BenQ W1070 1080P 3D Projector

I'm really pleased about performance for a projector in this price range. I wasn't expecting this level of detail, sharpness and feature for such a "cheap" projector. In my opinion the W1070 can easily be compared to the slightly older double-priced BenQ W6000, Optoma HD82 etc. The sharpness is way better than I've expected, I'm really amazed that this detail level can be achieved in a projector at this price level.
There are about 5 different picture settings, which can be fully customized.The colors out-of-box is okay in cinema-mode, however dynamic and standard settings are way off. The good thing about this projector is the picture settings which gives some really nice and detailed settings for calibration. The six base colors, can each be calibrated individually in three different settings. This is way too advanced to set without calibration tools, but search around the web to find some calibrations and plot them in, and you will see a huge different. The picture settings can be quite advanced but the results are amazing. But further more, the W1070 has ISF calibration menu. I haven't tried it yet, but it should be worth the effort, if the have the calibration tools.

Regarding noise, the standard settings is a bit too loud for my opinion, but the Eco-mode gives a more subtle brightness which makes the picture, a bit more natural, and reduces noise to a really good acceptable level. Another thing about brightness on this W1070 and many other projectors in this price level, is set a bit too bright, to make it work in livingrooms etc., where you might have some ambient light. I mounted a ND4 brightness filter for my W1070 to reduces brightness further. Black level has become better and white level seems more natural. The Black level on this projector is what you can expect in a projector in this price range. It isn't perfect (at all), but definitely acceptable. However the shadow level detail is actually really good, despite of the black level which could have been a bit better.

The 3D works great, the sharpness in 3D movies is exceptionel. However, motion detail in some 3D movies during fast action scenes can become blurry. The 3D glasses fits pretty good, and battery life is good, but the glasses are really expensive!
i 2D mode, I saw some problems regarding motion detail, but after the calibration, and turning off the "picture noise reduction", the problem seems to disappear.

I haven't noticed any rainbow-effects on the W1070. The older BenQ W1000/W1100 seems to have a bit more rainbow-effect. In my opinion, this W1070 really is a lot of money for value. The standard settings are okay, but your self a favor, and get it properly calibrated, the picture becomes so much better. The remote is simple, maybe a bit cheap, but how often do you use the projector remote, ones it is calibrated. The Menu is typical BenQ, easy to navigate, not much to be confused about. The W1070 has a built in speaker which sounds awful, don't ever use, not even for emergency usage.

Do keep in mind the standard zoom ratio is different the most other projector on the market. It has to be placed quite close to the screen. It can do 100" in 2,6 meters!

I bought this BenQ after going back and forth about getting a projector for about 1.5 years. Given my budget of less than $1500, every projector I looked at seemed to fall short in something - resolution, brightness, contrast, 3D capabilities, size, etc.

When I came across the W1070 and read the reviews I finally decided to pull the trigger - it cost less than $1k and seemed to offer a good mix of product characteristics, with the caveat that I might be unhappy with the "rainbow effect" which seemed to plague DLP projectors like this one (it proved to be an unnecessary worry - to this day I still have seen no rainbows to speak of).

Because I also have a 60" plasma in the same room I have not used the projector as much as I'd like, since for casual viewing I end up defaulting to the TV. On the other hand, having this setup allows me to have a more critical view of the shortcomings of the W1070 compared to a positively good panel.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the how the W1070 has performed for me so far

Installation

I bought the 1070 in April knowing that I'd be moving in June, so I did not bother to mount it on the ceiling or to put the screen in place. Even on a tabletop, however, it was fairly easy to adjust it to have a correct image without resorting to keystone just by fiddling with placement and using the (limited) lens shift capabilities. Once I get to the new house I'll mount it on the ceiling, but given my previous experience I do not expect to suffer a lot to get it up and running correctly.

Calibration

Because It'd be operating in a completely different environment in less than 3 months, I did not bother to calibrate the projector beyond changing the modes and finding the one that best approached the image I get out of my panasonic plasma. I could get good color reproduction and general wow factor that were comparable to the plasma, but lack levels are noticeably worse (note: my friends who use regular LCD / LED panels did not notice this, but since I had a plasma to compare it was hard not to notice the difference).

Experience

Awesome. That was my first impression after using this projector and is one I saw echoed whenever one of my friends came visit and saw the setup for the first time. In the NCAA basketball final I had my living room setup with the panasonic and my regular HT gear (including my couches) and the dining room with the W1070 projecting on the untreated wall with a set of Bose bluetooth speakers (which were enough to play over the 1070's fan noise) and some folding chairs and most of the people ended up watching the whole game on the W1070.

Some compared the image in this scenario (projecting on a beige wall) favorably with their own TV setups (consisting mostly of LEDs or Plasmas in the $1000 range) based not only on the increased size but also on the color reproduction and the overall image dynamics.

Two points that could improve in this projector are the buttons in the projector body and the HDMI inputs. While the button setup looks good and compact at first, it has proven relatively hard to use by touch only - they all feel the same and for some weird reason the volume of the built-in speakers is changed with the left and right buttons rather than up and down. This is a minor flaw that does not show up when using the remote but annoys me whenever it happens. The second point is that the HDMI input is quite sensitive - if the projector is on a table and anyone touches the HDMI connector plugged into the projector chances are it will lose signal and display a blank screen. Since this just happens when the HDMI cable is exposed, I do not expect it to be a nuisance once I get it on the ceiling support with the cables tucked in the ceiling, but for those who intend to use it on more mobile applications might care about this.

Overall

In general I really like the W1070 - I cannot imagine that any other projector in the same price category would deliver a better bang for the buck. Even though the black levels are not spectacular (thus taking one star off the overall grade) I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone who wants to get a good quality image on a large screen without having to sell the car for it.

I think what amazed me the most with this projector other than it's value is how great it was out of the box without any calibration. I just got it a couple days ago for $850 and haven't had a chance to mount it or install a screen. So I just set it on an end table and threw the picture on a grey wall and viola! Gorgeous picture just by hitting the power button! So easy to setup I can't even find a single complaint. Sure I can calibrate it and get a slightly better picture, but right out of the box it's great!

I've tried to view a few different types of material including TV in 720p and 1080p as well as a movie in 1080p and BF3 on my Xbox360. All of these scenarios performed incredibly well. I can't think of any issues with performance that I've seen yet. The only problem I've had isn't really an issue with this projector, but more a problem with the room it's in. The second day I had it I came home and threw on GOT. The problem was that the sun was shining bright and I have three windows so it was beating in on the wall I'm projecting on. When there was a dark scene, which there are a ton of in GOT, it was difficult to see. I know this is a problem for really any projector with this much light in the room. I will be installing black out shades on the windows soon though and won't have this problem for too long. Again this isn't a knock against the W1070 it's just an issue with my room.

On the topic of dark scenes, I will say that the black levels are pretty great for a projector at this price point. This is another area that the W1070 outperformed my old TV in. Keep in mind that the TV I'm replacing is a 56" Samsung DLP from about 2004 or 2005 so it is definitely and older DLP. However, I have to say that the blacks on this projector have really impressed me. This was one area that I thought I would be seeing moderate performance drops in, but I have had great results so far. I know that the blacks on this PJ can't compare to higher-end PJs that are over $2k or $3k, but for my experience they are more than good enough.

I think what I was most impressed with was playing BF3. Currently the image I'm displaying is about 115" diagonally and it's beautiful with this game. I can see so much more that I just didn't notice on my 56" TV that I'm replacing in this room. It's not just the size though it's the fact that even at double the size of my TV the picture quality is so much better and it's even brighter than the TV when the room is dark.

I've noticed a slight bit of fan noise, but nothing that is too noticeable. I also don't like how the input selection works, but that's more of a personal complaint and I'm sure I'll get used to it very quickly.

Overall this PJ is amazing with it's brightness, color clarity, contrast, and black levels. I have to say that if you're looking for a sub $1000 PJ, don't look any further. Just go pick up a W1070 and you will be thrilled!

The Benq W1070 3D Projector is an excellent in-class projector with minor flaws. After reading other negative reviews on this projector regarding the bad menu, fan noise and light bleed, I would have to say that I completely disagree. The only flaw I found was more in regards to the remote rather than the projector which isn't a big deal in my opinion. The remote is quite smaller than my old Epson Home Cinema 710HD Projector and feels cheaply made (i.e., made in china).

I have the projector front ceiling mounted about 5 feet from where the seating area is and can barely hear the projector. My old projector was the Epson Home Cinema 710HD and I'm able to detect a huge difference in the contrast ratio; specifically how black the blacks are. The brightness of the projector is adequate with light from the nearby windows and doors although the colors do get washed out some. I have not noticed any rainbow artifacts that were mentioned in other reviews. I haven't been able to take advantage of the 3D effects but I assume based on the quality of the projector thus far, I should find no flaws with that aspect neither. I experienced no difficulties in navigating through the menu, since every thing was listed simple and precise. The screen I am using is a DIY material from Carl's Place and works well measuring at about 95". The projector required very little color calibration as it was good out of the box. Overall this projector excels in the under $1000 price range and I would highly recommended this projector in its class.