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June 1, 2005

Sony VPL-ES2

Sony's VPL-ES2 is based on LCD technology, which is traditionally cheaper than the alternative DLP (digital light processing). Nevertheless, its £655 price tag is impressively low. For this sort of money you shouldn't expect a host of eye-popping features, but the 1,500 Ansi lumens brightness equals the output of the stunningly portable NEC LT20 (see below) that's specifically tailored for use on the road and costs almost £1,000 more. Strangely its external styling lacks Sony's usual elan, leaving the VPL-ES2 looking inoffensive rather than innovative.

It's not the lightest of projectors, but its 2.8kg compares favourably with other models in this price range - if you need easy portability, you're going to have to set your budget rather higher than £655.

In fact, many of the Sony's specifications are exactly what you should expect. You won't get a digital connector, for instance, while the native resolution only goes up to 800x600 (SVGA). However, whereas other low-priced projectors can be a touch noisy, the Sony can be dropped to an operating noise of just 33dB in economy mode.

The Sony is quite capable of making itself seen in low-light conditions, but image quality is where the Sony doesn't quite match up to the competition. Managing a merely adequate 350:1 contrast ratio, it doesn't quite hit the same depth or clarity as some of its DLP rivals.

Another advantage of DLP is images don't suffer the chicken-wire effect, where you can see the LCD grid used to create the picture. At times during testing, the Sony's picture wasn't as pure as it could be.

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Independent customer reviews from

Sony VPL-ES2 scored:
9.0 out of 10 100% real reviews

The 2 most helpful reviews based on 3 reviews:

01 Feb 2006 Ethan, East Sussex

9

Good Points

All round good projector for dull indoor use at about 2m away its ok.

Bad Points

Not a very bright bulb, though the motorised tilt is a good idea in principle its not alot of good for install. Poor range on the supplied remote control.

16 Jan 2006 Anonymous verified purchaser

8

Good Points

Fairly simple to use

Bad Points

Weight and Size.

See more Sony VPL-ES2 reviews on Reevoo.com

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Total reviews: 4,313

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Sony VPL-ES2

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