Sony VPL-EW5 review

If you're looking for a projector to use both for office presentations and movies at home, Sony's VPL-EW5 is ideal. It's one of the first projectors we've seen that is specifically designed for both uses.

Sony has given some thought to the aesthetics, creating a compact, attractive design that shouldn't be too obtrusive in your lounge. The VPL-EW5's native resolution is 1,280x800, which is perfect for most laptops. The 16:10 aspect ratio means that you'll get thicker black bars than with a 16:9 projector when watching movies. There's also the lowly contrast ratio of 700:1, which could lead to a loss of detail in dark areas of the image.

Fortunately, there's a lot here to like. The 2,000- lumens lamp is bright enough for presenting in daylight without having to draw blinds or dim the lights. The trio of LCDs means colours are faithfully reproduced, from skin tones in Spider-Man to the differentiation between the orange and red lines of the revenue graph in your monthly forecast presentation.

There's a basic carry bag included, too, so it's easy to carry the VPL-EW5 from car to office and back again. Other thoughtful touches include both front and rear infrared sensors and a rear foot to tip the projector so that it's projecting horizontally or downwards, in addition to two front feet.

Inputs include HDMI and VGA. The VGA input is also able to accept component video via an adaptor. There are S-video and composite inputs, plus mini-jack audio inputs for each source. VGA and mini-jack audio outputs may prove useful, but they won't be used by many, and neither will the RS232 interface.

For videophiles, the projector will likely prove too limiting. There's little in the way of image adjustments in the menu, and no control over individual red, green or blue levels. You get only three colour temperatures (low, medium and high) and six preset modes, including standard, game, cinema and presentation. There's no lens-shift and no horizontal keystone correction. The 1.2x zoom allows an 80in (2m) screen at 2.3m, though, and the standard tilt angle of 8° produces a square image on your wall or screen.

For those after an easy life, the VPL-EW5 provides great quality in just about every area. In presentation mode, colours weren't as accurate as in standard mode, but standard mode was bright enough even in well-lit rooms. Blu-ray movies were reproduced well, with smooth motion and good detail levels. Fan noise isn't distracting; our only reservation is the lack of detail in dark areas.

Sony claims that lamps should last 3,000 hours, and cost £190. This equates to a reasonable 6p per hour. The VPL-EW5 isn't too pricy to buy, either. It's a great choice if you'll use it for both presentations and movies.