BenQ W5800 Home Cinema Projector Review
Table of contents
BenQ is known for its broad range of projectors, catering to various users from movie buffs to casual viewers. While the company updated many of its models last year, the W-series hadn’t seen a new release in a while. This gap has finally been filled with the introduction of the BenQ W5800, which is now available for purchase.
Specifications
The BenQ W5800 is a DLP projector featuring a 0.47-inch DMD chip that’s capable of 2600 ANSI Lumens and utilizes a blue laser light source alongside a phosphor wheel. This model incorporates BenQ’s proprietary CinematicColor technology and HDR-PRO, which includes features like Local Contrast Enhancer, Enhanced Tone Mapping, and SSI Dynamic Black.
These features enable the projector to dynamically adjust brightness and darkness across more than 1,000 zones. The W5800 supports HDR10 and HLG formats for handling static metadata, as well as the HDR10+ format for dynamic metadata. It’s also 3D capable.
Although the BenQ W5800 has a native resolution of 1920x1080p, it can produce a UHD image of 3840x2160 pixels. This is made possible by the projector utilizing the rapid switching capability of the DMD chip and quadrupling the resolution to produce true 4K 8.3 million pixels. The projector also covers the full DCI-P3 color space and 100% of rec. 709.
The BenQ W5800 features a throw ratio of 1.52 to 2.45, allowing it to project images from 80 inches up to a substantial 200 inches. It can project a 150-inch screen from a distance of 16.6-26.7 feet, using its 1.6X zoom. The projector also includes a fully motorized lens shift feature, offering vertical (±50%) and horizontal (±21%) adjustments.
Design
At first glance, the BenQ W5800 may appear similar to its predecessor, the HT5550(W5700), but a closer side-by-side comparison reveals several notable upgrades. While it retains a similar external design, the W5800 features enhancements specifically aimed at reducing ventilation noise. This is achieved by drawing cool air in through the front and expelling hot air out the sides.
The projector maintains a sleek, flat design with a centrally located lens, accented by an elegant gold ring. Speaking of the lens, it’s patterned to prevent stray light and is tilted backward to minimize light leakage from the optical engine. The lens is Tailor-Made and utilizes a lens system that features a 14-element aspheric lens coated with low dispersion materials, which will improve clarity and uniformity, according to the company. The projector measures 20.7inches wide, 15.4-inches deep, and 5.7-inches tall and weighs roughly 23 pounds.
On the back, you’ll find a variety of connectivity options. It features two HDMI 2.0b ports that support HDCP 2.2 and can handle 4K/60Hz signals, with one port also equipped with eARC capabilities. There are two USB 2.0 Type A ports with 5V 2.0A/1.5A power output for playing media directly from an external hard drive or USB drive, and a USB Type B port for system updates. It’s also close to the HDMI port to so it can power a streaming stick. For audio, the projector offers an optical S/PDIF output, suitable for connecting headphones or external sound systems. There’s also an RS-232 pinout and a LAN port included.
The remote control for the BenQ W5800 is somewhat large and doesn’t quite fit comfortably in the hand. Despite this, it features a backlit design, which is a useful addition for use in dark rooms. The remote includes all necessary buttons, with lens shift controls and a source switcher located at the top, and a directional pad for easy navigation. At the bottom, numerous shortcut keys are available for quick picture adjustments, allowing users to modify settings without having to navigate through the full menu.
Setup
Installing the BenQ W5800 projector is relatively straightforward. I paired it with a 138-inch Studiotek 130 G4 1.3 gain cinemascope screen and a Kaleidescape Strato C player. Upon startup, you are welcomed by BenQ’s familiar menu system, which offers both a simplified and an advanced interface to accommodate different user preferences. The projector automatically adjusts picture modes based on the detected content type, with options like "Bright," "Bright Cinema," "Cinema," and "Filmmaker Mode" for standard dynamic range (SDR), and additional modes such as "HDR10," "HDR10+," "HLG," or "HDR Filmmaker Mode" for 4K HDR viewing.
Users can choose from three levels of light power management: "Normal," "Eco," and "Personalized." In the personalized setting, the laser light intensity can be adjusted from a lower setting of 50 to a maximum of 100. There’s also an option to toggle dynamic contrast on or off.
For those who require precise calibration, the projector provides 2-point (Gain and Offset) and 11-point adjustment capabilities, along with a three-dimensional CMS (Color Management System) to fine-tune hue, saturation, and brightness.
For this review, I began by testing the BenQ W5800 using its default settings, then proceeded to calibrate it for optimal performance. Out of the box, my preferred settings were 'Bright Cinema' for SDR content and 'HDR10' mode for viewing HDR movies.
Performance
When it comes to performance, the sharpness of the image is the first thing that catches your eye with the BenQ W5800 projector. Despite utilizing a 0.47-inch chip, it's clear that considerable attention has been given to the quality of the lens. The review unit provided consistently sharp imagery across the entire screen.
The detail in image quality allows for a clear display of textures and fine details in visual content, which is impressive considering it utilizes pixel shift technology. For instance, in "Dune Part 2," the texture of the characters' clothing, from the fabric's weave to subtle patterns, is distinctly visible.
While exploring the various options within the Cinemaster settings—color enhancer, flesh tone, pixel enhancer 4K, motion enhancer 4K, and local contrast enhancer—I noticed their potential impact on the projector's calibration. However, it was evident that the pixel enhancer 4K, in particular, managed to add extra detail to images without creating any unwanted artifacts.
In HDR10 mode on the BenQ W5800, the Local Contrast Enhancer is automatically turned on, and the light source mode is set to Normal with Dynamic Black enabled. These settings are designed to dynamically adjust the contrast across various scenes. When switching to HDR10+ movies, however, the Local Contrast Enhancer and Global Contrast Enhancer are turned off, aligning with the HDR10+ certification standards for optimizing image quality.
When evaluating its HDR performance with "Dune Part 2," the BenQ W5800 displays commendable brightness levels. In HDR10 mode, the projector initially produced 1984 ANSI lumens straight out of the box.
The typical limitation of DLP projectors, including the BenQ W5800, is their black level and contrast performance. In HDR mode, this characteristic is somewhat noticeable. While the black levels are an improvement over previous BenQ models, they still tend towards gray rather than true black. Activating dynamic dimming helps enhance the dynamic range and does improve the overall contrast.
Returning to the strengths of the BenQ W5800, color reproduction stands out as a significant positive. BenQ projectors are known for their excellent color fidelity, and the W5800 continues this tradition. It demonstrates great accuracy in color, thanks in part to its 100% DCI-P3 wide color gamut. A prime example can be observed while watching "Spider-Man: Far From Home."
Particularly during the Mysterio illusion scene, the colors of Spider-Man's suit are vibrant and lively. The projector manages to showcase its vividness without exaggerating the hues, maintaining a balance that keeps the scene's visual impact engaging and authentic.
Regarding SDR content, the BenQ W5800 performs very well. In Bright mode, it achieves up to 2600 ANSI lumens, though the colors can appear somewhat exaggerated. For SDR viewing, I preferred using the Bright Cinema mode, which delivers a more balanced 1705 ANSI lumens. This mode was particularly effective while watching "Den of Thieves." In darker scenes, the black levels were adequate, and this mode preserved a high level of detail and sharpness across various scenes.
During my testing, particularly while watching the NBA playoffs, the motion handling was quite good even without activating MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation) image interpolation. When I did turn on the MEMC feature, it effectively reduced judder even further and did so without introducing the often-dreaded soap opera effect.
I was especially careful to look for laser speckle since I'm usually sensitive to it, but I didn't notice any with the BenQ W5800, even with different types of content. The projector is also surprisingly quiet for how bright it is. In HDR mode, it measured 30.7 dBa from about three feet away, which is quieter than many other projectors. Even during conversation scenes while watching movies, I could barely hear the projector running in the background.
Conclusion
There’s no denying the BenQ W5800 faces stiff competition with a price tag of $5,999, but it still manages to distinguish itself among the rest. This projector impresses with its robust features, offering excellent color reproduction, detail, and sharpness. While there are opportunities for improvement in black levels and contrast, the overall performance is nonetheless impressive.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Fantastic out-of-the-box performance | The remote is a bit bulky |
DCI-P3 coverage without filter | Contrast could be better |
Quiet operation | |
Effective motion handling |
FAQ
What Is DLP 4K UHD Technology?
DLP 4K UHD Technology, developed by Texas Instruments, utilizes pixel-shifting technology to achieve true 4K resolution. This method generates 8.3 million unique pixels, achieving true 4K quality. It accomplishes this by either doubling the 2716 x 1528 pixels found on the .66” DMD or quadrupling the 1920 x 1080 pixels on the .47” or .65” DMD, using an extremely fast pixel-shifting speed to reach the full 8.3 million pixels of 4K resolution.
Should I Enable 4K Motion Enhancer?
Enabling 4K Motion Enhancer depends on your viewing preferences. While Chris McQuarrie and Tom Cruise recommend disabling motion smoothing to avoid the “soap opera effect” and preserve movies in their original 24 fps format, the W5800 keeps this feature off by default to respect the filmmakers' vision. However, for those who prefer a clearer display during fast-paced sports or action-packed HD content, the W5800 offers the option to enable 4K Motion Enhancer to reduce motion blur.
What is included in the calibration reports produced by the BenQ CinematicColor factory?
BenQ examines key components before production and calibrates each unit's white balance, Rec. 709, and DCI-P3 color table in the production line to ensure color accuracy. They collect the color data in each CinematicColor factory calibration report and make every effort to prevent variances.
