For a projector to be worth a £10,000+ price tag, it has to be pretty good.
Luckily, the Sony Bravia Projector 8 is indeed good. Not just good, but brilliant – its exceptional contrast, sharp details and two HDMI 2.1 sockets earned it not just five stars but a What Hi-Fi? Award too.
There's also a huge price drop to match the huge price. You can get the Projector 8 for £11,499 at Richer Sounds, saving you a whopping £4500 from our test price.
Is that still gut-wrenchingly expensive? Yes, but if you have pockets deep enough, it's a projector that's absolutely worth the money. Bear in mind you'll have to be a Richer Sounds VIP member to get this deal, but it's absolutely free to sign up.
The Sony Bravia Projector 8 is not the most expensive projector we've reviewed – the Sony Bravia Projector 9 costs twice as much – but it was our high-end projector choice at the most recent What Hi-Fi? Awards.
The Projector 8 is more compact and lighter than its main competitors, such as the JVC DLA-NZ800, weighing just 14kg (as opposed to JVC's 23kg) and measuring 21 x 46 x 52cm.
It also comes with an incredibly functional remote, featuring shortcut buttons to access crucial settings such as lens adjustments and picture modes, as well as a backlight for operating the projector in dark home cinema rooms.
One of the big draws of the Bravia Projector 8 is the Bravia XR processor. It comes with a whole host of clever technology, including XR Dynamic Tone Mapping, XR Deep Black, XR Triluminous Pro, XR Clear Image and Motionflow, which together help expand colour volume and enhance the accuracy of the laser output.
Its two HDMI 2.1 sockets also support 4K/120Hz signals with Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which will please PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and gaming PC owners. Sony also claims an input lag of 12ms with 4K/120Hz sources too, making it ideal for fast-paced multiplayer games.
And the all-important picture quality? Mesmerising, with excellent black levels for a projector and expert contrast handling.
"Firing up Oppenheimer, we’re immediately struck by how crisp and detailed the picture appears," our Sony Bravia Projector 8 review reads. "Sony’s penchant for delivering effective three-dimensional-looking images is clearly on show, with a panning shot of a watchtower in the New Mexico desert looking particularly striking."
The Sony Bravia Projector 8 certainly isn't cheap, but it is a blockbuster projector that will make an excellent centrepiece of any home cinema. Now available with a £4500 saving at Richer Sounds.
MORE:
Read our review of the JVC DLA-NZ800
Also consider the Sony VPL-XW7000ES
