BenQ describes its approach as ‘true’ 4K, though, and crucially the independent Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in the US agrees. 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. I was pretty set on the TK700STi, which could give me 120” screen from that throw. The W1800i would give me a screen closer to 100”. I’ve read that 120” at that viewing distance is too close, but I’ve seen people on here say that they love it (too big is a myth, right?) This BenQ includes support for HDR10 and HLG. HDR10 is widely used on UHD gaming consoles from Sony and Microsoft. HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma HDR) is a broadcast and user generated standard format that is seen as the standard for transmitting 4K signals.

Filmmaker Mode preserves motion cadence cinematic colour dynamic range and brightness that directors intended for the big screen. BenQ smart home projectors support the filmmakers’ desire for home viewers to relive majestic scenes and tender moments the way they were meant to be seen 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. 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.

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. 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.

So I bought the W1800 (minus the i). And I am thoroughly impressed with the picture quality and the brightness. The only complaint that I have is with the choice of fans. They run at a low RPM and there is an inconsistency in speed, and the combination with the type of bearings in the fan makes it produce a whirring noise. The entire PJ is rather quiet so anything that is off, is noticeable, especially if it's right above your head. I tried two PJ's and the second one had a much louder noise coming from the pixelshifter, so I kept the first one. It's something you need to get used to I guess. The sharpness remains strikingly high during camera pans and over moving objects, too. Judder without motion processing in play doesn’t look excessive – in fact, if anything it feels natural enough to simply add to the W1800’s key cinematic feel. Nor is there much trouble from the sort of fizzing and double edging around the edges of moving objects that affordable DLP projectors often struggle with. The W1800i is rated 2000 lumens, whereas the TK700STi is 3000 lumens. I believe that this is due to the RGB colour wheel on the W1800i, where the TK700STi has a RGBW and lets through more white light. The room I have will have some ambient light from the window (can shut the blinds) and table lamp. Seems like the TK700STi is better suited, but seems like there are varying opinions on whether 2000 lumens is plenty for this type of use. I was thinking about buying a 0.8 gain grey screen if that makes any difference. Unfortunately, it is not possible to access Netflix from the BenQ W1800i, which is not compatible with this streaming service. Even when enabling wireless screen sharing from an Android smartphone, we couldn’t access it. So those who want to enjoy Netflix with this projector will have to do so from a Netflix-compatible computer or AV network player connected to the W1800i via HDMI, or via a Chromecast Video. BenQ W1800i: 4000h, 2000 lumen lampThe 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. Once this module is connected to the projector, all that’s left to do is to connect to your Google account to take advantage of the online application catalog and to rent movies. You can also enjoy your subscription to Disney+, YouTube or Prime Video, as well as stream content wirelessly from a smartphone or tablet (iOS and Android).

The BenQ W1800i projector effectively harnesses Texas Instruments’ DLP technology to project well-defined and highly detailed 4K images. The HDR rendering is quite convincing, even though we would have preferred even more detailed dark areas and brighter light areas. The Filmmaker mode offers a fairly accurate colorimetry but does not seem to be able to be disabled on HDR sources. The projector isn’t particularly difficult to install, but its short focal length means it has to be placed rather close to the viewers (in front or just behind), with the consequence of being able to hear the ventilation quite clearly. The eco lamp mode is therefore preferable for a pleasant home theater experience (33 dB measured at 1m compared to 36-37 dB in normal mode). The W1800 claims a promising contrast ratio of 10,000:1, and a brightness of 2,000 Lumens. This latter figure might not sound like much compared with the daylight-challenging laser projectors we've auditioned lately, but experience suggests that at the W1800's level of the market, brightness around this level is often conducive to a solid contrast performance.

Rivals win on brightness and HDR, but this is a superb-value home cinema projector

Digital rotation adjustment improves projection flexibility even on uneven platforms. More placement options help free up valuable space. keystone eliminates trapezoid effects when projecting from various room locations for ease and convenience. 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.

Delta E quantifies the difference between a reference colour and the projector’s actual colour based on L*a*b* coordinates to represent a difference in sensation. Delta E<3 performance means virtually no perceptible colour difference to the human eye. (Delta E<3 performance is enabled in the D. Cinema mode on the W1800i.)Whether we are watching the 4K vintage world of The Prestige or the starker setting of Die Hard’s Nakatomi Plaza, the W2700 has the colours, the contrast and the brightness bang on, and that’s no mean feat. 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 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. As a shortcut, with non-HDR, we recommend choosing the Vivid TV preset. We watch Thor in Full HD and the colour palette is well balanced. The gold of Asgard’s palace is as prominent as the green of the planet’s trees and the blues of its oceans in the opening sweeps of the film. It is, though, hardly unusual for audio systems built into home cinema-focused projectors to be at best sound solutions of last resort, so the W1800 sounds in truth no worse than many of its rivals. Verdict