Customer Reviews

ViewSonic PJD6531w WXGA Wide DLP Projector -120Hz/3D Ready, 3000 Lumens, 3200:1 DCR, HDMI

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This is my first projector, so I cannot really give too technical of a review. However, here are the things I've noticed in the short time I've had it so far...

Like others have said, it's bright. I can use it in the middle of the day with blinds open and see perfectly fine. From what I understand, the image will gradually get dimmer the more hours it has, but for now it's superb.

It's very easy to use. I've never operated one before and was able to use it right out of the box. Plugged it in, connected my ps3 or laptop, and turn it on. It automatically detects everything without issue.

The image can get quite large. So far I've been using it to generate an image about 8 ft wide with a good picture. The projector is 14ft away from the wall. Definitely much larger than any LCD or Plasma!

I purchased this projector for a short term relocation. I didn't want to have to ship a TV and figured if I bought a projector I could take it home with me in a few months. It's easily portable, and this one comes with a case (unlike some others. I also looked at getting the Optoma hd66 which is in the same price range, and I don't believe it came with a case and the viewsonic had a few more features).

I haven't used 3D yet since 3D glasses are still quite expensive, but one day I hope to try it.

If the lamp lasts 4000-6000 hours, I will be perfectly satisfied. That should give me several years of usage, and at that point it'll be time to upgrade anyways (technology flies these days)! Or, I could replace the lamp, although I still haven't found any bulbs online yet. I use ECO mode as well, and the difference in ECO mode and standard is hardly noticeable. ECO mode is plenty bright enough.

UPDATE: Be sure to check the contrast settings if you don't see a proper picture. The contrast setting automatically switched to 0 for HDMI input somehow and I almost returned it thinking the jack had become defective (only saw blank screen). I'm not sure why it changed, but be sure to check if the image seems off even if you didn't change anything yourself.

Let me start off by saying that when i buy something i study it hard before i buy it to make sure that i make the right descion, i settle on the viewsonic pjd6531w, and am i ever happy i did!! right out of the box the picture looked awsome!! and i received it in the morning at work so when i got home for lunch the first thing i did was set it up, even on a beige wall the picture was sharp! when i got home i put it in the spare room on a white wall , setup the surround system and popped in a bluray into the ps3, and i was blown away!!!! the colors, the sharpness, and the jaw dropping size of the screen was simply breath taking! i seriously had to do nothing , not one adjustment but to the keystone due to angle on bookshelf, if you are looking for a projector you will not be dissapointed with this one! oh and the 3d is great too!! i feel like i can jump into the screen!

3000 lumens gives amazing brightness with a projection on my wall about 8-10ft across. HDMI input so you don't have to worry about signal quality issues from analog VGA cables. Web browsing is crisp and easily readable from across the room, and movies look great also. Lots of features in the menu system including digital keystone correction, detailed color controls, captioning, customizable start-up splash-screen and more. And the default settings are good, right out of the box.

The price is very competitive, many projectors on the market are years-old models, not this one. I was shopping for a projector for months and consistently dissatisfied with the price vs features until I saw this model and immediately pre-ordered it.

The fan noise is present but very reasonable, during any movie watching one will quickly forget that it is there. Eco mode is just a small step less bright than full on, so I am using that most of the time since its plenty bright and gives a longer lamp life and slightly less noise.

It comes with a carrying case also, a nice touch.

No idea about the 3D performance yet, as I don't have anything that generates 3D content.

First thing this is an excellent 3D projector working with a "pc - Nvidia 460 gtx, LG 3D internal Blu-ray player, Nvidia 3D vision kit"

Second thing after reading a lot of blogs about problems with the projector. Let this be clear "there is no problem showing 3D in 720p".

Third if you are running at least fifty (50) feet in ceiling, forget about HDMI 1.4 ,1.3 cable. It just to long. Use a DVI to vga adapter with a high end 50' vga cable because it will work in 3D at 120Hz without crackling noise or sparkles.

Fourth, go through Nvidia 3d setup with "Test stereoscopic 3D" by running setup wizard. You need set the resolution at 1280x720 @ 120Hz. Set your projector Menu,Picture,3D Sync set to DLP-Link if using with the Viewsonic PGD-150 or any DLP Link glasses.

Fifth you do not need a firmware update to make it work in 3D Blu-ray or any 3D media files. You can test from this website [...] You just need the hardware like what is shown in the first line.

While in 3D full screen mode either in POWERDVD 10 or 9, or any viewing in full screen mode, your will be able to adjust all projector settings using network ip address that you have set for "ViewSonic Network control" on another pc system that not diplaying your current 3D if you don't want interruption during play."netgear game adapter with RJ45 hookup wireless N"

I researched projectors to death before I bought this one. I new I wanted one that was bright because I would be using it in my living room for general viewing (computer and playstation hooked up to it). I also new that I wanted one with a not so long throw, meaning that I wanted something between a theater projector and a short-throw presentation projector. This one is right in the middle (distance from projector to screen is 12 ft. and screen size is about 90-110", 16:10 ratio, which is perfect for me). It is brighter than most projectors significantly more expensive. It is widescreen, 16:10, which allows the watching of 16:9 movies with only small bars at the top and bottom. I don't know why so many projectors are 4:3, everybody wants widescreen. The pixel numbers of 1280x800 (WXGA) allow 720p resolution movies to be played at exactly 720p, and not have to be modified to fit other pixel numbers; this is assuming you will not have to 'keystone' the screen, which you probably will. The screen is watchable with lights on due to it's brightness, the only problem is that light make the black less black, and no projector can fix that.

Cons:
-The fan noise is semi-noticeable, but any decent amount of volume makes it unnoticeable.
-The project automatically points the screen up since it is more designed for presentation from desk height; this might be a good thing to you. For me, however, it is not. I mounted the projector about 9 ft high and have had to prop the back of it up about 3 inches in order to get it to display at a good level on the wall. I will soon be mounting it upside down to eliminate this.

Summary: Good price, easy to use, very clear and crisp, great colors, very bright.

This is indeed a very bright projector, which may be overkill for your home theatre. It seems to suffer from Alzheimer's when it comes to your settings - you can use it in Eco mode and then power off and on next use you'll have to manually switch back to Eco mode again.

I was misled by the description and tech specs - this projector does not support 16:9 signals without distortion. It will stretch the image vertically and make everyones head look like it's been in a vice. There doesn't seem to be any workaround either.

There are some downloads on the viewsonic website (not a bad website), but all the software only runs on XP. I can't find evidence of anyone on the net who have been able to upgrade the firmware, but a lot have tried including me.

I never tried to use 3D but there seem to be many complaints regarding that too.

When powered off, the bright blue power button flashes. First time I've seen a device flash like that when powered down. Will make your bedroom look like a disco unless you cover the top. Also it gets warm when in power off, which suggests it's wasting energy.

I'm going to return this projector because it's not suitable for home theatre.

Overall this projector is a great value, but there is NO NATIVE 16:9 resolution!!! The description says there is a native 16:9, but that is not true, it only has 4:3 or 16:10, meaning your HD content is going to be slightly distorted.

Also, occasionally it won't receive the image from my receiver, and I have to restart it.

And finally, it has a really really annoying blinking blue light when the projector is on standby, that I haven't found a way to turn off. I mounted this on the ceiling, so it's really annoying to have that non-stop blinking light.

The PJD6531W is a very nice projector that creates a beautiful image, especially with Blu-ray. HOWEVER as a 3D device it is only compatible with certain computer video cards. It will NOT work with any 3D device that is out these days and that includes Sony Playstation 3, nor will any other 3D ready projector. PLEASE KEEP READING: Projectors use a different type of 3D system than what the entertainment industry is moving towards. BUT all is not lost for those of us that want projectors for image size and price. Viewsonic has created a product (View Sonic 3D HD Video Processor (VP3D1)) that converts 3D media that comes from such devices as a PS3 into a usable signal the projectors like PJD6531W can use. Even with the added cost it still makes projectors a cheaper direction for the huge image.

View Sonic 3D HD Video Processor (VP3D1)

[...]

The main focus of this review is the 3D capability and AMD HD3D
(my graphics card is an ATI Radeon HD 6870)

After an intensive research on this projector, I decided to buy it. This projector is popular due to the price and the great quality and color that provides, but I didnt choose this projector because of that. I wanted to get into the 3D wagon everyone currently is on. I have a XFX ATI Radeon HD 6870 graphic cards and this is one of the few compatible sub $1000 3D projectors that is on AMD's official list.

Since there is little to no information on how to get the 3D working, the setup is a MAJOR PAIN in the you know where. After countless hours I had ONLY 3D video (not bluray discs, just regular 3d videos) working and nothing else.

To have the 3D working with your AMD card, the following needs to be setup.

-3D sync setting in the projector menu needs to be on "DLP-LINK"
-Connect your projector and the computer via a HDMI cable, cable doesn't need to be 1.4a since the projector is only 1.3a, but get the latest version in case you decide to get the Viewsonic 3D Processor box (will talk about that later)
-Resolution in your computer needs to be setup to 720p (1280x720), this will send 120hz signal to the projector. Any other higher resolution via HDMI will only be sent as 60hz.
-Download Stereoscopic Player (or any other software that has "software page-flipping or frame sequential" 3D option), after you open the 3D video, set up the viewing method as "page flipping software".
-Make sure your glasses are DLP-LINK glasses, NOT infrared, NOT bluetooth. Turn them on and see the magic..

Important notes.
*The 3d heaven ultra-clear dlp glasses did not work in my setup
*Cyber powerDVD 11, iz3d, and Tridef-3D, DID NOT WORK, why? because none of those drivers\software support frame sequential 3D format.
*This projector is Nvidia 3D Vision certified, is far much easier to have it working with an nvidia card!!! GET AN NVIDIA CARD IF YOUR MAIN THING IS GOING TO BE 3D.
*Seems like if you only want to watch 3D videos, any current video card, including Intel's integrated GPUs, can send 3D page flipping signals.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE, DO NOT SKIP
Get a projector made after March 2011, check the white label that say "made in china xx/xx/xxxx". Projectors made before 2011 have an older firmware that do NOT have 16:9 formats. You will see an stretched image if your output is not a computer. The firmware update utility is BUGGY, does not work properly.

Now to the pro's and con's

Pro:
Price, best projector for the price. Lots of freebies, projector carry bag, remote with laser, vga cable.
Image quality is good for the price. Zoom lenses do a great job, thrown is not bad at all. lots of color setups.
Eco-mode is great, less heat, power, and saves your lamp life without sacrificing brightness.
HDMI, 2 VGA inputs 1 output, 12v for electronic screen projector, Ethernet port for MANAGEMENT ONLY!.

Cons:
3D setup is a pain, please do lots of research before buying it and have an AMD card. Nvidia is much easier!
THIS THING IS A PORTABLE HEATER! pumps out heat. Put a egg besides the fan and it will make you dinner!
Never shutdowns, goes into hibernation, power button flashes blue, 12v output power doesn't shutdown either.
DLP 3D is so-so. Do not have high exceptions on it or you will be disappointed.

Neutral: The Viewsonic 3D Processor V3D1
in other for you to watch 3D bluray or play games from your PS3, you need to buy a $250 3D processor, and for best viewing Viewsonic's 3D glasses PGD-250 3D which are $100 each. So the total price for a 3D screen will be around $1000, not including the 3D source. According to many reviewers the processor is worth it because even with the added 250 cost (more like 450 with glasses), the 3D quality and a bigger screen will blow away any 3D HDTV. This processor basically converts many popular 3D formats (side by side, frame packing, and top and bottom) to compatible "3D ready" projector format which currently only support "page-flipping".

Final words
My expectations for the 3D were not as expected, lots of troubles, it was more than a hype than anything else. it didnt WOW me, but my wife seem to like it a lot, she was "touching" the images with her hands. But for the price, the quality and functions of this projector were higher than expected. Quality is great, really nice image and lumins seem to be what is advertised. Will be keeping the projector and may be later on get the 3D processor when prices goes down on both the VP3D and the glasses.

First thing this is an excellent 3D projector working with a "pc - Nvidia 460 gtx, LG 3D internal Blu-ray player, Nvidia 3D vision kit"

Second thing after reading a lot of blogs about problems with the projector. Let this be clear "there is no problem showing 3D in 720p".

Third if you are running at least fifty (50) feet in ceiling, forget about HDMI 1.4 ,1.3 cable. It just to long. Use a DVI to vga adapter with a high end 50' vga cable because it will work in 3D at 120Hz without crackling noise or sparkles.

Fourth, go through Nvidia 3d setup with "Test stereoscopic 3D" by running setup wizard. You need set the resolution at 1280x720 @ 120Hz. Set your projector Menu,Picture,3D Sync set to DLP-Link if using with the Viewsonic PGD-150 or any DLP Link glasses.

Fifth you do not need a firmware update to make it work in 3D Blu-ray or any 3D media files. You can test from this website [...] You just need the hardware like what is shown in the first line.

While in 3D full screen mode either in POWERDVD 10 or 9, or any viewing in full screen mode, your will be able to adjust all projector settings using network ip address that you have set for "ViewSonic Network control" on another pc system that not diplaying your current 3D if you don't want interruption during play."netgear game adapter with RJ45 hookup wireless N"