# Sony Qualia 004 vs new 1080p projectors



## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

My Sony Qualia will need its lamp replaced soon. I have been trying to decide on whether I want to spend $800 on a new lamp or purchase a new projector for under $3k. I know that most current projectors in that price range will likely have better black levels and contrast ratio, but how would a newer projector under $3k compare to the Qualia in color accuracy, sharpness and brightness?

My screen is 165" diagonal with a gain of 1.2, so I'll need a light cannon. I'm not looking for 3D, just the best 2D image quality I can get in that price range. I also can't use a single chip DLP projector since they give me a headache.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

I know that Sony bulb is also used in other projectors and I think it's made by Phillips. I don't recall the bulb type/name/part number but it can be had for much less than what Sony is asking. Either I will do some more research or someone else can chime in on my comment.


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## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

8086 said:


> I know that Sony bulb is also used in other projectors and I think it's made by Phillips. I don't recall the bulb type/name/part number but it can be had for much less than what Sony is asking. Either I will do some more research or someone else can chime in on my comment.


It's a Cermax lamp. $925 is the lowest I can get the bare bulb for. Sony's asking price was around $3,000 or so. Considering that it's a 700w Xenon lamp, the $925 price seems about where it should be.

I still like the projector, I was just wondering if there was something better out there for $3k.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

Last I saw the bulb was going for $800. But that was about 3 years ago. I have seen genuine sony bulbs sell on ebay for 400-ish. In terms of image quality I doubt you will find anything better than the Qualia for $3,000. But the cost of operation of a cheap projector will be much lower. I might suggest doing a dual projector set up where you have a cheap projector alongside your Qualia. Use the cheap unit for daily general TV viewing and save the Qualia Bulb for *movies*, family nights, and special events like the Super Bowl or when Guests come over.

It would be great if there was an LED alternative to the Qualia bulb.

EDIT: Atlas Specialty Lighting is near where I live and they carry a lot of specailty bulbs. Their phone still works but at the moment the website is down.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ATL...TING&aqs=chrome.0.57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


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## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

I'll keep an eye out for some on eBay. There is one listed right now, but it's $975 + shipping. I have seen them for less there in the past though.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

I've got my eye on ebay as well and when I see a bulb, I will report it to you.


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## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

Thanks!


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## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

8086 said:


> Last I saw the bulb was going for $800. But that was about 3 years ago. I have seen genuine sony bulbs sell on ebay for 400-ish. In terms of image quality I doubt you will find anything better than the Qualia for $3,000. But the cost of operation of a cheap projector will be much lower. I might suggest doing a dual projector set up where you have a cheap projector alongside your Qualia. Use the cheap unit for daily general TV viewing and save the Qualia Bulb for movies, family nights, and special events like the Super Bowl or when Guests come over.
> 
> It would be great if there was an LED alternative to the Qualia bulb.
> 
> ...


Atlas is the one who quoted me $925 for the bulb. I ordered an Epson 6500UB earlier this week off eBay for general viewing, I'll be interested to see how it compares to the Qualia. Even with the nearly dead lamp on low power mode, the image is still pretty impressive.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

SI.Theater said:


> Atlas is the one who quoted me $925 for the bulb. I ordered an Epson 6500UB earlier this week off eBay for general viewing, I'll be interested to see how it compares to the Qualia. Even with the nearly dead lamp on low power mode, the image is still pretty impressive.


Keep me posted on the comparison. Post pictures if you can.


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## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

8086 said:


> Keep me posted on the comparison. Post pictures if you can.


Will do. The Epson should be he on Monday.


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## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

8086 said:


> Keep me posted on the comparison. Post pictures if you can.


I got the Epson in today and did a preliminary comparison.. WOW! What a difference. The black levels were much better, the image was brighter and the colors were more vibrant, though it did seem to lack the Qualia's sharpness. However, much of this could be attributed to the age of the lamp in the Q004. I will try to set up a side by side comparison tomorrow with pictures and my thoughts between the two projectors.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

If the blacks were better, I doubt it had anything to do with the lamp; less light would mean deeper blacks. It must be the fact that DLP produces better black than LCD. As for color vibrancy, I'm willing to bet the Qualia calibrates much better than the EPSON and that the EPSON is probably out of tune.


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## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

The Epson is a 3-LCD. Based on the research I've done, black levels is the only thing that the Epson should be able to even come close to. Even after calibration, I found the Epson to be much clearer - and I think I figured out why. I noticed in a side by side that the Q004 had a blue tint when the majority of the screen was a dark gray or black and a yellow tint during brighter scenes. This leads me to believe that either the blue polarizer or the blue SXRD panel has failed.


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## SI.Theater (Feb 4, 2011)

The middle picture is the original image.
The top is the Epson, the bottom is the Qualia. I didn't use any color patterns side-by-side because it was pretty obvious something was wrong with the Qualia. I'm working on scheduling a technician to come out and look at the Q004 and see if they can fix it.


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