Sony VPL-VW715ES & VPL-VW915ES 4K HDR Home Theater Projectors

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Almost all of the same great features we loved on the 695 and 885 remain, but Sony has made some massive improvements to the video processing on the new units to give you even better HDR picture quality than ever before. We will first go over the upgrades with the new VPL-VW715ES and VPL-VW915ES, then we will get into the technology that makes them a great choice for a serious home theater. First, the big news on the VW915ES and VW715ES centers around improving the HDR experience. Many people may not have even heard about HDR and not know why this is a huge deal for projectors. HDR is short of High Dynamic Range. This technology actually came from digital photography where it was an effort to improve the contrast between the blackest blacks and the whitest whites. The goal of HDR is to ultimately deliver a better picture that is more lifelike. We feel it is actually as big a jump as we saw going from High Definition to 4K. The list of movies and TV shows using HDR is growing rapidly with almost all new movies incorporating HDR, plus both Netflix and Prime Video have tons of HDR-enabled content. HDR gives us a better picture by enabling us to see much smaller degrees of changes in brightness. With SDR or standard dynamic range, a snow-covered field may look like one seamless white area, but with HDR, you can see the fine highlights in shadows and levels of white. Colors also show more super delicate gradations and become richer and lifelike. Basically, everything looks more natural.

This year, for the first time ever, Sony is using their famous X1 processor in these two new front projectors. The X1 processor allows them to do much more with the HDR signal and make use of a brand new technology they call Dynamic HDR Enhancer. The X1 processor also looks at each object in the frame to improve clarity and reduce noise. As each frame of the video content travels through the X1 processor it is analyzing every single part of that frame to determine which parts contain dark and light levels. What the Sony Dynamic HDR Enhancer does in simple terms is to enhance the bright areas and in the dark areas pull down the black levels beyond what the HDR data is calling for. To do this on a frame by frame level takes an extremely fast processor, like the great X1 model Sony modified for use in these new front projectors. Both the new 915 and 715 have this system.

The VPL-VW715ES model uses a conventional lamp-based system for the light engine and is capable of about 1800 lumens. Sitting in between the lamp and the lens is an advanced Iris system that works in conjunction with the X1 processor and its Dynamic HDR Enhancer. The Iris can change the amount of light output to optimize both HDR and SDR content for better contrast. As more projectors go into living rooms, Sony decided to make white a finish option for the VW715ES this year along with their traditional black finish. We see the VW715ES as one heck of a great value. With all of its great picture technology and the ability to do full widescreen, it will probably be the best selling model in the Sony projector line up this year. At Audio Advice, we are huge fans of laser-based front projectors. There is just something about the color produced by a laser light engine that looks more like real life. You also gain the advantage of a light engine that can give you a great picture for close to 20,000 hours vs the typical lamp-based projector that needs a new lamp every 1500-1800 hours. As you might have guessed, the VPL-VW915 uses a laser light engine. The VW915ES produces more light output than the VW715ES with a spec of 2000 lumens. With the laser engine, Sony uses what they call a Dual Contrast Control to work with the Dynamic HDR Enhancer for better contrast. The VW915ES also has a digital focus optimizer for an even sharper focused picture. Sony saw the VW915ES being used in dedicated home theater rooms, so black is the only color choice.