BenQ Launches GS2, its Latest Rugged, Portable Projector
You don’t normally associate words like “splash-proof” and “drop-proof” and phrases like “meant to be used outdoors” with video projectors. But the BenQ GS2 is the second such projector from the company. Replacing the GS1, it is radically different in styling, but is an updated take on getting a largish picture displayed pretty much anywhere.
The projector is based on DLP technology, using a tiny 0.3-inch (7.6mm) Digital Micromirror Device with 720p resolution. An efficient LED light source is used to generate a rated brightness of 500 lumens. The light source has a rated life of 20,000 or more hours of operation. BenQ says that the contrast ratio is an impressive 100,000:1.
As for that outdoors stuff, the BenQ GS2 projector is rated at IPX2 – which means it can withstand dripping water – aka splashes – equivalent to a heavy rainfall. And drops of up to half a metre.
It’s a compact device, vaguely cubicle at around 140mm per side. The 1.6-kilogram weight is due in part to the inbuilt battery, which is rated at up to three hours of operation.
Signals can be fed to the projector via an HDMI input, via a USB-C connection, via USB-A and via Wi-Fi. The projector supports Miracast and Apple AirPlay. It runs on Android, so there is a range of streaming apps, including Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and ABC iView. It can connect to a home network or support a direct Wi-Fi connection from a smart device.
The GS2 has a host of other smart features, such as automatic focusing on start-up, and a proximity sensor, which dims the lamp when someone strays too close to the projector. It can be tilted up on its stand. Keystone correction fixes the resulting geometric distortion.
“GS2 offers families a brand-new way to enjoy each other’s company, be entertained, and even educated,” says Conway Lee, President of BenQ Corporation. “Meant to be used outdoors, it lets families explore the wonders of nature while enhancing the experience with boundless learning and entertainment.”
The BenQ GS2 will likely (the times being what they are) be available from the end of August 2020, priced at $1,299 RRP.
For more information, visit BenQ.
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Stephen Dawson
Stephen Dawson started writing full time about home entertainment technology just weeks before the DVD was launched in Australia. Since then he has written several thousand product reviews amounting to millions of words for newspapers and magazines around Australia.
Posted in:Home Theatre Lifestyle
Tags: benq
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