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The VPL-W400Q was introduced for sale in the U.S. in November, 1996.
Projection System: 3 LCD panels, 1 lens, projection. Each 1.35-inch p-Si TFT LCD panel contains 512,880 pixels, for a total pixel count of 1,538,640.
Screen Size: Throw Distance Weight
Approx. 22lbs
Approx. 10kg
Q: What makes the Sony so special over comparably priced LCD projectors from other manufacturers?
A: What probably distinguishes the W400 the most from the other LCD projectors in it's class are Sony's unique polysilicone 16:9 LCD panels. At this writing, LCD projectors from Sanyo, Sharp, Runco, Video, and others use data grade 4:3 LCD panels which contain far fewer pixels to begin with. When displaying 16:9 or 2.35:1 Widescreen material, even fewer pixels are used. On most LCD projectors, you must "zoom and fill" when switching from standard (4:3) to Widescreen. With the Sony, all 1,538,640 pixels are displayed in 16:9 mode -- the preferred mode of videophiles and future HDTV applications.
Q: What about "dead pixels"? That's always been a fear of mine about LCD projectors.
A: As a general rule of thumb, if it's "good out of the box" then you probably won't have a problem. The preventative measures that Sony as undertaken to address this issue are unprecedented and, in addition to Sony's 3-year parts and labor warranty (most LCD manufacturers only offer one year), we think this is one of the bigger competitive advantages of the W400 series. This projector uses redundant (two)transistors to drive each pixel. Both are always operating, so if one fails the other can still drive the pixel. This does not mean that the W400 will NEVER have dead pixels, but comparatively speaking this safeguard should result in much fewer pixel problems than other competing projectors.
Q: I've seen other LCD projectors before and was put off by the visible pixel structure or "screen door 
effect". How does the W400Q address this LCD shortcoming?
A: According to our sources at Sony: "the principal factor that reduces the typical "screen-door" look on this projector is actually the structure of the unique panel(s) itself. The pixels are arranged in a delta-pattern Vs stripe configuration. This, combined with the size, quantity, and aperture of the pixels results in a barely discernable pixel structure. The Fly-eye lenses contribute to the good uniformity of the W400 by evenly distributing the light from the lamp." With the built-in line doubler and "fly-eye" lens integrators, horizontal scan lines and pixel structure problems are a thing of the past. Both are imperceptible at a distance of just 5' to 8' from the screen, depending on the image size.
Q: Does the VPL-W400Q have a lens-shifting feature to correct for keystone errors? What are my installation 
options?
A: The VPL-W400Q does not have a lens-shift feature. However, it is generally unnecessary due to the way the projector aligns with the screen. The lens must be on the same horizontal plane just above the top, or below the bottom edges of your screen (remember, the projector can be inverted for ceiling or shelf mounting). Sony refers to this as "above the screen" projection. When ceiling or high-shelf mounted, the bottom of the projector is above the top of the screen which allows the projector to be positioned out of the direct line of sight. Most other front projectors require than the lens assembly be centered with the screen's center. The W400Q's compact size and light weight afford a great number of installation options not available with larger, bulkier front projectors.
Q: I've heard that the fan noise is a problem. I also heard that Sony is now shipping a fan muffler on newer units.
A: All LCD projectors require fans to help keep the units from overheating due to the intense heat of the metal halide bulbs. The Sony fan IS probably one of the noisiest ones we've heard, but not much more than most LCD projectors. Many owners have built custom enclosures to muffle the sound while allowing maximum airflow through the projector. A small plastic cover that attaches as an option to the cooling fan doesn't do much, if anything to dampen the fan sound -- it merely redirects it -- but not to any significant degree in terms of sound levels. Sony tells us that it reduces the fan noise by approximately 3dB. (For your reference, the sound of boiling water is about 49dB). The superior image quality of the projector outweighs any concerns about the fan noise, in our opinion. We have our unit mounted on a shelf, behind the rear wall of our home theater with an opening just large enough to accommodate the lens and IR assembly. This has reduced the fan noise by about 90%.
Q: What kind of screen should I buy to go with this projector? And which aspect ratio? What about gain levels?
A: We have a tab-tensioned screen that we're very happy with. However, there many vendors offering great screens. May we suggest you check with like Da-Lite, Stewart and Draper. Definitely go with a 16:9 aspect screen, regardless of the style and manufacturer. A 4:3 screen will render smaller widescreen images and require you to manually zoom and fill when switch aspect rations. Widescreen is the future and this projector was made for 16:9. As for gain, it's a very subjective thing and depends on a lot of factors, including ambient room light and viewing angle considerations. For the most accurate color reproduction and widest possible viewing angle, we selected a matte finish screen with a 1.1 gain. High gain screens are not necessary to project a bright, colorful image. We're thrilled with our selection, but again, it's a really a subjective matter. Consult with an expert before making your decision, based on your viewing and room requirements. As with ANY front projector (CRT or otherwise) it is best to have total lighting control. An acceptable image can still be maintained with low level, down lighting.
Q: Why doesn't the 400Q have motorized zoom and focus? I really like that feature! 
A: At first we felt the same way and shared your initial disappointment. That is, until we realized two very important facts: The first is that once you initially set up the projector, you shouldn't need to ever fiddle with the focus adjustments unless the projector is physically moved. Secondly, since the Sony has native 16:9 panels, they take up the whole screen when viewing 16:9 source material on a 16:9 screen. When viewing 4:3 material, the top and bottom boundaries remain the same -- only the sides fall dark to create the 4:3 aspect. No motorized zoom and fill is necessary and would be a wasted feature that would only add unnecessary cost to the projector.
Q: Why won't the trig jack on the projector trip the relay on my motorized screen?
A: I guess this is where the gloves must come off. We have no idea why Sony chose to provide a 5-volt, 1 milliampere output on the projector when nearly all screen relays are 12 volts and need much higher output than the Sony trig can handle. Unless there's something we're missing here, this jack is all but useless. We stopped trying to figure out a way to make use of the trig switch, but we did, however, find a great solution to the screen relay dilemma.
A company called RF Systems out of Colorado manufactures and markets several power control products - two that we recommend highly. One is the AC-1, a video triggered A/C outlet. When a video signal is detected, it powers up the integrated A/C outlet, which in turn supplies power to a an inexpensive 12v power supply from Radio Shack, that in turn provides the necessary 12v of power to the screen relay. Their other product, which we use, doesn't require any video feeds, which we prefer (in order to maintain the integrity of our video connection). It's called the AC-IR and works the same as the AC-1, except an infrared signal is used to trigger the power source instead of a video feed. The IR unit has a "teaching" function so virtually any learning remote can be programmed to trigger the screen lowering/raising sequence. We have our Marantz RC2000 programmed with macros that lower the screen, power up the projector, turn on the amp, select the DVD input, power up the DVD player and start the movie. A second macro reverses the process. Ah, heaven!
Q: Have there been any refinements or changes in the projector specs since the VPL-W400Q was introduced?
A: Yes. There have been several subtle and a few not-so-subtle changes/improvements as this product has matured. First and foremost, the barely-perceptible greenish/pinkish hue in opposing corners that was noticed on some early projectors has been all but been eliminated. I'm proud to say that I helped bring this anomaly to the attention of Sony, even providing two .jpg representations of what I was seeing for their reference. (see exaggerated examples below). As it turns out, another VPL owner, brought to my attention that this uniformity issue was probably due to mis-aligned polarizer plates. The good news is that they are adjustable, but we wouldn't recommend you trying it unless you are fully qualified to do so and don't mind voiding your warranty. Recently, we received a brand new unit from Sony to replace our treasured projector when repairs became necessary and parts weren't immediately available due to the high demand of this projector. Talk about customer service! (remember, this happened weeks before this website was even conceptualized -- no special treatment by Sony, here!) The first thing we immediately noticed with the new projector is that the uniformity problems as shown below have been significantly improved to the point where they are no longer an issue whatsoever. I received confirmation that indeed, subtle refinements to the prism block unit have been implemented -- and it shows. I can finally watch Fargo again!! And the deep, dark space in Starship Troopers looked outstanding. Other changes have included a few more pages in one of the the serviceman control areas; the cooling fan now shuts down after just 90 seconds as opposed to 10 minutes (I've been assured by Sony that this is "okay") and to avoid accidental shut-off, the off button on your remote must now be depressed for a full second before the bulb is extinguished. By the way, as a reminder, never turn your projector lamp off until it's been running for at least 10 minutes to obtain the best lamp life. At $300 a pop or whatever they're going for these days, you'd BETTER take care of that bulb!
Q: I just set my projector up and the image looks soft (out of focus, fuzzy). Is there a problem with my unit?
A: Probably not. There are two factors to consider here. First and foremost, this projector is very sensitive to the source material being displayed. While smaller monitors and televisions hide a multitude of video sins and tend to "homogenize" the picture you see, with the W400, the old "garbage in, garbage out" theory applies quite dramatically. If the source contains poor mastering, including over-processing, under or overdriven color saturation, etc, you will readily notice it on this projector. Even with a great cable connection, you will notice a disparity between television networks; even from commerical to commercial. You can drive yourself crazy trying to find the "magic" settings that will work with all video signals. They don't exist. Fortunately, the W400Q provides several memory settings that can accomodate a variety of video source conditions. Conversely, if you watch a well mastered DVD or HDTV programming, you will be happily stunned at the outstanding video quality. When using DVD as your source, it is imperative that the DVD player be set to output a 16:9 signal. This is perhaps the most common cause of poor picture performance and explains why many in-store demos of the W400 fall short. In-store DVD players are almost always set to 4:3 output for proper display on other competing LCD video projectors, which all feature native 4:3 LCD panels (and coindicentally, provide a higher profit margin for the dealers). On many DVD players (including our Sony DVP-S7000) if a power outage occurs, the settings in the DVD player will be erased, reverting to 4:3 aspect ratio output. Always check this setting when using DVD's if your performance is poor. Also, due to the inherent resolution limitations of standard VHS, you will not derive the same performance as you might expect from a well mastered DVD using the VPL-W400Q/M/J. If your unit is still performing poorly with a well-mastered DVD and your DVD player set to 16:9 output, you may indeed have a problem requiring service, if manual focusing still doesn't do the trick. These instances, however, are very rare.
Simulation of uniformity anomaly as seen on a white background
Simulation of uniformity anomaly as seen with black and white source material
Download PJcalc! -- a Windows program direct from Sony that will calculate screen dimensions for any aspect ratio in various units of measure, then calculate throw distance, screen placement and projector positioning for any of Sony's projectors using any of the optional lenses!
Alternate PJcalc! download -- direct from our site (may not be the latest revision -- download here only if you're having trouble down-loading directly from Sony.
Here are Bill Cushman's recommendation for optimum picture quality for use with high gain screens (his is 2.8 gain). Remember that all of our projectors are individually tuned at the factory for the best performance. Your mileage may vary depending on your screen gain and projector itself. A little experimentation may be in order, but here are some general settings to try:
Contrast: 80
Brightness: 10 (40 for PAL, HDTV, or DVD player set to 0 IRE {enhanced black})
Color: 50
Tint: 50
Sharpness: 50
Dynamic Picture: Off
Color temp: Low
If you desire, set Brightness to about 30 or 40 and turn on Dynamic Picture
These are setting recommended by Jeff McNeal for those with lower gain screens (his is 1.1). Remember that all of our projectors are individually tuned at the factory for the best performance. Jeff prefers to leave his projector in HBM mode for all component viewing. Your mileage may vary depending on your screen gain and projector itself. A little experimentation may be in order, but here are some general settings to try:
Contrast 72
Bright 50
Color 50
Sharp 70
D. Picture ON
Color temp: HBM (High Brightness Mode)
Optional White balance adjustment for HBM (if your image displays too much green in the fleshtones):
R 160
G 130
B 150
Note: To adjust the HBM w/b settings you must first enter the serviceman mode. Be sure to note your original settings before making any changes to them!
Another variation of the above settings seem to work very well for use with some older DVD movie titles, which may exibit lower contrast and undersaturated transfers (same w/b adjustments for HBM):
Contrast 85
Bright 30
Color 55-60 (depending on source)
Sharp 80
Color temp: HBM
Dynamic Picture OFF
Good luck!
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