BenQ PB2120

The PB2120 is one of only two projectors this month to have a native resolution of 800 x 600; the others boast 1,024 x 768. But this doesn't automatically mean lower quality, as HP proves with its sb21.

Unfortunately, BenQ can't make the same claim, as the PB2120 struggled in our DisplayMate tests. There was a halo effect, which showed up as rings around bright objects, and it had difficulty locking onto the VGA signal - even after manual adjustment. What's more, there was notable flickering.

Colour purity was good, but the combinations test showed up problems with complementary colours. Similarly, banding was visible in the colour ramp and it peaked too early, which was also a problem with the colour scales, where four colours prematurely reached top intensity. Real-world testing showed up heavy grain in the DVD, but no problems elsewhere. Brightness, however, was a highlight, as the BenQ came close to its stated 1,200 ANSI lumens rating, with our measurements showing 1,168 lumens.

The intensity problems noted in DisplayMate are the result of poor contrast. It was impossible to set brightness and contrast levels correctly - either the dark greys were lost against black, or light greys against white. We decided to prioritise the brightness, which caused the contrast at the top end to fall.

The OSD is minimal to say the least, sporting just five tabs, each of which has an unintuitive icon. Also, once into each tab's options, movement is limited to downwards, which lengthens the setup process.

Physically, the BenQ is quite large for a DLP projector and is also heavy at 1.7kg. It's noisy, too, and exhausts hot air out of the back. It's not overly expensive to run, at 14p per hour of bulb use, but without an economy mode it won't get any cheaper. We also noted that the image is smaller at a given distance than the others, and the relatively small 1.2x optical zoom means other projectors are preferable if you need a large image in a shallow room.

Controls on the device itself are limited to power, source select, auto setup and menu access, with the latter direction pad doubling up as direct access to keystone correction. The remote is better featured than the Acer's, as although credit card-sized and flimsy, it has direct access to Picture-in-Picture over either composite or S-Video as well as volume control for the speaker.

If you need a portable projector, there are smaller and lighter ones available. And where money is tight, only consider the BenQ if quality isn't a priority.