Benq w6000 - Page 21

Wayne,

I have a 144 inch 1.8 gain bright white screen (homemade with "screen goo"). And a very dark theater room with black walls, ceiling, floor and everything. So, the LCOS still pops and wows? It so looks like the JVC is a much more refined machine - plus, only getting 4000 hours out of my H78DC3 OPTOMA does not exactly make me an Optoma lover. I kinda cringe at giving them more of my money....

You got 4000 hours on your H78DC3??? Wow! Count yourself blessed. My H78DC3 lasted a whopping 600 hours before the lamp blew. I remember the angst that most owners of that projector had and there were threads about how to make the bulb last by using cooling fan solutions on the exterior.

Anyway, your screen is massive! Your room sounds like a videophiles dream. Mine isn't far off from yours. I have a deep brown, almost black in tone ceiling, walls and trim as well as beige carpeting (waf factor ).

My screen is 106" 16 x 9 HP and I'm 13' back from it. My head is about 18" to the left of the projector lens and my eyes are at about the same level in height. My particular JVC, the RS2 is regarded as one of the dimmest LCOS projectors in their lineup. Even so, with the HP I have the lamp set on low, contrast set at -14 and it looks like a huge plasma!!

I find the difference between DLP and LCOS to be that DLP is in your face with 'pop' and 'wow' while LCOS is more subtle with it. I like the color saturation better with LCOS as well as the more film like look yet it is sharp although not as razor sharp as my old BenQ W5000 was.

I have determined that as long as I can afford to, I'll be sticking with LCOS. However, it is an expensive technology compared to DLP and LCD and I may have to in the future go back to DLP again or try LCD. It's all good because any projector is better than no projector at all.

Wayne

Yea, I got about 4000 hours before the color wheel shattered. My first lamp made it past 2400hrs, the second about 1300hrs and then, with only a few hundred hrs on the new lamp, the color wheel died. Until then, I hadn't had any problems out of it, except the short hrs on that second lamp, that is. I ran my projector on eco mode 99% of the time.

I can't plop down $4000 every 4 years for a theater, and that's not counting lamps. I love this giant screen and everything, but $1000 a year I just can't do. Without paying a bundle for electronics that become obsolete so quickly, I really need to buy quality. Optoma has not impressed me in that regard. The BenQ seems like it will give me too much rbe and I was not thrilled with how long it took to get someone on the phone there that could answer my questions about their products. LCD just seems out of the question with my love for the "Pixar look" of DLP. So, LCOS is being considered. My only reservation is that I keep thinking how much I love that 3D look of DLP.

BTW, I originally had the H78DC3 set up on a 96" 4:3 digital gray screen in a regular white-walled living room, light controlled with windows blocked out. Then we moved and I set it up on a 144" 16:9 CRT white screen in an all flat-black, light-less room. I didn't know if the old H78 could pull it off, but it did - quite impressively - with about a 16.5' throw, fully zoomed out. Everyone that saw the image it threw was amazed - and still all in eco mode.

One thing I learned, without a doubt, is the value of killing all those reflective surfaces. Now, when the light hits the screen, it doesn't bounce off the walls and other stuff causing any kind of wash out. Just like at the movies, but with an even better picture. Very impressive...... 'til the Optoma died. I considered fixing it (for about a grand), but now I'm all giddy to get 1080p.

LCOS, huh? The JVC RS10 is the same price as the HD8200, from what I'm finding on-line. So, I won't miss the DLP "pop", ya think?

Maybe you should look into a Planar 8150/Runco LS-5.

Just to wrap up my benq experience:
It took about a week to get an RMA # and about another week to get a credit issued but Projector People did give me a full refund on my projector. Major kudos to them.

My projector was showing video noise. It was progressively worse going from 1080p to 1080i to 720p sources. By comparison, no video noise on my current projector with the same setup.

I have no idea if I just got a faulty projector or this was typical benq quality.
I think only 1 other poster has returned a benq for video noise (twice). I hope I didn't get his same projector!

This is the third time I have had to return a projector that has been purchased online. I don't even consider myself that picky but the problems have been quite noticeable on content every time.

To all owners a wish for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

So, has anyone calibrated to satisfaction? After two hours or so of effort on my part it is a work in progress.

To those worried about RBE: I'm not sensitive but have seen rainbows trying hard on other DLP pj's. Can not replicate with the W6000.

A last comment on the Da-Lite HP screen. If you can, go see it in action and decide.

Regards.

Joe

Price went up $100 on Amazon.

I have about 50 hrs on the bulb -- this unit is a mixed bag. Really great on Blu Ray, but I find the BC to add green. Tried to use some of the advanced settings to clear it up but I can't. I'm throwing about 155" diagonal on a plain white wall; I have ambient light in the daytime. Anyone care to post their calibrations?

Also, I hate to say it, but I'm seeing a bit of RBE. Had many DLP projectors and never saw one -- I'm seeing a few now, not distracting, but still it's there.

Have you tried using Art's settings from www.projectorreviews.com

New W6000 owner here, via the Amazon deal that nearly matched the PP deal. (And now up $200 since I ordered on 12/22.)

Briefly, my situation: I've had an Optoma HD80 for just over 2 years, and about 2 weeks ago it started having the well documented problem of powering itself off when HDMI signal is dropped or switched. It's out of wty so I'm currently SOL, though hoping to get something more. Prior to the HD80 I had a couple of NEC business class projectors, so I lived with rainbows for 4 years and put up with them, but rarely ever saw them on the HD80 which was a huge relief.

My HT setup is a typical LR type setup - white walls/ceiling, incomplete lighting control during the day. Screen is a 100" Firehawk G3, which helps. I watch some of everything - movies, HDTV, sports, sometimes PC stuff (less now that I have an Apple TV). So, typical needs for that - brightness needs to at least be available, but I do want at good black levels. I am greatly looking forward to the advent of LED based projectors in this price range, so I had planned to keep the HD80 until then.

After determining that the HD80 was not going to be a quick fix, I ran over to Best Buy and found they had 1 Epson 8100 in stock, so I snagged it. After some setup and tweaking, I found it to be a very different look than the DLP I was accustomed to, in part because to get the black levels to be acceptable the brightness was down so far that the picture was a bit dim and dingy looking. I ended up using the "Theater Black 2" setting as a start. On bright material like sports or animated features another mode such as "Living Room" works ok, but anything with dark scenes is not good due to elevated black level. For the price, it's a good projector and I could probably live with it for a while but I know I'd always be looking for an upgrade.

Enter the W6000. I had started reading this thread after reading Art's review, saw the Amazon deal, and snapped it up with 2 day delivery. So I've had a couple of days to compare it to the 8100 - which isn't really a fair comparison of course based on MSRP and it really should be compared to an 8500, but it's what I've got. (I've never had this opportunity to compare/contrast before, and it's fun and educational.) To cut to the chase: in every meaningful way that I can see with ONE major exception, the W6000 kills the 8100 - and it should. I love the sharpness and brightness, and I can get the black levels pretty good and still retain nice brightness. However, that brightness comes with a price, which is that I'm back in rainbow land. Having lived a nearly rainbow free existence with the HD80, I have to say I've gotten spoiled and it sucks to go back. I may be able to put up with it in exchange for the many other advantages of the W6000. I love the lens shift - I was never able to get the HD80 quite lined up right.

So now this has me wondering how the 8500 or something like the new LG CF181D SXRD based model would do. I am guessing that the 8500 would be more similar to the 8100, unless it can retain better black levels in the brighter modes. The LG sounds like it has pretty poor black levels regardless, so while I've always been intrigued by LCOS and enjoyed the look on the couple of occasions I've sampled it, I'm not sure the LG would be a good fit esp. on my 100" screen.

Bronco70 mentioned not really seeing RBE on the W6000, and I really envy him. I'm having a tough time with this now because of this one flaw. I've been able to mitigate it somewhat by backing down on brightness and on contrast (interestingly, my eyeball adjustments ended up very similar to those posted by Digital2004.) mp06011999 was asking about this, and based on my experience I would have to say this is definitely not the pj for you, unforunately. If anyone else has suggestions to further improve this issue I'd love to hear it. I'm going to live with it for at least another few days before making a final decision. (The 8100 is going back, so I may try to grab an 8500 or CF181D soon too and compare.)

A followup on the W6000, with regard to mounting and lens shift as I just moved the pj from the temporary spot on a shelf behind the couch (actually a utility ladder, so it definitely can't stay there). My screen is mounted such that the top of the 16:9 image is 20" below the ceiling - that can be adjusted some as it's a retractable. The W6000 lens center is now about 7" below the ceiling.

It's not even CLOSE to being able to hit the screen. I am a bit dumbfounded by this. First of all, according to the manual for a 100" screen diagonal, the lens shift should allow a drop of 16". What I am seeing is that at the very bottom of the vertical lens shift range, the top of the image is level with the lens.

Am I somehow missing something here? It seems pretty basic in looking at the chart in the manual, that my setup should be within spec. Yet, here I am looking at an image that is up near the ceiling and nowhere near my screen.

[Edited: corrected numbers from the table in the BenQ manual, slightly, but doesn't change the point.]

Yes, can't get rid of the green in BC.

I went back and checked the mount to see if it was parallel to ceiling, etc. It may have been off a bit, but I redid the mount and eyeballed the W6000 from the side while mounted, and it seems square. Probably not perfect, but pretty close. Still have the same alignment, image top won't go lower than lens center. I tried rotating everything down, but that introduces very obvious keystone. Also, if I shift the lens to the top of its range the bottom of the image goes above the ceiling. In other words, it's as if the whole lens shift range is skewed to be "below" the projector (above, when inverted on the ceiling).

Something doen't seem to add up here but I can't figure it out. If the mount was tilted up that would explain the image being too high, but not the fact that tilting the projector down ends up with keystone.

I was really worried about this and I'm also considering the LG. I can't find much feedback though. The next step up (HD550, SP8602) is like twice the price so I'm a bit bummed with the RBE.

A lot of the 'pop' I have found can come from your screen (mine is a 106" Da-Lite High Power) and your room environment as it relates to your screen and projector's ability to produce deep blacks.

As long as you have the pieces to the puzzle in place like this you can emulate quite well the DLP experience. I can tell you that I sampled several LCD units in my home and was always left unimpressed. This LCOS technology is the closest thing I've come to that will satisfy a die hard DLP enthusiast.

I do miss the W5000's motorized lens shift though. It's only manual on my JVC RS2. One thing I don't miss is rainbows which I wasn't particularly bothered by but nonetheless it's nice to not notice them at all.

Wayne

I'm trying to find more info and reviews on the Vivitek H5080, or the H5082 which seems to be the Best Buy version. There's a couple of brief threads here but very little info. I see speculation that it's based on the Optoma HD8600 (which is much more expensive), or the W6000 (which is similar price). The specs are certainly interesting and it has some lens shift, but I can't find anything to give a clue on the color wheel and speed and thus get some gauge on how much RBE there might be.

My guess is that both the LG and Vivitek are relatively new to market, and both from manufacturers that haven't been big players in the projection scene so there aren't as many dealers and others with contacts that can try these out. The LG at least has reviews at projectorcentral and Art's review. Given its brightness and my only 100" screen, I'm wondering if the LG plus a neutral density filter might be an interesting option.

I found this to be helpful in my planning:

http://stephenmason.com/misc/projectorkeystone.html

So you would still get the HP even with the extra bright lumens that the W6000 puts out? I am screen hunting now for my current Mits HC6000, but want it to be future proofed for a new projector later next year. So I am looking at the W6000 also, but am concerned that paired with the HP screen it may be to bright.

What size screen are you considering?

The 6000 works great with my 133" screen with placement resulting in a gain of 1.4-1.5 using economic lamp mode. I wish I could position the pj to max out to the HP's 2.8 gain. Then I would use an ND filter until the lamp aged to half output. That would be ideal over the entire life of the lamp.

Joe

The same size that you have - 133" at a throw distance of 16'. Our seating will be around 17'. Our two chairs will be centered on each side of the ceiling mounted projector.

That will work quite well. My viewing distance is at 15' which is the THX recommended distance resulting in a 36 degree viewing angle.

At around 17' you will be at the SMPTE 30 degree standard and within the visual acuity range for 1080p.

Joe

Very curious to hear from people who've upgraded from the W5000.
What differences have you found, particularly in the brightness, contrast and black level departments!

Thanks in advance.

How about some calibrations. This thread seems to be kind of dead.

Not as hot as PE7700 thread. Will post my calibration figure once I get my W6000. Still waiting for reroute from US to Malaysia.

and please some screenshot will be nice and realy needfull

Amazon increased the price again, back to the MAP everyone else has. Guess i was lucky to see it a few weeks ago and got it for under 2K.

Thread's dead, baby..... thread's dead.

ex W5000 owners?

This one is on my short list but I'm very worried about the noise level. How bad is it?

I'm upgrading from a Sharp XV-Z3000 which is one loud mofo and I wouldn't mind silence.

in my very quick viewing (around 2 hours) of mixed film and video material i was unable to spot it. although im sure it may be noticed more in a controlled setup and having time to get used to the image. all can agree that demos are hard to really judge a pj unless you are at it for hours and really test everything including changing around settings. when i viewed the w5000 i noticed a bit of motion blur on text, but supposedly no one else was able to verify this. it could have been a bad day for me or maybe i was too close to the screen, but i did see it and it did bother me. perhaps this was video noise? who knows, but i think for the price the w6000 is a top dlp. shadow performance could be better, but again, for the price nothing really compares especially at its pop and brightness.

My W5000 has been nothing but problems. It has a nice picture when it is working but has been on BenQ benches for six weeks in the past year. That is unacceptable. I asked BenQ to replace it as there are definitely problems with this unit with it powering off unexpectedly but they wouldn't budge. They were polite but unhelpful in the end. I would not recommend BenQ to anyone who is averse to reliablility issues. I thought I would save some money and get a nice picture for cheap but I guess you end up paying in the end. BTW I owned an Infocus projector for 4 years and it was great.

Mr.Green72: I came from a Sharp Z12000mk2 to the W6000, and it is a tad bit quieter, but still definitely noticeable if you don't have the sound cranked up. I would say the tone is less annoying though, mostly just airflow noise instead of what sounded like motor or color wheel noise in the Sharp. The dynamic iris is much louder than the fan as well. How I wish for a few static iris settings in a firmware update.