Sony's Pearl VW100 and VPL-VW50 officially launch

It's not too often we get this amped up about a projector (ok, maybe it is), but it's not too often the former Qualia 004 gets revamped and relaunched as a more consumer centric product. Granted, ¥1,365,000 and ¥735,000 (about $11,660 and $6300 US) for their new Pearl VW100 and VPL-VW50 projectors isn't exactly mass market, but you don't have to put on your Sunday best and go to one of the now-defunct Qualia boutiques to get one, either. Expect a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, 1080p high def picture, 200 or 400W bulb, and some combination of HDMI, DVD, VGA, component, composite, and S-Video inputs. Click on for some more pictures of the SXRD projector of your well-heeled dreams.

[Via HD Beat and Impress]

[willdao @ Aug 30th 2006 2:41PM]

Actually, FYI: the VPL-VW50 "Pearl" is a revised and less-expensive version not of the Qualia 04 (technically)--which uses a larger, "last-gen" SXRD chipset--but rather of the VPL-VW100 "Ruby," which actually was introduced at CEDIA one year ago, and has been for sale since late last year, worldwide. I.e. the VW100 is not a "brand new" product.

The "Ruby" uses an expensive-to-replace (~$1000) Xenon lamp, of questionable benefit in "better defining" the ATSC and NTSC colorspaces; the "Pearl" uses a much less expensive and more typical UHP (~$350) lamp; the optics on the Pearl may be less rigorously designed and implemented, so the industry pundits speculate--who knows? Both use the .61 SXRD (LCoS) chipsets. The Pearl is dimensionally more compact, and lighter, due in part, apparently, to less need for the xenon bulb's complex cooling system. The "Pearl" looks to be a giant-killer in the HD 1920 X 1050 front-projector space. Specualtion is that it will "sreet" for less than $5,000.

To find out more--buzz and speculation!--see the AV Science Forums, an exemplary resource for home-theater comsumers and knowledgable industry folks, alike; the cross-fertilation is exemplary, and the site is highly recommended.

(Note: "Ruby" and "Pearl" are internal code-designations for these units, and do not reflect actual consumer-space marketing nomenclature by Sony.")

[willdao @ Aug 30th 2006 2:46PM]

Oops, that's HD 1920 X 1080, sorry!

[bogphanny @ Aug 30th 2006 11:36PM]

"No one would have believed, in the last years of the 19th century..."

/sorry - I had to.

[AML @ Sep 9th 2006 12:37PM]

Im looking forward to pearl. It should be affordable and offer 1080p which is way over due in my opinion.

Im still wondering if SXRD is better than LCD Pj's or
DLP Pj's?

[Admin 360 @ Sep 14th 2006 1:19PM]

I need a Pearl... I need one or I will explode... That happens to me sometimes.

But all Zim aside... I am picking one of these up ASAP. I love 1080P, I currently have a BenQ PB8250 running my Xbox 360 at 120" of goodness. I can't wait to see Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 with this Beast.