The Very Bottom Line on the W1080ST projector:
Almost every projector has some real strengths. And every projector can be improved upon.
The BenQ W1080ST home entertainment (or home theater) projector joins its sibling, the W1070, as one of my favorite low cost home projectors. One or the other should serve you well. If your projector isn't mounted, and perhaps it's mobile - moved from room to room, or even outside, or maybe you need to borrow it for business presentations. After all, it's a very capable small portable projector with good resolution, built in sound, and all the necessary inputs for business and education presentations.
You get a typical warranty which is to say, one year. That's the same as most, but a few competitors offer two, or three year warranties. Nothing to write home about, but one year is what most of the competition offers, as well.
I've barely mentioned it, but the projector does leak a little more light that most. The light leakage is more than most, but not an issue in the typical family room. Even in a dedicated home theater you might easily spot it when looking, but it wouldn't likely be on your radar when watching content.
Mike calibrated this projector with Brilliant Color on. For most folks who will get it calibrated, unless you have a really large screen, you might want to go with Brilliant Color off. BenQ's implementation of Brilliant Color seems excellent. It's loss of color palette and naturalness is very slight. With some competitors turning on BC takes a very noticeable toll in the projector's skin tones and general imaqe quality. Well done BenQ. Still, BC off is the more natural choice.
If only black level performance was better. Then this projector could slug it out with projectors twice the price. But isn't that always the case - spend more, get more?