Sony VPL-CX10...Lamp Is Cool

If I were to describe the look of the Sony VPL-CX10, I would start by saying that it is the “my first Sony� of their projector selection. Newcomers to the market are buying them up used, and the first impression is that an alarm clock was shipped to them by accident.

The contrast is a bit of a mystery to most of those who have had the pleasure to view the image coming out of the almost childish VPL-CX10. It can really deliver some decent black levels for a machine whose credentials don’t look good on paper.

Watching Goldfinger on the CX10 is kind of like watching Goldfinger way back when it originally came out in 1964 at the drive in, a little choppy, and a little grey. However, for the most part it does a sufficient job of keeping the colors saturated without bleeding.

This is an older projector that was able to decidedly emphasize its strength in its faithfully bright image. Pounding out in retro style a full 1200 ANSI lumens, the VPL-CX10 was worth its weight in dollar bills, $4200 of them to be exact.

Yes it seems kind of outrageous these days, but in order to get a decent size image you had to pay an arm a leg for brightness. You still have to pay quite a bit for brightness today, only the technology is much better and it has become brighter relative to your dollar.

The lumens were strengthened by a 132W projector lamp that could create an image roughly 20 feet across. This was very big for a mid-range projector built in 2000. The projector lamp also lasted for 3000 hours, giving Sony an edge on its competition and a much needed boost in sales.

Sony’s forte was its name, and its ability to build a projector with quality materials that lasted. This is why you see so many older models still kicking around.

The VPL-CX10 jumped on the XGA train early in its days when most projectors were still focusing their energy on SVGA resolution. Bouncing through the lens is the 1024x768p LCD resolution giving a crisp picture that makes it wonderful to watch television and DVD’s.

The VPL-CX10 unfortunately did not come equipped with many inputs, so you can forget about getting that HDTV package and tuner. At least it wasn’t a terribly loud machine kicking out 36db of noise, thanks to its ultra low maintenance projector lamp.

This is about all anyone can say about the CX10; it provides few problems and is a gem until the day you sell it.