So often when someone talks about or thinks about home theater or home entertainment the message can often shift from the fun these systems to deliver, to the cost of these systems.
Looking to redirect these discussions back to the performance and fun that 4K, HDR and immersive audio can deliver, the global electronics company BenQ not long ago introduced its TK710 4K projector.
The affordably priced projector is designed to provide users with 4K images that upgrade their gaming, streaming and general media consumption experiences. Sending me the projector to try on my own, I inserted the TK710 into my AV system to see how it would fare with the content I enjoy.
The small projector is about the size of a portable projector, but unlike a portable projector, the new BenQ unit incorporates a host of features to support home theater, streaming content and gaming.
Without reading too much into the new TK710 projector, I believe it was primarily developed for the gaming community, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for theater, broadcast and streaming. The small footprint-projector utilizes a laser-based light engine to produce up to 3,200 lumens of brightness, and the projector’s laser-light engine can deliver up to 20,000 hours of usage.
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According to BenQ the TK710 also reproduces 95% of the Rec. 709 color space and through its DLP chipset, the projector can reproduce a 4K UHD image. The projector also offers compatibility with the HDR10 format, and it provides a wealth of gaming friendly features such as its HDR-RPG and FPS modes, and a low input lag rating of just 4.16ms.
Other options the TK710 provides include a 1.3 zoom, vertical lens shift capabilities, and ARC and eARC support.
The BenQ projector is rated to produce up to 3,200 ANSI lumens of brightness
The TK710 delivers 95% of the Rec. 709 color space
BenQ incorporates a laser-light engine rated for as much as 20,000 hours of life
The TK710 supports the HDR10 high dynamic range format
BenQ states the TK710 offers its HDR-RPG and FPS gaming modes
The DLP-based UHD projector is said to offer a low input lag of just 4.16ms
BenQ says the retail price is $1,799
Setting up the projector took a matter of minutes. Once I unboxed the unit, I simply placed it on my projector shelf, which is approximately 12 feet from my 100-inch Screen Innovations (SI) Zero Edge Pro screen with the company’s Pure White 1.3-gain screen material.
With the projector on my shelf, I connected a FIBBR HDMI cable from my Integra DRX-3.4 AVR and powered up the BenQ TK710. With the power on I set the screen geometry, keystone, which was slightly off, and focus. Initially, that’s how I started watching the projector. Later, I would check the color, and fine tune the white and black levels.
Looking back at the setup, including any sort of calibration, short of an ISF calibration should not take too long.
The reasonably priced BenQ product does a lot of things right, including producing a generally good image. In fact, I’ll say the HDR and SDR images are quite good for a projector that checks in well under $2,000.
My one reservation about the TK710 and this may be a deal breaker for some people is the projector’s ability to transition from its HDR mode back into SDR.
The first thing someone will notice about the projector is its brightness capabilities. The TK710 can easily stand up for use in rooms with ambient light. Used in combination with my matte white SI screen I had no issues with the images in a room with the lights on. I also found the images to be colorful, smooth and detailed with content from a Kaleidescape Strato V, streaming content and broadcast television from Dish.
After a couple of weeks, I entered the TK710’s menu system and selected options such as picture mode (cinema), color temperature, and “0” noise reduction. I’m not sure what “detail enhancement” does exactly, but I turned that mode off. I then checked the colors and black levels. The color accuracy was pretty good, and I tweaked the contrast and black levels to better match the screen and my room environment.
After these adjustments I was really pleased with the image quality. Sure, the black levels could be deeper—blacker—but overall, the projector produced some nice images, especially in its HDR mode. Watching the Hulu series, We Were the Lucky Ones, the streaming service offered the limited show in HDR, and I was really impressed by the image depth and detail the TK710 produced.
The only problem I encountered, and this would be something I consistently encountered was that when I would move onto to SDR content the projector would continue to operate in its HDR mode.
The result with the projector operating in its HDR mode while showing SDR content is that colors such as red and white appeared over saturated and at levels that those familiar with analog video may term as clipping. I will say that not everyone will notice it, but if someone has had video training they will notice, and a certain percentage of untrained people could possibly notice.
Other than the HDR to SDR issue, which I also experienced while watching the Netflix documentary, Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War, I thought the TK710 performed well. SDR images looked great. In the SDR mode I experienced good color accuracy, very little, if any image noise and nice, dynamic images.
I did try to figure out the HDR to SDR recognition, but I was not successful. I’ll admit that I wasn’t bothered by the HDR to SDR switching, but I suppose it could bother some people that do notice what I encountered. I’ll also admit I did not try viewing any gaming content with the TK710 because I’m not a gamer. I think that watching sports such as preseason football and the Olympics would produce similar image reproduction demands, and I did not see any problems with how the projector presented sports.
While not perfect, I think the TK710 will meet anyone’s overall performance and budget aspirations that wanted a reasonably priced 4K projector that could reside in environments that include ambient light. The projector looks great with broadcast, streaming, physical media, and lossless media content, including HDR. Just be aware however that if using the projector for an evening of viewing just start with SDR content before switching to HDR.
Pros:
The TK710’s price point allows users to get into a large-screen video system for reasonable money
Image quality is good. There isn’t much noise, and the color accuracy is pretty good
The small footprint of the TK710 allows the projector to reside in a variety of home environments
Cons:
Black levels could be deeper—blacker
The only issue that I encountered with the TK710 is that once it locks into an HDR signal it had difficulty reverting to SDR with the change of content types
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