The BenQ W1050 is the successor to the mighty W1070 which features a few added improvements, but will it be able to fill those shoes?
As far as mid range projectors goes, BenQ have done very well in recent years, with its mighty W1070 taking the crown year in, year out. However, it’s time to hand over the crown and the W1050 looks ready to take on the challenge. Coming in at a very similar size and exterior, the mid range W1050 is a small discrete full HD projector that is easy to use and even easier to set up. Its light weight design does allow it to fall into the “portable” category.
Capable of offering a full HD image at just over 100 inches (that’s a pretty large screen for those who are unsure) and boasting a very impressive 6 wheel RGB colour pallet, the 1050 offers 96% coverage of Rec. 709, which is the International HD television standard of colour that the director intended.
BenQ have also upped the contrast of the W1050 with a 15000:1 contrast ratio offering more detail than ever before in the darker scenes and with an overall peak brightness over 2200 Lumens, you no longer need to lock yourself in the darkest environment possible to enjoy the image. Whilst the W1050 still thrives in a darker environment, the brighter screen makes viewing in slightly brighter rooms more of a possibility now.
Whilst set up on the W1050 is very straight forward, there is a limited amount of built in presets which are Sport, Vivid and Cinema mode, with each offering slightly different image characteristics dependent on what it is you’re watching. I personally found these to be a little lacklustre and had much more success when I adjusted the image manually to my own taste though this is not compulsory. In order to get the best out of this unit, I would suggest getting stuck into the settings and doing your own tweaking.
Being a smaller unit, the W1050 does lack some built-in adjustments such as keystone and a digital zoom feature. This isn’t the end of the world, though these features do help speed up the adjustment process and can give you a little more wiggle room when setting up. Those of you looking for a portable unit will have to rely on physically putting the W1050 into place (gently that is). Once in position the W1050 is a very impressive unit for its price and size. I found the motion to be very impressive and whilst I am personally lucky enough to have a pitch black room to get the best out of the unit, when I turned the lights on I didn’t lose the image altogether, I mainly noticed a lack of contrast. Taking into consideration the W1050 does have a limited ability to handle colour, I was very pleased with what it produced and couldn’t ask for more at this price point!
If you’re looking for the best and cheapest way to get a decent full HD 100-inch image then look no further. Whether it’s for games, films or TV the W1050 really is very impressive and should be atop anyone’s shopping list.
If you would like a demonstration or you find yourself a little unsure on projectors, then please feel free to visit or call your local Richer Sounds!
Click here for more info on the BenQ W1050
Author: Garrett, Plymouth store
