Sony Reveals New 4K Projector Range
Sony has unveiled a trio of new projectors for 2020, including a flagship model with bragging rights to 10,000 lumens brightness.
Sony's latest home cinema projectors were introduced today and include both bulb and laser models, the flagship undoubtedly being the bright young thing known as the VPL-GTZ380 4K laser projector.
In a world where 3,000 lumens is generally the norm for premium projectors, the £79,999 VPL-GTZ380 (above) looks to be staking a claim to a new category of ultra-bright image-slingers. 10,000 lumens, apparently, translates to around the same brightness you get from an OLED panel - but on a 4-5 meter screen.
Additionally, the 50kg VPL-GTZ380 throws in 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut for good measure. Furthermore, the range-topper debuts the company's X1 Ultimate picture processor - a projector-tweaked version of the X1 processor found in Sony Bravia TVs.
The processor powers an object-based HDR remastering tool that is said to enhance details and colours explicitly based on the type of object in the frame whether they be faces, clouds, fields or feet.
Sony has also been busy improving its Super Resolution tech so that upscaled material is further enhanced, as well as presenting more realistic detail and texture to native 4K sources by improving the presentation of high-frequency picture areas.
The VPL-GTZ380 utilises the three-panel (red, blue and green) SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) system. The panels are paired with an enhanced laser light engine design, comprising a new 'deep red' laser, which Sony says requires less colour filtering and therefore minimises losses in brightness. Not only does this enable the 100% colour gamut but, we are told, that this system produces eight times the contrast of a DLP.
While the VPL-GTZ380 may have stolen the show, the two other models are not too shabby, either. The VPL-VW790ES (£12,000) laser replaces the VPL-VW760ES and dishes out 2,000 lumens and native 4K while the 1800 lumens lamp-based VPL-VW590ES (£7,000) succeeds the VPL-VW570. It is also the first Sony lamp projector to get a Digital Focus Optimizer function, which Sony says will compensate for the optical blur of the lens.
These two also work with a standard, rather than Ultimate, iteration of the X1 processor for projectors.
All three new models make use of a dynamic HDR enhancer to ensure that blacks stay inky and bright objects stand out against their background, without increasing video noise. Finally, all three new models sport HDMI 2.0b connections for 4K playback at up to 60 frames per second.
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. Jay heads up StereoNET as Editor for the United Kingdom and Europe regions. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in: Home Theatre
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