BenQ W7000 Pro Reviews

After spending some time with the BenQ W7000, I found myself bummed that we don’t give as much attention to the DLP projection market anymore. The BenQ delivered the best 3D experience I’ve had in my home, while coming up a bit short with 2D material as a consequence of its weak contrast. Obviously, I’ve become a bit spoiled with the blacks my reference JVC projector provides, so ultimately the 2D experience will depend on how picky you are about contrast and black levels. I think a bit more spit and polish could go a long way in this department, as we’ve seen DLP designs—including older ones from BenQ—that delivered far better black levels. But if you’re seeking out a bright projector with superb 3D performance and sharp images, this is one that should be on your short list. I don’t think you’ll find a better 3D image anywhere near this price.

The BenQ W7000 sports a lot of the technology in the bigger, more expensive BenQ projectors. But that doesn't mean it is cheap. With a MSRP of just under $4k, it could be a wallet-buster for an Audioholic on a budget. We've already seen the projector's street price $1500 less than that, so make sure you shop around. Incorporating many of the latest technologies, including DLP Link for syncing the active glasses, tons of features for making placement easy, REC 709 True Color, and ICFccc certification, the BenQ W7000 certainly looks to be a lot of features for the money. The only thing it is missing, in our opinion, is information on the upconverting chipset. Perhaps, though, anyone on the market for a $2500 projector already has a decent chipset in their receiver and/or Blu-ray player. Either way, we'd love to see what this projector can do. We're betting it will be impressive.

The BenQ W7000 is a bright, capable 3D projector, and at $2499 it is highly competitive in today's market. Its stunning sharpness and clarity of detail make it a great choice for the most demanding HD content, while crosstalk-free 3D and high overall brightness are must-haves for gaming. The three frame delay will keep some hardcore gamers from loving this projector, but most people won't notice. In terms of image quality, the projector's main weakness is black level. While the W7000 has good black performance for a $2500 DLP projector, its LCD competition consistently outperforms it in this regard. Black level becomes increasingly important as ambient light control improves, so those with blacked-out theaters have a difficult choice to make. The W7000 earns 4.5 stars for performance due to its higher-than-average black level but otherwise excellent image quality. The limitations of the W7000 are mostly related to usability, and its flaws can be frustrating to projection neophytes. As such, we've docked points in Features (no 2D to 3D conversion; limited lens shift) and Ease of Use (short lamp life; loud iris; uncomfortable 3D glasses). However, great image quality makes up for a lot. On the whole, the W7000 is a great projector and a strong competitor in today's market, and we are proud to recommend it as a great value.