4K All the Way

Sony's Projector

- By Al Griffin

Sony's Projector lineup is notable for its use of the company's full 4K-resolution (4,096 x 2,160-pixel) SXRD (Sony's term for LCOS) chips. It's also been notable for featuring a 5K model—5K as in $5,000, the price for the line's entry-level projector. Back in 2021, the company replaced that model, the VPL-VW295ES, with the VPLVW325ES, an updated version offering a few new features, though at a higher $5,499 price. Are the updates worth the extra coin? Let's find out.

The new VW325ES's 1,500 ANSI lumens light output matches that of its predecessor. This is probably the main thing that will cause potential buyers to hesitate since it's a fairly low spec, and one that will necessitate installation in a light-controlled room. The VW325ES also has the same input lag reduction mode for gaming, 2.06x powered zoom lens, and +85 percent, -80 percent horizontal and +/-31 percent vertical powered lens shift capability. Those last two features provide highly flexible setup options, while the projector's front-facing fan allows for positioning on a high shelf on the back wall of a room.

Also carried over from the VW295ES is anamorphic lens compatibility—the only workable way to use the VW325ES in a constant-height configuration with a 2.35:1 projection screen since, like its predecessor, Sony's new projector lacks lens memories to store zoom settings. Another omission the VW325ES shares with previous entry-level 4K models is a dynamic iris to heighten contrast. While this might strike some as a limitation on paper, the native contrast ratio provided by the VW325ES's trio of SXRD imaging chips (one each for red, green, and blue) allows it to deliver satisfying black levels in action-something I'll address in detail in the Performance section of this review.