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AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › Digital Projectors - Under $3,000 USD MSRP › Almost ready to buy - last minute sanity check please...(BenQ W7000)
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post #1 of 3
Thread Starter 
Hi folks - I've done a lot of reading, researching and forum browsing, but I find the best bet is real feedback from people that know and have experience with the machine....in this case, the BenQ W7000.

First, I'll try give you the basic data:

Standard spare bedroom, light walls, light carpet, 8' ceiling, large windows.

Ability to block light

Very good, but not 100%. On an otherwise bright sunny day: The room is definitely dark, you can navigate without falling over stuff, you can see most objects in the room but cannot make out colors. You wont be able to read anything, though there is enough light that some objects cast a barely detectable shadow. Smaller objects (like remote controls) will be impossible to find. If I hold the remote close enough, I can make out the buttons fairly well, but otherwise detail and texture are pretty much undetectable on objects. If standing at the end of the room, you wont be able to make out objects at the other end.

Viewing & seating distances

I technically have some flexibility here, but the desired set up provides me with:

- 13.8 feet from screen to opposing wall
- 10.5 feet from seats to screen (measured from the face of the seated viewer, not the chair itself)
- 12.3 feet throw distance from BenQ lens to screen. (164 inches total distance minus 12.5 inches for the BenQ and another 4 inches factoring in space behind the machine for cables, etc)

So here is what I'm planning....

- Looking at a gray 1.0 - 0.9 gain, fixed 100" diagonal 16.9 screen. From what I've read, the gray screen should A) help with the fact the the room is not 100% dark, B) help reduce the impact of light reflected from the white walls back onto the screen C) give the perception of deeper black levels and D) help reduce the brightness of the image overall since the BenQ w7000 seems to be a bit over bright, especially for smaller screens (seems odd to call a 100" screen small).


BenQ W7000. I'll be shelf-mounting, which I've read means I need lens shift capability. I also think I'll like the DLP look versus 3LCD and I'm not in the price range of the higher end LCD machines (I want to be sub $2000). So If I'm in the DLP market, there are very few DLP machines with lens shift in my price range - BenQ w7000 current listed for $1,850 +/-. I can't say if RBE is a problem for me, can't say I've ever noticed it, but that may just mean I've never watched a DLP projector long enough.

Planned Use

Movies - blu-ray and standard DVD. Some gaming via PS3 - FPS, Gran Turismo and Skyrim, as examples.


- I think I'm right on the edge (perhaps under) in terms of recommended viewing distance.
- The projector will be only a few feet above and behind my head - I've read its a noisy sucker - particularly the iris.
- I already have a 60" plasma TV in there - do I really need a projector?

So sanity check - am I looking at the right equipment for the circumstances? Is there another option I should consider - I've looked at competitor products to the BenQ, but it seems to come out on top except when up against more expensive equipment - i.e Epson 5010, Epson 8700UB (but both machines are + $800 over the BenQ).

Appreciate feedback / Advice. Thanks

post #2 of 3
From 10.5', a 60" TV is a good size, but with a PJ you can, obviously, go considerably bigger. Whether or not you "need" that is entirely up to you. smile.gif

A gray screen will help with contrast but usually at a cost to brightness. While I think your room is dark enough that you don't need to worry about contrast, taming the W7000's brightness can't hurt as it does put out a lot of light.

When I demo'd a W7000 against my JVC DLA-HD250, I did notice RBE (which I also used to notice with my older InFocus SP7210), but it wasn't too bad. YMMV.

The W7000 is pretty loud, but that's just how it is with that unit and with DLP PJs in general. Having had a DLP before, I'm really appreciating the whisper-quiet operation of my JVC. smile.gif

The other thing I found with the W7000 - which confirmed what I'd read on-line - is that out-of-the-box PQ settings aren't very good. But they're not so bad that a little bit of tweaking can't fix 'em.

Just my 2¢. smile.gif
post #3 of 3
Thread Starter 
Yea - its sort of a guilty feeling. I bought the 60" plasma about a year or two ago and expected that within that time I'd move it downstairs to replace my 56" rear projection set. Unfortunately (or fortunately) my rear projection set is still going strong and perhaps more to the point, we have two young kids and its become clear that they'd destroy a plasma TV. The advantage of the rear projection set is that its almost indestructible and the screen has some give to it - which works nice when someone throws a stuffed animal at it.

So, long story short, if I get the projector, the plasma will end up in the bedroom and since we typically don't watch TV in there, its seems of wasteful........yet the projector idea is calling my name...
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