Several months ago we were able to see the VPL-FHZ55 before it was announced, and we were excited! Because we were under an NDA we couldn’t say anything, but the wait is now over.

We recently had the opportunity to test out a prototype and we were very impressed. In our tests, the VPL-FHZ55 appeared significantly brighter and the colors were more accurate when compared to competing projector brands. Based on the same chassis as the VPL-FH30, the VPL-FHZ55 achieves 4,000 lumens of color light output at WUXGA resolution (1920×1200) and with an expected life of 20,000 hours (compare to 2000-4000 hour lamps).

Dianne LaGuardia, senior manager of professional display marketing at Sony Electronics says that, \\\\\\\”Sony has always been about innovation, and this unique laser projection technology continues that tradition. Our experience in projection is far-reaching, and we\\\\\\\’re applying that expertise to develop a solution for the future.\\\\\\\”

We believe they have developed a solution for the future with this projector. Using blue laser light as its light source, phosphorous material is excited by the laser and creates white light. The white light is delivered to the 3LCD optical system and create vibrant RGB color through a color-splitting process. The resulting 4000 lumens is sufficiently bright for a significant amount of business, commercial, and educational applications. Additionally, because of the lamp-less design and virtually maintenance-free operation this projector achieves a lower total cost of ownership and is more energy-efficient than it\\\\\\\’s competitors. Among its many features is the Constant Brightness Mode, which allows users to maintain brightness throughout the expected 20,000 hour life by driving the projector at reduced light output. Sony\\\\\\\’s True Laser Light System is also mercury free, so it is much better for the environment.

Pricing has not officially been announced and it is expected that it will begin shipping in August.