BenQ PB7200…Affordable DLP Action

It is companies like BenQ that are driving the competition in the projector market and making it more affordable for everyone to see what a good projector can offer. Plasma and LCD televisions are still burning up home entertainment, but for thousands of dollars less, and the relief of not having to lug a heavy-awkward object around the house, why not buy the BenQ PB7200?

The PB7200 came out in the middle of 2003 for a modest price of $2200 US, but now is retailing for less than $1800 US. Not only is it very cheap, but many authorized dealers are selling them with high quality incentives like DVD players and spare projector lamps.

Apparently, BenQ has been making some terrible choices and is showing lower profits than last year, but once people get wind of the quality projectors they are producing, it will hopefully turn around. The PB7200 is a good example providing great contrast coupled with great lumens and a few extra features thrown in for good measure.

The PB7200 is a DLP projector that comes equipped with 2200 ANSI lumens. This tells us that we are getting a high quality image, since the DLP technology is considered to be the superior variety, and an incredibly bright picture for a knockout price.

It is after all, the brightness of the projector that usually dictates the price of the machine. The PB7200 goes against the grain and gives a bright image, allowing for a large screen and no compromises when it comes to your viewing environment. Using an ultra high intensity 250W UHP projector lamp, the PB7200 is able to offer this ultimately bright picture. The projector lamp itself can last up to 2000 hours, but by switching to eco-mode, you may add an additional 1000 hours.

A funny little tidbit about the PB7200 is the fact that every time you turn on your projector, you must re-select the economy mode feature. It is as if all the settings reset themselves when it gets turned off. If you ever forget to change the setting when you turn on your projector, which can become a habit, you may end up never using it anyway.

Aside from this, the projector doesn’t really have any other downsides. Well, there is no lens shift feature, and without this, you may have to take some time fidgeting with the adjustments to get your picture centered correctly. The PB7200 shoots the image unusually high, making adjustments a little bit difficult.

The contrast ratio is rated at 2000:1 allowing for excellent black levels and color saturation. It is hard to find a projector at this price that can compete with the quality in contrast that this machine provides. Resolution is just superb even though it is only 1024x768p combined with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The PB7200 also carries in its arsenal, a picture-in-picture feature, and crazy-low noise levels. At 34bd, it is hard to imagine that you are getting 2200 ANSI lumens of bursting power. Inputs are all there except for DVI, and a three year warranty wraps this baby up. Go out and get one.