The VPL-VW10HT has quite a few more tricks than its predecessor, the VPL-W400Q. For starters, it's a true multimedia projector, meaning that it can handle a wide range of interlaced and progressive-scan images. The VPL-VW10HT's increased resolution and light output make it a really good value in HDTV-capable front-projection TVs.
Features:
- 3-panel LCD projector with Wide XGA resolution (1366 x 768 pixels)
- four video/computer inputs
- six video settings memories and six white balance settings
- seven picture aspect ratio and size settings
This projector's most unique feature is its imaging "engine," which is made up of three 1.5-inch LCD panels. Each 16:9 panel has a native pixel count of 1366 horizontally by 768 vertically, essentially a wide version of the XGA computer standard (1024 pixels by 768 pixels).
This is a no-nonsense LCD projector, and it's all about video -- there's no onboard audio of any kind. The striking design resembles a shrunken version of Sony's CRT (cathode ray tube) front projectors, except that there's only one lens -- a 1.2:1 manual zoom. The rest of the front panel is taken up by a large grilled air duct to cool off the 200-watt UHP (ultra-high pressure) projection lamp. To my surprise, it's actually pretty quiet.
Sony even has incorporated a built-in scan converter and Digital Reality Creation (DRC) circuitry. DRC is Sony's digital image scaling circuit. It functions in two ways -- as a line doubler, converting interlaced video to progressive scan, and as a line quadrupler. There's even a Cinema Black mode to boost black levels while slightly dimming the image.
