ViewSonic LS620X Short Throw Laser Projector Review – Hardware 1

ViewSonic LS620X Short Throw Laser Projector Review – Hardware 1: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, The Lens

ViewSonic’s LS620X short throw laser projector is designed to be used for business and education markets, i.e. the conference room and the K-12 classroom.  The projector measures in at 5.8 inches tall, 16.4 inches wide and 11.7 inches deep, and weighs 12.1 lbs.  As what we would term a portable-install projector, it’s much more likely to see this model ceiling mounted than it is to see someone carrying it around.

This projector, like most in this category, supports table-top and ceiling mounting options, with front and rear projection.  I used the table-top front projection method for this review, so all descriptions appearing here will be as if standing in front of the projector while it is sitting on a table.

The front of the projector, of course, sports the lens, which is off-center.  We also find a small IR receiver for the remote control in the upper right corner.  On the bottom of the front, we find two adjustable feet in the corners.  The grille on the left end seems to be for design purposes only.  The right side is mostly open to allow for the cool, room air intake and houses the air filter.  The right side of the projector is also mostly open, and functions as the hot air exhaust, with two quite fans keeping the projector cool.

The rear of the projector is where we find all the inputs and connectors, which we’ll discuss in the next section.  Suffice it to say, there are a healthy amount of connectors, perfect for the intended applications in business and education.  The back of the projector is also where we find a security locking bar, and a security lock slot.  The top of the projector is where we find the focus ring for the lens, as well as the three indicator lights and a simple control panel.  The twin 10 Watt speakers are found on the bottom of the projector, along with the threaded holes to allow attachment to a ceiling mount.

The ViewSonic LS620X has a pretty good compliment of inputs and connectors to be adequate for just about any office or educational use.  As you can see in the above image, the input panel is located on the rear of the projector and is grouped in different color-coded sections.  Starting on the left, and not really a connector, is the rear IR receiver for the remote control.  It’s listed, but is just a grey dot covering the actual sensor.

Next we have a standard RJ-45 LAN connection.  In the brown box to the right, we find HDMI1 and HDMI2/MHL.  The next, un-colored section offers a USB type A port with 5V/1.5A power, followed by a Mini USB port.  In the next section, colored blue, we find two VGA inputs labeled Computer 1 and Computer 2, stacked one on top of the other.

The next un-colored section is a VGA (Computer) Out for connection to an external monitor, and the obligatory RS-232 for command and control.  The next section is colored green and consists of an S-Video input, as well as all three composite video and audio inputs (Yellow, Red and White) – not something I’ve seen a lot lately, perhaps because this projector is intended to replace older models where it is more likely to find Red and White audio connections.

The next column is split with a light blue background, effectively grouping it with the Computer group, is an Audio-In 3.5mm MiniJack; below that we find the 3.5mm Audio-Out MiniJack.  The last connection we have here is the 12V Trigger, for controlling motorized projection screens.

The power connection is found below the source inputs, along with a security locking bar and a security lock slot.