Home Theater Projector Reviews: BenQ W500 DLP Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons

Home Theater Projector Reviews: BenQ W500 DLP Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons

I really did like the W500 overall, but debated whether it should earn our Hot Product Award. Ultimately, the BenQ's problems, which may, in part, be specific to this particular projector, in terms of limited shadow detail, a shift toward red in the dark areas, and unevenness of color across the screen, were the deciding factors, even though the W500 had a number of strengths. I have shipped back the W500 to BenQ, but have asked for a 2nd projector to check out. If the 2nd one is much better in the three above mentioned areas, I'll write off the first unit as defective, and most likely will upgrade the W500's status with our Hot Product Award. Only time will tell.

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Menus were very good, the remote is excellent, and skin tones were very impressive after our minor gray scale adjustments. Except in dark scenes/dark faces, where skin tones were too red. The BenQ W500 looks great on bright scenes!

The shadow detail handling is definitely dissapointing, as this BenQ projector has a lot going for it, especially, a bright picture in Cinema mode, lens shift, which only the slightly more expensive Epson Home Cinema 400 and Sony VPL-AW15 have, and lots of good control of the image quality. It may be, that I am underselling the BenQ, as I spent the bulk of my time viewing it on my Firehawk high contrast gray screen, but did like it better on the white Carada screen in my testing room. Ultimately, though, is much brighter when you need maximum lumens, and still pretty bright in one of its best modes, though not as bright as the BenQ in Cinema mode. While the BenQ likely has the advantage in terms of black levels, the Epson definitely reveals more shadow detail.

Update 10/5/07: The 2nd W500 is still crushing the blacks (dark shadow detail), but, with the red problem now gone in this unit, my opinion of the W500 has improved. What the BenQ loses in technical performance in terms of shadow detail, it seems to make up for with an especially punchy image. If you are not really into the details of performance, let's just say that the overall picture will wow you (relative to price, etc.), even if another less "exciting" looking projector is better technically in this area. I also got to look at it, side by side, with the Acer PH530. To give you an idea of what I mean, the BenQ was definitely a bit brighter, and more dynamic looking. The Acer had the advantage in both black levels (no surprise it's a DLP), and definitely in shadow detail. But no matter, most looking at both would find the BenQ image a bit more appealing. Lastly, the BenQ produces a very sharp image, significantly sharper than the Acer. So, in this case, for example, despite the BenQ's issues, most will prefer it, as it has the stuff going for it, that appeals to the typical consumer, but not the enthusiast on a quest for perfection. -art

The Sony, on the other hand, does superior black levels, compared to the W500, but is far, far dimmer overall.

Placement is a key strength of the W500, thanks to lens shift, and its price parity with the two best selling DLP projectors, the HC1500 by Mitsubishi, and the Optoma HD70. Of these three projectors, all have limited zooms, but the BenQ, with lens shift, is far more likely to be used on a shelf, if your screen size, is the proper match for your room depth. It also lacks the limitation of the two DLP projectors in that they must both be mounted about 1.5 feet above the top of your screen surface. That distance, for a 100" screen, and therefore even more for larger screens. That large offset means both the Mitsubishi and Optoma will typically not work well in a room with less than 8 foot high ceilings. (Example, if you have a 110" diagonal screen, the screen height is about 54 inches. With an 7 foot ceiling (basement theater), and the projector (hanging down about 1 foot from the ceiling (allowing for the mount, and minimal clearance), the bottom of the screen is about 18 inches from the floor, lower than almost anyone will consider acceptable.