Ouch—smoking hot!
ViewSonic is just one of the many brands trying to push projectors into the home theatre market as good replacements for large TVs. The design of the PJ258D is great—it’s compact and has a jet black glossy piano finish which makes it stand out—and which also makes it a fingerprint magnet.
Screen quality is pretty decent—quite sharp, and zooming only affects it a little. The display turns out very bright, and is very prominent even in a well lit room. Text is readable, but the best results are achieved during image and movie viewing—Thus making it good for multimedia purposes.
The remote control is small and moulded to fit the average hand well. The buttons are soft and easy to use. IR ports have been positioned on the front as well as at the back, so you don’t have to plan where you’ll stand.
You can connect an iPod to the projector to watch your favourite movies on the big screen. The standard inputs are VGA,S-Video, Composite, and a standard analogue audio in. The USB port can be used to upgrade the firmware.
Heating, as with all projectors, still remains an issue. The fan spews out hot air continuously from its side, but the ViewSonic PJ258D still gets awfully hot even after just 15 minutes of use. The stand for raising the projectors front is a little flimsy.
The manual is very basic and has information on the parts of the project and how it’s supposed to be set up. A large pouch is supplied as well.
At a price of Rs 70,000, the ViewSonic PJ258D is reasonably priced and offers good performance. Also, it’s cheaper than buying an LCD or Plasma TV with a comparable viewing area.
The iPod docking facility might attract a few users, but the heat it generates is definitely a concern if you plan on using it for many hours at a stretch.
| RATINGS |
| Features : 3.5 |
| Performance : 3.5 |
| Build Quality : 4 |
| Value for money : 3 |
| Overall : 3.5 |
Specifications
Size: 40-inch to 300-inch (diagonal), Pixel format: 1024 x 768, Dimensions: 11.3×7.5×3.5 inches, Lamp: 2000 hours (normal), Contrast ratio: 2000:1.
Contact : Redington (India) Limited
Phone : 91-9380303950
E-mail : hemachandran.m@redington.co.in
Web site : http://ap.viewsonic.com/in
Price : Rs 70,000