Viewsonic m1 review in Spanish (full analysis)

The award-winning ViewSonic M1 portable LED DLP projector has recently been released for sale at the iF Design award 2018. Among its main features, we must highlight the small size of the device, the built-in battery and its native 480p resolution. All this thought to enjoy it in almost any place that we want. In this analysis we will describe its strengths and weaknesses in case you plan to buy it.

Wanting to know more about this projector? Here we go!

We thank ViewSonic for giving us this projector for analysis.

Technical characteristics ViewSonic M1

Unboxing

ViewSonic packages the projector in a medium-sized, sturdy cardboard box that keeps it from warping. The ViewSonic M1 also comes embedded in a cardboard holder and inside a very useful fabric cover for transport and protection. When removing the cardboard support, we find:

• Power adapter. Power transformer. Remote control. 2 AA batteries. Type C microUSB cable. Instruction manual.

Seamless design

One of the greatest strengths of the ViewSonic M1 projector is its design. As portability is the main objective of this product, the company has designed it to the millimeter to satisfy that facet. For this reason, the body of the projector is made of hard silver-colored plastic that gives it the necessary robustness while making it lighter. In the upper part it has a micro-perforated mesh that provides extra ventilation and gives a more refined finish to the set. The dimensions of 146 x 40.5 x 126 mm and the weight of 750 grams come perfect for easy portability.

But where the design really shines is in the incorporation of a 360-degree arm. This has both the function of protecting the lens when not in use, and of turning it for use as a support foot. This allows the projector to be tilted in the desired direction. There is no problem that this support slides since it has a rubber base designed for it and that incorporates the ViewSonic logo.

Drilling down the design

When the front bracket is removed, a sensor detects it and turns on the projector. To the left of this sensor is the infrared sensor for the remote control and to the right is the projection lens.

On the back, on the other hand, a series of physical buttons have been incorporated in case you do not have or want to use the remote. With them we can turn the ViewSonic M1 on and off, increase or decrease the volume and move through the menus. It can be a little cumbersome to use at times but it is better to have them than not to have them. Below them are some light spots to indicate the battery level. Also next to the buttons is a grille through which the sound of the speakers is output.

The right side exclusively houses ventilation grills and is where the 360-degree support is connected.

Although the focus wheel is the only thing that seems to be on the left side, if you pull on a cloth puller, it opens a lid that houses a microSD card slot, the power connector, a microUSB type-C port, a port HDMI 1.4 input, a 3.5mm jack for headphones and a last USB port.

To finish, highlight the female UNC 1/4 ″ -20 thread at the bottom to connect a tripod if desired.

Improvable projection quality

The ViewSonic M1 is a DLP-type projector and LED lamp with a native WVGA resolution of 854 x 480 pixels and a 16: 9 aspect ratio. As you can see, we are facing a really low resolution. Close to the resolution that the latest CRT televisions possessed. On paper this aspect disappoints a little. However, as is the case with most projectors, FullHD files can be played and rescaled.

The LED lamp, unlike conventional ones, has a longer lifespan, around 30, 000 hours. With a use of several hours a day, we have a projector for many years. The drawback of this type of lamps is their brightness power. It is usually low, although again, the ViewSonic M1 again disappoints a bit in this regard with a maximum brightness of 250 ANSI lumens. There are compact sized LED projectors with 500 lumens. The dynamic contrast does look better because it has a ratio of 120.00: 1.

By counting the lens with a projection factor of 1.2, if the projector is placed 1 meter away, it is possible to project a 38-inch image. With the ViewSonic M1 we can achieve a screen size between 24 and 100 inches.

Testing the ViewSonic M1

In our case we have carried out the tests by placing the projector at a distance of 2.15 meters and achieving a diagonal of 80 inches.

The overall image quality is correct by shooting low. Sometimes it will depend largely on the content played. In 1080p movies and video games the lack of sharpness and resolution is easily noticeable. It is possible to enjoy it if you are not very sybarite of quality. All this without forgetting the difficulty that reading small subtitles can sometimes represent.

Where you can get more out of the ViewSonic M1 is in the use of presentations and slide with large fonts or images with resolution close to 480p.

The dynamic contrast discussed above is one of the best aspects. Without being the best, at least you can enjoy quite acceptable blacks.

All of the aforementioned is referred to the semi-dark projection. Since due to the low light output, it is difficult to enjoy any content in bright light.

In the event that a projection cannot be achieved completely perpendicular to the projection area, the ViewSonic M1 has an automatic vertical keystone correction of +/- 40º.

To protect the eyes, if someone is within 30 centimeters of the lens, it turns off to avoid causing an eye injury.

Exceptional sound

The two 3W speakers included and signed by the Harman Kardon brand are among the best I have heard in a long time in this type of projector. They sound powerful and clear to be so small. It must be recognized that it is one of the best sections of the ViewSonic M1.

The fan that extracts heat from the projector is usually quite audible in quiet moments, but as soon as some other audio content is played, it goes completely unnoticed.

A tight battery

An essential section to achieve total portability and for which ViewSonic has opted is to include a battery. Although unfortunately there is no information on the milliamps it has, the company ensures that its battery lasts more than 6 hours. After our tests, the battery lasted watching multimedia content and with the maximum brightness for about 3 hours. Battery saving is possible by sacrificing brightness intensity. You can choose between three possible saving modes, each one more efficient: Eco, Extended Echo and Battery Saving. With the latter, it is more likely to reach 6 hours of use.

A drawback of the projector is that in idle mode it consumes energy so it can drain the battery even if we do not use it and it is necessary to recharge it before going somewhere with it.

Connections to power

In addition to the microSD slot, the HDMI port and the USB port discussed above and that everyone knows, it is necessary to clarify the use of the microUSB type C port. This can be used to send data or charge the device, but not both at the same time.

The ViewSonic M1 has 16GB of internal memory, of which the end user has 12GB as internal storage where they can store content.

The remote control is small but meets all the necessary options. The buttons are easy to identify but sometimes it is necessary to press several times to recognize it.

ViewSonic M1 Conclusion and Final Words

The ViewSonic M1 has several and obvious limitations. The resolution is really low for the technology that is available today and what consumers are used to. The maximum brightness is also not very suitable for almost any situation with sunlight or a room, so its use is restricted to night or dark places.

The size and portability are supposed to be the main dishes, and it's true, but it's also not that the battery helps much if used in places without power. We will have the possibility to see a movie with the maximum brightness or perhaps two if we choose the saving mode.

The best sections are its great speakers and its connectivity options is brutal. All this leaves us with a somewhat smaller range of consumers. If it is for presentations, for use with children or for people who prefer portability to quality, this is your projector. Its currently recommended price is around € 300.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ VERY GOOD SPEAKERS	- WE EXPECTED AT LEAST A 720P RESOLUTION
+ EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN	- LITTLE BRIGHTNESS / LUMENES
+ WITH BUILT-IN STAND	- THE BATTERY IS BETTER
+ USB TYPE C
+ CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS

The Professional Review team awards you the gold medal and recommended product:

ViewSonic M1

DESIGN - 91%

IMAGE QUALITY - 65%

CONNECTIVITY - 90%

SOUND - 95%

BATTERY - 80%

PRICE - 82%

84%