ViewSonic claims the PX706HD produces 3,000 lumens. SO CLOSE! It measured 2,972 in its brightest mode, named Brightest. Most projectors will fall up to 25% short of claim, while some will actually measure over claim. Of the projectors I’ve reviewed that didn’t meet claim, I think this ViewSonic is the first to measure so close to its intended number. Pretty cool. ViewSonic’s had a handful of little surprises for me this time.
All of the modes have a respectable amount of brightness for dealing with moderate ambient light, such as what is found in most living rooms and media rooms (with the exception of truly bright rooms, like Art’s living room). The next brightest mode is called Sports, which I didn’t really like the color of – it measured at 2,264 lumens. The next brightest modes, Gaming and Standard, measured 2,184 and 2,132 lumens respectively. Standard, as mentioned on the previous page, is one of the two best modes.
Movie Mode came in at 1,833. That’s still enough to handle ambient light, but I didn’t particularly enjoy watching dark scenes from Stranger Things and The Hunger Games with more than a little ambient light present. If you’re watching during the day, I’d use Standard, then Movie when your room is fully darkened at night, and it’s time to put on one of your favorite films. One more thing to mention – gaming during the day is just fine in Gaming Mode, with the shades drawn, and some ambient light present. You should be good with even moderate ambient light.
