As a projector owner I’m pretty excited whenever a new unit comes on the market. Today comes a very compelling entry in the budget line of projectors from Viewsonic. The PJ513DB ships at a tiny price of only $499 but still generates a nice 2000:1 contrast ratio. Check out the full details after the jump..

Showcasing feature rich, affordable display technology for education, government and other budget-minded users, ViewSonic(R) Corp. announced the PJ513DB DLP(R) projector at the Technology in Education Conference and Exposition (TechEd) 2008. The lightweight, 5.7-pound PJ513DB brings HD and exceptional front-of-screen performance to schools, offices and traveling presenters.

“The PJ513DB was designed to be a competitively priced, stylish projector that meets the diverse requirements of users today and tomorrow,” said Jeff Volpe, vice president of Global Brand and Emerging Technologies, ViewSonic. “This projector expands ViewSonic’s diverse product line that delivers excellent front of screen-performance for any application from classroom and office presentations to high-definition entertainment.”

Packing 2,200 lumens, 800×600 native resolution and a 2000:1 contrast ratio, the compact PJ513DB is the right choice whether traveling coast-to-coast or room-to-room. From sunny Las Vegas classrooms to windowless conference rooms, the contrast ratio controls the backlight brightness to provide the ideal black and white levels for different viewing environments, while the Texas Instruments DLP technology delivers brilliant, high-contrast images for viewing presentations, charts and video. A variety of image settings — brightest, presentation, photo and cinema modes — have also been included to ensure the best picture quality.

The projector’s multiple inputs and 720p and 1080i signal support provides high-definition content when connected to devices like DVD players — perfect for multimedia presentations. In addition, the PJ513DB provides an image reversing function to allow flexible installation, while the advanced OnView(R) controls adjust color intensity for screen-to-print matching.

Available now for an estimated street price of $499, the PJ513DB is backed by ViewSonic’s superior customer support program that includes a three-year limited product warranty, 24/7 technical support and one year of Express Exchange(R) service at no additional charge. ViewSonic also offers a one-year warranty on the lamp. To further take advantage of this warranty, the PJ513DB features ECO-mode, which lets users operate the projector at two settings — “normal” for maximum performance and “ECO” for low noise levels plus extended lamp life.

Tags: dlp technology, Electronics, office presentations, PJ513DB, Projectors, reviews, Viewsonic