BenQ has been making a name for itself through its line of value packed projectors and the new MP776 is no exception. It’s a sleek, relatively compact unit that can handle resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 although XGA (1024×768) is its native resolution. It’s a short-throw projector so you don’t have to place it far back – I Managed to get 42” diagonal image with the projector just 5 feet from the screen, big enough for small rooms, while auto-keystoning keeps the image straight.
3500 lumens output is good for a bright, colorful image even in brightly lit rooms. BrilliantColor technology boosts colors for more vibrant images while the Cinema mode has deeper contrast for better movie viewing. You can also adjust the output to compensate for your wall color if you don’t have a proper screen on hand. BenQ aims the MP776 at the education market and included Crestron Roomview software which can control multiple projectors in different rooms over a network. Usage monitoring, access control, scheduling and notice board display can be set by connecting the projector to a LAN through its Ethernet port.
There’s one cool party trick to this projector which will make educators (and gamers) pretty excited – 3D projection. Imagine doing an anatomy lesson by flying through a 3D view of the human body or blasting baddies in a 3D first person shooter… The MP776’s DLP chip has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz for flicker-free 3D viewing (60Hz for each eye) and also supports the DLP Link protocol to properly synchronize shutter glasses with the projector without needing a separate emitter. We paired it with an NVidia Quadro FX-equippd PC and Xpand active shutter glasses. It took a bit of tweaking but we finally managed to get smooth, mind-bogglingly realistic 3D with depth that seemed to reach into the screen. The projector put out a lot of heat and the fan was quite loud during all this though.
The Quadro combo supports 3D movies and professional CAD and visualization applications but we couldn’t get the Avatar. Gamers might want to look at adding an NVidia 3D Vision kit with active glasses. You could also use the dreaded cyan-red glasses for anaglyph 3D although it’s not as clear or realistic as the other options. Whichever projection you choose, 3D or 2D, the BenQ MP776 is a very capable and solid performer.
Pros : Bright, vibrant images, Smooth, flicker free 3D
Cons : Runs hot even with a noisy fan
BenQ MP776 Specifications :
Brightness : 3500 ANSI Lumens
Contrast Ratio : 2600 : 1
Input : 2 x VGA, HDMI, S-Video, Composite
Weight : 3.5kg
Popularity: 13% [?]
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