ViewSonic PA503W Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
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ViewSonic PA503W | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Price | $428 List $399.99 at Amazon | $3,000 List $2,920 at Amazon | $1,000 List $1,075 at Amazon | $899 List $799.00 at Amazon | $580 List $529.98 at Amazon |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Impressive brightness, relatively cheap, WXGA resolution | Excellent color accuracy, digital lens shift, digital lens focus | Great black and white contrast, lens shift, 3D capabilities, easy adjustments | Solid color accuracy, natural-looking skin, lens cover, full HD, good value | Portable, easy to use, WiFi connectivity, 3.5-hour-long battery life, streaming capabilities |
Cons | Poor contrast, color slightly off, buttons not backlit, loud fan | Very large, expensive, white contrast bleaches out surrounding colors | Skin tones are far too warm, generally poor color accuracy, loud fan | Subpar focus range, poor dark contrast, yellows turn very green, poor brightness | Subpar brightness, lacking in image quality, no backlit buttons on remote, pricey |
Bottom Line | A bright projector at a reasonable price that is great for presentations but not movies | If you desire a home cinema projector and accurate colors are your top priority, then look no further | A projector with great resolution, contrast ratio, a mostly intuitive interface, and streaming service capability via WiFi | With great color accuracy, besides yellows, and solid resolution, this projector is great for an at-home cinema | With a small footprint and an easy to use interface, this projector is a great option for those who are always on-the-go |
Rating Categories | ViewSonic PA503W | Epson Home Cinema 5... | Epson Home Cinema 2250 | BenQ HT2150ST | Anker Nebula Capsul... |
Contrast Ratio (30%) | |||||
Color Accuracy (25%) | |||||
Resolution (15%) | |||||
Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
Brightness (10%) | |||||
Fan Noise (5%) | |||||
Specs | ViewSonic PA503W | Epson Home Cinema 5... | Epson Home Cinema 2250 | BenQ HT2150ST | Anker Nebula Capsul... |
Projection Technology | DLP | 3LCD | 3LCD | DLP | DLP |
Specification Brightness | 3600 Lumens | 2600 Lumens | 2700 Lumens | 1780 Lumens | 200 Lumens |
Measured Brightness | 2245 Lumens | 1732 Lumens | 1780 Lumens | 1449 Lumens | 168 Lumens |
Native Resolution | 1280 x 800 | 1920 x 1080 (With Additional 4K Enhancement Technology) | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | 1280 x 720 |
Contrast Ratio | 22,000:1 | 1,000,000:1 | 70,000:1 | 15,000:1 | 600:1 |
Apect Ratio | Native 16:10 | Native 16:9 | Native 16:9 | Native 16:9 | Native 16:9 |
Zoom Ratio | 1.0 - 1.1 | 1.0 - 2.1 | 1.0 - 1.6 | 1.0 - 1.3 | Automatic |
Throw Ratio (Wide to Zoom) | 1.55 - 1.70 | 1.35 — 2.84 | 1.33 to 2.17 | 1.15 - 1.5 | 1.3 |
Backlit Remote | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Vertical Keystoning Correction | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Horizontal Keystoning Correction | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Lens Shift | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Measured Dimensions (L x D x H) | 11.6" x 4.3" x 8.6" | 20" x 17.75" x 7.13" | 12.2" x 12.4" x 4.8" | 15" x 4.8" x 11" | 3.15" x 3.15" x 5.9" |
Measured Weight | 4.9 lbs | 24.8 lbs | 8.4 lbs | 7.3 lbs | 1.5 lbs |
Lens Cover | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
3D Capable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Our Analysis and Test Results
With WXGA resolution and measured 2245 Lumens, the ViewSonic PA503W works fairly well for presentations in office settings. It is also 4.9 pounds and 11.6 by 4.3 by 8.6 inches, which makes it a little more portable. Small text is decently clear, especially when considering the price of this middle-of-the-road option compared to top-ranked projectors. It doesn't excel in any particular capacity, but it isn't a poor performer either.
Performance Comparison
Contrast Ratio
We test the contrast ratio in black and white and color. The ViewSonic PA503W offers bright whites and dark blacks but seems to be missing some of the mid-tones. Solid dynamic blacks and whites help create some contrast, but anything between a shadow and a highlight is very difficult to differentiate with the PA503W. This further supports the idea that this projector is best used for slides containing graphs and tables rather than movies and details photos.
Color Accuracy
Like many of the options in our test suite, the PA503W runs a little warm. This affects the accuracy of skin tone and colors across the board. The viewing experience isn't terribly affected by the shift in warmth, but the lack of accuracy is another reason why this projector isn't the best option for movie viewing. While skin tones are inaccurate, they tend to fall more on the yellow side rather than red, which looks a little more natural. Reds are pretty accurate but very over-saturated. Purples fall a little more on the pink side of the spectrum, and blues and yellows are a little more green. Our ocean test provides us with a more turquoise hue, which is gorgeous but does not accurately depict the color of the ocean. We test our orange colors with images of pumpkins. They have a bit of a neon yellow hue, making them appear unnatural.
Overall, ocean scenes have the viewer thrown off with such a vibrant turquoise. Green fields and orange pumpkin patches feel unnaturally saturated, and blue-ish purple night skies appear pinker. This could offer an avant-garde psychedelic viewing of your favorite movies, but if you are looking for color accuracy, the PA503W just doesn't make the cut.
Resolution
The PA503W offers WXGA resolution, Wide Extended Graphics Array, and delivers the same vertical resolution but provides 20% more horizontal resolution. This 1280x800 pixels, 16:10 aspect ratio has become increasingly more common for modern computers, smartphones, and newer projectors. Our testers prefer the WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution far better than SVGA (800 x 600), especially when it comes to text.
Now that you understand what the PA503W has to offer, let's get into how it performs. While viewing HD images, it is hard not to notice the larger pixel size. Detailed images like eyelashes have a distinct staircase curve and somehow appear to be moving, even when viewing still images.The Siemen's Star also portrays the stepped lines. While these still images display some pretty intense pixelation, the video resolution appears to be just fine, offering an average viewing experience.
Ease of Use
Between the limited foot adjustment and unintuitive menu selection, the PA503W does not go down in history as one of the more user-friendly options in our test suite. This 11.6 by 4.3 by 8.6-inch projector weighs 4.9 pounds, making it somewhat portable, although there is no lens cover, so you'll have to be careful while transporting. The remote is easy to navigate, but the menus can be slightly confusing at first, and the buttons are not backlit. The feet are only adjustable in the back, and you have to use screws, which is not particularly convenient. The PA503W also only offers vertical keystoning, but not horizontal.
Brightness
We measured the brightness on the PA503W to be 2245 lumens, making it one of the brighter projectors we tested — especially for a lower-priced model. Even though this is lower than ViewSonic's claimed brightness of 3600 Lumens, it still projected clearly in soft ambient light.
Colors still appear the same in ambient light, but darker shades are a little washed out. The high brightness is ideal for presentation settings but tends to wash out colors if you're viewing a movie in a completely dark room.
Fan Noise
Like other ViewSonic models, the PA503W has a noticeably loud fan, which is especially bothersome while watching movies. The fan noise doesn't feel distracting for presentations, but it seemed like the projector's fan was on much more frequently than most of the other models in our review. This is, again, why we stress that the PA503W is best for office-type settings. It's good in that environment, but many folks will likely be disappointed with this projector if they're trying to build a home theater.
Should You Buy the ViewSonic PA503W?
For those buying a projector for business or education with a 16:10 aspect ratio, the PA503W is a great option. It is better than any of the 4:3 models we tested yet doesn't break the bank like the top-performers. The ViewSonic PA503W falls between low-end and high-end consumer projectors in terms of price. It's a good choice for those who want a projector with a 16:10 native aspect ratio, WXGA resolution, and high brightness. Cheaper business and education-specific projectors typically have aspect ratios of 4:3 and SVGA (800 x 600) resolution.
What Other Projectors Should You Consider?
This is likely your best bet if your budget is small, but the image quality isn't what you need for a great movie-watching experience, despite the impressive brightness. The BenQ HT2150ST has some of the best image quality in the lineup, and we think it is worth the added cost to get better visuals and an overall more engaging experience. Overall, it is a lower-priced option than the highest-ranking options, but if you have a dark room for your theater, we think it is the one to pick. If money isn't a concern and you want the highest-ranking option with versatile ability across lighting conditions, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB offers great image quality that brings the movie world into your home like no other.
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