BenQ W1070 : DLP Full HD, 3D Ready with lens-shift for 1000$ - Page 44

Many companies do not allow users to upgrade firmware for many reasons. Epson did this for many years before they changed and Sony often does the same with their projectors. The upgrade procedure requires special cables and some knowledge beyond just upgrading via a usb port. I would suggest that before you return the unit you should request that Benq update the firmware. They will pay shipping both ways. According the box you probably have 102 firmware on your unit. I had the same codes on my box.

If it was manufactured in Nov you probably have firmware 102 or 103. The Oct units have 102 the Dec 103. Firmware 104 was just released.
The flickering and fan issues were only on a few units. I spoke to Benq and they will upgrade the firmware free of charge but they suggested waiting to see if any other changes are made in a few months.

Firmware changes are common on new products and this is not a reason to return you projector unless there is a problem. It would be nice to let the individual do the upgrade themselves but Benq probably feels that because of the use of special serial cables it might be difficult for some users to do it. Hopefully this will change

This is a great projector for the price for both 2D and 3D. It does not have the blacks of a JVC or higher priced Epson but for most the picture is amazing. I watched several films in both 2D and 3D on the projector after calibration (very easy) and I have been amazed how good it looks. I am using Cinema Mode with Brilliant Color turned off. I have set the Gamma at 2.4 since I have a bat cave room. I love the bright picture with good contrast and 3D is great without ghosting.
Edited by rwestley - 1/15/13 at 4:08am

I noticed the W1080ST is now listed on the Amazon US site. Shows temporarily out of stock as of today.

http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-W1080ST-1080p-Theater-Projector/dp/B00B11C6HW/ref=sr_1_17?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1358259009&sr=1-17&keywords=home+cinema

Does anyone knowi if this projector accept 1080p 72hz ?
I'm just thinking of getting 2 dlp 1080p72hz capable + a couple of hdfury4 and a silver screen and so builtda 3D passive system

So I realize this is probably a good value even at the current price that I was looking at of $1075 no tax at an online dealer but since its been cheaper in other markets I just wonder if I should expect that price to come down quickly once stores start getting a lot of stock. Also is it worth waiting to try to get a newer firmware version?

Then I am wondering how this would compare to the Epson 3020 that I picked up a few weeks back? I really like the color pop and brightness of the 3020 compared to my old Optoma hd65 and I know Epson support is supposed to be the best in the business but regardless I feel like I need to return it and go with dlp because I live in West Texas and dust is really bad out here. As for my room situation I project onto a 110in screen and while I can black it all the way out I like to have some small wall lighting on while I have my kids in there with me.

This is probably a stupid question, but I'm a novice at this... Comparing the W1070 and W1080ST, will the W1080ST be "brighter" since at the same screen size, it can be placed closer? (same lamp, it appears)

What is your take on Brilliant Color On vs Off? I am seeing mixed reviews.

Are you running in Eco or SmartEco?

2 reasons to wait.

1) Price will definitely come down. How long? Who knows, 3 months, 6 months, a year. Once stores like BB, Amazon, Newegg, etc have them stock competition will kick in and prices will drop. So if you don't need now, take your time and wait. That's what I am doing

2) FW: As newer units start to ship, you would surely get 1.04v FW or later so you don't have to worry about getting one of the older units if you buy now.

I like brilliant color off but it is a matter of taste. I think it depends on the light in the room. I am usng SmartEco.

I don't think the Projector Central reviewer understood the benefits o SmartECo. Check out Trusted Reviews for information about it.
Edited by rwestley - 1/15/13 at 10:00am

I don't think most people would notice much of a difference but it would be interesting to find out. I also think he 1080 might be better suited for presentation or gaming under certain conditions.

Yeah, I read that review too. Looks like TR likes the SmartEco on, while Projector Central and Projector Review do not.

Did you calibrate your PJ? I would imagine you want to calibrate with both those settings off so it doesn't mess with the calibration, then you can switch them back on if you prefer.

I have a DVDO-I-Scan so I did quickly calibrate using Cinema and SmartEco. The results were very good. I also checked the results out of the box and they are much better than most projectors especially using Cimema nad Smart Eco. I don't think the person who did the review at ProjctorCentral understood Smarteco mode. I just read Art's review and Projectrreviews and he does seem to suggest using the SmartEco setting.
Edited by rwestley - 1/15/13 at 10:35am

^^^ Thanks to the both of you for the posts. Personally Im just going to wait a few months until they have worked out any bugs and just send it in for a firmware update. Part of the deal I guess. Once I have the PJ up and running Ill post what FW my unit has (I assume you can check somewhere in the PJ menus?).

Thanks for the responses, looking forward to having this projector in my batcave soon.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking but I sure would like to have it before the Super Bowl.

coderguy "problem being you cannot control 3D lumens like you can in 2D modes."
My Optoma GT750 (720p) allows 3D lumen control and you can select anyone of the preset image modes (3D, cinema, game, user etc) when handling a 3D input signal. So achieving 2000+ lumens in 3D mode is very nice.

scottyroo: I'm thinking of also upgrading my 750 to the Benq was wondering if you had any comparison thoughts? In particular the resolution improvement and 3D brightness and fluidity. One critique I have of the gt750 is no frame interpolation with 3D and fast action tends to show shudder/judder type artifacts. The 144hz display rate of the Benq supposedly helps with this. Would like to upgrade to 1080p but don't want a drop in brightness in 3D and I'm very bummed they didn't put a VESA sync output so I could use my RF 3D glasses.

Yah, I know in many projectors you cannot change 3D lumen modes.
That is why I said someone needs to measure the 3D mode of the w1070 so we know how many lumens it is outputting raw before the glasses.

What glasses are best for these that most are using? I know they have to be 144Hz but which ones work best?

(Am in the UK but happy to get them shipped over)

Jamie

The W1080ST is also showing up on the BenQ shop. I'm really anxious for the short throw as we play a lot of WII games and this would be perfect for our theater / game room.

http://shop.benq.us/ProductDetail.aspx?id=482

Ordered mine!

Can anyone confirm if smart eco actually saves 70% lamp life and eco just saves 30% lamp life? I thought smart eco would be like a dynamic lamp mode and eco would just be at the minimal brightness at all times.

I'm running smart eco for the sake of it and everyone says it's good. I can't help but to keep comparing brilliant color on and off....with it off, at times it feels as though the scene looks a little dim or maybe it was filmed that way...but sometimes, it just looks more naturally like correct sunlight.

In the movie looper, the scene where teh camera pans across the people running across the farm field....the blue sky and green grass all look quite dim with it turned off, but it looks like real life with it on.
even looking at desktop backgrounds.......the whites with brilliant color off looks more grey....with it on, the white is actually white.

The owners manual says up to 70% lamp live savings for SmartEco and 30 for Eco. This will be impossible to confirm since the projector is new and 6000 hours is a long time away for most users. The good part is that the lamps for the 1070 are much less expensive that some others. I would suggest that image quality should be the first reason to choose one mode over another. I happen to like the way SmartEco calibrates and works. It also depends on how much light you have in the room and screen size.

Same EXACT situation as me. Maybe you'll be the Canary in the cave for me and see what happens....? ;-)

If this projector is a 1080p/3D equivalent of the VP4001 (at this price), I'd buy it in a nanosecond....but is it?
Edited by Nightingale - 1/16/13 at 12:32am

The VP4001 is a 720p projector and the BenQ is a 1080p so it is a no brainer.....

I have mine in classified department if anyone interested

I'm sure it's better, but the question I'm struggling with is by how much. The VP4001 is one of the best 720P projectors ever made. Good glass and the scaler is good. I'm waffling between W1070 or going up to a W7000 to make sure the jump is apparent.

I have not seen anyone yet compare the 1070 and the 7000. We do know that the 1070 is brighter and may be better for 3D. The placement options for the w7000 are better.

I am waiting on it to be less than $850. I had the W7000 and I liked it better than my jvc RS40, 48, and 55. I had to change my room around, so the W7000 didn't work anymore in my room. I'm almost positive that w1070 would be better for 2D with the DC3 vs DC2. The W7000 had better placement and has FI in 3D, which I never used for 3D or 2D. The main thing is that the bulb life is 6000 in smart eco mode compared to 2500 in eco mode for the W7000. I'm very curious to see how it compares tho. I'm missing how sports look on a dlp compared to my jvc

Whole can of worms with DC2 vs DC3. Really good DC2 implementations can be as good or better than DC3 especially if the DC3 implementation is poor. Technically DC3 has improvements over DC2 (higher native contrast and the dimple fix), but DC2 has at least one advantage like faster switching times.

Derek - I never had any qualms with the GT750 other than placement. Ceiling mounting that with no zoom or lens shift was not a fun experience. I am very interested to see the brightness change between the GT750 and W1070 as well. From what I hear, the W1070 fully calibrated is VERY bright for a calibrated projector. In the 1500-1700 L range. I'm not sure on the lumen output of a calibrated GT750. Its rated 3000L but after I calibrated mine I noticed a significant decrease in lumen output. To get a REALLY bright picture I had jack the contrast, brightness, and brilliant color way up which obviously washed out the picture. I was also upset when I realized the W1070 didn't support 3D RF glasses I have. I ordered a couple pair of Sainsonic 144hz glasses on eBay found here: http://goo.gl/g2Qd6. Make sure the location of item is in the US with this seller's listings. I figured it would be a good trial for $25/pair and I don't use 3D enough to have to need $100 glasses.

I should have received my W1070 on Monday but I made the mistake of going with the lowest price W1070 on the web from Canada. SAved me about $25 and they are a good company but when the UPS package got to the States and went through customs the fact it was a projector threw up flags and the FDA thought there was a laser in it. Needless to say it has been a nightmare dealing with UPS and having them point fingers at the FDA. The FDA has what they need and not I'm playing the waiting game. Nothing I can do and no ETA from UPS other than the daily, "Probably tomorrow". SO frustrating. Slightly off-topic but has anyone dealt with this before? I was hoping to get the W1070 mounted and calibrated while the wife is away for a few days at a girls getaway.