BenQ GP10 review
Has good image quality and range of connection ports, but limited 3D capability
If you’d rather not plug anything into the GP10, the projector has 2GB of onboard storage for your files. Only around 1.5GB is available to the user, but once transferred we could open our files with ease. Files took a little while to load, but were typically ready to go within five seconds. The projector supports a good range of files, too, including PDF, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, DOC, DOCX office files, JPG and BMP image files, AVI, MKV, DVIX, MPEG video files and MP3, OGG, WAV and AAC audio files.
You can connect a Wi-Fi dongle to the GP10 if you want to project wirelessly from your PC or iOS device, and connecting our laptop was simple. You’ll need to download BenQ’s EZ Qpresenter program and follow the onscreen projector instructions, but once you’ve connected your PC to the projector’s Wi-Fi network and opened Qpresenter, you can choose to mirror or extend your desktop onto your projection surface.
To connect the GP10 to an iOS device, you must download the GP10 QPresenter app. You can then project PDF files, photos, Microsoft Office documents and Apple Pages, Numbers and Keynote files wirelessly and effortlessly.
The GP10’s only minor disappointment is its limited 3D capabilities. The GP10 is 3D-ready, but there’s a catch: it’s only compatible with 3D footage output from your PC. This means it’ll project games that use Nvidia’s 3D Vision technology, for example, but it won’t project 3D Blu-ray videos from a consumer Blu-Ray player or a games console such as the PS3. The GP10 doesn’t come with any 3D glasses, so you’ll have to buy them separately. All that said, it’s unlikely to bother most people buying a budget projector.
The BenQ GP10 has its limitations, but 3D issues aside it’s still a good home cinema projector. There’s plenty of scope for connecting multiple devices and the GP10’s picture quality is good considering its price. It wins a Budget Buy award.
Details | |
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Price | £388 |
Details | www.benq.co.uk |
Rating | **** |
Award | Budget Buy |
Specifications | |
Projector technology | DLP |
Lamp brightness | 500 ANSI lumens |
Lamp life | 20,000 |
Lamp life in economy mode | 30,000 |
Contrast ratio | 10,000:1 |
Picture | |
Native resolution | 1,280×800 |
Max compressed resolution | 1,600×1,200 |
Aspect ratio | 16:10 |
Other aspect ratios | 16:9, 4:3 |
Max diagonal at 7ft | 82in |
Throw ratio | 1.2:1 |
Optical zoom | 0.0x |
Projection distance | 0.5m to 6.1m |
Mirror image | yes |
Invert image | yes |
Lens shift horizontal | 0% |
Lens shift vertical | 40% |
HD Ready | yes |
Special view modes | Standard, Bright, Cinema, Game, User |
Inputs/Outputs | |
VGA input | yes |
DVI input | No |
Sound inputs | 3.5mm |
Composite input | yes |
S-video input | no |
HDMI input | yes |
Component input | no |
PAL support | yes |
SECAM support | yes |
NTSC support | yes |
Audio output | 3.5mm |
Video output | VGA, HDMI |
Others inputs/outputs | USB, mini USB, SD/SDHC card reader |
Other | |
Noise (in normal use) | 36dB(A) |
Size | 62x220x177mm |
Weight | 1.5kg |
Internal speakers | yes (3W stereo) |
Extras | remote, power cable, VGA cable, carry case |
Remote special features | screen blank, home button, mute, DVD controls |
Power consumption standby | 1W |
Power consumption on | 128W |
Lamp | |
Lamp cost (inc VAT) | N/A |
Lamp supplier | N/A |
Lamp cost per hour of use | N/A |
Lamp cost per hour of use (economy) | N/A |
Buying Information | |
Price | £388 |
Supplier | http://www.lambda-tek.com |
Details | www.benq.co.uk |