Customer Reviews

Sony VPL-HS51 Cineza LCD Front Projector

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I find the previous review strange, because it was the same sort of lamp-replacement runaround from Infocus that prompted me to switch brands from Infocus to Sony nearly a year ago. I guess I must assume that similar problems affect several, possibly even most brands.

Note that this unit has a "high altitude" setting. I'm at around 5000ft and I did enable that option during initial set up. It causes the fans to run at a slightly higher speed for more effective cooling at altitude, resulting in just a bit more noise, but nothing compared to my old Infocus. I imagine that high altitude operation without using the setting might lead to premature failure, whereas running the high altitude setting at lower elevations might actually keep things cooler and possibly even improve longevity. Just a thought. Stable power is also important for front projectors. I have my unit on a good quality power conditioner/UPS to protect against any spikes or brownouts.

In any case, I've had the unit nearly a year and have been pleased with its performance. Image quality is excellent, especially when using the HDMI input. It's seen extensive use (somewhere over 2000 hours, I haven't checked lately) and I've only had to replace the air filter thus far. The unit came with a spare filter in the box.
The VPL-HS51 was a truly exceptional product a year ago, though now there are a few other similar/comparable units on the market, and some people are starting to look at moving to 1080p with the advent of Blueray and HD DVD. Even so, I personally feel no need to upgrade in the short term and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this projector to anyone who will be satisfied with 1280x720. If you run large screen sizes (e.g. larger than 80"), have a short viewing distance, and good eyesight it probably makes sense to go for 1080p even if it means waiting a little longer to make a purchase, but otherwise I think most people would be happy with 720.

There are plenty of excellent reviews of the VPL-HS51 on the web already so I won't go into great detail here, but in short, I'm completely satisfied and haven't had any problems whatsoever.

I have to say the same thing as the last review. I purchased the Sony projector 4 months ago. The bulb is only under warantee for 3 months. The first CS person told me it was covered and to take it in to a depot. Then I was told it wasn't covered by the depot but that I could purchase it for $450 plus the labour of $150 to install a bulb that can't take them more then 5 minutes.

I have gone back and forth with Sony support for 4 weeks. And they are now saying they'll give me a discount but the discount is based on getting it fixed at the depot and I'll get sony gift certificates back.

I have purchased a lot of Sony stuff in my life but I will never buy anything again. I was so disappointed with support on this product that I would never have bought one given the choice.

It is very good quality but the cost of ownership is just too ridiculous.

I can't stress enough that there are many other great products out there. Go with one that has good support.

The VPL-HS51 is the best video projector on the market for less than 10k. Far better than any DLP projector, since their is NO rainbow effect and once you see the DLP rainbow you will see this in every show.
Back to the HS51, I bought mine from Amazon one year ago and have 1,000 hours on the unit. NO problems, period. I do suggest running the projector in the LOW brightness setting since this will extend the bulb life. Also suggest using a PC UPS so if the power goes off, you can turn off the projector and the fan continues to run.
Since my room can be made 100% dark, I do not use a screen for the 9 foot HD picture. My wall is painted with SW extra white paint.
The HS51 has all the advanced features and inputs. Few projectors on the market have "lens shift" and the HS51 has two.
Thanks,
Joe Score
[...]

We received this TV as a wedding gift for use in our 1 bedroom. After buying the screen (which takes up one whole wall) and a great sound system, we have the PERFECT home theater system for a young couple who entertains and enjoys movies. The picture quality is unbelievable (especially with HDMI)...to the point where we don't feel that impressed when we go to the theater to see movies. The TV easily adjusts to light differences and doesn't require total darkness to look fabulous: a sunny afternoon with the blinds drawn doesn't hurt the picture much, and that's saying a lot for a projector in this price range. We've now had it for a year and are in love with it.

One HUGE piece of advice with this TV, however, is to replace the filter very promptly every 2 months. We had a large scare 5 months into using it: the picture started dimming to the point of black, something popped loudly inside the projector (clearly the lamp), and it stopped working. Sony's tech support, even under warranty, was awful and had no recommendations (besides sending it in for a $500 repair - no thanks). We opened up the projector and immediately realized the lamp had overheated. We replaced that lamp ($300), and now we replace the air filter ($25 available all over) every 2 months. We haven't had one problem, let alone needing to change that overpriced lamp.

If you're in the market for a quality projector that's priced very well, this is the one. I know others have been released since this one, but do some research on it before writing it off.

I purchased this product about 7 weeks ago at a price of about $3700.00 with tax. You would think that at this price the product would be reliable the company eager to assist. I had a problem with the Lamp (which costs $300 every time it burns out) failing. When I called the warranty dept at Sony they stated it would take approximately one week to get the lamp in because they were out of stock (telling me that there is a problem with this item). Since that time I have had nothing but a run-a-round from the Sony Corporation. Now i'm told it will be another week and half and another department says it has been shipped, both the service department and the parts department do not communicate with each other and so neither one knows whats really going on. Then try to find a number for the Corporate Headquarters in New York! Good luck. My advice is to stay clear of this product unless they find away to fix the lamp issue and have a competent business that caters to the customers vs blames each other....

The reviewers who gave this projector one star clearly had support issues but from a technical perspective this is an excellent buy for the money. I have owned mine for over 2 years and changed the filter only once. The bulb is still going strong (1000+ hours). I've not had to deal with Sony support yet, and hope not to based on some of the reviews, but notwithstanding that issue I'd most certainly recommend this device.

Don't be put off because it isn't DLP...you won't care after seeing the image. There is a "screen door" effect with LCD projectors but if you're sitting the standard distance away from the screen, and the movie is good, you'll not notice. The ONLY time I see it is if I'm not interested in the movie. I tihnk the screen door effect is less of an issue than if you happen to be one of those people who see the "rainbow effect" with DLP projectors though. I project on a Vutec SiverStar screen by the way, which is a very good match.

I watch HDTV and it looks fantastic. I also play the XBOX 360 on it and again, fantastic.

I've owned this unit for years, just came back to order a replacement bulb to have on hand because its about that time - when it goes out, it goes out - boom. I've only replaced the bulb maybe twice, its so long that I can't remember. I use the unit with DirecTV and HDMI hookups, and we use it on a 100" screen with surround, and it has thus far been a very enjoyable experience. We have a screen (silver) designed for projectors to enhance the picture, not just a flat white surface/screen, and it requires a mostly dark room. Even a low reading lamp on the other side of the room will affect the picture quality, but it is watchable. We have black-out shades in our media room, and in that environment, whether watching HD-TV or Blu Ray on the unit is nothing short of phenominal on a 100" screen. On non-HDTV channels, the picture on 100" is still good and very watchable, but suffers only from expanding a non-HDTV content onto 100". Very satisfied.