BenQ W1070 : DLP Full HD, 3D Ready with lens-shift for 1000$ - Page 45

According to table on page 60 of the owner's manual for supported signal formats that are accepted via the HDMI input, the answer is no. While is can accept some substantially higher refresh rates for some PC video formats (eg., 1280x800 at up to 120Hz), for 1080p it only accepts: 24Hz, 25Hz, 50Hz and 60Hz..

I know several people have posted related to positioning the projector and the amount of vertical lens shift available with the W1070 (above is just one example of such posts). In looking over the manual, specifically the diagram on page 20, I've done a quick calculation for a 100 inch diagonal 16 x 9 screen (49 inches viewable height but since the projected image it typically allowed to overscan a little onto the black border of the screen a more realisteic value for the projected image height might be 51", but I'll use 49" for the following calculation). For this example of a 100" diagonal 16 x 9 image and with a ceiling mounted projector the center of the projector's lens must be within the range of 2.45 inches above the top of the projected image (5% of screen height or as shown on the diagram on page 20 which is the same as the 10% of the half heigth of the screen shown in their diagram) and 7.35 inches below the top of the screen (or 15% of screen height). As a cross check the value listed in the table on page 16 lists the highest lens position with a ceiling mounted projector used with a 100" 16 x 9 screen as being 62mm (2.44") above the top of the screen (actually above the top of the projected 16 x 9 image).

If instead a 120" diagonal 16 x 9 screen (with 58" image height) were used then the projector's vertical mounting range that can be accommodated by the projector's vertical lens shift adjustment is from 2.9" above the top of the screen to 8.7" below the top of the screen. This measured from the center of the projector's lens.

Bottom line is for a ceiling mounted projector it must be located vertically very near the same height as the top edge of the screen. The very limited range lens shift adjustment allows the projector to be positioned a little below the top of the screen (i.e. 7.35" for a 100" screen) and up to just a very little above the top of the screen (2.45" above the top of a 100" screen).
Edited by Ron Jones - 1/16/13 at 1:47pm

The problem is UPS not the FDA. If you used a different shipper there would be no problem. I heard this from several source who ship from Canada. I had the same issue and it took 18 days to arrive with all kinds of nonsense from United Parcel including lots of false information. They will then try to bill you for brokerage fees of about $50 which was paid by the shipper.

Thanks, Ron. From what I gather, that is about the range that will be perfect for my existing mount, hushbox, and screen position.


Was the issue you had with a projector? What reasons did they give you for the delay? I'm confused because one thing UPS toots its own horn about is guaranteed delivery and "in-house" customs clearance. Bunch of blarney if you ask me at this point. The package was originally sent by Globex Courier and transferred services in Louisville, KY to UPS. They thought their was a high powered laser in it - hence the delay. The shipper - MemoryDepot.com has agreed to pay the $21 or so of brokerage fees if I send them the receipt. MD.com is a straight-up shop... I would just avoid ordering north of the border due to stuff like this.

I think the story of a high powered laser is just nonsense. UPS might just be passing the ball. There tracking system is in reality only virtual tracking and often they don't really know where the package is located. Several times tracking has said that an ordered item was at the local depot but in reality it had never arrived but was in transit. Once I even had a package listed out for delivery but in reality it never was put on the truck or even reached the local depot. I must have spent several hours on the phone with different supervisors at UPS and they could not even find out where the package was or why there was such a long delay. Each time I was given a different story.

FedEx has much more accurate tracking in my opinion.

I didn't read all 45 pages of this thread, but several people are saying this thing has a 3X color wheel.

I downloaded the user manual from BenQ's site and here is a quote from the manual:

"The projector features a 6-segment color wheel to produce realistic color depth and range unattainable with lesser segment color wheels."

Also, for those that own this projector, how loud is it?

If I get it, we'll be sitting pretty much directly below it.

It's a 3x color wheel speed with a RGBRGB color wheel (colors are refreshed 2x a pass). This makes it 6x effectively. It would be the same as having a 6x color wheel speed and a RGB wheel. Below is the post you were searching for.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1435626/benq-w1070-dlp-full-hd-3d-ready-with-lens-shift-for-1000/120#post_22597019

I understood the lens shift to be 2.45 inch offset in your 100inch example as the minimum, to the 7.35 inch offset as the maximum. Meaning that the image was always below the center of the lens (when ceiling mounted) and not capable of actually going above the center of the lens. Benqs manual is a bit confusing, per page 20 of the manual they seem to confirm my idea with a picture of the projected image(from 110% offset to 130% offset). Page 16 measurement "E" is very confusing as the terms lowest / highest do not give proper context.

I need a 7 inch drop from my ceiling mounted projector to the top of the screen. My screen size is 100 inch, and I thought this projector would work. Am I thinking about it all wrong ?
Edited by gonthorn - 1/17/13 at 9:49am

Does this mean it will perform as well as a true 6x color wheel?

It is the same difference. Two ways of achieving the same result.

My calculations were based on the upper of the two figures on page 20, the one labled "When the Screen Position if Fixed." This figure shows the case of the projector table mounted near the bottom of the screen so the ceiling mounted case would be simply reversed. In this figure it seems to show that the projector can be mounted within the range of 10% of the half screen height (which is 5% of screen height) below the bottom of the screen and 30% of the half screen height (which is 15% of screen height) above the bottom of the screen. This provides a total adjustment range of 20% of the screen height. Now applying this info for a ceiling mounted case it appears that the upper limit would be 5% of screen height above the top of the screen and the lower limit would 15% of screen height below the top of the screen. The far right column of the table on page 16, labled "lowest/highest lens position" the the context appears to correspond to the "Floor Installation" and "Ceiling Installation" configurations shown just above that table. In this case "lowest" refers to maximum distance a table (i.e. floor) mounted projector can be located below the bottom the screen or "highest" refers to the maximum distance a ceiling mounted projector can be located above the top of the screen. When viewed this way the values I listed in my earlier post are consistent with both the value in the right most column of the table on page 16 and the upper figure on page 20. The lower figure on page 20 is for the case "for when the projector position if fixed" and thus when you are moving the screen location, but the lables of 110% - 120% - 130% on the left side of this figure do not seem to relate directly to the other figure on the same page nor the info in the table on page 16. I does appear the lens shift adjustment has a total range of 20% of screen height in both of these figures but that is all that is consistent between the two..

I do agree that the manual is very hard to follow, and perhaps inconsistent, as to the available mounting locations supported by the projector's modest vertical lens shift adjustment range. We need someone that actually has one of these projectors to verify what actual projector to screen vertical positions can be accommodated by the lens shift adjustment.
Edited by Ron Jones - 1/17/13 at 11:22am

This is how I understood to be as well. The image is not capable of going above the center of the lens when ceiling mounting. My previous Acer H9500 works this way.

Has anyone compared the sharpness of this to a Mits hc4000 or epson 8350? This looks tempting even though its gonna be hung pretty low from ceiling

I haven't been able to install the ceiling mount yet but for right now I'm watching movies/gaming a couple feet away from this thing and I never notice it's on (other than the stream of heat it's shoving out) so it's very quiet but not completely silent.

Are there any Black ops II players that can give me some feed back on this projector,as this will be the main use I have in mind for it.
Is the contrast good enough where you can make out other players in dark areas in the distance with out any problems?
I currenty have an Epson TW9000 (Australian) which is excellent for movies but next to usless for online gaming with lag at around 80ms
I dragged out my old Sanyo Z5 which has zero lag but the contrast is useless for objects in the distanance unable to make out other players in the background in darker areas.
The Z5 also needs a new globe (2000hrs) which may be adding to its problems but its around $180 for a half decent copy lamp which I would rather put towards a another projector if I knowthe new projector is upto the task of FPS games I will then run dual projectors one for games one for movies

Cheers

Again, my sentiments exactly. If I make the jump to 1080P/3D I want it to be a worth while upgrade and this projector is at a price almost too good to be true, from what I'm hearing.

I haven't seen the VP4001 so I can't give you a direct comparision of the two. The W1070 was a major upgrade from my old Optoma HD70, a lower end 720p projector from several years ago. It will probably depend on how big your screen is and how far away you sit. I sit 9 feet away from a 110 inch screen and I'd doubt you could pull that off with even a higher end 720p projector. The higher resolution and higher brightness will allow for a much bigger screen if you so desired. The VP4001 may beat the w1070 in contrast and black levels, which may be very important to you. I am extremely pleased with my purchase.

If the sharpness of the w1070 is comparable to the Benq w7000 (which reviews seem to indicate are close), then the answer is yes I have. Given if the previous statement is accurate, then the sharpness of this projector should soar past the Mits hc4000 and 8350.

And yes, I did a long time ago compare those two (hc4000 and 8350), well for sharpness you can't beat this projector most likely in this price range, Benq is the master of sharpness on the cheap
The Mits hc4000 on average is sharper than the Epson 8350, no doubt, the 8350 in some cases does have slightly better focus uniformity. However, if you get super duper lucky on the 8350 convergence, it could be as sharp as an hc4000, but I wouldn't bet on it at all, 95% of the time the hc4000 is a bit sharper.

If the w1070 is like the Benq w7000 in sharpness, then this w1070 can compete against projectors in sharpness that cost 5x its cost and the hc4000 would be no match for its sharpness and focus uniformity. There have been some Benq's from bad batches for lack of a better word known to have defects in the lens assembly or other issue, so you do have to make sure you have a unit with decent focus uniformity and not a "broken" lens so to speak, but that problem is probably not very common (if at all).

As the owner of a JVC RS45 and the W1070 I can report that the 1070 is great at this price. I have a bat cave and with a little tweaking (calibration) the picture will be better than nearly any movie theatre. The blacks will not rival the JVC but the 1070 has great color, exceptional brightness and good shadow detail. It is also wonderful for 3d use. (3D was the reason I purchased it because of the ghosting on the JVC.) To my surprise it surpasses anything I expected for it and I will probably use it for most casual viewing including sports and other sources. Since I have a dark room I am using the SmartEco mode and I have turned brilliant color off. I am also using the film setting with gamma set at 2.4. I calibrated using Chromapure with my DVDO-ISCAN DUO and the results were amazing. Most of you will not have this option but the great news is that this projector has the best color I have seen right out of the box. With a little tweaking one will be able to achieve excellent results as long as dark blacks are not the most important thing for you. The other nice thing is that because it is so bright one can use it in a room with some ambient light if that is necessary. I have owned many projectors in the past and I have never seen anything at this price point that is as good.

Thanks for all of your replies everyone. I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the W1070 in the near future.

My current setup is 92" high contrast gray .8 gain screen. Seating distance is around 12' i think. My current projector is ceiling mounted at 10'. The room is mostly light controlled, but I do have to close the blinds and shut off the lights if watching sports during the day. The extra brightness on the W1070 would be much appreciated. The W1070 color accuracy calibrated will match or beat the VP4001. The W1070 has higher contrast likely due to its use of the DC3 chip. That is a win for the W1070. Black levels look comparable judging by the screenshots on projectorreviews. THe VP4001 has pretty good blacks when paired with a HC gray screen.

Sounds like the picture might be too big for your space!

It could go bigger actually. The VP4001's zoom is only 1.15:1. That means it has to be forward of where my couch currently is. When I bought my PJ and screen I was in different, smaller place. My current space could handle 106" from most projectors from what the calculators say.

Great news! The Projector FINALLY made it through customs clearance and was delivered today. I've spent a good part of the afternoon setting it up in my room and I must say it is a HUGE upgrade from the Optoma GT750 I was using.

To back-peddle a bit this is the situation I am in.... I have a big air duct/bulk head going right through the middle of my basement multipurpose room which has given me problems what projector I could use. I was forced to use a short throw 720p projector (GT750) that had 3D. It was great for what it was and it served me VERY well for about a year but 720p + no zoom + no len shift +... you get the idea.

I set to work on altering my hushbox to be able to have the back of it sit flush with the bulk head. I got an Atdec ceiling mount to mount the W1070 inside the hushbox. The wiring was simple since when I finished my basement I ran the HDMI and power right over where I had planned to mount the W1070 because I hoped that a 1080p 3D projector would come out that fit my space. The W1070 is a godsend. I mounted the hushbox, mounted the projector inside and fine tuned the picture position using the Test Pattern buried in the W1070's menu. For the price, the Atdec ceiling mount did a great job allowing me to fine tune angles and picture position.

For those of you with lens shift/offset questions. My setup includes the following. The top of my screen is 15" from the ceiling. The center of the W1070 lens is about 8" from the ceiling. I needed the top of the image to be 7" below the center of the image at 8'4" away. I set the lens shift all the way "Up" on the W1070 (which is "Down" if ceiling mounting") and that got me the EXACT offset I needed for the image to sit square. Very happy and relieved that my previous calcuations were correct.

I have not tried 3D yet (Sainsonic glasses on their way!) but here are some initial overall impressions.

• Fan noise - about the same as my GT750. Sitting here typing with the DVR on pause I can hear a fairly quiet hum. Once the action on the screen starts I imagine I won't think twice about it though just like my GT750. The fact that the back of the hush box is now covered helps as well but not by much. I may look into sound dampening material in the distant future. Happy for now.
• Smell? - Has anyone else noticed an initial electronic smell emitting from the fan after extended use? Its not overheating. Maybe this will go away after a while. Not very strong but noticeable.
• Image is amazing. To get perfect colors you may need to do the calibrations from Cinema mode like Art has mentioned in his review. I did them and the colors were good but the image was too dim with the ambient light that I like for everyday use. Did I do something wrong? I would say if in a light controlled dark theater, go for the cinema but the brightness and colors are fantastic right out of the box. Best I've seen in a projector. VERY happy.
• Picture is VERY sharp. I'm using with with a Darblee Darblet in Hi Def mode at 60%. WOW. amazing depth, sharpness, and image clarity on 1080p content. Highly recommend the combination. Biggest upgrade coming from 720p was on-screen text. This is really important with gaming. On Halo 4 at 720p the new fine text on screen looked a little weird and pixelated at 720p
• Brightness - the picture has great contrast on all picture modes. I like standard so far since I have had ambient light throughout the day. I was worried about taking a hit from the GT750's 3000 lumens going to the W1070's 2000 lumens but I cannot tell a difference between the two. GREAT!
• Rainbow Effect - If you are going to see rainbows, the place you can test in on the test pattern on the menu. Thats the only time I ever see rainbows on projectors like my GT750 but I could not force myself to see them on the W1070. This is going to be different for everyone and I'm not sensitive to them in the first place but this is among the best DLP projectors I've seen in regard to RBE.

Overall I'm very happy and it was definitely worth the cost of admission and hassle to relocate the box. I think the setup looks a little more polished as well with the hushbox further back. For you reference I am using a 100" Dragonfly (by SnapAV) HC 0.9 Gain Screen. Perfect for my needs regarding ambient light and contrast.

The W1070 finally gives me an image that I feel matches the sound I am getting from my Episode 7.1 surround system being fed by a Denon CI2112. I'll will update this with my 3D impressions with the 144hz Sainsonics I will be getting soon.

Here are some pictures of before and after. Enjoy!

Before (GT750, note how short of a throw this PJ has. Sort of distracting sitting back a ways)





After

What ceiling mount are you guys using with this model.

I think I am going to pull the trigger on it.

 

Untrue, 6*1 doesn't exist. It's always 3*2.

I use the Atdec one from Amazon. I like it. http://amzn.com/B000BSFY48

Thanks for the review Scottyroo.

I use this exact same one with my current Epson 8100. It's great!

Glad to know that it also works with the W1070.

prob a silly question but why do you use a ceiling mount when you have a box, why not have the projector sitting in the box only reason i am asking is i am thinking about making a box or rack to mount 2X projectors and was planning on just sitting them in there

Without a ton of vertical shift you have to flip it upside down when by the ceiling to hit the right spot on the wall. Since the top of the projector isn't flat, you either need something to hold it to the ceiling (like a mount) or a fantastic asymmetric leveling system.

I just used this one (under $30) after being happy with an LCD wallmount Cheetah made. It was a little tougher to do but worked fine. Only thing I wished it had was slides to move it towards/away and left/right from the screen, but those are lots more.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00892RUTA/