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Sony QUALIA 004 Wins European High End Video Projector of the Year 2005-2006 Award (23/11/2005)

Sony QUALIA 004, a full high-definition (HD) home cinema projector powered by Sony SXRD(tm) (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) technology, has won the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) award for 'European High End Video Projector of the Year 2005-2006'.

The QUALIA 004 was introduced in April 2005 at the Sony Media Experience in Bordeaux and represents Sony's ultimate home movie experience, delivering outstanding picture quality with over 6 million pixels.

Key features:

Sony SXRD( panels: Sony SXRD( panel technology offers HD resolution and high quality contrast ratio. The main benefits are:

* Full HD resolution (1920 H x 1080 V) * Smooth 'film-like' image: Besides a small pixel size of 9(m the spacing between pixels; the interpixel spacing is just 0.35(m. This is so narrow that you won't see any visible lines on the screen - eliminating any chicken wire effect * Crisp fast moving movies and sports thanks to an extreme fast response time of 5ms

Pure Xenon Lamp: The first for a home theatre projector and developed exclusively for this Sony SXRD( projector, a pure Xenon lamp is used for accurate, natural colour reproduction. The Xenon lamp, which has similar characteristics to sunlight, can reproduce colours closest to the natural spectrum and is widely used in professional film projectors in movie theatres; Optical Engine: The QUALIA 004 includes a unique optical engine designed to maximise picture quality by keeping equal illumination length (red/green/blue illumination path), which minimises colour shading and maximises colour uniformity. It houses the Sony SXRD( panels, Xenon lamp, and optical iris and extends out to the projection/zoom lenses. It also features automatic power lens shift for vertical picture adjustment as well as manual horizontal adjustment. The Sony SXRD( panels are completely sealed within the optical engine to avoid dust contamination;

Cinema Black Pro: The Cinema Black Pro breakthrough technology greatly improves image quality and contrast level by simultaneously controlling the lamp (low, high) and the iris (off/1/2) for optimal picture performance by giving you six settings to optimise brightness and contrast for your viewing environment;

12-bit Panel Driver/3D Gamma Correction: Sony SXRD( panel performance is maximised by pairing the full 10-bit digital signal processing with a 12-bit panel driver that results in minimised video noise and rich colour gradation. Gamma correction is also precise with the Sony 3D Gamma correction circuitry, which analyses and monitors levels of brightness at over 7,000 points vertically and horizontally, even with low level signals in dark areas;

Carl Zeiss(r) Lens: Another state-of-the-art feature in the QUALIA 004 projector is its use of three interchangeable, all glass, multi-AR coated Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar(r) zoom lenses (wide, mid, tele) for exceptionally low distortion and chromatic aberration. Each of the three lenses used in this projector features a minimum of five ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses and put through MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) inspection to ensure the projector's high resolution and contrast level, as well as offering the best throwing distance and zoom ratio. These world renowned lenses are secured via bayonet mount interchangeable system*;

Signal terminal: The digital connections are found on the left side and feature the HDMI, DVI-D digital connections and USB and Ethernet port for easy access to product information website; analogue connections are on the right side and include, 5BNC, Component Video, S-Video and Composite Video inputs.

* The lenses are available as optional accessories

www.sony-europe.com