mrmazda's Full Review: Sony VPL-HS51A / VPL-HS60 LCD Projector
I did weeks of research and comparison on many different Projectors for my home entertainment use. After weeks of review and in-person "play-time", I settled on the Sony VPL-HS60 model. It was more expensive than the other models available at Best Buy, etc. but in true form, Sony performed better overall.
Key Careabouts for me:
Brightness - This Sony has the highest brightness of the other models compared to. 1200 lumens (the level of light that gets output to the screen). This is a key careabout or your screen will appear darker than it should, plus the brighter the light, the more light you can have in your room, lamps etc. I would highly suggest at least 1000 lumens as a minimum.
Contrast Ratio - 10,000 to 1. This is how clear and granular the picture is. The higher the number the better. Sony way exceeded any competitor in this field. Most are 2,000 to 1 or 4,000 to 1. Sony reigns supreme in contrast resolution and creates an extremely clear picture.
Throw Ratio - This is a key component in determining the distance between the projector and the screen. You need to do accurate measurement to determine the size of your screen by calculating the distance apart along with the throw ratio to determine the appropriate size of screen. All online sites have calculators to do this effectively since it requires higher math (of which I am no good at!). For my projector, the distance was 15 ft. apart so I purchased the 106 inch screen. (And it's awesome!)
Price - A key careabout for anyone. The Sony was the most expensive model I found and compared, coming in at a retail price of $1,999. It did happen to be on sale at Best Buy for $1,799 and I had a coupon for 12% off which took the price down even more! This brought the high end Sony to mid-tier pricing among the competitors.
One word of caution I learned AFTER THE FACT. I ran my cords through ceiling for mounting and I didn't realize that most cords are maxed at 25 feet. I needed 50 ft cords for effective connections through the ceiling. There all had to be special ordered from the websites, costing a nice penny since I used Monster cable for everything. I would highly suggest checking Ebay, which I did, that saved me money in the long run.
Additional highlights:
* 40" to 200" viewable screen size (diagonal); 40"-1.2-1.8m throw ratio range
* Supports HDTV and DTV signals, including 480p, 720p and 1080i, plus standard 480i
* Up to 1.6x zoom; All Range Crisp Focus Lens (ARC-F)
* Cinema Black Pro with advanced iris function and lamp control
* Real Color Processor (RCP) enhances colors and images
* 12-bit panel driver LSI; MicroLens Array (MLS) and Wide View (WV) film
* 130W compact lamp with approximately 3,000 hours of lamp life
* HDMI, component video, composite video and S-video inputs
Up to 10,000:1 Contrast Ratio (Advanced Iris On) Lens shift & short throw distance capability All Range Crisp Focus Lens (ARC-F Lens) Real Color Proce...More at Amazon Marketplace
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