Sony Home Theater Projector VPL-VW295ES: Full 4K HDR Video Projector for TV, Movies and Gaming - Home Cinema Projector with 1,500 Lumens for Brightness and 3 SXRD Imagers for Crisp, Rich Color

This is not a bad projector, it just didn't offer enough improvement over my Epson 5030UB HD projector to justify the $5000 price tag. That said, I've researched and bought projectors for the last 18 years and have always been pleased. Typically, every 3-4 years, I get a new one, which is sharper, brighter, and better than the last. I'm detail oriented, so I appreciate quality. However, this Sony projector was underwhelming. To make sure it wasn't my imagination, I projected the same image from my old projector on the right side of the screen and this new Sony projector on the left side. I played amazing 4K HDR content like Our Planet (NetFlix) and Planet II (4K Bluray) along with other content. To the casual observer, this Sony is perhaps 15% or maybe 20% better. And that might be optimistic as when I showed my wife in a blind test and asked her which was the new projector, she pointed to the old projector image. She literally couldn't tell. Now, I could tell the difference, but in many scenes with motion, I had to press pause to actually see it. The 4K is sharper of course with the right content, but the HDR color does not pop like a good HDR TV does. It's SUBTLE. If you've bought a nice 4K HDR TV and expect to get 80% or even 50% or even 30% of that level of color pop and brightness, then forget about it! To my eye, you get maybe a quarter of that HDR effect and from what I've read, this may be the case with most any projector now and for the foreseeable future. It's because TV's can control each pixel brightness and blackness locally, and projectors are limited in that way. The blacks on this Sony look the same to me as my Epson that is 3-4 years old and costs less than $1000 now. Perhaps a JVC or some other unit will have somewhat better blacks. Blacks on this unit are fine, but it's nothing special. The brightness in relation to HDR is also not impressive. I guess I've been ruined by my 65" LG B6 OLED TV, which is amazing. No projector will match that (I knew that going in), but I expected more. In a side by side with my HD Epson, I asked myself if I'm going to get substantially more enjoyment out of this $5K projector, and the answer was NO. My wife agreed. Instead, I decided to spend $4K on aSony XBR85X900F 85-Inch 4K HDR TV. Now 85" is not quite the 110" of my projection screen, but when I saw this unit at my local BestBuy, WOW! The picture is TWICE as good as this Sony projector at least. You really notice it. Others notice it, and it's $1000 less. Furthermore, the images of the Sony 900F (to my eye) are 99% as sweet as my LG OLED, but it's a full 20-inches bigger. Set yourself at an optimal 8.5-9' from the screen, and you can get close to that "big screen" experience that fills 40 degrees of your view but with an amazing picture quality. We even compared the Sony LED to true OLED's they had on the floor, and it's so close on this particular unit, that whatever slight black level and other differences there are, we had difficulty seeing them. What we did notice is the giant size and amazing color pop and sharpness. So, I'm selling my 65" OLED (a great TV) and putting the 85" Sony TV in our living room for the theater experience where we spend most of our time. As for my dedicated theater with two rows of seating, I'll keep my Epson for now and when TV's get to be 90-100" or so in this price range, I may get one of those. Unless there's a big technology breakthrough, I'm not sure I'll be buying anymore projectors with amazingly HDR TV's getting so large and widening the quality gap. From what I read and seen, I could spend $10K on a projector and still see only a marginal improvement.

This thing is loud. Almost sounds like an old school theater projector with a film reel. Might be a bad unit, trying to return, haven’t been able to get an answer back from the dealer. Picture looks amazing but I’m not going to be watching a quiet movie and hear this thin the entire time. I’ll update my review if I get an answer on how quiet it’s supposed to be. Update: Called Sony, unit should not be making these noises. They also stated that people have been using scrap parts to make frankenstien projectors and sell them online. They checked my serial and it wasn’t flagged in their system so that’s a good start? They did mention Hatchfield is not an authorized Sony reseller. Waiting to hear back still no response. Update 2: Finally returned the old unit to the unauthorized seller. As much of a hassle that was, Amazon was top notch in helping me. Ordering an authorized unit from Amazon as soon as the bank clears. Hopefully my next update will be how amazing this thing is. Cannot stress enough, DO NOT BUY FROM UNAUTHORIZED SELLERS.

Tried a cheaper Optoma that is 4K and supposedly HDR. But comparing its picture to this Sony is like comparing LED to OLED on a TV. There is no comparison. Sony uses a different technology for generating video, and the blacks are truly black. HDR is the real deal here, unlike the Optoma. And there's all the little things. Adjusting focus and zoom and horizontal and vertical frame shift with the remote is so much better than manual, especially if the projector is ceiling mounted. If you have a widescreen movie, you can zoom with your remote to make the picture as big as your screen will allow. The picture controls on the remote are super easy to use. The fan is the quietest I've ever heard, even when powering down. If you want to really enjoy your projector, and not constantly be annoyed by limitations, just dig deep and buy this beast. Be aware that if you want to watch 3D movies, it uses Bluetooth glasses instead of DLP that most other projectors use. There are not nearly as many of those out there and they cost more. But Bluetooth seems like a more reliable technology.

While I didn't purchase this item through Amazon(ultimately because I couldn't coordinate delivery time and because the item required a signature), the product itself is simply amazing! I upgraded from my Optoma UHD60 to this for three reasons: true 4K, 4K at 60 fps and 3D! While the Optoma was great, especially at its price point, the clarity on the 295ES is stunning. But watching movies in 3D in large format is a game changer for me. It's renewed my desire to seek out 3D Blu-rays again. 4K movies look phenomenal, but HD movies are equally as impressive on this projector. Worth the price!

A replacement for a 12 year old projector, this new Sony is a quantum leap from the older unit it replaced. I’m projecting an approximate 110” picture with almost as much detail and clairity as my other TVs. Pricy, but well worth it for my home theater.

I enjoy the beautiful 4k image. It's a bulb projector so lighting is somewhat critical although it does have "bright" settings in the menu. Mounting height is very important. I had a previous mount for a 13 year old Panasonic projector which did have a keystone correction. This SONY does not so I had to add two inches to my mount 'pole' (steel nipple.) Setup was fairly straightforward once I got the image flipped. Focus is sharp (not auto.) Overall, a nice projector if a bit pricey. HDMI inputs are on the side so I nearly had a cable length issue.

Brilliant colors, high detail level. black could be better but that is available in a higher priced model.