When integrators are looking to select a projector for an installation, price is not the most important factor. In fact, the cost of the projector is listed by integrators as the fifth most important criteria, according to the recent CE Pro Projectors & Displays Deep Dive Study. 

Sensibly, integrators cite the specific application as the most important consideration when choosing a projector for a client. Product exclusivity, product availability and brand recognition round out the other top influencing agents. Product features, margin and reliability are also reported by integrators as key considerations. 

These factors are not lost on Sony, which checks all the boxes when any integrator scans these top eight selection criteria. 

According to Frank Sterns, vice president of audio/video specialty/custom installation for Sony, projection is the way to go to deliver the best big-screen experience. 

“With today’s ALR screens, programmable shades and lighting, and in-wall speakers, it is easier than ever for integrators to deliver a big-screen experience — even in homes without a theater room — while providing an offering that online or big-box stores can’t match,” he notes, speaking directly to the product exclusivity factor the company brings to the industry. 

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Jayson Savage, western regional technical specialist at Sony, agrees, noting, “Slapping a TV on the wall for a client may be a faster way to do business, but it is not a more profitable way. I think that is one of the messages that gets lost with two-piece projection. It is a hugely profitable segment.

“Sony TVs are definitely profitable, but if you are trying to make some real money on a video system, projection is definitively where the money is at.”

Savage says and integrator can bring a full $15,000 turnkey system with an 85-inch 4K UHD flat screen display solution and companion audio to a customer and expect to make $5,500 profit in an efficient situation. But that same set up using a projector and screen can yield $8,000 in profit, while also bringing the client a larger screen size. 

On both the technology and price sides, Sony has a broad range of projector choices for integrators.

“Sony’s lineup of true 4K projectors feature Sony’s exclusive SXRD screen technology and deliver class-leading clarity, contrast and color.

“With models ranging from the $4,999 VPL-VW285ES all the way through our high light output flagship, the $60,000 VPL-VW5000ES, there is a Sony 4K projector for virtually any integration need,” says Sterns.

Lastly, speaking to the technology, Sterns says the company’s new laser projectors are keeping the brand as the top choice among integrators.

“Sony has been making laser light engines more prominent in our lineup with the introduction of the VPL-VW885ES and VPL-VW995ES high-end laser projectors. Combine this with Sony’s award-winning TV and ES Audio lineup, and it is easy to see why 89% of the CE Pro 100 dealers specify Sony projectors — more than any other brand!” he notes.  

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