Description
BenQ True HT3550 Projector Review
Product Name: BenQ True HT3550 Projector
Product Description: The BenQ HT3550 projector can handle the latest 4K content for movies, sports, and live TV, thanks to its HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma support. A Dynamic Iris enhances the black levels and brightness performance of the projector by adjusting the contrast of the projected image.
Offer price: 1,400 - 1,500
Currency: USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
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Build Quality
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Performance
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Features
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Easy to Use
Summary
BenQ really impressed us with the release of another model in its always amazing TK series. The BenQ HT3550 4K projector offers amazing and accurate colors to display images in full detail, sharp and crisp. It has a Dynamic Iris to improve black levels and make bright scenes even brighter. Also, with HDR10 and HLG support, you can expect an excellent 4K UHD and solid motion performance. These along with an incredibly reasonable price compared to other 4K projectors make it a very appealing 4K projector and one that you should definitely consider.
Pros
Bright 4K HDR picture
HDR and HLG support
High contrast and out of the box colors
Beautiful design
Great value for money
Cons
Black levels need improvement
High input lag
Basic and outdated software
Noisy fan
Limited lens shift
User Review
( votes)BenQ HT3550 4K Projector Review
4K UHD projectors have gained a lot of popularity in the market due to its amazing features and improved resolution, and one of those is the BenQ HT3550. This step-up single-chip Digital Light Processing projector combines high resolution and high definition with great performance, outstanding color accuracy, and above all, an affordable price. The projector’s XPR technology uses Texas Instruments’ pixel-shifting to achieve a true (and stunning) 4K resolution. The projector creates superb ultra-high-definition images with a huge range of colors. The BenQ HT3550 projector features CinePrime along with HDR10 and HLG support to deliver 95% of the DCI-P3 color space for brighter and colorful performance. For a budget-priced home theater, up to 200-inch screen size, and sharp detailed images, BenQ’s native-4K projectors are simply one of the best in today’s generation.
Overview
The BenQ HT3550 projector can handle the latest 4K content for movies, sports, and live TV, thanks to its HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma support. A Dynamic Iris enhances the black levels and brightness performance of the projector by adjusting the contrast of the projected image. In addition to this and because of its built-in vertical lens shift, you get to accurately adjust the lens alignment to achieve the best possible image quality when positioning the projector.
Design-wise, the BenQ HT3550 is compact, light, and portable at just 4.2 kg so you can easily take it with you to outdoor events or holidays. Its off-white with brownish-grey colors at the front makes it look sleek and modern.
To complete the true home cinematic experience, BenQ amped the projector with two 5-watt speakers with CinemaMaster audio+ 2 technology. But if this is not enough, you can always connect a soundbar or external speaker system for more powerful and eye-popping audio. In terms of connectivity ports, the BenQ HT3550 provides two HDMI inputs, USB Type-A and mini B, audio out (S/PDIF), mini-jack, and RS-232 along with a 12v trigger to automatically move the projector’s screen up and down. However, we were a little disappointed with its 2000 lumens brightness, which might struggle a little in daylight or very bright environments.
Key Specifications
- Digital Light Processing projection system
- 3840 x 2160 screen resolution
- 2000 ANSI lumens brightness
- 30,000:1 FOFO contrast ratio
- 30 – 200 inches image size
- Auto Vertical Keystone
- HDR-PRO (HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma support)
- 245 watts lamp type
- 4,000 – 15,000 hours lamp life
- 3D compatible
- HDMI inputs, USB Type-A and mini B, audio out (S/PDIF), mini-jack, and RS-232
- 12-volt trigger control output
- Two 5 watts speakers
- Backlit remote control
- Kensington lock
- 30/28 dB noise levels
- 15 x 5 x 10 inches dimensions
- 2 kg of weight
Design
One of the first things that will catch your attention is the BenQ HT3550 projector’s classy design. The exterior is mostly white with a touch of brown-gray color combination which adds to the whole elegance of the device. Measuring at 15 x 5 x 10 inches, the projector small in size, which is great for moving from one place to another. However, don’t be fooled by its size, it still packs quite a punch and under the hood, you genuinely get amazing features. All controls for power, software, and the lens can be found on top of the projector, for easy access. While at the back is where all connections and ports are located including ports for HDMI, USB, audio output, 12 volts trigger, and RS-232. In addition, the remote is equally appealing and very simple to use with a directional pad for picture setting and software controls. The remote’s buttons have backlit keys, which makes navigation in the dark so much convenient and easier.
Setup
The first and most important decision to make is whether you place it on top of a table or mount it on the ceiling. Setting up the BenQ HT3550 4K projector is really easy, plug it in and turn it on. After that, you can begin with keystone correction to make the image rectangular, and continue with zoom, focus, and shift controls for the overall adjustments. The software may seem complicated at first, but like everything in life, after a few tries, you will get used to it.
Features
True 4K UHD Cinematic Experience
With 8.3 million pixels per frame, the Benq HT3550 projector will give you a stunning 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 px resolution. It is four times better than Full HD 1080p and reduces the blurriness to produce amazingly detailed images. The enhanced tone mapping of HDR-PRO offers a higher contrast range for more vibrant colors when playing Blu-rays and SDR streaming content. Also, the BenQ HT3550 4K projector introduces a new generation of single 0.47-inch Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology to project high contrast, colorful, and clear images into the big screen. BenQ’s HDR-PRO technology improves the brightness and colors to give you a true cinematic experience.
CinematicColor™ Technology
By providing 95% of DCI-P3 color space, high ANSI contrast ratio, and ISF-certified calibration, CinematicColor Technology brings out sharp, crisp and enriched images. BenQ’s CinePrime projector adds magic into any room and ensures incredibly great images performance every time. It has the ability to display sharp, crisp, and full-details pictures for the most rewarding and mind-blowing viewing experience. Only the BenQ HT3550 4K projector delivers accurate calibration with Delta performance to reproduce the authenticity in each frame in whatever film you watch.
CinemaMaster Audio+ 2
In order to improve the sound from the previous BenQ models, a wider frequency range is added to create a higher performance sound quality. The speakers are fitted inside a resonant sound chamber in order to produce deep bass and immersive sound quality. CinemaMaster audio+ 2 technology uses the same exclusive EQ algorithms than Hollywood studios to achieve the clear and amazing sound we are used to. It is undeniable that the BenQ HT3550 4K projector will give you great powerful sound but as mentioned earlier, if this is not enough, you can always connect a soundbar or external speaker system for more powerful and eye-popping audio.
Performance
One of the most noticeable updates in the BenQ HT3550 4K Projector is the increase in the contrast ratio. It goes from the previous model’s (the HT2550) 10,000:1, to a more than reasonable 30,000:1 which results in more vibrant and deep black levels, even for Standard Dynamic Range. Although it is not as good as HDR content or an OLED TV, it still very enjoyable to watch with. The built-in speakers are also well done, They have nice depth, tons of bass, and can fill a small space with great quality sound. Yet, audio can always be better if you add a dedicated speaker system like a soundbar. Another impressive feature of the BenQ HT3550 4K projector is how well it adapts to different types of ambient lighting and environments. Though we must say that it works best in a dark place, set up at the correct distanced, which is around 10 feet, or in a proper home cinema setting.
We felt a bit let down by the drop in brightness to 2000 lumens as it affects the overall performance but no projector is perfect. We noticed that the fan creates little noise but noise after all. However, you can hardly hear it when the speakers are on, let alone if you have a dedicated sound system with powerful speakers. Overall, the BenQ HT3550 projects very, very high-quality images which result in a fantastic viewing experience.
Conclusion
BenQ really impressed us with the release of another model for the TK series, HT3550. The BenQ True HT3550 projector offers amazing and accurate colors to view images in full detail. It has a Dynamic Iris to improve black levels and make bright scenes even brighter. Also, with HDR10 and HLG support, you can expect an excellent 4K UHD and solid motion performance. These and more for an incredibly reasonable price compared to other 4K projectors. If you think about how the company manages to provide a high-quality and high-performance projector, this is truly the best value for your money.
If however, this is not what you are looking for, check out our projectors section in which review a range of different alternatives to suit all budgets and requirements, whether 1080P HD or 4K.
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