[Zag]

Well we still haven't got any UK price on the VW40 yet or for that matter any confirmation of its release date.

However according to Art's Blogg (extract pasted below) the VW40 is certainly in the same league as the TW2000.

" So, here’s a couple of initial impressions of the Sony. I’ll do another blog in a couple of days, with some thoughts on the Optoma.The VW40, in best mode, measured 460 lumens, after some tuning. That put it about dead even with Epson’s 1080UB. It sure doesn’t have a great deal in reserve though, if you need to fight ambient light, measuring just under 900 lumens in a retuned and pushed Dynamic mode (that’s roughly 40% less than the Epson).

Surprisingly, the Sony VW40 produces a slightly sharper image. It almost looks like they’ve got some edge sharpening algorithm going, I’ll take a closer look. Based on initial impression it seems sharper than the VW60, which would be equally surprising.Black levels, were the most interesting - I had both projectors - Epson and Sony - side by side, and found black levels to be near identical. It seems at it’s very best, the Sony can get a slightly blacker black than the Epson. Remember they both use dynamic irises. Most of the time, however, the black levels of the Epson has a slight advantage. These two home theater projectors are in the same league! The Epson also has a slight advantage in shadow detail - slight - being the operative term. The Sony though does suffer from some uneven illumination, and Sony’s usual slight blue tint on blacks. LCD vs LCoS is going to be personal preference for many, I think "

It would seem that Sony might have a chance of shifting a few of these provided they set the price the right side of 2K.

My guess is that greed will get the better of Sony as per usual, and they will pitch the price at around £2300.

[sdb123]

It will be a real shame if it can't handle process and display 1080p/24...any news on this?

[Zag]

AFAIK, its not yet been confirmed for certain.

However would Sony of all people release a 1080p projector that couldn't properly handle a 1080P/24 input.

I don't even think Sony could be that stupid.

Could they..

[sdb123]

I'm pretty sure I read in a linked spec. sheet a while ago it only handled 1080 50/60 not 24.



EDIT: Found a link to a press release (.pdf file) that indicates it does handle 1080p/24. They call it 'True Cinema'.

[linnite]

I note that the pdf mentions the VW40 has the panel alignment feature. A killer advantage IMO.

Plus the marketing person quoted, Nicola Whatsername, said 'nothing else like it is available at the price'.

So, £1700, then. Or otherwise the claim is false if you ask me.

[sahara_desert]

-A rather bold claim by Nicola Whatsername indeed-




Don't know if this new Benq W5000 (DLP with DC2)
really are a matching rival against the VPL-VW40
but indeed it's available @ 1.5£k.
and Optoma's contribution to the masses the HD800X
1.1£K....

But with them; ae-2000,hd-80,z2000
all around 1.8K
one could only assume she means sub 1700£ if she means buisniess&want's to sell any PJ's

But it seems they have set the MRSP way over the competition in USA,so maybe (dont get your hope's up now) they are trying to shift tactics here,holding up the USA price,and lower the UK MRSP....





If not....
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Sony%20V...ort=price&used=

[tryingtimes]

To be honest, if they price it at £2000, then most consumers would buy it over the competition. It looks nicer, has the panel alignment feature, has higher contrast figures, and it's from Sony.
I worry about the sharpness that Art mentioned though - sounds dodgy to me.

Knowing Sony, I'm expecting a UK price point of around £2200-£2500, but we all know the VW60 should be at that

[meva]

If it's sub £2K I'll consider one, any more than that and I think I'm going to import either a VW60 or a TW2000 ( although I may see if anyone will give me a good deal on a UK AE2000 and Onkyo 605 receiver )

[Zag]

Originally Posted by tryingtimes

Knowing Sony, I'm expecting a UK price point of around £2200-£2500, but we all know the VW60 should be at that

Yep. Couldn't agree with you more.

I'm sure Sony UK will try and sell us the VW40 @ a VW60 price point.

I do like the idea of the panel alignment feature, big plus point IMO. This PJ looks like its shaping up to be a really good solid machine, just waiting now for the price setting dept at Sony UK to turn it all sour.

[meva]

There is no mention of the pixel alignment feature in the manual so
I'm wondering if that's a mistake in the press release.
Also the UK rrp for the VW60 is £3499 and the US mrp is $4999. If the same is true for the VW60 that equates to £2099, so surely £1999 makes most sense !!

[Zag]

Originally Posted by meva

so surely £1999 makes most sense !!

If I were Sony that is the price I would pitch it at. Slightly more than some of the LCD 1080 camp but less than the likes of the HC6000 & TW2000.

At under £2K I would be tempted however, I may just hold out a bit longer for an HD-1 price fall which is well overdue.

If Sony do pitch the VW40 @ £1999 I would love JVC to respond with an HD-1 price cut to say £2299 just to make things really interesting.

[jacko5]

Originally Posted by Zag

If I were Sony that is the price I would pitch it at. Slightly more than some of the LCD 1080 camp but less than the likes of the HC6000 & TW2000.

At under £2K I would be tempted however, I may just hold out a bit longer for an HD-1 price fall which is well overdue.

If Sony do pitch the VW40 @ £1999 I would love JVC to respond with an HD-1 price cut to say £2299 just to make things really interesting.

The HD1 has already fallen about £1000 in a year. You may have to wait until it is about to be superseded for any further drop and who knows when that will be. By then we will all be talking about the next latest and greatest PJ, whatever that may be.

[Zag]

Originally Posted by jacko5

The HD1 has already fallen about £1000 in a year. You may have to wait until it is about to be superseded for any further drop and who knows when that will be. By then we will all be talking about the next latest and greatest PJ, whatever that may be.

Yep, that is true. The longer I wait the more money I will save. IMO the HD-1 has reached a level of performance that whilst improved upon by the likes of the HD100 and VW200, the extra performance is subtle at best even in ideal light controlled environmnents.

For instance even a small led light from an AV component is enough to nullify most of the contrast enhancing improvements of the HD100. The significant extra cost doesn't warrant the minimal extra performance, although of course for some people it will. However I'll get more satisfaction from squeezing every last ounce of performance for every pound I spend rather than paying over the odds when the returns really don't warrant it. Each to their own of course.

[tryingtimes]

I'm willing to bet, despite the claims on AVS about LEDs, etc. That everyone would see the difference in on/off during fade-to-black and near-black scenes between the 2 JVC units. As long as there are no bright sources of light. I've got LEDs facing the screen and also cream coloured walls with a shiny wooden floor and I can still see absolutely no light at all on my screen during fade-to-black sequences. I will always really appreciate my CRT on/off CRs.

That's not to say that the HD1 isn't where the vfm is though. But I reckon the differences will be appreciable.

[thingsfallapart]

Hi All,

From the information I have seen the price point is well sub £2k and is priced to sell!

Keep an eye open as the press and dealers will no doubt be reviewing it in the next few weeks.