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Sponsored in part by:
A few months ago, a funny thing happened. I started seeing messages appearing on the Internet about the Sony KL-W9000, an LCD video projector that had just been reduced in price by a significant amount. The last published price by Sony had been $7,000 MSRP. Developed for the presentation market, this widescreen video/data monitor had been reduced to $2,999. Street prices now hover around $2,100 -$2,300 for these units and consumer interest shifted into high gear as more and more DVD owners crave to see what all those anamorphic DVDs they've been collecting can really do.
As a service to our readers and those clamoring for more information regarding this 50" diagonally-measured display, I started the KL-W9000 Forum and FAQ, much in the same manner as I created the Sony VPL-W400Q Forum and FAQ in May, 1998. The purpose is to provide a focused place on the Internet where owners and prospects can share detailed technical information about this projector. The forum is a resounding success, thanks to several brave pioneers who went ahead and purchased this projector, sight unseen, and shared detailed information with their fellow forum members.
When my calls to Sony for a review unit went unanswered, one of our sponsors, Dennis Shepherd of Medical Video Systems stepped in and offered to ship me (at his expense) one of these units to evaluate. I appreciate the kind gesture.
The focus of this review will be a little unconventional. I wanted to see how similar this unit is in terms of specs and performance to the venerable W400Q, a front projection video projector that home theater affecionados have been drawn to like moths to a flame. The VPL-W400Q has been a resounding success after a somewhat slow start, despite the fact that there have been some production quality-control issues with the unit. Subtle improvements to the optical assembly have been made over the years since its November, 1996 introduction, and the fact that as of this writing the W400Q is still in production despite its age is testament to its wide consumer appeal. Before doing any viewing tests, I calibrated the KL-W9000 with the Avia Guide To Home Theater Disc, which proved very easy with one exception. I could not generate acceptable results in the frequency sweep while adjusting the sharpness levels. The best I could achieve was by reducing the sharpness to zero, which is where he unit has remained for the duration of my testing.
The KL-W9000 appears to be based on the same light engine as the W400Q, and subsequently suffers from some of the same anomalies that have plagued many W400Q owners: A slight problem on some (but not all) units with color uniformity, manifesting itself in a very subtle "green fog" effect, usually confined to one quadrant of the screen. Occasionally, the condition will manifest itself as "pink fog". The effects are extremely subtle and only noticeable to the trained eye for the most part -- that is, to the eyes of the owners who tend to pick over these display devices with a fine tooth comb and notice things that most friends, guests or even other family members might find difficult to pick up on. In most cases, this occurance has been reported to disappear over time, after the unit has "broken-in", but in other less-frequent cases, the cause has been traced to heat damage to the coating on the polarizer plates within the projection unit itself.
Another concern for most prospects are dead pixels. However, with over 1,538,640 individual pixels spread 
over three polysilicon LCD panels, one or even a few dead pixels can rarely be noticed from typical viewing distances watching normal programming. Sony employs a two-transistor switch on each pixel; one is redundant and not used unless the primary circuit fails. For the most part, the Sony LCD panels have proven themselves fairly reliable over the years. Finding failed pixels on new sets is a fairly uncommon experience. The consensus seems to be that if the unit has no failed pixels right "out of the box", then you're unlikely to see any problems 
with the LCD panels into the foreseeable future with normal use. There are no guarantees of course, just as there are none with Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays, but shoppers should be aware that servicing one of these projectors out of warranty can be a very costly proposition.
The front projection VPL-W400Q has a three-year parts and labor warranty -- one of the best we've ever seen for a video display device. The KL-W9000 only has a 1 year warranty and unlike other consumer Sony projection televisions, does not include in-home service repair. Since replacing the prism block (the assembly that contains the prism, LCD panels, etc.) will likely exceed your original purchase price of the KL-W9000, an extended warranty would be a very wise option and if one is available from your dealer, I would strongly advise purchasing one if you opt to buy this projector.
Some consumers have dubbed the KL-W9000 a "400Q in a box", which isn't entirely accurate. There are some distinct differences between these projectors. For starters, the KL-W9000 outweighs the W400Q by about 86 lbs. Still, even at 106 lbs, the KL-W9000 can be considered fairly lightweight. Great for moving it around and hefting it up or down a 
flight of stairs. The KL-W9000 also employs a different light bulb than its front projection cousin. In contrast, the W400Q uses a 250w Metal Halide lamp assembly -- a pricey little bugger at about $350. It runs hot and requires an industrial (and relatively noisy) fan to keep the unit running cool. The KL-W9000 conversely, uses a 100w HID lamp that runs cooler, lasts longer and maintains its' lumen rating longer. The W400Q lamp is rated at about 3,000 hours. The KL-W9000 is rated at about 8,000 hours. The KL-W9000 can get away with using a lower wattage bulb since high light output isn't as critical as in front projection displays. But quite frankly, bulb technology has evolved and improved since the introduction of the W400Q. A rumored successor to the W400Q which might appear late this year (based on the 4:3 VPL-X1000 but with true 16:9 LCD panels as with the W400Q) is said to use a lower wattage bulb that runs cooler and produces 1000 ANSI lumens. The specs for the KL-W9000 omit the ANSI rating for light output, but trust me that it's plenty bright enough to get the job done.
The most obvious difference, aside from the fact that the W400Q is a front projector with component inputs and 1080i HDTV compatibility, is that the rear projecting KL-W9000 serves double-duty as a computer monitor with a RGB input. The W400Q has no such accommodation because it was designed as a video display device only, with a staggered pixel structure that creates a smoother, more natural and film-like video appearance. Strangely, the KL-W9000 uses the same pixel pattern for both video and data display, which means that as a data monitor, there are definite compromises. Fine detail in text, for example, just isn't there. On the video side, the screen composition in part creates smeared text in some instances. Looking at the opening credits in AUSTIN POWERS, a recognized, high-quality transfer, revealed distortion in the lighter text against a dark background when displayed on the puffy psychadelic fonts. I'm not saying that as a data or video monitor, the KL-W9000 doesn't cut it. I'm just saying that there are certainly better stand-alone data or video monitors currently available -- at a much higher price, of course. And that's the rub.
So how does this projector handle video? For the most part, very well. But again, there are compromises in creating a combo data/video projector and while the image quality is generally quite pleasing, it is not "picture perfect". For many, the versatility of having a widescreen monitor at an affordable price with a big, bright, colorful picture is enough to outweigh any minor niggles. But you should be aware of them, nonetheless.
Two of the three things that bugged me the most about the KL-W9000 are potentially correctable. One for free, one for a price. Before I get into that area, let me tell you all the things I liked about the KL-W9000.
The build quality of this attractive unit is typical Sony. Our review unit arrived in perfect condition, both externally and in operation, despite a nasty gash in the shipping box. Fit and finish is stylish and commanding. This thing is so sexy, we even "borrowed" the image of it to create a logo for our main page here at The BIG Picture when we first set eyes on the graphic image of it. This is one sexy looking piece of gear and is designed to impress. Downright sleek by RPTV standards, the KL-W9000 trades in the klunky, deep, boxy appearance of many RPTV's for a narrow, contemporary design that will be striking in many home theater and media rooms applications. It's a beautiful chassis.
The two lower plastic speaker grills are removable. Behind the one on the left, you'll find (in addition to the speakers) an easily accessible dust filter (for the whisper-quiet internal fan). It's recommended that you clean the filter "periodically", which to us means about once every two or three months. Don't forget though. A dirty filter could cause an internal heat build-up that will not only damage the projector, but could even cause a fire (according to the manual,at least). Behind the grill on the right side, you'll find the light assembly. Here's a real advantage of LCD-
based displays over their CRT counterparts: Besides never having to "converge" the different tube elements to create an accurate picture (the LCD panels are aligned and fixed at the factory), replacing the lamp is a breeze and relatively inexpensive. From a user maintenance standpoint, there is very little to bother yourself with. And what little there is (like cleaning the filter or changing the bulb) you can easily do yourself. The prism block and lens assembly are not easily accessible and are obviously meant to be available to qualified technicians only. A quick check of the test pattern in the service mode (more on that later) revealed that our unit was in perfect focus.
The KL-W9000 comes with a dust cloth to keep the screen surface clean and it appears that the screen surface can be easily cleaned if junior squirts ketchup onto it or whatever. The screen surface is very reflective, though since it is perfectly flat, it doesn't pose a problem when watching movies.
The picture is bright, even in fully lit rooms, including daylight. Colors are rich and vibrant with no discernable bleeding or dot crawl. The rich rendering of Nic Cage's royal blue late 50's Chevy convertible in PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED was so startling and nearly three-dimensional that it caused a guest to gasp aloud at the image. Video detail is very good, depending on the source. The LCD technology inherent in the Sony W400Q and W9000 are very critical and unforgiving. If there are any irregularities in the image source, they will become readily apparent, though the W9000 is slightly more forgiving in this regard than the W400Q -- probably because of the reduced screen size. It's the old "garbage in, garbage out" theory, sitting right there on your living room floor. Standard televisions smooth out a lot of the problems in video feeds with advanced comb filters and other processors, but the W9000 will reveal every wrinkle and wart that the broadcasters can dish out. This is a double-edged sword. High-quality programming will appear great. Everything else will look... eh! Finding that some channels look significantly better or worse than others may not make the KL-W9000 your best choice for casual television viewing. You'll want to keep fiddling around with the controls so much, your spouse will think you're nuts. However, if your plan is to use the W9000 primarily for Anamorphic or even standard DVD viewing, this unit might fit the bill very nicely. Indeed, there seems to be a growing number of satisfied owners appearing on the forum, despite some of the W9000's limitations and quirks.
Inputs are easily accessible on the front behind a concealed panel and on the back. There are two RGB inputs, fore and aft and a total of two s-video inputs and one s-video output in the rear. There are three composite video inputs and one composite video output (two in the rear and one in the front). There are four audio L-R inputs. One in the front and three in the back, plus an audio output in the rear (RCA) and in the front (mini phone plug type).
We conducted the majority of our tests using the s-video input with a Sony S530D DVD player. I really missed not having component inputs. Some have suggested great success with using the progressive output of their DVD-ROM via the RGB (monitor) input on the KL-W9000 and we don't doubt their word, but for many, this is not a practical consideration. When in RGB mode, there are some pros and cons. While better video image quality can be attained, zoom aspect mode, color saturation and hue controls are unavailable.
I connected my Compaq Presario notebook to the W9000 after installing the included driver software that comes with the monitor. The images were bright and large, but small text like the names of icons on my desktop were difficult to read. Then again, I was fairly close to the monitor when conducting this test. Graphic depictions, looked very good however, and my heart swelled with pride to see The BIG Picture logo actually displayed on this thing, instead of the rendering I created for the main page.
One nice thing about using the RGB input is that a larger viewable screen display area for watching anamorphic DVD's is available than in composite or s-video mode for some inexplicable reason. When in video mode, nearly two inches of screen space on both the right and left sides are blanked out. According to the manual, "the monitor displays black masks between the picture and screen vessel (edge) because the monitor under-scans to obtain the necessary space on the screen to display the picture". Huh? This statement is made all the more confusing by the fact that when in RGB mode, you can adjust the horizontal and vertical borders of the screen to fill up a much greater space.
The psychological effect of seeing wasted screen space while watching DVD was driving a stake through my cyber-heart and became a nagging source of disappointment for the first week that I was putting this projector through its paces. Fortunately, this problem was remedied thanks to a friendly source at Sony who faxed me the service manual. Once I was able to gain access to the service controls (not for the average Joe or faint of heart), we were able to correct the annoying under-scan with no visible degradation in video quality. The horizontal borders and top border have been reduced to about 1/2" from the edge of the screen now, and I was able to bring the bottom plane of the image to the very edge of the screen itself. The difference was immediate and appreciable. Details on how I achieved this are available on the KL-W9000 Forum. Making these adjustments opened up the horizontal plane of the image by over 3" with no visible addition of distortion to the image, giving video equal parity with the screen size available with the RGB input.
Another troublesome artifact produced by this projector is the "shimmering" effect that's been widely reported. Some have speculated that it has something to do with lenticular lens or diffusion panel which is designed to maximize the output of light. As I stated earlier, the picture is plenty bright, even at lower brightness settings. The real problem is this effect which takes on the appearance of bright light on snow. White images seem to sparkle in a static sort of way. In other words, the sparkles don't move. They remain stationary, which leads me to suspect that the screen elements are indeed the culprit.
Another unfortunate by-product in all of this is that the images on the screen tend to take on an "artificial" appearance if you're sitting too close. Upon closer inspection, any lighter colors, take on an almost metallic undertone. the closest I can describe this anomaly is to call it a sort of widespread hot-spotting. The effect is modest and not nearly as horrible as I'm describing it, but it can prove to be a significant distraction if you're sitting any closer than say, 10' from the display. To me, this is the single biggest flaw in the monitor. Some owners are looking into replacing the screen element with a lower gain version which may in fact remove the shimmering, but at roughly $500, not too many are willing to shell out the cash to give this experiment a whirl -- and who can blame them!
The horizontal viewing axis is about 150 degrees and we can confirm that a bit of shifting from side to side in the seating area didn't appreciably alter the viewing experience. However, the horizontal axis is much tighter at just 60 degrees before brightness levels really begin to drop off. Considering that most people are sitting stationary and not bobbing up and down while they're watching movies mitigates this shortcoming somewhat. A stand between 10" and 18" is strongly recommended for most seating environments. The lower portion of the stand appears to be removable, which may open up several stand options. I'm going to see if the 32" or 36" WEGA monitor stands measure out reasonably close to the base dimensions of the W9000 just for kicks. An anchor strap is included with this monitor to help secure it to whatever base you end up using.
The included remote control is awful... no where near as intuitive or easy to handle as we'd prefer. The power switch is located directly above the aspect button, and is easily mistaken for it when not looking directly at the remote. We accidentally turned the display off several times while trying to change the aspect setting because of this poor placement. Navigating the menu system proved to be a real pain in the neck as well. Most users will chuck this thing in the trash after they've trained the codes to their Marantz or Philips or whatever brand universal remote they happen to use.
There are four display settings: Presentation (geared for computer use), Standard (video equipment playback), Movie and AV Memory (where you can store your own settings). This is quite limiting compared to the W400Q, which gives users five memory settings per input mode to fiddle with. Adventurous owners will want to go into the hidden service menu to adjust at least the Standard and Video modes to something more acceptable. In addition to the the brightness, color, contrast, sharpness and hue controls, user selected 
color temperature settings are available, along with audio controls to adjust bass, treble, balance and effect values. There are three sound effect modes available: Hall Surround 1, Hall Surround 2 and Simulated stereo. While most users will forego these options and go for a Dolby Digital surround setup instead, the simulated stereo sounded pretty good! For awhile, anyway. Overall, the internal speakers do a decent job and appear to be well built, even featuring a tuned bass port to handle the lower frequencies respectably -- but don't throw out your powered subwoofer just yet.
The KL-W9000 provides great versatility and value in an attractive package, but it is not the Holy Grail of monitors. There are minor, but noticeable compromises that were necessary on both sides to make it a decent data and video display. It handles both chores equally well, but splits the difference in image quality on both ends. As with all LCD displays, rich, deep black rendering is impossible, but the display comes reasonable close enough to the point that it almost becomes a non-issue. The flip side of this limitation is in the distinct advantages of no convergence hassles and no permanent burn-in when displaying static images like computer images or video games.
In summary, the W9000 is an attractive and versatile true 16:9 monitor which performs admirably well in most respects. It's weaknesses are compensated for by the low price tag, bright display, easy setup and maintenance and 16:9 display, but the absence of a tuner and its fussy, unforgiving nature makes it a bit inconvenient for casual TV viewing. You'll be rewarded for high quality image signals and punished for mediocre ones. This complaint also holds true for the W400Q to an even greater degree. However the W400Q's saving grace though is the multitude of memory settings for video. In addition, the lack of component inputs on the W9000 is a disappointment, though the s-video input should satisfy most users. If you already own a VPL-W400Q, the W9000 provides a very nice compliment, but you'll find yourself gravitating back to the W400Q for serious movie watching. If you don't yet own a projection device, the W9000 is worthy of some serious consideration, especially if ambient lighting and room size are issues that you're grappling with.