The ViewSonic PJD6531w produced a lot of light and had good color performance—after it was calibrated.

projectors

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Value

The ViewSonic PJD6531w is the cheaper of the two projectors at about $700. However, the Canon LV-8310 is easier to use.

Blacks & Whites

Both projectors are powerful devices that can output a lot of light. We measured the lumen output of the ViewSonic at just over 3100 and the Canon at 2500. However, the ViewSonic relies on the BrilliantColor mode to boost the brightness, which has an adverse effect on the color accuracy of the projector.

Color

Both projectors had strong color performance in our tests, with the ViewSonic having more consistent whites and the Canon having smoother color curves. However, the Canon can produce brighter color, as you have to disable the BrilliantColor on the ViewSonic to get the best color accuracy.

Motion

Both projectors produced acceptably smooth motion, although, like all DLP projectors, the ViewSonic was somewhat prone to the rainbow effect, where fast-moving objects get an occasional color fringe.

Viewing Effects

Both projectors offer a 1.2x zoom lens, but the Canon offers a wider range of distances that it can be mounted from the projector, making it more flexible for office and other non-permanent installation use. We did find that the ViewSonic produced a slightly sharper image, though.

Connectivity

The ViewSonic has one thing that the Canon does not: a HDMI port. This makes it easier to connect the ViewSonic to consumer electronics such as Blu-ray players. The Canon offers a DVI port in its place, which makes it easier to connect to a computer. Both projectors offer VGA and a variety of analog video and audio inputs, though.