Viewsonic PJD5555w DLP Projector - Hardware Tour

The Viewsonic PJD5555w has a sharp-looking black case, with nicely rounded sides.  It looks like a projector that costs more than its modest price.  The PJD5555w has its lens offset to the right side of the projector when facing it.  The lens is recessed in the case, which offers it some protection as there is no lens cap.  To the left of the lens is an IR receiving eye and a hot air exhaust port.  There is a single height adjustable foot in the center front of the projector.

On top of the projector, right behind the lens, are adjustment rings for Zoom and Focus.  To the left of that is the lamp cover.  The cover is secured by screws on the top edges of the projector.  This allows for easy removal/replacement of the lamp even if the projector is ceiling-mounted.

On the left side (facing the front of the projector), is the SonicExpert built-in speaker chamber followed by an air intake vent toward the rear.  There is another vent on the right side of the projector.

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On the top of the projector, in the rear left corner, is a control panel including indicators for power, lamp status and temperature (if overheating).  There are buttons for Power, Keystone correction (which also serve as menu navigation Up/Down buttons), Menu/Exit, Enter, Color Mode and Source/Help (Help mode is entered by holding down the Source button for 3 seconds).  The Left/Right menu navigation buttons also function as Blank and Panel Key lock respectively.

Moving to the rear panel, there is a limited array of inputs, but an HDMI 1.4a input is included.  Starting at the top left, there is one 1/8” audio input jacks and one 1/8” audio output jack.  These are followed by S-video and composite video inputs, an HDMI input, two VGA computer inputs and a VGA monitor output.  Finally, there are a mini USB jack (for remote mouse functions) and an RS232 control port.  Along the bottom of the rear panel is the power cord jack and a Kensington lock.

The PJD5555w’s remote control is a small, black remote with mostly black buttons and white lettering.  The Power, Menu, Eco Mode and My Button buttons are colored red, blue green and green respectively to make them stand out.  All of the buttons are appropriately grouped and cover all the important functions without accessing them through the menu.

In addition to the usual menu and navigation buttons, there are buttons to directly access the VGA computer or HDMI inputs, mouse functions, image auto-sync, blank, source, pattern, color mode, mouse, timer, lock, help, digital zoom and keystone correction.  There is also a customized button labeled “My Button” which can be set to any one of a number of functions that best fits the presenter’s needs.  There are also buttons to mute and control the volume of the projector’s 2-watt built-in speaker.

The buttons are not backlit or even glow-in-the-dark, but that is standard for multimedia projectors, where backlighting can often be distracting.