Sony Home Theater Projector VPL-HW45ES: 1080P Full HD Video Projector for TV, Movies and Gaming - Home Cinema Projector with 3 SXRD Imagers and 1,800 Lumens for Brightness - 3D Compatible

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My background: I am former well known member of the AVS forum who used to post in the under $3,000 projector section. Ive owned over ten projectors prior to this one. And I am directly upgrading from the Sony VPL- HW-40ES. Pros: The picture quality has definitely improved from the previous 40ES model. The picture is sharper and more detailed. The color uniformity has improved. The out of box picture quality with the new 45ES looked more balanced and refined than my 40ES did after it was calibrated by a professional. Contrast has improved. Shadow detail on various movies such as The Hobbit Trilogy is visibly better than the 40ES. Im seeing details that I did not see before with the 40ES. Black level is definitely better. Black level on a plain white wall looks as good as the 40ES looked with my previous Screen Innovations 1.2 gain Slate screen. When I used the 40ES on the same white wall it easily washed out and appeared badly faded with one lamp on in front, far right corner of the room. However the 45ESs picture still looks bright and vibrant on the same white wall with one lamp on in the front, far right corner of the room. Motion handling appears to be much smoother with sports with no added processing. When I do turn reality creation on level 20, screen details are sharp and crisp. Reality Creation on level 20 with the 40ES resulted in an slightly grainy looking image. Overall picture definitely appears to be brighter on low and high modes and more vibrant. Color brightness is great on this model and definitely improved from the 40ES. Cons Fan noise. Fan noise seems to be 1 to 2db louder than the 40ES. Not a big deal at all. And it does not bother me or interfere with my peace of mind while watching movies or shows. However it is not as quiet as the 40ES was in my opinion. Definitely tell the difference between the two when using the projector in high lamp mode. Bulbs are going for $450 right now which is absurd in my opinion. Though I did see authorized seller B&H Photo Video offering the replacement bulb for this model for $349. Though Im sure prices will drop on replacement bulbs for this model as time passes. Final Word I am very happy with the performance of this new model and I definitely feel it was a worthy and noticeable upgrade from the previous Sony VPL-HW40ES. It has a more refined and sharp picture with improved black levels in comparison to the previous model Sony VPL-HW40ES.

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The Sony vpl-hw45es produces a bright, detailed and colorful image. But is it WAY WAY better than the older Sim2 HT-300E (1080i) projector it replaced? Not really. The Sim2 was pretty good for an older projector in its own right, and in some respects "smoother" in its presentation than the Sony. I bought the Sim2 used for $395, so $ for $ I think the Sim2 was the better buy for me. 2D to 3D conversion was not what I would have hoped for--my expectations were probably unrealistic to start with, but decent. I have yet to view dedicated 3D content on the PJ. The recommended 3D glasses are very poorly designed for those of us who wear glasses. UPDATE: Just watched The Hobbit in 3D. REALLY VERY GOOD 3D--which was what I was hoping for in the projector. Just upgraded my review to 5 Stars.

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I bought this projector as a replacement for my Epson 5030UB when it’s HDMI port failed for the second time. Also reading other reviews from other sources the Epson‘s have power supply issues, indicating potential future issues out of warranty. I wanted to upgrade to the 4K pixel shifting Epson 5040 However the prior power supply issues have turned me off of Epson. I switch to Sony because they have no such reliability issues and are known for their picture quality. After fiddling with the presets the picture on the Sony is even more beautiful than on the Epson. I wished I had bought this one in the first place. Do not hesitate.

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Absolutely love this projector - it exceeded all expectations: 1. Its brighter than expected ( I have to actually turn down the brightness, even during the day) 2. its quieter than expected (I can hear hard drives in my media center, not the projectors fan - unbelievable!) 3. It has two HDMI inputs and properly designed remote that does not infuriates the user with ridiculous design - the functionality is well thought out and is enjoyable to use. Cons: Id like to have audio out port - but that is solved by $10 HDMI splitter.

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I bought this projector to replace a 14-year-old Sony VPLHS – 20. The picture quality is excellent, bright, and fits my needs for a 1080P projector on my Stewart Firehawk screen. If you have a smaller projector screen of less than 120 inches diagonal and you do not want to spend more money on a 4K projector, then this is the projector to get.

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I received this projector yesterday. I did exhaustive research on a new projector and this one stood out as the obvious choice at the price point I was looking at. It has high native contrast, good black levels, and is calibrated very accurately out of the box. I set it up, updated the firmware, corrected the SXRD panel convergence, which is now perfect, and proceeded to watch several movies. Im feeding the projector with an Oppo UDP-203 player and throwing to a 92" Draper high contrast gray screen. I am absolutely stunned at how good this projector looks using 4k UHD discs down sampled to 1080p, 1080p blu ray discs, or network copies of my blu rays. Im using the Cinema Film 2 mode with a couple of minor tweaks to the settings. The colors are simply gorgeous. Owners and reviewers are not exaggerating when they talk about Sony color being amazing. The picture is sharp without being hard looking. Maybe not DLP sharp, but its a very minor difference. Overall, I am extremely impressed with this projector. You wont be disappointed if you also choose to purchase one.

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This projector replaces an older epson unit that served us well. It was only 720p so the bump in res has been nice to start with but the color and contrast of this Sony are just amazing. Out of the box the preloaded setting are great. The blacks are fantastic and it’s also lots brighter. Was worried I wouldn’t see a big improvement but it’s been better than I thought so I’m happy. Much more like the theatre quality to my eye.

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Had this for 3 months now with no issues or complaints. This is my first projector, finally upgraded my basement setup to go big. After several days of browsing models/reviews online I spent a bit extra on this model for better specs. I went with Sony from reviews about how quiet the fan is, which is almost inaudible unless standing next to it with nothing else on, because I have it mounted almost directly above the couch. The mini fridge at the end of the room and ps4 around the corner are the only fans I hear. Only irk I have is this projector doesnt have a 12v control for the motorized screen I got for it. Not worth a star by any means, was more of a lack of foresight on my part. Cant really speak to the brightness aspect, as this is my first projector and I have it in a room in the basement with no windows.

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Purchased 4 years ago. never misses a beat, never flickers, never doesnt just turn on and go to work. still on the original bulb. games, moves = perfect. watching on a massive 150 inch screen. highly recommended.

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The quality of picture is amazing!!!! We love this projector. It’s exoensive but a good price for what your buying. We shopped around a bit and this was the best price for what we were looking for!! Perfect for our movie theater room.

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