BenQ - SP831

Digital projectors don't come cheap, but at nearly £1,300 + VAT you'll need deep pockets to afford the BenQ SP831. But then it is a highly specified and capable device, with facilities to handle not one but two video sources and display them together in optional split screen and picture-in-picture (PiP) modes.

Like other BenQ projectors, the SP831 is a professional looking device, housed in a large and shiny black casing. It's also clearly designed more for static than portable use, with a ceiling mount available as an optional extra. Alternatively, built in levelling feet allow the projector to be placed on a desk and, with 4,000 Lumens on tap, it's bright enough to be used in a large auditorium without dimming the lights or drawing the curtains.

A 300W lamp provides the illumination, rated for 3,000-4,000 hours, depending on use. The lamp is easy enough to change, but a screwdriver is needed and it could be a little awkward when the projector is ceiling-mounted. Focusing, too, could be an issue in such circumstances as it's manual only. However, once setup, no further adjustment should be needed, plus there's a digital zoom available via the remote control which also incorporates a laser pointer.

The rear panel is awash with connectors and interfaces, including both analogue (15-pin D-Sub) and digital (DVI) sockets for PC attachment. A set of converter cables comes as standard along with others for the RCA and S-video jacks for use with cameras, video and DVD players and other sources. An array of audio connectors is also provided, along with a full set of output ports and a socket to take an optional Signal Shuttle attachment, enabling the projector to connect to PCs up to 100 metres away.

Inside, a Texas Instruments Digital Light Processor (DLP) is used to generate the image, the same chip as used in a lot of back-projection TVs. This can generate up to 1.07 billion colours with a native resolution of 1,280 x 768 (WXGA) and aspect ratio of 15:9, although other resolutions and ratios can be selected to suit.

No special knowledge is required to setup the projector. We cabled it according to the user guide, switched it on and the active source was detected automatically. An on-screen menu is used to configure the display options, using either buttons on the top of the projector or the remote control. A huge number of settings are available here including keystone correction to get a perfectly square picture, with five preset modes to save having to fiddle about too much and three user modes to save custom setups.

The SP831 compares well with other projectors in this price bracket, producing clear and bright pictures, whether giving business presentations in a proper auditorium or watching DVDs on the living room wall. The split screen and picture-in-picture options work well too, but they're not a common requirement and for more modest applications a cheaper projector would be just as good.(itreviews.co.uk)