Relatively few data projectors offer the high resolution of the BenQ MH630 ($749)—at a native 1080p (1,920 by 1,080)—because most applications can't benefit from it. If you need to show images with fine detail, however, or simply show lots of information at once, high resolution can be essential. Add the MH630's brightness, at a rated 3,000 lumens, along with its low price and light weight, and it can easily be the right fit if you need an inexpensive, high-resolution data projector.

The MH630 costs a lot less than most 1080p data projectors—most being the operative word. A key exception is the BenQ MH680, which is a near twin to the MH630 in some ways, although it handled data images a little better in my tests and didn't do as well with full-motion video.

Both of the BenQ projectors are a lot smaller and lighter than most 1080p models as well, at 6 pounds 3 ounces and 4.1 by 12.2 by 9.6 inches (HWD) for the MH630. Most high-resolution data projectors, including the Panasonic PT-RZ370U, our Editors' Choice for the category, are meant for permanent installation. The MH630, like the BenQ MH680, is light enough to carry, making it of obvious interest if you need a high-resolution portable projector.

Brightness

BenQ rates the MH630 at 3,000 lumens. Strictly as a point of reference, using the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, and assuming a 1.0-gain screen, that should make it bright enough in theater-dark lighting for roughly a 215- to 290-inch (diagonal) image. In moderate ambient light, the size would drop to about 150 inches. For lower levels of ambient light or smaller screen sizes, you can set it to a lower brightness by switching to Eco mode, one of the less bright predefined modes, or both.

Keep in mind, however, that the issue of brightness is a little complicated, because the MH630 uses a DLP chip. Like most DLP projectors, it has significantly lower color brightness than white brightness, which can affect both color quality and the brightness of color images. (For more on color brightness, see Color Brightness: What It Is, Why it matters.) I had no problem in my tests finding comfortable brightness levels for viewing a 90-inch (diagonal) image in both theater-dark lighting and with moderate ambient light.

Setup, Image Quality, and Audio

Setup for the MH630 is standard, with the manual 1.3x zoom giving you some flexibility in how far you can put the projector from the screen for a given size image. Connectors for image sources include an HDMI port, a VGA port, and S-Video and composite video ports. The HDMI port offers full 1.4a support, so you can connect directly to a Blu-ray player or other video source for 3D, as well as 2D, content.

See How We Test Projectors

The MH630 handled most of the screens on our standard suite of DisplayMate tests with only minor problems. As with most projectors with lower color brightness than white brightness, blue and red are noticeably dark in the brightest predefined mode. However, colors are fully saturated in all modes, and suitably eye-catching in most.

The MH630 handles fine detail well. White text on black, for example, is crisp and readable at sizes as small as 9 points, and black text on white is readable at sizes as small as 6 points. Also very much worth mention is that images that tend to bring out pixel jitter and dynamic moire are rock solid, even with an analog (VGA) connection.

Video quality is easily good enough for short clips and potentially good enough for long sessions. Like most DLP projectors, the MH630 shows rainbow artifacts (red-green-blue flashes). However, it shows fewer than most. I see these artifacts easily, and saw enough of them to be bothersome only in scenes that tend to bring them out, like black-and-white clips and night scenes. If you stay with source material that was well-lit when it was shot, it's unlikely that anyone will see the artifacts often enough to find them annoying.

Beyond that, video is watchable, but far from home theater territory. There's more obvious noise in the image than with most projectors, and with dull colors typical of a low contrast ratio.

The 10-watt mono speaker counts as a small plus, with good enough quality to be useful and enough volume for a small room. If you need a higher volume or better quality, you can connect an external sound system to the audio-out port.

For best image quality in a permanent installation, the Panasonic PT-RZ370U is your best choice for a high-resolution data projector, with the Canon REALiS SX80 Mark II also worth considering. However, both are far more expensive than the BenQ MH630.

If you need high resolution and are either on a tight budget or need portability as well, the BenQ MH630 and BenQ MH680 are both strong contenders. Between them, the BenQ MH680 offers slightly better quality for data images, the added ability to read files from a USB key for PC-free presentations, and an optional Wi-Fi dongle so you can connect wirelessly. The MH630 offers better quality for video and a slightly lower price. Either one is a good choice.