AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › Digital Hi-End Projectors - $3,000+ USD MSRP › Official BenQ W7000 Owners Thread
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Official BenQ W7000 Owners Thread - Page 33

post #961 of 3371
4/14/12 at 7:30am
Thread Starter 
Some random thoughts after a 6 hour marathon last night:

Sammy's adventures and Happy Feet 2 are two of the toughest movies for 3D ghosting. The W7000 combined with the Optoma ZD201's is some of the best 3D i've seen yet compared to all the other projectors in the mini-shootout thread.

The Epson is definitely brighter in it's torch mode (colors are off a bit) but even that projector showed some flaws in these movies. Most people might not pick it out, but I've watched enough 3D between 8 different projectors to zone in on ghosting. It's refreshing to the eyes when it simply isn't there at all, under any circumstances. Plus there is no perceivable flicker, the image rock solid. I am always slightly aware of the flicker on the HW30 and 5010, and especially on the JVC's, but it's excellent on the W7000.

Black levels are very good in 3D, even with the HP screen. It's remarkable how well these Optoma ZD201's handle blocking the red flash. You can see it in the darker scenes, but the glasses turns the slight red into a nice shade of black. The big deal about the ZD201's is how balanced both lenses are. Every other setup of DLP link glasses allows some of the red flash through on the right side lens, it amost looks like a polarization error, but the 201's are flawless in this regard.

Black levels in 2D are better than I was expecting for any DLP, but SCI-FI enthusiasts aren't going to mistake it for my RS55 which isn't exactly a fair comparison - that's what the JVC's were born to do. The black levels are definitely better than the Acer 5360 which bothered me when watching even mixed contrast scenes.

The W7000's lens shift is a great match for my HP screen. The image is perfectly centered and focused which I couldn't do with the Acer 5360, or any other 3D DLP on the market right now.

Overall sharpness increase is very noticeable with the beta firmware. I haven't had any crashes yet going between 2D and 3D, and DI and FI are working fine so far. I'll check the CMS this week and do some lumen measurements since this lamp only has 20 hours.

















Reply
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #962 of 3371
4/14/12 at 7:49am
[quote=zombie10k;21901074]I went right for the single pixel test on the AVS HD disk. I could tell right away it was fixed when the main menu for the AVS disk was on the screen. it's a big difference from before, especially on a nice sized 142" screen.

So far, this is looking great. I put on the 'Art of the Flight' which is reference quality source footage to show the best (or worst) of any projector. It looks great on the W7000.. finally!

I had the lamp on high, dead center on my 2.8 HP - It's blindly bright, just how I like it. I thought for sure I would see RBE with so much brightness and the white mountains in this demo material. I'm not seeing it and my eyes are tired since it's getting late. As RBE sensitive as I am, this is surprising. I wonder if anything was done to the colorwheel speed, I'll have to ask BQ.

-Im thinking of getting a refurb benq w7000. It will be from the usa and I live in the UK.
I am new to the world of projectors.
If I go ahead and purchase, will I be able to get updates for firmware etc?
As Im concerned about if I get older firmware.
It seems such a good price too which might mean alarm bells should ring $1699
The other alternative is the acer at the same kind of price new, or save up for the 5010.
I also don't have a bat cave, just a standard room with dark and also gold side walls with white roof.
Im hoping the benq wont be too bright for home cinema.
PS. great review of the various 3d projectors.
Reply
Reply
post #963 of 3371
4/14/12 at 9:02am
Great work, Zombie. Looking forward to your lumens results this week.

I probably already know the answer to this but, with the new firmware, does the W7000 project a sharper image than than HW30 and 5010?

I've already settled on the BenQ, but might be helping a family member decide between these 3 units. This will be a living room setup with a bit of ambient light. He values brightness and a razor sharp image above all other attributes.

Thanks for your effort, as always.
Reply
Reply
post #964 of 3371
4/14/12 at 9:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by greekwolf View Post

Great work, Zombie. Looking forward to your lumens results this week.

I probably already know the answer to this but, with the new firmware, does the W7000 project a sharper image than than HW30 and 5010?

I've already settled on the BenQ, but might be helping a family member decide between these 3 units. This will be a living room setup with a bit of ambient light. He values brightness and a razor sharp image above all other attributes.

Thanks for your effort, as always.

The BenQ will be sharper then the mentioned two. The BenQ will also be a lot brighter than either one of the two if your useing a best image mode.
Reply
Reply
post #965 of 3371
4/14/12 at 10:15am
I see some of these refurbished units online and I am considering one in the future but how would I get the new firmware? Can I just download it or must I ship the projector to Benq?
Also, what is this panamorph feature? Is it simply that it does the correct squeezing for an anamorphic lens or what?
Reply
Reply
post #966 of 3371
4/14/12 at 11:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by greekwolf View Post

Great work, Zombie. Looking forward to your lumens results this week.

I probably already know the answer to this but, with the new firmware, does the W7000 project a sharper image than than HW30 and 5010?

I've already settled on the BenQ, but might be helping a family member decide between these 3 units. This will be a living room setup with a bit of ambient light. He values brightness and a razor sharp image above all other attributes.

Thanks for your effort, as always.

no problem, I'm glad to see it appears they resolved the issue. It was a deal breaker for me since I have a relatively large 142" screen and any sharpness flaws are easy to see.

We still have to be realistic in regard to light output, this is not a 2000 lumen monster like the Epson 5010. The 5010 I had was quite sharp, I don't see choosing one or the other just based on sharpness. The 5010 is nearly 2000 lumens in the living room mode / torch mode. The colors are off, but it's not terrible and quite acceptable for daytime viewing.

I'm a brightness fanatic and the 2D and 3D on the W7000 is 'just right' for me on my 2.8 142" HP screen. With the projector position close to eye level, I am getting closer to 3.x gain with the older HP material which I believe was under-rated. I can watch it with some ambient light, but the HP goes a long way to making that possible. The 5010 sets the HP on fire in the torch mode.

Quote:
Originally Posted by curtishd View Post

I see some of these refurbished units online and I am considering one in the future but how would I get the new firmware? Can I just download it or must I ship the projector to Benq?

I would contact technical support at BenQ to verify. I can't see why they wouldn't update the firmware for any W7000 owner, regardless of where it was purchased.
Reply
Reply
post #967 of 3371
4/14/12 at 1:09pm
Zombie,

This obviously isn't a JVC but which PJ do you think has comparable black levels and contrast in 2D? I have an SP8602 and I'm wondering what I'll lose by switching to the W7000. Also what are your thoughts on RBE in 2D?

Great Job so far.
Reply
Reply
post #968 of 3371
4/14/12 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SauceXX View Post

Zombie,

This obviously isn't a JVC but which PJ do you think has comparable black levels and contrast in 2D? I have an SP8602 and I'm wondering what I'll lose by switching to the W7000. Also what are your thoughts on RBE in 2D?

Great Job so far.

From what I've seen of the w6000, which is basically the same projector as the w7000 with added 3D. You will lose some contrast and black level. The SP8602 has an EXTREMELY clean image. The W6000 couldn't match it in that area. Hopefully the w7000 improved on the image noise..I don't know. Other than that you should be able to get the colors to look about the same. The SP8602 had a more accurate color out of the box.
Reply
Reply
post #969 of 3371
4/14/12 at 2:05pm
Thread Starter 
I have a W6000 at work but I don't use it for video so I can't compare it to the W7000. From the 2D movies I watched last night, I didn't see any specific noise issues that stood out. Overall it looks good compared to the other projectors I've seen this year.

The RS55 and W7000 is a great combo to cover the best of 2D and 3D. I have to find a creative way of mounting them since the W7000 has to be further back than the RS55 to fill the whole screen.
Reply
Reply
post #970 of 3371
4/14/12 at 2:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zombie10k View Post

I have a W6000 at work but I don't use it for video so I can't compare it to the W7000. From the 2D movies I watched last night, I didn't see any specific noise issues that stood out. Overall it looks good compared to the other projectors I've seen this year.

The RS55 and W7000 is a great combo to cover both the best of 2D and 3D. I have to find a creative way of mounting them since the W7000 has to be further back than the RS55 to fill the whole screen.

The W7000 sounds like a winner for 3D! I'm seeing good pricing on these pop up.
Hard to beat the sharpness of the Benqs...they are RAZOR sharp for sure!
For 3D it would be my choice. My buddy's w6000 has been rock solid for over two years now. He's still using the original lamp.
Reply
Reply
post #971 of 3371
4/14/12 at 2:21pm
Thread Starter 
With the HDMI fix, it's just as sharp as the W6000 and SP890.

Ever since I had the Acer 5360 in early 2010, I was hoping that a 1080 3D DLP with HP friendly lens shift would come out. BenQ is the only one at this time which is why I was looking forward to seeing the W7000 upon release.

It's a shame DaLite decided to discontinue the 2.8HP, imo, it's a perfect match with this projector for 3D. I am sitting only 1.25 SW from the 142" 16:9 and the 3D is very immersive since it's nice and bright and there is no ghosting or flicker with the ZD201's.

Last night I watched 'Street Dance 3D' which is a little discussed movie with great 3D. It's was shot in native 3D and the fast paced dance scenes look great on the W7000 in 3D with the FI on low.
Reply
Reply
post #972 of 3371
4/14/12 at 4:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zombie10k View Post

It's a shame DaLite decided to discontinue the 2.8HP, imo, it's a perfect match with this projector for 3D.

How different is DaLite's current High Power with a gain of 2.4?
Reply
Reply
post #973 of 3371
4/14/12 at 6:53pm
The HP 2.4 gain screen is still a great screen. The HP 2.4 has a wider brightness cone, so the brightness uniformity is better and you don't have to mount the projector as close to center to maximize the gain. For many setups, the HP 2.4 gain will be almost as bright as the HP 2.8 gain, because how many of us can vertically mount the projector exactly at eye-level (not many), otherwise the light beam hits our heads unless we mount the projector to the side or in front. If I run the screen gain calculator in Excel for my setup, it shows the brightness to be about the same as if I was using a 2.8 when I am reclined. For some people, the 2.8 gain will be significantly brighter depending on how you mount it. I've heard the 2.4 gain screen has less visible texture in bright scenes, but either one has very little texture. The 2.8 gain rejects ambient light better (makes sense considering it is even more retro-reflective than the 2.4).

@Sharpness
Sharpness just depends how close you sit and what you use the projector for, in movies most projectors are sharp enough to not make that much difference from normal seating distances. Epson LCD's still do not always have consistent convergence on a unit-to-unit basis, and I still see quite a few exchanging them trying to get better convergence. I would still estimate that a DLP's added sharpness is noticeable in gaming and HTPC usage over the Epson but not really in movies. However, if you get an Epson with mediocre or poor convergence (it happens), the Benq will look sharper even for movies.

For gaming it might depending on what you are playing and how close you are sitting. For reading HTPC text, I'm sure the Benq is slightly easier to read small text. For instance, if you tried a space sim game like X3-Terran Conflict, it would be very noticeable due to the tiny text in the game. If you played Mario Kart it wouldn't make any difference, for some FPS it might help some. The pixel fill combined with the sharpness is more where the advantage of DLP is, rather than just sharpness alone.
Reply
Reply
post #974 of 3371
4/14/12 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lopezislander View Post

How different is DaLite's current High Power with a gain of 2.4?

The 2.4 is still a nice material, i've installed a few for friends after the 2.8 disappeared. It allows for more flexible projector mounting vs. the original HP.

I've had the 2.4 and 2.8 side by side with the projector at eye level which is the most optimal spot for maximum gain. There is more than .4 difference between the 2 screens, the 2.8 in this setup is closer to 3.x gain. For 3D, i'd prefer the 2.8 if it was still around.

I have one of the last 2.8 Cinema Contours they manufactured. For some reason, Dalite advertised only 133" max with the 2.8HP in a fixed frame. I had a chance conversation with a VP @ Dalite and she ordered me a custom 142" with no seams. This screen is the only item in my HT that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Reply
Reply
post #975 of 3371
4/14/12 at 7:22pm
Just to clarify to others, it's closer to 3.0 only if it's mounted exactly at center-point and you are wearing the projector as a helmet or if you mount the projector in front or to the side, but the brightness drops off quite a lot faster than the 2.4 from center-point, so in most real-world setups (other than ambient light rejection) the difference is minimal (< 20%), which is hard to see by eye unless you are side-by-side comparing.
Reply
Reply
post #976 of 3371
4/14/12 at 7:39pm
Thread Starter 
I did mention that it was my particular setup which is maximized for the highest gain. I have a perfect spot between my 4 Seat's where it's as close to eye level as it gets.

With this much gain, even with ~80% transmission loss on the glasses, the 3D still looks nice and bright through the glasses.

The ZD201's changed my opinion on DLP link glasses. I have 5 other pair that all leak some of the red flash to the right eye. The 201's have a magic formula that makes then perfect for the W7000.
Reply
Reply
post #977 of 3371
4/14/12 at 7:42pm
I agree, I was just saying that most of us cannot mount it that close to provide clarification for others. Nice work BTW getting Benq to own up to the sharpness issue.

I would also personally not want to mount the Benq that close to my head due to noise, whereas a JVC or Sony it wouldn't matter as much being that close. As you mount a projector farther back, the angle becomes lower (less steep) which means you have to raise the projector higher up and farther from center-point which for most people makes the 2.4 gain almost as good as the 2.8, probably even less than 10% difference in brightness for many mounting spots.
Reply
Reply
post #978 of 3371
4/14/12 at 8:16pm
Here's the lamp information for the W7000 from Best Buy's website. The lamp longevity sold me immediately on this projector.

"Lamp Features
Approximate Lamp Lifetime 500 Hours
Lamp Warranty 180-day"

At least Benq is honest unlike all the other projector manufacturers.
Reply
Reply
post #979 of 3371
4/14/12 at 8:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deja Vu View Post

Approximate Lamp Lifetime 500 Hours

LOL, nice misprint. You know what's funny is some of the MFR's increased the hour ratings of lamps without actually changing the bulb designs. Lamp ratings are becoming like contrast ratings, pretty soon we'll have 8000 hour rated lamps that only last 1000 hours. One guy goes, hey our projector lamps should now say 5000, next guy goes, darn they got 5000, let's say 6000.

BTW, my Viewsonic Pro8200 lamps are rated at 6000 hours, but I made it to 1300 hours and the thing is still pumping out near 1000 lumens at over 1300 hours. My JVC lamp has 300 hours on it, and the lumens are now under 600, that's about a 35% to 40% drop from new.
Reply
Reply
post #980 of 3371
4/14/12 at 9:03pm
Looking for a 3d projector to replace my Mits HC6500...do you think the Benq w7000 will be too bright for a fixed Elite 100" white 1.1. I had a Infocus 4805 dlp years ago so I know the rbe doesn't effect me. So do you think the Benq with be overkill for my tiny screen and I can't go bigger do to the size of room.
Reply
Reply
post #981 of 3371
4/14/12 at 9:44pm
Without the IRIS tweak that is allowed in the service menu for the w6000, yes it will be a little bit for 2D, but not too much. You can probably reduce contrast and brightness below optimal levels temporarily to get the brightness down to bearable levels. Otherwise just get an ND filter until the lamp wears in. Too bright is better than too dim, by far. It should be fine after 250-500 hours without an ND filter.

3D will surely look great in that setup.
Reply
Reply
post #982 of 3371
4/14/12 at 9:47pm
What is the iris tweak and is it for certain can't be done on 7000?
Reply
Reply
post #983 of 3371
4/14/12 at 9:51pm
So far I don't think anyone has figured out how to get into the service menu on the w7000 as it appeared the codes on the w6000 did not work for it?

The Benq w6000 allows the dynamic IRIS to be 100% configured in the service menu, the minimum range, the max range, and you can even make it function just like a static IRIS aperture that doesn't move, but is only used to keep the brightness down much like on a JVC projector. Hence, on the w6000 you can set the min/max to the absolute lowest value possible to reduce brightness all the way down to 400-500 lumens. In doing so, you temporarily lose some or all of the DI ability depending how far you set it down (until your lamp ages and you set the IRIS back), but you gain a better calibration at a lower brightness. Doing this does not increase the projector's native contrast like on a JVC though, but it just keeps it relatively the same and lowers brightness and contrast evenly.
Reply
Reply
post #984 of 3371
4/14/12 at 11:11pm
Would the 3D image of the W7000 be too dim on a 100 inch Dalite JKP .9 gain screen?
Reply
Reply
post #985 of 3371
4/15/12 at 12:27am
Depends what you consider too dim, not really. It'd be around 8fL to maybe 9fL, and anything at 8+ fL is bright enough in 3D, but even brighter always looks a little better. 14 fL is the best just like in regular viewing.
Reply
Reply
post #986 of 3371
4/15/12 at 6:09am
Found a heck of a deal on this projector.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/BenQ-W7000-D...item4d0023fe02
Reply
Reply
post #987 of 3371
4/15/12 at 6:22am
can this PJ be mounted 17' from a 130 screen?
Reply
Reply
post #988 of 3371
4/15/12 at 6:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by domingos38 View Post

can this PJ be mounted 17' from a 130 screen?

Shouldn't be a problem. I mounted one 13 ft back for a 106" screen.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ...ulator-pro.htm
From this calculator you can do it between 15 and 23 feet for that screen size.
Reply
Reply
post #989 of 3371
4/15/12 at 8:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by coderguy View Post

So far I don't think anyone has figured out how to get into the service menu on the w7000 as it appeared the codes on the w6000 did not work for it?

The Benq w6000 allows the dynamic IRIS to be 100% configured in the service menu, the minimum range, the max range, and you can even make it function just like a static IRIS aperture that doesn't move, but is only used to keep the brightness down much like on a JVC projector. Hence, on the w6000 you can set the min/max to the absolute lowest value possible to reduce brightness all the way down to 400-500 lumens. In doing so, you temporarily lose some or all of the DI ability depending how far you set it down (until your lamp ages and you set the IRIS back), but you gain a better calibration at a lower brightness. Doing this does not increase the projector's native contrast like on a JVC though, but it just keeps it relatively the same and lowers brightness and contrast evenly.

The service menu code for the W7000 is 131342
Reply
Reply
post #990 of 3371
4/15/12 at 8:27am
Thread Starter 
I think that's the ISF password, not sure if it gives us access to the service menu.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › Digital Hi-End Projectors - $3,000+ USD MSRP › Official BenQ W7000 Owners Thread