Simply one of the biggest projectors we have seen in the Test Centre, the PE8700 has the dimensions of 400x347x116mm (LxWxH) and weighs approximately 7.5kgs. The PE8700 is targeted at the home theatre enthusiast for that ultimate home setup, and can be fitted to any ceiling via the mounting holes on the underside.

With a throw ratio of 80in from 3m distance, the PE8700 needs spare wall space or a portable projector screen to project 16:9 images. The maximum brightness level is 800 ANSI lumens, but brightness can also be reduced to 500 ANSI. The lamp has a reported life of 2000 hours and we found it very easy to change.

Ports at the rear of the projector include S-Video, Composite and Component video (RCA), DVI-I (PC) plus RGB/HDTV progressive component input. The bundled remote is great for taking advantage of some features such as picture-in-picture, picture-on-picture or adjusting the keystone correction. At the time of writing, BenQ had just released a newer model: the PE8700+.

It uses a more advanced DLP chip, an increased contrast ratio of 2500:1 and is priced at $7999.

Price: $6999 Vendor: BenQ Phone: (02) 9352 8800 URL: www.benq.com.au