ViewSonic PX728-4K – 4K HDR projector with 4.2 ms input lag and 240 Hz

ViewSonic PX728-4K – Design and Functionality

At a time when projectors not only perform well, but also look really good, ViewSonic has a lot to catch up on in recent years. With the ViewSonic PX728-4K, things are going a little in the right direction. It’s still not the prettiest projector, but at least it looks much more modern and of higher quality than before, which is certainly also due to the matt black color and the golden accent colors. Like most projectors, the ViewSonic PX728-4K is mainly made of plastic. At the front is the projector lens, an infrared sensor and the three well-known Gouldians of the ViewSonic logo.

To the left and right of the ViewSonic PX728-4K are the fan shafts, where some of the sound comes out. As you can see there are several large fans attached. On the right, the air sucks in, on the left, the air expels, which corresponds to a strong air flow at full power, which initially has the effect of a cold fan and after a few minutes like a fan heater. Accordingly, if you are going for high performance, you should not sit right next to it. Incidentally, the fan can be relatively quiet in Eko mode. It’s not the quietest fan system, but at least outperforms some projectors in the last couple of years. Below the projector there are threads for attaching to the wall and the rubber feet, of which the front one can be adjusted in height to change the angle of the projection.

On top of the ViewSonic PX728-4K there are some control buttons that allow precise settings when the remote control is out of reach. That is also basically okay. What only irritates me a little is what is directly above the lens. Here we have two rotary controls, similar to a camera lens. One of them is to zoom or enlarge the projection. That would be very practical in general if the projection were not significantly smaller in comparison to other projectors without zooming. But there are certainly situations where this makes sense, where the advantage over pure keystone correction for a smaller image is that there is no huge bright frame around the image.

What irritates me is the focus ring at the price. The ViewSonic PX728-4K has no autofocus. If you move the projector slightly, you have to readjust manually each time. This is not only impractical, but also a bit annoying if you do not always have the projector in a fixed position. In general, the area where the focus is right is so narrow that it is not always easy to find the perfect focus.

All the ports are on the back, which are all the more important here, because the ViewSonic PX728-4K is not an Android TV projector is. Viewsonic does a good job here, because in addition to HDMI, USB-C (5V / 2A) is actually used here, which allows direct streaming. Viewsonic even advertises the port with the fact that the Nintendo Switch works here without a dock (for this you can activate the energy supply in the settings of the projector). In such cases, a switch dock is usually built into the devices. Even if Viewsonic advertises it and it works for me without restrictions so far, you should only do this at your own risk, as the Nintendo Switch USB-C port is quite sensitive when it comes to third-party docks, USB-C cables or charging cables. Incidentally, the USB-C port also works with PCs, laptops, smartphones, etc. It would be exciting, for example, to do something in the direction of Samsung Dex.

HDMI (HDMI 2.0b / HDCP 1.4 / 2.2) we have exactly two here. As a non-standalone projector, it could certainly have used a third port or even a DisplayPort. But VGA is included. A 3.5 mm jack connection is included for audio. Toslink, which is currently found in the new flagship projectors, is missing here. You also have to do without Bluetooth. Otherwise there is an Ethernet port to connect it to home automation systems and a USB port. This cannot transfer any content and unfortunately only serves for maintenance of the device and firmware upgrades.

We come to the remote control. There is really not much to say here, as Viewsonic has given a € 1300 projector a particularly unaesthetic remote control, which would not be bad if the buttons at least always respond reliably and not sometimes get stuck in the remote control. You can live with it, but now even the cheapest € 200 projectors have better remote controls. The remote control also needs optical contact to the IR sensor on the front. Accordingly, you have to point the remote control at the device, or, to put it simply, the signal has to bounce off the wall and hit the sensor. The remote control is at least illuminated for this. Modern remote controls don’t have that. In addition to the remote control, there is also a USB-C cable and the power cable in the box.

ViewSonic PX728-4K operating system and settings

As already mentioned, the ViewSonic PX728-4K comes without AndroidTV, which is a bit disappointing because it is just a normal projector that cannot do anything on its own. The convenience that comes with it is gone. In general, this is not a problem, because a Chromecast Stick, Amazon Fire TV Stick or Apple TV makes the projector smart again. So it depends on how you want to use it. In general it offers a lot of settings. Since I can’t go through everything, you can find screenshots below. I will go into the most important things in the next section.

ViewSonic PX728-4K – Audio and Video

An audio experience in a class of its own: Unfortunately, you don’t get that with the ViewSonic PX728-4K. The clay is extremely flat and practically comes out of the can. For this purpose I tested several sources and also after further audio settings where there is not a single one. ViewSonic’s own description of the 10 W loudspeaker “satisfactory audio performance” hits it pretty well because that is exactly what it is and not over-promised. I think ViewSonic assumes that most of those who want to use it professionally probably already have a speaker system. It’s a shame, but it’s enough for a little gaming session with the switch.

In terms of image quality, it is at least much better. That seems to be the main focus of the ViewSonic PX728-4K. Inside there is a DC3 DMD chip with a 4K resolution of 3840 × 2160. At this resolution, the projector comes to 60 Hz, i.e. 60 images per second. It looks different in gaming mode. Here the resolution is reduced to 1080p, but the projector comes up to 240 Hz and an unbelievable input lag of 4.2 ms, which even surpasses the current gaming king, the Xgimi Horizon Pro with around 36 ms. So here you have an almost competitive reaction time, especially with very fast shooters like Call of Duty. The brightness here is 2000 ANSI lumens and is generally easy to see even in daylight, provided the projector is not too far from the surface and it is not directly at the window. HDR and HLG are also supported here, although I had the problem that the picture becomes slightly blurred when switched on. I can’t yet answer the reasons for this.

In general, the ViewSonic PX728-4K is not quite as sharp as the competition, which is why I believe that a 300 inch projection would be too much of a good thing. This is due to the fact that the picture has the intended sharpness without zooming. If you zoom in completely to get to the standard size, which is the standard for every other projector, the image becomes less sharp, as the image is basically only scattered by the optical zoom. Therefore, for a very sharp image, it is better to move the projector back further than you might have room. Keystone Correction and other standard features are also included.

But it shines with the colors, because the ViewSonic PX728-4K offers extensive color calibration options that most projectors do not have. Thanks to its Cinema SuperColor technology, it can display 100% Rec.709. This means that it is extremely color-accurate and can be used practically like a monitor itself for color processing, provided that it is correctly calibrated. The vColorTuner is used for this.

ViewSonic PX728-4K pricing and availability

The ViewSonic PX728-4K is already available from various providers such as Amazon and currently costs around 1260 euros. That’s not a small price to pay for the fact that the projector has to compete with other powerful all-rounders and that its features appeal to a rather smaller target group. Here you mainly pay for the high color accuracy and the gaming mode, which makes it a good PC projector, i.e. a monitor replacement.