Unboxing the W1700M for the first time was a feeling of déjà vu because of its uncanny resemblance with BenQ’s last year’s model – W1700. There’s little to differentiate between both the models on the outside but few tweaks internally and we have the W1700M, which is what we’re taking a look at, this month.
The W1700M has the same design as the W1700, which is compact and weighs 4.2kg. The W1700M comes in BenQ’s signature matte-white finish with vents on the front and right-hand side for heat dissipation, focus and zoom ring along with physical keys at the top and connectivity options like two HDMI ports, D-sub, RS-232, USB Type-A and mini USB, and audio in/out ports at the back. However, the regular Type-A USB port does not support any playback of multimedia content. BenQ also bundles a backlit remote control that comes in handy if you mount the projector. The projector also comes with adjustable legs for tabletop setups.
W1700M features a 0.47-inch single-DMD DLP chip that allows the projector to output content to up to 4K UHD resolution (3840×2160) and a contrast ratio of 10000:1. The projector also features CinemaMaster Video+ that helps with the overall picture quality and other features like pixel enhancer. W1700M sports a single 5W speaker that delivers crisp and non-distorted audio, making it good enough for a small room.
Lamp is one component where W1700M differs from the W1700. BenQ has lowered the brightness to 2000 ANSI lumens from 2200 ANSI lumens but massively gains in terms of lamp life that goes up to 15000 hours with LampSave mode.
The W1700M now has full 100% Rec. 709 colour coverage and supports two HDR standards – HDR10 and HLG. Our experience with the W1700M has been positive. The projector handles 4K HDR content well with a good balance of colours and contrast. It also supports 3D content but requires an additional purchase of 3D glasses from BenQ. Auto keystone automatically adjusts the content according to the projection angle surface but W1700M also gives an option to tweak it manually.
The W1700M is targeted at home cinema users and if you’re an existing W1700 user, there’s not much going for you to upgrade. However, if you’re in the market looking for a good performing projector with a space-saving design, the ₹2,10,000 W1700M needs a serious consideration.
RATING 4/5
WE’RE IMPRESSED Design, performance, lamp life
WE’D IMPROVE N/A
THE LAST WORD W1700M is a compact projector with 4K and dual HDR standard support with longer lamp life