ViewSonic X2000B-4K Ultra Short Throw 4K UHD
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SPECS
Projector Resolution:4K
Brand:ViewSonic
Native Resolution:3840×2160
Aspect Ratio:16:9 [HD]
Lumens:2000
Chipset:DLP
Contrast Ratio:3,000,000:1
Light Source:Laser
Resolution Type:Shift
Throw Type:Ultra Short Throw
Warranty:3 Years
Digital Inputs:HDMI
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PROS
- Despite only supporting the Rec709 color gamut, achieving around 77% of DCI-P3, it renders accurate and nicely shaded colors and skin tones.
- For an XPR eShift DLP, this image is very clear and detailed. The colors are not overemphasized like on some other USTs.
- For a DLP of this class, ALPD 3.0 provides outstanding contrast.
- Taking measurements is easy and not intrusive thanks to the simple menu system.
- The projector supports 3D content, making it one of the few UST projectors that can do so.
- Designed to be compact, lightweight, and easy to handle, this projector delivers great performance and bright images
- The built-in speakers provide good sound, negating the need for a soundbar or external sound system if budget permits.
- Chassis with a low profile
- 65″ – 150″ screen size support
CONS
- The color gamut capability of this Blue Laser Phosphor projector is smaller than the color gamut capability of true RGB laser UST projectors that support all of BT.2020 color space as well as most other blue laser phosphor designs that can reach well into the mid 80’s of DCI-P3 color space.
- There is a tendency for almost all picture modes to look more blue than they should when they are first installed.
- Apps for streaming Smart TV content are limited by the built-in features.
- There are only two HDMI ports on this projector, compared to three on other UST projectors.
- It requires line of sight to use the remote since it is IR-only. Most other USTs use Bluetooth remotes instead.
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Highlights
A high-quality, affordable 4K laser UST projector thanks to ViewSonic, the X2000B is the company’s very first 4K laser UST. The laser phosphor light source in the X2000B is the second generation of ViewSonic’s laser phosphor light engine.
There are five default picture modes on the X2000B, each of which has its own settings. Each one has its own default image with picture attributes that seem nice to look at without blown out colors or highlights. The image is also displayed correctly in each of them, displaying skin tone that is not too red, so they appear sunburnt, or too yellow/green that they seem Martian. While a single laser projector cannot display the wide color gamut of the latest discrete RGB laser TVs, it will still deliver rich colors even though the color gamut is smaller.
In addition to its 2,000 ANSI lumen output, t
he luminaire is highly portable, lightweight, and compact. Its 3D playback capability also makes it an excellent choice for users on the go.
Aside from HDMI inputs that are older 2.0 standards, the ViewSonic also includes an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi support and audio/headphone connections. The device is Android-based, so you should expect to get better overall experience using an Android phone for this. Since I have an iPhone, I wasn’t able to test this theory.
The image calibration control settings allow you to adjust the image to a reference standard or any other image that you prefer. A meter is easy to use for getting a decently performing CMS (Color Management System) as well as successful grayscale/white balance results. With each use, you get a good dE that is close enough to reference to not be noticeable.
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Aesthetics
This little US
T is designed differently by ViewSonic. It’s tiny compared to other USTs. The front panel features a rounded speaker that is horizontally positioned, covered in matching fabric. It almost looks like a charcoal colored pool noodle that has been glued on.
All the connectors and the power button are on the back, with rounded corners and a matte charcoal black color, which is my preferred color among many UST owners.
With its internal fans that pull in the hot air from one side and expel it from the other, the X2000B projector has louvered and slotted sides to help it keep cool.
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Installation and Placement Guide
An image size
measurement card is included that can be used to measure the distance between the projector and the desired image size.
For maximum adjustment flexibility, I
prefer using four feet in each corner of the X2000B. The two front feet are adjustable, and the rubber back foot in the center is stationary. When the feet are adjusted, the projector’s vertical projection angle changes. If your screen and projector are on flat, plumb surfaces and perpendicular to each other, then there shouldn’t be much adjustment required.
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Projector to Screen Alignment
When it comes to USTs, the most important thing is to set them up physically before making any digital adjustments. Digital adjustments should only be applied in extreme cases. Adjust the projected screen size so that it is smaller and within the screen borders by moving the projector back and forth.
Using the angle adjuster feet, make the screen rectangular by moving the projector left or right. You may have to move the projector back and forth several times to get the screen size to fit the frame.
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Projector Focusing
With the X2000B, you can adjust the focus u
sing the motorized focus mechanism, like with most other UST projectors that feature electronic focusing.
By pressing the focus button on the remote, you can adjust the image’s clarity and sharpness using the left and right buttons to find the clearest setting for your installation.
Lens Zoom
It’s not possible. USTs are fixed zoom and rely on physically moving the projector forward and backward to change the size of the image.
Laser Light Source
A blue laser phosphor light engine and yellow phosphor wheel and color wheel are used by the X2000B, like many other single chip DLPs. A typical lifetime of the laser is around 20,000 hours, depending on its power and modes.
Brightness
As advertised, this UST projector has a brightness of 2,000 ANSI lumens. With a brightness of this magnitude, you should be able to replace a standard flat panel type TV with this diminutive UST if you pair it with a CLR (Ceiling Light Rejecting) Screen in most environments except very brightly lit ones.
This little beauty will project a much better image of colors when the lights are turned off in the same room at night, or in an environment with controlled lighting, such as a theater, when the ambient lighting in the room is not washed out. The darker shadows do not get washed out by the ambient light in the room. DLP projectors are known for their good inter-image contrast and celluloid image. As a result, you get more detailed, sharp, and deep images, especially with movies, almost like 3D. If you are going to install it in a dedicated, light controlled theater room, a standard white screen might be your first choice, but make sure it has a small bezel/frame so that the projected image does not get in the way of the projector at the bottom coming at extreme angles.
Its color on screen is created by the use of blue laser phosphors, yellow phosphors, and color wheels of the Viwewsonic X2000B. The device can therefore achieve the full Rec709 color space, but it is nowhere near the DCI-P3 gamut, which is widely used in 4K HDR video services. The BenQ V7050i, which also uses blue laser phosphor, must have a different color wheel with DCI-P3 segments because it seems to achieve a higher color gamut than the V2000B.
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Contrast
A stunning 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio is marketed with the ViewSonic X2000B UST laser projector, but we all know that is an exaggeration in marketing. Its black levels and contrast are as good as or better than most other UST DLP proj ectors on the market today despite such a ridiculous contrast claim.
With a 120″ Vividstorm CLR Screen, with the meter facing the screen, measurements were made using CalMAN calibration software with a SpectraCal CA-6 colorimeter.
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Sharpness, Detail, Clarity
The sharpness feature on displays is usually a rudimentary edge enhancement feature, which, if not executed well, can result in severe edge outlining, especially for straight lines and outline objects. In the examples below, you can see ringing or haloing. A few manufacturers and displays perform sharpening in a helpful way that appears sharper without distortion, as seen in the examples below. The DarbeeVision method illustrates how to do it right, since the image appears more detailed, three-dimensional, and more contrasty without creating white lines (rings) around objects, as Sony’s Reality Creation does.
In addition to producing detailed images with depth and sharpness, the X2000B has an excellent optical system. You can shoot even the highest resolution videos with it. The inter-image perceived contrast adds depth to the image, compensating for some of its color gamut shortcomings in combination with its good native contrast from its ALPD 3.0 optical system. A sharp focus is visible without implying digital enhancements via the sharpness setting or internal processing. It gives you a sense of dimensionality and realism no matter what type of image you send it, whether it’s from UHD Blu-ray, UHD streaming, or even Over-the-Top and cable television. In many scenes with mixed content, it appears almost 3D. This X2000B gives a very nicely rendered image when paired with its celluloid, film-like look and inherent sharpness and clarity.
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Motion Handling
As part of its motion processing, the ViewSonic X2000B projector adds frames to video sources at 24p by interpolating them to its native 60p resolution. Motion processing is called “Frame Interpolation” in the menu. The motion is performed with minimal ghosting and minimal blurring behind moving objects. Action and sports scenes in which the camera pans horizontally, like those in football, hockey, and basketball, are good examples, as do the car chases in movies, where cars fly horizontally across the screen while the camera pans along with them.
If you find that the X2000B’s native motion isn’t satisfactory, you can use Frame Interpolation (also called MEMC on some displays). There are three levels to choose from, LOW, MID and HIGH. I found it to be unsuitable when watching movies because I dislike soap opera effects, especially when watching movies! While watching normal television, I did notice a noticeable difference and could be worth it. If you don’t mind this controversial feature, I recommend using the LOW setting with these sources.
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Imaging Technology/Chipset
Texas Instruments’ 0.47 inch DMD DLP chipset is used in the ViewSonic X2000B, as opposed to the 0.67 inch DMD chipset used in some of its more expensive and larger competitors. A pseudo 4K UHD rendering can be achieved by using this chip in conjunction with the vibrating optical glass configuration of the XPR eShift UST. A common imager configuration in this price and model class is found in most USTs on the market.
Gaming Input Lag~ViewSonic X2000B-4K Ultra Short Throw 4K UHD
The X2000B has a dedicated Gaming Mode as one of its selectable picture modes. The projector’s processing will be disabled as much as possible in this mode to ensure the lowest possible latency response. An input lag around this level in Gaming Mode may be considered to be a bit too high for serious competitive gamers. Casual gamers usually aren’t affected as much by a latency around this level. In most cases, these types of gamers play just for fun, with friends, as most people do. You may find it a little too unresponsive at this latency speed to be as competitive as you need to be, especially if you play a first-person shooter game.
In spite of this, the X2000B displays gaming graphics very well. As with other modes used for TV and movies, it has a very organic film-like appearance with limited colors, but it is very similar to those used for TV and movies. The UST’s low input lag makes it a good choice for fun games where you don’t need a lot of input lag to stay competitive and enjoy yourself.
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Built-In Sound
Featuring Harman Kardon speakers, this ViewSonic UST has 50W of power spread over two channels, each with a tweeter and mid bass driver. Due to the fact that most only support Dolby Digital, it is capable of decoding both DTS and Dolby Digital sound formats. There is a strange black fabric covered sound bar that hides the pair of speakers on the front of this ultra short throw DLP.
Despite its small size, this UST has a decent audio reproduction that justifies its 50W power rating. Though it doesn’t deliver the same visceral experience that an expensive audio system or sound bar does, it does what it’s supposed to and what it’s designed to do. In other words, it can be used as a TV replacement for a living room, playroom or media room. It can also be used as a portable entertainment system for movie nights in the backyard or when visiting friends’ houses. Thankfully, you do not have to buy and use expensive sound bars or 5.1 or larger surround sound systems. If your budget allows for it, you can use those devices rather than the built-in devices on the Viewsonic X2000B. ARC allows you to connect a sound bar or external audio system to this UST.
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Projector Remote
You get a nice remote with the V2000B. It has a cool motion sensing design so it lights up the buttons in the dark when it is moved, such as when it is picked up. Despite its weight, it sits nicely in your hand and has all the buttons within your thumb’s reach. The circular ring navigation controls are rounded and raised, so they are easy to feel and use without having to look at them. When you press any of the buttons, you will feel a tactile response and hear a click.
Besides the normal buttons, such as home, back, volume +/-, mute, play/pause, chapter +/-, and power, it also has a dedicated focus button, Bluetooth, and input buttons.
IR is the only problem with this remote, so you have to point it directly at the projector to get it to work consistently. The projector often failed to respond to button pushes, causing me to have to push the buttons many times for it to register, so this was a minor frustration during my calibration with CalMAN, as I had to keep pointing directly at the front. USTs generally use Bluetooth remotes instead of line of sight controls, so you’re not restricted to line of sight. It is stated that the Bluetooth remote will be introduced soon, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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Streaming Applications
Projectors like this one include integrated apps that come with them, just like other USTs. Streaming from Netflix, among other streaming services, is possible through the projector’s “Apps Center”. However, when compared to using Netflix on dedicated streaming devices, using it was a point in futility.
In most cases, we recommend that you use external standalone streaming boxes in order to get the best performance and the most updated version of each app when we review USTs. Those based on AndroidTV without major reconfiguration would be the only exception, although you would have to rely on the projector manufacturer if any new updates were to be applied.
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User Interface and Menu System
Unlike other UST projectors I have reviewed, the user menus of the X2000B look and feel quite different. Fortunately, there are some options and selections that can be tailored to your needs to create a customized image and response. Using it to navigate through the various options given should be a breeze after a few minutes of playing with it and perusing its menus. The Image Settings menu tree and the Advanced menu tree will both be used.
Picture Modes~ViewSonic X2000B-4K Ultra Short Throw 4K UHD
No matter if you’re watching HDR or SDR, the X2000B uses five modes. They are Brightest, TV, Movie, Gaming and User. Out of the box, they all look the same, with all being too blue, as is the case with most displays. It seems like the User mode was closest to any sort of reference, but you can calibrate it to make it close to all of them. This is probably a design choice for brighter living room settings.
Brightest
Presentations to highlight colorful charts, Slideshows, etc., are best suited for bright environments such as boardrooms and rooms with lots of windows or lights.
To create a bright and vibrant effect in bright rooms, it oversaturates the colors. It looks overly bright and unnaturally vivid.
It has a very cool appearance due to its very blue image. With some tweaking of the calibration controls, you can use this mode as a nearly reference viewing mode on the X200B. When viewing in environments with high levels of ambient light, or when you want that extra punch HDR gives, you can maximize brightness in this mode.
TV
You might want to use this for non-critical movie watching, sports watch, or TV watching in rooms with more subtle ambient light, like sconces on dimmers, as well as for socializing and multitasking purposes.
As a result, the blue levels will be slightly elevated, or may appear to be due to the gamma used as well. This mode just boosts the blue levels even more, creating a cooler-looking presentation.
To offset the effects of room lighting, it has a cooler, bluer image with higher brightness, much like the other modes. Gamma and PQ are at lower values, usually 2.0 or 2.2, and the curve also rolls off earlier than Brightest Mode. It has a more natural tone than Brightest Mode.
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Movie
For serious home theater enthusiasts watching in a darkened room with light controls and wanting the picture to be as close to the director’s intent as possible, this mode is usually reserved.
Compared to TV Mode, this appears closer to D65 in terms of image quality and color and grayscale without any calibration. The laser is also slightly stronger, probably to make HDR movies easier to watch. Movie and Filmmaker Modes are typically designed to preserve creative intent as close to their original state as possible.
Projectors should be calibrated so that this mode will defeat all processing and will match standards without being too bright or clipping at the high or low ends.
In its default setting, this mode appears flatter and less dynamic than other modes, and tends to look more like celluloid and film. It is normally the least bright of all modes. Generally, color is muted than other modes, but in reality is closer to standard colors, which many are not accustomed to, and thus do not prefer to be exposed to.
Gaming
It is for gamers who want to play video games at the cheapest possible lag time. In order to prevent latency, or the delay between when a frame of video reaches the screen from the game console, this mode defeats as much of the processing in the projector as possible. Despite having a similar appearance to the other modes except User, this mode defeats most/all processing “features” and is geared toward critical gaming.
User
Allows and recalls the settings you can customize based on your personal preferences, or calibrated values. This is a user-definable mode to use if any of the available picture modes are not suitable for your needs. You can use one of the other built-in picture modes as a starting point and calibrate those, or you can use this User Mode to customize your settings. User Mode is the closest to reference out of the box.
HDR (High Dynamic Range)
Out of the box
As far as HDR is concerned, you can see that the image looks cooler than it should be based on reference no matter which HDR mode is used. Although the primary colors appear to follow each other linearly across grayscale, blue appears to have a higher proportion than green and red across the whole spectrum. EOTFs track curves, but are low, so you need to select the HIGH EOTF setting. There are three levels of EOTFs, LOW, MID, and HIGH. The only mode that follows the HDR EOTF closely is User Mode.
After Calibration (User Mode)
It is evident that a good calibration results in an image that is more accurate and closer to what is referenced. The D65 white point lands exactly in its proper box. With a blue laser and yellow phosphor, the color gamut is fairly accurate for all colors except green and red. Those two colors are derived from dividing yellow into its two primary components, red and green, so this is normal when using a blue laser with yellow phosphor. Since most high-end USTs today use true red, green, and blue lasers, this compromise results in lower color gamut coverage and possibly inaccurate colors. Due to the fact that I made sure the lower points tracked properly, the 50% points are off. Setting the peak gamut points and then having your tracking be off is more important than setting the lower points and then having your tracking be off.
The grayscale track tracks well, with the “knee’s” tone mapping effect taking effect as soon as the 50%-60% range is reached. Overall, the grayscale tracks right where it should in both low and high levels.
As compared to JVC’s LCoS projection technology, the EOTF PQ curve starts out a tad high at the bottom end because DLPs have an elevated black floor (0.0571 nits). A flatter appearance is created by a slightly low curve throughout the X2000B’s range. I attempted to fix it in the calibration controls, but this caused other issues that weren’t worth it. HDR EOTF is set to HIGH, so you cannot go any higher. As long as I watched regular HDR content, it didn’t appear to have any effect on the overall image, which remained bright and punchy.
User Mode
A Tascam BD-MP4K Professional UHD Blu-ray player, an AppleTV 4K Gen 3, an Oppo BDP-203 and a Tascam BD-MP4K Professional UHD Blu-ray player were used for HDR evaluation. Although the color gamut was a little smaller than the BenQ V7050i, the X2000B looked like it had a cinematic, filmlike image with a very celluloid appearance. For watching movies, you’ll enjoy its similar features to the V7050i.
Several UHD Blu-rays and some specific scenes from them are usually my go-tos for testing HDR material on projectors. In testing this ViewSonic UST, I used scenes and movies from The Meg (Chapter 8, overturned boat scene), Aquaman (Chapter 6, Aquaman chained), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Chapter 26, magic wand fight with Voldemort) and 1917 (Chapter 13, dark stairs). There are some scenes in these movies that represent some of the best white and black shadow detail ever captured in UHD.
Especially the dark shadowy scenes such as Harry Potter’s wand battle with Voldemort and the 1917 scene where George Mackay’s character falls down the steps and regains consciousness in the pitch black stairwell are handled well by the ViewSonic X2000B! For HDR TVs as well as projectors that can’t reach near the brightness of their TV counterparts, these scenes are extremely difficult to render. Due to this, HDR flat panel TVs with a very bright dynamic range suffer the most, so low level and peak white details are the attributes most prone to loss. Despite being a DLP projector, which are known for being the worst when it comes to native on/off contrast, the X2000B displays dark scenes in a very detailed manner.
SDR (Standard Dynamic Range)
Out of the box
SDR displays and projectors perform similarly out of the box, with default modes that are far too blue. In the USER mode, the RGB balance was within 10% of reference, and the EOTF has a slight bump in the midranges, which is probably intended to help boost these levels in situations with high ambient light, which is typically the case when using these USTs. Additionally, the D65 mode had the closest white point out of the box of all modes. As I calibrated the X2000B and evaluated the SDR performance, I chose to use the USER mode instead of the MOVIE mode.
The following measurements were taken before making any adjustments:
After Calibration
Except for a slight giddyup at the high end of the grayscale range between 90-100%, the reference points remain close to their intended targets after the User Mode calibration. There is an intentional increase in green and blue saturation at their peak and a reduction in red saturation around the same percentage below its reference at 100%. In order to maintain the white balance across the grayscale range, which is more important than getting the extreme high end perfect, this is intentionally done. My guess is that with a White Balance of 11 or 21 points, we could have got them all right.
As far as its shape is concerned, the gamma follows the curve nicely, but it is a bit low at first which causes the image to appear darker and more crushed in the low areas, but then it reaches a very high point at its peak after transitioning to ever so slightly higher in the midranges. A rendered image within 20 and 90% will therefore seem hot and boosted, but as discussed in HDR, this is probably done intentionally to help overcome ambient light in the environments where these projectors are typically installed in by giving the main parts of the image a little boost.
Final thoughts on the ViewSonic X2000B-4K Ultra Short Throw 4K UHD review
This spunky little UST is a puzzle to me, as ViewSonic has made some questionable decisions when designing it. Why not use an RGB laser source as some other USTs have? Aside from that, the X2000B does not even approach full Rec.709, let alone even close to the 90% DCI-P3 color gamut that the UHD Alliance requires for a device to qualify as a wide color gamut device, unlike other Blue Laser Phosphor light-enabled units such as the BenQ LK990.
Only by using a different color wheel with lighter color segments can they get the brightest image possible, so they could get more lumens to the screen by letting more light through as a trade off for more brightness. In similar fashion to how classroom projectors overcome light from ceiling lights and windows, USTs are commonly installed in similar environments.
I can honestly say that ViewSonic’s UST here actually performs well, despite this oversight. For a TV replacement in a living room or another room where there may be some ambient light pollution, this is a good choice. The color palette is decent for what it is and it has both bright and saturated colors. You get a cinematic image and a celluloid look. Obviously, the light engine of this UST helps to display video on screen without being oversaturated with a cartoonish image as many others are.