ViewSonic X10-4KE - Review 2022

The ViewSonic X10-4KE (listed for $2,399 just ofttimes bachelor for every bit little as half that) is an impressively modest 4K UHD (3,840-by-2,160) curt-throw projector. Like its predecessor, the ViewSonic X10-4K, and the LG Cinebeam HU70LA, this user-friendly device offers HDR10 back up, a solid-state low-cal source, and a adequately light weight—though at 9 pounds, it's more luggable than portable. Niceties such as a reliable machine-focus brand information technology every bit easy to set as a TV. Most importantly, it delivers decent color accuracy, contrast, and shadow detail straight out of the box.

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Setup Is a Snap

Like most DLP 4K projectors, the X10-4KE uses TI'due south XPR fast-switch pixel shifting to get 3,840 by ii,160 pixels on screen from a 1080p chip. It pairs the flake with a red-greenish-blue-blue (RGBB) LED lite source, adding the second blue diode for college effulgence and to help meliorate color accuracy.

Setup is simple. Point the projector at your screen, plug in the power cord, and connect to a video source. The short-throw lens has no optical zoom, so you have to move the projector to adjust paradigm size, but the auto-focus works well enough that you lot don't accept to fiddle with it.

The X10-4K measures 6.five past ten.3 by x.vii inches (HWD), which gives it room on the back for all the connectors you're ever likely to need, including ii HDMI ii.0 ports for video sources and PCs and one USB-C port for PCs and mobile devices. At that place'due south also an Ethernet port for wired network connection and a bundled Wi-Fi dongle to connect wirelessly to your network for streaming or connect straight to PCs and mobile devices for screen mirroring.

Smart features come courtesy of the Android Os. Through the settings, you can admission a link to the Aptoide store for downloading streaming apps, links for installing Alexa and Google Assistant vocalism control, and an app that will turn your mobile devices into additional remotes for the projector.

Past default, frame interpolation (FI) is enabled. It smooths motion and many consider it an enhancement for live and recorded video. All the same, it besides adds a digital video or "soap opera" effect to filmed material. If you lot don't like FI, it's easy to turn off.

The onboard stereo audio earns lots of points. The 2 8-watt speakers deliver plenty volume for a large family unit room along with higher quality than most big-screen TVs. You can even use the projector as a Bluetooth speaker for other devices. If yous want still better audio quality from an external sound organisation, at that place are analog and digital audio out ports likewise every bit support for Bluetooth output.

Gamers should note that my Bodnar meter measured a 76ms input lag at 1080p 60Hz with FI off, which is a petty slow even for casual gaming. That'south too bad, equally the portability features—including a panel that flips up to comprehend the ports while you're moving the projector—are otherwise gaming-friendly.

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For All-time Color, Some Petty Is Needed

The X10-4KE'south four predefined picture modes—Brightest, Gaming, Movie, and Television set—all delivered highly watchable images in my tests, cheers largely to color accuracy that varied from at least passable to easily more acceptable by most people's standards. Even the aptly named Brightest manner showed inappreciably whatever of the green bias that's typical of the brightest modes in well-nigh projectors.

Boob tube mode had the best contrast—verging on overdone with some images—but the least accurate color. Movie and Gaming modes had the best color accurateness. None of the modes delivered top-tier shadow detail, and none delivered a good sense of three-dimensionality; Gaming mode did the best job on this score, retaining most of the shadow detail even in the well-nigh challenging night scenes. It too had the all-time overall remainder of color accuracy, contrast, and shadow detail, and was near as brilliant as Brightest mode, a combination that makes Gaming my preferred choice.

For 4K HDR input, the X10-4KE has HDR equivalents of the iv SDR modes. As with most HDR projectors, you need to adjust an HDR setting—correctly identified in the menus every bit Electro-Optical Transfer Part (EOTF) instead of the more common HDR Effulgence—to adapt variations from one movie to some other. In Movie style, with the right adjustment, brightly lit scenes had nicely saturated color and practiced dissimilarity, while dark scenes had perhaps a touch improve shadow detail than the SDR versions of the same movies. Notwithstanding, I did not see a significant divergence between SDR and HDR in most aspects of epitome quality. The most obvious is the extra item that comes from viewing 4K UHD content at 4K UHD, rather than 1080p content upscaled to 4K UHD.

The X10-4KE also handles Full Hard disk drive 3D nicely, using DLP-Link glasses. At that place are 3D versions of all 4 movie modes. I didn't see whatsoever crosstalk in my tests, and 3D-related motion artifacts were typical for recent projectors. Paradigm brightness in 3D is higher relative to the 2D modes than with almost projectors.

ViewSonic touts a ii,400–LED lumen rating for the X10-4KE'south brightness. That's higher than the one,000–ANSI lumen rating because LEDs produce more saturated color than lamp-based projectors, and with equal measured brightness, more saturated color is sometimes perceived as beingness brighter. All the same, I recall that rating oversells the X10-4KE. My subjective judgment is that the perceived brightness is a impact lower than what I expect from ane,000 ANSI lumens.

In a dark room, using the Guild of Movement Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, ane,000 lumens should be plenty for a 150-inch diagonal, 1.0-gain, 16:ix screen. In moderately vivid ambient calorie-free, it should be enough for an 85-inch screen. Using Gaming mode, I found the X10-4KE bright enough for a 90-inch, ane.0 gain screen in the night and an 80-inch screen in low to moderate ambient low-cal at nighttime in a family unit room. For daytime use in a family unit room, nevertheless, even Brightest mode was washed out on an 80-inch screen. Y'all'll need to motility the projector closer to the screen for a smaller, brighter image that can survive a well-lit room.

As with any single chip projector, rainbow artifacts (red-green-bluish flashes) are a potential result. I saw more than with the X10-4KE than with most LED models, only they were fleeting enough that if you aren't sensitive to them, y'all may not see whatsoever. If you lot're concerned about the consequence, buy from a dealer y'all can return the projector to without a fee, and then you lot can exam it out for yourself.

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4K to Get

If you lot want a moderately portable 4K projector, the X10-4KE is one of the few choices. Laser 4K projectors are heavier and more expensive. Plenty of lamp-based models, such as the BenQ TK850, both price and counterbalance nearly the same or less, but they're not designed for portability, and about don't include streaming, smart features, or palatable speakers.

One competitor worth looking at is the LG CineBeam LU70LA, which is LED-based, includes LG'due south smart TV interface and voice commands, and adds a TV tuner. It even weighs a little less than the X10-4KE. Still, its onboard audio isn't in the same league. Another possibility—if you're willing to drop to 1080p native resolution rather than 4K—is the Editors' Choice–winning Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser Projector, which can accept 4K UHD input, supports HDR, is portable, and costs less thanks to the lower resolution.

The X10-4KE's closest competitor is the slightly less expensive X10-4K, which it's in the process of replacing. Compare the spec sheets and yous might conclude that they're identical. However, ViewSonic says that the X10-4KE has a improve IR sensor for more responsiveness to the remote command and better machine-focus. That increased ease of use makes the ViewSonic X10-4KE one of the better portable 4K options.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/projectors/42585/viewsonic-x10-4ke

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