Photo gallery: BenQ PE7700The BenQ PE7700 is one of the latest High Definition (HD) DLP projectors to hit our shores. At the heart of the video display is the high-performance HD2+ chip renowned for its rich colour and deep blacks. To complement the chip, the Taiwanese manufacturer has integrated an HDMI input to support a direct digital interface for optimal picture quality.
Design
The projector and remote caught our attention when we unpacked our review set. Dressed in a glossy white shell with silver panels, the PE7700 score high in the WAF (wife acceptance factor) department. An embossed BenQ logo on the top-right corner of the chassis adds an extra touch of class. The chassis also features buttons whose label is lighted enhancing their functionality and aesthetic.
The PE7700 is by no means petite with its 380mm by 114mm by 299mm frame and 5.5 kilogram weight but its ultra-sleek outlook more than compensates for its bulk.
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BenQ has done a fine job for the remote control. Although a tad on the large side, it is no less comfortable to operate. The buttons are unusually spaced apart (great news for people with fat thumbs like me!) and contain shortcut keys for selecting specific inputs, aspect ratios and display settings. Backlight is catered for all buttons but has to be manually activated via a dedicated "light" button as opposed to the smarter on-demand implementation based on room lighting condition.
The projector's user interface is a breeze to navigate with its logically grouped menu and structured options. Five sets of video preset modes are included to simplify and assist first-time projector owners on the setup process. For those technically inclined, there is also an array of advanced settings available for tweaking out the last bit of performance.
Feature
The PE7700 is High Definition-ready with its 1,280 x 720 native resolution. Under the hood is a Texas Instrument HD2+ chip partnered with a 5x speed, six-segment colour wheel. The high-speed colour wheel employed in the projector minimises rainbow, an anomaly which is inherent in DLP technology.
The BenQ has a short throw capability and can project a 100" image from a 3m distance. As a first sign of cost-cutting measures, the lens shift function has been omitted and replaced with the digitally manipulated keystone control.
BenQ's SensEye technology has also found its way into the PE7700. It features advanced image enhancement technology which automatically optimises contrast and sharpness to improve clarity and depth.
A built-in scaler enables the projector to upscale480p or downscale 1080i materials to its native 720p resolution. This feature will comes in handy for non-HD playback devices hooked up to the PE7700. For users with multiple video sources, BenQ has included the Picture-In-Picture (PIP) and Picture-On-Picture functions. The former is similar to the usual PIP function while the latter allows images from two different sources to be displayed side-by-side.
The lamp in the PE7700 is rated up to 3,000 hours at economic mode. Warranty for the projector and lamp is three years (limited warranty) and one year, respectively.
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Connectivity-wise, the PE7700 has all the necessary inputs for a fairly complex setup including two component-videos and an HDMI. Both sets of inputs accept progressive scan and 720p/1080i HD signals. While no HDMI cable is included in the package, BenQ has thrown in a pair of VGA-to-component cables for PC/laptop use.
Performance
Picture quality from the PE7700 is brilliant, exhibiting a film-like quality rivaling the big screens. We are particularly impressed with its high contrast and exceptional black shadow details. In the Blade 2 fight scene, we were able to make out subtle details on Wesley Snipe's leather jacket even though the scene was dark.
The projected image is generally noise-free, with good details and picture uniformity. We did register slight geometry distortion at the four extreme corners of the image but these were well within the industrial limits. For optimum performance, some degree of light control must be observed as the image tends to lose its impact in brighter environment.
Out of the five video preset modes, the Family Room mode with its high brightness and colour saturation is ideal for bright environments. We went with the Home Theater mode for movie playback due to its accurate skin tones and deep blacks.
We observed a drop in brightness and sharpness when we switched from HDMI to component-video. This was probably a result of the analog-to-digital conversion engaged by the analog component-video input as opposed to the full digital HDMI interface.
The built-on scaler performed reasonably well in our test. 1080i downscaled material showed no visible image degrading while 480p upscaled material looked softer than the original.
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