In many ways, mid-shelf projectors are harder to pick. Unlike entry-level machines, you’re paying for a little bit extra. But where does that money go? Into the quality of the presentation? How about the lifespan of the bulb?
For people making that choice, a comparison of three very similar machines, the Vankyo V600, Leisure 510, and Vivibright F30, can help explain further.
TLDR Version:
The Vankyo Performance V600 is ideal for hitting larger screen sizes like 200″ because of its higher brightness output. By contrast, the 510 is about one fifth less bright, making it better suited for modest sub-200″ screen sizes. As an alternative, the Vivibright F30 is a nice middle point between the two. It’s better suited to people who are looking for the best dollar for dollar deal.
Vankyo Performance V600 in Review
Most of the Vankyo projectors look like clones. You can hardly tell one generation apart from the next, let alone one series from the next. But you probably don’t care about how good Vankyo is at branding — you care about how well their projectors perform.
Of course, the sort of projector you’ll end up needing at least partially depends on the kind of spaces where you’ll want to end up using the unit. When you’ve got the guarantee of perfect darkness every time you want to watch something, you’ll be able to get by less-bright projectors.
But almost without exception, powerful projectors like the Performance V600 are not portable. When you start to make a projector capable of great things, like UHD video output, then you can also expect that projector to be full-sized in the very least. Some of the best projectors on the market are actually much larger than full-sized. Some of the best projectors are actually closer to the size of a full computer tower.
| Construction of the Performance V600 |
In a lot of respects, the Vankyo V600 is quite modestly sized. Measuring 15 x 15 x 5.8 inches, and weighing around seven pounds, it has a build that’s pretty typical for a full sized projector like this one.
What’s not so typical is that the Performance V600 actually looks nice. As I mentioned earlier, virtually every projector that Vankyo makes looks the same — made with the same cheap-looking white plastics. But the V600 is a different. The top is composed of sand polished aluminium, which helps give the unit a more professional appearance. That’s somewhat ironic given this projector is not really made for professionals or office presentations, but it’s still easy to appreciate something that’s well made.
| Construction Quality |
Looking at inputs, you’ll find a pair of HDMI ports, a USB port, a single VGA port, an AV port, and one SD card slot. You’ve great you can use those older formats, but it’s not so great that the USB port isn’t operating at 3.0 capacity. Another thing that’s hard to miss is the headphone and audio jacks.
Like every projector, and like virtually every television, this projector cannot provide decent on-board sound. The V600 was made with one 5W speaker. If you’ve got zero alternatives, then that speaker can be passable, especially if you’re doing something apart from watching movies.
But really, if you’re willing to pay out for an above-average projector the V600, you should be willing to pay out for a decent third-party speaker to help supplement it. Because it’s next to impossible to find projectors with decent built-in speakers. And they’re never much better than decent. If you really want top notch audio, you’ll almost always have to add some speakers to your projector.
| Visual Qualities |
In any case, the V600 was constructed with a 1080p native resolution. It’s actually pretty impressive they’ve managed to do that around this price. Whether or not you’re aware, 1080p is still a fairly challenging standard for projectors to meet. And until quite recently, it was rather difficult to find decent 1080p projectors for less than $500.
That high native resolution is also paired with an enormously bright bulb. The bulb allows for a 5000:1 contrast ratio, though that ratio doesn’t completely hold up as you stretch the display out towards its maximum size of three hundred inches.
Provided that you can take advantage of the contrast ratio, things really do look beautiful. Contrast is one of the most important elements of any great presentation because it really helps make colors pop. And for projectors like the V600, it really lets you make the most of the brightness for maximum visual effect.
Speaking of brightness, the 4500lux output isn’t something you’d want to try outside on a sunny day. But if you’ve got some decent conditions for projection, it’s more than adequate for a great home theater kind of experience. But again, you will end up the best possible image if you restrain yourself from approaching the maximum screen sizes.
| Other Thoughts |
The V600 includes a three year warranty. As you would expect, the included warranty does not cover the bulb. In addition to the projector, Vankyo includes an HDMI cable, power cable, remote control, and an AV cable.
One thing it does not include is the necessary AA batteries for the included remote. Of course, anytime batteries are included with remotes, they tend to be cheap garbage that wears-out in ten minutes. So it’s probably for the best you can get some decent batteries to begin with.
Vankyo Leisure 510 in Review
Why go as far as the Performance V600 when you can stick with the Leisure 510? Well, these two projectors were made for very similar audiences. However, there are some big differences between them. And those differences mostly pertain to the video quality.
| Construction Quality |
The Leisure 510 is built very, very similar to the V600. In fact, Vankyo ends up using a similar design on most of their equipment. The chassis is nearly always identical, it’s the guts that are different.
There are actually more things in common than are different. For instance, both are making use of essentially the same speaker array. This device actually runs a pair of 3W speakers, so it’s able to technically provide stereo sound. Though you’re still better off running a separate pair of speakers.
Both have vertical keystone correction and a pair of HDMI ports. Both deliver their image with an LCD display, and are able to stretch out to the same 300″ distance. It’s only when you start trying to make use of that 300″ capacity that real differences start to emerge.
| Visual Quality & Other Thoughts |
The big difference? The Leisure 510 operates a native 1280 x 768 resolution. Though that’s a non-standard resolution (and therefore you may encounter some small issues using certain kinds of video signal adapters), it’s basically the equivalent of a 720p presentation. The contrast ratio is also slightly lower, stretching only to 3000:1 instead of 5:000:1.
Those tho things add up to a much better visual performance. However, for people who have very good lighting conditions, and plan on keeping their screen sizes a bit lower than the maximum supported size? The Leisure 510 actually ends up performing in a pretty comparable way. For people who are reaching well past 200″, that’s where you’ll find comparative problems.
Vankyo throws in a 3-year warranty with this unit. They also include a cloth carrying bag with water-resistant zippering and a decently well-stitched carrying handle.
Vivibright F30 in Review
The Vivibright F30 is essentially shooting for the same target audience as the Vankyo V600. It’s made to appeal to people who want something that’s just above an entry-level unit. And going one-step above entry-level stuff is an excellent price point, for most types of tech, in most circumstances. But is it with the F30?
For the most part, projectors end up looking just about identical. In that regard, they’re similar to televisions. But since people spend even less time looking at their physical projector than their television screen, even less attention is paid to making projectors look nice. Especially before you’re shopping among higher tier units.
| Construction Quality |
The F30 is unfortunately no exception to the rule, it has a terribly generic design that could easily be mistaken for a thousand other projectors. But there are good things about being predictable. You’ll find the user interface is incredible way to navigate. The scroll wheel that adjusts focus and keystone correction are impossible to miss. And the range of adjustment at your disposal, 15-degrees, is also perfectly average.
Measuring roughly 11.5 x 9.5 x 3.5 inches, this projector is just a tad slim compared to the norm. It still has the full weight of a full-bodied unit, reaching to about six pounds. That means moving the projector is obviously quite easy.
| Video Quality |
One big difference between the Vivibright F30 vs the Vankyo V600 is the maximum available screen sizes. More specifically, the F30 lets you run screen sizes out towards 180″. That’s not quite as large as the V600 — but the F30 performs far better at its maximum screen sizes than the V600 does.
That generally makes the F30 better suited for people who are going to be running their presentation in the neighborhood of 60″ or perhaps 100″. And it’s less suitable for people who plan in recreating super giant movie-theater-like screens.
These differences are particularly pronounced when you don’t have optimal lighting conditions. When it comes to resolution support, 1080p is 1080p. And since both the F30 and the Vankyo V600 have similar brightness, it’s actually hard to differentiate between them in most circumstances.
Projectors are never going to perform extremely well in environments where ambient lighting pollutes your viewing experience. However, for its part, the Vivibright F30 does quite well at combating poor lighting. And even though it’s able to put out a lot of power, it never gets loud during operation.
It would be nice if the F30 could complete with the V600’s contrast ratios. But sometimes you get what you pay for. And people who are willing to pay a little more for vivid colors will find plenty of opportunities to do so.
| Other Thoughts |
The Vivibright F30 includes a power cable and a remote control. You can anticipate around 50K hours of lifespan out of your time with the bulb. That’s high-average compared to other projectors.
Put into practical terms, you can watch a movie every single night for years, you’ll get decades of performance from this bulb. Though admittedly, you do want to consider replacing the bulb after 25,000 hours or so. Because it will have lost a considerable degree of its luminosity by that point in time.
Another thing to point out — the remote is pretty average. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it gets the job done. The interface is simple, it’s approachable, and it doesn’t require you to crack open the user manual to figure out how to use it.