• Overview
• 
• First Take
• 
• Specs
• 
• Compare
• 
• Images
• 
• User Reviews
• 
• Discuss
• 

By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
Feb 25, 2008

The fierce competition in the home theater display market has not deterred ViewSonic from making a late entry into the 1080p projector market. Its pilot attempt, the Pro8100, is a stylish piece with quite a commendable feature set and tech specifications. How does it stack up against offerings from the remaining players? Here's our quick take on what's hot and not for this spanking new 3LCD-based light cannon.


Upside: Customizable skins may be considered old school for most MP3 and portable multimedia players. That said, the Pro8100's changeable top cover is probably a first and the closest implementation of skinning for projectors. There are four hues available, ranging from a stock glossy-black shade to optional gray, white and burgundy--the contrasting white shell is ideal for a discrete ceiling-mount, while burgundy gives the set a feminine touch unique to ViewSonic. For added user convenience, a motorized 1.6x zoom, focus and lens shift are standard and configurable via a backlit remote.

Putting aside the customizable facade, ViewSonic has paired its future-proofed 1,920 x 1,080-pixel 3LCD optical engine with a Silicon Optix HQV video processor. Commonly implemented on high-end players and displays, the Hollywood Quality Video chip is favored by videophiles for its sharp and jaggie-free DVD upscaling and deinterlacing (interlaced to progressive scan). For the adventurous, you'll also have a say on the various HQV post-processing functions. They include detail enhancement, film mode detection and advanced noise reduction, among others.

Though there are only two instead of three onboard HDMI terminals like the new Panasonic PT-AE2000, the Pro8100 still offers a commendable mix with up to five 1080p-ready inputs, taking into consideration a pair of component-video and PC sockets. Furthermore, firmware upgrade and automated projection screen operation are adequately covered by a USB port and 12V trigger, respectively. For the record, ViewSonic has indicated HDMI 1.3 conformance, but there's no indication of Deep Color (think richer hues) support in its various documentations.

Downside: There are two things that really bothered us after going through the brochure and user manual. First of all, its horizontal lens shift is about the shortest in the market at a miserable 5 percent mark. A mere face value unlike other 3LCD home theater projectors which can go up to 47 percent.

Then there is the question of official 1080p24 signal support which is obviously missing on paper. Implemented accurately, it eliminates redundant frame rate conversion for smoother onscreen motion. To make matters worse, its average 13,000:1 dynamic contrast and 1,000 ANSI lumens brightness are hardly groundbreaking by today's standard.

Outlook: We have mixed feelings for this ViewSonic offering. On the one hand, an HQV processor is a tantalizing feature that almost guarantees an upbeat DVD playback performance. On the other hand, the possible 1080p24 omission is equally inexcusable for a 2008 entry. Until this is clarified, the Pro8100 may be in an uphill battle against the affordable and similarly capable Mitsubishi HC6000.

• Most Popular

• Upcoming

What's Hot

 

Latest Downloads