Successor to the BenQ W5700, hailed by the trade press when it was released in spring 2019, the BenQ W5800 4K projector is positioned as the Taiwanese manufacturer’s new flagship. As a direct competitor to the Sony VPL-XW5000 and Epson EH-LS12000B, it aims to steal the show and win the hearts of home theater enthusiasts.
Priced at €4,990, can this new-generation BenQ projector hold its own against its glorious rivals?
Ideal for home theater, the BenQ W5800 features a laser lamp that lasts up to 25,000 hours. With a maximum brightness of 2,600 lumens, it also displays rich, intense colors with remarkable fidelity thanks to its factory calibration. Its motorized lens, made up of multiple high-quality glass elements, offers a 1.6x zoom as well as horizontal and vertical lens shift. This BenQ W5800 projector can be installed at a distance of between 2m and 16m from the screen, to project an image from 1.50m to 7.6m across.
Included accessories
The BenQ W5800 projector comes with an attractive backlit remote control (batteries included), an HDMI cable and a power cord. The manufacturer also includes the projector’s factory calibration report, user manual and warranty booklet. Everything comes in an imposing cardboard box, between two pieces of protective polystyrene.
Presentation
4K DLP, 2,600-lumen laser, factory calibrated
The BenQ W5800 features a 0.47-inch DLP/DMD chip capable of displaying all the details of UHD images from a 4K UHD Blu-ray player or online video services such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
The light source for this projector is a laser lamp combined with a phosphor wheel. Its high luminosity (max. 2,600 Lumens/1,700 Lumens in HDR DCI-P3 mode) enables it to cover a very wide range of colors. The entirety of the Rec.709 color space (HD standard) and 100% of the DCI P3 gamut (digital cinema) are covered.
What’s more, each projector is precisely calibrated at the factory, guaranteeing extreme color fidelity right out of the box.
All-glass lens
The BenQ W5800 4K UHD projector features a very high-resolution optical system made up of 14 elements structured into 7 groups. Entirely made of glass, these lenses adopt an exclusive low-dispersion coating that minimizes chromatic aberrations, to preserve the clarity and colorimetric richness of projected 4K UHD content. This optical system ensures an optimum level of detail and guarantees intense colors, high brightness and extreme precision across the entire surface of the projection screen.
HDR-PRO, Local Contrast Enhancer, HDR10+
HLG, HDR10 and HDR10+ compatible, the BenQ W5800 optimizes image display with extended dynamic range, revealing more nuance and detail in both dark and light areas of the image.
In addition, this projector incorporates proprietary HDR-Pro tone mapping technology, which precisely matches the brightness values of source images to the projector’s capabilities. This guarantees optimum legibility and detail in both high and low light.
Finally, Local Contrast Enhancer image processing analyzes the darkest and brightest parts of the image in real time, before adjusting gamma separately. This gives greater detail and depth to the image.
Motorized 1.6x zoom and lens shift
The BenQ W5800 adopts a 1.6x zoom to project an image measuring between 1.52 and 7.62 meters at distances of between 2 and 16 meters from the screen. Its horizontal and vertical lens shift allows the image to be moved when the projector cannot be perfectly centered opposite the screen.
Zoom and lens shift settings, as well as focus, are motorized for easy adjustment, remote control in hand.
Finally, a vertical and horizontal keystone correction (± 35 degrees) with adjustment at the four corners of the image enables the geometry of the projected image to be fine-tuned.
HDMI 60Hz 4K and ARC/eARC
The BenQ W5800 has two 60Hz 4K compatible HDMI 2.0 (HDCP 2.2) inputs, one of which is ARC and eARC compatible. Its two USB multimedia inputs enable video files to be played back from a USB stick or external hard drive, as well as powering a Chromecast Ultra, for example. The BenQ W5800 also features an optical SPDIF audio output for connection to a soundbar or compact home theater system without an HDMI ARC/eARC port.
Key specifications
- Ultra HD 4K DLP
- Laser lamp (25,000 hours in Eco. mode)
- Brightness: 2,600 lumens
- HDR10 / HLG / HDR10+
- Motorized zoom, focus and lens-shift
- 2x HDMI 2.0 (60Hz 4K max.)
- Factory-calibrated
Installing the BenQ W5800
We tested the BenQ W5800 projector in the home theater area of Son-Vidéo.com’s Nantes store, projecting onto a Lumene Capitol HD 170C screen. The projector was connected to a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player using an Audioquest Forest 48 HDMI cable for Blu-ray and Blu-ray UHD 4K movie playback.
Once the projector was placed on a shelf some 3.5m from the screen, it only took a few moments to adjust the image. Pressing the Lens button on the remote control allowed us to access lens shift, zoom and focus settings, all of which are motorized. A grid was then displayed, allowing the image edges to coincide precisely with those of the screen. It took just a few minutes to do, with no inconvenience other than a certain latency between pressing a button on the remote control and the projector’s response. This may seem anecdotal, but it can be annoying when you want to adjust the focus precisely.
Right out of the box, the BenQ W5800 offers superb image quality, especially with the factory-calibrated Cinema modes for perfect color accuracy. Those who wish to customize the display will appreciate the extremely rich settings menus, including two ISF modes (day/night) for memorizing the settings made by a calibration professional, if not you.
You can also use the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark 4K Blu-ray calibration disc to fine-tune the settings yourself.
In this test, we simply reduced the power of the laser lamp by switching it to Eco (light source mode) to obtain a slightly deeper black. We kept the other settings of the Cinema and Bright Cinema modes. Note that in eco mode, the BenQ W5800 is particularly quiet, and you quickly forget about it during projection.
Our impressions
Design
Inspired by the aesthetics of the BenQ W5700, with a lens centered between two front ventilation grilles, the BenQ W5800 is elegant with its smooth lines. Slightly wider and deeper, its chassis is a few centimeters lower, but weighs four kilos more (10.5kg). This is due to the new lens, with more elements and a motorized zoom, lens shift and focus. The dimensions and weight of the BenQ should therefore be taken into account before choosing a ceiling mount or elevator for this projector.
The BenQ ventilation system is optimized to cool the device with a minimum of noise. The W5800 features multiple large fans. They take in air through the three ventilation grilles (two at the front, one at the rear) and discharge it to the sides. In this test, we found them to be particularly quiet.
Ventilation slideshow
Picture quality
To compete with the Epson EH-LS12000 and Sony VPL-XW5000, the market leaders in this price range, BenQ has hit hard. The dynamics and color intensity of the image projected by the BenQ W5800 won us over immediately! With the 4K HDR Blu-ray discs of Ford v Ferrari, Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick, we enjoyed a superb picture, with a very broad chromatic palette and incredible radiance. The vitality and realism of the image were a real treat for the eyes.
The dynamic range and luminous intensity offered by the laser lamp gave the image great depth. And even though highlights sometimes lacked a little nuance in some very bright scenes (clipping), the BenQ W5800 delivered convincing HDR picture. The image had a very appealing cinematographic look.
In terms of image definition and sharpness, the strong point of DLP technology projectors, the BenQ W5800 performed very well. There was plenty of detail on screen, from faces to vehicles (Ford v Ferrari) and cockpit interiors (Top Gun: Maverick).
By default, image smoothness is satisfactory, but to eliminate any risk of judder, particularly on tracking shots, we recommend activating the Motion Enhancer 4K function (Advanced Color Settings / CinemaMaster menu). The lowest level of this option is sufficient to smooth the image without generating a camcorder effect.
As for the rainbow effects to which a minority of people may be sensitive, these are fairly limited and not very pronounced, occurring mainly in a few very fast-paced action scenes.
The BenQ W5800 easily holds its own against its direct rivals, and even outperforms them in some areas! In particular, its image has greater impact thanks to excellent dynamics and more nuance and intensity in colors. On the other hand, we found the black to be slightly lacking, especially compared to Sony.
Multimedia playback
The BenQ W5800 is a purely home theater projector, and therefore omits connected features such as streaming services. To enjoy Netflix, YouTube and more, you’ll need to connect a Google Chromecast Ultra with Google TV or an Apple TV.
However, this projector has two USB multimedia ports that can be used to play content stored on a USB stick or external hard drive. In our test, the W5800 had no trouble playing video files on our 1TB hard disk. However, DTS audio tracks were not supported, and we were unable to take advantage of the audio return channel (eARC), although it was functional with content played back over HDMI.
BenQ W5800 compared with BenQ W5700
Multi-awarded by the trade press, the BenQ W5700 won us over with its vivid, natural colors, dynamic contrast, HDR rendering and image sharpness. Five years later, its successor steals the show by raising the bar even higher. Not only does it gain a higher-quality, fully motorized lens, it also offers an even more precise, detailed and, above all, dynamic image. All these improvements are reflected in the price, which has almost doubled compared to the launch price of the W5700, but the performance is still there!
BenQ W5800 compared with Epson EH-LS12000B
Barely less expensive than the BenQ, the Epson EH-LS12000B offers greater installation flexibility: its zoom is more powerful (2.1x) and its Lens Shift has more amplitude. The LS12000B is also suitable for video games thanks to its low input lag (just 20 ms), while the BenQ should be considered as a pure home theater projector.
In practice, despite slightly lower brightness, the image projected by the BenQ is more dynamic and impactful, although it offers less depth in the blacks. The BenQ’s color vibrancy and image sharpness are also better, with a much more vibrant on-screen image. Finally, the BenQ offers Filmmaker mode and 3D support.
BenQ W5800 compared with Sony VPL-XW5000
Launched at €5,990, the Sony VPL-XW5000 is now available at the same price as the BenQ. Thanks to its latest-generation SXRD matrix and the integration of cutting-edge video processing, the Sony offers cinematic image quality that combines smoothness and precision, with excellent HDR management. It also proves very efficient for gaming, with a latency of 21 ms in 4K 60 FPS and 13 ms in HD 1080p at 120 FPS, whereas the W5800 is not suitable for video games.
However, the BenQ comes out on top thanks to its all-glass lens with motorized settings, compared to the manual settings on the Sony. The W5800 also benefits from the acuity of its DLP chip to offer even greater precision and sharpness, with finely chiseled, richly detailed images. In addition, this BenQ projector supports 3D and offers HDMI eARC and optical connectors.
Finally, although the Sony’s image shows great colorimetric accuracy and offers deeper blacks, the BenQ takes the lead in terms of overall dynamic range and visual impact.
Who is the BenQ W5800 designed for?
The BenQ W5800 is ideal for home theaters with screens of 2 meters or more. It is an excellent alternative to Epson and Sony projectors in this price range, with a number of compelling assets, such as a motorized lens, excellent sharpness, colorimetric accuracy and exceptional dynamic range.
Conclusion
With the BenQ W5800, the Taiwanese manufacturer has produced a real showstopper, making a remarkable entry into the world of premium home theater projectors. Equipped with a laser lamp and high-quality motorized lens, this flagship is a superb update of its predecessor, the BenQ W5700. In addition to intense brightness and exceptional color accuracy, the BenQ W5800 now boasts a motorized zoom, lens shift and focus settings for easy installation.
Its DLP 4K chip produces highly detailed images, which are also factory-calibrated for extremely accurate, realistic color. Whether you want to enjoy your Blu-ray collection or programs from your favorite streaming services, the BenQ W5800 guarantees images with accurate colors and vivid dynamics.
We liked
- The motorized lens
- The dynamic image
- The accurate, vivid colors
- The sharpness and level of detail
- The silent operation
We would have liked
- A deeper black
- A more responsive menu
