Leading DLP projector maker BenQ has unveiled a new home cinema projector that’s equipped with what it claims is a “revolutionary’ new Cinema Mode powered by artificial intelligence.
BenQ explains that the W2720i’s Cinema Mode is “engineered to provided a seamless setup and superior picture quality” by combining features such as real-time ambient brightness adjustment and scene-specific enhancements to provide an experience that’s tailored to every user and room set up.
This sort of auto-adjustment talk can put AV purists’ teeth on edge, of course. But BenQ is at pains to point out that (as with, say, the Dolby Vision IQ mode some TVs support) adapting pictures, especially high dynamic range pictures, to changes in ambient room conditions can actually deliver a more consistently accurate experience in terms of how your eyes perceive images in varying light levels.
The BenQ W2720i is the brand’s first projector to use AI technology to automatically adapt its … [+]
This is only true, of course, if the adaptations are made with plenty of genuine intelligence and knowledge behind them. Which is where the W2720i’s AI comes in, ‘trained’ as it has been in this case using BenQ’s long experience of making cinema projectors for the home that are in many cases actually factory calibrated for accuracy before they leave the factory.
BenQ specifically states in its release information on the W2720i, in fact, that the use of adaptive AI for the Cinema Mode is meant to let you enjoy movies that look as their creators intended them to look without the user needing any of the extensive colour calibration knowledge that would usually be required for such accurate results.
If you really can’t bring yourself to trust AI to give you authentic images in any room conditions, though, then the W2720i also carries a Filmmaker Mode that’s designed to stick as closely to established picture standards as the projector’s abilities allow. There are no adaptive elements to this setting, though, so it’s only recommended for use in a pretty well blacked out room.
A hidden bay inside the W2720i hides an Android TV smart dongle.
The focus on ‘as the director intended’ images carries over, too, into the W2720i’s CinematicColor technology and resulting out-of-the-box color accuracy. As with other relatively ‘serious’ BenQ projectors, each W2720i carries in its box a full report showing the results of a calibration done before shipping by BenQ’s THX and ISF trained and certified team showing D65 color temperature and delta E errors of less than three (meaning the errors are not visible to the human eye) for color accuracy. The projector is also claimed to cover 90% of the DCI-P3 digital cinema gamut standard that’s predominantly used in the mastering of HDR content.
Talking of HDR, as well as the ‘core’ HDR10 and HLG formats the W2720i supports the premium HDR10+ system, which adds extra scene by scene picture information to help compatible devices deliver more accurate results. Plus the new projector benefits from BenQ’s HDR-PRO technology, which uses multi-stage light control technologies including a global contrast enhancer, local contrast enhancer and Dynamic Black automatic light adjustment to deliver punchier, more dynamic HDR pictures.
The AI Cinema Mode is far from the W2720i’s only convenience feature. It also carries an on-board Android TV smart system with Chromecast built in, Google Voice Search, Google Assistant voice control and 4K streaming support from the likes of Disney+ and Netflix. It doesn’t need a huge space to operate in, either, with a handy built-in 1.3x zoom helping it to deliver a 120-inch image from just 2.7m.
Vertical optical image shifting, Auto Screen Fit technology that automatically makes the image the right size and shape for your screen and an eight point manual corner-fit adjustment are all provided, too, ensuring you get perfectly proportioned and placed images with the minimum of effort.
Top down view of the new AI-powered BenQ W2720i 4K HDR projector
The W2720i’s DLP optics are illuminated to the tune of a maximum light output of 2,500 lumens by a solid state LED light source, which should be good for at least 30,000 hours of use (that’s 15,000 two-hour movies, maths fans).
Connections, finally, include an impressive three HDMI ports, one of which is capable of handling 120Hz gaming feeds with as little as 17.9ms of lag, and another of which supports the HDMI eARC system for passing audio signals through the projector to a soundbar or AVR. Elsewhere are an optical digital audio output, a 3.5mm audio out, a USB media reader port, a 2.5A USB power out, and even a couple of system integration ports in the shape of an RS-232 socket and a 12V trigger.
The BenQ W2720i will be available soon in the U.K. for £1,999 and in the EU for €1,999. It hasn’t formally been announced for the U.S. yet, but when it is it we can probably expect it to follow the pricing in other territories by going for $1,999.
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