Jul 072013
BenQ W1070 1080P 3D Home Theater Projector (Silver)
- Built-in speakers are Plug-and-Play ready, only the power cord and video source connection are needed to prepare the viewing experience.
- 2 HDMI inputs for video and gaming sources
- The SmartEco Mode, which cleverly adjusts the lamp power to maximize power saving by delivering the best contrast and brightness performance using only as much light as needed.
- The automatic switch to Eco Blank Mode after the projector is turned on for over three minutes without a display source, eliminating unnecessary energy waste and prolonging the life of the projector lamp.
- The W1070 is ISF Certified for customization to any room, offering calibration for optimized color performance in both Day and Night modes that can adapt to any room?s layout, size and ambient light levels.
Enjoy 1080p Full-HD image projection up to 200″ in the comfort of your living room. View larger Go Big, Stay Home Enjoy 1080p Full-HD image projection up to 200″ in the comfort of your living room with the W1070 Home Entertainment Projector. You’ll be captivated by brilliant image performance featuring the native 1080p DarkChip3 DLP Technology by Texas Instrument, 10,000:1 contrast ratio and a 2000 lumen brightness. Built-in speakers and easy set-up seal the d
List Price: $ 999.00
Price: $ 999.00
Next Generation of DLP Home Theater Projector – Improved performance, Lower Price and Maintenance,
The BenQW1070 is the first of a new trend of miniaturized 1080p 2D/3D home theater projectors which use the latest Texas Instruments chipset combined with an improved and faster Dark Chip 3 (DC3). Last year’s DLP home theater projectors were overall unreliable, and could even not provide 1:1 pixel mapping. Further they were crippled with the DC2′s rather poor native contrast. They were also larger, more expensive and consumed more power.
The key 3D improvement here, previously only available on $30K DLP projectors and commercial movie theaters, is triple-flash (144Hz) image processing. This technique reduces or eliminates annoying (eyestrain, headaches) image flicker in 3D mode by repeating 24Hz images three times for each eye (24*3*2=144Hz).
Improvement in optical efficiency allows for lower wattage and longer life lamps. The fine tuning the color wheel results in a brighter, higher contrast image with colors that pop.
The new SmartEco Mode, which cleverly adjusts the lamp power to maximize power saving by delivering the best contrast and brightness performance using only as much light as needed. This modulating of the lamp was previously only found in the upper 1% market (SIM2). It also greatly extends the bulb life by thousands of hours.
In the past Brilliant Color was more of a liability than a benefit. It is improved with the new chipset used on the W1070. The W1070 is fairly well calibrated out-of-the-box but also includes a full color management system which works rather well.
Competition
The $4K Sony 50ES LCOS is also a bright 2D/3D projector with improved black level
The $2-3K Mitsubishi 7900/8000 DLP cannot generate 144Hz triple flash. The 3D is dim
The $3K JVC X35 offers excellent 2D performance but no color calibration controls. The 3D is also quite dim with some ghosting
Optoma will have a replacement for the DC2 based HD33 DLP out by this summer and is expected to process 144Hz
Acer will introduce the H6510BD DLP in April. Hopefully with Frame Interpolation
BenQ will be coming out with a W1400 in April for ~$1500. Hopefully with Frame Interpolation
Volatile Pricing
The W1070 was initially introduced for $849CN at NCIX. BenQ press release states MSRP would be $999.
For January 2013 it’s selling for $1099 (new MSRP?) with new egg at $1299! Be aware of dealers restocking fees or no refund policies. Always buy with excellent return privileges and no restocking fee, such as directly from Amazon.
Limitations
As good as the 144Hz triple flash is, the W1070 has no frame interpolation. This is a nice feature to have for both 2D and 3D.
The smaller the projector the noisier they typically are, especially on the High fan setting.
Mounting and throw distance need to be investigated before purchase as the throw distance is someone shorting than previous or typical projectors. The vertical offset is very limited. The W1080ST is a variation of the W1070 with an even shorter throw lens. It is estimated to arrive in February
Be aware that certain forums are supported by projectors lines they stock. Their steering is usually subtle and one of omission but can persuasive when required with enforcement actions by administrators.
Was this review helpful to you?
|One of the best 1080p 3D projectors out there, period.,
The BenQ W1070 is an amazing little box. All of the features and performance are in this little box that projector enthusiasts have had to (and still do!) pay thousands of dollars in other projectors. To get the features and performance that this projector provides at this price point is a regular joe’s dream. And the best part is that a nit picky videophile like myself will not feel like he has compromised performance for price. Folks are trading in their $3,000 plus projectors for the W1070 based on performance alone.
To back-peddle a bit this was the situation I was in…. I have a big air duct/bulk head going right through the middle of my theater room which has given me problems of what projector I could use. I was forced to use a short throw 720p projector (GT750) that had 3D. It was great for what it was and it served me VERY well for about a year but it was only 720p + no zoom + no len shift +… you get the idea. Placement flexibility was VERY limited and 720p wasn’t that bad but you could definitely notice especially when there was text on the screen. And there is text on my screen all the time with how much sports I watch.
For quite some time I had hoped that a 1080p 3D projector would come out that fit my space needs. The W1070 was a godsend! Even if I didn’t have the tight mounting space I would still get this projector.
I ceiling mounted the projector with an Atdec ceiling mount found here on Amazon and fine tuned the picture position using the Test Pattern buried in the W1070′s menu. For the novice mounter, you want to make sure that your measurements in relation to len and screen position are precise before you mount the projector. For the price, the Atdec ceiling mount did a great job allowing me to fine tune angles and picture position. The wiring was simple since when I finished my basement I ran the HDMI and power right over where I had planned to mount the W1070.
For those of you with lens shift/offset questions. My setup includes the following. The top of my screen is 15″ from the ceiling. The center of the W1070 lens is about 8″ from the ceiling. I have the lens 8’4″ away from a 100″ screen. I needed the top of the projected image to be 7″ below the center of the lens at 8’4″ away. I set the lens shift all the way “Up” on the W1070 (which is “Down” if ceiling mounting”) and that got me the EXACT offset I needed for the image to sit square. Very happy and relieved that my previous calcuations were correct and didn’t have to resport to image distorting digital keystone and zoom. Keep in mind that this projector has an offset so the image will be projected UP if table mounted and DOWN if ceiling mounted. for a 100″ screen at 8’4″ away the range of offset places the bottom/top of the image approximately 2.5″ – 7.5″ inches above/below the lens depending on how you mount it. This is crucial to know how it will affect your placement options.
In classic Pro/Con fashion after about a month with the projector here are my impressesions.
PROs
-Colors are AMAZING on this projector. There is a reason it is ISF certified. The colors are fantastic out of the box but are even better when calibrated. I have mine setup on Cinema mode with Brilliant Color set to ON in EcoSmart mode and the Gamma set to 2.2. That is the best combination of brightness/color/ and contrast for my setup.
-Sharpness and clarity are amazing. with 1080p Blu Ray content I was blown away with the clarity and depth of this projector. I also have a Darbee Darblet to help enhance depth and sharpness (highly recommended) but even without the Darblet the clarity and sharpness blew my old projector away.
-Brightness is GREAT! This is a bonafide light cannon. With Brilliant Color and Smart Eco on with the Gamma set to 2.2 I can watch pretty much anything I want with pretty good contrast with the lights and lamps on in the room.
-Black levels are above average. This projector will not get inky blacks like $10k projectors will but this holds its own. I was very impressed with the contrast and black levels on dark scenes and equally impressed with how much shadow detail was preserved in dark scenes. Huge improvement over previous projectors I have owned.
-3D on this projector will blow you away. Not only is 2D content bright and clear but the 3D on this projector utilizes new 144hz technology to make it extremely smooth. With gamma controls to control brightness and contrast I found a 1.8 Gamma setting to be just right. I watched Avatar and Tron in 3D on this projector and was blown away by the strain-free viewing experience. I got the Sainsonic 144hz DLP-Link glasses for cheap on eBay and they work very well. Just make sure the L/R sync is correct otherwise it will cause eye-strain.
I don’t care for…
-I wouldn’t consider audible fan noise a con on this projector… its just not SUPER quiet like on larger beasts of…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?
|Blown away!!!,
I rarely write reviews, but I was so awestruck by this upgrade, I just had to.
I’ve owned 3 projectors(not including this one), each one being an upgrade from the previous…also with an upgrade in price. My last one was an Epson powerlite 8350. It was a notable improvement over my previous and I was happy with my $1200 purchase less than 2 years ago. My quest for 3D has been a long one. Started with my Bluray player, then recently the receiver. The last piece was the projector, which when I started looking was a crazy $4000. They did start to come down, by half…and still out of reach. My latest “wish list” item was the Optoma HD33. I had an Optoma before so I knew it would be good, but the price was about $1400. I was so close to purchasing it when this BenQ became available. I’ve heard about BenQ’s superior performance, but wasn’t willing to shell out that much cash…until now. I figured I would give it a try and return it if I wasn’t completely (and I mean COMPLETELY) happy. I was hoping it would be at least as good as the Epson for 2D material and 3D would be a cool addition. I read the many reviews and pulled the trigger.
I received it 2 days later (thanks Prime) and I was stunned to see how small the box was since the Epson is a giant. I opened the Amazon box, and the BenQ box was even smaller. I started to get a little worried. Inside that box was well packed with foam…almost 2″ on all sides. I figured how good could it really be. I felt a little deflated and hooked it up by just placing it on the coffee table with a stack of books for height. I used a different HDMI cable because I figured I’d need to go back and forth to see the difference and my Epson was also ceiling mounted. I have a very bright room, especially in the afternoon when I started the “test”. The Hobbit (2D) was already in the Bluray player, so I started with that. Right away I noticed a difference in the detail and color. I adjusted the focus and it got even better! I immediately put in Avatar…my “go to disc” for showing off the system. I started with the scene when the Avatar crew first landed in Pandora jungle. I was nothing short of BLOWN AWAY!! I’ve seen Avatar too many times to count, but felt like I was seeing it for the first time. I watched the entire movie..in total AWE!!! I couldn’t wait to see it when the room was dark. Later I also put in King Kong and watched the tyrannosaurus battle scene. I could see every scale, all the imperfections on each scale, hairs on Kong, cracked skin, dust and debris. You name it, i could see it. And this was just 2D. Already I was thrilled about my purchase…even if I had spent more…much more.
So the 3D part is on hold. Thanks to Fed-Ex policy, I wasn’t at home at the time of delivery, so all I got was a note.
I was so mad since this was a Saturday and I received the projector on Thursday. GRRRRRRR. My expectations are pretty high now that the 3D will be nothing short of spectacular. Look for my update…I’m supposed to get the glasses today.
Was this review helpful to you?
|