BenQ bows budget W1700 4K HDR projector, plus W1050 low-cost 1080p home cinema model

BenQ has unveiled a low cost 4K DLP projector with HDR support, the W1700 (pictured above), along with a new budget 1080p media room model, the £599 W1050.

The 4K W1700 is built around the Texas Instruments XPR (eXpanded Pixel Resolution) DMD chipset, which delivers a projected image of 8.3 million pixels. Brightness is quoted at 2200 ANSI lumens; the colour wheel is RGBRGB. This makes it a direct competitor to the Acer 7850 and Optoma UHD65.

Inside CI attended an exclusive preview of the new model, actually an early pre-production sample, and was impressed with both the detail it put on screen from 4K UHD Blu-ray discs, and its overall colour vibrancy. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the price.The W1700 will sell for less than £2000 when it launches in January, making it the cheapest 4K projector yet.

The stablemate W1050 (pictured below) is on sale imminently. It supports wireless HDMI hook-up and Rec.709 colour. It also introduces BenQ’s CinematicColor technology, said to improve colour accuracy.

Typically requiring around three metres to project a 100-inch image, the W1050 has a linked zoom and focus mechanism. Alter the zoom and the projector maintains focus. Set up aids include vertical keystone correction. The W1050 has three dedicated picture modes: Sport, Vivid TV and Cinema, along with a new simplified user interface design for easy set up. BenQ quotes a contrast ratio of 15000:1.