Sony is stopping projector sales in the UK and Europe, and that’s a big shame for hardcore home theater fans
- Sales of Sony projectors will stop in the UK and EU when current stock runs out
- Sony says one of its suppliers is subject to EU sanctions
- US and other territories aren’t affected
Sony has suspended sales of all its current home cinema projectors in the European Union and in the UK too. That includes the recently launched and very impressive Bravia Projector 8 and Bravia Projector 9 – so if you like the look of them you’ll need to move quickly while retailers still have stock.
If you want to know who’s to blame, it appears to be Vladimir Putin: Sony’s decision seems to be to ensure compliance with EU export and trade restrictions, which include sanctions on Russia and Belarus due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This is a real shame for UK and EU home cinema fans, because Sony’s projectors are really good, and their flagships rank among the best 4K projectors. For example, we gave 4.5 stars to the £15,999 Sony Bravia Projector 8.
Putin the lights out in Europe and the UK
In a statement given to Inside CI, Sony said that the legal issue was due to the sanctions package adopted by the EU in December 2024 and additional measures from February 2025. The sanctions apply to a third party that supplies Sony, for whom “it is now prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export of, directly or indirectly, dual-use goods and technology, as well as certain goods and technology listed in the Regulation.”
Sales in other parts of the world will continue.
According to Sony, all of the following projectors will no longer be sold in the EU and UK when current stocks run out:
- VPL-XW8100/W/DE
- VPL-XW8100/W
- VPL-XW8100/B/DE
- VPL-XW8100/B
- VPL-XW6100/W/DE
- VPL-XW6100/W
- VPL-XW6100/B/DE
- VPL-XW6100/B
- VPL-XW5000/W/DE/1
- VPL-XW5000/W/1
- VPL-XW5000/B/DE/1
- VPL-XW5000/B/1
- VPL-FHZ85/B/1
- VPL-FHZ85/1
- VPL-FHZ80/B/1
- VPL-FHZ80/1
- VPL-PHZ61/1
- VPL-PHZ51/1