Viewsonic PJD6211 DLP projector

The Viewsonic PJD6211 is the first projector we have seen that’s able to bring 3D images into the home.

Currently all the rage among manufacturers, 3D technology allows the viewer to see a ‘virtual’ three-dimensional image on a flat surface by wearing a special pair of glasses.

Several big names are selling 3D televisions but even the cheapest won’t leave you much change from £2,000. This £499 projector, then, is significantly better value – but there are a few catches.

It’s technically able to display high-definition images at the 720p resolution: it can take a higher-resolution input but the quality won’t be any better, as the projector will scale the picture down to a size it can display.

But it has no HDMI socket so you won’t be able to plug in a Blu-ray player or games console directly. There are low-quality s-video and composite video connections, but the only way to get good-quality visuals is to use one of the two VGA sockets and connect it to a computer.

Images are in the 4:3 non-widescreen aspect ratio, which isn’t a big problem as if you’re watching a widescreen film it will just use the middle of the screen, with black bars above and below. Those bars are still lit a bit by the projector’s lamp which is slightly distracting but not a particularly big deal.

The menus can be controlled using the buttons on top of the device or the supplied remote control (there are receivers at the front and back of the projector so it can be remote-controlled whether it’s in front of you or behind).

Plugged into a PC, the picture was very impressive, both clear and bright, though not as sharp as from other projectors we have seen. We used the Nvidia 3D Vision kit (which costs an extra £150) to send a 3D signal to the device. The 3D effect was very impressive, though again it wasn’t as sharp as you will see on one of the new 3D flat-panel TV sets.

The Nvidia kit comes with one pair of 3D glasses. It only works with the more expensive ‘active shutter’ glasses so you’ll need to pay another £100 for another pair. You will also need things to watch: some games come in 3D versions, or if your computer has a Blu-ray drive and you have some software that can play 3D Blu-ray films, such as Cyberlink’s latest PowerDVD 10, you can watch one of those.

The projector’s ‘throw’, the size of the projected image, was average – at a distance of around two metres you’ll get an image between three and four metres. Brightness and contrast levels were good but the interior cooling fan is quite loud.

It’s a good projector for both homes and offices, but the lack of an HDMI socket limits its use for home cinema, which is a shame.