ViewSonic PJD6383s

The ViewSonic PJD6383s is very similar to its higher-resolution cousin, the Editors' Choice ViewSonic PJD6683ws ($750 street). As a short-throw projector for businesses or classrooms, it can be placed very near the screen, provides very good data image quality and a decent set of connectivity choices, and 3D capability for a modest price. It's a good choice if your presentations don't include much video.

The PJD6383s has a native XGA (1,024 by 768) resolution, at a 4:3 aspect ratio traditionally used for data presentations. It is suitably bright at a rated 3,000 lumens, and uses a DLP-based light engine.

This all-black projector measures 3.3 by 11.6 by 9.5 inches (HWD) and weighs a reasonably portable 6.6 pounds, though it lacks a carrying case. The lens has a prominent focus ring around its bulbous lens. The PJD6383s lacks a zoom, as is generally the case with short-throw projectors.

The PJD6383s has a solid set of ports for a data projector: HDMI; 2 VGA-in ports and 1 monitor-out; 2 audio-in and 1 audio-out; an RCA composite video jack; S-video; a mini-USB port for remote mouse control, and an Ethernet port. It comes with Crestron LAN control software, allowing multiple projectors to be remotely controlled and managed from a PC. It lacks wireless capability, as well as a USB type A port for running presentations computer free from a USB thumb drive.

Data Image Quality
I tested the PJD6383s at a little less than three feet away from the screen. Our test image, measuring about 60 inches diagonally, stood up well to the addition of ambient light.

In our data image testing using the DisplayMate suite, image quality was above par, suitable for most any business or classroom presentation. Though colors were otherwise reasonably bright, yellows and reds were slightly muted. There was virtually no tinting. It did well in our text testing; text was blurred but readable at the smallest white-on-black size, and black-on-white text was easily readable down to the smallest size.

I noticed the rainbow effect—in which little red-green-blue flashes appear, most often in images with bright areas against dark backgrounds—in some of the PJD6383s's data images. Every single-chip DLP projector is potentially affected with it, but even though it was more obvious than usual with this projector, it's unlikely to be much of a distraction in data images—even to people who are particularly sensitive to it.

Video and Audio
The rainbow effect is usually more problematic with video than with data images, and that's certainly true with the PJD6383s. With video, it even showed up in some scenes where I've seldom seen it before. It would likely be distracting to people even mildly sensitive to it, as is the case with me. Because of this, I'd limit this projector to very short clips as part of a presentation, or avoid it for video altogether. Even if you're not sensitive to the effect, your colleagues or students may well be.

Audio from the PJD6383s 's single 10-watt speaker was of decent volume and quality, and should fill a small to mid-sized conference room or classroom.

As a DLP projector, the PJD6383s provides 3D readiness using the DLP-Link system, although you need to get your own active-shutter glasses. At about $70 a pair, outfitting a classroom for 3D viewing could easily be more expensive than the cost of the projector itself.

The PJD6383s is similar in features and performance to the Editors' Choice ViewSonic PJD6683ws , though that model ups the native resolution to WXGA (1,280 by 800 pixels). They each are bright (3,000 lumens), light short-throw projectors, with very good data image quality, good audio systems, and rather poor video. Though both are fine data projectors, the price difference between is modest, so it's worth the extra dollars to get the higher resolution that the PJD6683ws offers, unless you can get the PJD6383s on sale.

The PJD6383s is similar to, though of lower resolution than, the Editors' Choice Optoma TW610ST, a WXGA short-throw projector, though it can't match the Optoma's data image quality.

The PDJ6383s has better data image quality than the Epson PowerLite 435W Multimedia Projector, a WXGA short-throw projector, but the Epson projector does better with video; for one thing, as it is LCD based, it's immune from rainbow artifacts.

The ViewSonic PJD6383s offers very good data image quality in a short-throw projector. You can get its higher-resolution cousin, the Editors' Choice ViewSonic PJD6683ws, for not much more money, but the PJD6383s offers excellent value at a modest price, as long as you don't need to run much video in your presentations.