This year’s CES is becoming the year of cheap 4K projectors. With ViewSonic’s PX727-4K and LG’s (presumably not outrageously expensive) HU80KA it’s seems like the hopes of millions of projector fanatics have finally come true.
The BenQ HT2550, like the ViewSonic, sports 4K resolution for a mere $1,500. This means that for the price of a decent TV, you can get a wall-sized image. I’ve used a projector as my main “TV” for 15 years, and it’s fantastic. Having the extra resolution of 4K would certainly be welcome.
A word about that resolution. The BenQ and Viewsonic seem to be based around the same Texas Instruments reference design, with BenQ specifying that it’s a 0.47-inch DMD, claiming that it’s “Producing 8.3 million distinct pixels for true 4K UHD performance….” Most likely it’s pixel-shifting those, so the actual chip is lower than that resolution. I’ve reviewed previous generations of TI’s pixel-shifting tech, and in practice there’s no noticeable issue. ProjectorCentral has a great look at this tech.
The same base doesn’t mean they’ll look the same. BenQ historically has tended to tweak their PJs a little better for the home theater audience. The light output is the same at claimed 2200 lumens, though BenQ rates theirs at a slightly-lower contrast ratio of 10,000:1. Since this is a made up number (and always is), I doubt there will be a big difference here. BenQ doesn’t mention Rec2020 and DCI-P3 like ViewSonic does, but instead says the HT2550 will have “96% Rec 709CinematicColor™ accuracy and projection-optimized HDR for stunning true-to-life image quality.” They further specify, “With over 96% coverage of Rec. 709 color gamut with precise Delta E
I think the case on the BenQ looks a bit better than the ViewSonic’s, less industrial and more high-tech. They have the same 1.2x zoom, and no lens shift. There’s also HDR10 support, but like nearly all projectors, HDR doesn’t quite mean the same as it does with TVs, due to their lower brightness and far lower contrast ratios.
It will be interesting to see how they perform. My guess is they’ll create a bright, highly detailed image, with a fairly mediocre contrast ratio… which is pretty much how inexpensive DLP projectors have looked for over a decade. Nothing wrong with that, especially for Ultra HD at $1,500!
Though first announced in November, the HT2550 is finally shipping this month at a lower price than expected (hence this writeup). Amazon has it ready to ship on the 14th of this month.
HT2550: $1,500
