BenQ has been churning out DLP projectors for years now, but it's generally schools and businesses that have been snapping them up.

For the Taiwanese corporation, home cinema remains a niche, but it's growing fast and is most recently filled by this aggressively-priced DLP model.

With an impressive contrast ratio, 1080p chipset and options for an anamorphic lens, the BenQ W5000 projector is aimed squarely at the serious film buff, but at an all-new price point.

Highs

The operating noise (around 25dB) is quiet for a DLP model. The lamp is unusually bright, so you would expect a louder fan, and the seven-segment colour wheel often adds an audible whine too, but that's not the case here.

Maximum image size goes all the way up to a wall-filling 500ins. The long throw ratio and bright lamp make it perfect for a ceiling installation at the back of a large viewing room.

Both its HDMI v1.3 inputs can take a 1080p24 signal – ideal for Blu-ray. Also, picture performance is pleasing with good contrast.

Lows

The onboard video processing is only adequate at compensating for video noise and scaling, so stepping backwards to standard-definition DVD movies is a bit of a shock. Blacks can appear a little grey, too.

The W5000 uses the DarkChip2 chip, meaning a native 1920 x 1080 resolution, but a slightly lower contrast performance than that of Texas Instruments' uprated DC3 chipset.