BenQ MX810ST review

£936
Price when reviewed

As the price suggests, you get some cutting-edge features with this projector, including a 0.61:1 ratio short-throw lens that can project a huge 81-inch image from a distance of just 1m. The MX810ST is 3D-ready and includes an Ethernet port. Coupled with BenQ’s LAN management software, this allows an administrator to monitor and operate the projector from a workstation, adjust the settings and check the diagnostics.

BenQ MX810ST review

It’s a single-chip DLP model offering an XGA resolution (1,024 x 768) and 2,500 lumens brightness, making it ideal for use in a classroom. It feels solid and there are plenty of connectivity options, including USB, D-SUB, composite video, S-Video, microphone and audio ports.

The MX810ST comes with a well-designed and large remote handset, complete with a handy laser pointer that emits a small red beam. Auto and manual keystone correction are also provided. Setup presented us with no problems; this really is a plug-and-play model. PC-less presentations can be made with a USB flash drive, but note that the MX810ST is only compatible with half a dozen image file formats (including JPEG, GIF and TIFF), so if you want to show PowerPoint presentations you’re still going to need a PC.

BenQ MX810ST

This is a very quiet projector. Beefy stereo 10-watt speakers provide plenty of volume for a large classroom, with our only complaint being that bass frequencies lack some punch. The MX810ST’s audio performance is complemented by its impressive image quality. With a sky-high 4,600:1 contrast ratio, it’s little wonder that pictures were crisp and vibrant, with a wide dynamic range.

In addition to half a dozen picture modes, including dynamic and cinema, you can also fine-tune the image by adjusting a number of parameters, including brightness, contrast, colour, tint and sharpness. In practice, though, you’ll rarely need to use these features.

The fact it can project 3D images means you can be reassured you’re future-proofing your investment to some degree; more and more 3D educational content is likely to appear. Lamp life is 3,500 hours under normal usage and a replacement lamp costs £94 exc VAT, so running costs are excellent too. Add it all up and the MX810ST is a very impressive all-rounder.

Details

Image quality5

Basic specifications

Projector technologyDLP
Resolution1024 x 768
Lumens brightness2,500 lumens
Contrast ratio4,600:1
Keystone correction?yes
Speakers?yes
Speaker typeStereo
Speaker power ouput10W

Dimensions

Dimensions290 x 252 x 128mm (WDH)
Weight3.400kg

Optics

Max diagonal image size7.6m

Lamp & running costs

Lamp power210W
Lamp life, standard mode5,000hrs
Lamp life, eco mode3,500hrs

Power & environment

Typical power consumption296W
Peak noise level32.0dB(A)
Idle/eco noise level27.0dB(A)

Video inputs/outputs

VGA inputs2
DVI inputs0
S-Video inputs1
Composite video inputs2
HDMI inputs0
VGA (D-SUB) outputs1

Data ports and connectors

Front panel memory card readerno
Other memory media supportN/A

Audio inputs/outputs

3.5mm audio input jacks2
3.5mm audio jacks1
RCA (phono) inputs2

Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.

Todays Highlights
How to See Google Search History
how to download photos from google photos