The SONY VPL-VW85 Front Projector Review
As many here know I have now had three different projectors in the past three weeks. Is the third time the charm? If you have read my reviews in the past you probably are aware that I usually cut to the chase or let the cat out of the bag early. Why stop now? The Sony VPL VW85 is without a shadow of doubt the best projector I have had to date. I got that "next level" feeling from the first minute I turned it on. I started with a Blu ray title and when the FBI warning screen came up (pic below) I knew something looked special. I also included a pic of the Terminator 3 title screen. My words in this review will not do the VW85 justice. Neither will my screen shots. The letters looked so clear and "outstanding" I found myself excited anticipating what the green preview screens would look like. How sick is that? Simply put it is all in the resolution. So what else does the VW85 have to offer?
The Remote...I usually discuss it later but it deserves a shout out now. It lights up blue which is very easy to read with the black letters on the command buttons. If you are like me and always wanted direct input selection (on the Sony pjs) there is good news and bad news. The bad news, it still does not exist. The good, when you hit input on the screen appears a list of the input options which you can select by scrolling up and down. It actually works nicely. You do get direct access to Gamma, Black Level, Advanced Iris, Color Space, Color Temp, Film Projection and my favorite (for sports) Motion Enhancer (120Hz). You also get RCP (Real Color Processing) , Wide (Aspect Ratio selections) and an ADJ PIC command. The ADJ PIC is nice because it gives quick access to all the commands in a smaller box in the corner of your screen. Let's not forget the Cinema 1, 2, 3, Standard, Dynamic and User picture modes. At the bottom of the remote there is Sharpness, Brightness and Contrast selections. Perfectly put in the center is the directional pad, Menu and Lens options. And if you own a Sony Blu ray player you can control it using this remote! How slick is that? The VW85's remote feels good in your hand and all the buttons are placed in ideal locations.
Features and Adjustments... The VW85 is not in need when it comes to these. You name it, its got it! I was thrilled to see that it has one of my favorites from the VW200. Blanking really does come in handy if you are like me and want it perfect. Being able to block out the edges of the image will allow for perfect image placement. And like the 200 is allows very little (like 1/2 inch) incremental steps. The JVC models I just reviewed only allowed 2.5% and 5% options which were to much for my needs. The VW85 has 11 different Gamma settings (including Off) you will be able to "tweak" to your liking. I was really happy to see that each Gamma option has the ability to select black and white level sliders. More on white later. There is also color space settings, Sony's Real Color Processing (their light version of a Color Management System) and of course Panel Alignment (allows the adjustment of gaps in the color of characters or the picture).
Motionflow and Film Projection... This would not be a complete review if I didn't bring these two features up. Sony's 120Hz/Motionflow is actually called Motion Enhancer. I love it for sports and this is the absolute best version to date. That includes the JVCs and Pannys (to name a few) which I have recently viewed. Sony's DFI (Dark Frame Insertion) is called Film Projection. Yes, it still makes the picture pretty dark and I only recommend Mode 3. I really like the extra "kick" it provides to the image. Football has never looked better (I recorded a couple games to test out) and I am planning my traditional football pics post for this Sunday. I included a couple below to wet your appetite.
Picture Modes... Cinema 3 out of the box seemed the most accurate. Though Cinema 1 was right there with it. They are close to the THX mode I just viewed on the JVC 950. I actually liked Cinema 1 (Gamma 6, Color Temp Middle and Color Space Normal) better. Cinema 2 is for digital content. I have not seen this accurate of color (out of the box) since my VW200. If anyone is worried about the color, don't be! Standard (with Gamma 6, Color Temp Middle and Color Space Wide 1) was a great "medium" for watching programs like Dexter and Supernatural. There is also a User Mode which allows for your own settings. Dynamic is the "sweet spot" for football. The VW85 is worth it alone for sports. Using Motion Enhancer (on High) with DFI (Mode 3) seemed to be the perfect fit. This pure eye candy recipe consisted of using Gamma 9, Color Temp High and Color Space Wide 3. Let's not forget the DVDO DUO video processor sending in 1080p/60 at PC level. Wow! The colors on the uniforms and the helmets were jaw dropping. The green grass looked very detailed (even during a play). The amount of clarity with image depth never failed to amaze me. The VW85 offers the best yet for sports hands down!
Cinema Black Pro... Sony has the Lamp Control (High or Low) and the Advanced Iris options here. Speaking of Iris I have to say in Auto 1 (on Recommended) I saw absolutely no pumping. Blacks looked very deep, solid and consistent. Whites were so real and bright it made it seem as though we were looking out a window. I was told Sony did some work with its UHP lamp and its light path on the VW70. They have been working on improving colors and white level using a UHP lamp. Since then they have really made some advancements on the 85 because it is as close to the Xenon lamp in my VW200 as I have seen. Sony calls it an Ultra-Bright 200 W UHP lamp. I will say the brightness reminded me of the JVC 550. If I were drawing comparisons (which I am) I would say it has the 950's nice contrast, accurate color and deep blacks but maintains the 550's brightness. The 85 stands out because of its brilliant whites, deep blacks and tremendous depth of image.
The Looks... I think the VW85 looks like a smaller version of the 200 with its blue specs on its black body. Sony calls it Midnight Sky Black! And of course they're shaped very similar. I think it is a looker (nice silver trim around the lens) but I do miss the lighted Sony logo on the 200. Still though, it is much smaller in size and lets off a lot less heat! It should also be noted the that the 85 is very quiet and with the sound at a minimum level I can't even tell it is on. The motorized lens cover is not nearly as loud and alarming as the JVCs. Not that it is a deal breaker either way. On its side there is a small compartment (hidden nicely) that opens slowly by pushing a little button next to it. Inside it contains menu and set up buttons just in case you lose your remote. Being hidden like that adds to the classy look!
Compalints... A couple. I HATE that "Do not look into the lens" warning sticker on the side of Sony projectors. They are always a pain to remove. Thanks the makers of Goo Gone! Also the Image Director CD which allows for even more Gamma Control via a laptop is not compatible with Vista 64 bit. Can Sony at least offer a version for us Vista suckers?
Viewing... So how is the VW85 at displaying motion? An absolute dream when compared to some of its competition. Slow pans were what they should look like. The resolution stayed perfect and the image stayed sharp and judder free. And that is even without Motion Enhancer and DFI on. I am also including a pic or two of the Toy Story 3 Trailer with Hamm (the pig) driving across the screen. Notice he looks fine unlike the JVC 550/950 (and previous JVC pjs). Of course some are not as sensitive to MBDP (Motion Blurs During Panning) and since it doesn't happen to often it is not a deal breaker by any means. Sony's Bravia scaling capability is very good. There is also noise reduction options (pic below). I plan to still use my DVDO DUO (since I am hooked on it) but even without I would be fine.
Set Up... Very easy... I like being able to hit the Lens command and then having the options for Focus, Zoom and Shift at pretty much the same time. Makes life easier! Took only a few minutes (with some slight blanking) to get it centered perfectly in my screen.
Blu ray... Wow, what else can I say? No matter what you watch it will look good. For example, Transformers 2 looked very good. Especially the tanned Megan Fox! So did Coraline. The amount of detail is incredible. Especially during the close ups. Check out the notepad pic! The Dark Knight's opening front panning scene was flawless (as shown in the pic below). Snow White has never looked better! T3 scared the you know what out of me! The VW85 has a very sharp picture and with its 120,000:1 Contrast (with the Adv. Iris 1 engaged) you can see it all with Blu ray. The LG BD390 streaming Netflix and Vudu looked terrific as well.
DirecTV... Excellent! The best I have seen it to date. Our TV shows are to lifelike. Seriously. We like Supernatural and Dexter and they tend to always have a lot of night scenes which the VW85 handled perfectly. Shadow details are very good and leave nothing to be desired. The HD movies looked nearly as good as Blu ray. In a blind test it would be hard to tell the difference. The Simpsons (pics below) looked fantastic. So did National Treasure 2 (pics below). And of course the two football pics below are with my settings above. They look phenomenal!
Video Games... Madden 10 looked incredible. I plan to include some screen shots of that soon. Other games looked terrific as well. It's amazing the amount of detail you can see in a well made game using an excellent projector.
What's next? If anything I have learned (this October) that we are truly at a pinnacle with 1080p. The only real chance at a night and day difference is with 4K projectors. Even then it will be quite the task to completely trump the latest gen of 1080p projectors. Any of these projectors I have reviewed will make anyone happy. I have tested my fair share of projectors over the past two years and I always find myself going back to my true love, the VW200. Not this time. The VW85's resolution won me over. That combined with everything else. This projector is a "tweaker's" dream! This is the first component that deserves to say "FULL HD 1080" on it. Blu ray titles look beyond it. DirecTV looks like Blu ray. Sony describes the VW85 as a true home cinema projector. I also would say it is a true home sports projector. With the VW85 there is absolutely no need to go to the movies or the game. It brings both to you!
I'd also like to personally thank everyone for reading my reviews. I appreciate your support. I have now done four reviews in the past few weeks so I plan to take a little break. I will of course be around to participate in any discussion in the threads and as always just a PM away.
Oh and I almost forgot to thank my dog Rocco (pic below) who stayed near me during my entire view sessions...
Equipment...
Carada Masquerade Masking System
Vutec 120.5" Silverstar
DVDO Iscan Duo Video Processor
LG BD390 Blu ray player
Onkyo TX-NR1007 Receiver
B&K 200.7 AMP
DirecTV HR21 Pro
DirecTV HR23
Xbox 360
PS3
Harmony 1100 Remote
Last edited by joerod; 03-21-2010 at 10:00 AM.
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
AxGates (10-24-2009), BUYLONGTERM (10-27-2009), cajieboy (12-19-2009), davidjschenk (10-24-2009), drewski (10-28-2009), farfenugen (12-07-2009), hitch9 (10-27-2009), MMUS77 (10-24-2009), speedking (10-26-2009), tikitom (10-22-2009), Tome3 (10-24-2009)
Awesome!Originally Posted by joerod
Coming soon...
Pioneer Kuro Elite Pro-110FD
Panasonic 50" G10
Sony PS3 (slim) (blu-ray)
Xbox 360 (hddvd)
Looking awesome Joe.
Thanks. I had slight technical difficulty but now it's all good.
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
Wow, so you finally found a worthy successor, congradulations, maybe I have too.
I'm quite sensitive to motion artifacts too, so even without the motionflow and dark frame insertion, it handled movement well? No great loss of detail in fast movement?
The contrast held up well against the JVC's too? That was the only real unknown I think.
I'm in New Zealand, are there any places you know of that would ship overseas? The retail price here is NZ$12000, which is US$9000. I can get one for just over NZ$9000, just wondering if I can do better.
Joe, This is a world class A+ review once again totally mind blowing,like I said before you are the heartbeat of America in high tech toy's. Thank you for going above and beyond all other reviewers out there,you're awesome!
Thank Joe,
Great review!
Can you comment more on the differences with the JVC in black level and general image quality?
Do you feel the black level difference with the JVC is really noticeable?
Thanks,
Eric
As usual another stellar review! Joerod you are a machine! I can't wait to see more football pics. Do you ever sleep?
It handled movement perfectly. I never use the motionflow and DFI for movies. Just for sports at 1080p/60. No worries.Wow, so you finally found a worthy successor, congradulations, maybe I have too.
I'm quite sensitive to motion artifacts too, so even without the motionflow and dark frame insertion, it handled movement well? No great loss of detail in fast movement?
The contrast held up well against the JVC's too? That was the only real unknown I think.
I'm in New Zealand, are there any places you know of that would ship overseas? The retail price here is NZ$12000, which is US$9000. I can get one for just over NZ$9000, just wondering if I can do better.
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
Thanks. I appreciate it.
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
Mke no mistakes, the PJ are more close than not. Black levels are excellent on both and night movies look spectacular on both. JVC still has the superior Gamma settings but some might argue they can get moreout of the sonys. Overall image quality the 85 is the best I have seen with its excellent resolution. I now look forward to seeing the opening credits on movies...
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
I try to.
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
So the black level between the 2 are close... Excellent!Mke no mistakes, the PJ are more close than not. Black levels are excellent on both and night movies look spectacular on both. JVC still has the superior Gamma settings but some might argue they can get moreout of the sonys. Overall image quality the 85 is the best I have seen with its excellent resolution. I now look forward to seeing the opening credits on movies...
Do you find that the black level of the 85 is almost equal to the 550 but a little less than the 950? Or even the 550 have better black than the 85?
Thanks,
Eric
Thanks Joerod, for the very detailed review. My install is scheduled for Nov 4 (getting the 85 with a Stewart 82" StudioTek screen).... I can hardly wait!!! I think I'm gonna be REAL happy... especially when ACC basketball kicks into gear!
Basketball has always looked terrific on the VW200. Almost like you were sitting front row! I can only imagine how it will look with the brighter VW85 going...
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
Does anyone know where and when I can get an 85? Been waiting for this review and it has officially made my decision for me! Will be going with the 85.
Great review Joe. You are an excellent asset to this community and all of its visitors.
Much thanks!
-Robert
Advanced Technology Dealer
Another question Joe,
Did you find anything that is still better on the 200?
Or did you feel that the 85 is better is very category?
Eric
Thanks Robert.
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
Great question Rick.
The only thing the 200 still has is the Xenon lamp. That gap has been narrowed so much though I am still going with the 85. Especially since the 85 is sharper, offers better gamma settings, is brighter, and does the Dynamic Iris better. Not to mention the resolution seems much better.
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
You will be more than happy! here is a section from a review that is at hometheatermag.com he is using a 78 inch wide Stewart screen ...........One of the many discs I watched on this projector was The International, a reference-quality transfer. The stubble and weathered textures on the actors’ faces jumped off the screen. (In the current fashion, most of the good guys appear to never shave; the bad guys nearly always do. Apart from Naomi Watts, of course.) Long shots of even the most distant details were crisp. This is one of the best transfers I’ve seen recently, and the VPL-VW85 does it full justice.
My Stewart Studiotek 130 screen is a relatively small 78 inches wide, but I also experimented by zooming the image out to simulate a much larger screen. While this only allowed me to view the center of the image (about three-quarters of the total), it closely replicated what you would see on a 103-inch-wide screen. A bit of image depth was lost, and some minor transfer flaws in the sources were more obvious. However, apart from this, the Sony will be more than impressive even on a larger screen.
I will have The Sony VPL-VW85 on Monday,I can't wait.
MMUS77 (10-24-2009)
Where are you guys directing those that want to make a purchase of this product and are you satisfied with the purchase price?
* also thanks for the review , very nicely done , detailed info is always the better part of a review and you provide just that, thanks sawz..
I'm waiting for a shootout between this, the JVC and the new Panasonic AE4000...
Theater 1 - Panasonic PT-AE4000U, Draper Premier 119" 16:9 Projector Screen, Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player.
Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's.
This is from the Vikings/49ers game a few weeks ago.
For my theater pics, screenshots and more go to: http://www.joerodhometheater.com/about.html
Thank you so much, Tikitom! I had read that review and it really pushed me toward the 85. I'm replacing a Sony 52" Bravia XBR4, so I am sure I will be blown away. Tikitom, I hope you will share your impressions of the 85 if you can drag yourself away from it long enough! My husband will probably NEVER get me out of the theater room after I get my new toys...
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