Test Report: Sony VPL-HW30ES 3D HD Projector Page 4

Bottom Line

Sony’s VPL-HW30ES is a bright projector with deep contrast that does 3D. Even without taking price into consideration, it’s a great projector. And when you do take price into consideration, it’s fantastic. Its video processing isn’t great, but that’s not a deal breaker these days, since just about every source is able to output pristine 1080p video. Some may classify the HW30ES as a “budget” projector, but given its performance, I can’t say it deserves such a mundane moniker.

Test Bench

Color temperature

(before/after calibration)

20-IRE: 5,955 K/6,502 K

30-IRE: 6,066 K/6,474 K

40-IRE: 6,106 K/6,446 K

50-IRE: 6,165 K/6,447 K

60-IRE: 6,200 K/6,468 K

70-IRE: 6,217 K/6,454 K

80-IRE: 6,243 K/6,450 K

90-IRE: 6,255 K/6,458 K

100-IRE: 6,259 K/6,455 K

Primary Color Point Accuracy (Normal Color Mode) vs. SMPTE HD Standard

 

Color

 

Target X

 

Measured X

 

Target Y

 

Measured Y

Red

0.64

0.65

0.33

0.33

Green

0.30

0.31

0.60

0.61

Blue

0.15

0.15

0.06

0.06

Primary Color Point Accuracy (RCP Adjusted) vs. SMPTE HD Standard

 

Color

 

Target X

 

Measured X

 

Target Y

 

Measured Y

Red

0.64

0.64

0.33

0.33

Green

0.30

0.30

0.60

0.60

Blue

0.15

0.15

0.06

0.06

In its Cinema 1 picture and Low 1 color temperature mode, the VPL-HW30ES measured warm with bright images and got progressively warmer with darker ones. After calibration, it tracked very evenly, averaging only 38 kelvins off the D6500 standard.

Primary color points in the Normal color space mode were reasonably close to the SMPTE HD standard. Red was slightly oversaturated, and green was slightly oversaturated and very slightly yellowish-green. The adjustments available in the RCP menu allowed for the projector’s color points to be dialed in closer to standard, but not perfectly so.

The brightest image was achieved in the Dynamic picture mode, with the lamp set to High and the Cinema Black Pro iris set to Off. This produced 29.18 ftL on a 1.0-gain, 102-inch 16:9 screen. In this mode, the black level was 0.038, for a contrast ratio of 7,679:1. The best contrast ratio and black level were achieved in the Cinema picture mode, with the lamp set to Low and the iris set to Auto 2. With these settings, the light output was 14.50 ftL and the black level was 0.0003 for a dynamic contrast ratio of 48,333:1.

There was no overscan present, and no edge enhancement visible with the Sharpness control set to minimum. A 1-pixel on/off pattern was fully resolved.

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