ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector Review

Why the ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector could be one of the best mid-range backyard projectors available.

Whether you plan to set up a backyard projector for family movie nights, or you want a projector for a designated home theater, the ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector has the features you’d likely seek for both purposes. It offers 3200 lumens, which is a bright screen that will work in pitch black darkness or even a room with a bit of light peeking through. You get to choose the screen size you want, which offers more versatility than a television, but you still get similar quality to a TV set.

Dig a little deeper into the feature set of the ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector to find out if it’s right for you.

DESIGN & BUILD | Almost Every Feature You’d Want

If you’re searching for a projector that you can set up outside as a backyard projector, this ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector might be a good choice based on throw distance alone. Set it up at about 6.8 feet away from the surface you want to display on, and you get about an 80-inch screen. Slide it back to 10 feet and you’re looking at a 120-inch screen. One of the features not typically included on budget projects is optical zoom, but you get up to 1.3x zoom. That allows you to tweak the image a bit without having to pull or push the actual unit at all. Additionally, there’s vertical digital key-stoning included, which means you can adjust the image up and down to get rid of that trapezoid distortion effect that’s common with projectors.

“Slide it back to 10 feet and you’re looking at a 120-inch screen.”

There’s no need for you to purchase an HDMI adapter, as this ViewSonic projector comes with two HDMI ports. It’s easy to plug in streaming sticks, PCs, laptops, smartphones, video game consoles, and more on the front or back ports. You have the option of adding a dongle to make this projector Wi-Fi compatible, which might be an important feature if you’re streaming through other services and you don’t want to plug directly into the unit. Mounting this projector for permanent use is possible, but be aware of the screw hole placement. They aren’t placed in the usual rectangular positions, so you may have to tweak your purchased mount a bit.

ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector front

SAFETY & DURABILITY | Keep It Cool, Keep It Safe

You’d be hard-pressed to find a projector without a fan, and as such, there’s going to be a bit of noise that comes with it. The ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector includes a fan with variable noise, depending on the mode you choose. A heatsink isn’t enough to keep this projector cool, so the fan helps keep the unit from overheating – an important safety feature. If you choose the Eco or Super-eco mode, you’ll likely hardly notice the sound. If you operate this backyard projector on the normal setting, though, it’s going to be much more noticeable.

“…the fan helps keep the unit from overheating…”

While this projector is rated for safe operation through a mains voltage between 100 and 240 volts AC, it’s probably a good idea to plug it into a surge protector or an uninterruptible power supply, or UBS. This ensures that your projector will be safe even if you experience a power loss.

ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector specs

PERFORMANCE | Bright & Brilliant

Ease of Use

If you’ve done any research on projectors, you may have seen some of them recommend that you use them only in complete darkness and not for PowerPoint presentations. None of those recommendations come with the ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector, and that’s a good thing. With 3200 lumens, you’re getting a bright screen that can perform well in almost any circumstances. You can play movies, TV shows, or any other media on a wall or screen with this projector during the daytime or at night. You might want to avoid using this at high noon because the more ambient or direct light there is, the less clear you’ll see the picture, but it shouldn’t be an issue in a well-lighted room or at sunset outside. One of the reasons many inexpensive projectors warn against using them for presentations is the lighting, but there’s another reason: lack of detail. This ViewSonic offers a clear and sharp picture, so you can not only use this in a bright office, but you can also read the smaller fonts on the screen with this projector.

Best Features

Right out of the box, this projector from ViewSonic is easy to use. It’s basically plug and play, and the remote control makes it easy to flip through the menu options. The color of the picture may be near perfect as soon as you set up your projector, or it could be totally off. If it isn’t quite right, correcting it is just a matter of trial and error with the remote. Although this projector includes built-in audio, it isn’t the best quality. It should be expected, as you’re buying a projector, and not a stereo system. With that said, you can plug in speakers, so be sure to pick up an HDMI audio splitter, so you don’t lose both your ports, and you can get better sound that way.

ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector in use

LONGEVITY & PRICE | An Investment in Entertainment

Technically, the ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector isn’t all that expensive when you compare it to others of similar caliber. If anything, this is a mid-range backyard projector when it comes to price. The cost of this projector is either reasonable or slightly too high if you consider the cost of replacing the bulb, which is about half the cost of the projector itself. If you plan to use this often, that means your bulb is likely to burn out sooner, so the cost may be prohibitive.

Be sure to check the current ViewSonic PJD7828HDL – Amazon price here.

This projector has an MSRP of $000. Speaking of that lamp, though, you’re looking at about 4,000 to 10,000 hours of life from it. ViewSonic lets you choose a mode that works for your situation. Using this outdoors at night only? Choose the Eco mode to dim the brightness a bit, and you’ll extend the life of the bulb. Indoors and running this projector with lots of light shining through windows? You’ll likely need to bump it up to the normal mode and your lamp is going to dim or burn out sooner.

ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 3200 Lumens 1080p HDMI Home Theater Projector warranty

PROS

• Affordable for the quality (see current Amazon Price)
• Bright projection
• Crisp image
• Easy to use

CONS

• Poor audio quality
• Mounting design is odd
• Noisy fan on normal mode

THE BOTTOM LINE | Competitive Feature Set, Easier on Wallet