ViewSonic PJ552 LCD Projector

We needed a new presentation projector for work but were on a limited budget. I've used a number of brands and models of projectors over the years and found that the lower price models delivered poor colour representations or were not very bright. (My favorites have been InFocus and least favorite Dell.)

Pros:
* Great colours, especially the yellows and blues when compared to other (mostly DLP) projectors -- we sell software and proper color representation is extremely important
* Sharp Image, due to the native XGA capability
* Bulb life of 4000 hours – most are only 2000 hours
* Includes power cables for Canada/USA, UK, and Europe
* Includes a remote control
* Whisper Mode is almost as bright as Normal Mode
* Reasonable size (the same footprint and about 50% thicker than a ream of copy paper)
* Warranty
* Price
* Can also be used for home theatre (i.e. It has all the needed input connections for DVD / VCR)

Cons:
* As with all LCD projectors, there is a slight "screen door affect", but only if you're up close
* The included case is not padded, so I'm going to have to get a proper one

Bonus:
* I bought it a BestBuy and they said I had 30 days to try it, and 30 days low price guarantee -- very cool
* Paid $1,499 CAD ~$1,250 USD

*** UPDATE ***

Two weeks later I came across a great sale on the Panasonic PT-LB20VU at TigerDirect for $899 CAD ~ $769 USD. That's $600 CAD / $500 USD less, and since TigerDirect has a similar 30 day satisfaction guarantee so I had to check it out!

See my review on the Panasonic PT-LB20VU at http://www.epinions.com/content_212088884868.

Well, side by side, the clear winner for brightness is the Panasonic. I'm taking the ViewSonic back to BestBuy.

NOTE: The ViewSonic has more connections, better controls, better zoom capabilities, slightly better colours (for movies), longer bulb life, and seems to run cooler. Its MSRP is 15% lower than the Panasonic, and if its street price was proportionate, it would still be my choice.