Official Sony VPL-HW15 Thread - Page 9

The Benq is sharper too but at the expense of more picture noise. However, I can see the rainbow because of its slow 4x color wheel, which is the deal breaker for me. Also, at the time of audition, it still had the auto Iris problem, while the Sony is silky smooth.

As for the Sony that I have been watching for over a month, I still cannot find any fault on the picture quality, except the Power On problem when I activated its HDMI CEC control, to work with my Pioneer 05 bluray n Onkyo 805 receiver. For some unknown reason, 1 out of 4 times, the HW15 cannot be turned on with the remote n had to hand-press the button on the side panel. I had been working with the Sony service on this problem for 2 weeks, but they still have no clue, even after I turned off HDMI control on all units.

I wish other HW15 users can chime in here if they have similar problem.

I have been using a HW15, Pioneer SC-07 receiver and a Sony PS3. When I turn CEC on on all of the devices and turn the HW15 off it turns the receiver off but leaves the PS3 on. If I turn CEC off in the receiver it turns the PS3 off. The projector shuts down in either case. I haven't had any issues turning the HW15 on with either of the CEC combos.

I had the W6000 for a couple of weeks, and just bought the HW15. I didn't have them simultaneously so didn't get a chance to compare directly, but I did have a VPL-VW60 at the same time. I wouldn't characterize what I did as anything remotely like rigorous testing or comparing, but here's what I recall.

Brightness: W6000 is easily brighter than the HW15, but on my 100" screen it was nearly to the point of being too bright. I had to use every option to back down the brightness for use in a darkened room. Of course, with some ambient light present, the extra brightness becomes very nice to have. For me, the HW15 is still bright enough in dynamic mode to watch sports with some light in the room.

Contrast: The W6000's brightness also created a sense of more contrast and "pop" to the image. The HW15 is very good in this respect though, and I don't find myself missing anything here.

Black level: Subjectively, the HW15 seems a bit better to me here. Again, the brightness of the W6000 is the driving factor as it leads to slightly higher black levels.

Sharpness: Definitely the W6000. The HW15 has that slightly "soft" LCOS look, which as often said, some characterize as being a bit more filmlike. There is still plenty of detail, it's just a slightly different presentation and some would prefer the sharper image. The HW15 is my first non-DLP projector so I've been accustomed to the DLP "look" for years, and while I like it I can also see how some would find it somewhat artificial.

Colors: I find the HW15 to have easily better colors out of the box and with a little user adjustment is very nice. The W6000 needed more tweaking. I'm not a color guru though, and I could certainly live with the W6000 after some adjustments.

Other picture stuff: Again, the W6000 being very bright brings out the best and worst, and for me the worst was rainbows. I did not notice them very much on my previous Optoma HD80 with its 6x color wheel. With the W6000 it was very noticeable, to the extent that every time I blinked I got them. If you're sensitive, they could be a problem with the W6000. Obviously, the HW15 being 3 chips doesn't have this issue.

Ergonomic stuff: The Benq menu was not quite as nice to me as the Sony (or the Epson that I also tried), though the Sony has one thing which annoys me - the high/low lamp setting is accessed through the "Cinema Black" setting which is just a little obtuse. The lens shift actually has somewhat similar range on both. Noise level - the Sony is definitely quieter especially since it lacks a color wheel, but the Benq isn't too bad and is quieter then my old HD80.

Overall, I just found the HW15 to have a more refined picture - the word "relaxing" keeps coming to mind, and for me it's just a pleasure and relief to not deal with rainbows. The W6000 is a little more in your face with the brightness. If you have a larger screen that's definitely an advantage.

Ordered the Sony VPL-HW15 from Projector People on Monday, arrived on Thursday. I'm upgrading from a Mitsubishi 3000U (DLP, 4000:1 contrast 1280 x 768). Used it less than an hour so far, but here are my initial impressions:

1) Color - I left it on the default settings (cinema mode, high lamp mode) and the colors look great. I'm going to try to calibrate it (probably just copy the settings from projectorreviews.com) but I don't think I can make it much better.

2) Contrast/black levels - definitely a step up from my old projector. When watching 2:35:1, the black bars are noticeable but quite dark.

3) Noise - During dialog in movies (ie when no music was playing), I would hear my old projector from where it was ceiling mounted 8 feet away. As a temporary measure, I propped the Sony up on a box just behind my couch. From 1 foot away on high lamp mode (and if I pay attention), I can barely hear the projector during quiet passages. When its mounted in its proper position on low lamp mode, I'm sure I'll never hear it again.

4) Pixellation - none! (frequently saw it on my old projector)

5) The resolution via the VGA input is limited to 1280 x 768. If you want 1920 x 1080 from you computer, you need HDMI out, which my computer doesn't have. Any suggestions on how I can test the convergence on this projector? (I had been planning to display 1 pixel-wide white lines via my computer. I also don't have a blu-ray writer)

6) When displaying a single color, there is a noticeable drop-off in brightness in the corners. I'm sure I won't notice it during movie-watching.

7) It's big. Also wish it had a little more vertical lens shift so that it made sense to ceiling mount it. I know I could get a longer ceiling mount, but it's going to be easier just to build a shelf on the back wall of my theater.

7) Bottom line: Beautiful picture. Wonderful projector. Addresses all the issues that I had with my old projector. Definitely a keeper.

john

Use the built-in test pattern for adjusting pixel alignment. It has all the white lines you'll need.

Are any of you guys using this projector with an acousticly transparent screen? If yes, which screen? Thanks!

I'm using a DIY CCC AT screen. No issues with shooting about a 97" image with low power lamp setting in dark basement theater.The same screen was previously used with my former 1024X576 Benq DLP projector.

Thank you.

If you don't mind a few more questions???

Do you have L, C, and Right all behind or only center speaker?
What speakers are you using?
How much space/buffer do you have between the speaker and the screen?

Thanks again!

Surely your computer has DVI? You just need a DVI/HDMI adapter: http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

I went to the Sony Style store in Vegas this weekend to see the projector in person. Sadly, all they had setup was a 60 second looping commercial. They couldn’t throw blu-ray nor any other image. The salesman claimed they don’t sell projectors there so it’s not a priority. It wasn’t even turned on when I got there. Alas, the struggle goes on…. Sony or Pany????

I only have the center behind the AT screen. The speaker is about an inch behind the screen. An engineer from M&K said that was best. Using a M&K LCR850 center speaker. Left and right speakers are just outside the screen with at same height as center. All 3 front speakers equadistant from center of theater listening position. I've found that pure left or right (not mixed with center) sounds are usually off-screen effects.

It seems it is not just me that is having the HDMI CEC problem with HW15 n 'rms8' is also having similar problem too.

Actually the test pattern lines are green. They show good convergence but I'm not sure if they use more than one LCD.

john

If you use the pattern to adjust convergence it contains white lines.

Installation Menu - Panel Alignment - Panel Color: R/G/B - Adjust

I have the 10 and have been thinking about trading it in for the 15 for a while. But then I read a review which said that it is very good apart from producing a "hotspot". Is it true that the illumination is not absolutely even?

I am using a screen with 1.3 gain n see no Hotspot.

Crutchfield has a good deal for this with 24 months 0 interest, I was just wondering if it's worth the money, I'm not realy interested in DLP because of the spining disc unless there is a model with 3 chip under $3k is there any competitors for the same price range, I'm about to pull the trigger but just scared.

Having compared it to a few other projectors I'd say...

Weaknesses

No Frame Insertion
Not very bright in brightest mode
A little less lens shift (in both directions) than most of the LCD models

Strengths

Extremely quiet
Noise free image (lack of pixel structure)
Very good color out of the box (using Cinema)
Pixel alignment utility

Overall I feel it's better than the lower priced LCD's and BenQ W6000. Also it appears to be built of higher end materials and I have noticed less variances between units such as convergence.

Do you mean by frame insertion 120Hz or 240Hz ? I was reading about 3D technology they say TV's and projectors with 240Hz are good to go with HDMI 1.4 specifications for 3D with software update, I wish it has 240Hz, but this is off topic I was just wishing.

I think Charles meant the 'Motionflow' feature, which is 120/100 HZ.

But I do not think it is a must, since you don't need it for movie n the SXRD is fast enough for video material.

At 1080p24 I noticed that the HW15 has less motion "blur" during slow/fast pans than my old Optoma HD80 DLP. The HD80 displays 1080p24 at 48Hz and I'm not sure at what refresh rate the HW15 uses but it seems like the projector "kicks" into another mode when you send it 1080p24... perhaps becoming a little quieter too (or appears so after the louder kick). I haven't look into it closely but when I go from 1080p60 (PS3 desktop) to a 1080p24 movie the projector seems to make some type of mechanical (noise) adjustment.

Hi,
I am having misery with my Epson 9500 Pro...check out the forums (though they refer to the 8500). I am thinking of returning it and getting this Sony. I have a bit of ambient light even in the evening since my room is not closed off. I used to have the Epson Home 1080, which had a max output of 1200 lumens, and it did the job. Has anyone had luck with the Sony in a living room with some ambient light? My Chief universal mount is flush with the ceiling but so is the screen (in lower level of a raised ranch) so the lens shift should work right?

hey guys, I am also looking at this projector as a replacement for the POS8500ub that I had previous. I am just wondering if this projector can fill a 106 in screen with enough umph to watch it with some lights on in my basement for football or sports viewing. Also does anyone know how it compares to the panny 4000 as well? I like the fact that it has high brightness for best mode witch is better than what the epson was. I was able to use the epson at living room setings with the lights on no problem, but my deal is I don't know what the lumen difference on paper translates into on the screen. All the reviews I read seem to say the sony is a better overall than the lower priced projectors such as the panny, but how much?? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

If you guys just want a bright projector to offset the ambient light in your room, get the Benq W6000, which is a light canon. If you can't stand DLP because of RBE, then get the Epson. If you want those fancy features, then get the Panny.

However, the HW15 is one of the brightest unit in its best mode(correct color), n just happens to come with a better picture, lower price(in HK), plus 'Made in Japan' quality approval.

I have no use for the fancy features of the panny because my room will only give me a large screen for a 16 :9 screen. I mostly want it for movies, but with the ability to watch respectably with the lights on. Again, does this manage to do this at an acceptable level. I am looking for the best quality picture I can get. I can't stand incorrect colors. Biggest reason I want to upgrade from my sanyo 2000 was the black levels and it is just too dim.

Hi,
I like to ask if any HW15 user using a 2.35:1 or 2.40:1 (21:9) screen with the HW15?

How you handle a 16:9 film on your 21:9 screen?

Unlikely there is no option to reformate the picture like the Pannasonic PT-AE4000 to swicht between 16:9 and 21:9.

Also, from what I know, the HW15 has a limited lens shift.

Or is there a blanking option for the black bars at 2.35:1 films on a 16:9 screen?

Thank you very very much for some information.

Greetings
Luminum

I don't think anybody can answer your question except yourself. Since nobody know how bright is your light n your room n what is your acceptable level.

The lens shift is fairly generous in both directions. It's just not as flexible as say the Epson 8500UB. The user manual references what's available in both directions and it's very accurate.

There is a blanking option (for all four sides) not for black bars per se and I'm not sure how many pixels you can do. Since it projects the same amount of light blanked as when displaying black bars it wouldn't be of any help. Rather it helps when the image overspills into the frame's border.

Does anyone knows what's the best projection material on ebay for this projector, they all say they have the best fabric on ebay, so I don't know which one is good or bad, anybody have an idea what gain scale produces the best picture for a dark living room for this type of projector.

I currently own a Mitsubishi HC3100 DLP projector and I am currently considering buying the HW15.

I saw that ac388 also migrate from an HC3100:

How these two projectors compare?

Do the sharpness of the HW15 better than the mits?

How about its black level, and its brightness?

Are the colors any better?

Should I buy it???