ViewSonic PX747-4K Ultra HD Home Projector Review

4K and HDR with a Massive 300 Inch Screen Size!

Review by AIM - November 2018

With an RRP in Australia of $2199 you're getting a lot of performance for the price.

There are 2 models the PX727 and the PX747. The basic difference is the PX 747 is brighter than the PX 727 which is designed more for dedicated Home Theatre.

The upside of lesser brightness (727) is more colour fidelity. There is always a trade off between high brightness and better colours. In a cinema room high brightness is not as important as colour accuracy.

Engineered with an advanced DLP® 4K Ultra HD chip with XPR technology, this projector delivers 3840 x 2160 distinct pixels for true 8.3 million pixel (Via XPR) 4K UHD resolution.

A word of warning up front, be sure the one you buy is Australian stock with an Aussie warranty because one downfall with lower cost projectors from all makers is they have a higher failure rate known as "DOA" or dead on arrival than their more expensive counterparts.

Once you're over the first few hours they are as reliable as any but what do you do if the company you purchased from messes you around or is no longer in business?

Viewsonic also have a PX727 version which is similar but not as bright (2200 ANSI Lumens) it also uses a different colour wheel RGBRGB vs. RGBW on the PX747. Why would ViewSonic make a "lesser" version? As a rule of thumb the brighter the projector the less accurate the colours are and the worse the performance is in a light controlled room (Cinema Room) in the dark.

• If you can't see the subtle border in the above image consider calibrating your monitor.

The ViewSonic PX747-4K Projector is at home in the lounge room, there you need as much light output as possible (within reason). The punchy light output means you can watch sports in the day time (nothing works with sun light shining on it) it's a bonus for gamers too.  The faster response time (lower input lag, around 20ms) over the PX727 (48ms) is a must for gamers, we doubt you'll notice any lag on most gaming. Another way to think about lag vs. colours in dark rooms (% of Rec 709 or THX for example) is via the number of segments in the colour wheel, the more there are the more work the processor has to do for each frame and the longer it takes but you'll get extra detail in the colour rendition.  

There is an optional Wi-Fi adapter but we don't recommend this on any projector in 4K, put simply - turn on the microwave and see what happens.

• You can project up to 300 inches but most people will use around 100-140 inches.

The below image (being professionally taken) is a good indication of what you could expect in your lounge room.

Note people standing in front of the projected image.

Source

Some say it's not "native" 4K but did they say the old RGB CRT TVs were native 3 pixel?

What we don't like about the ViewSonic PX747 Review

• Slight white boarder in dark rooms, depending on ambient lighting
  more noticeable because of the high brightness
  (See active image area image above)
• VGA cable included what about a HDMI instead?
• No lens shift

What we like about the ViewSonic PX727 Review

• Dual HDMI inputs
• 3,500 Lumens for use in brighter rooms / PX727 2200 ANSI
• HDR & 4K
• Lower input lag time / PX727 Higher but more colours.
• Super Sharp image
• USB Power output
• Back-lit Remote Control

Projection Distance Calculator

PDF Data Sheet with full Specifications

SPECIFICATION

INPUT

If you're buying for a dedicated home theatre room and intend watching movies in the dark the PX727 is the projector for you. If you're looking for a lounge room, games room or even board room projector then you'll appreciate the extra brightness of the PX737 both have images so sharp you may want to keep some Band-Aids handy!

Prices

PX727 and the PX747

• Similar models from BenQ are TK800 (PX747) and W1700 (PX727)