ViewSonic PJD7720HD Home Theater Projector

I had initially purchased ViewSonic's lower-resolution projector (1024 x 768) in this same line of projectors and felt that was a great projector but I wanted the higher resolution, so I ordered this unit instead and will be returning the other one after comparing them side-by-side. This is a great projector. Here's what I like: 1) Bright, bright image. If you are thinking outdoor movies like I am, this one is a winner due to the brightness. 2) Great picture. I went straight for the good stuff and queued up some 1080P NFL videos. I wanted to see how fine the details looked when projected large, and I was certainly impressed. The ability of this projector to process motion is not as good as my plasma TV, but it performs well enough that I would not be the least bit embarrassed to host a super bowl party with this unit. The colors are outstanding. Good whites and blacks, and contrast is very good. 3) Right now, it is about the price point. At this same price point (currently $549) you can get the Optoma HD142X, which is a very popular 1080P projector. After reading reviews, I opted to stick with the ViewSonic brand. I don't think there exists any projector at this price point that is clearly a better choice. You could spend double or triple the money, but I'm not sure what that would really do for you. This unit is already great. 4) You can hear the speakers pretty well indoors, but don't expect too much. Things not to like: 1) Kind of nitpicky, but there could be a cover for the lens. 2) You can definitely hear the fan while the unit is on. 3) Not a lot of inputs. The other ViewSonic at 1024 x 768 had more inputs and was therefore better-suited to giving presentations, since you could hook up just about anything. At 1080P, you should be thinking of this as more of a video projector than for presentations, although ViewSonic markets this unit as a cross-over projector that is good for both. 4) This is a DLP unit, so there is a chance someone may see the rainbow artifact. I personally have not seen it. Other thoughts: I actually loved the 1024 x 768 projector in this series as well. I purchased it for backyard movies. It just bothered me that we would not be able to enjoy full 1080P on that projector. There is a slight bonus with the 1080P projector that I had not expected. The image is brighter, and the reason is not necesarily intuitive. Due to the wider aspect ratio, the projector sits slightly closer to the screen to fill up the entire width of the screen with the image....as a result of being slightly closer, the image is also slightly brighter. It is not by a huge amount, but it is noticeable. I had the two projectors side by side and the difference is real. The 1024 x 768 projector is still better than DVD quality and that is fine...but in the era of 4K TVs being the new standard, DVD-quality is now two generations behind. 1080P movies will be good enough for our household for years to come. On an 84" wide pull-down screen (96" diagonal for 1080P 16:9 content), this projector is plenty bright. I have the screen mounted under the eaves on the south side of the house, so it gets sun all day long....but there is no need to wait for the darkest of the night to fire this up. Honestly, you could watch movies outside on a cloudy day. Inside the house, the brightness is never an issue. I will update this review if the projector fails to provide good service. Update 5/22/2017: The only audio output is 3.5mm, so depending on what you want to do in terms of audio, that may be a factor for you. I recently upgraded to a Behringer B112W powered speaker so I have powerful portable sound to go with the projector, but it has no 3.5mm input. Most PA speakers do not. Not to fret, whoever, since there are adapters and converters aplenty to solve the problem of the mismatched projector output / speaker input. For my scenario, the 3.5mm stereo output has to be converted to 1/4" mono. Other option is to use aptx low-latency bluetooth transmitter in the 3.5mm projector audio output, since the speaker has built-in bluetooth receiver. Main thrust of this update is this: You may want to pay attention to inputs/outputs available because your audio solution may be subject to change. Update 6/10/2017: Added a picture to show brightness of projector 36 minutes prior to sunset. Another picture shows how Chromecast sits in the rear HDMI input, plus I have a Bluetooth transmitter hooked up in the 3.5mm audio output. Update 2/9/2018: I ran the projector for the Super Bowl out in the dining room as a second viewing option and we all ended up watching in the dining room for the entirety of the first half (probably because my wife put the food out there!), with the image projected very clearly directly onto the wall. My guests were thoroughly impressed with the picture quality and brightness. Around halftime, we all moved to the family room (60" LG plasma 1080p circa 2012) and the TV provides better image in almost every respect (fine detail, motion, and color accuracy), it is not quite the same as having the very large image that the projector provides, and in truth, the ViewSonic PJD7720 is not far behind in image quality. I hope you found this review helpful.