Sony has launched a pair of pricey 4K home theater projectors packing a modified flavor of the XR video processing technology found in its Bravia TVs for the promise of "professional-grade visual experiences inside the home."
The new 4K laser projectors are the first to boast XR Processor for Projector, a special version of the video processing technology at the heart of Sony's Bravia televisions. The company says that home theater viewers can expect "a professional-grade cinematic experience" thanks to the inclusion of a bunch of powerful tools.
XR Dynamic Tone Mapping, for example, is reported to analyze peak brightness on a frame-by-frame basis – "showcasing images with rich gradation, high brightness, and authentic colors." Deeper blacks while keeping those rich tones and colors at optimum levels is the job of XR Deep Black. And XR Triluminos Pro helps make more than a billion colors pop, while XR Clear Image taps into a "vast database" to upscale all visuals to 4K.
Bravia Projector 9 is the pricier of Sony's new home theater offerings, at US$31,999.99. For that money you'll get a long-lasting laser light source capable of 3,400 lumens of brightness, which is reckoned powerful enough for quality visuals in ambient room lighting. There's native 4K resolution from the SXRD panel, with support for HDR content and coverage of 95% of the cinematic DCI-P3 color gamut. And a Live Color Enhancer that makes for more vibrant imagery without impacting saturation.
The Bravia Projector 8 might seem like a bargain compared to its stablemate, but still wears a price tag of $15,999.99. It's a similar proposition to its series sibling in terms of key specs, but its laser light source puts out 2,700 lumens and it lacks the Live Color Enhancer feature.
They both share four-corner keystone correction and lens shift for installation ease and flexibility. They each sport two HDMI 2.1 ports enabling 4K gaming at up to 120 frames per second, and benefit from an auto low-latency mode to give players the fast response they need for victory. Wi-Fi isn't included here, but there is Ethernet LAN, and they're also compatible with home automation setups like Control4, Creston, Savant and AMX – which caters for control of multiple devices from one interface.
"With the technology of our Sony BRAVIA XR Processor now powering our projectors, these enhanced new products demonstrate our continued mission to ensure customers can enjoy the excitement and immersion of a professional-grade cinematic viewing experience from their very own home.," said Sony's Christopher Mullins.
The Bravia Projector 9 (VPL-XW8100ES) will go on sale this month for a whopping $31,999.99, while the Bravia Projector 8 will be unleashed at the same time for $15,999.99. The video below has more.
Product pages: Bravia Projector 9, Bravia Projector 8
