BenQ W5000 vs. Sony VPL-VW40

Posted on July 22, 2007 by Art Feierman

Specs Preview

BenQ Specs
Price
Technology
Native Resolution
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)
Contrast
Zoom Lens Ratio
Lens Shift
Lamp Life
Weight
Warranty


Overview
Image Quality
General Performance
Warranty
Summary, Pros, Cons

The decision to share the Best In Class, Runner-Up Award, between these two projectors, was probably the toughest awards decision to make. Each projector, at its very best, is truly impressive. Each has some shortcomings, but different ones.

The Basics: What is similar about these two home theater projectors - features?

Links to additional one-on-one comparisons
Panasonic PT-AE2000U vs. Sanyo PLV-Z2000
Mitsubishi HC4900 vs. Panasonic PT-AE2000U
Sanyo PLV-Z2000 vs. Mitsubishi HC4900
Epson Home Cinema 1080 UB vs. JVC DLA-RS1x
Sony VPL-VW40 vs. Epson Home Cinema 1080 UB
Epson Home Cinema 1080 UB vs. Panasonic PT-AE2000U
BenQ W5000 vs. Sony VPL-VW40
JVC DLA-RS2 vs. Sony VPL-VW60

The first, obvious thing, is that both are rather large projectors. They both also have vertical lens shift, although the Sony has a little more vertical range than the BenQ. The Sony has only very slight horizontal lens shift, while the BenQ has none at all.

Both have very good remote controls, but not the best around. (I favor the BenQ remote).

Neither projector supports Deep Color. The W5000 only has HDMI 1.2.1 which cannot support Deep Color, but even though the VPL-VW40 is HDMI 1.3, so it could support it, Sony, apparently chose not to.

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Anamorphic Lens Support

BenQ does support an anamorphic lens add on, while the Sony does not. As noted with other projectors, you can add the necessary support with an outboard image processor, but they are expensive, and significantly alter the value proposition.

Projector Warranties

Dead tie, here. Both come with a very basic one year parts and labor!

Time to consider the differences:

Projector Sharpness

The BenQ definitely has an advantage in sharpness. Overall, it is one of the sharper projectors. The Sony isn't very far behind, but score a point for BenQ.