Saturday, 18 August 2012

BenQ W1060 projector review



Ever thought of starting your own home cinema but not quite sure what sort of projector might do the job without breaking the bank? Well, BenQ have recently released the W1060 which is currently available on Amazon at under £700 and might meet many of your requirements.

If you want something that looks cool and stylish, the W1060 comes in chic tones of cream and silver and its smoothly curving edges taper downwards in elegant lines. It doesn't weigh a ton at just 3.6kg yet it feels sturdy and reliable. Measuring a very manageable 150 x 330 x 247 mm, you can also carry it around in the supplied soft black case or slip it into a suitcase.

All the features on this projector are extremely easy to manage. On the top is a backlit menu panel with large keys that are easy to navigate without having to make use of the remote. Both the zoom and focus rings are wide and smooth to operate and generally need the lightest touch to achieve the right effect.

Round the back you'll find a useful collection of connectors including VGA, USB, composite, component, S-video, stereo Mini Jack and no less than two HDMI 1.3 ports which will save swapping cables every time you change from Blu-ray to console or set-top box. You also have two 10W speakers but the sound quality is so poor that you should only use these in extremis.

With Full HD (1920 x 1080) as your native resolution, a 2000 ANSI Lumens level of brightness and a contrast ratio of 5000:1, the quality and sharpness of the image is impressive even in relatively well-lit rooms.

The W1060 is also satisfyingly quiet in operation but the only aspect that is disappointing is the rather limited throw ratio of 1.59 - 1.9 which means you'll need a reasonably large room to get a decent size image.

Score: 4/5

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