ViewSonic LS820 1080p Laser Projector with Ultra Short Thow Lens 3500 Lumens and 6-Segment Color Wheel for Home Theater

This projector I bought was sold as used but had zero hours on the laser light source.

This product is incomplete. The user guide is missing many of the sections that are referred to via dead links. One of the missing sections is a description of how to control the product via LAN. The reason the section is missing is that LAN control is not implemented, even though the product data sheet claims it is. Without LAN control this projector cannot be used in a rear projection mode without going through some major hoops. In a rear projection installation the projector is hidden behind the screen and the IR control receiver is facing the wall and is not accessible with the supplied IR remote. Thus, there is no way to even turn the projector on and off, much less access the other features, like focus. I've received a case number from Viewsonic support to get a firmware update to "fix this problem". However, I have to send the projector back to have the manufacturer apply the firmware update. The support tech says Viewsonic doesn't implement user applied updates because, "Viewsonic seldom provides firmware updates." I generously gave this product two stars because I found a way to extend the IR control to be accessible from the front by purchasing an IR transceiver pair (at my cost of course). The optical properties of the projector seem pretty good. However, the claim of 3500 Lumens is greatly overstated according to measurements done for a review at projectorcentral.com.

Wow it's cool! The ultra short throw lens throws me off sometimes. Put it on the floor 2-3 feet from a wall, and suddenly you've covered the entire wall (starting about 2-3 feet up - sadly not from the floor, which is what I was aiming for). The laser projection image is sharp, and it's true to the 1080p. 4500 lumens isn't quite enough for "production quality" but it may be close for what I have in mind.

I used this projector for a projections design for a play. I was beyond impressed with the brightness, clarity, throw, and everything else. This product has made me a believer in ViewSonic!

The projector stoped working after a few times of use. It will start up but not stay on.

ViewSonic has replaced the LS810 for me twice and all three units have had the same defect: after about 10 months of ownership of each of them the unit will start up, run for about 2 minutes, and shut itself down. There are no setting issues and nothing can be done to get it to work properly. This exact issue happened with all three LS810s that ViewSonic sent me. I’ve never written a bad review before, but I’m telling you DO NOT BUY THE VIEWSONIC LS810.

Won't play a simple DVD movie. Displays a beautiful splash screen then goes all Exorcist on me. Bounces between splash screen and no signal detected. The sound from the movie begins to play until the possession starts in and then the sound cuts out. Tried several DVD players. On a very old model I got the movie menu to come up. Trying to hit play brings out the devil in it. The movie, player, and receiver all work when connected to a regular TV.