ViewSonic 4K HDR Projector for $1,500

ViewSonic Corp. of Toronto, but founded in California in 1987, has announced the arrival of its first Ultra HD projector, the PX727-4K for ‘less than’ $1,500, and available in February 2018. Although providing a claimed 3840 x 2160, or 8.3 million pixels on screen, it should be noted this is another of the recent line of price-friendly models announced in the past 12 months which incorporate what some describe as ‘faux K’, and adopts a pixel-shift method to achieve the higher resolution. There is also no 3D available on this model.

However, the PX727-4K will present another compelling proposal to home theater enthusiasts who intend to take the plunge this winter, and settle for a display device for their UHD content with not necessarily the optimal native or claimed resolution.

ViewSonic states that the 2,200 lumen, 12,000:1 contrast 727, will nevertheless provide ‘razor sharp details and lifelike colors’ and includes an in-built 10W speaker. The projector is ‘HDR-compatible’ for open standard HDR, and offers Rec. 709, DCI-P3 and Rec. 2020 color gamut, and is driven by a six-segment RGBRGB color wheel.

The unit is equipped with a 1.2x optical zoom and connectivity incorporating 2 HDMI inputs (2.0, HDCP 2.2, and 1.4, HDCP 1.4), VGA In/Out, USB 2.0, Audio In/Out, RS232 and a 12-volt trigger. Lamp life can be extended by a claimed 15,000 hours with the projector’s energy-saving SuperEco mode.

“With the PX727-4K, ViewSonic is bringing the industry’s most innovative technologies and 4K resolution to a wider range of consumers,” said Sean Liu, product marketing manager for ViewSonic Americas. “With our award-winning projector line, from short-throw interactive to 1080p home theater laser projectors, ViewSonic is continuing our mission to provide the widest range of high performance projector solutions. The launch of the PX727-4K projector is the next step in delivering a future-proof 4K immersive viewing experience at a consumer-friendly price point. We want users to enjoy their multimedia content on a big sreen with the best resolution possible.”

 

 

 

Martin, a seasoned journalist and AV expert, has written for several notable print magazines. He’s served in key roles at Lucasfilm’s THX Division, NEC’s digital cinema division, and has even consulted for DreamWorks. Despite his illustrious career, Martin remains rooted in his passion for cinema and acting, with notable appearances in several Spielberg films, Doctor Who, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He currently resides in San Francisco.

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Alberto_D

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I know it's a different reality in USA, Europe, and specially Japan, these lands have good to very good systems, specially Japan.
In my country there is not 4K, unless someone import a blu ray in true 4K (not the 2K movies interpolated to 4K). Here, Brazil, the pay sat HDTV signed, which require a small parabolic antenna and a decoder, claims to have 1080p but the quality it's worse than a DVD, due extreme compression to fit 200 in a space that should be for just 40 channels.
If you complain to a technician we will find ridiculous excuses that offend inteligence, like say that is the decoder conversion, the camera used to capture the image, the TV. There is some channels that look worse than VHS, like HD MGMN Gold here. 1080p worse than VHS and the freak technician will said that because it's not a 4K transmission. Jesus, why they offend my inteligence this way ???

The HD broadcast is no so horrible like the sat signed/paid TV channels, despite be free, but in a 1080p transmission details vanish away with minimal motion, like the mackerel in the face of a actor in close up be fully dissolve, invisible, with a very slow head rotation. And the technician will said that's because it's not 4K, and will not confess that crap video compression is the main factor, even if a good DVD edition do not dissolve such details. Anyway bad 4K also vanish details.
These open channels also have banding all along instead of true gradients. Even if you watched the analogic broadcast of the same channel that come from a conversion from the main digital transmission, and in a CRT TV, you notice the banding effect.

The problem with TVs is that sometimes good HD is not noticeable at full resolution unless you sit close to screen or have a very large TV. And people are oriented by technicians to sit far from TV. Now imagione for 4K TV... People will be even more fooled by technician and by editor who publish 2K sources interpolated to 4K...

I hope that with projector people get chance to realise how they are being made of fools, since a very large projection would show that the image have not the details that would. Unfortunate projectors are still very expansive.

People in my country are ignorant about video technical details, that if you show a prime HDTV idealquality, sharp, artefact almost free, and said it's 4K, the people, being used to garbage over compressed HD that looks trash, will believe you. They don't know what is quality. And many people on web also don't know, and accept lies.
 

John Dirk

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Beautiful women and great food in Brazil though. So much so that my wife has banned me from returning. :) What are your thoughts on the relevant article?
 

John Dirk

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Ah yes, another pixel-shifting contender. I'll admit these are tempting, especially at this price point but I would likely be waking up in a cold sweat regretting my decision a year or so down the line when full 4K prices have dropped to reasonable levels. I think I'll stick with my Panny for now.
 

Dave Moritz

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I want to get a 4K projector but until prices drop for native 4K projectors and until I get a new receiver and upgrade my surround speakers. I will have to put a projector on hold! I have heard people say the faux K projectors can produce a nice picture I still want a full native 4K projector! For me faux K is not good enough and I only want to buy one projector not buy one only to upgrade it in a short amount of time. I want to get the full effect from my 4K content!
 

Sam Posten

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I know it's a different reality in USA, Europe, and specially Japan, these lands have good to very good systems, specially Japan.


Alberto, you are posting in every new thread about your beefs. Give it a rest. Your comments have ZERO to do with the subject of this one.

You have made your thoughts clear in your own thread, you don't need to do it in every one you read.
 

Alberto_D

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Sam, I'm sorry. That post of mine had many days, and now I'm trying to hold myself about my critics.

Please, you as a moderator be free to delete that "out of thematic" post.

Forgive any troubles. I'm trying to get along better now with the rules, to be more positive.

Have a nice day.

Alberto, you are posting in every new thread about your beefs. Give it a rest. Your comments have ZERO to do with the subject of this one.

You have made your thoughts clear in your own thread, you don't need to do it in every one you read.
 
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Alberto_D

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Your wife is correct. Women here use to have a poison gland behind the tongue and are very contraditory, complaim about sexism but are very sexist themselves, variating between sexism and feminism as convenience dictates.

Maybe a good place for vacation, like Rio de Janeiro if you are not stolened or shot or kidnaped. Try to live there...

About the projector It would be nice a very close shot of it working in a white wall, to see how the pattern look. It would have a advantage even for watch 1080p videos, since the pattern it's finer.

Beautiful women and great food in Brazil though. So much so that my wife has banned me from returning. :) What are your thoughts on the relevant article?
 
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DaveF

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I’m fascinated by the rush of dithered 4K projectors that started at $4000 in late 2016, and have now crashes to under $2000 and now to the quality-bargain projector price of $1500!

I’m really hoping to see something amazing this Fall at the $5000 point ... though I’m not holding my breath.

But for someone buying a first projector and needing an affordable replacement to and old HD unit, these new cheap 4K projectors seem like a no brainer.
 

Alberto_D

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Well, I did a point about the pattern of 4K projector be finer, since the pixels (in projector chip) are smaller, making it more confortable even to HD video.

The "sexist sentence" was just a joke, a few humor to the thread, despite a bit of social critic too.

About 4K prices it's very interesting indeed. If they started creating 8K projector, or even 6K, the prices of 4K will drope even more.

One indagation. Let's supose very bright 4K projector became popular and affordable, and a better format for 4K movies, with less artefacts and 10 bits color, arrive. Would people still go to the theaters if fresh new movies became available in discs as quickly as in theaters ?

Imagine most homes with a screen wall like that in 4K :

4k-projector-screen-at-home.jpeg

Let’s please stay on the topic of the new ViewSonic projector.

Let’s please not spout sexist nonsense on HTF.
 
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Mike Frezon

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The "sexist sentence" was just a joke, a few humor to the thread, despite a bit of social critic too.

Alberto: One person's joke is another person's insult.

Such remarks are unwanted on the HTF and absolutely unnecessary when discussing projectors.

If you disagree with a moderator's remarks or actions, please follow our in-house rules on how to resolve such problems.
 

Alberto_D

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The "sexist sentence" was just a joke, a few humor to the thread, despite a bit of social critic too.

Alberto: One person's joke is another person's insult.

Such remarks are unwanted on the HTF and absolutely unnecessary when discussing projectors.

If you disagree with a moderator's remarks or actions, please follow our in-house rules on how to resolve such problems.
If it's the rules I will follow, no problem at all. I understand moderators try to keep a good clime of respect. I had no bad intentions, but if people are sensitive to some remarks I will change as necessary.

Back to the projector thematic... Mike, what about a research with the forum members, asking if they would still go to theater or go so often, if they had a 4K bright projector with big screen on hom,e and movies could reach home entertainment earlies, close to theater releases ?
I think it can be interesting.
 

Sam Posten

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Back to the projector thematic... Mike, what about a research with the forum members, asking if they would still go to theater or go so often, if they had a 4K bright projector with big screen on hom,e and movies could reach home entertainment earlies, close to theater releases ?
I think it can be interesting.

That has nothing to do with the actual projector being discussed in this thread. Start a new thread if you want to discuss that.
 

Mark Booth

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These pixel shifters are, admittedly, tempting. But I'm going to hold out for a quality native 4K projector in the $2K - $2.5K range before I upgrade the Booth Bijou Garage Theater to 4K.

Mark
 
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