BenQ W1070 Projector

[McDaniel]

Hey Guys,

Thinking about picking one of these up, seem to have great reviews and look ideal for my needs, just interested if anyone has one and can give their 2cents?

Thanks,

 

[lucid]

The comparable spec Optimal are a bit more more but a lot better performance.

I do wonder about reviews sometimes. It comes across often as this is the first time the reviewer has experienced projection, so they read as if overawed.

 

[McDaniel]

I've read up on some of the Optoma's and most are compariable - I think this exert from ProjectorCentral sums it up best!

Competition in the HD25's market segment is particularly fierce this year, with projectors like the BenQ W1070 providing stiff competition. The two projectors are more alike than they are different; however, the HD25 is a better projector for those users primarily concerned with 3D viewing (thanks to RF glasses), portable use (due to the HD25's better onboard speakers), or gaming (thanks to less input lag). On the other hand, the W1070's better placement flexibility will appeal to many potential buyers. Whichever projector you choose, the end result is a beautiful home theater image at a bargain price.

 

[Rroff]

One thing I noticed with BenQ whether projectors, monitors or whatever they do bright and vivid (a bit too bright and vivid for my tastes but may appeal to some) well and fool the average consumer into thinking they have great picture quality, but at a more subtle level they are lacking - the Optoma's have always done it better for me personally, though they aren't always perfect out the box they can usually be calibrated to close to perfect whereas the BenQ no matter how much calibration you have to make a compromise somewhere. (I will fully admit however I'm a bit out of touch with the latest generation of projectors, but I have a fair amount of experience with the previous generation and past generations).

 

[lucid]

I've read up on some of the Optoma's and most are compariable - I think this exert from ProjectorCentral sums it up best!

HD25 is a better projector for those users primarily concerned with 3D viewing (thanks to RF glasses), portable use (due to the HD25's better onboard speakers), or gaming (thanks to less input lag).

On the other hand, the W1070's better placement flexibility will appeal to many potential buyers.

Really? You think that a good summary? That's interesting...

Why would I be interested in the quality of the projector's onboard speakers when it is being installed in a room with a 5.1/7.1 audio system? Also, there's no doubt about the advantage of lens shift in helping paper over the cracks of a compromised install. But I think I'd rather have better picture quality and just take more care with the install than save 30 minutes measuring time and forever live with limited picture performance.

One thing I noticed with BenQ whether projectors, monitors or whatever they do bright and vivid (a bit too bright and vivid for my tastes but may appeal to some) well and fool the average consumer into thinking they have great picture quality, but at a more subtle level they are lacking - the Optoma's have always done it better for me personally,

^ This

 

[McDaniel]

Really? You think that a good summary? That's interesting...

Why would I be interested in the quality of the projector's onboard speakers when it is being installed in a room with a 5.1/7.1 audio system? Also, there's no doubt about the advantage of lens shift in helping paper over the cracks of a compromised install. But I think I'd rather have better picture quality and just take more care with the install than save 30 minutes measuring time and forever live with limited picture performance.


^ This

I meant more that the HD25 is better for 3D, has less input lag while the BenQ has flexibility in placement. In terms of image they use the same hardware chip I believe so the differential is low and probably down to user preference. A lot of comparison between the 2 note the same thing and appears to come down to the user; gives me a reason to demo both at least.

 

[Rroff]

Ah thats interesting - while theres more to it than just the chipset a BenQ with DarkChip3 could be a whole different story to previous ones. (I'm a big fan of TI's DarkChip hardware).

 

[lucid]

A Rroff correctly says, there's more to it than just the imaging chip. You should definitely demo both.

 

[kingy666]

I have the Benq W1070 (recently put some photos up of my set up in the 'post your home cinema' thread) and all I can say is that it performs very well. It is my first projector so I have nothing to compare it to so I can't tell you if they are better than the optima's. The smoothness of motion is great, colours are great, clarity is great but the only part lacking is shadow detail and blacks but I put that down to the nature of projectors. Just make sure you get a half decent screen as I don't think painted walls look very good.

Going to get a couple of pairs of 144Hz 3D glasses soon to give that a try.

 

[Rroff]

I have the Benq W1070 (recently put some photos up of my set up in the 'post your home cinema' thread) and all I can say is that it performs very well. It is my first projector so I have nothing to compare it to so I can't tell you if they are better than the optima's. The smoothness of motion is great, colours are great, clarity is great but the only part lacking is shadow detail and blacks but I put that down to the nature of projectors. Just make sure you get a half decent screen as I don't think painted walls look very good.

Going to get a couple of pairs of 144Hz 3D glasses soon to give that a try.

Bit late replying but yeah the shadow detail is something that typically projectors struggle with - the quality of the screen (I typically use a slightly grey screen but it depends projector to projector), ambient light (some projectors are affected by it more than others) and contrast settings will all make a big difference there.