Sony's image quality technology can be described as the pinnacle, whether it is a display, a camera sensor, or a projector high-end image quality chip, all digital products in the field of imaging, Sony is almost synonymous with the top, its visual president Ichiro Takagi once said in an interview: "On picture quality technology, we can't find an opponent yet."

 

With leading picture quality performance,Sony's home projectors have always been favored by the market,According to PMA data,In the unit price of more than 2000 US dollars in the high-end home projection market,Sony firmly occupies the first position in global sales,Among them4K-level flagship home projector is leading the industry with more than 50% market share,But in the Chinese market with a high price,Sony's competitors are encircled at low prices,According to IDC data,Its market share in 20184.6%,Ranked fourth。

 

According to the principle of projection technology, the projectors on the market can be divided into 3LCD, DLP and LCOS projectors. 3LCD projector uses 3 LCD LCD panels inside, which has the longest development time, mature technology, and good comprehensive performance, especially the color effect is quite outstanding, but there is a low resolution, and the picture is easy to appear yellow after long-term use.

 

DLP technology is more embarrassing, on the one hand, its high-end form three-chip DLP performance is extremely good, but the size is huge, mostly used in the commercial market, while the single-chip DLP has the advantages of high contrast, small size, closed optical path (dustproof), etc., but the color performance is not good, and its "rainbow effect" is even more troubled by users.

 

LCOS is a new projection technology that surpasses 3LCD and DLP, it is based on 3LCD research and development, and integrates semiconductor and liquid crystal process technology, compared with 3LCD and DLP, LCOS projectors have ultra-high resolution characteristics, can achieve amazing native 4K image quality. In addition, LCOS projectors feature ultra-high brightness and contrast.

 

In the early days, there were more than 10 companies including Samsung and Intel competing on the same stage, and in the end, only Sony and JVC persevered in the difficult research and development process, and successfully applied LCOS technology to home projectors, Sony's LCOS component was named "SXRD", and JVC's was named "D-ILA". But in terms of mass production popularity, Sony is almost alone in the industry, and many of its native true 4K home projectors are praised as classics by enthusiasts, and Sony's 4K projectors are the world's first commercialized, and they are also 4K resolution professional projectors that truly meet the standards of the DCI organization.

 

In addition to the native 4K, there is also a "pseudo-4K" projector on the market, which uses a lower resolution chip, in the sequential refresh of the image through the pixel shift technology to offset the pixel along the optical diagonal, in the second refresh, a part of the pixel is overlapped, each frame of the projector output of the picture contains the original image and offset image, the addressable pixel reaches 8.3 million pixels, in line with the 4K standard. The projector that achieves 4K image quality through pixel shift technology uses a lower resolution chip, the cost is greatly reduced, and the 4K is truly popularized, but under the extreme test of image quality, there is still a big gap with Sony's native 4K.

 

In addition, Sony's SXRD chip based on LCOS technology also has a unique picture transition advantage, SXRD chip can set pixels between 8.5 microns of pin spacing, when the silicon crystal reflects the display image, the center point spacing of two adjacent pixels is about 0.35 microns, such a narrow pixel pitch can achieve a faster refresh rate, produce a smooth dynamic image, so when using Sony4K projectors, there will be no typical "smearing phenomenon", The viewer can see every detail and close-up in the picture.

 

Based on technical strength, Sony has never been "cost-effective" to seize the market, at present, in the field of home projectors, Sony has set up 4K and 1080P two product lines, both are high-end models, VW starts with the model 4K, VZ is a short throw 4K products, can achieve ultra-short distance projection, and HW starts with 1080P products.

 

Sony's 4K projectors all use 3 0.74-inch SXRD chips with 4096x2160 native pixels, which gives it enough contrast and black levels to have unparalleled interpretation of delicate details such as hair, while high-end 4K models such as VW768, VW878, VW5000ES and VZ1000 are equipped with laser projection lights known as the "light source of the future", in addition to having an ultra-long life of 20,000 hours, it is also a must in terms of color and brightness. Users who have picky requirements for projection image quality and sufficient budget can focus on it, with a price of more than 100,000 yuan.

 

For users who pursue top-level image quality but have a slightly insufficient budget, Sony is also more intimately equipped with many models, with prices in the range of 3.5-100,000 yuan. This kind of product uses a lower grade of high-pressure mercury lamp, with a service life of about 6000 hours, which needs to be replaced regularly by users. For enthusiasts who are looking for top-notch image quality, at present, only Sony and JVC's native 4K products can meet the demand, compared to JVC, Sony has more physical stores in China, and after-sales service is more convenient.

 

In the field of 1080P, there are not many Sony products, only HW49, HW69, HW48 and HW68 four, all of which use 3 0.61-inch SXRD chips, with 1920x1080 native pixels, the image quality performance is not as good as 4K, but the price has dropped to 1-20,000 yuan, which is more affordable. If the projection area is reduced, Sony's 1080P products can also allow consumers to experience the ultimate picture effect.

 

It is worth mentioning that,BenQ、Optoma and other manufacturers rely on the technology of upstream manufacturers such as Texas Instruments,Now the definition performance is better than1080P"Pseudo4K"Home projector price reduction to 10,000 yuan,To a certain extent, it weakens Sony1080P projector competitive advantage,But Sony is still the top level in the industry in terms of color、Contrast and picture smoothness,Consumers can make a choice based on factors such as budget and usage scenarios。