BenQ W4000i
4K, 3200 lm, 1.15 - 1.5:1
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
5 reviews
everything perfect
I am completely satisfied so far
Pro
- great picture
- Relatively quiet
- Very simple settings
Absolutely thrilled!
I am completely thrilled with this projector! Although I didn't connect the smart Google TV Stick and preferred not to "pay" for it, I am still extremely satisfied with the projector. It is a real upgrade for our home cinema.
Pro
- Image
- Compactness
Contra
- Price
- (colour black) depending on the living room/home cinema it is very noticeable
- GoogleTV Stick (prefer "only" projector)
Device would be great
Edit: Defect after 3 months / Same defect after repair within just under 2 months. Long repair time / After second repair now a new defect: Ventilation rattles after 30-120 minutes of running time.
No native 4K, but does not affect the picture quality.Pro
- Shorter distance possible than with other projectors with similar specifications
- Colours and overall good picture in 4K and HDR, even in Eco mode
- Relatively quiet in Eco mode
- Quite bright
- LED
Contra
- Black level rather weak
- Vertical/horizontal shift somewhat limited (see data sheet or BenQ projector calculator)
- Swiss BenQ repair centre seems to be quite busy
Many features and good picture for the price, some weaknesses
I bought this device as a replacement for its predecessor, the W2700.
Also a comparison with the Sony VW790, which I also own (higher price range).
+ Very bright. Subjectively twice as bright as its predecessor. Even in Eco mode, it is bright enough for a picture width of 3.5 metres in a room that is not light-optimised.
+ The fan is subjectively quieter in Eco mode than with the W2700 and is tolerable for me, although it is clearly audible. In normal mode, however, it is too loud for my taste. Be careful if you are sensitive.
+ The sharpness is very good due to the DLP
+ The colour modes Cinema, HDR10 and Filmmaker Mode deliver very well-balanced colours, so that calibration is usually not necessary.
+ Zoom (throw ratio) is almost as good as its predecessor (1.15:1), so you can project a large image at a short distance
+ Intermediate image calculation finally works smoothly because the 4000 can now work internally with 24p (you have to switch on "True24p" in the menu). Unfortunately, the predecessor had a jerk every 3-4 seconds, visible during long camera movements.
+ Supports 3D and is then also very bright and the colours are natural. However, the LED always fills up quickly in 3D mode and is therefore noisy.
+ After switching on, the picture is there after one second, switching off also only takes a few seconds.
+ The LED light source should last 20 to 30,000 hours, whereby the loss of light should only be 3% per 1000 hours.
Now some negative points:
- the contrast is, as with the predecessor, relatively modest. You can help yourself (Smart ECO=dynamic LED adjustment), but in dark scenes you notice that black is grey.
- No native 4k, only pixel-shifting.
- Rainbow effect (DLP-related) visible
- Manual zoom/focus only
- No intermediate image calculation in 3D mode! That's where it would make sense! Big minus!
- Loud fan in normal mode
- The LED cannot be throttled down further than 70%, if that's still too bright, tough luck. Why not 20 to 100% for smaller images in a dark room?
- The device has built-in colour calibration, which is supposed to compensate for the ageing of the LEDs. In my case, however, it creates a slight red haze over the picture, so I leave it deactivated.
As a comparison, the Sony VW790 (laser, real 4K) for comparison:
- Significantly better contrast (black level), the picture looks subjectively nicer.
- Significantly better sharpness, clearly visible at 3.5m picture width
- Better colours, but not worlds apart
- Significantly quieter in operation (but 2.5x heavier and 3x larger and 3x more expensive)
- Better brightness control
- Intermediate image calculation also in 3D (but the new VPL-XW7000 no longer has this!)
So: significant improvements compared to its predecessor. Quieter, brighter, more durable. Even quieter and with intermediate image calculation in 3D would be really great. A lot of performance for the money!
But if I had to choose one, I'd go for the Sony, because an SXRD 4K for CHF 8000 still delivers a better picture than a DLP 1080p for CHF 3000.Excellent buy!
Waching 4K HDR content is a real pleasure with this little beast!
150h update: projector (not the QS02) started booting - one time out of three - into its own Android Failure Recovery screen and failed to respond to shut off command (both via its remote or "on box" button; only pulling the 220V would do...). Sent to BenQ Switzerland: motherboard replaced and firmware updated (1.1.2) in two weeks.Pro
- Very good color accuracy
- Compact and silent
- AndroidTV (Netflix, YouTube, Google TV, etc.) included (QS02 add-on)
- S/PDIF output
- Horizontal and vertical lens shift
Contra
- Horizontal shift almost NIL when vertical shift is at its max. (ceiling mount)
- Beware of projection/zoom ratio (a bit limited compared to other beamers)
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