Projectors

BenQ has made some bold boasts about its new CinePrime series of projectors, and especially the flagship W5700 reviewed here. As with the lower-cost W2700 [see HCC #299], it incorporates CinematicColor technology, but here the company claims it reaches 100 per cent of the wide colour gamut used by UHD Blu-rays, making it the first single-chip DLP 4K home projector to achieve the feat.

BenQ has made some bold boasts about its new CinePrime series of projectors, and especially the flagship W5700 reviewed here. As with the lower-cost W2700 [see HCC #299], it incorporates CinematicColor technology, but here the company claims it reaches 100 per cent of the wide colour gamut used by UHD Blu-rays, making it the first single-chip DLP 4K home projector to achieve the feat.

BenQ is so confident of the W5700's ability to accurately deliver the video industry's colour standards of REC.709 and DCI-P3 that it even includes a verifying factory calibration report. I'll be taking my own measurements to check the veracity of BenQ's claims...

Spin The Wheel
The W5700 uses the latest version of Texas Instruments' XPR (eXpanded Pixel Resolution) technology, which is backed up by a 245W lamp generating a decent 1,800 Lumens of brightness. There's also a six-segment RGBRGB colour wheel that generates all those extra colours while keeping rainbows to a minimum.

Naturally the W5700 supports HDR (HDR10 and broadcast HLG). However, it also includes BenQ's HDR-PRO technology for improved tone mapping, along with CinemaMaster Video+ processing.

It looks the part of a range-topping model, with an attractive matte-black finish suited to home cinema installations. Clever touches in the design include an anti-dust hood around the lens (although this only works when it's ceiling mounted), louvered air intakes to reject dust from the cooling system, and a patterned lens ring to minimise light leakage from the optical engine.

The latter is built around an 11-element all-glass lens array that's been optimised for 4K. The W5700's single-chip DLP design eliminates convergence issues, and when combined with this lens the pictures are incredibly sharp.

There's a plethora of connections at the rear, with two HDMI v2.0b inputs that are HDCP 2.2 compliant, and three USB ports. One can be used to power an HDMI streaming stick, and for that reason BenQ also includes an optical digital audio output and a 3.5mm analogue jack, but given the home cinema aspirations there are no built-in speakers. Automation options include a 12V trigger for syncing with an electric screen.

You'll find some basic controls at the rear of the PJ, but it also ships with a matching, well-designed black remote. It has a backlight, essential for use in a dark home cinema.

The W5700 has vertical and horizontal shift controls on the top, and rings around the lens for zoom and focus. These controls are extremely flexible thanks to a 1.6x zoom and a lens shift that can move 60 per cent either way vertically and 23 per cent horizontally. That kind of latitude should ensure easily installation in a dedicated room.

The lack of any motorised controls excludes the inclusion of a lens memory, making the use of a 'Scope ratio screen impractical – unless you fancy manually re-sizing the image every time you change aspect ratio.

Out Of The Box
The factory calibration report shows the model and individual serial number of the unit, and confirms compliance with D65 and 100 per cent of REC.709 and DCI-P3 to a deltaE (error) measurement of less than three (which is the visible threshold). This is important because video content is produced using the industry standards of D65 for white, and the REC.709 colour gamut for SDR and DCI-P3 for HDR. If the display matches these standards, then what you're watching is exactly what the creators want you to see.

Initial scepticism faded once I measured the W5700 producing white and colour measurements with errors that were all below three. The PJ also delivered 100 per cent of both REC.709 and DCI-P3, which is genuinely impressive because in the past single-chip DLP machines have struggled to even hit 100 per cent of REC.709.

And the BenQ didn't just excel in terms of its accuracy; the overall picture is equally appealing. Watching The Expanse on Amazon Prime in 4K SDR reveals images that are often spectacular. The projector might not be native 4K, but its XPR trickery results in perceived 4K images that don't reveal any pixel structure, even when viewed up close.

An orbital assault exposes all the detail in the intricately rendered spaceships and station, while highlighting a DLP strength: smooth and judder-free motion. The sunlight reflecting off the ships' hulls is suitably bright and the blacks of space are deep enough to leave the dynamic iris off. The projector's adherence to REC.709 also ensures stable colours and excellent flesh tones.