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Sony unveils the VPL-VW550ES, its third home theater projector to support 4K HDR

By Ng Chong Seng - on 2 Sep 2016, 10:33am

Sony unveils the VPL-VW550ES, its third home theater projector to support 4K HDR

At IFA 2016, Sony has unveiled the VPL-VW550ES, the latest and the third model in Sony’s home cinema projector lineup to support 4K high dynamic range (HDR). (The VPL-HW45ES and the excellent but expensive VPL-VW5000ES are the other two, in case you're wondering.)

Available in a black or white chassis, the VPL-VW550ES, which is set to replace the VPL-VW520ES in the lineup, is first and foremost a 1,800-lumen projector using Sony’s SXRD panel technology. It also has a powered zoom lens, with support for lens shift. Dynamic contrast ratio is pegged at 350,000:1, which should lend itself well to rendering HDR content. In Low mode, the projector’s lamp is said to last up to 6,000 hours.

Naturally, the VPL-VW550ES is decked with support for the latest standards, such as 4K at 60fps (at color signal YCbCr 4:2:0 / 8 bit), HDCP 2.2 for both its HDMI terminals, and of course, HDR from Ultra HD Blu-ray titles and OTT (over-the-top) streaming services. And through a firmware update in time to come, the VPL-VW550ES will also support HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), a royalty-free HDR standard developed by BBC and NHK.

The VPL-VW550ES will be available in Singapore in January 2017 at a price of S$14,999.

Source: Sony.

Update, Sep 13: Updated Singapore availability date and pricing.

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