PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

PCMag UK

ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L

Tony Hoffman
 & Tony Hoffman Senior Writer, Hardware

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L - ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L
3.0 Average

The Bottom Line

The ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L is a budget-priced DLP data projector with low resolution and a sparse port selection, but its data-image quality is solid.
Best Deal£1163.6

Buy It Now

£1163.6

Pros & Cons

    • Budget price.
    • Fairly bright.
    • Can project 3D content.
    • Port selection is sparse.
    • Rainbow artifacts in video.
    • Color-balance issue.
    • Soft audio.

ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L Specs

Engine Type DLP
Inputs and Interfaces HDMI
Native Resolution 800 x 600
Rated Brightness 3300
Warranty 36
Weight 5.3
All Specs

The ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L ($369.99) is a low-resolution data projector with a modest feature set. Its data-image quality is solid, if unspectacular, making it suitable for typical presentations. If you can make do with its limited port selection, though, you can get a bright data projector at a budget price.

This off-white and gray projector is rated at 3,300 lumens, and provides SVGA (800-by-600) native resolution, at a 4:3 aspect ratio. The PJD5155L measures 4.3 by 14.2 by 9.1 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.3 pounds. It lacks a carrying case. The lens has a 1.1X zoom ratio, as modest as you can get, but it's better than no zoom.

This projector's port selection is best described as minimalist: one VGA-in (which doubles as component video) and one HDMI port. A mini USB Type B port is for remote mouse control and maintenance, while an RS-232 serial port is for controlling projector functions from a computer.

Data-Image Quality
I tested the projector at a distance of about 8 feet away from the screen. The test image, measuring about 60 inches diagonally, stood up well to a fair amount of ambient light.

In data testing using the DisplayMate suite, the PJD5155L's image quality was average for an SVGA data projector, and suitable for typical business and classroom presentations. Text quality is reasonably good. White text on black is easily readable at sizes as small as 9 points, while black text on white is easily readable down to 7.5 points.

I noticed a color-balance issue in that some light-gray backgrounds look slightly green, while others look a bit red. Colors are on the dull side, even for a DLP projector—particularly yellows (which look mustardy) and reds. (While LCD projectors have the same color brightness as white brightness, DLP projectors tend to have lower color brightness than their ratings.)

I saw rainbow artifacts—little red-green-blue flashes, particularly in bright areas against dark backgrounds—in images that tend to draw them out. This rainbow effect, which is frequently encountered in DLP-based projectors, is seldom a problem in data images, and that should be the case with the PJD5155L.

Video and Audio
The rainbow effect is more of an issue in the PJD5155L's video. I saw rainbow artifacts in some test scenes—they were about as apparent as with an average DLP projector—and people who are sensitive to the effect could well be distracted by it. Some test scenes looked overly red. Thus, video with the PJD5155L is suitable for shorter clips as part of presentations. Audio from the PJD5155L's single 2-watt speaker is on the soft side, suitable for a smaller room, and of good quality.

As a DLP projector, the PJD5155L can project 3D content compatible with the DLP-Link system, although you need to get your own active-shutter DLP-Link glasses. ViewSonic sells them for $129.99 each, though you can get generic active-shutter glasses for less. Still, if you plan to show 3D content to a group of people, the cost of glasses will quickly exceed the cost of the projector.

Conclusion
At 3,300 rated lumens, the PJD5155L is a bit brighter than the Epson EX3212 SVGA 3LCD Projector ($529.00 at Amazon) , our Editors' Choice SVGA data projector, which is rated at 2,800 lumens. The PJD5155L has a much more sparse port selection, and is no match for the Epson EX3212's image quality for data and video. The PJD5155L also has fewer ports than the ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155 ( at Amazon) , another SVGA data projector. It also has more serious color balance issues than the Viewsonic PJD5155, and its video suffers more from rainbow artifacts.

What the ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L does offer is good brightness and solid data-image quality for an SVGA projector. If you don't need ports other than VGA and HDMI, there's no use in paying for them, and the PJD5155L is available at a bargain price.

Best Projector Picks

Further Reading

Final Thoughts

ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L - ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L

ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L Review

3.0 Average

The ViewSonic LightStream PJD5155L is a budget-priced DLP data projector with low resolution and a sparse port selection, but its data-image quality is solid.

Get It Now
Best Deal£1163.6

Buy It Now

£1163.6

About Our Expert

Tony Hoffman

Tony Hoffman

Senior Writer, Hardware

Since 2004, I have worked on PCMag’s hardware team, covering at various times printers, scanners, projectors, storage, and monitors. I currently focus my efforts on 3D printers, pro and productivity displays, and drives and SSDs of all sorts.

Over the years, I have reviewed smart telescopes, iPad and iPhone science apps, plus the occasional camera, laptop, keyboard, and mouse. I've also written a host of articles about astronomy, space science, travel photography, and astrophotography for PCMag and its past and present sibling publications (among them, Mashable and ExtremeTech), as well as for the former PCMag Digital Edition.

The Technology I Use

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T14 laptop that's my work daily driver, an HP Pavilion Aero 13 as my primary personal laptop, and an Asus ProArt P16 for detailed photo work. (I also have an older Dell XPS 13, which now stays at home full-time.) For storage testing, I rely on our three custom-built Windows testbeds in PC Labs, as well as a 2024 MacBook Pro.

My primary home monitor is a BenQ EX2780Q, a gaming monitor with a great sound system and excellent image quality. I use that panel for writing, watching videos, and working with photos. I also have an HP 27 Curved Display—one of the first general-purpose curved monitors—which I have paired with an Acer Aspire desktop computer. My multifunction printer is an Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Small-in-One. I also own an Epson Perfection V39 flatbed scanner, which I use for photos and short documents, and a Canon Selphy CP1300 small-format photo printer for turning out snapshots.

My first cell phone, in 2006, was a Motorola Razr; since then, it’s been all iPhones—I currently have an iPhone 15 Pro. I use my iPhone a lot for casual photography, though I also use a Sony DSC-RX100 VII and a Canon G5 X Mark II for everyday shooting. For much of my travel photography and astrophotography, I use either a Sony A7r II or A7 III, paired with a variety of lenses ranging from a Sony 14mm f/1.8 prime to a Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS zoom lens. I also pair the A7r with a RedCat 51 for deep-sky star shooting. For astrophotography, I also use the Seestar S30 and S50 and the Unistellar Odyssey smart telescopes, which are essentially astronomical cameras controlled through one’s mobile device.

Read the latest from Tony Hoffman

Read full bio