Optoma HD66

Value

Both projectors are equally priced at around $700, so the choice comes down to which set of features you prefer: the portability and color accuracy of the Optoma HD66, or the brighter, bigger and better connected Viewsonic PJD6531w.

	Comparison Specifications
	Optoma HD66	ViewSonic PJD6531w
Price
Resolution	720p 1280 x 720 (16:9)	WXGA 1280 x 800 (16:10)
HD	Yes	Yes
3D Support	Yes	Yes

Blacks & Whites

The Viewsonic produces more light: we measured its output at just over 3100 lumens, while the Optoma maxed out at around 2700 lumens. That isn’t a huge difference, but the extra lumens do make the Viewsonic more viewable in anything other than dim light.

Color

The Optoma had slightly better color performance, with more consistent color temperature and smoother color response curves. The latter means it does a slightly better job of representing the subtle changes that real world images contain without creating banding.

Motion

Both projectors use DLP projection systems, which means that they both show the DLP rainbow effect, where fast-moving objects show an occasional color fringe in alternating colors, producing a rainbow effect that can be somewhat distracting. We found that the Viewsonic seemed to show this effect more often.

Viewing Effects

The Viewsonic is the more flexible projector, with a longer zoom range that provides more flexibility in where the projector can be placed. The Optoma has only a small 1.1x zoom, which only gives it a few inches of flexibility to move forward and backward.

Connectivity

The Optoma is somewhat limited in what connections it offers, with just 1 HDMI port and a single VGA port. The Viewsonic has two VGA ports and a VGA output, which allows you to daisy chain together two projectors.