# New Sony and Mits 1080 Projector comparison



## MACCA350 (Apr 25, 2006)

I've been watching the progress of 1080 projectors and am comparing these two new budget priced projectors coming onto the market. 

..................................Sony VPL-VW50.................Mitsubishi HC5000

*Retail Price* (USD).........$4,999.............................$4,499
Resolution.....................WUXGA(1920 x 1080)..........WuXGA(1920 x 1080)
Contrast Ratio...............3500:1 - 15000:1...............10000:1

*Projection System*.......0.6" SXRD (3)......................0.74" C2Fine LCD (3)
Colour Depth.................10Bit................................10Bit
Iris..............................Dynamic Iris........................Dynamic Iris 
*Deinterlacer* ...............?......................................HQV Reon VX

*Brightness* (Lumens)
Standard......................900..................................1000
Economy.............................................................750

*Lamp* (hours)
Standard......................2500................................2000
Economy.............................................................5000

*Connectivity*
Highest Input Signal........1080p..............................1080p
HDMI............................Yes.................................Yes
Component....................Yes.................................Yes
SVideo..........................Yes.................................Yes
Composite.....................Yes.................................Yes
12v Trigger...................Yes..................................Yes
RS-232C.......................Yes..................................Yes
USB Port.......................Yes..................................No

*Lens*
Power Focus..................Yes.................................Yes
Power Zoom...................Yes.................................Yes
Power Lens Shift.............Yes.................................Yes

*Fan Noise* 
Normal..........................22db................................22db
Economy.............................................................19db

*Weight*......................10Kg (22lbs).....................5.6Kg (12.32lbs)

Personally I think they compare quite well to each other. Although the Sony states 15000:1 contrast, I see the deal breaker in favor of the Mits being the _"next-generation C2 Fine LCD panel has been markedly extended by using an inorganic alignment layer/ normally black mode. Even after long hours of use, high picture quality is maintained with high contrast"_, HQV chip, lamp life and lower price.

What do you think? Has anyone seen these in action? If so, has anyone been able to do a direct comparison?

cheers


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I'll probably buy either the Sanyo Z5 or Panny AE1000


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## Steve Williamson (May 11, 2006)

I'm with you on that one Sonny


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## MACCA350 (Apr 25, 2006)

Sonnie said:


> I'll probably buy either the Sanyo Z5 or Panny AE1000


What's the price on those?

cheers


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Don't know yet.... they haven't been released. If both companies keep with the trend on these units then the street price would be around $1800-2000. I suspect with these being 1080p, the street will be a tad higher... but this is merely speculation. 

I've not seen specs on the Z5 so I cannot say with certainty that it will even be 1080p, again it's merely speculation at this time. 

Specifications and features on the Panasonic PT-AE1000


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## Steve Williamson (May 11, 2006)

From what I have read, there will be two versions of the Z5, a 720P and a c2fine version 1080P projector

Prices AU$:

Sanyo PLV-Z5 720P slight upgrade from Z4 $3399 
Sanyo Z-HD1 (1080 Version of Z5) our guess $5,999.00 

Don;t take this as gospel, only Panasonic have there AE1000 specs online.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

That would be about $2500 and $4450 US respectively. I'm guessing the Sanyo equivalent to the AE1000 and the AE1000 would be priced similarly, so this could mean much higher than anticipated (by me) for both. Personally I don't think many people are gonna step up, but I've been wrong plenty of times. Prices drop pretty quickly on those too... so it may just be a waiting game.


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## Steve Williamson (May 11, 2006)

People over here pay upwards of AU$15000 for hi res projectors, I see many people buying the sub 10k projectors over the 720P's. The cost of the projector is now only a small proportion of the total spend on a HT, my seats cost more then the PJ.


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## khellandros66 (Jun 7, 2006)

The Panny AE1000 will let you do 2.35:1 witha Panamorph lense and screen. It should have the same kind of zoom necessary for this function. As for the Sony and Mitsu, well I'd as Ala Gouger at AVS if I were you.

~Bob


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## MACCA350 (Apr 25, 2006)

It looks like there's a few coming out, making next year a great time to jump in when prices have dropped a bit and reviews and user reports show the good picks.

cheers


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## adogand6kids (Jul 29, 2006)

I have not seen any of these projectors personally. However, I would recommend that you all browse over to projectorcentral.com. They have just completed a "shootout" comparing four new "budget" 1080p projectors. They looked at the Mitsubishi HC5000, Optoma HD81, Panasonic PT-AE1000U and the Sony VPL-VW50. It seems to be an objective review with direct comparison of performance, price, ease of use... They found that after comparing all their projectors, the Panasonic was their favorite. It's a good read, check it out.


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## Geoff St. Germain (Dec 18, 2006)

I saw the Sony SXRD projector at a friend of a friend's house. It give a very nice picture. I'm pretty impressed by the SXRD technology overall. A good friend of mine bought the 55" SXRD RPTV around Xmas (he got it on sale for about $1000 off) and it is probably the best picture I've seen on a 1080p RPTV.


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## MACCA350 (Apr 25, 2006)

I've since bought the Epson TW1000 1080p projector.

cheers


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

MACCA350 said:


> What do you think? Has anyone seen these in action? If so, has anyone been able to do a direct comparison?
> 
> cheers


We actually have a member that has a VPL-VW50 who's in the process of building his theater setup now.(I'm sure there are more than just one member though) 

If someone has the Mits, it would be interesting to get some real world users and opinions on these for sure.


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