Customer Reviews

ViewSonic PJ513DB DLP Projector - 5.7 Lbs

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We built a small movie theater in our basement and wanted a projector that could provide a good projected picture. After extensive research we elected to go with the ViewSonic PJ513DB DLP Projector, and we wern't dissapointed. It has an outstanding picture and the HD performance is the ultimate. It has a bright picture that is easy to see even when there is light in the room. The only drawback is that there is no HDMI input port. In order to get the HD we had to purchase an adapter cord that converted the HD cables to SVGA (ordered it off Amazon.com, cost us $8.00 and some change shipping included). The projector has many automated features including auto source selection so when you tune anything HD it automatically switches to the SVGA port and back again. It also automatically formats the picture size. I can't say enough about it! We are thoroughly satisfied! This projector does just as good a job as other units that are 4x the price.

August 2008 -- All of us have used dozens of electronic products, and some are better than others. This Viewsonic projector is truly impressive: it's chock full of features,and does a nice job displaying any signal you pipe into it. I've owned it since August-08 and have 1,200-hours on the bulb. The projector has performed flawlessly as the "main televison" in the living room. It is very bright, using the DLP technology. I run component video into it, have it set to 16:9 (though you can leave it on "auto-sync" if you want), and it displays 480p image. The chip is 800x600 native. There is no HDMI input, but you can't expect all that digital circuitry in a $400 projector. It has a fast cooling mode (30 seconds I think) that is the default setting, I changed that to "normal" cooling which is about a 2 minute cooldown. My hunch is your bulb will last longer if you cool it down slower. In sum, this projector is one of the top "bang for the buck" products I've purchased the last 30 years. I'm very impressed with the Viewsonic people. Build quality is very good too.
UPDATE YEAR & HALF LATER:
It's March 2010, and the projector has not missed a beat in 19 months. It now has 3,000-hours on the bulb which is rated to be replaced at 2,000-hours. Color & brightness still seem unchanged, but at 2,800 hours the left edge of the image began to lose brightness. The shakedown cruise continues, but I will probably treat the projector to a new bulb soon, despite the fact the original bulb is still humming along.
UPDATE AFTER NEARLY 3 YEARS
Two months shy of it's 3 year anniversary, I'm still using this projector with the original bulb! It has 4,500-hours plus on the bulb! Outside of missing a little bit of the left edge (not noticeable really during use) which developed 15 months ago, there's been no further image degradation. Colors are still good, vivid blue's, etc. Talk about getting your money's worth out of a product! Now I'm reluctant to change the bulb, because I want to see how far it will go before failing! They don't explode, by the way, a friend who works in a control room where they have 6 projectors running all the time, says the bulbs just quit when they finally give out. So...the Viewsonic motors on.
Cheers!

I purchased this projector to use with my laptob when taught classes at church. I've used several times, once at church. it has a great picture quality, quick cool down and start up time, easily transportable. As some of the others mentioned, the sound is mono but it is of good quaility. I've been using it to watch my online TV shows.Its great to watch the on something bigger than my laptop screen.

I ordered this for my office and so far it works fine. I didn't have to look at the manual, very easy to use and set up. It is small so it travels well. I am using this for presentations to groups of 5 - 15. Overall I am happy with the purchase.

I am a teacher and brought this into my classroom for all the powerpoint things I have on my laptop. For about 4 days, this projector was lots of fun, and my students really enjoyed it. Then suddenly, on day 5, it just gave up on me. Lamp light comes on and reports lamp error. Still under warranty, I have since returned this and am awaiting a new projector. They won't just swap out the lamp. I'm not feeling great about this product, and I will put up an update when the replace projector lasts longer than a school week. Otherwise, my poor review stands as is.
So far, I would put down this as an "avoid" product. Be careful out there!

I purchased this to use for presentations at my Rotary Club meetings. It works great so far. It gives a 4'x4' picture from about 8' and is bright enough to use in a well lit room. It is very easy to use since it finds the signal from the computer by itself. It is ready to use right out of the box (just add computer). At $400, it seems to be worth every penny. I'm curious to see how long the bulb will last and how much it will cost to replace (if possible) when the time comes.

I bought this projector for my church and I am very happy with my purchase. It has many nice features that allow it to be used in your home or business, just as in the product description. Anyone considering an inexpensive and great little projector will be satisfied with this purchase.

Really, I looked at many different projectors, the cost and features of this ViewSonic, are the best, very nice! And only a little over 5lbs.

Granted, this is one of the most inexpensive projectors you will find on the market and up until a couple of months ago I was fairly pleased with it. But a week before the year warranty expired the bulb gave out (a replacement bulb will cost you almost as much as the projector). I promptly contacted Viewsonic about the problem and after sending them an invoice, they claimed to have sent a replacement bulb.

After a month no bulb had arrived and I contacted them again. They said I needed to resend all of my paperwork which I did. I have not heard from them since although it has been almost two months. I teach both high school and college classes and most of the quarter has passed, still no projector. I will not buy from Viewsonic again. The bulb life and customer service from InFocus are much better.

1st projector EVER....Got to say everything works great, I love the projector, the only thing that stinks about it is that until I get a 100" screen, i'm only able to project it onto a wall that only gives about a 50" projection. But, still a great picture, the wall is a VERY old faded lime green color and still gives a GREAT picture (well except for the nail holes)...good bang for the $$$$