BenQ MP724 review

If you want the best you're going to have to pay for it, and no projector highlights that fact as well as BenQ's MP724.

With a 280W lamp - far brighter than anything else here - it projects its image at an impressive 3,500-lumen brightness, giving brilliant whites and tremendous performance in even the worst lighting environments.

In our tests, it produced perfectly sharp lines and even focus across the 1,024 x 768 image, and its rated 2,800:1 contrast ratio made for some deep blacks and plenty of detail in light and dark areas throughout our images and video clips.

The rear of the MP724 is well-equipped too, with HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs, along with serial and USB control ports for added flexibility. The bundled remote is responsive and includes a laser pointer for presentations, and the only major omission in the slightly awkward menu system is auto-keystone correction.

But the BenQ's top image quality is let down somewhat by a few key weaknesses. The 52in image is small at 2m, and the 1.85m minimum recommended projection distance isn't exactly ideal for cramped rooms. It's also noisier than most, and the speakers are reasonable but not outstanding.

And then there's the price. It isn't so much the £696 exc VAT purchase cost that hurts - the brightness and quality justify that - but the ongoing pain to your bank balance. At that brightness the lamp lasts just 2,000 hours and will set you back £259 per replacement, so unless you're a light user the BenQ will most likely cost you more than a grand over its lifetime. The superb brightness will tempt many, but consider your likely usage before buying.

Author: David Bayon