Sony VPL-VZ1000ES 4K Home Theater Projector – Summary, Pros and Cons

I loved the VZ1000ES in my dedicated home theater, even though I’m using a less than perfect screen for a UST.  My 1.3 gain Studiotek does add some roll-off in the corners, but, it’s very slight, not enough that I notice under normal viewing.

The images above:  Six 1080 / 720 images (sports images taken with modest/moderate ambient light) in theater.  That’s followed by six 4K/HDR/BT2020 images from darkened theater.  Last six images are in the living room, all daytime (three on fairly bright day but no sunlight pouring in, two taken at the worst time of day, with sunlight on the floor, and  and one nighttime (with lights full on, directly over the screen and projector).

If I put the Black Diamond UST ALR type screen I used for testing in the living room, in my theater, that would have been an ideal match, so even better.

Watching the new Ghostbusters in 4K with all the trimmings (HDR, BT2020) is downright glorious!  The combination of HDR and BT2020 color space produces colors and a picture that pops like nothing seen on 1080p projectors!

I also watched Hunger Games extensively – both the 4K HDR BT2020 version and the standard 1080p disc.  The differences are truly dazzling.  True, the 4K’ has some mid area dimness, but it’s very slight on the VZ1000ES and the HDR/Contrast control allows you to further tune if you find those mid and lower ranges a little dark for your tastes.

If you’ve seen Hunger Games on a good 1080p projector – say the HW65ES, then on this projector with 4K etc, you won’t want to go back.  Again, that wider color space, and the HDR are game changers when done well, the 4K is a real plus too, but, I find the 4K to be the least obvious of the improvements.

Now I get get my theater at night extremely dark, with only some led indicator lights to deal with, and none facing the screen (or me).  When doing that, I encounter the VPL-VZ1000ES’s one relative weakness – having merely extremely good black level performance.  Of course there’s only one other true 4K projector out there that’s not a Sony, that can do better, and that’s the standard throw $35K JVC. JVC has long ruled on black levels, but often slow to solve other problems (sloppy 3D was a problem for several generations, for example, and their first generation of 4K capable projectors still can’t support Blu-ray UHD…)

The simple truth is no one projector is going to be the best at everything, but other than black levels, this Sony is definitely trying.  Add just a little ambient light (very little) and most of the differences in black levels will recede to almost nothing.

Now I don’t always want my theater fully dark.  I usually have 4-6 down facing led lights on in the back of the room. This would be typical for sports viewing at night, or watching most general “TV.”  In the daytime, even with my shutters closed I wouldn’t do close watching of movies with dark scenes (when I need to, I just velcro on my black out panels in my windows), but I certainly don’t need to do that, even for most movies.  Again, with more than the slightest ambient light this projector’s black level abilities  (like any projector’s) will be somewhat compromised.

And the VZ1000ES still looks great.  Especially with 4K HDR/BT2020 content.  So the bottom line, is that this Sony projector is pretty awesome in a dedicated theater environment.

But the VZ1000ES was also intended to leave the dedicated theater, and work in more “normal” rooms, the kind that typically don’t have very dark floors, walls and ceiling, but lighter paints, etc.

I am please to report that in a typical “media room” (those would typically have respectable lighting control even in the daytime), The Sony, paired with a UST screen, should be stunning.

What about your typical living room, or family room?  Ditto.  As long as we stick to “typical” and if there are windows, some respectable window shades.  No you don’t have to have blackout shades unless you really do want to create a very dark daytime environment.  The advantage of this projector’s design is that it allows you not to have to do that.

But, there is a point.  Forget the fancy brochures that manufacturers put out  that make it look like a projected image is completely bulletproof in a really bright room.  It won’t be, not with the current tech in UST ALR screens. You’ve seen what I’m talking about in my ridiculously bright living room with sunlight pouring in. If I put even light shades on those glass doors on either side of my screen, the Sony would have been great, but that’s a choice we weren’t willing to do in our view oriented home.

So keep that living room or other “family” environment to reasonably bright rooms, but with intelligent features such as window shades, and generally good lighting control.  Still my warning is that there are limits to how bright the Sony can handle in a sun drenched room, even if that room is very viable at night, or on darker days.

My other complaint because I can’t really find other things to bitch about, is the merely really good black level performance.

Everything else though, makes me want to own one of these! (OK, everything except the price point, too rich for me.

I highly recommend this projector.  Unless you are a hopeless perfectionist this is a projector that should far exceed your expectations, even if it’s not your first projector!.  Just a reminder, definitely have it calibrated.  Colors are very close to right on, in the best modes, but they can definitely be improved.

Let’s close things out with our usual list of Pros and Cons.

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VPL-VZ1000ES Pros and Cons