Sony VPL-HW45ES Review

This Sony is great for gaming, since the input lag is measured at 22ms, which is pretty much as low as it gets.

This Sony has a contrast ratio of 120 000:1 which produces very deep blacks. The dark colors are unusually dark even in ambient light. This also helps with the colors, which are very realistic and deep, creating a bit of a three-dimensional picture feeling. It has 1800 lumens of white brightness and the same amount of color brightness. This balance means that the colors are stunningly precise at every level of brightness.

The fans are very quiet, making 22 dB of noise. This is one of the quietest projectors overall.

It has a lamp-life of 6000 hours, which will last for 6-7 years if you watch a movie a day. Though all lamps lose brightness over time so you might want to replace it earlier. Replacements are available for around $300.

The VPL-HW45ES has 3D support. Image quality in both 3D and 2D are the same. Though, just as any other 3D projector, the image brightness suffers in 3D mode due to dark glasses. In addition, it has a built in RF 3D Sync transmitter, providing a wider viewing angle and flexible sitting positioning.

Like LCD projectors, it barely shows any rainbow artifacts thanks to its three-chip SXRD (brand name for LCoS - liquid crystal on silicon) technology.

It has a 1.6x manual zoom lens plus vertical and horizontal lens shift. This makes the projector very versatile when setting it up.

It has 8 color presets and one User mode, which are all customizable to your taste.