The W11000 is an unconventional device, it’s the world’s first DLP 4K UHD home cinema projector, and weighs over 15 kilograms. As such it was clearly difficult to review this device to its best potential. I couldn’t review this in the comfort of the home or office space and it required something as mentioned, unconventional.
BenQ however had different plans and decided to take me a secret home cinema setup in Al Quoz so that I could get the experience as intended. You certainly need a bit of space to set this monster of a projector up. It’s evident that the W11000 is a projector for those who have a dedicated setup for building their own home cinema. It needs a reasonable bit of viewing distance to be enjoyed.
It’s one of the biggest projectors in its class too. At its 47x 22.5 x 56cm dimensions, this is best mounted on the ceiling. BenQ is hoping that if you’re not someone who likes going to the cinema and enjoying movies with the inconveniences that come with going to the cinema, this projector would solve most niggles.
BenQ’s flagship projector is the world’s first THX certified DLP 4K UHD projector. Simply put, if 4K viewing experience is important to you and you want the absolute best, this projector is it. Comparing that to any other conventional 4K project, the W11000 hits the mark by miles. It’s cinematic color REC.709 gamut, 4K optimized lens system are part of the reason why it’s a beast. It also runs at 2200 lumens brightness and has a 50,000:1 contrast ratio that the iris dynamically adjusts between scenes so light output is consistent though on certain situations, I quite didn’t appreciate how the light levels change drastically. All in all, it did output a fantastic image.
On the Inside
Specs
| Projection System | DLP 4K UHD |
| Native Resolution | 3840 x 2160 with XPR technology |
| Brightness (ANSI Lumens) | 2200lm |
| Contrast Ratio | 50,000:1 with Dynamic Iris |
| Display Color | 1.07 Billion Colors |
| Lens | F = 2.05 – 2.37 f = 20.54 – 30.31 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Throw Ratio | 1.36 – 2.03 (100″ @ 3m) |
| Clear Image Size / Maximum Image Size | 95″~180″ / 300″ |
| Zoom Ratio | 1.5:1 |
| Lamp Type | PHILIPS 240W |
| Lamp Mode (Normal/Eco/SmartEco)* | 3000 / 4000 / 6000 hours |
| Lens Shift | Vertical: ± 65% / Horizontal: ± 27% |
| Resolution Support | VGA (640 x 480) to 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) |
| Horizontal Frequency | 15 – 102KHz |
| Vertical Scan Rate | 23 – 120Hz |
| HDTV Compatibility | 480i/p 60Hz, 576i/p 50Hz, 720p 50/60Hz, 1080i 50/60Hz, 1080p 24/25/30/50/60Hz, 2160p 24/25/30/50/60Hz |
| Weight | 14.8 kg (32.6 lbs) |
| Dimensions (W x H x D mm) | 470.7 x 224.9 x 564.7 mm |
| Interface | PC (D-Sub) x 1 HDMI x 2 (HDMI 1: HDMI 2.0 & HDCP 2.2; HDMI 2: HDMI 1.4a & HDCP 1.4) USB (Type mini B) x 1 (Service) LAN x 1 RS232 x 1 DC 12V Trigger x 2 IR Receiver x 2 (Front & Back) IR in x 1 |
| Power Consumption | Normal 384W, Eco 290W, Network Standby <3W, Standby <0.5W |
| Audible Noise (Normal/Economic Mode) | 26 / 23 dBA (under Silence Mode) |
| Power Supply | AC100 to 240 V, 50 to 60 Hz |
| Color Wheel Segment | 6-Segment (RGBRGB) |
| Picture Modes | ** ISF Disabled: Bright / Vivid / Cinema / THX / Silence / User 1 / User 2 *** ISF Enabled: Bright / Vivid / Cinema / THX / Silence / User 1 / User 2 / ISF Night / ISF Day |
| On-Screen Display Languages | Arabic/Bulgarian/ Croatian/ Czech/ Danish/ Dutch/ English/ Finnish/ French/ German/ Greek/ Hindi/ Hungarian/ Italian/ Indonesian/ Japanese/ Korean/ Norwegian/ Polish/ Portuguese/ Romanian/ Russian/ Simplified Chinese/Spanish/ Swedish/ Turkish/ Thai/ Traditional Chinese (28 Languages) |
| Accessories (Standard) | Lens Cover Remote Control with Battery Power Cord (by region) User Manual CD Quick Start Guide Warranty Card |
| Accessories (Optional) | Spare Lamp Kit Ceilling Mount Anamorphic lens |
The W11000 has two HDMI ports (HDCP 2.2 and 1.4a) and a VGA connection. I find this absolutely unnecessary as we’ve well gone to the HDMI shift and doesn’t really fit with BenQ’s 4K messaging. Given that this is three times to size of a normal 1080p projector, this projector is designed to be mounted at a single permanent location. On the top of the projector, there are two dials for lens shift adjustment: one moves the image horizontally while the other vertically. Unfortunately, there’s no keystone adjustment so you’re going to have to do this manually. It does have a remarkable cooling system though, that’s placed right in front of the projector next to the lens and with the large fans behind it pushing the air from the back, you won’t even hear it. It’s that quiet.
Overall
To put it out of the way, the W11000 costs at AED 20,000. It’s a projector for people who really want to get the most out of their set up and invest quite a bit to deliver the experience. It’s great for 4K and 1080p content, sure and can even handle a bit of PC gaming and potentially Xbox One X content that’s natively 4K. There is a bit of lag when it comes to gaming so casual gaming experiences are the maximum you can go. With everything else though, this projector nails it on the wall. It’s a little disappointing that a keystone feature isn’t incorporated at that price point but that’s the price you pay. Lamp life ranges between 3,000 to 6,000 hours, depending on what mode you use and BenQ has mentioned they will provide additional support on purchase which doesn’t come as a surprise.
“With BenQ’s W11000, I’d probably never want to see a movie again unless I absolutely have to.”
