BenQ W1000 Projector Calibration and Settings
BenQ W1000 Calibration notes: We calibrate each home theater that is reviewed. Our calibration is pretty standard. A professional calibrator will do a good deal more, although we cover the items that cause the greatest improvements.
3/14/10 - Art Feierman
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BenQ W1000 Color Temperature
We consider Cinema mode to be the best "out of the box" mode, and ultimately use Cinema as the reference for User 2, which became our calibrated "best mode"
Pre-calibration, the color temperature measurements came out like this:
Color Temp over IRE Range:
Cinema Standard
30 IRE 6431 6392
50 IRE 6451 6419
80 IRE 6279 6228
100 IRE 6344 6376
While the numbers across the range are exceptionally close, the W1000 (like the Vivitek) doesn't have the usual R,G,B controls for doing a grayscale balance to 6500K. Mike tried some work arounds, including the CMS (individual color tuning controls), but to no avail.
As a result, our final measurements are not as finely tuned as we had hoped, but I will say that the final output of the BenQ had just slightly better color, though the two often looked very similar.
I like the "best mode" color, and while not as good, the BenQ W1000 has a great looking "brightest mode".
Mike notes:
As there are no grayscale adjustments available, all that can be done to get the best grayscale is to select User 2 (default Cinema mode) and adjust Brightness and Contrast. Unlike the W600, turning Brilliant Color off does not help grayscale, causing a sharp rise in color temp.
When Mike looked at gamma, gamma was preset to 2.4. Gamma measured 2.38. That will make your first choice of gamma settings to be 2.2, which should be close to dead on.
BenQ W1000 Basic Settings
While the BenQ has some, but not all controls, there are some basic settings that can be adjusted as well. Below in the chart, are the default settings in () along with any recommended changes.
Settings for measurements (default values are in parenthesis):
|
Dynamic |
User 1 |
User 2 |
User 3 |
Contrast = |
(0) |
(-6) |
(-12) |
(0) -1 |
Brightness = |
(50) |
(52) |
(53) |
(50) 51 |
Color Temp = |
(Lamp Native) |
(Normal) |
(Normal) |
(Lamp Native) |
Gamma = |
(2.2) |
(2.4) 2.2 |
(2.6) 2.2 |
(2.2) |
NOTE: Only User modes allow for any adjustment. User 1 = Standard, User 2 = Cinema and User 3 = Dynamic, are the defaults. We show Dynamic above, with no changes, but user 3 is the same, except here we could make changes.
In other words, User 2 is based on Cinema, etc. Color and Tint are at 0 for all modes except Standard and User 1, which start at Color = 2. Contrast and Brightness were good at the default settings for User 1 and 2.
BenQ W1000 Post Calibration Grayscale: User mode
Post calibration, we ended up with the same color temperature as we started, due to the lack of the grayscale RGB controls. Still the picture looked pretty good! when watching the W1000.
Color Temp over IRE Range (User 2, Normal color temp, Gamma set to 2.4):
20 IRE 6412
30 IRE 6437
40 IRE 6422
50 IRE 6367
60 IRE 6379
70 IRE 6398
80 IRE 6245
90 IRE 6232
100 IRE 6345
Average gamma= 2.38
OK, those are the results of Mike's efforts - nice and tight, but definitely a little warm. In playing with the W1000, though, I found a control I think he missed. You can create a user color temp and when you do, you get another group of warm, cool, etc. But with more choices. So, instead of using Normal color temp, I found that creating a User color temp, and selecting the Warm setting, instead of Warmer, does cool the image down.
Mike hasn't seen the BenQ projector since, so it hasn't been remeasured, but I'd guess it added a couple hundred degrees. Whether the color temp is as consistent across the grayscale range, I don't know, Still, I like the picture much better this way. so it's part of my recommendation. And I also recommend you set the gamma at 2.2.
RGB Settings
None.
CMS settings
Cyan was too blue and Green was undersaturated (see CIE chart). Not much can be done about Green, but changing the Hue in the CMS from 10 to –70 for Cyan brought it where it should be.
Brightest Modes:
Our brightest mode measurement worked out to over 2100 lumens. That qualifies it as a light canon in your home, or a nice bright entry level brightness business projector.
Shockingly, (and I'm serious), the color in brightest mode, with Brilliant Color on, was surprisingly good for a brightest mode. OK, with the Brilliant Color On, it is a touch over the top if you are observing closely. The color isn't as accurate, and cooler, and there's a bit of green, but it really does look good. By comparison, neither the more expensive Mitsubishi HC3800 nor the Epson Home Cinema 8100, (both fairly bright projectors), has color as good as the W1000, and in fact, the Mitsubishi isn't even close.
Consider this side by side. This is Dynamic on the W1000 and High Brightness on the Mitsubishi. The BenQ is on the left. No comparison, the W1000 wins in terms of color when at the projectors' brightest.:
