For customers looking at fixed in-room projectors, price has often precluded opting for laser projectors, but now Sony has changed the game with the introduction of two new and very cost-effective laser models.
Laser projectors offer significant advantages over lamp-powered versions, most importantly a much longer life for the light source, up to 20,000 hours compared to about 8,000 for the best lamp-powered projectors.
Unlike lamps, the performance of lasers does not degrade towards as the age. They also use less power and don’t need to warm up after power on.
Brad Hanrahan, Group Manager – Business & Institutional at Sony Professional Solutions said customers needed access to a wide range of cost-effective projection options to suit different environments.
“Every room is different with varying installation and environmental challenges,” he said.“With these two new models, users now have the option of converting to laser throughout a facility, where in the past, a mix of laser and lamp models made more sense due to budget constraints.”
The two new models, the VPL-PHZ10 and VPL-PWZ10, can deliver 4,500 lumens for up to 12,000 hours at a constant brightness and up to 5,000 lumens when the constant brightness mode is turned off.
Because there is no lamp there is no limit to the lilt angle at which the projectors can be installed. Both use the same Sony BrightEra 3LCD imaging technology as Sony’s existing laser projectors. This technology reproduces red, green and blue components of an image separately to produce natural-looking and vivid colours.
3CLD technology is also highly energy efficient so the new models generate much less heat than lamp-based projectors and require less fan cooling; factors that increase installation options.
With these new models, Sony now offers a range of 11 professional laser projectors catering for a wide range of requirements. Light outputs start at 2,000 lumens and resolutions range from WXGA and WUXGA up to 4K.
The two new models weigh 8.7kg and each measures 50.8 x 11.2 x 35.6 cms (WxHxD), making them about 50% smaller and 30% lighter than Sony’s existing FHZ/FWZ laser models. The VPL-PHZ10
offers WUXGA resolution and has a retail price of $4,899. The VPL-PWZ10 is a WXGA model and retails for $3,599.
