BenQ W1200 Projector – Warranty Posted on June 3, 2011 By Art Feierman 1. BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projector Review - BenQ W1200 Projector Highlights - BenQ W1200 Projector Overview2. BenQ W1200 Projector Special Features - BenQ W1200 as a Gaming Projector - BenQ W1200 Picture In Picture - W1200 Lamp Life - 1.5:1 Zoom Lens - W1200 Projector - Audio - W1200 Creative Frame Interpolation - CFI - smooth motion3. BenQ W1200 Projector – Physical Tour - BenQ W1200 Projector - Appearance - W1200 Control Panel - W1200 Projector - Input/Output - W1200 Menu Slide Show - BenQ W1200 Remote Control4. BenQ W1200 Projector – Physical Tour-2 - BenQ W1200 Lens Throw - Lens Shift5. BenQ W1200 Projector – Physical Tour-3 - Anamorphic Lens - Cinemascope6. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality - BenQ W1200 Out of the Box Picture Quality - BenQ W1200 Projector - Flesh Tones7. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-2 - BenQ W1200 Black Levels & Shadow Detail - W1200 Black Level Performance8. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-3 - Space Pictures Comparision9. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-4 - Shadow Detail Performance - Images Comparision:10. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-5 - Comparision: - Black Level and Shadow Detail Performance: W1200 Projector - Bottom Line - BenQ W1200 Projector: Bottom Line on HDTV Sports11. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-6 - BenQ W1200 Projector: Bottom Line on HDTV Sports12. BenQ W1200 Projector – Performance - BenQ W1200 Brightness - Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom) - Lumen Output (Eco-mode, Dynamic): 764 - Effect of zoom on lumen output (Brightest mode) - Color Temp over IRE Range (Various Modes) - Calibrated Color Temp over IRE Range - Brilliant Color off / color on: Comparision13. BenQ W1200 Projector – Performance-2 - BenQ W1200 Sharpness - BenQ W1200: Bottom Line Sharpness14. BenQ W1200 Projector – Performance-3 - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise15. BenQ W1200 Projector Calibration and Settings - BenQ W1200 Color Temperature - Color Temp over IRE Range (Various Modes) - W1200 Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom) - BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projectors Basic Settings - Settings for measurements (default values are in parenthesis)16. BenQ W1200 Projector Calibration and Settings-2 - BenQ W1200 Post Calibration Grayscale: Standard Mode - RGB Settings - Calibration settings for User 317. BenQ W1200 – Projector Screens - BenQ W1200 Projector Screen Recommendations18. BenQ W1200 – Competitors - BenQ W1200 vs. Epson Home Cinema 8350 - BenQ W1200 vs. Mitsubishi HC4000 - W1200 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z70019. BenQ W1200 – Competitors-2 - BenQ W1200 vs. BenQ W6000 - BenQ W1200 vs. Vivitek H1080 - Favoring the Vivitek H1080 FD Projector - Favoring the BenQ W1200 Projector - Optoma HD20 vs. BenQ W120020. BenQ W1200 – Competitors-3 - Viewsonic Pro8200 vs. BenQ W1200 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 and Epson Home Cinema 8700UB compared to the BenQ W120021. BenQ W1200 Projector – Warranty22. BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projector – Review Summary - BenQ W1200 Projector - The Bottom Line23. BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projector – Review Summary-2 - The Very Bottom Line on the W1200 Home Theater Projector - BenQ W1200 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - BenQ W1200 Projector: Pros - BenQ W1200 Projector: Cons - BenQ W1200 Projector: Typical Capabilities24. BenQ W1200 Projector Specifications The BenQ W1200 is a moderately low cost 1080p projector. As such, one doesn’t expect the best or longest warranty in the business, and as it turns out, the BenQ warranty tends to match expectations. Most under $1000 projectors tend to come with a single year warranty. A few offer two years. Of the home theater projectors in the $1000 to $2000 street price range, where this BenQ W1200 projector is, most projectors offer more than one year. This BenQ W1200, though, offers only a basic , limited, one year warranty, which is not surprising as that’s the same as their more expensive W6000. Of note, they do provide a 500 hour or 6 month warranty on the lamp. The 500 hour is pretty standard, but many manufacturers still only provide a 90 day on the lamp. We’re not a big fan of one year warranties. Projector repairs can be rather expensive, so we like to see at least two years. Though I’m not a fan of 3rd party warranties (although a bit happier with optional manufacturer extended warranties), if you are buying a projector with a one year warranty, I have to recommend getting a low cost second year warranty. A major failure , say, after 13 or 16 months, is going to ruin your day, and may even turn a projector into a doorstop, due to the cost of repair. With two years, at least, projectors (failing after 2 years) should have newer replacements that are improved and with a lower price as well. Your lamp also by then, probably has enough hours on it , that a new projector might make a lot of sense. The BenQ has no filters to change. Taking a quick look at the competition: Low cost home theater projectors competing against the BenQ W1200 overall, include BenQ’s own W1000+ (1 year warranty), the Optoma HD20 (1 year warranty), Vivitek H1080 (also 1 year warranty), but there’s also the Mitsubishi HC4000 with a 2 year parts and labor warranty! In the slightly more expensive group: Epson Home Cinema 8350 (two year warranty, with replacement program), Mitsubishi HC4000 (two year warranty), which sells for about the same price or less. Epson’s less expensive Home Cinema 8350 offers two years and includes a replacement program for both years. The longest warranty of a lower cost projector goes to the Viewsonic Pro8200, which for a similar price offers a three year warranty. Bottom line – BenQ is offering the minimum. No brownie points for warranty duration! One bright note, however, BenQ support, over the years has been very good. I’m speaking now, as a former owner of three different BenQ home theater projectors (though none recent). And more importantly, BenQ has done extremely well by their customers, when encountering a serious problem that managed to get through to production projectors four-five years ago. Back then, they launched a projector that, as it turned out, blew out almost everyone’s lamp in the 300 to 1000 hour range. It took them a few months to recognize the problem (how many people watch more than 50 or 100 hours a month)? Ultimately, though, they replaced every lamp, and upgraded every projector, solving the problem. It took almost a year from the time the projector first shipped, and 6 months from the time the problem was first determined. After BenQ started replacing/upgrading the original projectors (PE7700), about the only complaining I could find on the forums was from people who’s lamps still hadn’t blown, complaining that BenQ was replacing projectors first for those folks whose lamps had already blown (no projector to watch). Now when you have to replace essentially every projector shipped over about a year(of that model), you can’t do them all the same week. As I said BenQ took care of their PE7700 users. I thought they handled a difficult situation, about as well as possible. There are few affordable brands with excellent reputations for post sales support. I have to consider BenQ one of those. Still a 2 year warranty would have been better 1. BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projector Review - BenQ W1200 Projector Highlights - BenQ W1200 Projector Overview2. BenQ W1200 Projector Special Features - BenQ W1200 as a Gaming Projector - BenQ W1200 Picture In Picture - W1200 Lamp Life - 1.5:1 Zoom Lens - W1200 Projector - Audio - W1200 Creative Frame Interpolation - CFI - smooth motion3. BenQ W1200 Projector – Physical Tour - BenQ W1200 Projector - Appearance - W1200 Control Panel - W1200 Projector - Input/Output - W1200 Menu Slide Show - BenQ W1200 Remote Control4. BenQ W1200 Projector – Physical Tour-2 - BenQ W1200 Lens Throw - Lens Shift5. BenQ W1200 Projector – Physical Tour-3 - Anamorphic Lens - Cinemascope6. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality - BenQ W1200 Out of the Box Picture Quality - BenQ W1200 Projector - Flesh Tones7. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-2 - BenQ W1200 Black Levels & Shadow Detail - W1200 Black Level Performance8. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-3 - Space Pictures Comparision9. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-4 - Shadow Detail Performance - Images Comparision:10. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-5 - Comparision: - Black Level and Shadow Detail Performance: W1200 Projector - Bottom Line - BenQ W1200 Projector: Bottom Line on HDTV Sports11. BenQ W1200 Projector – Image Quality-6 - BenQ W1200 Projector: Bottom Line on HDTV Sports12. BenQ W1200 Projector – Performance - BenQ W1200 Brightness - Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom) - Lumen Output (Eco-mode, Dynamic): 764 - Effect of zoom on lumen output (Brightest mode) - Color Temp over IRE Range (Various Modes) - Calibrated Color Temp over IRE Range - Brilliant Color off / color on: Comparision13. BenQ W1200 Projector – Performance-2 - BenQ W1200 Sharpness - BenQ W1200: Bottom Line Sharpness14. BenQ W1200 Projector – Performance-3 - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise15. BenQ W1200 Projector Calibration and Settings - BenQ W1200 Color Temperature - Color Temp over IRE Range (Various Modes) - W1200 Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom) - BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projectors Basic Settings - Settings for measurements (default values are in parenthesis)16. BenQ W1200 Projector Calibration and Settings-2 - BenQ W1200 Post Calibration Grayscale: Standard Mode - RGB Settings - Calibration settings for User 317. BenQ W1200 – Projector Screens - BenQ W1200 Projector Screen Recommendations18. BenQ W1200 – Competitors - BenQ W1200 vs. Epson Home Cinema 8350 - BenQ W1200 vs. Mitsubishi HC4000 - W1200 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z70019. BenQ W1200 – Competitors-2 - BenQ W1200 vs. BenQ W6000 - BenQ W1200 vs. Vivitek H1080 - Favoring the Vivitek H1080 FD Projector - Favoring the BenQ W1200 Projector - Optoma HD20 vs. BenQ W120020. BenQ W1200 – Competitors-3 - Viewsonic Pro8200 vs. BenQ W1200 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 and Epson Home Cinema 8700UB compared to the BenQ W120021. BenQ W1200 Projector – Warranty22. BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projector – Review Summary - BenQ W1200 Projector - The Bottom Line23. BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projector – Review Summary-2 - The Very Bottom Line on the W1200 Home Theater Projector - BenQ W1200 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - BenQ W1200 Projector: Pros - BenQ W1200 Projector: Cons - BenQ W1200 Projector: Typical Capabilities24. BenQ W1200 Projector Specifications BenQ W1200 – Competitors-3 BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projector – Review Summary