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Sony Qualia 004 advice

post #1 of 13
6/6/12 at 7:52am
Thread Starter 
I am looking for a projector to replace my now defunct iVision SX+. A friend locally has offered me their Sony Qualia for $1000, which includes a lamp that has ~100 hours on it, and a new spare. My plan would be to use the Sony for 2 or 3 years then move to a 4k 3D projector.

I have a 165" diagonal screen in a light controlled room. Will the Sony be bright enough to work on a screen of that size? Are there any other projectors in the $1,000-$1,500 range I should look at? I'm looking at image quality, brightness, contrast ratio and black levels in that order.
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post #2 of 13
6/7/12 at 3:52am
cmgunn - if you don't take the Qualia for that price I would happily buy it from your friend (seriously).

I am sure others are better able to advise on the Qualia's suitability for that screen size but it was my understanding that the Qualia had good light output and could probably manage that screen size. The Qualia lacked contrast/black levels but had very accurate colours and excellent image quality through its very good lens.
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post #3 of 13
6/7/12 at 8:52am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stephenbr View Post

cmgunn - if you don't take the Qualia for that price I would happily buy it from your friend (seriously).
I am sure others are better able to advise on the Qualia's suitability for that screen size but it was my understanding that the Qualia had good light output and could probably manage that screen size. The Qualia lacked contrast/black levels but had very accurate colours and excellent image quality through its very good lens.


That's what I was thinking. It is a really good price for it. I have enough technical skill for dealing with and electrical/power supply issues. I think I'll go ahead and buy it. If I don't find it bright enough I can always sell it.
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post #4 of 13
6/7/12 at 6:38pm
I owned a Q004 but used a much smaller screen. While i won't comment on the light output, i would love to see the Q004 with a Darbee in the imaging chain.
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post #5 of 13
6/8/12 at 5:07am
It will be bright enough for that screen.
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post #6 of 13
6/8/12 at 6:20am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfectionist2 View Post

I owned a Q004 but used a much smaller screen. While i won't comment on the light output, i would love to see the Q004 with a Darbee in the imaging chain.

What's a Darbee?
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post #7 of 13
6/8/12 at 7:04am
DarbeeVision - Darblet DVP5000. The Q004 had an incredibly sharp picture film like image but there was often a slight haze and lack of contrast so I'd be very curious to know if the Darblet improves on this.
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post #8 of 13
6/8/12 at 7:06am
Thread Starter 
I'll have to give it a try.
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post #9 of 13
6/8/12 at 7:29am
Read the posts on AVS for more info. Lots of excitement about the product although it's only been out for a short time so in my mind the jury is still out. You can buy it on AVS. If you try it, please provide followup feedback.
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post #10 of 13
6/10/12 at 7:59pm
As a former Qualia owner,
It will not light up a 165" screen well (unless it's a very high gain screen). It'll be dim and the Qualia will lose at least 25% of its brightness in the first 300 hours.

Put it on a 120" wide screen and it'll be aces. That's an incredible price.. Take it!
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post #11 of 13
6/10/12 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebland View Post

As a former Qualia owner,
It will not light up a 165" screen well (unless it's a very high gain screen). It'll be dim and the Qualia will lose at least 25% of its brightness in the first 300 hours.
Put it on a 120" wide screen and it'll be aces. That's an incredible price.. Take it!

I'm not sure what my screen gain is, but when using the SX+ I always had it in Eco mode, which was around the 1500 lumen mark with a new lamp. Even with my lamp nearing the end of it's life, it was still plenty bright, though the black levels were horrible. (A fault of the projector)

The screen is 16:9, so it's 156" diagonal for 2.35:1. If the Qualia won't be bright enough, what else should I look at in the sub $5k range?
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post #12 of 13
6/11/12 at 4:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmgunn View Post

I'm not sure what my screen gain is, but when using the SX+ I always had it in Eco mode, which was around the 1500 lumen mark with a new lamp. Even with my lamp nearing the end of it's life, it was still plenty bright, though the black levels were horrible. (A fault of the projector)
The screen is 16:9, so it's 156" diagonal for 2.35:1. If the Qualia won't be bright enough, what else should I look at in the sub $5k range?

I'd still buy it. For that price, you can't beat it (with a new bulb). If anything, get a higher gain screen if post calibration you want things brighter. I like a brighter image. Hopefully your room is dedicated without windows.. The Qualia has a film look to it that is hard to beat and is absolutely quiet. IT beats all garbage under $5K (and higher in many cases).
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post #13 of 13
6/11/12 at 6:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebland View Post

I'd still buy it. For that price, you can't beat it (with a new bulb). If anything, get a higher gain screen if post calibration you want things brighter. I like a brighter image. Hopefully your room is dedicated without windows.. The Qualia has a film look to it that is hard to beat and is absolutely quiet. IT beats all garbage under $5K (and higher in many cases).


My room does have windows, but they have been totally blacked out. I think I'll proceed with purchasing. Thanks for the advise!
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