Whether it's movies shows sports or live TV the BenQ Smart TV wireless Projector powered by Android has the most extensive entertainment library available. Access Google Play through the user-friendly interface for hassle-free entertainment. There aren’t any specific gaming modes here, but the BenQ W1800 can run PC and console games at 1080p with a refresh rate of 120Hz or 240Hz. And while it’s no match for the UHD38 or TK700 on this ground, it’s still great for a spot of Destiny 2 or Elden Ring when you’ve finished watching films. You will need an external sound system, though. While the 5W internal speaker can get loud enough for casual viewing, the sound’s a little too flat and boxy for anything more. The BenQ W1800 sets out its home cinema stall in a number of key ways. For starters, it claims to be a 4K projector, and can support both of the HDR10 and HLG HDR formats. There’s no Dolby Vision or HDR10+ ‘active’ HDR support, but projectors that support those premium HDR flavours are currently as rare as the proverbial hen’s teeth. 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). It is worth noting that our first review sample had a fault that left a split in brightness down the middle of the picture when we adjusted the gamma settings. This doesn’t happen with the second unit, so we don’t expect it to be an issue.

The BenQ W1800’s built-in audio support consists of a single speaker driven by five watts of amplification. Unsurprisingly, this only provides pretty rudimentary audio support for the projector’s images. There’s neither enough projection of the sound nor enough raw volume for it to feel like an adequate audio partner for the massive pictures the projector can produce. The BenQ W1800 can do up to 15,000 hours in its lamp save mode, but only 8,000 in the most balanced Smart Eco mode and just 4,000 when it’s set to normal. After that, you’re looking at a pricey lamp replacement. BenQ describes its approach as ‘true’ 4K, though, and crucially the independent Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in the US agrees.

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

A further unwanted issue is that using the motion processing throws the syncing of the picture and the sound out when watching in 4K. It happens more than we’d expect, even when using the projector’s internal speakers, but can be resolved by switching the motion processing off. However, most home cinema amps will have an audio delay feature that can remedy the syncing. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 29th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.)

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. The claimed 4K support is controversial in the sense that, as with all such affordable ‘4K’ projectors that use DLP optical technology, the BenQ W1800 doesn’t actually carry a native 3840x2160 number of digital mirror devices (DMDs) on its 0.47-inch chip. Instead it draws on the amazing speed with which DLP’s mirrors can respond to get them to deliver essentially multiple pixels of picture information within a single frame.While many BenQ projectors sport CinematicColor technology, the W1800 adds another video-facing feature that we haven’t seen from a BenQ projector before: Filmmaker Mode. Developed by the Ultra HD Alliance, an industry body comprising a broad church of content creators and consumer electronics companies, the Filmmaker Mode picture preset is designed to deliver images that resemble as closely as a device can manage the video standards used by the creative industries when they master their content. Filmmaker mode is quite common on TVs now, but it’s still rare in the projector world. What’s more, potentially controversially, the W1800 actually defaults to the Filmmaker Mode whenever it receives an HDR image, and then won’t let you switch to any other preset.

Ultra HD 4K resolution gives you four times more detail than Full HD with over 8 million pixels! It delivers a sharper, more life-like picture with richer and more natural colour. It also lets you sit closer to the screen – making it ideal for smaller rooms, too. With the BenQ W1800, you get a crystal-clear 120 inch image, with the projector positioned just 3 metres away.The picture settings of the BenQ W2700 aren’t as straightforward as the initial set-up, but it’s easy if you’re watching HDR content. With HDR set to Auto, this 2,000 lumens projector does all the work for you, automatically switching the major picture settings to optimum. How so? Well, firstly it sports BenQ's CinematicColor technology, where RGBRGB colour wheels are dressed in 'rigorously tested' coatings to deliver more accurate colours, and, most strikingly of all, factory calibration reports (to Delta E errors below three) are supplied with each projector that leaves the factory. There's then 'Zero Light Overflow' technology to prevent light being lost on its journey through the projector's optics, helped by heat resistant matte paint finishes to the internal 'opto-mechanical' structure. Lenses are also 'meticulously polished' in pursuit of picture purity. Picture detail is generally good and it’s worth noting how impressive that is given that this projector doesn’t actually have the 3840 x 2160 micro-mirrors on its DLP chip as you might expect. Instead it uses Texas Instruments’ lens shifting DLP XPR technology to effectively quadruple the number of pixels produced by its 0.47in chip, with only 1920 x 1080 micro-mirrors.

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. The brand's latest affordable 4K HDR beamer is out to show John Archer exactly what the director intended 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.

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