Im tossing up between this projector and the considerably cheaper BenQ W1070 - do people think the money is worth the difference ?

main purpose will be for 2D/3D gaming, powered by a high end computer (SLI GTX780 SC graphics cards)

In what type of room? On what size of screen? How casual are you about image quality? What level of performance are you hoping to achieve?

The Sony is a better projector, and as discussed in this thread, has better blacks, better colors, more placement flexibility, and better optics. It's for a better room, and delivers with brightness and image quality that is a step up from the W1070. But, the W1070 is a very good value for an entry level projector which is excellent for weaker rooms or for people who aren't as demanding about the image quality.

The room is poorly setup - its going to be in a bedroom at a viewing distance of 9-12 feet (projector to wall)

I dont have a screen yet, i will invest in one in the near future, the wall is a light colored wallpaper surface (gray/white single color) - The reason i wouldn't mind spending a little extra for this is i plan to move it into a better room within 12-24 months and think the money would be well invested getting the Sony.

Low lighting will be applied when the projector is in use (blackout curtains, dimmable lighting if required) and i am quite finnicky regarding image quality.

In the essense that you state the W1080 is excellent for weaker rooms, does that mean the Sony would perform 'on par' with the W1070 and requires a better room to show the differences between the two projectors ? or would it be fairly noticable in terms of quality as well.

I imagine the Sony is a brighter projector which would aid in 3D performance also

I really do need to measure the surface area of the projection wall

I believe the W1070 is similarly bright to the Sony.

I will say this: Projectors require dark for best performance. If you have light walls, a light ceiling, and light carpet, you've given up any reasonable request for a 'best image'. You don't have light control because you are putting 1,000+ lumens into a room that is a giant reflector. The projector will light up the room, and that light will reflect around and fall right back on the screen.

I think if you are buying it and thinking about using it in the future in a good room, then you know what the plan is. But, I would think that the W1070 and the Sony would look very similar in the room you actually have right now, and the value lost due to a poor room is a significant factor in all of this. For black levels, the Sony will still really deliver in the dark scenes, but for mixed contrast viewing situations, the reflected light would drop contrast ratios significantly.

As for 'dimmable lighting if required'... I'm thinking you either have no lights on at all, or localized spotlights at the back of the room on dimmers.

Lighting control is extremely important and doesn't mean shades and a light switch, because that can describe any room of any house after dark. It's the room itself that needs the light to be controlled. The secondary light that comes off the screen and is rather intense.

But, that's going to all impact image quality. Once you know this, you may adjust your expectations and considerations accordingly.

In a weak room, I would opt for the BenQ, and you have a weak room at the moment.

In perspective, I have a weak room, and I opted for the BenQ. When I finish my basement and turn it into a much stronger room, I will evaluate my options then, but that's likely 3 years or more from now.

Thanks AV_Integrated.

I can get the Sony for about $700-USD more than the BenQ , to me this sort of money is pittance and feel it would be worth the 'investment' to get the higher quality projector.

In relation to dimmable lighting, i have LED spots in various locations in the room and they are not only dimmable but full RGB color adjustable, so adding some soft light to the room is relatively easy, although they are not wall mounted so far from ideal.

Regarding room charactaristics i have very dark curtain colors, however the walls and ceiling are white . however i could certainly hang something to cover the wall color as i understand what you mean when you mention reflection from white surfaces.

Another thing which makes me interested in this Sony projector is the noise level, it appears to be quite a few db lower in terms of sound output, would i be correct in this aspect - although i don't really think this will be too much of an issue as my PC which will be running everything will be emitting roughly the same level of noise, and i expect my sound system will cover the noise with ease, especially as the focus is gaming rather than media watching.

Do you do much 3D viewing with your BenQ ?

I don't watch 3D at all at this point. I have a couple sets of glasses I got for Christmas... still haven't used them yet. Ah well.

With the W1070 typically close to $800, if you can get the Sony near $1,500 then that's a heck of a price and really worth it. I would definitely jump on that price.

The Sony is supposed to be significantly quieter than the BenQ, and is certainly a good thing.

Lighting should be directional spot lights over seating, never uncontrolled ambient light when possible.

There are good reasons for the Sony or the BenQ, and they are both solid units.

Unfortunately i live in New Zealand and the BenQ W1070 is $1865 USD here, and the Sony is $2500USD - prices are steep here due to supply and population density etc etc.

The noise factor alone would probably be worth me spending the extra money - Thanks for the advise regarding the lighting effects also :-)

Buy from eBay bro. I've imported quite a few and never had an issue.

Sony HW40 and HW55 have soft lens, and W1070 has very sharp one

Have you ever had to make a warranty claim? Many manufacturers won't honor warranties (I've heard) on products imported via Ebay.

Is the lens on BenQ W1070 better than on the Sony HW40ES?

I found that statement to be made as a very factual piece of information, but I don't know if that's the case myself.

There are more than a few complaints about the soft focus issues with the W1070. The use of a single DLP chip will help to ensure a sharp image, but doesn't necessarily mean the W1070 will be a great deal sharper than the Sony just on that difference.

But, I hadn't heard about the 55ES having poor optics before, but I haven't read to deep into that model.

I'd be very surprised if the W1070 really did have better optics than the Sony.
Though uniform focus has been excellent on both my W1070's (and sharpness as a result), there's definite CA that casts a very slight purple tinge in the corner - top-right corner (ceiling-mounted) on my previous unit; bottom-right on my current one.
Noticeable? Nope, only on the test pattern.

But even if the W1070 is in fact sharper (which I wouldn't find hard to believe - convergence issues are impossible on single-chip DLP's; and Geoffrey did find a bit of softness in his Sony review), I'd still bet the Sony's optics are of a higher grade.

I have not. But some places will allow you to buy an international warranty

So what does that mean to me, as someone who is interested in playing games?

In researching the difference between soft and sharp i found the below statement

"A soft lens is one which when focused as accurately as possible rendes images which are not 100% focused; that is: If you examine something where there should be a sharply visibile division such as say a black line printed on white paper, instead of seeing sharp, solid edges to the black line, it will appear fuzzy. "Sharp" is the opposite."

In what scenario would a 'soft' lens be better ? wouldn't a sharp lens always be better? or are soft lenses better for correcting a weaker image?

A soft lens would almost never be better

We're assuming that the Sony has good optics (at it's price-point, that's a fair assumption); so the lens would then classify as 'sharp'.

The softness we're referring to, though, describes the technology used to create the projected image: DLP (such as the BenQ) uses a single chip to produce the entire image; whereas the Sony uses three separate chips/light-paths (one for each primary color) that are then 'converged' to produce the projected image.

Non-ideal "convergence" on 3-chip projectors, then, is sometimes an issue that produces an image that's less sharp - especially at the lower end of the budget spectrum - even with good optics. It occurs when if the three primary colors don't 'land' on the exact spot on the projected screen. That then gives the appearance of a not-perfectly-focused image.

I doubt it classifies as a deal-breaker on the Sony (for game-playing or otherwise); but - as we were saying - the BenQ (even with inferior optics) would likely produce a sharper image for this reason.

Of course it's also noisier, does poorer blacks and has weaker contrast - so it's not without cons, either

Thanks :-)

In terms of speed/lag how does the HW40ES perform ? i can't tell if its DLP ? which i understand is the best for gaming and have been pointed towards the BenQ W7500 for its limited lag and response time

It is well known that HW55 has a soft lens, and you have to use Reality Creation to artificially make it sharp, which adds noise. That is a reason some people are selling their HW55. I guess you need to see it by your self to see if you can live with Reality Creation.

N/p. The Sony isn't DLP, it's SXRD (which itself happens to be Sony's implementation of LCoS).

Normally that means higher lag, but in Geoffrey's excellent review, he found lag to be outstandingly low: 26.5ms. That's about a single frame. The W1070 is is about the same (projectorcentral measured it at 24ms). They measure the W7500 at 61.7ms, however - which is a bit high.

So both this Sony and the BenQ W1070 would be good candidates for gaming.

I can't speak for the Sony (don't own one), but I game on my W1070 (in both 2D and 3D; with both a PS3 and PC) a few times a week and it's pretty awesome. (Though I find not all games are enjoyable on such a large screen - but that's personal preference!)

Thanks for the great information!!

I completely agree, some games shouldn't be played on a large screen ( my favourite addictive game is Starcraft and there is no way i could play that on a large screen, its just too competitve) but for racing games/street fighter style games a large screen would be amazing.

Latency is definitely important to me. aah im still stuck between the W1070 and the Sony !!

Can you provide me the link where the W7500 measures at 61.7ms ?

Yes, racing games are absolutely fantastic on large screens. Motorstorm Apocalypse (in 3D) is mind-blowing.

Strategy and FPS, less so. Partly because your eyes dart around the screen a lot; on big screens that gets tiring for some.

I'd agree with AV's earlier suggestion based on your current room situation: get a W1070. Down the line when you improve it, there'll be a new crop of projectors to choose from: these will all be 'last-season'.
And if it doesn't work out for any reason, you could always refund or exchange.

Can you provide me the link where the W7500 measures at 61.7ms ?

I think you may be right, however the sound level difference between the Sony and the W1070 does tend to make me lead towards the Sony

Here you go:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/benq_w7500_projector_review.htm?page=Shootout-vs-5030UB

That's kind of a deal breaker for the W7500 when it comes to gaming.

As for fan noise: I don't think you'd really be that bothered by the fan over average-volume in-game sound... A gaming PC would be louder. I only notice it in quiet scenes in drama-type movies. Never in-game.

Thanks - no you are right ! i definitely wont hear it when gaming, my Paradigm Studio 60's with Yamaha RX-A3030 and dual velodyne subs would make sure of that!

Drama .. pfft ! im currently without a girlfriend so thats a valid point that it shouldn't be an issue!

I just had a phonecall from my Sony rep - hes going to cut me a deal, its going to cost me $400USD more to get the Sony, i think i will jump on that and spend the remaining difference on a screen .. if i can find a way to mount something to the wall

Woah, nice. That's a steal - go for it, post your experiences here when it arrives!

Will do!! Thanks for being super informative :-) now the hunt for a way to hang some kind of lightweight screen! Need to figure out size too which will happen once I have the projector and can determine positioning.

I love this forum you are all so helpful

I guess the only question i have now is will this work with my nvidia 3d vision 2 kit ? I'm assuming so :-)

That's where the headache starts to come. Even you have an international warranty, it is a lengthy fight to claim it. And the cost associated with international shipping (and return). You could be months of without a projector. Your seller may even not respond to your request. Basically if I buy something from ebay, I'm prepared to risk of no warranty at all.

I've never needed a warranty. Shipping is pretty reasonable at around $140

Just regarding 3D Glasses for this projector

I'm hoping my ones from the nvidia 3D vision kit will work but I'd like to obtain a second or third pair that will run with it.

From what i can tell it has a built in IR emitter - so the Sony TDG-PJ1 and this is listed on Page 1 of this thread.
How about the Sony TDG-BR250 ?

the BR250 are 1/4 of the price of the PJ1 ..will they work ? is there that much of a difference?

You shouldn't need an external emitter. The built in one works fine.

The glasses you listed should work if they are IR glasses. I can confirm that the Sony "Playstation 3D" glasses work with this unit. They sell for around $20 and seem to be the lowest cost option.