Sony Unveils QUALIA SXRD Projector
By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 9/15/2003
INDIANAPOLIS— Sony announced a $24,999 suggested retail price for its QUALIA 004 front projector based on the company's proprietary Silicon Crystal Reflective Display (SXRD) technology (TWICE, Sept. 1, p. 4).
The projector is the first product marketed under the "QUALIA concept" for high-end custom home theater products. It uses three 0.78-inch LCoS-like panels, each with 1,920 by 1,080 progressive resolution, giving the projector a total resolution of approximately 6.22 million pixels.
The projector also offers a specially developed 700-watt Xenon lamp, and is engineered to emit just 25dB of fan noise. One of two lens options is also required.
Also introduced were a pair of Cineza LCD-based front projectors. Model VPL-HS20 ($3,500 suggested retail) and Model VPL-HS3 ($1,500) will both ship to dealers in October. The HS20 incorporates three wide SBA LCD panels for 1386 by 788 resolution, and up to 1,400 ANSI lumens of brightness. The HS3 has three VGA panels at 858 by 484 pixel resolution.
Two addition flat-panel LCD TVs were also announced in the 26W-inch KLV-26HG2 ($3,300 suggested retail) and 21W-inch KLV-21SG2 ($1,700). Both will ship in "winter 2003," Sony said.
Sony also announced two new DVD receivers in its ES series. The AVD-S500 ($800 suggested) single-disc player/ receiver and AVD-C700 ($1,000) five-disc changer/receiver. Both models are scheduled to ship in the Fall.
