PARK RIDGE, N.J., June 2, 2015 — Sony is increasing its industry-leading share of the mid-brightness class projector market with a combination of new laser and lamp models that meet diverse installation and budget requirements for business, academic, large venue or entertainment use.
The new projectors include two 3LCD laser models (VPL-FHZ65 and VPL-FHZ60) to expand Sony’s growing line of Z-PhosphorTM laser light source projectors. They join the world’s first 3LCD laser projector, the 4,000 lumen VPL-FHZ55, widely used in smaller rooms, and the 7,000 lumen VPL-FHZ700L, designed for larger venue commercial spaces in education, corporate, government and museum applications.
The new WUXGA (1920 x 1200) laser models deliver brightness of 6,000 lumens (VPL-FHZ65) and 5,000 lumens (VPL-FHZ60). For applications better-suited to lamp-based projection, Sony’s new VPL-FH65 (6,000 lumens) and VPL-FH60 (5,000 lumens) offer cost-effective options that still deliver high quality performance.
Each uses BrightEra® panel technology to reproduce natural and vivid color.
The new laser models are designed to deliver enhanced picture quality with new features such as “Reality Creation” and “Contrast Enhancer,” both technologies already in use by Sony’s home theater projection systems for high-end consumer entertainment. Reality Creation engine analyzes and processes every input signal to refine detail, clarity and sharpness for naturally up-scaled images. The Contrast Enhancer feature expands the perceived dynamic range of the signal in real-time.
The new projectors offer Color Space adjustment and Color Correction features for more accurate color reproduction. With the Color Space adjustment feature, users can adjust individual coordinates of Red, Green and Blue primaries in addition to choosing from three different color space presets. The Color Correction feature fine-tunes Hue, Brightness and Saturation of six different color ranges.
“With Sony’s 3rd Generation Z-Phosphor Laser Light Engine and tremendous improvement of its picture quality, these new projectors are guaranteed to deliver elevated levels of visual experience,” said Wally Mohri, marketing manager for business projectors, Sony Electronics. “Projection requirements can vary greatly based on the room size, lighting, source material, installation point, planned usage time and budget. Whatever the requirements are, customers can benefit from either the laser projection advantage or economics of our lamp-based projectors, all having the unprecedented level of picture quality as their common identity.”
Sony’s new laser models pack all the benefits of laser technology into a new chassis design. A laser light source means there’s no lamp that needs to slowly warm up or cool down, no lamp to limit tilt angle and no compromise between high brightness and high resolution.
The new laser models’ “quick turn on/off” requires only approximately 7 seconds for the brightness to ramp up after turning on. There is also a “quick reboot” mode available which allows users to reboot the projector in just 1 second, during user preset time of 10 minutes or 30 minutes after turning off the projector. This is a useful feature when there are presentation intervals between classes and meetings.
The life of the laser light source is expected to be up to 20,000 hours, depending on the use and environment. Virtually zero maintenance requirements and a range of energy-saving features reduce total lifetime ownership costs compared to conventional lamp-based projectors.
The laser projectors also feature a constant brightness mode to maintain the brightness level through the expected life of the light source by driving the projector with approximately 25% reduced light output.
All four new models have built-in HDBaseTTM interfaces, enabling easier connectivity and reducing total system costs by using a single cable which runs all the video, audio, control and IP signal up to 328 feet (100m).
The projectors have a new integrated terminal cover design which allows them to be installed without any visible cable runs from any angle. The integrated cover helps managing the cables without attaching bulky external cable cover boxes.
The new models have a wide powered lens shift, which allows the projector to be installed in challenging environments, for example keeping audiences’ site lines by installing the projector high above a screen, or horizontally avoiding HVAC ducts on the ceiling.
The new models can be combined with wide variety of optional lenses. Available optional lenses include 0.65:1 short throw and tele-zoom covering up to 4.84:1 throw range, and they deploy bayonet lens mounting system for easier and quicker lens changes.
The following is planned availability for the new projectors: