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Sony VPL-HW55ES

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  1. User ratingsUser ratingsratings of product added by Productz users
  2. Expert ratingsExpert ratingsexperts ratings from editorial reviews
  3. Consumer ratingsConsumer ratingsratings from the biggest online stores worldwide
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  1. Excellent
  2. Good
  3. Poor
  4. Average
4.3
based on all reviews
User ratings:
40
4.0 out of 5
40 user ratings
5 stars
32 %
4 stars
37 %
3 stars
27 %
2 stars
2 %
1 stars
0 %
Editorial reviews:
8
  1. See more
4.6 out of 5
4 user ratings
5 stars
100 %
4 stars
0 %
3 stars
0 %
2 stars
0 %
1 stars
0 %
Read editorial reviews

Pros

  • big-screen thrills and fantastic responsiveness
  • improved contrast ratio and motion make
  • Dark suits have texture and detail

Cons

  • crosstalk noise is readily apparent over many sharply contrasting objects
  • 3D Glasses brightness adjustment
  • home cinema system

Key specs

  • SXRD
  • 40, 300 in
  • 1920, 1080 px
  • 1700 lm
  • yes
  • 5000 h
  • , 21 dB

Sony VPL-HW55ES - Pros & Cons

Sony VPL-HW55ES

Pros

  • big-screen thrills and fantastic responsiveness
  • improved contrast ratio and motion make
  • Dark suits have texture and detail
  • and faces look superb
  • improved iris and film mode performance
  • The glasses sync quickly and easily
  • handles 3D well and better than last year
  • Highly accurate
  • very bright
  • HW55ES is well stocked with picture calibration aids
  • the connections are decently numerous

Cons

  • crosstalk noise is readily apparent over many sharply contrasting objects
  • 3D Glasses brightness adjustment
  • home cinema system
  • missing feature I would like to see is a motorized lens system
  • nighttime sky here is very dark against the bright windows of the skyscrapers
  • the blurring you can see in LCoS and LCD projectors is missing
  • no longer includes that extra bulb in box
  • dark scenes where explosions can cause the light level to suddenly shift
  • anything higher tended to make pictures look noisy and unnatural
  • it s hard to make pictures look bad by choosing injudicious settings
  • 3D has a tendency to make everything look too dark

Sony - Video Reviews (5)

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Sony VPL-HW55ES - Full Specifications

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General
Projector typeSXRD
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Design
Design typeDesktop projector
Portableno
Colour of product
  • Black
  • White
SteeringManual
Built-in displayno
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Dimensions
Width16.04 in
Height7.06 in
Depth18.26 in
Weight21.16 lb
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Lighting
Type of lampUHP
Lamp life max (normal)5000.0 h
Lamp life max (eco)5000.0 h
Bulb power200.0 W
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Features
Backlit remote controlyes
Handheld remote controlyes
Memory card readerno
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Compatibility
3D support (3D-Ready)yes
Can convert 2D to 3Dyes
Compatible glasses
Active
Full HD 3D (1080p)yes
Glasses includedyes
HD readyyes
Full HD (HD ready 1080p)yes
HDRno
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Power
Operational Power Consumption (min-max)< 300
Power consumption (typical)300.0 W
Power consumption (standby)8.0 W
Separate power connector (mains)
Large power inlet connector
Power managementMains
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Connectivity
Analog 3.5mm outputno
Analogue 3.5mm inputno
Analogue RCA stereo inputno
Component input (YPbPr/YCbCr)yes
Number of component video (YPbPr/YCbCr) inputs1
Composite inputno
Digital coaxial input (S/PDIF)no
Digital coaxial output (S/PDIF)no
Serial interface typeRS-232
DisplayPortno
DVI inno
HDMIyes
HDMI version1.4
Number of HDMI inputs2
Headphone outputno
Microphone inputno
S-video inputno
SCART inno
USBno
VGA inyes
Number of VGA (D-Sub) ports1
AC (power) inputyes
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Technical details
Noise level< 21
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Optics
Lens shiftyes
Horizontal lens shift range25 - 25
Type of lens shift
  • Horizontal
  • Vertical
Throw ratio1.41 - 2.13
FocusManual
Zoom ratio1.6 x
Zoom typeManual
Matrix type
3-panel
Matrix size0.61
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Image
Screen size40 - 300
Screen size compatibility40 - 300
Resolution1920 x 1080 px
Native aspect ratio16:9
Aspect ratio16:9
Brightness (max)1700.0 lm
Contrast ratio9000:1
Dynamic contrast120000:1
Image frequency
  • 24p
  • 50p
  • 60p
Video formats supported
1080p
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Communication
Ethernet connectionyes
Number of Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports1
Wireless network (Wi-Fi)no
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Audio features
Built-in speakersno

Sony VPL-HW55ES - Q&A

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Sony VPL-HW55ES Sony - Editorial Reviews (8)

4.6
Based on 8 reviews
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
Sony VPL-HW55ES Sony VPL-HW55ES
Trusted Reviews logo
Trusted Reviews
Published: 16.12.2013
Sony VPL-HW55ES
4.5

It might not be 4K, but this new Sony projector is still brilliant

Sony VPL-HW55ES Sony VPL-HW55ES Projector review
TechRadar logo
TechRadar
Published: 21.05.2015
Sony VPL-HW55ES Projector review
4.5

A robust and quiet projector ideal for businesses, classrooms and homes.

Sony VPL-HW55ES Home review
whathifi logo
whathifi
Published: 19.03.2014
Home review
5.0

Best projector £2000+, Awards 2015. A seriously capable performer that does nearly everything right

Sony VPL-HW55ES Sony VPL-HW55ES review
Home Cinema Choice logo
Home Cinema Choice
Published: 21.02.2014
Sony VPL-HW55ES review

Full HD 3D-capable SXRD projector delivers incredible value for money In a perfect world we’d all be able to set ourselves up with one of Sony’s ground-breaking VPL-VW500ES 4K projectors. But most of us don’t live in a perfect world, or anything close.

Sony VPL-HW55ES Review: Sony VPL-HW55ES Home Theater Projector - Projector Reviews
Projector Reviews logo
Projector Reviews
Review: Sony VPL-HW55ES Home Theater Projector - Projector Reviews

Sony's VPL-HW55ES home theater projector provides a picture with superb color. It's an excellent, bright projector designed for the dedicated home theater

Sony VPL-HW55ES Sony VPL-HW55ES Three-Chip SXRD (LCoS) Projector - HomeTheaterHifi.com
HomeTheaterHifi.com logo
HomeTheaterHifi.com
Published: 03.01.2014
Sony VPL-HW55ES Three-Chip SXRD (LCoS) Projector - HomeTheaterHifi.com

Sony VPL-HW55ES Projector

Sony VPL-HW55ES Sony VPL-HW55ES
AVForums logo
AVForums
Published: 18.03.2014
Sony VPL-HW55ES
4.5

Steve Withers takes a look at the latest iteration of Sony's entry level home cinema projector and finds out how it stacks up against the competition.

Sony VPL-HW55ES Sony VPL-HW55ES Projector Review
HDTV Test logo
HDTV Test
Sony VPL-HW55ES Projector Review

Sony's VPL-HW55ES is a fabulous projector, providing a compelling big-screen experience be it with Blu-ray movies, 3D or video games.

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