Over the course of the past few years, the people over at ViewSonic have released a fairly high number of projectors, some of them designed especially for the business segment while others target mostly home users. And this is exactly the type of device we'll talk about as follows, namely the Cine5000 model, launched in September 2006, which provides an advanced set of home-entertainment related features at a pretty affordable price tag (at least as far as



First and foremost, it's important to note the fact that the projector from ViewSonic incorporates the DarkChip2 technology from Texas Instruments (0.65-inch DarkChip2 Digital Micromirror Device -DLP), which delivers an enhanced level of color clarity and intensity. Furthermore, the Cine5000 incorporates Faroudja DCDi video processing technology (for smooth video with no blurs or jagged edges), as well as a six segment color wheel.



The projector from ViewSonic is capable of delivering image resolutions of up to 1280 x 1024 pixels (SXGA), but the native resolution is just 1280 x 768 pixels (WXGA). Moreover, it can generate images with diagonal sizes from 33- 255 inches at distances ranging from 59 to 394 inches (1.74-2.09:1 throw ratios). Furthermore, the Cine5000 provides a typical contrast ratio of 2000:1, as well as a native aspect ratio of 16:9 (although users can also go for the 4:3 variant).



It's also important to note the fact that the projector has been equipped with a 250W lamp, which boasts an estimated functioning time of around 2,000 hours and generates a brightness level of 1,000 ANSI lumens.



The device can support quite a wide array of signals, namely NTSC 4.43, PAL, SECAM, HDTV (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i), delivered via the OptiSync connectivity technology. Thus, although the device sports the already “classical” RGB Input, S-Video or Component Video interfaces, it also comes packed with HDMI connector, which allows users to connect it to various sources of HD content.



The Cine5000 can be found at several retailers for around 1,000 – 1,900 US dollars, which makes it quite an affordable home-theater solution, taking into account the features and specs this thing can offer.