01WPRO 01 Budget Proj GT

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Budget models Group Test
Key Features 16:9 ratio chipset 858 x 484 native resolution 100in image from 2.5m 800:1 contrast ratio 1,200 ANSI lumens brightness Cinema Black Pro Side Shot 2 40-150in screen size Connections HDMI in S-video in Composite video in PJ Multi slot (with component adaptor) Dimensions 304(w) x 169(h) x 321(d)mm

Sony VPL-HS3

ONYS CINEZA RANGE HAS NOT BEEN AN unadulterated success to date. While its certainly scored highly with us in terms of innovation, its basic picture quality hasnt really been at the races. Heres hoping the VPL-HS3 will put this frustrating situation right. The Cineza range pioneered the use of a rotating, tilting pedestal projector mount and, while others have imitated it, we feel that the one provided with the HS3 is the best in terms of flexibility, ease of use and strength. Plus, of course, it helps the HS3 look as cute as the proverbial button even though its white and silver colour scheme is not quite so much fun as the rich blue found on the original Cineza. The HS3 apparently takes contrast duties very seriously. As well as the de rigeur low lamp mode for upping contrast and reducing fan noise at the expense of a little brightness, theres a very unusual Iris control, whereby the aperture is reduced to improve the appearance of black. Whats more, these tricks actually work, helping the HS3 to deliver black levels that are way more profound than the 800:1 quoted ratio would suggest. The dark shot down the San Franciscan hill in The Last Samurai as Billy Connolly leads Tom Cruise away from his drunken show looks rich, layered and packed with subtle background details. This detail we mention isnt just a function of the potent contrast, though; the Sony also delivers textures and finer picture points with far more sharpness than we would expect from something with a native resolution of just 858 x 484. Naturally theres no getting round the fact that this native resolution means PAL progressive scan and especially high-definition sources have to be scaled down, but the scaling system employed certainly seems assured.

Verdict

Sales Web www.sony.co.uk

Digital delight

A quest for connections uncovers great news, in the shape of an HDMI input. This input should, of course, make the HS3 compatible with Skys high-definition feeds when they begin. Beyond this, connectivity includes the usual less tasty S-video and composite video options, plus a curious PJ Multi jack that can actually double up as a PC or component video input with the help of the right adaptors (a component adaptor is included with the HS3). If you want even more connectivity, Sony also does an optional connection interface unit, the IFU-HS1. Setting the HS3 up reminds us of Sonys undoubted prowess in this area. Particularly innovative is something called Side Shot 2, with which you can straighten the sides of the image in both the vertical and horizontal planes, to compensate for the projector potentially being placed to the side of as well as above or below your screen. Happily, the HS3s throw distance is also short enough to work for even petite living rooms, and the on-screen menus are clear and logical. Yes, the HS3s extreme flexibility can make setup a bit more long-winded than with some of the projectors in this test, but at least youll end up with a perfectly square, big, well focused image, no matter how awkward your living room is.

Fowl play

Unfortunately, the HS3s numerous good points which include, too, a cracking brightness level are all undone by two glaring problems. The worst by far is that the LCD panel structure becomes visible in the picture. Yes, LCDs chicken-wire effect was all too often present during our The Last Samurai viewing especially during colourful scenes like Cruises first meeting with the Japanese Emperor. The other niggle concerns the HS3s colour tone. Colours can certainly look vibrant and solid, but the extreme variations in lighting throughout The Last Samurai frequently found the tone looking a bit over-ripe, particularly with peoples skin. All of this means that the VPL-HS3 is sadly yet another frustrating Cineza projector from Sony. Once again, impressive build quality and extremely thoughtful design are let down by inadequacies in the picture quality. Sigh. Oh well maybe next time
EASE OF USE LOOKS FEATURES PICTURE VALUE
VERDICT We have no doubt that Sony will on day make a stunning Cineza projector. But not today

Overall

WHAT PROJECTOR

0312wv20 Sony VPL-HS3

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ON TEST: SONY VPL-HS3 LCD projector 1,SPECIFICATION
FEATURES TFT-LCD projector; LCD panel 858 x 484 pixel resolution; brightness 1200 ANSI Lumens; contrast 800:1; lens 1.2x zoom range (15.7 20mm) 2.0-2.3; power zoom, power focus, vertical & horizontal (Side Shot) keystone adjust; compatibility 1080i, 720p, 575i, 480i/p; 3:2 pulldown; options include an air filter, ceiling mount kit, and an interface unit, the IFU-HS1, which allows a DVD, VCR, audio amplifier, TV etc to be connected and switched; 150W UHP lamp SOCKETS Composite, S-video, multi-input (component, S-video, composite video) with 5 metre lead included, DVI computer interface, HDMI, 2 x phono line audio WEIGHT 4.5kg DIMENSIONS 304(h) x 168(w) x 321(d)mm CONTACT 0990 111999, www.sony.co.uk TEST DATA Colour: very good good hard edges, minimal bleed, no ghosting, though some bright shades look a touch unnatural Geometry: perfect and there's horizontal keystone Frequency response: excellent utter clarity well beyond 5.8MHz

Gridlocked

Built on the shoulders of the Cineza projector range, the new budget VPL-HS3 is designed for ease of set-up and use. It also includes some newly developed features to deliver picture quality enhancements. This is a native widescreen LCD projector, with a limited (858 x 484) pixel resolution, but with a bright image and impressive contrast by LCD standards. This is thanks, in part, to the Cinema Black Pro feature which provides control over lamp output and lens iris. A zoom lens with a short range of focal lengths allows the Sony to project a two metre wide picture from as little as two metres from the screen. Both vertical and horizontal keystone adjust allow the projector to be placed well off axis on a convenient surface at the side of the room for example, though at the cost of some resolution as usual. Versatility is further enhanced with the possibility of ceiling mount and back projection. On the input side, the projector is fitted with composite and S-video connectors for standard video sources. There is also an HDMI connector, which provides a digital connection to the forthcoming DVD decks with a compatible output. There is one other video input too, a multi input, which with a 5m supplied lead can be used to connect component video, a second S-video and composite video source. A DVI input is provided for use with computers, along with a pair of phono inputs to drive a mono internal speaker strictly a convenience option. Running costs amount to a 200 bill for a replacement lamp after 3,000hrs of use plus 19 for a new air-filter. is noticeable at a distance of more than six metres. At a more normal three-metre viewing distance, the grid pattern takes on the appearance of the more primitive species of 625-line glass tube TVs. Colour reproduction is something of a mixed bag. The VPL-HS3 can be adjusted to give plenty of contrast, and an impressively bold, dynamic picture, but this is at the expense of colour subtlety. With only limited colour and gamma adjustments available in the menu system, skin tones tend to be fairly well differentiated, but not very lifelike. There is also a significant loss of detail and differentiation in the near blacks. Mens suits, and shadow detail generally, tend to suffer from this, reproducing as an undifferentiated wodge of deep grey. In other respects the Sony performs well. The projector is bright enough for most situations, and the fan runs reasonably quietly, though there is some extra noise when the lamp is switched to its brightest setting. Scaling and motion artefacts are well handled as far as can be judged in the distorting mirror of the ever present pixel grid. Even until quite recently, the VPL-HS3s performance would have attracted positive attention at this price level. But with models like the InFocus Screenplay 4800 (reviewed on p121), with its much better onscreen quality and 200 lower price, the attractions of the Sony are less clear cut Alvin Gold

ALSO CONSIDER.

INFOCUS SCREENPLAY 4800 1,200; absolutely brilliant; easily the best low cost projector currently available PANASONIC PT-AE100E, 1500; lightweight; easy to use with respectable performance
WHATS GOOD Bright picture, simple controls, well suited to small rooms WHATS BAD Pixelation, loss of tonal differentiation in near blacks, unsubtle colour PICTURE. FEATURES. EASE OF USE VALUE.77777.77777.77777.77777
Straightforward handset with button illumination

PERFORMANCE

Performance of the VPL-HS3 on screen is dominated by that of the LCD itself and, in particular, the grid lines that separate individual pixels. If this was a DLP projector with similar resolution, the grid structure would have been all but invisible, leaving only minor step-like artefacts. In this case, the wide border between pixels brings the old chicken wire stereotype to mind. With a picture thrown up to fill a two-metre screen, the grid effect
VERDICT An otherwise attractive and well thought through design is spoiled by chicken wire grid from LCD projection panel
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