BenQ PE8700 LCD projector review

The BenQ PE8700 is a high end home theatre widescreen LCD projector. Using DLP technology the BenQ PE8700 has a native resolution of 1280 by 720. With a high contrast ratio and high price tag this LCD projector really only for those who need top of the line performance at any price.

BenQ PE8700 LCD projector
High end native widescreen goodness

You're looking at a price tag just under $500 for the BenQ PE8700 LCD projector. As always increased performance comes at massive price jumps and paying more is always results in a curve of diminishing returns.

The BenQ PE8700 LCD projector, great projector is you have the money

While a sub $5000 price tag wouldn't have raised an eyebrow a few years ago, these are the days of the sub $1000 LCD projector and high priced projectors are under pressure to perform.

The BenQ PE8700 LCD projector was designed with dedicated home theater in mind. The HD2 DLP chip generates a sparkling 2000:1 contrast ratio, and the 1000 ANSI lumen output is ample home theater. The light engine uses a 6-segment, 4x speed color wheel. The engine is sealed to prevent light leakage and dust contamination. This is not a very portable unit and it's very solid weighing 16.7 lbs.

The menus are very easy to navigate and the back lit remote is one of the best we've ever seen.

The BenQ PE8700 gives you a sharp, stable, high-contrast image that you'd expect from an LCD projector costing this much. Scaling and deinterlacing from the Silicon Image SI504 chipset are clean and typical for a projector in this price range.

The color reproduction in terms of accuracy was not the best we've seen but there was in no way any major problems in this area. On the BenQ PE8700 the cleanest possible image from DVD is achieved from a DVD player that up scales to 720p and outputs via DVI. Very, very nice.

Here are the specifications:

Projector Technology: DLP
Brightness (in Lumens): 1000
Contrast Ratio: 2000:1
Maximum Native Resolution: 1280 by 720 (widescreen 16:9
Estimated Lamp Lifespan: 2000 hours
Inputs: Composite, S-Video, Component, DVI and VGA
Replacement Bulb Cost $499.00

BenQ PE8700 LCD projector high end home theatre

This si clearly one of the best home theatre projectors money can buy. Even though the price is high at $5000 it has certainly dropped in price when compared to it's original street price of nearly $8000.

If you're looking for a long lasting reliable and capable LCD projector and price is not an issue you could do a lot worse than the BenQ PE8700.