Bigger is better with Sony HW40ES video projector

When it comes to watching television, I’m not that bothered how it’s delivered. As long as it’s in focus and the colours are as God intended, then I’m a happy man.

But after trying out the Sony HW40ES video projector, my appetite for images has been give a tweak and I’ve found that size matters.

This is particularly important when the family is glued to the Fifa World Cup. As an England supporter, watching your team crash out in the group stages in full size makes for emotional viewing.

And when I say size, I am not talking about the insignificant 85 to 105-inch panels that are available at prices only affordable if you sell your car. I am talking wall to wall, ceiling to floor, images that enhance your life, your universe and the size of your flat. Images that become part of your existence, part of your DNA. You sleep dreaming in sizes you didn’t know were possible and wake wanting to watch something, anything, as long as its super-sized.

Be warned, however, for the maximum experience the projector needs to sit alongside a home theatre system, which it doesn’t in my home. Therefore, apart from the spools of cable I have to attach to run it into a room big enough to watch it in, I then have to turn the TV up full volume in the adjacent room and pretend to the neighbours I’m going deaf.

There is a lot of techno-speak about projectors with regards to 3D, aspect, motion enhancer, colour temperature, colour space, RCP, gamma correction and the reality creation feature.

Rest assured with this projector you need care not a jot about any of them. You basically plug it in and watch whatever you want: be it movies from the DVD player, games from the PlayStation, or stuff off the web. This brings whatever you are watching, literally, inside your home. However, feeling as though I was actually in Brazil has not been as pleasant an experience as I’d hoped.

q&a sharp images: get the picture?

How much is it?

It’s around US$2,000, which may sound a lot but when you consider you get a viewing screen which can be three metres by two metres, and bigger if you wish, you get a lot to see for your money. Also a TV that size, if it ever existed, would set you back about Dh500,000; the new curved LG 105-inch panel is on the market for around Dh280,000.

So it’s a big but cheap projector?

No, well yes, but it’s not that big. Projectors used to be huge because of the lamps inside, but this model looks a bit like a Sony PlayStation, maybe not as slim but definitely as stylish. You can also get it in black or white, so the wife can’t say it doesn’t match the decor.

Don’t you have to watch it with all the curtains closed?

Modern projectors are bright enough that they can be watchable with some light in the room, but none can compete with a lot of daylight. A TV is much better for rooms where light is an issue.

So what makes it so great then?

It is packed with professional technology, including advanced SXRD panels and Reality Creation for an incredibly sharp, crystal clear picture. It has 1700 lumens colour brightness, so you can watch movies in 3D or 2D.

Anything else I should know?

Well, as with all projectors there is a little noise that emanates from the HW40ES, but it has been calibrated at the same level as rustling leaves. Which means if you can hear while walking and talking outside there should be no issues with this projector, just don’t expect ninja silence.

ascott@thenational.ae

Follow us on Twitter @Ind_Insights