3D Projector Reviews

I think you guys got the 2D and 3D score flipped around at the performance rating.

First, thank you Mr. Deering.

So, do you post, or still have, the calibration settings you used? I was unable to find them, unless I really skimmed through the article too fast.

Also, when you referred to the setup like a local cinema, were you referring to a darkened room that has dark paint/panels? Or, are you just referring to black levels being less inky in theaters?

I have a 30-Day trial on a W7000, but was not sure if I should pay the extra $600 for the Epson 5010. I do want to be able to play video games in the long run, but I have a controlled environment where the neighboring panels are dark, and absorb light rather than reflect it back. The room basically seems dark.

Your thoughts and feedback will be greatly appreciated. Especially since 3.5 out of 5 is a big deal for me on 2D performance.

-Stringfellow

Hi Everyone and thanks for the feedback. Rob is right, the scores are correct. This is THE 3D projector as far as I'm concerned. I haven't seen 3D this good on anything else. Bright and punch with absolutely no ghosting or artifacts. If you're serious about home theater, this would be a great companion projector to a higher end 2D projector if your budget can swing it. Stringfellow, I don't have my calibration settings on hand, sorry. I'll see if they can be wrangled up. My comparison to a local digital cinema have to do with the picture thrown by the projector. Home theater projectors are typically always judged mainly on contrast performance, which the BenQ falls short on compared to the big hitters like Sony and JVC. But its contrast performance is easily as good as any commercial DLP setup I've seen, so if you like the D-Cinema image at your local cinemaplex, you'll probably love this too.

Not that you should ever plug in anyone else's calibration settings and think they are just going to work for you the same, here are my calibration settings for the W7000: Mode: User 1 Contrast: 44 Brightness: 54 Sharpness: 5 Color: 50 Tint: 50 Flesh Tone: 0 Advanced: Black Level: 0 IRE Clarity Control: All to 0 Color Temperature: Warm Color Temperature Fine Tuning: Red Gain: 57 Green Gain: 45 Blue Gain: 48 Red Offset: 247 Green Offset: 247 Blue Offset: 245 Gamma Selection: 2.2 Brilliant Color: Off Color Management: Red: Hue 41, Gain 47, Saturation 54 Green: H 65, G 71, S 65 Blue: H 54, G 45, S 49 Cyan: H 28, G 61, S 55 Magenta: H 48, G 44, S 45 Yellow: H 72, G 59, S 60 Film Mode: On 3D Comb Filter: On Dynamic Black: On Other Settings: Aspect Ratio: Real Overscan Adjustment: 0 Frame Interpolation: Off HDMI Settings: PC High Altitude Mode: Off Lamp Setting: Economic Enjoy!

For whatever it is worth, like Christmas, we give gifts at the end of Ramadan, which is during the celebration called Eid-al-Fitr. Your most generous responses, irrespective of the truth that calibration is subjective based on the environment it is being done in and your initial reply about the D-Cinema and its relationship to DLP, were by far the coolest gift, yet.

Thank you! :)

-Stringfellow

PS. I have tried Art Feierman's settings (from Projector Reviews), and it looked pretty amazing. Initially, he had some issues with certain colors (I think cyan???), but they were mostly resolved in the updated model he received (new firmware). I will compare the two settings this week and let y'all know what I thought. Also, I am saving up to potentially get it professionally calibrated, but I have to wait a little while for that.

Were the reviewers able to compare the W7000 to the previously reviewed (and since revised-review) Sharp XV-Z30000? Specifically for 3D, how does the brightness compare with decent color? How does the brightness compare in brightest mode for 3D? The W7000 is certainly bright (especially calibrated in 2D), but loses a bit of oomph in 3D... is it significantly brighter in 3D (calibrated and brightest)than the XV-Z30000, which has better 2D performance?

I am looking at setting up my Home theatre and am considering the BenQ W7000. The room size is 17.5 ft x 14.5 ft. I plan to ceiling mount the projector at the back of the room and so approx throw distance would be around 15.5 ft. This is a dedicated media room but has windows and hence the ambient light - I possibly would use dark curtains. I was planning to go with a 140" diagonal screen. I want to know if a 140" screen will be good for both 2D and 3D movies viewing or will I lose some picture quality with that big a screen. Also given my room size will I be able to get a 140" image.