Viewsonic Pro8200

Bottom Line

Owners give the ViewSonic Pro8200 video projector a big thumbs-up for value, and experts say it has pretty good picture quality for its price range. However, it also has some weaknesses, including out-of-the-box color settings that need some tinkering. The warranty is impressive, but customer service might not be.

Image Quality

Good for the price. The ViewSonic Pro8200 pumps out lots of light -- lots of owners go so far as to call it a light cannon. That makes it a great choice for use in a bright room, or for a very large screen. Contrast is solid, says Bill Livolsi at ProjectorCentral.com, as is shadow detail. However, black levels are weaker than found on better projectors, and there's no auto iris or similar feature to reduce black levels based on content.

In terms of color, TechRadar.com called color fidelity excellent. ProjectorCentral.com, on the other hand, says that color performance can be good, but that you'll need to do a bit of tweaking to get it that way. Livolsi adds that "Taken as a whole, the picture (once color adjusted) appears life-like and accurate."

Performance during fast motion takes a hit in a couple of professional reviews. Steve May at TechRadar.com finds a notable drop in resolution. That and other reports note additional motion-related artifacts. The good news is that issues are more apparent in test patterns than in actual video content, but we saw user reviews that grouse about those as well.

"Rainbow effect" is an issue with a small number of individuals with any DLP projector, including this one. We saw several comments that indicate those that are sensitive to the artifact are likely to see it with the ViewSonic Pro8200. Livolsi calls the color wheel configuration "odd," but does not touch upon the rainbow effect at all.

Features

Bare bones, with sound. Perhaps with an eye on those who want to use the ViewSonic Pro8200 as a portable video projector for presentations, two 10-watt stereo speakers included. Sound quality isn't the best, but they fit in the included carrying case and make it easy to set up the projector in the back yard or to bring it along to a friend's house.

Beyond that, even the manufacturer doesn't have much to say about the ViewSonic Pro8200's features, perhaps because there just aren't many to comment on. One independent reviewer does point out the picture-in-picture feature, which lets you view one video source in full screen while the other appears in an inset window.

Setup and Use

More flexible placement than most budget projectors. Usability isn't the ViewSonic Pro8200's high point, although experts praise its greater-than-expected placement flexibility, given the price range. Although it doesn't have lens shift capability and the focus is manually controlled, a 1.5x manual zoom is better than you'll find in most similarly priced projectors. Video input options include two HDMI 1.3 ports, component and composite video, and RGB.

The most common complaint we found -- from just about every reviewer that evaluated the Pro8200, actually -- is that it's noisy. How much of a distraction that is depends upon the reviewer. Livolsi says that while the noise level on this projector is a touch above the norm, projectors as a whole are pretty quiet performers for the most part. He adds that if noise is a bother, placing the projector in its energy-saving Eco mode "reduces the noise level to a whisper."

Value

Great value in spite of shortcomings. Although the ViewSonic Pro8200 doesn't receive any unreserved recommendations from experts, plenty of happy owners post to Newegg.com and Amazon.com, cheerfully acknowledging and then disregarding the Pro8200's shortcomings on their way to unqualified praise of its value. The only exceptions are users who've had enough of what they describe as slow warranty service and poor customer service, although they're relatively few and far between.

The included carry cases and VGA and HDMI cables up the value quotient somewhat, and most users are -- despite the customer service gripes -- thrilled with the Pro8200's three-year parts warranty and one-year lamp warranty, both of which are really quite extraordinary in this price range.