BenQ HC1200 Projector Review - Performance

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Art Feierman

BenQ HC1200 Projector Review: PERFORMANCE - Brightness, Audible Noise, Networking

Brightness

The HC1200 is rated at 2800 lumens. Like other BenQ projectors we've reviewed, the HC1200 had no problems approaching that rating. In Dynamic mode (the brightest), we measured 2791 lumens at full wide zoom on a 70" diagonal image. At full narrow zoom the output dropped to 2411 lumens and at mid zoom (where all other measurements were taken) the output was 2681 lumens. Using Presentation mode, the output only dropped to 2596 lumens, which is still quite bright. sRGB mode and Cinema modes, which were nearly identical and provided the best overall color and contrast, each came in at 2256 lumens. While there's not a huge difference between the modes, it's likely that if a presenter needs more lumens than sRGB or Cinema, they will likely use Presentation mode, as it has less than a 100 lumen drop from Dynamic, while improving the color balance noticeably.

Dropping the lamp into Eco brightness mode resulted in a drop of slightly more than 23%, which still provided 2060 lumens in Dynamic mode. This makes using Eco mode a viable option in most presenting environments, allowing the presenter to save on power usage as well as extend lamp life. It should be noted here that all of the measurements were made with Brilliant Color turned on. Turning off Brilliant Color off (in User mode) results in a drop in output that's similar to Eco lamp mode, coming in at 2112 lumens in Dynamic reference mode. There’s really no logical reason to turn BC off, since the picture quality is better with it on.

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Audible Noise

The BenQ HC1200's noise level is about typical for its class. It's not particularly quiet, with a 38 dB rating in Normal lamp mode and a 33 dB rating in Eco mode. Subjectively, the noise level is not objectionable in Normal lamp mode and shouldn't pose a problem for a presenter that is speaking during the presentation, even without using a microphone.

Networking

The HC1200 offers full network control via either PJ-Link or Crestron’s RoomView network service. Connecting the HC1200 to a computer network via its RJ-45 jack and using software available as a free download from Crestron (www.crestron.com), allows the user or their IT manager network control of muitiple networked projectors. Once set up, RoomView allows for centralized PC monitoring of lamp life, email alerts, notifications, help requests, service reminders, projector failure or theft and event scheduling.