Selling my Sony VPL - HW55ES projector for $1,200 plus shipping. I’m the original owner and projector is in great shape. I have all original packaging, manuals and accessories. This deal includes a free lamp brand new still in the box.

Only reason I’m selling is because I’m going 4K

I was cleaning my filter and it ripped in several places. Man those things are fragile.

Best place to get a new one? I was looking on Ebay and they all ship from China or Hong Kong and I want a replacement sooner than 3 weeks.

Was looking on Amazon and they are $30.

Anyone find a good material at Home Depot or Lowes that can be cut to fit?

Try computer case fan dust filters. You might have to buy a couple and piece them together. It is likely the same thin material since it requires delicate air to move through the computer case fans.

Thanks. Looks like this should do the trick:
https://www.amazon.com/Pura-Computer...s%2C210&sr=8-2

I can have it delivered tomorrow as well.

Got the filter material I posted the link to. Cut out some to fit and got it installed. A little thicker and the openings in the foam are a little larger. There is enough material to make 5 or 6 filters.

Here are a few pictures to show it:

I sold my 55 is anyone interested in the 3D glasses 2 pair and 3 PlayStation 3D glasses

HELP! My Sony HW55-ES projector “entered” demo or display mode, and i dont know how to get it out of that mode and go back to normal or home mode. There is no option in the Menu. Any kind of help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I currently have a HW55ES and the lamp has dimmed some. It currently has roughly 800 hours on the lamp that is installed but I bought it used so that is suspect. I only use it on high and I have a long throw. I want to buy a new lamp. With the projectors I've owned in the past this can be a PITA. Many sellers say it comes with an oem lamp but that isn't always the case. I don't mind switching the bulb to the oem housing if that is necessary but I am well aware that an inferior bulb is a waste of time.

I switched back to the lamp that came with my HW55ES when I bought it used. I removed it with just over 1000 hours on it. It appears to be brighter than the bulb with supposedly 800 hours on it. I didn't measure but to my eye it is brighter.

Is there a lamp you guys can confidently recommend for a legitimate seller? I don't mind switching housings if that is necessary. I have been burned in the past with older projectors I have owned buying random bulbs from questionable sellers. Any recommendations is greatly appreciated.

With that said I am still thrilled with the HW55ES. I know there are much better projectors available but I am still overall very happy with the performance of it. This is the first projector I have owned that I could say that after owning it for over a year.

Not sure if this has been answered or not but you could try the following:

1. Display the menu by remote controller or pressing [MENU] button of this unit.
2. Set the “Status” to “On” in the “Setup” MENU.
3. Close the menu by pressing [MENU] button if its displayed.
4. Press the buttons in the following order in 5 seconds:
“Enter” → “UP ” → “DOWN ” → “Enter ”
Demonstration mode screen is displayed.
tip:
Even if the message “Not applicable!” is displayed, ignore it. If the key operations failed, wait for at
least 6 seconds since the last key is pressed, and perform the key operations again.
5. Select “Model Name Display”.
note:
To exit the Model Name Display mode, perform step 3 and 4 again.
“Demonstration mode screen” is displayed. Select “Off”.

Best you can do is take the model number from the original bulb and search for the same part number. A genuine bulb for Sony projectors is usually a Philips one. HTH.

Unfortunately my past experiences have not been that simple. Many sellers say there lamp is OEM but it really isn't. I have been down this road too many times. I was hoping someone here could post what seller they have a bought a lamp from that was 100% legit oem. Switching over the housings only takes a few minutes. I just want to make sure I am getting a real OEM Phillips lamp. Easier said then done with my past experiences.

Ah, right. Whilst I unfortunately cannot help with a specific vendor, I guess if anyone is offering a supposed OEM bulb for what looks like a to-good-to-be-true price, then it most likely will be.
Maybe another option would be to order from Philips directly?

Good luck with finding the right bulb.

Check with Mike @AV Science , I just purchased a replacement from him. I have not installed it yet, just needed a backup on hand.

Found a deal on a HW55, however it's got a green tint.
What is wrong with this projector and can it be fixed?
The seller says it was infrequent and now it's permanent.

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Stay away from this projector, this green tint looks bad, i wouldn't even bought a HW55 if the tint was gone

I bought two HW55`s and both had panel degradation problems and these was bought demo used from high regarded shops in Norway, the first one had a pink bar at the top of the picture and some of the black levels where degraded, the only fix was to swap out the whole optical block which would have fixed the purple bar, this projector had only 250 hours usage on the lamp and it was green lighted by Sony as in great condition

The second HW55 unit had a severe Black degradation and it had only 1300 hours of usage

i could return the Sony's because i bought them demo used in stores

Do not buy used Sony entry level 1080p VLP projectors is my advice
especially the HW55 is badly affected by black degradation in my personal experience and its only a matter of when if they aren't affected already

If you want something used and you wont be going 4k because of costs i would suggest a JVC x500 or x5900 as JVC are not known to degrade in blacks or whites, there will be some gamma drop with the JVC`s over time but the Sonys also have that

i haven't measured but to the naked eye my x500 looks fine regarding gamma and there is a lot of room adjusting and fine tuning gamma so im not worried about that

I do think a new Sony will do it better in a white ish room because they have more pop in mid bright scenes IMO but the more dark treatment you have in your room the better the JVC will look

I just recently went for a used 1400 EUR JVC x500 and in this price range its a great machine for its money and the black levels and picture quality are outstanding
its not very dim for a 1300 lumen s projector either and it does not feel dim even after testing used HW55`s


Im not sure if i would go larger than 120" 16:9 with this projector as my room is only partially treated ATM but in a bat cave i think i could have pulled of a 135" 16:9 screen quite easy



My JVC lamp is on 900 hours, the projector is 4 years old so it does seem like JVC lamps hold up very well on these machines

This is not a campaign against Sony as i have heard that the three latest Sony 4k models aren't affected
and the SXRD panels does indeed look great in action

In the future i might even go for a Sony 4k if the black degradation issues are truly gone,
the colors in Sony projector is probably the best i have seen and the motion is a bit better than my JVC as well

but IMHO for 1400 EURO used the JVC is hard to beat as its optics and black levels is a lot better than the 1080p entry level Sony's, the on/off black levels will beat any Sony for that matter
im fine with the motion on the JVC even the Sony's i tested does the motion a bit better

I have tested two HW55 and three HW45 but when the blacks are gone on the Sony you are sitting with a flat picture that almost looks like DLP blacks,
the medium bright scenes still looks pretty good even when the blacks are degraded but if you like sci-fi movies or adventure movies with a good chunk of blacks in them then you will be disappointed

Thanks, good to know.
Unfortunately the room cannot be treated and this puts the JVC out of scope.
How about an Epson TW9200 (5030UB)?
The screen right now is an 106" ALR, will soon be replaced by some paint mix which will probably improve black levels.

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That unit has defective filters/polaisers or even one entire panel might have gone kaput and it will require a new optical block to fix. Uneconomical to repair except for a hobbyist with access to spare parts.
Stay away from that one I would say.

As with any used product always try to view before you buy.

Any device will degrade with enough use and with time.

I agree that the issues with some earlier Sony PJs (the HW55 in particular seemed badly affected for some reason) is not acceptable but by all accounts the latest devices have all but had it eradicated. Not all units will get it and anecdotal evidence suggests that lesser used units have more chance of it happening.

That said, the HW55 is previous gen from the HW45, which is the same gen as the HW65.

I certainly didn't see anything about the image on the HW45 I had (with over 1800hours on it) that showed any degradation or discolouration. It had great uniformity.

As for (non native 4k) JVCs, they tend to have a too busy (or 'fizzy') image for my tastes.

Im trying to price my 55ES which I'm the original owner with 750 hours on the original lamp with an extra spare lamp. Still have original box, 2 3d glasses, remote, etc.
Anyone knows what is the fair price for this?