8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Repeated failures, September 14, 2006
This review is from: ViewSonic PJ458D Bright DLP Projector 4.9Lbs (Office Product)
ViewSonic has replaced my brand new PJ458D model projector three times, and the current one has also failed after 10-30 minutes. In each case, the lamp shuts down and cannot be restarted until it cools. Several times the fan also shut down with the lamp, shortening the life of the bulb. This has been frustrating to the extreme and the company has offered no explanation. I will not accept another of this model, nor recommend it to anyone.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really Nice Little Projector, December 23, 2006
This review is from: ViewSonic PJ458D Bright DLP Projector 4.9Lbs (Office Product)
While there are certainly individual variations on products, the bad reviews below skew the ratings unjustifiably, IMO.
I have had this projector for about two months, and while I don't use it everyday, I have used it a lot. It has a very nice picture, is very bright (I have tried it on a white wall washed by direct sunlight, and, to my amazement, there was still a viewable picture in the sunlight), is remarkably tiny, and has been reliable so far.
We have used it at meetings at two trade associations I am part of, and it received many favorable comments. (The largest meeting had about 60 people, and the image was clearly viewable from everywhere in the room.)
It is not a long throw projector, and the zoom range is surprisingly limited. The colors are a bit washed out, no matter how I adjust them in the menus. They are not as vivid as on my computer screen.
That said, it is really a neat projector, and viewing pictures at the size this projector can easily do makes it an involving experience. I also have a 24" computer monitor, and watching pictures on the projector is way cooler than on the computer screen regardless of the color limitations. We have watched a couple of movies on it, too, and the movement response is smoother than on my LCD screen.
The energy/lamp saver (which supposedly doubles lamp life) has such a minimal effect on brightness that I leave it on that setting all the time.
In researching before buying, there were comments about the rainbow effect of DLP projectors. While I have seen it on a setup screen, where a circle is shown on a white screen, and when I scan my eyes over the screen quickly rainbows are visible, regardless, in actual use it is not noticeable. To my eye.
The case that comes with it is really nifty, abeit a tiny bit too small for all the accessories (which are also useful). It's hard to believe that such a cool thing fits into such a tiny package.
I would totally buy one again, and am actualy considering it at Amazon's current price (under $700; the guidelines say I'm not supposed to name a price). That is a screaming deal IMO.
Given that a replacement lamp is around $300, it's hard to not want to have a spare projector, too, for an extra few hundred $$.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What a mess - worst customer service I have ever experienced, August 28, 2008
This review is from: ViewSonic PJ458D Bright DLP Projector 4.9Lbs (Office Product)
It worked for 15 minutes. Let it cool -worked 10 minutes. Let it cool several days-ran for a few minutes.
Called ViewSonic May 5. It has been an ongoing mess since them. It is now August 28th. Without my approval they sent me twice the wrong model. Once they sent the right model, but it worked for 15 minutes. All the products are refurbished units. They have promised me this and that. I have been escalated. "It's in the mail" to death...I have been told they take inventory for the whole month of July. (Note: I have seen a complaint where the customer was told they do inventory for the whole month of December)
They want me to pay the $20 shipping expense for a different model than I purchased. They have my money, my asset (Pj458D)...my money spent sending units back and I have ZERO, ZILCH, NADA. Any suggestions??????????
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