Epson 5030ub vs Sony VPL-HW40ES?

W

wings

Enthusiast
I considering either the Epson 5030ub or the Sony VPL-HW40ES projectors for my home theater based on the very favorable reviews I've read for each (I have also auditioned the 5030ub). I am interested in comparative feedback for these projectors. My room will be light controlled, but I am interested to know how the contrast ration and the blacks of the Sony compare to the Epson. At this point I am leaning slightly toward the Sony, but I'd appreciate input from anyone with experience with these projecctors. Thanks!
 
W

wings

Enthusiast
Afterlife - The JVC looks pretty impressive, but is unfortunately beyond my budget. Thanks for the input though :)
 
TheWarrior

TheWarrior

Audioholic Ninja
I have not seen any Sony PJ's, but Epson makes excellent products for the money, and their lamps are some of the least expensive. Making you a happy camper when you've blown through those 2000+ hours of lamp life because you love the big screen so much!
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
Almost every single person who has actually compared the Sony to the Epson has picked the Sony over the Epson. While the Epson, through the use of a dynamic iris, can produce better blacks, it can't do so in normal scene-to-scene shots, and if you see the dynamic iris in use while viewing, then it won't work for you.

I have yet to see a dynamic iris which I can't visibly see in action on screen. As a scene slightly fades to dark, or has dark content mixed with light, I see the light levels jumping up and down as the iris goes into action. What a load of junk.

As well, Epson makes very reasonable products for the money, but certainly they aren't a cut above anyone else, and have an actual history of having some pretty significant issues.

A recent poster at Projector Central returned three 5030 projectors due to issues, and then found that a noise related to the iris was what he was hearing, and it wouldn't go away.

So, while the 5030 CAN do better with contrast, in most scenes it does not. It can't do better without the DI in use. It is noisier, but has more flexibility with placement. It also shows significantly more screen door effect than the Sony, and has a higher lag time for gaming compared to the Sony.

In general, I'm a JVC fan boy, but if I were to buy any projector under $3,000 right now, it would be the Sony, for the reasons I have listed. I have installed a half dozen Epson projectors without much issue, along with some Panasonics, and I've owned both Epson and Panasonic without issues... But, the Sony is the way I would go. I've installed one of them, on a 134" acoustically transparent screen, and am very impressed by what I have seen.
 
J

Juliancsu

Audiophyte
I was deciding between the same two projectors, it came down to the fan noise difference between Sony and Epson. The Epson was very loud, it became distracting during quiet movie scenes. The sony is wiser quiet with a picture that was equally as good. I am lucky to have a light controlled room, if I had a very bright room, I would consider the Epson due to the Iris system.
 
TheWarrior

TheWarrior

Audioholic Ninja
Wow I hadn't seen these posts... Very informative, and something to test for. I'd seen a similar Epson on an 80" screen and really enjoyed it, of course thinking about having a much larger screen. But I have zero experience with front projection.
 
D

dyno_rulez

Audiophyte
No doubt about it go for the sony. The blacks are richer and picture quality and sharpness for fast scenes is pretty good.
 
R!zz0

R!zz0

Audioholic Intern
I'm waking up an old thread here.

Any Sony projectors or the one listed above?
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
I'm waking up an old thread here.

Any Sony projectors or the one listed above?
The newer HW45ES is the replacement and is slightly improved and a great choice. The new Epson 5040 is a 4K (faux) model which is a fair upgrade on the 5030, but is now priced a good bit more, and the lack of true 4K is something I would consider a negative.

I would get the Sony if I were buying today. Unless I could step up my budget for a JVC projector.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
The newer HW45ES is the replacement and is slightly improved and a great choice. The new Epson 5040 is a 4K (faux) model which is a fair upgrade on the 5030, but is now priced a good bit more, and the lack of true 4K is something I would consider a negative.

I would get the Sony if I were buying today. Unless I could step up my budget for a JVC projector.
I don't know.

After reading the Projector Central's review of the 5040 and how they gave it Editor's Pick as the top projector in its class, I think the Epson 5040 looks pretty tempting.

- 3500 Lumens in game/dynamic mode and 2400 Lumens in cinema best-picture mode
- Motorized Lens Focus, Zoom, & Shift with preset memory (most PJ have manual)
- 4K "enhancement" produces 4 million pixels (instead of the 8 million pixels of native 4K), which is still better than 1080P, depending on viewing distance and type of video.
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
LCD still has issues with fast motion scenes and screen door effect. As well, native contrast, without an iris, is inferior to LCoS technology.

Once UHD resolution has really nailed things I expect that I will really be on board, and I think that all the Epson models are pretty darn solid. I'm just not sure I would spend an extra dollar for the 5040 over the HW45ES at this time.

Now, 3,500 lumens is a ton of light output, but I've used 300 lumens and had a very good image with some lights on. So, a ton of light isn't really what I would be going for. Contrast, color accuracy, image processing, and image accuracy are king. It isn't giving up light output if you don't need that light output to begin with.

Motorized lens presets is phenomenal if you have a 2.35 screen and need to switch. I'm a huge - HUGE -fan of that. But, if you just have a 16:9 screen, it's not worth any extra really. You set your lens, then leave it be for ten years.

There is no content with 4 million pixels. So, it is either throwing out 4 million pixels from UHD, or scaling up 2 million pixels. The fact that it supports UHD content though is a huge thing because the content itself likely is of significantly higher quality from the start. Just like watching HD content on a 480p TV back in the day was night and day better than watching SDTV. I don't think the jump from 1080p to 2160p is night and day, but I think the original source will be better and that will translate to the projected image nicely.

So, there are some advantages and disadvantages with both the Epson and the Sony, but I'm cheap. ;)

Heck, right now I run the BenQ W1070 which is under $1,000. Not even close to the Sony or Epson.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
LCD still has issues with fast motion scenes and screen door effect. As well, native contrast, without an iris, is inferior to LCoS technology.

Once UHD resolution has really nailed things I expect that I will really be on board, and I think that all the Epson models are pretty darn solid. I'm just not sure I would spend an extra dollar for the 5040 over the HW45ES at this time.

Now, 3,500 lumens is a ton of light output, but I've used 300 lumens and had a very good image with some lights on. So, a ton of light isn't really what I would be going for. Contrast, color accuracy, image processing, and image accuracy are king. It isn't giving up light output if you don't need that light output to begin with.

Motorized lens presets is phenomenal if you have a 2.35 screen and need to switch. I'm a huge - HUGE -fan of that. But, if you just have a 16:9 screen, it's not worth any extra really. You set your lens, then leave it be for ten years.

There is no content with 4 million pixels. So, it is either throwing out 4 million pixels from UHD, or scaling up 2 million pixels. The fact that it supports UHD content though is a huge thing because the content itself likely is of significantly higher quality from the start. Just like watching HD content on a 480p TV back in the day was night and day better than watching SDTV. I don't think the jump from 1080p to 2160p is night and day, but I think the original source will be better and that will translate to the projected image nicely.

So, there are some advantages and disadvantages with both the Epson and the Sony, but I'm cheap. ;)

Heck, right now I run the BenQ W1070 which is under $1,000. Not even close to the Sony or Epson.
Yeah, I'm very cheap myself. :)

I have 2 BenQ W6000 PJ, so I most likely won't be buying any new PJ for a long time.

Purchasing decisions always depend on what's salient to you.

I "might" be willing to pay a little more for the Epson over the Sony, even though I love Sony. :)

I have 7 large screen 4K TVs in my house that are all Sony. :)

But I'm glad I don't have to make that PJ decision since I have 2 BenQ W6000 PJ.
 
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