The images above provide a general idea of color accuracy. However, when viewing in person, the colors would look better than how the photos most likely look on the display of the device you are using to read this review. Like the BenQ GS50 I recently reviewed, the GV30’s color reproduction was pretty good straight out of the box.
Pressing the Projector Menu button on the remote will show an option for Picture Mode. Picture Mode has six picture mode presets. The six preset modes are Bright, Living Room, Game, Sports, Cinema, and Day Time. The six picture mode presets can be adjusted for brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness. The GV30 does not have a color temperature adjustment.
BRIGHTNESS
The GV30 was bright enough for the environments I used it in.
BenQ rates the brightness of the GV30 at 300 ANSI lumens. I found the GV30 to be bright enough in the environments I used it in. Of course, extra lumens would be nice, but the GV30 had enough brightness to get the job done.
To measure the brightness, I set the projector’s power Mode to Normal and its Picture Mode to Bright, which is the projector’s brightest mode. I then took 3-4 readings about 15-20% out from the center of the lens.
Bright mode on the GV30 measured 241 ANSI lumens. I measured all six available picture modes; my measurements are below.
BenQ GV30 Projector Settings Brightness
Picture Mode
Brightness (ANSI Lumens)
Bright
241
Living Room
165
Game
169
Sports
166
Cinema
170
Day Time
162
While the BenQ GV30 measured 241 ANSI lumens at its brightest, which is lower than its rated brightness, the projector should be bright enough for the 80-inch to 100-inch screens recommended by BenQ. Just make sure you are in a darkened environment because the GV30 is not designed to fight off a bunch of ambient light.
PICTURE QUALITY
The overall picture quality was good on the GV30.
The BenQ GV30 overall picture quality was good out of the box. Switching between the six picture modes presets significantly alters the on-screen image. I preferred Cinema for my Picture Mode and Normal for the Power Mode. I adjusted the Brightness, Contrast, Color, and Sharpness to suit the various viewing environments I brought the projector.
SOUND QUALITY
Sound by treVolo.
BenQ utilized treVolo for the GV30 built-in speakers. The projector’s built-in 2.1 channel sound system features two 4-watt midrange tweeters and one 8-watt woofer. BenQ says, “The ported cabinet design creates more output at low frequencies to deliver cinematic sound effects.” As a result, the end-user can hear more details with uncompromised, immersive sound.
The GV30 has five unique sound modes.
The GV30 has five unique sound modes labeled Standard, Cinema, Music, Game, and Sports. BenQ also states, “Sound Mode utilizes sound enhancement technology, which incorporates Waves’ algorithms to deliver great effects of the bass and treble and provide you with an immersive cinematic audio experience.”
The GV30 volume goes from 0 up to 50. The audio system played louder than I needed, while indoors, I never went above volume 20. While outdoors, I typically toggled between volume 20 and volume 40 to overcome outside ambient noise.
AUDIBLE NOISE
While we do not measure audible noise, we do measure fan noise. I measured the fan noise produced by the GV30 between 31dB and 33dB. I placed the Picture Mode on Cinema and the Power Mode on Low Power and Normal for the fan noise measurements. Low Power had the lowest dB reading, and Normal had the highest dB reading. If the projector’s volume was lower than 10, I could hear the fans as I watched movies. I was seated about six feet to the rear of the projector. Once I moved the volume past 10, I could no longer hear the fans from my seated position.
GAMING
The GV30 works well for casual gameplay…
I ran numerous games from my PlayStation and Xbox on the GV30. I was on my own for testing out games on the GV30. My daughter, who usually helps me out on gaming, was busy with homework. So, I multitasked with gaming and taking photos at the same time. The games I tested on the GV30 played perfectly fine, including World of Tanks - Modern Armor and my usual Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). I did not experience any significant input lag while I played games on the GV30. BenQ states 1080p@60Hz input lag (signal lag) is at 51 milliseconds. But as I said, even with the 51-millisecond input lag time, my casual gameplay was not hindered.
