BenQ has a tendency to dominate every list of ‘great projectors at great prices’ round-up we ever write. For reference, consult examples one, two and three. But there’s a very good reason for this; because as far as bringing the latest technology to the budget-accessible market is concerned, BenQ is unparalleled.
For those looking to install their own home cinema setup, BenQ remains a popular projector brand. Whether you’re on a tight budget, or you have a bit more to play around with – everyone wants to get the best tech for the money they’ve got. BenQ often offers that balance. So without further ado, here are some of the best projectors in the BenQ home cinema line up.
BenQ W2000
The BenQ W2000 is very much what you’d call entry-level as far as contemporary home cinema projection is concerned. But that by no means diminishes how impressive the product is – to have such a great range of features available for less than £800 is a feat of technology that we wouldn’t have even dreamt of just a few years ago.
- Light Source: Lamp
- Lumens: 2,000
- Resolution: 1920x1080px (Full HD)
- Lamp Life: 3,500 Hours
- Price: £762.00 inc VAT
Complete with Full HD resolution, 2,000 lumens and 3,500 hours’ lamp life, this model is a step up from its contemporaries in this price range. If you’re after for a robust device with all the essentials at a fantastic price, then this is what you’re looking for.
BenQ W1210ST
When people ask us whether they should get a projector or a tv, the most common query that comes up is about space. Of course, while a display is a self-contained unit, projectors need to be put a certain distance away from the screen to get the full effect. That’s where specialist ‘short-throw’ projectors come in. When you consider the price jumps over 65′ in the consumer TV market, if you want big-screen impact then a projector is the way to go!
- Light Source: Lamp
- Lumens: 2,200
- Resolution: 1920x1080px (Full HD)
- Lamp Life: 3,500 Hours
- Price: £874.80 inc VAT
The BenQ W1210ST is one such device. In many ways, it can be viewed as a short-throw equivalent of the BenQW2000, featuring largely similar specifications, with a modest improvement on the brightness at 2,200 lumens. For a slight premium on the price, customers can enjoy the benefits of this short-throw projector that frees up valuable space in their home cinema or improves the flexibility of your setup.
BenQ W1700
If you’ve got a little bit more to spend, then take a step up in your tech setup for a perfect bright, crisp, clear image. The BenQ W1700 is great example, using what’s known as ‘pixel-shifting’ technology to provide 4K-esque images without the massive 4K prices.
In short, this is not a genuine 4K on the panel projector – but in our professional opinion it’s such a good imitation that it’s definitely worth the few thousand pounds you save on the price vs. a native 4K projector.
We talk in more detail about the trade off in our review of the Epson EH-TW9300. The point is – this is a significant step up from HD resolution, but not such a huge step up in price.
- Light Source: Lamp
- Lumens: 2,200
- Resolution: 3840x2160px (Upscaled 4K UHD)
- Lamp Life: 4,000 Hours
- Price: £1,438.80 inc VAT
BenQ W11000
Of course, if you have got the money to spend, then you’re going to want the real deal. The BenQ W11000 is one of the most accessible examples of ‘true’ or ‘native’ 4K technology – meaning there’s 8.3 million individual pixels on the original panel image, as well as on the final screen.
The distinction matters; while upscaled 4K is incredible for the price, you will notice the additional step up to native 4K.
When the W11000 and its step up sister model (the X12000 below) were first released, we were so impressed that we looked into them both with some detail to compare features.
If the lower priced BenQ models bring HD and upscaled 4K projectors to the market for accessible prices – then these do the same to the native 4K range. In fact, so impressive is the offering from this model, that it’s the only 4K DLP projector to earn a THX HD Display Certification. For those of you who don’t understand the ins and outs of high end projector certification – it means it comes with a prestigious guarantee of quality, performance and consistency. In short: it’s really good.
- Light Source: Lamp
- Lumens: 2,200
- Resolution: 3840x2160px (Native 4K UHD resolution)
- Lamp Life: 2,500 Hours
- Price: £4,558.80 inc VAT
BenQ X12000
The BenQ X12000 is the step-up model of the W11000 (above). In many ways it can be considered the same quality of product – and by that we mean serious top end – with a few extra bells and whistles thrown in. The most significant upgrade is the quality of the light source, which increases the lamp life by eight times that of its lower contemporary. Though, in fact, it’s slightly misleading to refer to it as lamp life at all – since the light source here is lamp-free LED.
The benefits to a led light source like this are longer operational life, bright, clear images, less maintenance and no lamp changes – but you do pay a premium for this.
- Light Source: Lamp-free LED
- Lumens: 2,200
- Resolution: 3840x2160px (Native 4K UHD resolution)
- Lamp Life: 20,000 Hours
- Price: £5,150.40 inc VAT
While 4K technology is now almost ubiquitous, such technology is still a significant step up in price from HD and even its upscaled counterparts. It only takes a quick comparison of the difference between the upscaled and native 4K offerings on this list to see that.
But with BenQ you’ll find consistent levels of quality and value at just about every price point. We hope this quick roundup has opened your eyes to the technology that’s coming out of BenQ these days. If so, have a look through our range of home cinema projectors to find out more.