Reviews ViewSonic PJD7820HD Full HD 1080p 3D-Ready Projector with HDMI, Dual VGA, Composite and S-video

After my 14 year old rear projection 50" gave up the ghost, I decided to reinvent my home theater. After much research I landed on the ViewSonic PJD7820HD Full HD 1080p 3D-Ready Projector. Although uninitiated in the wild wacky world of projectors, it seemed like the 7820 was worth checking out.

The Viewsonic PJD7820HD is a 1080p full 3D projector which costs less than $700

Getting true HD quality for this price is fantastic. Plenty of inputs. My home theater is a windowless, totally dark room with dark walls, floors, ceilings and furniture. The image was stunning. Better than I had hoped. The images are crisp and clear with amazing color. My theater is 15' from screen to retrofit seating.

• 3,000 ANSI lumens with 15000:1 contrast ratio for clear, razor-sharp images
• Full HD 1080p delivers stunning picture quality
• BrilliantColor technology provides exceptional display quality
• 3D Blu-ray ready with HDMI
• DynamicEco technology for total control of audience’s focus
• Virtually maintenance free with filter-less design
• Long-lasting reliable picture quality & superior color performance
• 6-segment color wheel design, auto source detection, support HD signals & integrated speaker
• PC 3D-ready & up to 120Hz refresh rate powered by DLP Link Technology
• Long lamp life up to 6,000 hours*
• Environmentally friendly Eco-mode saves money and power
• Small & light for easy portability
• Industry-leading warranty: 3-year limited warranty on parts and labor, 1-year on lamp, and free 1st year Express Exchange service

This ViewSonic PJD7820HD Full HD 1080p projector is ideal for gaming. Zero input lag, instant response rate, 1:1 pixel mapping via HDMI (no overscan) with an RGB source (like a PC or high-end Blu Ray player).

Bright, vibrant colors; bright enough to replace a TV. I barely even have to draw the blinds to use this during the day, even at picture sizes up to 140" and the lamp mode set to Economic. Yellows and cyans look especially good. Eat your heart out, Quattron.

Here are my post-calibration color settings:

• Color Mode: User 1 or 2
• Reference Mode: Dynamic PC or ViewMatch
• Brightness: 55
• Contrast: -6
• BrilliantColor: Off (turn on if you ever need some extra brightness, but it reduces contrast, throws color accuracy & gamma all out of whack)
• Noise Reduction: 0
• Gamma: 3
• HDMI Range: Depends. For PCs, Enhanced gives you the full color range. However, some sources like game consoles and satellite receivers might have washed out blacks. In that case, use the Normal setting.

I had done extensive research and strongly considered the Viewsonic PJD5533W, the 720p version which is currently about $180 cheaper and is getting rave reviews here.  Since my price point was anything below $1000, I didn't mind paying a little extra for 1080p. I decided to apply the funds remaining in my projector budget to an Onkyo HT-S7409 5.1-Channel Network Home Theater speaker system with receiver, since in the course of my research I discovered that this projector's speakers leave a lot to be desired.

Red Hue: 11
Red Sat: 110
Red Gain: 106

Grn Hue: -6
Grn Sat: 105
Grn Gain: 106

Blue Hue: -4
Blue Sat: 100
Blue Gain: 74

Cyan Hue: 9
Cyan Sat: 110
Cyan Gain: 106

Mag Hue: 0
Mag Sat: 100
Mag Gain: 106

Yel Hue: -5
Yel Sat: 110
Yel Gain: 100

Keep in mind that colors can vary from projector to projector, even with the same model, so it's a good idea to use these settings as a baseline for your own calibration. Regarding my set-up, I'm using a single 25' HDMI cable, which I bought for $7.

I'm running it from my PS3 to the ViewSonic PJD7820HD projector. Via the PS3 I can obviously play DVD's and Blu-rays. Of course I also have access to Netflix, Prime, Hulu, Vudu, you name it, in addition to all the movies and videos stored on my computer through the wireless network.

I'm also able to play PS3 video games on a movie theater sized screen. This ViewSonic PJD7820HD Full HD 1080p 3D-Ready Projector with HDMI, Dual VGA, Composite and S-video product earned 73 customer reviews and 96% are satisfied (as 06/02/2014). Awesome!