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ViewSonic's PJ258D projector with iPod dock reviewed
As iPods gradually find their way into the hands of every man, woman, and child the world over, manufacturers are finding it more and more economically viable to produce relatively expensive home theater equipment focused solely on the owners of the popular little DAP. Case in point is ViewSonic, which followed up its iPod-friendly ViewDock monitors with the PJ258D, claimed to be the first projector with a built-in dock for your 5G 'Pod. With a resolution of just 1024 x 768, this $1,300 machine is obviously not the best choice for displaying your 1080p content, but according to Laptop magazine, it does an admirable job displaying the iPod's VGA output on a 5-foot+ screen. Also getting high marks was the unit's brightness, which measured 2265 ANSI lumens -- even though its only rated at 2000 lumens out of the box. Less impressive are the controls and connections: buttons are small and hard to see, the included presentation remote won't connect to your notebook for PowerPoints, and the dearth of inputs means that you'll either need a switcher or another projector altogether if your rack is packed with gear. Still, despite these and a few other issues (most notably heat output and fan noise), the PJ258D earned itself 3.5 out of 5 stars, making it seem like the perfect choice for partiers on the go who don't need to wake up the next day and give a presentation at work.
ViewSonic announces PJ258D iPod-ready projector
ViewSonic has already managed to squeeze an iPod dock onto some of its LCD monitors, but the company's now taking things up a notch in the display size department, unveiling its first "Made for iPod" projector packing its trademark ViewDock connectivity. Apart from the iPod-centric design, the PJ258D appears to be a fairly standard DLP projector, with a 1024 x 768 XGA resolution, 2,000 ANSI lumens brightness, and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, all in a four pound package. The iPod dock does seem to come at the expense of other inputs, however, with single s-video, composite, and VGA ports your only other options. Check out a couple of live shots of the projector after the break, and look for it arrive sometime in first quarter of this year for $999.
