GEAR TALK: BenQ W2700 4K Home Cinema Projector Review11 min read

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Trendsetting its way through benchmark pricing and new standards, BenQ has for the past couple of years dominated the sales of the projector-buying diaspora. Even with stark competition from brands such as Epson, Optoma and Viewsonic in the entry to mid-level market, BenQ has consistently managed to dress its products with features that resonate with the consumers. So, does the W2700 (Gold Award, VGP 2019 Summer for projectors costing between ¥100,000 and ¥200,000) live up to its value-for-money UHD appellation?

BenQ W2700 Specs At A Glance
Image Display: Display System Native Chip Resolution On-Screen Resolution Supported Resolutions Max Brightness Offset Aspect Ratio Dynamic Contrast Ratio Colour Wheel Colour Depth Scan	0.47″ DMD DLP 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) Up to UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) via XPR Minimum: VGA – 640 x 480 Maximum: UHD 4K – 3840 x 2160 2000 Lumens 100% Native: 16:9 30,000:1 6-Segment (RGBRGB) 10-Bit (1.07 Billion Colours) Horizontal: 15 to 135 kHz Vertical: 23 to 120 Hz
Lens Information: Focus Lens Lens Shift Optical Zoom Throw Distance Throw Ratio Projection Size	Manual f/1.9 – 2.47 (f = 12 – 15.6 mm) Vertical: + 10% Manual: 1.3x 1.2 – 5.1 m 1.13 – 1.47:1 (100″ @ 2.5 m) 40 – 200″ / 101.60 – 508.00 cm
Features: Keystone Correction Ceiling Mountable Rear Screen Projection Built-In Speaker Speaker Power	Auto-Vertical: ± 30° Yes Yes Yes (Stereo) 10W
Input/Output Connectors: Inputs/Outputs	2 x HDMI (HDMI Type-A) Audio, Video Input 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB Type-A) Audio, Data, Service, Video Input 1 x TOSLINK Audio Output 1 x 1/8″ / 3.5 mm Mini Audio Output 1 x USB 2.0 (Mini-USB) Service Input 1 x USB 2.0 (USB Type-A) Power Output 1 x RS-232 (DE-9/DB-9) Control 1 x 12 V Trigger Control Output
General Information: Light Source Lamp Power Expected Lamp Life Fan Noise Security Supported Audio File Types Supported Photo File Types Supported Video File Types Supported Languages	Lamp 245 W Full Brightness: 4000 Hours Medium Brightness: 10,000 Hours Low Brightness: 15,000 Hours Medium Brightness: 30 dB Low Brightness: 28 dB Cable Lock Slot Security Bar FLAC, MP1, MP2 BMP, JPEG, PNG H.263, MJPEG, MPEG4 Arabic Bulgarian Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Finnish French German Greek Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Simplified Chinese Spanish Swedish Thai Traditional Chinese Turkish
AC Input Power Power Consumption Standby Mode Max Operating Altitude Operating Temperature Storage Temperature Operating Humidity Storage Humidity Dimensions (W x H x D) Weight	100 to 240 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz Full Brightness: 350 W Medium Brightness: 340 W Low Brightness: 280 W (Lamp Off): 0.5 W 3000m 0 to 40°C -20 to 60°C 10 – 90% 10 – 90% 380.0 x 127.0 x 263.0 mm 4.17 kg

For starters, it’s the first projector we’ve tested carrying the latest affordable “4K” 0.47-inch Texas Instruments chipset. Note that this chip doesn’t actually hold 3840 x 2160 individual mirrors, and so doesn’t deliver 4K in the same way that other native 4K projectors do. Instead, it “flashes” each mirror multiple times per frame of the image to deliver what appears to your eye as a single 4K image. There are varying opinions on whether this approach can be called true 4K. However, the US Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has declared itself satisfied that the W2700’s approach can be considered real 4K. So here at Sinema.sg, we give that to them as well. 

The compact size of the W2700 allows it to be placed in cramped spaces and the throw ratio of 1.13 – 1.47 (100″ @ 2.5 m); that means that it can fill up your room with a large 100-inch image from only 2.5 meters from the screen. This is good news for existing projector owners with ceiling mounts as there are not many short throw 4K projectors out there at this price point. Here at the Sinema screening room, we managed to achieve a sizeable 110 inch image on our Stewarts WallScreen that’s almost “larger than life” with the projector placed just 2.65 meters away from the screen! 

Box Contents:

Like the BenQ SW271 Photographer’s Monitor we reviewed earlier on in the week, the W2700 comes with an individual calibration report containing detailed out of the box factory calibration results (That’s what truly differentiates the W2700 with the other projectors out there). You will find an IEC cable, a remote and a quick start guide. The user’s manual and drivers are on a CD.

Setup:

Start by simply plugging the projector in and turning it on. You’ll then want to adjust the lens with features like keystone, zoom, and focus. Getting the image to fit our screen took a bit of work in terms of geometry since it only comes with vertical keystone adjustment and vertical lens shift of +10%. The W2700 doesn’t support multi-axis lens shifting, so you’ll have to ensure that the placement of the projector is dead in the centre of the screen for optimal geometry.

A set of neat selection of control buttons can be found along the top edge too, should you misplace the remote control. The remote control isn’t easy to lose, which many of you out there will appreciate. It’s a decent size without being unwieldy, plus its buttons light up pretty spectacularly on pressing – which, of course, makes it easy to use in a dark room. It is reasonably laid out too, except for a slightly crowded feel to the buttons at the bottom quarter. 

The projector’s software is relatively basic, but it does the job. At times the menus can be a little complicated to navigate, but once you get used to using the software, you’ll be able to move through those menus pretty easily. There’s also the fact that once the projector is set up and you have your sources connected, you may not need to change the picture or use the built-in software very much at all. 

Performance:

We tried the W2700 in a variety of different environments, including different lighting, but the majority of our testing for the purpose of this review was done in a black box screening room, and from a distance of around 3 meters. While you can use the projector in any environment you want (partial, full or zero ambient lighting), the image looks best when you’re using it in a proper home theatre environment. The projector supports a brightness of up to 2,000 lumens which is sufficient in a dark room, but might be a stretch once you introduce some form of ambient lighting. BenQ has the brighter TK800 at 3000 lumens to meet the needs of those who have to use their projectors in less-than-desired environments.

Watching UHD material on a projector calls for watching reference material, Planet Earth II. We played out the 4K Blu-Ray via the Samsung M8500 and the W2700 handled the 24p film cadence correctly, showing it at that frame rate. But what really drew our attention was the colour. The impact of extended colour, rendered accurately, cannot be overstated. This projector covers over 95% of the DCI-P3 gamut and hit all the target points within it. That means you will see reds, greens and blues exactly what as the filmmakers intended their audience to see. 

We were truly impressed with the W2700’s contrast ratio. Rated at 30,000:1, we were able to view a super dynamic image. There are just a handful of 4K projectors that we have used at our screening room, and the closest projector that we can objectively pitch the W2700 (in a fair manner) against is the Viewsonic PX747-4K. Yes, the PX747-4K is brighter, but the dynamic range doesn’t even come close to what we saw with the W2700. Sure, the blacks aren’t truly as deep as they would be compared to say an OLED or Crystal LED Panel, but the fact is that they’re still very deep – and the difference between blacks and whites makes for a great level of contrast when we played the HDR content on it. Even standard dynamic range content looks pretty good. It’s not as vivid and deep as HDR content, to be sure, but we found SDR content to still be enjoyable and detailed. 

The BenQ W2700 also comes with a built-in speaker, and while you’ll probably want to invest in better speakers, we found that the built-in ones are actually very decent. The speakers offer a good amount of depth, and while the bass is lacking, it is loud enough for most small to medium-sized rooms. The projector does emit some fan noise (quite noticeable during the quiet scenes), but it’s manageable, and easy to forget about with loud enough sound from the speakers. That’s not to say the projector is silent; it isn’t, but as long as you’re not sitting right next to it, it shouldn’t be too disruptive to your overall listening experience.

What We Loved about the BenQ W2700:

1. 4K and HDR Projection
2. Vivid, Contrast-Filled Picture
3. Pleasant Looking Design
4. Good Value For Money

What We Didn’t like about the BenQ W2700:

1. Brightness; we feel that the projector could be brighter so it could be versatile enough to be used in less than desired environments.
2. Rigid Lens Design – made it not as easy we would have preferred for the initial setup in terms of geometry.
3. Software User Interface: feels a little dated and not as easy to navigate.
4. Fan Noise: Could be less noisy.

Conclusion:

All said, with an optimal environment, the image quality is excellent, and while the brightness does leave a little to be desired with too much ambient light, the fact is that if you can cut down on that ambient light, you’ll love the detail and contrast that the W2700 offers. The initial setup might be a little challenging for first time consumer level projector owners and he fan sound might be a tad noisy during the quiet scenes. That said, the perfect projector of our dreams isn’t available or would be insanely priced out of reach for most consumers. If we were to look at this product from an objective point of view, we think it’s a product that delivers what it promises in a value-for-money package. The W2700 is very well placed for not just the first time projector owners-to-be but also for those who are currently looking at upgrading their current non-4K projectors. 

More Information about the BenQ W2700:

For more information about the W2700 visit the Official BenQ W2700 Product Page.

Pricing information is available at The BenQ Official Store.

To experience the BenQ W2700 in person, please visit:

• Projectial (#05-63 Sim Lim Square, 1 Rochor Canal Road, Singapore 188504)

• Home Cinema Pit (65 Ubi Road 1 #04-38 Oxley Bizhub, Singapore 408729 (by appointment only)

• Mohammed Mustafa (Mustafa Centre, 145 Syed Alwi Road Singapore – 207704)

Disclaimer: 

We received compensation from BenQ in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Sinema Media Pte Ltd is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the company receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed through these channels are purely the company’s own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.