Home Theater Projector: BenQ's Latest Winner, the PE7700
Projector OverviewProjector - Physical LayoutProjector Performance - Image QualityProjector Performance - OtherProjector WarrantySummary: Pros and Cons
Projector Overview
True HDTV resolution DLP projectors just got more affordable.
Overview
It's finally shipping: The replacement to the highly popular BenQ 8700+. The PE7700 DLP projector is an evolutionary product. A number of improvements have been made, but most notably, this new projector costs less, has a few more features, improved functionality, and most importantly, it does offer improvement over the older BenQ projector in several areas.
So what we have here, looks to be the new standard in "affordable" true HiDef (720p) DLP projectors. Congratulations again to BenQ.
This BenQ PE7700 home theater projector looks different (better, more modern) , has new interfacing, a completely revamped (and improved) menu design and layout, and right out of the box, better picture color - notably flesh tones and whites, then the PE8700+ projector It also has a "sunnier" disposition, which I will discuss in the section on Projector Performance - Image Quality.
Overall, this BenQ DLP projector's propertiesTrue Hi-Def (HD) resolution 1280x720
1100 lumens
2500:1 contrast ratio
Backlit remote
One of the very best warranties in the industry
5 preset modes (ie. Cinema, Home Theater, Gaming)
12 lbs.
Single chip DLP (HD2+ chip) from Texas Instruments
HDMI input for digital sources and 2 component inputs for analog, plus...
Very quiet
This projector is about bringing high performance DLP home theater projection to a new lower price point. For the first time a 720p native DLP projector is available for less than $3000. And if that wasn't enough, it's one impressive performer. We reward the BenQ PE7700 with the Hot Product Award it deserves. Read on!
page 2 Home Theater Projector: BenQ's Latest Winner, the PE7700
Projector OverviewProjector - Physical LayoutProjector Performance - Image QualityProjector Performance - OtherProjector WarrantySummary: Pros and Cons
Projector - Physical Layout
Physical Tour
As usual, lets start at the front of the projector. Like the older BenQ projector, the PE7700 has a recessed lens, an infra red sensor for the remote, and below, two adjustable feet, both are screw thread, lacking the quick drop feet found on most projectors, but hardly an issue for a projector that isn't likely to get moved very often (if at all).
On the top are the recessed adjustments for the lens focus and zoom. The zoom ratio is 1.37:1, providing a lot more placement . flexibility than the PE8700 (1.2:1). I should also note that the BenQ PE7700 projector has a sealed light path, this has multiple benefits, primarily though, it prevents dust from getting into the projectors light path and ultimately causing colored blotches to appear on the screen. It also helps prevent annoying light leackage. Behind the lens is a widely spaced, and well laid out control panel, consisting of 7 buttons: There are 3 buttons across the bottom: Power, Menu/Exit, and Source/Enter. When you select Menu, the 4 arrow keys (in a diamond shape above), allow you to navigate, the Source/Enter button functions as an Enter key, and hitting Menu again takes you back "upward" to the main menu, and finally to close the Menus. The Source button toggles you through the many inputs: 1 HDMI, 2 component, composite and S-video, and when you are in the menus it functions as the Enter key.
Two arrow keys do double duty. One does "Auto" which corrects for any instability in the image, and one - Memory - allows you to toggle between the 3 user saveable settings. Three indicator lights finish out the control panel: Power, Temperature, Lamp.
Back panel (inputs) time: Some changes here over the BenQ 8700+. First, the PE7700 projector has an HDMI input for digital (instead of DVI-I). This is a plus if you are trying to snake wires through your wall, as the HDMI connector is very small compared to DVI. For those of you familiar with the older model, DVI-I allows you to bring in a digital source, or an analog one. So for those relying on component video for their DVD/satellite/cable, etc., they could use the DVI-I to hook up a standard analog computer signal. (I'll get back to the issue of inputting analog computer in a moment.)
There are two sets of inputs for component video: the first has 3 RCA jacks, and the second has 5 BNC connectors. One big difference compared to the PE8700 projector. The 3 RCAs on the 8700 only supported interlaced component video, so almost everyone instead had to use the BNC connectors. Not so with the new BenQ projector. Both RCA and BNC sets support both progressive and interlaced signals. Most with component will just use the 3 RCA jacks, and that will leave a solution for computer signals - the BNCs can handle the analog data from your standard computer as well - in fact BenQ provide a standard HD15 to BNC cable with this video projector.
Assuming that I haven't completely confused you, I'll move on. You will also find the obligatory S-video and composite video inputs. To round out the the back panel, there is also an RS-232 for command and control.
I don't consider it a big deal, but missing from this BenQ projector is a 12v trigger for controlling a motorized screen. The reasons I am not that concerned:
More users have fixed wall screens and pull downs than motorized screens
Many people will choose a learning remote to control all/most of their equipment, so they can order screens with IR or RF controllers, and control the screen with their learning remote.
The wire for the 12v trigger goes between the projector and screen, and it is the only wire that would take that route. (Actually most installers would run the wire from the projector to where the other equipment is and from there to the projector screen.
Finishing off the back of the projector is the power cord connector and a hard power switch. (That needs to be on for you to be able to turn on the projector with the remote or serial port.) Lastly, there is an IR sensor for the remote.
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Projector Performance - Image Quality
This section will be expanded over the next couple of weeks (I'm leaving on vacation in two days).
The first thing to say, is that it seems that the BenQ PE7700 projector builds on the great performance that the PE8700+ already is known for.
Projector Brightness
The first, most evident thing is that the PE7700 plus appears to be a brighter projector. At 1100 lumens, it is rated 100 lumens brighter than the 8700+, but seems to do better than that. I will try to get measurements in the update, but I would guess that it is about 20% brighter than the 8700+ projector I used.
The images here are filling my 140" matte white screen. The BenQ projector was set to HT mode for the left image, and to Family Room on the one on the right. The images are under exposed in terms of showing off the room lighting because the screen is very bright.
When you consider again, the size of this screen, you begin to realize how capable the PE7700 will be at handling moderate ambient light on, say, a 92" or 100" screen. I used for the side by side shots, or the one mounted in my ceiling. Certainly it is light years brighter than say, a Panasonic AE700u with the Panasonic in its best (dimmest) mode.
The PE7700 projector handles my 140" screen better than the Panasonic does on a 106", and that's a big difference. So if you
particularly bright, and/or a really large screen, or need to fight more than the tiniest amount of ambient light, this has got to be a top choice. I know of no other HT projector with 720 native resolution that is brighter, without spending at least a thousand more (Sanyo PLV70 - an LCD widescreen projector).
The PE7700 has a low lamp mode (advanced menu), which will extend your lamp life from 2000 to 3000 hours. If you are using a 100" or smaller screen, and have a dedicated, dark room, you should be able to take advantage of the savings. Of course this is a lot of personal preference.
Color Modes
Of the 5 preset color modes, 3 are of interest for normal HT. Cinema (the default), is the darkest and probably provides the highest contrast ratio. The first DVD I watched on it was Star Wars II, and I found the Cinema setting to be very faithful, even before any calibration.
Next is Home Theater, which on first glance was my preferred choice on HDTV content including Jay Leno, some travelogs, and hi-def sports. The color balance was a bit different, and an overall higher gamma was apparent. I was really impressed with this mode. I also viewed some of Star Wars II in HT, and I found something extraordinary:
First, when I compared the PE7700 side by side with the PE8700+, I paused at the very opening where there is nothing but a scene of stars.
Before I go on, remember that the PE7700 is brighter, so the images of the 7700 in the side by side seem brighter, and lacking blacks. This is just the result of the automatic metering. Either one looks overexposed, or the other, underexposed. In cinema mode, both projectors were almost identical - you could see the same number of stars. When I switched to Home Theater mode, the number of stars must have tripled. (PE7700 is on the right on both star scenes), yet the overall darkest areas seemed to be the same. Nothing I could do with the PE8700+ could accomplish what I saw here. I could get more stars, but my "blacks" ended up much lighter gray, and I lost the feeling of stars on a "black" backdrop. I suspect that this enhanced performance is the result of the "
Sense-Eye" technology BenQ claims for the PE7700 but hasn't yet divulged what it really does, other than marketing hype, as the settings in terms of color, brightness, contrast, etc. change very slightly between the two modes.
The next setting is Family Room, and this setting is obviously designed to combat having a significant amount of ambient light. In fact among other things, this setting shows color boosted to +9, which is a significant change for this projector. I found the Family Room setting to be "a little too much". It will definitely help a lot with the ambient light but flesh tones and other subtle colors are definitely, and obviously less natural.
The other two modes: Photo mode, which is more contrasty, and Gaming, which is very dynamic (and far, far, from natural flesh tones.)
Very Natural Colors As mentioned above, both Cinema and HT modes produce excellent color balance. I made only minor adjustments with the Avia disk. In general the adjustments were less than the differences between most content and sources. You can see a couple of comparison images between Cinema and Home Theater modes. They are close, but the Home Theater mode on the right, in reality is a little "lighter" in terms of gamma. (Of course my digital camera adjusts for slight differences in overall brightness, tending to minimize the actual difference you see when switching back and forth. Both look good.
Night scenes on the BenQ PE7700 projector were especially dynamic looking. To a degree they remind me of the Panasonic AE700u which stretches the dynamic range by darkening dark areas, while brightening very light areas (without blowing out detail). The effect isn't as dramatic on the PE7700, but that's probably good, as the Panasonic can deviate noticeably from the true image (although people
it). The enhancement here is more subtle, but every bit as pleasing.
Notes on Sense-Eye
BenQ tauts Sense-Eye but doesn't provide much in details. Let's say that Sense-Eye, is really a collection of seven functions including scaling, deinterlacing, contrast enhancement, color enhancement, etc. Now variations of many of these technologies are found in competing products, with such circuitry from the likes of Faroudja, and others. The real question is how well does the BenQ's Sense-Eye do compared to what's in the competition. Considering there is no direct competition at the price (for a 720p DLP projector), they are off to a good start. I have noticed that noise seems to be a touch less than the older BenQ. Truth is, DLP competition at this resolution mostly sells for $500 to $10000 more (mostly several thousand more).
I have just received a Powerpoint presentation on Sense-Eye, which I will look over and post more info for those who are "into" the technoogy.
Sunny Disposition
In the past, when comparing the BenQ PE8700+ with other projectors - especially, JVC's HD2K and HX2, one thing I noticed, is that my old BenQ couldn't really do a really bright clear sunny day well. You know those days, shadows are razor sharp and dark, contrast is high and sun glows off of faces and objects. Well my BenQ tends to take those scenes and instead, they look
a slightly hazy day, you don't feel that sun drenched warmth. The new PE7700 definitely has a sunnier disposition. I don't have the JVC, or Marantz 12S4 for comparison at this time, and I don't think this new BenQ projector has completely eliminated the difference, but I find the PE7700 much more pleasing in this regard than my older BenQ. This is a subtle but important improvement worth mentioning.
So, in summary, the BenQ offers excellent color rendition in both Cinema and Home Theater modes, and pumps out a lot more color and can better fight ambient light in Family Room mode, but color accuracy falls off a bit. In addition dark scenes - especially those which have some bright areas are enhanced very nicely, adding more punch to the image, without any obvious distortion of the original content.
Motion artifacts, which I haven't discussed, are awefully hard to spot on this projector, I definitely noticed on one scene that the new PE7700 projector was cleaner, in this regard, than my own PE8700+.
Out of the box performance was excellent, with the AVIA disk calling only for the most minor change in tint and brightness (none to contrast).
Bottom line, my PE8700 was great for the money, and this new BenQ projector is even better, for less money. Evolutionary, not revolutionarypage 4
We'll start with the Remote. When I update the article, I'll add images of the improved menus, which are easy to use, and well laid out (but take up a bit too much of the screen, often obsuring what it is you want to see that you are adjusting.
As you can see, this is a large remote, or rather, mostly long. Buttons are well spaced out, even the largest hands should have no problem. All buttons are backlit and almost all are labeled so you can read the button function in the dark.
There is separate swtiching for all inputs, no stepping through multiple inputs trying to get to the one you watch. (You can set the projector in the menus, to auto search for active sources.)
There are three buttons for aspect ratio.
There are 3 separate buttons for memory. Howver to give you an idea of the flexibility you can any memory (let's say #1) save settings for each source. That is, you can set button one for your preferred settings on component video 1, have different settings for HDMI or component video 2. Therefore there are actually 18 separate memory settings (3 settings times 6 device inputs). Impressive.
You rarely need the menus after initial setup. Right above the memory buttons is the "PRESET" button that toggles you between Cinema, Home Theater, and the other 3 modes. If I have a complaint, switching between these is a bit slow, and there's no way to not go all the way around. (I would have really liked to toggle back and forth between Cinema and Home Theater modes, but I had to go through the other 3 modes to get back to Cinema.
There are separate buttons to go directly to Brightness, Contrast, Color, and Tint. At the bottom you also will find buttons for PIP (picture in picture), and POP (which is two sources side by side). Very, Very Cool. I had Leno on the left side, and a DVD on the right, just to check it out. Of course I can't wait for football season, so I can watch two games at the same time.
Noise levels
The BenQ PE7700 projector is very quiet. In full power mode it claims to be less than 29db, and only 26 in economy mode. In addition the pitch of the fan is pretty low making it even less noticeable.
Sealed Optical Path
You'll still have to keep the filter clean, but you won't have to worry about a major cleaning to get dust off the inside of the lens, or on the DLP chip, etc.
Choice of Screens
Since this projector is pretty bright, and contrast is a very respectable 2500:1, but not as good as the new generation of more expensive DLP projectors sporting the DarkChip3 DLP, your choice of screens, will be determined by screen size, ambient light, and your other preferences. If you are going large screen - 110" or over, I would recommend the Firehawk (StewartFilm Screen), alternately, there is the less expensive, but without as much gain, Dalite HC Cinema Vision. But for 110" and smaller, you could definitely do fine with the Grayhawk, or other gray surface high contrast screen. That will get your darks closer to black.
Summary: Pros and Cons
Summary: Pros and Cons
If you are looking for a projector around the $3000 price point, this is the best I've seen yet.
Pleasing natural colors, and my favorite phrase - "film
" quality, pretty much sum up the performance, but also value and price performance come to mind as legitimate phrases to describe this home theater projector.
As such, the BenQ PE7700 projector gets a Hot Product Award, for Best Price Performance in its class.
Pros
Natural colors
Enhanced contrast improves scenes, especially dark ones
Very good remote
Bright! Enough "horsepower" to power large screens (up to 140" diagonal)
Out of the box performance is great, without tweaking
Price Performance
Multiple Image modes (Cinema, Home Theater, Family Room, Photo, and Gaming)
"Sunny disposition"
Very quiet
Attractive case
Zoom lens offers more placement flexibility than most
Warranty
Cons
No lens shift
Can't jump directly between any two Image modes
No 12 volt screen trigger
