BenQ True TK850 Projector Review

Product Name: BenQ True TK850 Projector

Product Description: The BenQ TK850 4K projector is packed with amazing features including HDR10 & HLG support, Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and Digital Light Processing (DLP) Technology as well as CineMaster Audio+ 2. That is a lot of power under the bonnet. You get 4K UHD 3840x 2160px screen resolution displaying over 8.3 million pixels, 1.07 billion colors per frame with a 0.47-inch Digital Light Processing (DLP) chip, which makes images look very realistic and super bright.

Offer price: 1,400 - 2,100

Currency: USD

Availability: OnlineOnly

• Build Quality
• Performance
• Features
• Easy to Use

4.8

Summary

One of the BenQ True TK850 projector’s strengths is its ability to display bright and colorful images, along with solid black levels, good shadow details, and excellent motion performance. Without a doubt, the projector offers amazing performance for the price. It has a super easy setup that does not require any complex connections or calibrations which is very helpful as often one can easily get lost. Also, the remote control is very attractive and interesting, its illuminated buttons and pinkish backlight make it easy to use and navigate. All wrapped up in a rather affordable price tag which makes this an amazing projector for both indoors and outdoors that will never let you down.

Pros

Outstanding brightness
Amazing sports mode
Sharp 4K images
Excellent HDR10 and HLG support
Great projector for 3D content

Cons

No streaming apps
Black levels need improvement
Lacks wide color gamut
High input lag
Inaccurate colors

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User Review

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BenQ TK850 4K Projector Review

BenQ offers a wide range of projectors from high-end to budget-friendly. This Taiwanese company has been in the industry for quite a long time, so there is no doubt they must be doing something right. Some of their outstanding 4K UHD projectors come at a rather affordable price and one of these is the newest kid in the block. The TK series known as BenQ TK850 ticks many boxes and has some remarkable features and surprising performance. For some companies, cheaper prices mean compromising on quality or features, but BenQ stands out from everyone else because their prices are affordable (within logic) and they actually give you so much value for money. The BenQ TK850 4K projector is packed with amazing features including HDR10 & HLG support, Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and Digital Light Processing (DLP) Technology as well as CineMaster Audio+ 2. That is a lot of power under the bonnetThe TK850 has a twin model, called the HT3550, which has almost the same features as the more expensive versions. The main difference between the two is that the TK850 has better brightness ratio, which is ideal for bright rooms and outdoor events, while the BenQ HT3550 is perfect as a home theater system with stunning and rich colors and works best in a dark room/ environment. Also, the TK850 has a 4-segment RGBW color wheel which gets you brighter pictures, but the HT3550 excels in that area as it has a 6-segment RBGRBG color wheel which renders richer and more accurate colors. Based on their factory calibration, TK850 has 98% Rec.709 color accuracy with 3000 ANSI lumens compared to HT3550’s 100% Rec.709 color accuracy with 2000 ANSI lumens. To cut it short, it is fair to say that the BenQ True TK850 projector renders brighter pictures and the BenQ HT3550 provides slightly more accurate images (we honestly can’t tell that much of a difference when watching them separately)> Bottom line is, take the TK850 if you plan to use it in daylight conditions, the BenQ HT3550 if you will have it in a dark/darkish room.

Overview

The BenQ True TK850 projector is a great example of a consumer-grade device with high-end features. You get 4K UHD 3840x 2160px screen resolution displaying over 8.3 million pixels, 1.07 billion colors per frame with a 0.47-inch Digital Light Processing (DLP) chip, which makes images look very realistic and super bright. In addition to this­, you get support for HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) along with color enhance optimization thanks to HDR-PRO technology. Colors pop out of the screen and they look stunning. We did notice that it falls a little short on contrast and color accuracy but nothing that bothered us to the point of being disturbing. Image detail on dark scenes tends to fade away due to over brightness so it is important to set the right brightness level to avoid it. The BenQ TK850 4K projector compensates for this thanks to a Dynamic Iris which helps to keep a standard brightness of the images throughout and allows the dark parts to come through full of detail. 

Key Specifications

• 4K UHD on-screen resolution via Pixel-Shift Technology
• 0.47-inch DMD DLP display system
• 1920 x 1080 Full HD native chip resolution
• 3000 lumens maximum brightness
• 16:9 aspect ratio
• 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• RGBW 4-segment color wheel
• HDR10 and HLG support
• 245-watt lamp power
• 4,000 – 15,000 hours lamp life
• 100 – 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz AC input power
• 280- 350 watts power consumption
• 15 x 5 x 10.4 inches dimensions
• 4.17 kg of weight
• 10-watt speaker power
• 12-volt trigger control output
• HDMI inputs, USB, TOSLINK audio output

Design

Looks-wise, the BenQ True TK850 projector is sleek, with a smooth and simple design. Its round edges and almost all-white exterior are easy on the eyes. Though it is a bit bulky at 15 x 5 x 10.4 inches, it is still a lightweight and compact device at 4.17 kg. All I/O ports are placed at the back of the projector which consists of two HDMI 2.0 inputs to connect our gaming consoles or DVD players, designated ports for USB 3.0, S/PDIF, RS-232, and audio output with a 12-volt trigger to notify the projector when other devices are connected. While on top of the projector is where you find the control buttons for power, menu, ok, back, and source along with the directional pad or D-pad. 

The BenQ TK850 has several light indicators to show when power in on, lamp, and temperature control to avoid overheating. We always suggest unplugging the projector after every use instead of leaving it on standby mode because for some reason, power still runs through and we notice that they can get warm. Best to be safe than sorry, especially as you might only be using the projector for special occasions and might use a TV for your day to day watching.

When it comes to the projector’s remote, we feel they have done a very good job, it really is beautifully made and very easy to use. Its two-tone silver color has a reflective finish and all buttons illuminate with a pinkish backlight, which makes navigation in the dark so much easier. They have spent some time thinking about this and you do feel it is not an afterthought.

Setup

So before anything else, there are few things you need to do to set up the BenQ TK850 4K projector. The first thing is to zoom and focus the lens on the wall manually. There’s a small hatch on top of the projector that covers the lens, just slide it down to open. Slightly adjust it left and right until you achieve the maximum screen size of 100 inches at 8.2 feet away, then push the lens forward and back until the image is as sharp and clear as possible. You can also use the lens shift wheel to make the pictures higher or lower until you are satisfied with the setting. Also, a manual elevation stand at the front edge is added to modify the projector’s height. After the settings are done, you can now plug any source via HDMI or USB and it is ready for a movie night or game session.

Features

True 4K UHD and HDR-PRO

True 4K UHD resolution helps in reducing blurriness for stunning and clear images, especially in gaming mode. Thanks to HDR10 & HLG support, the BenQ TK850 4K projector delivers a fantastic high contrast range which displays so many details of the images. We were quite impressed by the image quality and how bright and vivid the images are. With a resolution of 3840 x 2160 and over 8.3 million pixels, you will soon realize that you are looking at superior image quality and in fact, the ideal color contrast for a home theater. Finally, with the BenQ TK850 4K projector, enjoying a true cinematic experience is just a click away in the comfort of your home. 

Tone Mapping & DMD DLP Technology

While other projectors lose image detail and often display imbalanced greyscales, BenQ enhances its Tone Mapping abilities using Dynamic Iris and Dynamic Black Technology. These features control the amount of light output the projector displays and increases and manage the correct contrast. These adjustments are designed to emphasize the dark details clearly while at the same time preventing the bright scenes from being a total washout. To make things even better, BenQ also includes Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology inside which helps to keep its multiple panels aligned and in place to deliver sharper and crisper images. And to make sure that the TK850 shows realistic images and superior brightness levels, BenQ uses an optical system with the highest grade of glass. The lens has a very low-dispersion and chromatic aberration, which in the real world means that you can enjoy watching shows, movies or playing games in awesome brilliant clarity.

CineMaster Audio+ 2

The BenQ True TK850 projector provides a custom-tuned sound mode, also known as the CineMaster Audio+2, which gives a very loud and crisp sound that guarantees the brilliant audiovisual experiences with any type of entertainment. Its built-in 10-watt speakers inside a resonant sound chamber produce a powerful bass to help you indulge in immersive sound quality. Using the same exclusive EQ algorithms used in the Hollywood studios, the audio out of the speakers is surprisingly neat and clear. It is great to finally get a projector with the right sound quality to match the high-quality images it produces. We were quite impressed by it, actually, taken by surprise as we did not expect it. We always recommend the use or addition of a soundbar or speaker system to get the best audio and sound but this projector has a surprisingly good sound system built-in. You will get a brilliant audiovisual experience, whatever type of entertainment you choose to use this projector with. 

Performance

At 3000 ANSI lumens, it is difficult for the BenQ TK850 4K projector to go unnoticed. The brightness is actually very comfortable to the eyes, especially when the lights are off (as with every other projector, they excel in dark rooms), but it is reassuring to know that you can still get amazing picture quality even in moderate ambient light. Another advantage of having a High Dynamic Range is that it makes gaming images bright and vivid with excellent detail. However, the input lag is quite disappointing, which is kind of a big deal with gamers. We are not sure this is a projector for gamers that require fast-moving or POV action.

HDR support enhances the contrast to give richer and sharper colors compared to Standard Dynamic Range (SDR). The BenQ TK850 will definitely stand out if you use it for projecting sports thanks to its Sports Mode, which is absolutely amazing. It goes without saying that the BenQ allows you to create or customize your settings based on your personal preferences and store them as User mode, which can be very helpful when going from let’s say sports, to movies, with totally different settings.

in terms of sound quality, the 10 watts speakers pack quite a punch and will be fine for most people. However, we still feel sound could be a lot better if you pair it to a soundbar or external speakers. We could hear some small, almost unnoticeable internal noises but there were so faint that we don’t think most people will even notice, let alone bother while using it. 

Conclusion

One of the BenQ True TK850 projector’s strengths is its ability to display bright and colorful images, along with solid black levels, good shadow details, and excellent motion performance. Without a doubt, the projector offers amazing performance for the price. It has a super easy setup that does not require any complex connections or calibrations which is very helpful as often one can easily get lost. Also, the remote control is very attractive and interesting, its illuminated buttons and pinkish backlight make it easy to use and navigate. All wrapped up in a rather affordable price tag which makes this an amazing projector for both indoors and outdoors that will never let you down.

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.