Commentary on hookahs, smoke rings, and The Dream

A review of the ViewSonic Budget DLP Projector

Its been a bit since we last strayed from the purely beer or hookah medium, but we thought it was time for a true party product to bring the best out of your game.

Selecting a party product is tough: It has to really bring people together, really offer something new. Maybe something on the same zen-level as a kegerator or a hot-tub. That’s why we selected this product, the ViewSonic PJ503D DLP Projector, which is something that offers a totally communal experience to the art of watching a good flick.

Why go with a projector? Well, a lot of the AV nerds out there might be all about the 1080p or i or whatever the spec off the PS3 tells you you need: That’s not what will bring the party. The difference between 1080 versus a scant 480 really isn’t going to wow the pants off of the general public. What will wow them is a big frickin’ screen: Something on the order of “feet” instead of “inches”.

The first thing that was important to us in selecting a new vessel for our movie viewing pleasure was: Cost. No sense in upgrading your party gear if your weekly party budget is going to take a big hit. The ViewSonic DLP Projector comes in at a wallet-safe sub-$500 price tag. With the right setup you can get a solid 100 inch viewing screen without having to drop the big dough. A sweet 32 inch HDTV these days will run you in the 6-bills and give you only an immovable, crystal clear viewing surface, while a projector like the ViewSonic will give you a bad ass movie theatre like experience for scant the cost.

We went with the ViewSonic not only for cost, but also for its relatively cheap replacement bulbs. This is important while picking out a projector: Every 2-3 years you will probably need to replace the bulb, which for the ViewSonic is in the $200 range, but for other higher-test projectors will be in the $300-500 range. If you want to keep the life cost low, make sure to check on the bulb cost first: For the ViewSonic, we already did your homework for you.

When buying a projector there are a few other things to keep in mind: 1) The Resolution: Don’t be turned off by a lower resolution projector. For watching movies a 480p (which is the res for old-school DVDs) or a SVGA projector will suffice. Some projectors with higher resolutions may even be worse then their seemingly simple cousins. Buyer beware. 2) Lumins. Lumins are the metric for measuring brightness, in reality anything over 1000 lumins will give you a plenty bright screen for night-time viewing. Anything over 2000 lumins will probably come with a significantly higher cost as well as a higher bulb-replacement cost. 3) Extras. Warranty, zoom lens, multiple inputs are all things to consider for your particular setup.

The ViewSonic Budget rig has a great image for an SVGA projector, which even surpasses that of some of its XGA or 780p brethren. It also has a respectable 1500 lumin rating, with an “econ-mode”, that will increase the bulb longevity by 30% while still offering a great viewing experience even with modest ambient light. The extras on this budget projector are limited to an okay 1-year warranty, no zoom lens, and only a few, non-redundant AV inputs.

There are a few drawbacks to selecting the View Sonic PJ503D: It is a “DLP” projector, which has an interesting phenomenon of creating a “rainbow” like sheen to the screen. In our experience, this is only noticeable while standing close to the projector and usually without looking directly at the screen. The lack of zoom means that the projector needs to be sitting a good distance from the projection screen/wall, with only limited leeway with its placement. The fact that its a projector as well, and only with 1500 lumins, means that you can’t really enjoy it on a sunny day in a brightly lit room. And, as with all projectors, you need to take care of it: No unplugging the projector right after the show (needs about 20 minutes to cool down) and no dropping it down a flight of stairs.

For the cost, this rig is really a great buy. Nothing like rocking Guitar Hero or a good flick off of Alluc.org on a 100″+ screen to wow the folks. Low over all maintenance costs means that this is a long term buy. The projector itself is easy to setup and light to carry with you either to an outdoor gathering or your best friends birthday party. This is a true party product, enjoy.

Top Budget Projector

• Model: ViewSonic PJ503D DLP Projector
• Type: Budget DLP Projector
• Why its cool: Huge screen, easy setup, relatively cheap cost (initial and long-term), portable
• Why it sucks: No zoom, still have to buy expensive replacement bulbs after watching 1000 movies
• Cost: Under $500, less a $100 mail-in-rebate from ViewSonic
• Rating: 9/10