Like most projectors these days, the BenQ MP772ST has its lens offset to the right side of the projector when facing it. The convex lens sticks out from the front of the projector because the MP772ST does not project straight ahead, but rather upward diagonally from the projector, thus allowing it to be placed close to the screen.
A focus ring surrounds the lens.
As this lens type may be subject to accidental damage, the MP772ST comes with a fairly substantial lens cap, attached by a short cord. There is an IR receiving eye on the bottom right corner of the front panel and a push button for releasing the front height adjustment foot in the center. There are also two screw feet in the rear corners for adjusting the rear height. On the left side of the front of the projector is a heat exhaust vent.
The front half of the top of the projector is actually a cover for the lamp. There are screws on each side of the projector that, when removed, allow for removal of this cover. This allows the user to access the lamp when the MP772ST is ceiling mounted, without having to unmount the projector.
Toward the rear, on the left side (as you’re facing the projector form the front) is a control panel with the most oft-used functions, plus indicators for power on, lamp status and temperature (if overheating). There are buttons for Power, Keystone Up/Down (which also serve as Menu Up/Down buttons), Menu, Navigation (Up, Down, Left, Right and Enter), Source, Blank (for temporarily hiding the image on the screen) and Auto Sync. The Left menu navigation button also functions to bring up a FAQ page Essentially a Help screen) and the Right menu navigation button also functions to allow the user to lock out all of the panel buttons (so they’re not accidentally pressed) except for the Power button. On the right side (again facing the front of the projector), is a cool air intake vent.
Moving to the rear panel, starting at the top left, there is a second IR receiving eye. Below that is a Kensington lock and the power cord jack. Moving across the top from left to right, there is an RJ45 jack for a network connection, RS-232 input for computer control of the projector and an RGB output. Next are two RGB/component video inputs, an S-video input and a composite video input. These are followed by separate left and right channel audio inputs (which are internally combined as the MP772ST does not output in stereo) and a single audio input and output (for an external speaker system).
As is the case with most short throw projectors, initial setup can take some time to position the projector at both the correct height and distance from the screen (as there is no ability to manually zoom the lens). As the MP772ST is a prime candidate for ceiling mounting (with its ability to be so close to the screen), this may not be an issue for many users.
Once setup, the user can select the desired picture mode from the on-screen menu. In a departure from most of the competition, the MP772ST does not allow for any adjustments to the main picture modes (Dynamic, Presentation, sRGB and Cinema). Instead, if you want to fine-tune a particular mode, you can select one of the two User modes, with which you can start with any of the above modes and make the usual adjustments (contrast, brightness, color and tint) to the picture. While I would prefer to have these basic adjustments available for all modes, there is an advantage to making things as simple as possible for the inexperienced user.
MP772ST Menu Display
System Setup-Basic
System Steup Advanced
3D Managment
It should be noted that the MP772ST also offers a full CMS (color management system) for individual adjustment of each of the projector’s primary (red, green and blue) and secondary (cyan, magenta and yellow) colors in the User modes. As we noted with the recently reviewed Sharp PG-D3510X, CMS is fairly common on more expensive home theater projectors, but this level of control is unusual for business/education projectors. It’s particularly unusual for a projector of any type at the price point of the MP772ST.
Additionally, you can set up the projector to provide a good-looking color balance depending in the projection surface. In the Display menu, you can select from Off (for whiteboards or normal white projection screens), Light Yellow, Pink, Light Green, Blue, and Blackboard. This allows more flexibility in presenting on almost any open wall area.
