BenQ - TK700STi

Personally, I would at least test both of them out. Ben Q tends to lag behind in tech compared to a lot of projector companies like Hisense, Dangbei, Xgimi and now even Valerion. I've owned Ben Q projectors with the best one, probably being the 700 sti. That model used a bulb. Their led projectors tend to be a little too dim. When it comes to DCI-P3 color space, I've noticed the company puts out projectors in the 80%-90% range, and it shows. They were late putting out laser models. The color accuracy is always a little off and I believe they struggle doing HDR content. Yes, the ability to make changes are there, but it just gave me too many issues trying to get things to look right. I look at quality projectors based on how well the show in lights on viewing b.c if they perform decently there, they can definitely do well in the dark. I've never owned an Epson due to the high cost, but I haven't really heard anything bad. Companies like Projector Central, I tend to see Epson projectors getting highly recommended and editor favs. I'm just going to sum this up by saying that even though Ben Q appears to be a solid company, I feel they have more of a cash grab business model where they take forever to improve their tech and rely on their company name to gain sales. With every model I've had, I felt their was a little too much left to be desired from a picture quality perspective.

I’ve been using this one for 4 months now. Got it for $800 on FB marketplace, and I LOVE it! It’s been a huge upgrade from Amazon e-waste model I was using before… which… idk… low bar maybe but at any rate I know I’ll be using this thing for years to come. The input latency is really low, even going through my AV receiver. I play a lot of games where it would be an issue (competitive Tetris, rocket league, rhythm games, etc.) but it’s not an issue at all. All the games I mentioned are enjoyable enough that I moved the PS5 back into the theater full time. I still prefer to play Rocket league on the PC, but that’s more the wireless controller’s fault than the projector. The HDR can be a little hit or miss sometimes, but you can tune the brightness to make it look better if you take the time. 10/10. Would buy again.

You mentioned you have audio. Could you share some details on the audio components you have? If it were me, I'd spend 1k on the projector (I'm using a used BenQ TK700STi and it's been more than enough for me) and 4k on upgrading my audio... heavily weighted on the subwoofers.

Not 4k120, but I play Rocket League on my BenQ TK700STi in 1080p240 and it’s lovely. So good in fact that I permanently moved my gaming PC to the theater after trying it out. Personally I’d be more concerned with the response time than framerate or resolution. Anything more than 10ms will be annoying for most competitive play.

unless you see rainbows, which for me was almost every second with a TK700sti - so I am one of those who could only go the LCD projector route I'm afraid.

Yeah, different projectors can have varying degrees of it. My theory is that the TK700 has a very slow (relatively speaking) color wheel, exagerrating the RBE. A friend recently got a Benq projector too, the W4000i - and I could definitely see the RBE, but movies were at least watchable. Still, these two DLP examples were enough that I'm not really considering a DLP again.

Agreed mostly - his reviews really are excellent. I think he could do more in educating people about differences in DLP vs LCD projectors for example. I'm a good case in point: I read everywhere that the BenQ TK700STi is an amazing gaming projector etc, but it turned out that my eyes/brain sees RBE on it literally every second making it unwatchable for me. I think he should make a firmer case for RBE and it's potential drawbacks instead of one sentence - seeing as there are some people who literally cannot watch content on a projector like that (on a different model, BenQ W4000i at a friends' place, I saw RBE too but much less).

RBE hater here represented - I actually tried out a TK700Sti after reading all the good stuff about it. Turns out, I see RBE literally almost every second, and hated it. Returned it, and now have an Epson TW7100 (or 3800 for US) and love it. Tiny bit softer picture, but other than that it's perfect for my needs.

I have it I love it , I use it a few times a month when people come over as I do have a tv and am scared of the bulbs needing replaced lol https://preview.redd.it/z717sihhhdxe1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6aea2d254477e394615394f311fe558908d0aa3b

from those the x500i, if you absolutely need the extra brightness then the tk700sti but even better is the updated tk710sti so i'd personally go for that (ebay refurbished that ones is $1563)

I love my BenQ TK700STi. It works very well, even in a slightly lit room. It's perfect for gaming with a really low input lag. And it being a short throw projector, I get 110 inches at just 6 feet away, which works really well for me because I have it in my mancave. The only issue i had with it was after 4 years of use, my DLP chip went, but it was very easy to replace on my own. It was the first time ever doing work on a projector, so it's not like I'm an expert at it either.

You’re getting a lot of shit posts but.. I do this. As long as you’re waiting until nighttime you’re good. Why would anyone put a Tv in a sun room? Put a roll down (or rise up) projector screen and a small inexpensive projector and you’re good to go. Hell I do this in my backyard with a fairly expensive BenQ TK700sti projecting onto a 10ft yard master. Damn the haters. I think this is awesome. FYI I also have a ‘theater’ and I even have a projector in my bedroom. Projectors are awesome.

I did an in depth review here: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/benq-tk700sti-review-owners-thread-4k-hdr-low-lag-short-throw-gaming-projector.3198258/

DLP projectors often overstate their lumen specs and Optoma tends to be especially egregious about this. I’d honestly be surprised if that 4500 lumen Optoma was putting out more than 2000 real ANSI lumens in any mode you’d actually want to watch. I’m also dubious the lamp is the issue. You say it’s acting wonky? What’s wonky? I’ve had several lamp based projectors and, yes, the lamps do go bad but they are fairly easily replaced. All that said: I really DO like DLP especially for outdoor applications. You don’t have to worry about filters or dirt getting into the light path. They are comparably compact and efficient. Lastly, there is such a wide variety of DLP make/models out there that almost everyone can find something to fit their needs. I also really like the idea of solid state. While lamp has a cost advantage we’re at the point where LED and laser projectors are getting reasonably priced and offer a substantial upgrade in terms of longevity and picture quality. The Epson you picked out seems to be a nice model for high brightness applications. But like AV said: these high brightness, business use models tend to have a reputation for pretty mediocre contrast/blacks. That extends to both 3LCD and DLP but a comparable price/performance DLP like the $1300, 1080p BenQ LH730 would probably do a bit better here and be sharper to boot. I run a projector outside on a 120” Elite screens yardmaster. But I prefer to stick with 4K these days. If I’m traveling I take a BenQ TK700STI which is a 3000 lumen (but not really) short throw, lamp based, gaming projector. I love that thing for how compact and convenient it is and how you can throw a big image without needing a lot of space. Built in wifi streaming and Bluetooth audio out in a package that weighs less than 7 lbs. At home my upstairs sometimes outdoor projector is a BenQ X3000i (replaced with the X3100i now in BenQ’s lineup). That projector is even brighter and a lot more colorful and has the benefit of LED so no lamp to fuss with. But at 15lbs and requiring more throw I wouldn’t exactly call it portable. For reference my home theater projector was a BenQ HT4550i, then an Epson 5050UB (temporarily) and I’m now using a BenQ W2720i in that space.

I did a review of this model over at Avs here: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/benq-tk700sti-review-owners-thread-4k-hdr-low-lag-short-throw-gaming-projector.3198258/?post_id=60733182#post-60733182 Bottom line it is a very bright, very compact gaming projector that is, on the surface, surprisingly color accurate. But suffers, as many of these later model 4K bulb models did, from poor color brightness related to the inclusion of a white slice in the color wheel. We still use ours as a semi portable for setting up games in one room or taking outside for movies under the stars. The small size, short throw, high output and built in streaming/Bluetooth make it an ideal solution for that. For the theater I’m testing out the new W2720i.

Are you ok with lamp? For $1000, the BenQ TK700 (not STi) or a refurb Epson 3200 are probably your best bets. If you want to go solid state ( which I would argue might be a bigger upgrade in some ways than 4K) you’ll have to save more for the laser powered BenQ TK710. There are a couple BenQ/Viewsonic 4LEDs in that range I really like but they are comparatively dim. Epson makes exactly zero solid state projectors I would recommend below the $4000 LS11000. Hopefully that will change at CES but it appears Epson is trying to move up market and is abandoning the lower price tiers to the same kind of kitschy, low contrast, “life-style” crap the market is already flooded with.

In that group— unless you need to compete with a lot of ambient light the X500i will have the best picture quality. It has one of the highest native contrast specs of any 4K projector and color is excellent. It’s also a true short throw. The TK700STi would be my second choice. It’s very bright so will do better on larger screens or rooms with some lights on. But it’s lamp and the color won’t be as good. See my review here: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/benq-tk700sti-review-owners-thread-4k-hdr-low-lag-short-throw-gaming-projector.3198258/ Of those models the X300G would be my last pic. It’s a great projector for what it is: a small semi-portable with easy setup. It will have better picture quality that the 700 But its lumen output is limiting.

Fair enough. What I would say is the 700 with its single lamp light source and colorwheel is likely going to exhibit RBE more for folks that are sensitive to it than the newer multi-light 4LED models. I think I even mentioned in my review that I saw it more with text and subtitles than I did other models I have reviewed around that time. So it’s likely worse case scenario at this point. Problem is: if you’re sensitive to RBE the ONLY option in this price range is Epson and their 3LCD technology. While the Epson 3800 is a great projector it is now 6 years old. No full 4K resolution, no solid state light source, no high refresh rate support, no wide color support, no ALLM… Epson appears to be letting their lamp models die on the vine and has shown no interest in updating them to solid state. And that’s a shame.

I have it. Lots of love for it. I’ve been gaming on it on and off. Nothing to complain. In games, it’s amazing. Too bad I have a generic screen… mine has some hardware aberration but you can notice it only if you stand close to the screen. Came with fw 1.0.1 I think. There is an upgrade to a newer fw but can only be upgraded by Benq or an authorised service. https://preview.redd.it/qnxq31xxkdxe1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a49aa92691bb290a889f8bcd3615e459439f68c9

All of these units would perform really well. If you’re planning to place the unit on the far end of the room, 12 feet we need to eliminate the BenQ TK700STi. The **TK700** would better suit the space. At 12 feet we can fit a , 110” image size on the wall • 110” diagonal is 8 Feet Wide by 4’6” Tall. For projector screen options, I would recommend these: • Manual Pull Down: • [Akia Screens 110 inch Pull Down Projector Screen Manual B 16:9](https://amzn.to/4kK19ZA) • [Elite Screens Manual B 110-INCH Manual Pull Down Projector Screen](https://amzn.to/4n88Fiu) • [Akia Screens 110 inch Projector Screen Pull Down 16:9 Manual, Ceiling Mount or Wall Mount Retractable Projection Screen with 10 inch Bracket White bundle](https://amzn.to/4jX8gNh) —— • Fixed Frame Screens: • [Akia Screens Fixed Frame Projector Screen 110 inch 16:9](https://amzn.to/3HNe3ru) • [Silver Ticket 110” Fixed Frame Projector Screen 16:9](https://amzn.to/4leW0c4)

i have the tk700sti, it is okish in a shaded room. not ideal, but not bad. you don't need pitch dark to enjoy, a little light is fine. if its night time and you have a lamp in a corner of a room it is still fine. i sometimes watch movies with dimm lights while i eat and it is ok. tk700sti is 3000 lumen.