BenQ W1000 Projector Review2

W1000 Projector Highlights

• Entry level 1080p projector for home, that can double for business - a "cross-over" projector
• Exceptionally bright, suitable for family room/bonus room viewing (measured over 2100 lumens at brightest)
• An extremely bright "best mode" with over 1200 measured lumens with Brilliant Color on, and only 644 with Brilliant color off
• Good, though not exceptional overall color (color controls lack a full grayscale - individual color adjustment ability)
• Black levels are entry level, but fine for those using the projector in rooms that aren't completely darkened
• Very good (and typical) selection inputs and connections
• Typical limited placement flexibility of lower cost DLP projectors - Most will ceiling mount or place on a table
• For those rainbow sensitive, the 2x color wheel will make rainbows easier to see than on competing projectors
• Very good remote control - nice backlighting, and good range
• $999 - If you need a bright 1080p projector for the price, this is the brightest we've seen.

BenQ W1000 Special Features

Built in Sound

The W1000 has a small, rear facing 5 watt speaker. It actually throws out a very healthy amount of sound. Of course, bass is noticeably limited. It may not be surround sound quality, but it will do the job in a pinch. I can picture taking out the projector for Sunday football, plenty of volume.

And, consider, this projector is suitable for business presentations. The speaker will come in handy there. The BenQ projector has a pair of stereo audio inputs, and one stereo output as well, so you can, for example run a cable from the projector, to a nice boom box, or other portable solution if you want to move the projector from room to room, take on vacation, etc. Or, just get by with the single speaker.

High performance Lamp, Lens, and Color Wheel

In trying to figure out the differences between this BenQ W1000 home projector, and the similar Vivitek, a lot of it comes down to these three differences.

The BenQ's lamp is only 180 watts, compared to a 230 watt in the Vivitek.

The Color wheel is 6 segment and 2x, compared to 5 segment, 3x

The lens has a slightly longer throw, and more lens offset.

So, how do these three factors affect the projectors?

The BenQ measured almost 20% brighter - figure some of that comes from the slower 2x color wheel, - the faster the wheels, in general, the less bright. Some probably comes from the different optics, as BenQ indicates that.

This is despite the dimmer lamp. Ultimately, though, regardless of the reason, the BenQ is definitely brighter. Offsetting that advantage is the Vivitek's higher wattage lamp, and higher contrast ratio (which may well be tied to the color wheel?)

There are color differences as well (discussed later) which also tie to the color wheel, and possibly image processing in general.