of course, the photos are of good quality. 4K resolution is 12.7 megapixels, the average number of pixels in cameras of yesteryear. So you’re looking at an image that’s almost 100 percent zoom, with all the trappings of amateur photography: digital noise, low contrast, etc.d.

In bright film mode the color temperature is 7100K. As with the other modes, it is very stable. I can’t say that with such a cool temperature the picture will be bad, not at all. What’s more, for modern monitors and smartphone displays, this is the norm: white with blue is commonplace. But the real white will seem a bit yellowish to our eye.

Color temperatures of TV and bright TV modes are quite similar: from cold shades and mid-tones to relatively warm light spots of the image. Despite some instability in color temperature, in general its fluctuation does not exceed the acceptable limits. You can hardly notice it by eye if you don’t point the finger at it, of course.

So, what’s the bottom line? No complaints about the color temperature. Though this test projector is not the flagship of the lineup at all, Sony managed to stabilize the color temperature even in the S-gamma modes. And who said anything about digital processing??

Gamma Curves

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This is the first time I’ve seen channel by channel gamma curves going below the reference.

But it’s not the most interesting. Except for a couple of modes, the channel-by-channel curves are almost indistinguishable. This is probably the best you can expect on a chart. If the gamma curves do not stratify, extraneous tints do not spoil the image, the correct brightness and the correct color temperature.

Only the TV and bright TV modes are out of order, and we found an unstable color temperature there. Here we see the stratification of channels in gamma-curves.

The proximity of the curves to the reference provides the correct gamma of the image, that is – the correct shadows and light areas of the image, saturated with the finest detail. Let us distinguish three groups of modes according to the test results:

  • S-curve – game, bright TV and bright movie. I will only point out two facts. Sony VPL-VW300ES is the first projector where the engineers managed to avoid the stratification of channels. In addition, these modes finally turned out to work. So Sony has made a huge breakthrough.
  • Linear curve a little off the reference – movie 1. I think a slight shift will brighten the image a bit and add some contrast to it without major loss of shadows and highlights. Visually, it won’t have much effect on the image.
  • Linear curve – photo, sample, TV and movie 2. In fact, a reference is a reference, and on the screen everything will be exactly as the author of the film or photo conceived.

Gamma

Now let’s see how the channel-by-channel gamma curves merge. These charts show the gamma value that changes depending on the lightness level of the image. Let me remind you that the reference value of 2.2.

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Photo, sample, TV and movie 2 modes are just bravo, stable 2.2! If I hadn’t taken the measurements myself, I wouldn’t have believed this was possible without calibration.

Perfect gamma is one of the most important parameters that gives the picture the appeal that fascinates me about this Sony projector. No clearingblack and other tricks of marketers. If I see what I need to see, I like it a lot. And I don’t want to see an embellished picture. Today the improvement is positive, tomorrow it may be negative.

The surprise was the TV mode, in which the gamma is darker than the reference. This is a rarity for projectors. I can not say unequivocally whether it is good or bad, for each video content the answer will be different. Maybe in TV mode it will be Ok. Additional contrast for regular TV programs, given by this gamma, can be useful.

Game, bright TV and bright movie modes – the situation with gamma, as one might assume, is not so rosy. It couldn’t be any other way with the S-curve. In an image that has such a bad S-curve, shades and details will disappear in the bright areas. In the darker areas, though, they will be preserved, because here the S-curve looks quite decent.

The gamma value in the shadows of the projectors is about 2:1 and the color gamma in the shadows is about 2:1.0, the shadows will be quite light. I should note that all modes from this group are characterized by increased brightness, which allows you to organize viewing even in sunlight.

Movie mode 1 has an average gamma somewhere around 2.1, but its value is very unstable, changing on the graph from 2.3 to 1.8. We will see something between a correct picture and a picture with worn details in the light areas, that is something between the reference and modes with S-curves. I must say this is not a bad compromise, combining the advantages of each of the modes.

RGB levels

RGB levels are one of the basic tools for color calibration. Ideally, the channel values should be identical and at 100 percent. In this case, the grayscale will be neutral and the color calibration will be fine. You can tell if a particular hue is present in grayscale by the deviation of the graphs from 100 percent.

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In game, movie 1 and 2 modes, the deviation does not exceed 10 percent. This is a very good indicator saying that neutral colors are really neutral, without any extraneous colors. This was predictable because the color temperatures of the modes are quite stable.

The resulting graphs clearly show why the color temperature in these modes is slightly warmer than it should be: the graph shows an overestimation of the red component. Since the exceedance is evenly distributed across the entire graph, i.e. over the entire brightness, the deviation can easily be compensated for in the menu settings by simply turning down the red level.

In photo mode, the stratification of the components is greater than in previous modes, which is explained by the warmer color temperature of the mode.

For the cool modes TV, bright film and bright TV it makes perfect sense to have a higher level of blue component.

There is nothing more to say about RGB levels – they are quite stable throughout the brightness range, and their stratification is due to the desire for a particular color temperature.

It is worth paying attention to the unique values of dE. For Cinema 1 and 2, Sample and Game modes they do not exceed 2. This is a requirement, by the way, for professional monitors designed to work with color. And this is the level of accuracy of the uncalibrated Sony projector!

Additional characteristics and average values

Contrast

Average Gamma

Average grayscale dE

Average dE of primary and secondary colors

Approximate color temperature K

Color Coverage

Movie1

5887:01:00

2,04

1,65

13,08

6250

r

Movie2

5859:01:00

2,19

1,66

13,06

6250

r

Sample

5758:01:00

2,19

1,67

2,04

6250

n

TV

6124:01:00

2,4

6,02

16,67

7750

e.g

Photo

5205:01:00

2,19

7,83

8,55

5250

n

The game

5779:01:00

1,68

1,65

13,17

6250

r

Bright. Movie

6204:01:00

1,7

4,48

15,66

7800

r

Bright TV Prog.

6171:01:00

1,69

6,38

31,81

7100

r

Finally we see real contrast, and very high. The average contrast value is 5850:1, and 6200:1 for the “bright” modes. This is extremely high.

Not every monitor is able to provide such impressive values. Contrast enhancement in bright modes is quite insignificant. So I would not recommend them for viewing quality recordings.

Note the sample mode. Let me remind you, this is an “as is” image, without any tweaks or adjustments – it’s perfect: gamma, dE, color temperature – beauty!. Picture in this mode allows not only to watch movies comfortably, but also to work with color. Sample mode suitable for film mastering and professional digital photo processing.

In general, the test projector shows extremely low grayscale dE values, primary and secondary color deviations are also small, except for the bright TV mode.

Rating for modes

Movie 1 and 2 – these modes are almost identical, except for the gamma value. Given the expanded color gamut and correct color temperature, these modes can be recommended for watching movies. Personally, I would give preference to movie mode 2. I think the deeper shadows give more real volume to the picture.

TV mode that combines a very dark gamut, high contrast, expanded color gamut and yet cool color temperature. I can’t say unequivocally whether this mode applies to its name. I would categorize it as “is, well, okay”.

Photo mode – the right gamma, the right colors with low variations, warm color temperature, and standard coverage provide a great photo viewing experience.

Yark Modes. TV, bright. Cinematography of little use, in my opinion. Cold temperature, unnatural gamma, large color and grayscale variations are not worth the meager contrast enhancement they give.

Game mode has S-gamma, normal color temperature, bright picture. I’m not sure it’s good for games, especially horror games with a lot of dark scenes. I would call this mode Animation. It’s great for watching cartoons.

Sample mode is a super mode, with which I wouldn’t use the others at all. It’s the best I’ve ever seen, even better than the more expensive flagships from other brands.

So, none of the Sony modes failed. Neither of them kills the smallest details in the image. And the mode names really match the stated purpose, which doesn’t happen very often with other models.

Conclusions

Don’t fall for myths and prejudices: digital is worse than analog, or vice versa, don’t fall for marketing gimmicks and beautiful logo. Just see it with your own eyes.

The Sony VPL-VW300ES is the best projector I’ve ever tested! The picture quality is breathtaking. Whether you’re a home movie buff, a video engineer or a photographer, this is a machine that will meet the high expectations of professionals. There’s a technique and a quality that you can’t measure with price alone.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 1
  1. Nova Collins

    What makes the Sony VPL-VW300ES 4K projector stand out from other projectors on the market? How does it compare in terms of image quality, brightness, and color accuracy? Is it worth the investment for creating a true cinematic experience at home? Additionally, are there any notable features or limitations potential buyers should be aware of before making a decision?

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