BenQ HC1200 Projector Review - Summary

The Bottom Line

The BenQ HC1200 in many ways is a home theater projector masquerading as a multimedia projector.  It has HD resolution (1920 X 1080), excellent color balance and accuracy in its sRGB mode, two HDMI inputs and better than normal ANSI contrast.  It also has full grayscale and color management adjustments as well.  While not the brightest projector in its class, it still delivers over 2000 lumens in its best picture modes, which is what its target market is likely to use.

As BenQ does promote the HC1200 for use for business and as a home theater (home entertainment, really) projector, those thinking of buying the HC1200 for HT use, it is very similar in both price and performance to BenQ’s home theater projector, the HT1075, we reviewed last year.  The HT1075 had pretty much the same color balance in its Cinema mode and puts out only a few hundred lumens less than the HC1200.  The HT1075’s lamp is also rated to last longer than the HC1200’s lamp.  The 2000 lamp hours the HC1200 claims at full power is the shortest lamp life we've seen in quite some time with most projectors offering 3000 or 4000 hours at full power.

For those looking for a multimedia projector that offers absolutely accurate color reproduction, but at a reasonable price, they need look no further than the BenQ HC1200.  It is targeted for a specific market and it hits that target.  While there are some home theater projectors that could match the resolution and color at a lower price, they don't have the networking or remote computer control (via USB) capabilities of HC1200. I have no doubt that the HC1200 will find many homes in graphics arts departments or any other business that requires a projector equal to any sRGB monitor.

Pros

Cons

• Lower than average rated lamp life
• No wireless networking
• Noisier than some of the competition
• Suffers from some rainbow effect for those who may be sensitive to it