So you’ve made up your mind that a 4K projector needs to be in your home. Looking at available models, you quickly realize almost all follow a similar formula and share the same features. But are they really the same? They’re not, to put it simply. Sure, everyone can talk about resolution and brightness, but not everybody applies those in the same fashion. Just as with any product, there’s manufacturing and there’s artisanship. We at BenQ belong to the latter camp, meaning we take our projectors very seriously and look for ways to elevate each feature beyond the specs.
It’s not enough to throw pixels and brightness onto a screen. Images need to be crafted for enjoyment and comfort, so time must go into designing projectors that do more than look good on a feature sheet. As a prime example of that approach, we have lenses that lead the industry in quality because we know they’re literally at the heart of any projector.
Come, join us as we explore several ways BenQ 4K projectors lead the way and stand as truly unique.
Projectors can only perform as well as their lenses allow, just as TV image quality must abide by the fortitude of the panel at hand. So, it’s very easy to claim 4K but will the lens assembly do the resolution justice? How long will it last before distorting due to temperature variance? You could have the finest DLP chip in the world, but with a mediocre lens as the focus of projector output it’ll be wasted.
That doesn’t happen with BenQ 4K projectors. Our projector lenses comprise of up to eleven layers or pieces, with one slide serving as a dedicated focusing element. Lens elements are then enclosed in a metal “barrel” to assist in light focusing and keeping out interference. We’ve assembled an entire team of optics experts that work in-house on developing and testing projector lenses. We only employ the finest, most durable all-glass lenses, as opposed to cheap plastic optics or solutions that use mixed materials and thus invite inconsistency. Tough glass offers upgraded heat resistance, an important factor since projectors inherently place a considerable heat burden on their lenses.
Additionally, BenQ projectors with DLP technology have the advantage of long lifespans. DLP, or digital light projection, uses an array of millions of mirrors to direct light. Other brands use cheaper LCD panels, and as you know LCDs don’t age very well, over time developing image uniformity issues and problems with fading. Together with our choice of DLP over LCD, we use lens designs that prevent distortion and warping, because an off-spec lens or light processing device means a compromised image.
To balance external influences and provide consistently superb image quality, select BenQ 4K projectors feature HDR-PRO technology, which has hardware and software elements.
On the hardware front, our projectors deploy what we refer to as the Dynamic Iris, which adds a robust layer of response to image properties. The Dynamic Iris helps enable HDR-PRO, so BenQ projectors with this technology have far more detailed blacks and maintain peak black levels consistently.
All of these HDR-PRO features translate into actual results you can see and feel. One major complaint pertaining to HDR is its tendency to make images appear overly saturated or too exposed. That’s because many manufacturers simply comply with brightness settings. BenQ goes beyond that and invests in responsive designs that temper and modify HDR performance to maintain reproduction that’s as close as possible to the source at all times.
We should also remind you that BenQ 4K projectors support HLG, or Hybrid Log Gamma, an alternative form of HDR designed by major global broadcasters like the BBC and NHK. That’s something several of our peers overlook on a regular basis.
As a subset of our proprietary HDR-PRO technology, HDR Brightness acts as a sort of backup feature designed to increase user comfort. While our projectors use auto HDR tuning as described above, they also offer five HDR profiles designed for screen sizes from 80” to 200” and take into account optimal viewing distance for each size. Thus, we give users more HDR options. You can choose to let the projector optimize HDR for you with HDR-PRO (recommended), or you may apply one of the HDR Brightness profiles at the touch of a button. No other 4K projector manufacturer offers so many choices.
We go back to industry standards as marketing. That seems to be a theme here, and it’s because quite a few of our counterparts in the industry settle for meeting standards on paper while being reluctant to invest in technologies that apply these standards to real life situations. Color gamut presents an eloquent example. Sure, lots of projectors have Rec. 709 and DCI-P3 color space compatibility, but they lack the hardware and software sophistication to make sure you actually get that level of performance.
BenQ 4K projectors do all of that, and add CinematicColor technology as a color space fidelity sentry. An essential component of our optical engine is an optimized RGBRGB color wheel that works together with a DMD (digital micromirror device) sensor attached to the DLP chip, with the results being 100% Rec. 709 color space, up to 100% DCI-P3 color space, and high compatibility with Rec. 2020, a standard developed by the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) with 4K UHD Blu-ray discs in mind. Our engineers go to great lengths to ensure color accuracy so that the TV and movie content you enjoy appears just as directors and cinematographers intended. Close attention to the internationally-accepted D65 color temperature standard results in a guaranteed Delta E value of 3, meaning precise reproduction of all colors. The intricate and highly invested design of CinematicColor technology means color space specs don’t just look pretty on the product page, they look gorgeous on your screen.
BenQ currently is the only projector brand in the world that includes a detailed factory calibration report dedicated to individual home projectors in our CinePro and CinePrime series. The report details the color performance of each projector as verified through a grueling process at the factory. It’s not just a sheet of paper to tuck away somewhere, but rather an indication of our passion for precision and image quality. We guarantee Rec. 709 and DCI-P3 color gamut performance and stand by that guarantee to ensure our-of-the-box color accuracy. We certify a Delta E value of 3, which means the variance between colors as originally captured by content creators and the color you see on your screen is virtually non-existent. A Delta E of 3 or less has been scientifically shown to mean non-detectible deviations in color properties - in other words, an indication of superb color accuracy.
*Factory calibration reports included with CinePro and CinePrime series, except X12000, W8000, W3000
Our teams of engineers don’t settle for basic presets like warm1 and warm2, they work hard to develop proprietary display modes for popular passions. Highlights Sports Mode, developed based on comprehensive metadata collection and analysis from thousands of football and basketball matches. These dedicated modes accentuate turf greens, wooden court browns, player skin tones, and team outfit colors. The modes are complemented by advanced sound processing that accentuates commentators for clarity through even the liveliest crowds. Similarly, audio boost covers on-court and in-field action to better hear players and feel immersed in proceedings.
For movie marathons and cinema buffs we have CinemaMaster Video. Working great in HDR and SDR content, the mode brings viewers as close as possible to a true big screen movie experience. Features include pixel edge enhancement to prevent jagginess and other artifacting when objects appear in front of consistent backgrounds. Motion enhancer increases apparent framerate to eliminate blur and judder even in the fastest-moving scenes, while color and skin tone enhancers keep a watchful eye on shade gradients to maintain natural content appearance. None of these enhancers operate in a preset manner, as all are governed by reactive, intelligent algorithms that treat each piece of content with care.
Cinema Mode
Sports Mode
More often than not, 4K projectors still ship with tinny speakers that put out flat, muted audio. They leave much to be desired and don’t really give you the option of going with integrated speakers. Select BenQ 4K projectors with CinemaMaster Audio boast powerful sound with dedicated audio processing taken to a higher level. Aluminum and neodymium drivers and magnets provide deep bass, crisp treble, and comprehensive soundscapes to sate even the most demanding cinephile. You may find that external speakers are no longer a necessity, and that’s more than can be said of the other guys, for certain. CinemaMaster Audio projector speakers have also been designed for the long haul. We build speakers that will bring you sonic delight for many years.
BenQ 4K projectors dive deeper into each aspect that makes a projector good and push the “evolve” button. Like we said before, we don’t put 4K and HDR on a box and ship it out to call it a day. Our teams work hard to figure out ways to make the most of 4K, HDR, image modes, audio, and every other part of the big projected picture. We’re not obsessed with numbers but rather with actual image quality and it’s that quest for quality on display for every possible observer that sets our projectors apart. We hope you’ll join us on this adventure!
