Yes, playing on a 40-inch TV or a 35-inch curved gaming monitor provides enough visual candy to make most gamers happy. If you prefer being fully-immersed in your games, however, then we guess the bigger the picture, the happier you’ll be. That’s exactly what the BenQ Gaming Projector brings to your arsenal.
Built specifically for gaming, the AV rig boasts low input lag and ultra-fast DMD response times, ensuring you can enjoy fast-paced games with neither delay nor motion blur. Simply put, you won’t be caught seeing a hostile too late in your favorite FPS if you’re viewing the game on this thing, both from the picture’s sheer size and the speed in which everything refreshes.
The BenQ Gaming Projector can throw images up to 300 inches (diagonal) in size, although they recommend capping the size at 120 inches to make sure the picture is crystal clear. It shows pictures in full 1080p resolution, with 15000:1 contrast ratio and 2200 ANSI lumens of brightness, so the images should be just as good as when playing on a TV. An integrated 20-watt stereo system provides immersive audio along with the action, with boosted bass and treble sounds to really kick up the aural delights.
Features include enhanced field of view (36 to 70 degrees wider than most TVs), two picture modes (which automatically adjust based on the light in the room), and a short throw function (just under five feet from the wall to get a 100-inch picture). It comes with a unique color management tool that allows users to customize gain, saturation, and hue of six colors to enable the best visual experience for gaming.
Available now, the BenQ Gaming Projector is priced at $999.
Let us take a closer look at this high-tech gaming projector from BenQ to find out if it is worth the asking price or not.
Design and Build Quality – This product just like any other BenQ product is built to last. The build quality of the product is top notch. The materials used in manufacturing are of high quality, the projector feels sturdy and seems like it can handle a fall or two. The device has dimensions of 4.8” Height x 14.9” Width x 10.9″ Depth and weighs in at 3.5Kg.
The design of the product is quite attractive and reminds us of its gaming roots thanks to the presence of red trims around the body. The off-centered Lens dominates the front end of the projector along with the fan. The lens is surrounded by a Red trim. On the top of the product just above the lens, you can find the focus and zoom adjustments that are hidden behind a sliding door. On the opposite side, you can find the BenQ logo and right next to that are the Power button and the control buttons.
The rear end of the projector is densely populated by the input options. Here, you can find two HDMI ports one of which also supports MHL for connection with portable devices. A VGA port that is capable of handling Analog video and two 3.5mm audio jacks, one for input and one for output are also present on the device. For control options, you have the RS-232 port and 12v trigger.
Remote Control – The included remote control is of very high quality. The buttons give a satisfying click and the remote feels comfortable in the hand. The unique thing about this remote controller is that it sports a backlight. All manufacturers should include this small yet very useful feature with their projector remotes. The remote control comes with multiple buttons that are able to control a plethora of options including temperature tuning, color management, 3D setup, picture modes, gamma setup, brightness controls and many others.
Setup Process – The setup process of this projector is quite simple and can be completed in a matter of minutes. When you start the process, the OSD starts in basic mode. Here, you are greeted with a screen that contains a sidebar on the left and a detailed selection menu on the right. From this screen, you can tune your projector according to your own preferences by playing with the basic settings.
The menu type feature allows you to switch between different modes of OSD. If you want full control over the device, then you should switch over to the full OSD mode. The full OSD mode allows you to fine-tune your projector in detail. This mode allows you to change the lamp power, calibrate all the control options and do much more.
Now, let us take a comprehensive look at Video Quality of the BenQHT2150ST DLP PROJECTOR
Input Lag – Input lag for a display can be defined as the delay in time of receiving and displaying a signal. This feature is very important for any display claiming to be a gaming display as even a tiny bit of input lag can end up being the deciding factor for a game. This projector unit from BenQ comes with a special Fast Mode that can reduce the input lag considerably during gaming. Under normal settings, the projector has a respectable 64ms of input lag. With the Fast Mode on, the device performs much better and has only 41ms of input lag with a draw time of 5ms. For those planning to use this solely as a gaming projector, the Fast Mode is the best option.
Chipset and Projector Type – This offering from BenQ uses a DLP chip courtesy of Texas Instruments that comes with a native resolution of 1080p. This unit follows an RGBRGB configuration with six segments. The spherical front element of the lens allows it to project large images from small distances.
This projector utilizes the DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology, the digital light processing allows for sharp visuals without the need for any filters and offers an excellent response time. The use of DLP allows it to support 3D as well. However, 2D to 3D conversion is not supported by the System.
Contrast, Color Accuracy, Grayscale and Gamma Performance – These are some of the main deciding factors for the quality of any Projector.
This projector offers a good contrast in both 3D and 2D environments. It has the ability to project high-quality image even under moderate lighting conditions. It offers multiple modes for video including a Cinema mode during which the system goes into a power efficient mode. This mode reduces the power level of the Bulb and offers a contrast ratio of 2144.6. The bright mode offers sets the bulb power to maximum and offers a contrast ratio of 14,779.3:1. The Smart Eco mode lies in between other modes. It offers a good contrast ratio of 3294.1:1 and helps extend the life of the bulb as well, it is neither very bright, nor very dark.
Out of the box, the projector offers great color accuracy, with some tuning, you can get very sharp and high-quality visuals from this device. The luminance levels of this device are quite good. This results in crisp visuals with natural and accurate color balance.
This projector offers a precise gamma control with pinpoint accuracy. It allows the user to fine-tune the gamma of the device with ease. You can easily reach a sweet spot thanks to the .1 increments offered between 2.0 and 2.4 Gamma by the device. Grayscale can be tuned to reach a level that is below the visible error level as well.
Price and Conclusion – The BenQHT2150ST DLP PROJECTOR offers a great bang for the buck. Priced at around 1000$, it is capable of challenging premium projectors that cost almost twice as much.
Out of the box, it offers excellent color accuracy, great contrast and sharp visuals. With some tuning, you can achieve some excellent results. It offers a plethora of useful features that very few competing projects can offer. The build quality of the device is premium, the setup is a breeze and the controls are very responsive. The Lens on offer is also much better than what other competing products have in stock. The low input lag makes it a great option for gamers as well who rarely buy projector due to the high input lag and high price point of projectors. The fan of this projector is quite silent and its noise does not distract the viewer even a tiny a bit. This offering from BenQstruck the right cords thanks to its versatile nature. For gamers and movie junkies alike, this product is a very sweet deal. At 1000$, you will have to look hard to find a product that offers similar features and performance.
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