BenQ TK700STi 4K HDR Gaming Projector | 4K 60Hz | 1080p 240Hz 4.16ms Low Latency I 3000lm | 100” at 6.5 ft | RPG FPS Sport Modes| PS5 | Xbox Series X I HDMI 2.0b | 2D Keystone I eARC | Golf Simulation
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Fish
> 24 hourTLDR version: Heaven for PC gaming and movies alike. Long version below. I use this projector for PC gaming (I run an RTX 3080) and as a home theater for steaming movies and shows (right now, primarily the latter, but that more because of my schedule, and I hope to change this soon). The picture quality (to include brightness and HDR) on this thing is top notch, so let’s get that out of the way. Frame rates at resolutions that are pretty competitive with high end PC gaming monitors give you a lot to love about this monitor for gamers... oh and at 100 inches. The price for performance on how this thing functions as a gaming monitor is pretty incredible at this size. Also, for the picture quality at the size you can easily get out of this thing, it beats the snot out of paying 5k + for an 80ish inch OLED TV. This thing compares favorably in terms of brightness, resolution and color with all but the highest end OLED TVs for a FRACTION of the price. Picture-wise, this thing is nothing short of amazing. I do not have this set up in a completely blacked out room, and I would say that the issues I have with natural lighting while using the projector during the day are different but equal to the issues I have watching a TV in a similarly lit room (light dilution vs glare, etc.). That’s a solvable problem; consider a window blackout solution if that’s a concern. Also, if you’re going to go in for this beast, I highly recommend a dedicated screen. Don’t debase the amazing picture quality of this beautiful machine by projecting onto a painted wall, that’s just silly. The Meh: Sometimes the projector seems to get confused with input devices; when I want to use the projector as a computer monitor, sometimes I need to power cycle one or the other. Not sure what this is about, but it’s barely a minor inconvenience, and the couple of times it’s happened it has been when I am deliberately messing around with display settings pretty hard. It may very well be entirely on my PC. The remote that comes with the projector is… mixed. The Android TV dongle that comes with the projector and the way the remote controls both projector AND the “smart TV” ish functionality is pretty great, the remote just isn’t the most responsive. Slow, spaced-out and very “deliberate” button pressing seems to be the key. This is not a big deal in itself; the finicky remote is particularly annoying when adjusting projector settings and the volume on the onboard speaker (which functions but isn’t going to win any awards). So, while the android TV dongle and it’s seamless integration with the remote is a really, really nice touch, it isn’t perfect. Beyond some of the remote clunkiness, there isnt an organic solution for Netflix, and in general, I found that a 4K fire stick it more responsive as a streaming device… the great news is that you can pop a fire stick into the same HDMI slot AND power source on the monitor that is intended for the android TV dongle. Right now, that’s what I’m doing, and the biggest downside seems to be that I have another remote in the mix (but I like the Amazon one better anyway). When I’m feeling brave I’ll see if I can figure out how to power on the projector through the Amazon remote, but it hasn’t bothered me enough to try yet. Anyway, to me this is more of an option than a real complaint, and the fact that the projector comes equipped with what is essentially an organic smart TV functionality should be seen as a bonus… especially at this price point. EDIT: I definitely recommend a sound system that matches the quality of the picture on this projector to do the experience justice. Finding a sound bar that worked with this set up was a BIT of a challenge. At the end of the day, something that has eARC/HDMI functionality is the key, but I also recommend something with a wide variety of input format compatibility. My initial review was pretty heated because I fought a Klipsch Cinema 600 for 2 weeks with missed results - after all that it turned out it was the soundbar (I’m fairly tech savvy, but the problems and solutions to them when they worked were way bizarre, and the soundbar was theoretically compatible). I went with a Samsung HW-Q800, and that was easy to set up, and HDMI ARC worked with the normal amount of setting fiddling, and it sounds great. I edited my review to hopefully save someone the headache, and to correct my mistake in thinking the issue with connectivity was on the projector - it was not. Bottom Line: this projector is…. Amazing. The price per performance on a projector that delivers most of the functionality you’d expect out of a high end gaming monitor (for a similar price on a WAY smaller screen) at up to 120 inches is just. Plain. Dumb. In the best way possible. If you have a stereotypical “man cave” game room and you want to add a screen that is just stupidly big and beautiful for both a quality gaming and home theater experience, look no further. As a point of comparison: Next to a top of the line OLED TV (my original option for down here) that could perform in gaming at the same level, you might say that the OLED looked better- but for 83 inches you’re going to pay something like 4 times the price of this projector (my reason for taking the plunge and buying a projector for the first time). To me, this projector offered 85% of the experience I wanted from an OLED TV at 25% of the price- that math was easy. I personally feel that by almost any other metric, this projector matches or wins in all categories against any remotely comparable TV.
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L. West
> 24 hourI purchased the TK700STI to replace a BenQ projector the W1080ST projector that was only HD and 2000 lumens. I had trouble finding a quality 4K overhead projector with the same short throw of 10 with a 165 screen. I had to move the projector back 2 to the next ceiling stud with a 12 throw. But that filled the 165 diagonal screen nicely. The increased brightness at 3000 lumens was much nicer, even though I had a dark theater room. The colors were much better, even though its limited to Rec 709 96%, not the DCI P3 with a bit more color. But the color is very good, and I cant find a DCI P3 projector with short throw at any price. The resolution is better in 4K of course. But all DLP like this use dithering to create the higher resolution. The only noticeable effect is with dark lettering on a white background, when I see a faint ghost around all side of the letters. Generally, its not noticeable and high-resolution color scenes look great! The low latency is good for gaming, but I dont use it for that.
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Moe
> 24 hourI wanted a ceiling mountable 4K projector for my golf launch monitor and golf simulator software and this fits the bill for projecting onto a 150 inch screen ... for hitting golf balls into! (An ultra short throw projector just wouldnt work because they require a screen to be super tight and the balls would ricochet off the screen and hurt someone! The TK700STi appears to be comparable in brightness and 4K quality to my UST laser projector that projects onto a UST screen! Its about half the price and the bulb should last for years since Im only using it as a golf simulator projector! Cant go wrong for the price!
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Brian Hasal
> 24 hourI am happy I bought the BenQ TK700STi. I am a gamer with a PS5 plugged in to an hdmi switcher, which is plugged in to the projector that is a 50 cable-run away. I bought the projector, and after using the device for about a month, I was very disappointed. When I turned on the projector, 50% of the time it had difficulty finding/keeping signal: It would boot, and show a low res version of what should be on the screen, and would refresh often for 1-2 minutes until the signal was clear. I was concerned about my unit being faulty, so I returned it back to Amazon. I loved the BenQ700, when it worked, so I bought another one. Imagine my dismay when the same lossy signal was true for this unit as well. This time, I wrote to BenQs tech support, and Im here to share a quote from one of their emails to me: For connections over 10ft. We recommend using 10ft or fewer cables with repeaters between connections to keep the signal strong enough, so my problem was using a 50 hdmi cable only. I was, and am, unhappy that I couldnt use the device as intended without spending more money, but I was outside of the return window for the projector, and when the projector worked it was glorious. I was able to solve the problem with a 20 hdmi cable, a 30 hdmi cable, and an hdmi repeater, all from Amazon. It works with: - HDMI Cable 8K & 4K – HDMI to HDMI – 20 ft & other HDMI Cables from 1ft to 50ft (supports 8K@60Hz, 4K@120Hz, 1080p & all HDMI devices like PS5, Xbox, Switch – Ultra High Speed HDMI cord with Ethernet) CableDirect - HDMI Cable 4K – 30ft – with A.I.S Shielding – Designed in Germany (Supports All HDMI Devices Like PS5, Xbox, Switch – 4K@120Hz, High Speed HDMI Cord with Ethernet, Black) by CableDirect - Cable Matters Active HDMI to HDMI Repeater (Female to Female HDMI 2.0 Signal Booster) with 4K 60Hz Resolution and HDR for Blu-ray Player, HDTV, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift VR Headset and More Now, so far, it works like a charm. If anything changes, I will update here.
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Scholarly
> 24 hourNot for small text on screen
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Vinnyfast
> 24 hourThis is supposed to be a great projector for gamers, which Im not, so primarily will be using for movies. The reason I purchased this one is that I wanted to project a 150 image from about 10 feet distance. Not very many short throws that have 4K, adequate brightness, half decent contrast, and good quality within this price range. I must say I was pleasantly surprised after hooking it up, which was very easy, that I didnt need to do any picture adjustments at all, and the clarity, color, brightness, and sharpness of the picture exceeding my expectations. I thought the fan noise might be an issue, but not noticeable at all. Now for the shortfalls. This projector is really finicky! I had to send it back to get the latest update, but even after that, has some quirks. For one, takes a few seconds to search for the connected input, even with auto search off. Screen tends to go blank after every change, eg. watching the next youtube video. Sometimes it can take a few minutes to find my ps3, tried changing the hdmi cable but same issue. Tried the 3D, and works great, but during a 10 minute preview of a 3d movie, lost the 3d signal half a dozen times. Gaming is flawless! Also one final thing to note. Most people may not notice it, but the room tends to get a bit warm and stuffy after a couple of hours as this thing puts out a lot of heat, as most projectors do. This is my 4th projector and overall the best Ive ever owned. Picture quality, brightness, clarity, and resolution are the best for the price.
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davidtriune
> 24 hourI returned for a BenQ TH690ST, which isnt a fair comparison since its something like the 1080p version of a x3000. But here are my reasons for the switch. The TK700STi gets too hot, its actually warming up my room. terrible for summer. The fan is also whirring constantly, noisy during gaming. The TH690ST doesnt get hot. in fact, its so cool that the fan is almost unnecessary. Its barely audible on eco mode. This also means a much lower electric bill, and Im not afraid of leaving the screen on anymore. The TH690ST practically never needs to replace the lamp, whereas the TK700STi needs to replace every year or two. The TH690ST has a few feet shorter throw, convenient for many people gaming in a bedroom. The TH690ST has better colors, while TK700STi is washed out in comparison, expected of LEDs vs bulbs. x3000i is supposedly even better. I noticed some rainbow effect while scanning my eyes on the TK700STi , but not on TH690ST. Also LEDs are supposedly healthier for the eyes, since bulbs give off more harmful light. On the other hand, TK700STi has an edge in framerate, though not that noticeable in my eyes TK700STi has better latency, which IS noticeable in my eyes TK700STis got 4k. I personally decided that Im more than ok giving up 4k for a few hundred bucks. Projectors make 1080p look really good, on the big screen. YMMV. But heres the takeaway. I really dont get why incandescent bulb projectors are being marketed to gamers when LED ones exist. They make so much more sense, especially because of the longer lamp life. Serious gamers will burn through bulbs so fast theyll become poor, since they usually cant afford much other things. (psst get yours used) Sadly theres not many on the market besides the two I mentioned from BenQ. Not low latency ones, anyway. Its also curious to see so many cheap 1080p LED projectors pop up these days. I just bought a $50 HAPPRUN L1 for kicks and its actually pretty ok and functional. Are projectors really that cheap to manufacture? Granted its LCD not DLP but.. Makes you wonder why you pay $1k for a lamp projector whose lamp itself costs as much as a LCD projector which lasts forever. So I urge you to get LED over bulb whenever possible, for gaming. Though I havent really considered laser (since its in a different price tier, gets hot, and doesnt last as long).
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Joey Fields
> 24 hourI bought this with a 120 screen and use it for console gaming. When paired with my PS5 and a high quality sound bar, the picture and sound are amazing. No noticeable input lag in 4k, and the projector can be made very bright. My only complaint is the mount that comes with it is slightly wobbly. Its only noticeable when people are walking on the floor upstairs directly above where this is mounted, as I get a slight picture shake.