There are tons of huge announcements coming out of the CEDIA 2018 expo, but one of the most exciting is the IMAX Enhanced program, a collaboration between IMAX and DTS that certifies all sorts of A/V gear to promise that they deliver the best audio and visual experience possible. Denon and Marantz announced earlier this week that they would ship IMAX Enhanced A/V receivers, and now Sony is embracing the program as well with announced support in recent TVs as well as the debut of three new IMAX Enhanced projectors.
The true star of the new projectors is the VPL-VW995ES, which uses the All Range Crisp Focus (ARC-F) lens, an 18-piece glass lens that makes for the crispest picture possible. This model also includes a Digital Focus Optimizer that Sony says provides heightened image quality and focus without distortion. This is one of Sony’s most powerful projectors to date, pumping out up to 2,200 lumens of brightness.
While the aforementioned model may be the top of the line, the VPL-VW695ES will be of more interest to your standard home enthusiast as it is dramatically more affordable, yet still pricey and very high quality. This model boasts 1,800 lumens of brightness and a 350,000:1 contrast ratio. It also comes with features like Picture Position Memory, allowing the user to quickly adjust the image to fit their screen, including 16:9 and Cinemascope.
Finally, the VPL-VW295ES is Sony’s most affordable 4K projector, and does still deliver high dynamic range (HDR), as all of these new projectors do. This model features 1,500 lumens of brightness and comes with many of the features found on the more expensive models. Both this model and the VPL-VW695ES are compact, making them easy to install and use.
Sony also announced IMAX Enhanced certification for many of its recent flagship TVs. The Master Series, which was priced last week, is among these, with the A9F OLED and Z9F both certified. The older A8F Bravia and A1E Bravia, as well as the X900F, are certified as well.
None of these newly announced projectors come cheap. The VPL-VW295ES, the most affordable of the above models, retails for $5,000, while the step-up VPL-VW695ES will sell for $10,000. The top-of-the-line VPL-VW995ES sells for $35,000, meaning it will only be of interest to those who take their home theater experience very seriously.
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