ViewSonic has introduced a new addition to their lineup of Designed for Xbox gaming projectors for 2024, following the initial releases in 2023 with the now-discontinued X1-4K and the X2-4K, which Projector Central reviewed back in October of 2023. Developed in collaboration with Microsoft, these projector's Designed for Xbox branding ensures full compatibility with Xbox gaming consoles such as the Xbox Series X and Series S. They undergo rigorous testing by Team Xbox to meet the branding and technical specifications criteria set by Xbox.

Unlike the LED-driven X2-4K, which taps out at 2,150 lumens, the LX700-4K is a 4K HDR laser projector boasting 3,500 ANSI lumens. Its 3rd generation solid-state laser-phosphor light source promises up to 30,000 hours of usage in its power-saving Eco mode. Utilizing a 0.65-inch DMD DLP chip and 4-way XPR pixel shifting, the LX700-4K achieves a 4K UHD resolution (3840x2160), delivering a sharp and crisp image by resolving the 8.3 million pixels on screen. During my testing of the LX700-4K, I did not encounter any rainbow effects while viewing content. However, individuals sensitive to this effect may want to consider it when selecting a gaming projector.

Despite its 3,500 ANSI lumen claim, the LX700-4K fell short in our brightness measurement, recording 3,091 ANSI lumens. This is 11.7% short of the published specification, though within the 20% allowable tolerance of the current ISO21118 specification. The maximum brightness was only achievable in the Bright picture mode. As with the brightest picture mode found in most projectors, it displays a very heavy green bias and isn't really a usable picture mode.

The LX700-4K features a manual focus and 1.36X optical zoom, both of which operate tightly and with precision. Additionally, the LX700-4K includes vertical lens shift, a welcomed addition that was notably absent in the X2-4K model. This vertical lens shift offers a range of 0% to -15%, greatly aiding in installation tasks. Given the LX700-4K's compact size—it weighs only 7.3 pounds and measures approximately 5.1 x 11.3 x 8.5 inches (HxWxD), partly due to its external power brick—these features are particularly advantageous. Moreover, the LX700-4K supports both front and rear projection, whether placed on a tabletop or mounted on the ceiling. Viewsonic accounted for various installation scenarios by providing a recessed well for the power brick on projector's underside, particularly helpful for ceiling mounts where placement of an outboard power supply can be challenging.

Capable of projecting an image from 30 inches to 300 inches diagonally with its throw ratio of 1.06 to 1.45:1, the LX700-4K can be positioned anywhere from 2.1 feet to 29 feet depending on the zoom level used. I found this to be accurate according to Viewsonic's projection distance chart, which positioned the unit approximately 7 feet away to project a 100-inch diagonal image. Additionally, if further adjustment is needed during installation, the LX700-4K offers a digital zoom range of 0.8 to 2.0X, horizontal and vertical keystone adjustment, four-corner adjustment, and 3x3 warp.

It's important to note that when Ultra-Fast Input is active, which is necessary to achieve the lowest latency possible, these features are automatically disabled. Therefore, we recommend avoiding the use of the keystone features to maintain image integrity and alleviate issues with image geometry shifting when you want to start gaming. However, in a temporary setup for a quick movie or TV show, digital gemoetric correction can be helpful. To plan ahead for your installation, visit the ProjectorCentral Viewsonic LX700-4K Projection Throw Calculator.

The LX700-4K's primary feature is its gaming performance and low input latency, complemented by its support for 1440p resolution at either 60Hz or 120Hz, made possible by its Designed for Xbox certification. With input latency as low as 4.2ms when utilizing a 240Hz refresh rate, the LX700-4K caters to true competitive gaming, not only with Xbox Series consoles but also with PlayStation, Nintendo, and PC— the latter being necessary for 240Hz, as none of the consoles support this refresh rate.

Moreover, the LX700-4K offers CEC control, enabling the projector to be controlled with the Xbox controller when connected to the HDMI 1 input while using the Xbox consoles. Additionally, it automatically switches to Ultra-Fast Input mode when detecting a 60Hz signal, eliminating the need to activate a game mode to indulge in your favorite game—as soon as a 60Hz, 120Hz, or 240Hz signal is detected, it's game time.

The LX700-4K features a single 15W speaker for its onboard audio. Unfortunately, no EQ modes are available, so the sound cannot be adjusted, which is disappointing because it sounded rather thin and lacked bass. However, the eARC support allows users to utilize an external sound solution if they're not already using devices through an AV receiver, surround processor, or soundbar. I found the sound quality to be a step backwards compared to the previously reviewed X2-4K, which boasted sound by Harman Kardon. Nevertheless, the LX700-4K does include eARC, a feature lacking in the X2-4K, making it a welcome addition.

The I/O of the LX700-4K comprises two HDMI 2.0 inputs with HDCP 2.2 support, with eARC available on HDMI input 2. Additionally, there is one RS-232 port, one USB Type-A port capable of power delivery of 5V/1.5A, one 3.5mm Audio out, and a 12V Trigger. The lack of high bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports enabling 4K/120Hz play from the latest consoles is typical of late generation DLP gaming projectors as manufacturers continue to wait for a capable DLP chipset from Texas Instruments.

The included backlit remote is very responsive and has excellent range. It includes all the buttons a user would need to quickly access necessary features. However, the LX700-4K has an issue I've seen present in other Viewsonic projectors, where the image momentarily freezes when the user is navigating the menu.

Performance

Color Modes. The ViewSonic LX700-4K offers a total of eight picture modes for everyday content: Standard, Bright, Cinema, Gaming, sRGB, User, HDR, and HLG. The first six listed picture modes are only available in SDR, while HDR is exclusive to HDR10 content, and HLG is specific to HLG HDR content. A ninth picture mode is dedicated to 3D.

Each picture mode utilizes varying settings to produce a different visual appearance, but they can all be effectively configured similarly, with the exceptions of sRGB, which features lower luminance, and Bright, which exhibits a heavy green bias in the image that makes it less suitable for everyday use. Additionally, when the LX700-4K receives a signal in the RGB color format, typically output from computers, the Color and Tint settings are grayed out and not adjustable. These are made available with YCbCr color signals typically output by video source devices.

The light source settings have been simplified compared to the LX700-4K's predecessor, now offering only options for Constant Power with a range of 100 to 50 (with 5% increments for each step), Eco, and Dynamic Black. To set a specific luminance target, a user must use Constant Power, although it does not offer very granular control.

As mentioned, Bright was the brightest picture mode available, measuring 3,091 ANSI lumens. The majority of the remaining picture modes offered between 1,817 ANSI lumens to 2,190 ANSI lumens, with the exception of sRGB, which basically follows the Rec.709 primaries. It measured 886 ANSI lumens.

Out-of-the-box (OOTB) performance fell short of expectations, regardless of the selected picture mode. Each mode exhibited a slight bias, either leaning towards being too warm (red) or too cool (blue). While adjusting the Color Temperature setting to either Standard or Warm helped to some extent, the deviations were still noticeable, particularly in mid-tones. Furthermore, color errors were visible to the naked eye, particularly in skin tones. Overall, everything appeared shifted towards its neighboring color; for example, yellow appeared more orange, pulling towards red, while cyan leaned towards greenish hues. Typically, I would expect to find at least one picture mode that tracked fairly accurately, but this was not the case with the LX700-4K in SDR, as all modes displayed visible inaccuracies. Fortunately, HDR content appeared more natural, albeit slightly undersaturated.

I began calibration of the ViewSonic LX700-4K using Calman Ultimate calibration software from Portrait Displays, a Colorimetry Research CR-250 Spectroradiometer, a Colorimetry Research CR-100 Colorimeter, and a Murideo 8K Seven Generator. The ViewSonic LX700-4K was calibrated to a 100-inch diagonal image on a Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek 130 G4 screen. As I normally do, prior to beginning calibration, I ran various measurements to confirm what I saw in OOTB viewing. I also confirmed the gamma tracking of the LX700-4K, which unfortunately does not track accurately. The gamma of the LX700-4K tracks with more of a sliding curve and spikes towards the end. The only available values provided are Standard 2.2, Film, Video, and Graphics. Standard 2.2 had an average gamma tracking of 2.4 but it spikes as high as 2.6 depending on the signal brightness. The contrast ratio in more accurate picture modes measured 1,318:1.

For SDR content, pre-calibration measurements showed extremely high dE (DeltaE) errors. (DeltaE is a metric indicating visible error; values over 3 are noticeable, over 2.3 is just noticeable for trained eyes, and below 2.3 is ideally imperceptible.) Grayscale pre-calibration measurements were from 4.4dE average to 7.2dE max. Color gamut, which describes the accuracy of the primary and secondary color points for a Rec.709 gamut target, measured with an average of 7.6dE and a max of 11.3dE, which primarily were due to hue errors and oversaturation. A large pre-calibration color checker yielded an average of 7.6dE with a max of 21.7dE. The LX700-4K measured a gamut coverage of 96.9% coverage of the Rec.709 color gamut while measuring 78.71% xy and 78.12% uv gamut coverage for the DCI-P3 color space used for most HDR content. BT.2020 measured 56.71% xy and 58.22% uv coverage.

Unfortunately, the LX700-4K does not offer access to controls for adjusting the color temperature beyond a coarse setting for Warm, Standard, Cool, and Cold options, and there is no access to a 2-point white balance control. The only method available to adjust the white balance beyond the coarse setting is by adjusting the White option in the CMS located alongside the RGBCMY settings. Utilizing this control, I targeted the industry-standard D65 neutral gray white point.

Post-calibration of the User mode, the errors did improve but were still considerably high and still showed visible errors. Running the large color checker with more than 150 swatches resulted in an average dE of 4.2, with a maximum of 16.7dE. Grayscale average came in at 2.7dE with a max of 5.8dE. Saturation sweeps averaged 3.5dE and a max of 11dE. The majority of these issues are mainly a result of hue, as each color channel curves off towards the neighboring color, which heavily impacted the 80% to 100% tracking and effectively throws everything off. Luckily, I was able to fix the mid tones which greatly improved skin tones.

1080p/SDR Viewing. I elected to watch The Shape of Water via Apple TV 4K for SDR evaluation. The LX700-4K performed admirably with SDR 1080p content, delivering sharp images. Skin tones appeared decent, although, as also observed in HDR content, there were occasional discrepancies, such as a slight excess of red in faces or colors with slightly off hues.

These issues were evident in other parts of the movie as well, such as when Elisa leaves her apartment and walks down the stairs. During this scene, there is a fire in the far background with a red sign that appeared overly saturated and too bright. This was also noticeable in the red of the movie theater marquee. Other colors that seemed inaccurate were evident in the introduction when the camera slowly moved through the apartment filled with water. During this scene, there was an excessive amount of green in the water, rather than a lower luminance cyan that appears on more color-accurate displays. While it didn't look bad, it appeared different from what I'm accustomed to seeing in this scene. However, it did exhibit a certain level of vibrancy, which some viewers may appreciate.

4K/HDR Viewing. For HDR viewing I opted to watch Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope via Apple TV 4K. During the opening scene when C-3PO and R2-D2 were walking around the ship amid the attack just before Vader arrives, the white ship interior appeared clean and bright, with no obvious color shift in the environment. The blue hue on R2-D2 was accurate, as expected. Shadow detail seemed slightly lifted throughout various parts of the ship's interior, such as when C-3PO observed Leia giving the message to R2-D2, but it didn't detract significantly from the viewing experience.

Skin tones appeared satisfactory overall after calibration, giving them a more natural appearance. However, some characters with rosy cheeks still exhibited an off-pink color, leaning a bit too much into magenta. Nonetheless, the overall image quality was acceptable for my viewing, with no glaring inaccuracies.

Gaming @ 1440p/120Hz. I decided to focus mainly on Xbox games so I selected to first play Halo Infinite on Xbox Series X in 1440p and 120Hz. The gameplay felt good—it was responsive and quick, from taking aim to using grapple shot. The game was rendered sharp and detailed on screen. The color was vibrant, as in plasma grenades and canons firing and exploding. I didn't feel as though I was lacking or missing anything due to latency. The LX700-4K provided a great, immersive, big screen experience.

Gaming @ 4K/60Hz. The next game that I decided to play was Forza Motorsport at 4K/60. I launched a quick event race at the Silverstone Circuit in a Subaru WRX with random weather. The game played well, though I do feel I would have gotten a better experience if I played at 120Hz, as I did experience a slight delay in turns. However, even with a slight delay the game felt good while running at 4K/60Hz and looked great for a casual racing experience. For more competitive races running the game at 1080p/120Hz would be the most ideal way to play. The only real complaint was that everything sounded very thin via the projector's speaker and lacked any low-end extension or midbass.

Conclusion

The ViewSonic LX700-4K is designed with a primary focus on gaming, fully capitalizing on the capabilities of Xbox branded consoles by offering support for 1440p at 120Hz, along with 4K at 60Hz. Additionally, for PC gamers, it supports 1080p at 240Hz. This provides gamers with the performance level required for both casual and competitive gaming on large screens, truly immersing them in the action and stories of their favorite games.

Providing extremely low input latency, a long-lasting laser light source, vertical lens shift for flexibility in setup and installation, and HDR support, the LX700-4K prioritizes gaming performance. With this gaming-first approach, it delivers and should be a winning option for most gamers, and its brighter output than the predecesor X2-4K and small form factor are a plus. However, the LX700-4K does fall a bit short when it comes to overall color accuracy, which may deter movie buffs but may not be a deal-breaker for many gamers.

Another weak point is the LX700-4K's audio performance, though this also may not be a deal breaker for serious gamers given their tendency to use headphones or external audio systems, and the projector does provide support for eARC. With these two concerns being the only real areas that could use some improvement, the LX700-4K remains a solid offering. It's true some gamers may hesitate due to the exclusion of HDMI 2.1 and 4K/120Hz support. However, these are still extremely rare among projectors generally, and even if you find them, the input latency would likely not be as low as what the LX700-4K achieves.

In conclusion, the LX700-4K provides a great gaming experience, prioritizing gameplay performance above all else. Anyone who focuses on gameplay performance should consider taking a look at it.

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our ViewSonic LX700-4K projector page.

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