ViewSonic PA503W Review

With WXGA resolution and high end brightness, the PA503W works fairly well for presentation settings. However, if you don't mind small text looking a bit fuzzy you can save money with the Epson VS250, and if you want small text to be perfectly clear you'll need to upgrade to the Epson EX9220. This puts the PA503W in an odd middle ground. It is a good presentation projector, but wouldn't be our first suggestion unless you want small text to look as clear as possible but don't want to spend extra on the Epson EX9220.

Performance Comparison

The ViewSonic PA503W was middle of the pack in our overall testing. It didn't excel in any particular capacity, but wasn't atrocious in any either.

Image Quality

We found the PA503W to be a strong performer for presentations and slideshows because of its high brightness and 16:10 aspect ratio. It earned a 6 out of 10 in our image quality rating metric, which is average among the projectors that we tested. Our testers liked the WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution far better than SVGA (800 x 600), especially when it came to text. The PA503W displays crisp letters, while lower resolution models created barely readable slides.

The ViewSonic PA503W performed better in a home cinema setting than other inexpensive models, but is still a far cry from higher end home theater models.

Colors weren't very rich in the PA503W and this was its most significant issue with image quality. In dark rooms, its brightness seemed to wash out darker colors and we weren't impressed with its ability to display black. The BenQ HT1070A falls in the same price range but is far better for home theater use, despite lacking the presentation capabilities of the PA503W. If you don't watch movies frequently this isn't a substantial issue.

Ease of Use

Earning a 5 in our ease of use tests, the PA503W didn't stand out as the most user-friendly projector. It mostly lost points for the lack of adjustable feet. Only the front foot is adjustable and this made it much slower to set up on flat surfaces. The remote is easy to navigate but the menus didn't feel as user-friendly as those of BenQ's projectors. It is fairly portable with a rectangular profile and a weight of 4.9 pounds.

The remote is nice, but the menus can sometimes be confusing to navigate.

Brightness

We measured the brightness to be 2588 Lumens, making it one of the brightest projectors that we tested. Even though this is 28% lower than ViewSonic's claimed brightness of 3600 Lumens, it still projected clearly in mild ambient light. Colors still appear clear and accurate in ambient light, while darker shades got 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.

The PA503W is bright, but it still can't match the color accuracy that the EX9220 (right) can achieve in a bright room.

Fan Noise

Like other ViewSonic models, the PA503W had a noticeably loud fan, which is especially bothersome while watching movies. It earned a 4 out of 10 in this metric, placing it among the lowest scorers. For presentations, the fan noise didn't feel distracting but it seemed like the projector's fan was on much more frequently than most other models in our review.

Value

The ViewSonic PA503W lists for $460, placing it in between low-end and high-end consumer projectors. 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.

Conclusion

For those seeking a projector for business or education that has 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 scoring models. If you're looking for top-notch business performance at a higher cost, then the Epson Pro EX9220 is a surpassing alternative.