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We just aren’t taken into the auditorium in The Prestige in the way the Optoma can. The audience is flat to the stage when we want to feel as if we’re sitting there watching Angier and Borden’s obsessive rivalry play out. It’s not easy to achieve, but we know it can be done at this price point. As respectable as the BenQ W2700 is, it doesn’t quite manage that. The Filmmaker Mode plays so nicely with the W1800’s home cinema-tuned capabilities, in fact, that we don’t actually mind not having the option to switch to a different preset with HDR content. Ultra HD 4K resolution gives you four times more detail than Full HD with over 8 million pixels! It delivers a sharper, more life-like picture with richer and more natural colour. It also lets you sit closer to the screen – making it ideal for smaller rooms, too. With the BenQ W1800, you get a crystal-clear 120 inch image, with the projector positioned just 3 metres away.
The stunning 4K UHD (Ultra-HD) 3840x2160 resolution is four times the pixel count of 1080p FHD (full HD). With 8.3 million distinct pixels for each frame, the W1800i minimizes blur and displays crisp clear video. Additionally, the projector with the new generation 0.47” single-DMD DLP technology (chip) showcases a sleek modern design to complement your viewing space. Once the projector is turned on, the welcome menu prompts you to choose the interface language, to specify the position of the projector and to choose whether or not to activate the automatic keystone correction. The image can then be adjusted within the limits of the screen by using the test pattern in the Installation menu. Once the ideal projection distance has been found, you simply have to adjust the zoom and the height of the feet to achieve the desired result. Thanks to the test pattern available in the BenQ W1800i projector’s installation menu, it is easy to adjust the image within the limits of the screen. It’s the colours that swing it for the W1800, though. Not only did this projector slightly exceed Rec.709 in testing but colour accuracy is fantastic by projector standards, with an average Delta E of 2.89. Its only serious rival here is the Viewsonic X10-4K and that’s slightly more expensive. It is worth noting that our first review sample had a fault that left a split in brightness down the middle of the picture when we adjusted the gamma settings. This doesn’t happen with the second unit, so we don’t expect it to be an issue. This is crucial, as it means that you don’t feel like you’ve suddenly had your connection with what you’re watching broken every time a film shifts from a bright scene to a dark one. Such consistency is massively important for any projector that’s serious about home cinema.
Rivals win on brightness and HDR, but this is a superb-value home cinema projector
For optimal colour, the W1800 features BenQ’s CinematicColor technology. This tech 100% meets the Rec. 709 HDTV standard for colour accuracy, giving you realistic colour with true-to-life texture and depth. The RGBRGB colour wheel and high contrast deliver crisp images and help maximise the full potential of 4K resolution. All this, for our money, makes the W1800’s HDR images more consistent, even handed and therefore immersive than gaudier, brasher approaches. Don’t forget that HDR movie sources automatically trigger the projector to go into its Filmmaker Mode, which has been carefully designed, essentially by committee, to deliver a natural, even look that's intended to draw you into whatever you’re watching rather than drawing attention to any ‘showy’ qualities the projector might want to exhibit. The projector also has a relatively short throw of 1.3:1 with the zoom control at full, giving you a 100in picture at a distance of only 2.5m. The only worrying spec is a maximum brightness of just 2,000 ANSI lumens. BenQ W1800 review: Price and competition Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 29th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) The W1800 also seems to take great care about the way it maps HDR sources to its inherent capabilities. There’s precious little clipping of detail in bright peaks, for instance, and colours look authentic rather than strained (even when it comes to notoriously difficult skin tones). The projector also sensibly uses HDR’s expanded light range more to deliver subtler light differences than to push the extremes.
The BenQ W1800’s built-in audio support consists of a single speaker driven by five watts of amplification. Unsurprisingly, this only provides pretty rudimentary audio support for the projector’s images. There’s neither enough projection of the sound nor enough raw volume for it to feel like an adequate audio partner for the massive pictures the projector can produce. But even with the W2700’s CinematicColor tech boost, it doesn’t match the Award-winning Optoma UHD40 for colour. Some parts of the spectrum lag behind – blues and reds are good, but the middle colours aren’t quite as vibrant. There aren’t any specific gaming modes here, but the BenQ W1800 can run PC and console games at 1080p with a refresh rate of 120Hz or 240Hz. And while it’s no match for the UHD38 or TK700 on this ground, it’s still great for a spot of Destiny 2 or Elden Ring when you’ve finished watching films. You will need an external sound system, though. While the 5W internal speaker can get loud enough for casual viewing, the sound’s a little too flat and boxy for anything more.
BenQ W1800 4K DLP home cinema projector review
The chip is flashed at a rate of 240Hz (four times the normal amount) each time in a different position such that a full 4K, 8.3 million distinct pixels are displayed to the viewer per frame of footage. Suitable for living room projection, the BenQ W1800i UHD 4K projector has a 1.3 manual zoom that gives the user some freedom when it comes to placement. The BenQ W1800i’s zoom and focus are adjusted manually using two rings on the top of the projector. I run the PJ in Eco mode. The fans make too much noise in Normal and although the brightness is higher, I did not find it beneficial to the extra noise. In ECO mode and HDR the PJ is still bright enough to display everything with 'a pop' to it. Whether it's movies shows sports or live TV the BenQ Smart TV wireless Projector powered by Android has the most extensive entertainment library available. Access Google Play through the user-friendly interface for hassle-free entertainment.
True colours awaken feelings of sorrow joy romance and thrills by preserving the original image. BenQ home cinema projectors embody our belief to convey the truest colours and impart the deepest emotions to the viewer. Led by our THX and ISF dual-certified engineers the BenQ CinematicColor™ technology team delivers full Rec. 709 HDTV-standard coverage for perfect colour consistency.
The TK700STi achieves 97% of Rec709, where the W1800i achieves 100%. Does that 3% make noticeable difference, or can the 100% mean that it goes beyond this? Is it that important? How so? Well, firstly it sports BenQ's CinematicColor technology, where RGBRGB colour wheels are dressed in 'rigorously tested' coatings to deliver more accurate colours, and, most strikingly of all, factory calibration reports (to Delta E errors below three) are supplied with each projector that leaves the factory. There's then 'Zero Light Overflow' technology to prevent light being lost on its journey through the projector's optics, helped by heat resistant matte paint finishes to the internal 'opto-mechanical' structure. Lenses are also 'meticulously polished' in pursuit of picture purity.
Setup is aided by a decent 1.3x zoom and flexible 2D keystone adjustment. There's no optical image shifting, but this is never a given with 4K projectors as affordable as this. Things start to go slightly awry for the BenQ W2700 when we start watching non-HDR films, which should still be a large portion of your viewing. You can still get a good balanced projection, but it takes a lot more work to get the best possible picture.The BenQ W1800i projector is HDR10 and HLG compatible to display images with an extended dynamic range. In other words, the dark and light areas of the image are more nuanced with more visible details. This BenQ W1800i projector also features the FilmMaker mode, which disables all digital image enhancement processes to ensure that the color, dynamic range and brightness chosen by directors for movie theaters are maintained. This ensures that you can enjoy scenes from your favorite movies without compromising the vision of their creators. BenQ W1800i: Android TV BenQ describes its approach as ‘true’ 4K, though, and crucially the independent Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in the US agrees. The BenQ W1800 can do up to 15,000 hours in its lamp save mode, but only 8,000 in the most balanced Smart Eco mode and just 4,000 when it’s set to normal. After that, you’re looking at a pricey lamp replacement.
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