BenQ TK800M 4K UHD Home Theater Projector with HDR and HLG | 3000 Lumens for Ambient Lighting | 96% Rec. 709 for Accurate Colors | Keystone for Easy Setup

Comment

I always set the stage of my reviews with a little context, so here we go... One year ago, I was able to review both the BenQ HT2550 and the BenQ TK800. They both represented a good 4K value into the still very young 4K projector market. BenQ was the first to announce consumer 4K projectors for less than $1,500. I enjoyed the TK800ʼs combination of brightness, color, and picture quality so much that I made it my primary projector in my large dedicated 160” screen home theater for over 8 months. I watch a lot of sports, movies, tv shows, and play a lot of video games. I use my theater for just about everything so a great ‘all rounderʼ projector with brightness chops and good color to boot is a must. The TK800 fit the bill with a few niggles, but overall, I highly recommended that projector to those in a similar situation as my own. This year, BenQ is positioning itself with several offerings in the affordable 4K projector space. I have recently reviewed the HT3550, a 2000 lumen 4K projector well suited for dark room viewing. I am very high on the HT3550 for what it does very well; 4K HDR with great color for the price. The HT3550 offers the first dynamic iris in a DLP in this price range, auto tone mapping HDR, better blacks, user upgradable firmware, and a shorter throw among other goodies. I am also currently reviewing the HT5550, the 3550ʼs older and more polished brother with a substantial black chassis, even better color coverage, contrast, and much much better placement flexibility. Then there is this TK800M, essentially a refined version of the TK800 from last year, that is being offered as the ‘valueʼ projector in their 4K lineup... AND ITS NO SLOUCH! The upgrades hit home for me. Before diving into the TK800M lets talk again about what the TK800 already did very well and how BenQ was positioning it last year. The TK800 was marketed for “Vivid Living Room Entertainment”. Itʼs higher brightness allowed it to cut through ambient light to make watching sports, playing games, or anything else people did in rooms with ambient light. The TK800 performed in this regard with aplomb. The reason I was so high on the TK800 is that it was able to do this and still offer a very good 92% Rec 709 color space coverage out of the box. So why the new model? Why the TK800M? BenQ is the first DLP manufacturer to implement TIʼs updated .47” DMD this year. The TK800M is among the first of these projectors to ship with this updated DMD which means NO LIGHT BORDER around this screen. Not only does this help with contrast (a bit) but also the level of immersion one can expect from their viewing. The other change made is an all new lens that promises better sharpness and contrast compared to last yearʼs model. This new lens is a 1.1x zoom instead of a 1.2x zoom, so there is a tradeoff of placement flexibility. More later. I have spent quite a bit of time with this projector. I left it up as my primary driver longer than expected because I enjoyed it so much. But letʼs get into my subjective impressions.... 4K Sharpness and Lens This projector achieves a “True 4K” (as defined by CTA) image of 8.3 millions on- screen pixel by shifting its native 1080p chip four times. This is known as XPR shifting. Let me just say that this little TK800M is the sharpest 4K projector I have seen. That is comparing it to the HT2550, TK800, Epson 4000, HT3550, HT5550, and Epson 5050UB (currently reviewing). And the sharpness is not anomalous to the unit. I have gone through two review units of this projector and both exhibit the same insane level of sharpness Iʼve yet to see on a projector. I can clearly see individual pixels. The focus knob has the widest range Iʼve seen in a small projector for the purpose of very easily making adjustments and finding that ‘just rightʼ focus. The new lens does an amazing job at creating a pixel perfect sharpness that really blew me away compared to the other six 4K projectors that have been through my theater. With that said, the lens does exhibit some minor chromatic aberration. On my 160” screen this is only noticeable at about 3 feet from the screen. My normal viewing was not affected by the aberration , however, so no harm no foul. HDR Compared to the TK800 unit I reviewed last year, BenQ has done a great job updating their future firmware releases with improved tone mapping for 4K HDR content. What I felt was very good HDR last year is improved upon this year. I also really like how a new mode called “HDR10” is engaged when HDR content is detected. This is nice to have your HDR specific HDR image settings are automatically called up. Projector manufacturers like Epson and Optoma can take a page out of BenQʼs book here. After being spoiled with how good HDR is on the HT3550 last month, coming back to TK800 made me realize even more just how good HDR is on the HT3550. When comparing the two, detail in shadows and highlights is much better handled by the HT3550 as is the overall brightness of the HDR image on the HT3550. The auto tone mapping does wonders on that projector and the TK800M just canʼt compete, although it does produce a really nice HDR picture. Where the TK800M CAN compete with HDR is in HDR gaming. Just like last year, the TK800M supports full 18gbps HDMI which means that it can handle the PS4/ Xbox One Xʼs full spec for 4K HDR gaming at 60 frames per second. So lets talk about gaming... GAME ON I have an Xbox One X and when choosing between the HT3550 and the TK800M, I choose the TK800M for gaming. 4K HDR gaming is simply amazing to play on. I play Halo Master Chief Collection and Forza Horizon 4 more than anything else and its hard to put into words how great it is in this regard. As far as 0.47” DMD 4K DLPs go, the TK800M has the fastest input lag among them all. I measured 42ms of input lag. This would be considered ‘good not greatʼ input lag. As a casual gamer, this is getting into the range of input lag that is hard for me to notice. The only other way to get lower input lag for 4K gaming in this price range is to go with the Epson 4010 for 33ms input lag. The tradeoff here is that the Epson costs $500 more (when on sale), only displays 4M on-screen pixels (some may not notice), and only supports 10gbps HDMI... so no 4K HDR @ 60 FPS. The Optoma HD27HDR (8ms 120hz/16ms 60hz input lag) is another gaming focused projector that can ‘acceptʼ a 4K signal, but only displays a 1080p image which kind of defeats the purpose of focusing on 4K gaming. All things said and done, I hope BenQ continues to focus on pushing the limits of image processing on their scaler/ shifter to bring their 4K projectorʼs input lag down even further. Two weeks ago, I had seven of my friends over for our monthly “Halo Night”. We always have a team of 4 on the projector in the theater and a team of 4 in the adjacent room with a 60” TV. I had two TK800M review units at the time and decided to put one in my theater, and the other TK800M projecting onto the wall in the other room instead of the usual TV. My friend, who is a discerning techie himself, said at least five times throughout the night, “What projector is this? This thing is amazing to game on.” The TK800M was a hit for game night. It offered a MUCH better gaming experience compared to the TV we usually play on for that room. The only drawback of the TK800M that some might find objectionable is the limited placement flexibility. I mentioned previously that the TK800M has an even smaller zoom than the TK800 which already was knocked for lack of lens shift. What this means is that to produce a 100” image, the closest the projector can be to the screen is 11 feet away with its 1.5-165 throw ratio. So you need to consider how big you want the image to be and if placing on a table, will that be in front of or behind viewers? BRIGHTNESS A strong suit of the TK800M, the projectorʼs brightness is its friend. You wouldnʼt put a clear slice in a dark-room projector, but for the TK800Mʼs intended purpose of being a high brightness projector for ambient light, the extra lumens are welcome from the optimized color wheel. I am able to watch sports, movies, game, and really do anything with the back half of my theater completely illuminated. This is great for sports viewing parties where I have food on the back bar and people coming and going. The other thing I love about the increased white brightness is that when there are white highlights on the screen, they REALLY pop. That could be a bad thing for some, but not for me. Its not overly distracting either. What that extra pop of brightness does is improve the perceived contrast to the human eye when content is on the screen. So lets talk about contrast performance... CONTRAST/BLACKS The extra white lumens really do their job improving the perceived contrast when there is content on the screen. The omission of the light border also helps perceived contrast relative to last yearʼs model. Where contrast struggles is in dark scenes since the black floor on this projector isnʼt exceptional. However, the intended audience for this projector is for high ambient light and living room use. In any living room or high ambient light environment, that ambient light hitting the screen negates any benefit from good performing contrast projectors. So for that reason, its hard to knock this projector since the contrast performance isnʼt bad for its intended audience. So at the end of the day, with the perceived improved contrast on bright scenes and lower contrast on dark scenes, its kind of a wash on contrast performance for the target audience. One thing to note on contrast, and perhaps something that BenQ can improve on in future designs is the lens ring assembly. They have already vastly improved the design for this yearʼs HT3550 which has virtually no light leakage off the front of the projector. However, the TK800Mʼs lens is recessed far back in a depressing that is lined with a reflective blue finish. This results in a fair amount of reflection, not from the lens or engine itself, but from the adjacent reflections in that lens depression itself. When this light is dispersed over a large area in an environment that is not light controlled, you will never notice it. But in a dark viewing setup, I would recommend lining that area with some black velour telescope flocking tape. Or projector screen tape. That completely eliminated light leakage/reflections on my unit, only serving to improve contrast further. 3D Canʼt do a review without getting into 3D performance. The 3D performance improves on the TK800. The image is very bright and seems to use its native lamp mode to illuminate such a bright image from the get-go. This results in a slightly green-tinge that can be adjusted/calibrated to get a more color accurate 3D image. It is bright though, Iʼll give you that. What has also improved on the TK800M is that you no longer have to manually engage 3D. 3D will automatically be detected and switched into 3D mode when content is played from a 3D Blu Ray. For personal libraries of 3D content, just make sure the source is displaying 1080p then play your side by side, top/bottom, or frame sequential 3D content, and then select the applicable 3D mode. I had no issue playing all of my 3D titles from my Plex library on my Nvidia Shield. COLOR As previously stated, color on this is really great considering it is a high brightness projector. Last year BenQ marketed the HT2550 as a color accurate projector intended for critical viewing. That projector was rated for 96% Rec 709 color coverage and had 2,200 lumens. The TK800M is rated at 96% Rec 709 and is rated at 3,000 lumens. This is an improvement from 92% coverage of the TK800 last year. So it certainly seems like it is eating its cake and having it too in relation to brightness and color accuracy. CONCLUSION People who know me already know Iʼve been high on the TK800. The TK800M makes that projector even better with the exception of its slightly worse placement flexibility. BenQ continues to build its TK line. As the second entry into the TK family, the TK800M represents a very good, albeit iterative upgrade over the TK800. While the removal of the light border will turn many heads, what stands out most about this projector relative to others Iʼve had the pleasure of review has to be incredible sharpness Iʼve observed. At $1,299, it represents a great value for its performance. This will be the projector I recommend to just about anyone interested in a projector for high ambient light or gaming setups! In classic ‘I like/Mehʼ fashion I like: -Really good combo of brightness/color -Best in class 8.3M pixel 4K input lag of 42ms -SHARPNESS! Sharpest 4K Iʼve seen. -No more light border -18 gbps HDMI -Great 4K HDR gaming projector -3D -Great for sports Meh: -Blacks/contrast in dark scenes -Light ring light reflections -Reduced zoom, placement flexibility

Show more

Comment

Ive had this Projector for over a few weeks now and it glitches out when I am trying to play movies from my 4k Blu Ray player and my Xbox 1. Everything is hooked up right (my Nintendo Switch and Roku work just fine through it) but for some reason it glitches out trying to play movies. Also it glitches out going to apps on the Xbox it says it wont connect. Anyone have any solutions?

Show more

Comment

My first 4K projector and it did not disappoint! The best picture and color I have had in my home. I can even watch this thing during the day or with lights on at night. Throw ratio is a bit lacking but I was able to move projector back a bit to get my optimum screen size of 150”

Show more

Comment

I really feel that I got far more than what I paid. the picture quality is outstanding with a wide range of color adjustments to get it just right. Picture looks great when the lights are on. I have a 15 foot wide screen and love the 4K quality and the picture quality when projected that large. Not having any kind of lens shift requires proper placement. I use a rolling carts and a tripod with a tray because I do not always sit the same distance from my screen. zoom is average, nothing to brag about but nothing to complain about. For the person that will set this up in a permanent place resume will work just fine. Or someone like me, that moves there projector, I am moving the projector more than I can get out of the zoom. BenQ website has a great throw range calculator. I had an LCD projector before this and the LCD was brighter, but I feel the picture quality on the BenQ is superior. You can adjust the trailer James and ranges to get the brightness youre looking for. Very happy with the Eco modes, they are bright enough oh, and you can still adjust the color ranges, and its nice knowing Im gaining thousands of hours of lamp life using the Eco settings. For the tech nerd there are a wide range of options to adjust and you will find yourself adjusting them depending upon the contents. Gaming is outstanding in 4k. Frame rate is outstanding and you have never really played a video game the right way until you played it on a 15 foot screen. There are not a lot of reviews online for the tk800m. Most reviews are for the tk800. Fan noise is unnoticeable to me even at normal lamp settings. To get the best 4K picture, brightness, and solid quality Im very pleased I decided to jump into a DLP projector and leave the LCD behind. for not spending thousands of dollars on a projector, I feel I have a piece of equipment that costs thousands of dollars. Especially when hire models have far less lumen count.

Show more

Comment

0:00 0:00 This video is not intended for all audiences. What date were you born? January February March April May June July August September October November December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 Submit Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Install Flash Player Wow this thing is freaking sweet words cant do it justice so i uploaded a quick video. Subnautica on the wall! After some testing. It plays 3D games from the pc great wasnt too hard to setup requires an older nvidia graphics card. Get hold of nvidia support to get the link. And it walks through the wizard dont need the nvidia 3D glasses has to be dlp projector glasses. 3D movies look good and work no problems with blueray player or pc. Its got everything you need no game lag.

Show more

Comment

I am not sure if I am just not techy enough to understand the best calibration for my projector. I also purchased the 100" silver screen from Amazon and have my projector at the correct throw distance based on the BenQ recommendations. Whats frustrating is whenever I tweak a calibration then another particular calibration adjusts and then I have a worse off picture than when I started. I wish there were guides for optimal calibration for each mode setting(sport, theatre, etc.). It seems when I am watching sports on any mode the screen is just a tad bit blurry and then when the screen jumps to a closer view of the players the high def stands out. Please help with calibration or I am going to have to return the unit and get the HT3550. Thank You

Show more

Comment

Took me several adjustments, fine tuning controls, now screen picture is very nice. Very happy with purchase, color is like 4k TV. Very happy. Watch first movie tonight, family loved it.

Show more

Comment

The picture quality is amazing. Wanted a projector that didnt compromise on colors even with a high brightness. So far Im not disappointed

Show more

Comment

A few weeks ago I wrote a review on the TK800 that I purchased in January. I mention that I liked the projector picture quality but the lag time bother me somewhat. I never mention the light border, I never saw it, doe to my fix screen 4" black velvet border. I did not want to send the projector back for the firmware update due to the time it would take to get it back. A few days after I posted my review, I received an Email from Andy L. at BenQ offering me a swap for the updated Tk800m wish I promptly accepted. It took overnight to receive the new projector. WOW! After setting it up. I found that the lag time was much more improved. The Menu seams to be a bit more friendly And the picture is just as great or maybe a bit more contrast. Or maybe an illusion. I want to thank BenQ Andy, Sean and Derek for the outstanding customer service.

Show more