Sony is announcing the expansion of its range of laser light source (Z-Phosphor) projectors by introducing two new generation models aimed at making laser technology more cost-effective than ever to the installation market, from classrooms to meeting rooms. The 5,000lm WUXGA VPL-PHZ10 and 5,000lm WXGA VPL-PWZ10 projectors bring the image quality, colour reproduction and virtually zero-maintenance benefits of laser to customers who may have only experienced lamp-based projection to date.
Switching to laser projection offers a range of benefits in education and corporate environments. Sony’s innovative Z-Phosphor laser light source technology combines high brightness with stunning image resolution, while saving time and providing peace of mind for presenters. There’s no wait for a lamp to slowly warm up or cool down, no lamp to limit the tilt angle, and no compromise between high brightness and high resolution. By introducing this new line of compact, efficient projectors, Sony is making laser projection an attractive investment for a broader range of customers.

The new VPL-PHZ10 and VPL-PWZ10 projectors offer a cost-effective option for smaller spaces, including small classrooms and meeting rooms, but benefit from the same 3LCD Z-Phosphor laser light source technology as Sony’s existing installation laser projectors. The laser projectors are designed for virtually 20,000^* hours of maintenance free operation, and include a number of energy-saving features such as Auto Dimming and Auto Brightness, greatly reducing the total lifetime ownership costs compared to projectors with a conventional lamp source. Adding these projectors to the range means Sony now offers eight laser projectors for the education and corporate markets, ranging from 4,100lm to 7,000lm in WXGA and WUXGA.

Compact solution with impressive lens shift range, easy installation and virtually zero maintenance
The two new projectors feature 3LCD BrightEra™ technology, projecting red, green and blue components of the image separately to ensure vivid, natural colours and avoid the ‘colour breaking’ that can impact other projection systems. Sony’s Reality Creation system analyses any input source frame-by-frame, using a powerful pattern database to optimise every pixel for clear, sharp and up-scaled images. Also featured is Sony’s Contrast Enhancer capability, which adapts home cinema projector technology to refine light and dark areas of the image in real-time, accentuating highlights and delivering rich, deep black colours.

The flexible and innovative capabilities of the laser light source projectors, such as instant on/off functionality, tilt-angle-free design and wide range vertical/horizontal lens shift, make them easy-to-use solutions that deliver on Sony’s promise to partners and customers to manufacture products which exceed market demand.

This fourth generation of Sony laser projectors includes a new blend-in slim design with low acoustic noise, enabling the projectors to fit seamlessly into the environment around them. They also include HDBaseT™ interfaces, enabling easier connectivity and reducing total system costs by using a single cable, which runs all the video, audio, control and IP signal up to 100m.
The VPL-PHZ10 and VPL-PWZ10 projectors have a significantly extended lifespan in comparison to lamp projectors, and the high hours of maintenance free operation help to drive a low total cost of ownership. The 3LCD laser light source models also effectively need virtually zero maintenance during operation, making the projectors ideal choices for permanent installations in hard-to-reach locations in schools, universities and office spaces.

“We’re really excited to bring the benefits of our laser innovations to a new, budget-conscious segment in the higher education and corporate markets,” said Robert Meakin, Product Manager for Education & Business Projectors at Sony Professional Solutions Europe. “Sony is certainly committed to its dual strategy in regards to laser and lamp-based projection, since our conversations with customers and partners underline that lamp technology is still very important to many organisations, while others prefer a switch to laser. With these two new models we’re proud to bring high-quality 3LCD laser projection to a similar price point to lamp-based models in the installation market.”

The new VPL-PHZ10 projector will be available from May 2017 and the VPL-PWZ10 from July 2017 across Europe. They will be showcased for the first time at Sony’s stand 1-N20 at ISE 2017, from 7^th to 10^th February.

More information is also available on the Sony website.

^*Depends on usage environment