To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more

Vivitek H538W-3D review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £643
inc VAT

Works great for smaller rooms, but the H538W-3D lacks the features and image quality to take a place in your main home cinema setup

Specifications

1,280×800 resolution, 3,200 ANSI lumens, 78x261x190mm, 1.9kg

http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk

Finding a home cinema projector that supports 3D video can be incredibly difficult if you’re on a budget, but Vivitek’s H538W-3D is surprisingly well priced at £650. If this sounds a little too good to be true, you won’t be surprised that some sacrifices have been made in order to reach such a low price.

The biggest missing feature is 1080p support – the H538W-3D can only output high definition video in 720p. However, this shouldn’t be enough to put you off, as the incredibly compact unit isn’t designed to replace your living room’s TV. Instead, it works well as a portable projector that can easily be moved from room to room, or taken with you on the move.

Vivitek H538W-3D

For smaller rooms such as a study or bedroom, the H538W-3D makes much more sense. It’s small enough to fit on a shelf, but can still create a 52in image from a distance of seven feet – even at 720p, the difference an image this size can make to games and videos can be astonishing. The 3,200 ANSI lumens lamp is bright enough to use with a small amount of external light, so you won’t need to completely black out your windows, although naturally it works best in darkness. The projector is fairly quiet, so shouldn’t worry you if you’re sat next to it.

Vivitek H538W-3D rear ports

You should have no trouble connecting a games console or PC, thanks to the array of inputs on the main unit – HDMI, VGA, composite video and S-video should cover most setups. You’ll want to use your own speakers, as the single 2W mono speaker built into the unit is woefully underpowered. Even at its maximum volume audio had a sharp high end and little bass.

Image quality was respectable at 720p, with fairly accurate colours and plenty of brightness in a dark room. However, contrast was lacking in darker images and black levels left a lot to be desired – the opening scenes of Casino Royale appeared as chalky grey instead of the stark black and white they should. We found it difficult to follow fast-moving scenes because of the noticeable rainbow effect created by the DLP colour wheel – we aren’t particularly susceptible to the effect, but we definitely spotted it here. If you’ve struggled with rainbow patterns in the past, you may need to look elsewhere.

Pages: 1 2

Details

Price £643
Details www.vivitek.co.uk
Rating ***

Specifications

Projector technology DLP
Lamp brightness 3,200 ANSI lumens
Lamp life 3,000
Lamp life in economy mode 4,000
Contrast ratio 3,000:1

Picture

Native resolution 1,280×800
Max compressed resolution 1,600×1,200
Aspect ratio 16:10
Other aspect ratios 16:9, 4:3
Max diagonal at 7ft 52in
Throw ratio 1.52 to 1.76:1
Optical zoom 1.6x
Projection distance 0.8 to 7.6m
Mirror image yes
Invert image yes
Lens shift horizontal N/A
Lens shift vertical 30%
HD Ready yes
Special view modes Movie, PC, user

Inputs/Outputs

VGA input yes
DVI input No
Sound inputs 3.5mm, phono
Composite input yes
S-video input yes
HDMI input yes
Component input no
PAL support yes
SECAM support yes
NTSC support yes
Audio output none
Video output none
Others inputs/outputs RS232

Other

Noise (in normal use) 31dB(A)
Size 78x261x190mm
Weight 1.9kg
Internal speakers yes (2W mono)
Extras remote, cables (AC power, VGA), carry case
Remote special features picture mode, colour temp, aspect ratio, lens shift, zoom, keystone, overscan, black level, freeze
Power consumption standby 0W
Power consumption on 228W

Lamp

Lamp cost (inc VAT) £216
Lamp supplier www.projectorplanet.co.uk
Lamp cost per hour of use £0.07
Lamp cost per hour of use (economy) £0.05

Buying Information

Price £643
Supplier http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk
Details www.vivitek.co.uk

Read more

Reviews