Home Theater Projectors

Jul 28, 2010 12:00 PM, By Bennett Liles

Brighter pictures, quiet cooling, and high-tech color tweaks pack the silver screen to go home.

Sharp XV-Z15000

The XV-Z15000 from Sharp is a 1080p high-definition projector with 30,000:1 contrast ratio in high-contrast mode. It produces 1600 ANSI lumens using a six-segment, five-speed color wheel. OSD menu and remote control can be used with the automatic iris switchover function to change multiple brightness and contrast settings to suit ambient lighting conditions. The DLP unit has two HDMI video inputs, one DVI-I/HDCP, component, composite, and S-Video. Remote operation is possible through the serial port with RS-232. Fan noise gets down to as low as 23dB, and the projector weighs 12.8lbs.

Sony VPL-VW200

Referred to as the flagship of Sony’s home theater lineup, the Bravia SXRD 1080p home theater projector, model VPL-VW200 , uses a high-output 400W Xenon cinematic lamp to produce images of 800 lumens with a contrast ratio of 35,000:1 with Advanced Iris Auto on. Projection picture size up to 300in. diagonal are possible from video inputs including composite, component, S-Video, HDMI, and PC video, and remote control capability includes RS-232. Gamma adjustment using ImageDirector2 software may be done through a LAN port.

Vivitek H9080FD

Another entry in the DLP area, the Vivitek H9080FD uses DMD technology making pictures with a native resolution of 1920x1080 in 16:9, and it includes zoom, focus, and lens shift controls. There is also an optional varying optics package available for short-throw applications. The projector will accommodate two HDMI 1.3 signals and supports high-bandwidth HDCP. For a range of control options, the unit can accept either infrared or serial RS-232 remote control. In standby mode, the H9080FD uses only 1W of power and it has instant hot start, requiring no cooldown period before restarting.