Reviews

ViewSonic PJD6553w review

With its 3,500-lumen brightness, a widescreen resolution, network management facilities and 3D support, ViewSonic has packed some impressive specs into this low-cost, versatile projector. Ben Pitt investigates whether more really is better.

by: Ben Pitt

6 Dec 2011

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The PJD6553w has a plethorea of inputs.

Image quality was typical for a DLP projector, with the bright lamp and deep contrast producing extremely vivid colours. There was no colour banding or clipping of highlights or shadows in our greyscale ramp test, even when we ventured into the more souped up colour profiles. The rainbow effect was visible in fast-moving, high-contrast graphics, particularly when we moved our eyes quickly across the image. However, while this might spoil the suspension of disbelief when settling down in front of a black and white film, it won't do much to interrupt the flow of a lecture or presentation.

Focus wasn't as sharp as we'd hoped for, though. With the projector sat level on a table facing perpendicular to the screen, it proved impossible to achieve sharp focus across the entire image at the same time. Once we'd found the best compromise, small text was perfectly legible but the lack of pin-sharp focus was still visible at typical viewing distances.

So what's our verdict?

Verdict

The bright lamp, high resolution, Ethernet-based remote control web interface and low price look great on paper, and the superb colours and straightforward operation mean it's pretty impressive in the flesh, too. Less-than-perfect focus and the high cost of replacement lamps take the shine off, though. Until such time as we see a better-performing business projector at this price, we'll give it a cautious recommendation.

Display Size: 30-300in Resolution: 1,280 x 800 pixels Throw distance: 1.2-10m Throw ratio: 1.21 – 1.57:1 Display technology: DLP Brightness: 3,500 ANSI lumens Contrast Ratio: 4,000:1 (dynamic) Lamp life: 3,500 hours (5,000 in eco-mode) Connections: 2x D-Sub in, D-Sub out, HDMI in, S-Video in, composite in, mini-USB2, Ethernet, 2x minijack audio in, minijack audio out, RS-232 Adjustments: Keystone, brightness, contrast, BrilliantColor, colour temperature, screen colour, colour management (hue, saturation, gain for R/G/B channels) Dimensions (W x D x H): 294 x 242 x 84mm Power consumption: 310W active, 1W standby Speakers: 1x 10W Security: Kensington lock VESA mounting: N/A Warranty: Three years collect and return (one year lamp) Part code: PJD6553W