BENQ LU710 Business/Education Projector Review-Special Features

BENQ LU710 Business/Education Projector Review - Special Features: Laser Light Engine, Wireless Projection, Auto Keystone Correction, Network Control and Management

The LU710 is based on DLP (Digital Light Processing) imaging technology with laser/phosphor illumination. LU710 incorporates BenQ’s BlueCore™ laser engine which utilizes a dual color wheel system with additional yellow segment. In this type of system, some of the light from an array of blue lasers excites a yellow phosphor wheel, whose yellow light combines with the rest of the blue lasers’ light to produce white light. BenQ claims that the LU710 can reproduce 92% Rec.709 color coverage which is the standard for HD video. By dynamically modulating the laser power, BenQ claims the LU710 can deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1.

The laser module and phosphor wheel is sealed which results is a dust-resistant rating of IP5X. It is also rated to last up to 20,000 hours, so there’s no need to change lamps every few years. All in all, the LU710 is virtually maintenance-free. The LU710, like all BlueCore laser equipped projectors, also powers up in half the time of a lamp-based projector, reducing wait time.

There are four modes to adjust the brightness output of the laser light source:

• Normal - Full light source brightness
• Economic - Lowers laser brightness to extend the light source life and decreases the fan noise
• Dimming - Lowers laser brightness which extend light source life
• Custom – Manual adjust laser brightness by 1% increments between 20% to 100%

As I have mentioned in previous reviews, it is a common occurrence to be in a meeting room that has a video cable hanging from a ceiling mounted projector. Or a presenter having to move around a meeting room table because the video cable was not long enough the reach the presenter’s laptop? The BenQ LU710 is compatible with two optional wireless solutions offered by BenQ which can eliminate those types of issues and this scenario entirely.

Plug the optional Qcast Mirror Wi-Fi dongle ($59 SRP) into one of the projector’s HDMI inputs (with a separate connection to the USB port for power) and wirelessly cast the screen of almost any device to display from the projector without requiring any special apps or drivers. It supports resolutions up to 1920x1080 at 24 or 30 fps and 1280x720 at 60 fps. Qcast is compatible with both Android and iOS mobile devices along with Mac and Windows computers.

The LU710 is compatible with BenQ’s optional InstaShow (WDC10) which allows up to 16 presenters to connect from any compatible device. InstaShow makes it easy for presenters to wirelessly take turns delivering seamless presentations on the LU710. It is a plug and play device that requires no driver installation and is compatible with any OS or hardware platform.

Simply plug a small, one-button device into the HDMI output of a laptop (with a separate connection to USB for power) or install the InstaShow app on a smartphone or tablet. Switching between devices is completely seamless and you can even split the screen between two devices.
Since the system utilizes Wi-Fi 802.11ac which supports up to 400Mbps, it provides smooth wireless streaming of Full HD 1080p. Input latency lag is less than 100ms which enables natural, precise mouse movements and smooth execution of PowerPoint animations and transitions for professional-looking presentations.

While many projectors at this price point only offer vertical keystone correction, the LU710 is equipped with two-dimensional keystone correction with a range of ±30°. The 2D Keystone feature dramatically reduces the trapezoid effect, which occurs when a projector is installed off-center. The keystone correction is done automatically or can you adjust manually via the Display submenu. In addition, you can also use Corner Fit to adjust each corner independently to achieve your desired image geometry.

The LU710 is compatible with several projector control systems, including Crestron, AMX, and PJ-Link for network control via LAN. The LU710 also supports RS-232 for reliable long-distance installations up to 49'.