Posted on December 1, 2016 By Ron Jones
The Sony VPL-DW240 is a compact business or classroom projector that offers good performance combined with a reasonable set of features and it should be considered for those looking for a portable projector in the under $1000 category (i.e., $970 MSRP and a street price of near $600). It is specified to provide a bright 3000 lumens of light output, in its brightest picture mode, and offers what is becoming a more-or-less standard WXGA (i.e., 800 x 1200) resolution for business class projectors at this price point.
The VPL-DW240 uses 3LCD for the imaging technology and comes equipped with a 1.3X zoom lens. The compact size and under 6 pound weight make this model fairly portable and Sony provides a carrying case with the projector. This WXGA model appears to share the same chassis as two lower priced and lower resolution XGA models in Sony’s VPL -DX series of projectors: Models VPL-DX220 ($749 MSRP) and VPL-DX240 ($890 MSRP).
The projector’s lamp when operated in Eco mode is rated to provide up to 10,000 hours of use. The projector offers a mode that will automatically dim the lamp based the brightness of the projected image and can automatically dim a static image by 15% after it has been projected for 10 seconds. These are among the power saving features that also tend to extend the lamp life. Use of these features can reduce operating costs and extend the time between when lamp replacements are necessary.
While the VPL-DW240 does not have wired or wireless networking built in, this model is compatible with industry “Miracast” USB dongles (available from several manufacturers for around $50) to allow for wireless presentations from smartphones, tablets or laptop computers. Use of a “Stick-PC” (dongle) is also supported which could be used as a means to add multimedia functions.
The VPL-DW240 received our Special Interest award for its good performance and utility as a portable projector. However, its limitations in terms of features (e.g., no built-in networking, limited signal inputs, etc.) means it would appeal to a more limited set of potential users than some other competing projectors.
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