BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG review

BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG review

Does it support 4K console games – BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG? With great 4K also comes great HDR compatibility. Using image optimization and automatic HDR color rendition, your images will be clear and crisp with a greater brightness and contrast range. The TK800M uses True 4K HDR for immersive live sports. This HDR is hyper-realistic and projector optimized – using HDR10 and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) to bring out every detail in your 4K images. Know about more features in BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG review.

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In the box

  • BenQ TK800M Sports Projector
  • Remote Control w/ 2x AAA Battery
  • 3m Power Cord
  • User Manual CD
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Warranty Card

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • 96% Rec.709 coverage
  • Sharp 4K and HDR images
  • 3,000 lumens of brightness
  • Decent contrast ratio
  • Excellent motion handing
  • Good input lag for gaming
  • Cinema Mode delivers amazing color accuracy

Cons

  • Mediocre sound at best
  • Light “shadow border”
  • No lens shift
  • Noisy even in Eco mode

Specs – BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG

  • Projector Model TK800M
  • Technology DLP
  • Price $1,299
  • Native Resolution 3840×2160
  • Max Resolution 3840 x 2160
  • Projection DLP
  • Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 3000
  • Native Aspect Ratio 16:9 (4K HD)
  • Contrast Ratio 10,000:1
  • 3D Yes
  • Blu Ray 3d No
  • Ultra Short Throw No
  • Power Zoom/Focus No
  • Lens Shift No
  • HDTV 480i, 480p, 576i, 567p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 2160p
  • Lamp Life 4,000 hours / 15,000 hours (eco)
  • Noise Level (-db) 33.0 dB / 29.0 dB (eco)
  • Audio 5.0 W Mono
  • DVI or HDMI Yes
  • LAN Networking No
  • Zoom Lens Ratio 1.1x
  • Optional Lens No
  • Classroom No
  • Speakers No
  • Special Features Security Bar, Kensington Lock, 4K UHD,HDR10,Football Mode,AutoKeystone
  • Wireless Networking No
  • Dimensions 13.9 x 5.31 x 10.71 inch
  • Weight 9.2

Price/Value

When it first came out, the BenQ TK800M had a retail MSRP of US$1449. However, with the recent release of the TK850M (our review coming soon), it has dropped in price to $1299. Given the performance, display quality, and brightness of the projector, it is a very appealing price.

BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG review

Build

It is a compact DLP projector with a curved white shell and a blue color accent plate on the front. There are two adjustable rear feet and a wide adjustable foot at the front to adjust image height when sitting on a flat surface. Three M4-sized mounting screw points are on the bottom for a ceiling mount.

Design

The TK800M weighs 9.3 lbs, so it is portable enough for backyard movie night or other transportable uses. On the top of the projector near the back is a control panel with the power button, menu navigation buttons, and three LED indicators. Towards the front of the top panel near the lens are two wheels, one for focus and one for zoom. 

Connectors

There are two HDMI connections on the back panel. One is version 2.0 with HDCP 2.2, the second is version 1.4a. In addition there is a VGA connector, 3.5mm audio in, 3.5mm audio out (which defeats the internal speakers when used), Type-A and mini-USB ports, a RS-232 and 12V trigger for home integration.

  • Audio input jack/Audio output jack
  • RGB (PC) signal input jack
  • HDMI input port (Version 2.0)
  • HDMI input port (Version 1.4a)
  • USB Mini-B port (for firmware upgrades)
  • RS-232 control port
    Interfaces with a PC or home theater
    control/automation system.
  • USB Type-A port (1.5 A power supply)
  • 12V DC output terminal (triggers external devices such as an electric
    screen or light control, etc.)

Control

The projector’s remote is comprehensive, with dedicated buttons for many functions. The buttons are mostly the same shape and size, which makes them difficult to find by feel, but the remote provides a backlight, which lets you see them in the dark. Fortunately, the backlight is red/orange, which doesn’t disrupt dark-adapted vision when you look at it. 

Display

The 1.2× optical zoom makes it easy to use anywhere. If you have a small room, you can place it closer to the screen. I got a 16:9 picture that was about 100 inches while the projector was about 8 feet away. This feature is super convenient, allowing you to always get big results.

Resolution

The BenQ TK800M uses the TI 0.47” 4K UHD DMD chipset. As such, it uses four 1920×1080 micromirror arrays to project 8.3 million distinct pixels for 4K resolution. 

Brightness

 It offers a peak light output of 3000 lumens, though it will almost certainly be less after calibration. Thanks to a new RGBW color wheel, the color gamut has been increased from 92% to 96% of BT.709, resulting in slightly more vivid colors than before. 

This wide color gamut projector delivers 8.3 million pixels and special HDR processing that is intended to give you optimal color balance and contrast. Add in 3000 lumens of brightness and you have yourself a truly stunning cinema projector for any dark room. BenQ’s new 4K color wheel delivers 92% of the Rec.709 color space and the projector’s 120 Hz refresh rate eliminates any image blur.

Sports – BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG

With its HDR10/HLG support, colours are rich with its 96% Rec. 709 coverage and HDR-supported content looks very decent on the system. As this line targets sports lovers, the projector also has dedicated Football Picture Mode and Sport Picture Mode. The Football Picture Mode adjusts the colours slightly for more lifelike skin tones and greener grass and it works quite well. On the other hand, Sport Picture Mode is better for indoor sports like basketball. In either case, both modes work well for the sports they’re intended for.

Audio

The speaker incorporates an aluminum diaphragm with neodymium magnet inside a resonant chamber to enhance both ends of the sonic spectrum. A 5-watt amplifier drives the speaker, while custom-tuned sound modes and exclusive EQ algorithms enhance the sound quality even further.

Lamp life

The TK800m 4K HDR video projector lamp is rated to 4,000 hours lamp life, but you can get 15,000 hours from it while in “SmartEco” mode, which helps to extend the life of the lamp.

BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG Performance review

Cinema Mode was the absolute best for dark rooms though, if you want a true cinema experience. Add HDR and it delivers some amazing images and vivid colors. This projector really does make your room into a private movie theater. Especially when watching 4K content and sports. It is breathtaking. Watching sports is always good.

I tested it with streaming movies, Blu-rays, Ultra Blu-rays, a PS4 and Xbox One. When 4K gaming, I didn’t see any noticeable lag either, which was a pleasant surprise. I also found this model to be quieter than previous BenQ models that I’ve tested. The 4k color wheel and cooling fan make some noise, but not a lot.

In HDR, the TK800M has great light output, too. On my 0.9-gain screen I was able to measure just over 50 foot-Lamberts (fL). To put this in context, a good light level in a dark room is around 15 fL, while you want that up around 30 with ambient light during the day. The extra brightness of the BenQ allows for some nice HDR highlights that really pop while using the projector in a dark room.

With SDR content, the BenQ TK800M does very well. Grayscale tracking is just over 3.0, and gamma is consistently around 2.2 (with 2.2 selected in the menu) except for a bump up as it approaches black and a dip just before the grayscale hits white. Color balance tends a little green but not excessively so. Color accuracy doesn’t fare as well as grayscale. Green and yellow are both oversaturated. The projector does cover 98.4% of the Rec. 709 color gamut, though, even with the oversaturated primary color points. The color accuracy is better in HDR, with a ColorChecker average DeltaE of 3.9. Not stellar, but still very good.

BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG customer review

Best Projector in it’s class!

I waited a few months to write a review to give me time to run this projector through its paces. I am not disappointed in the slightest with my purchase. The picture quality and brightness on this projector are simply put, awesome. Even with ambient light the picture comes through nice and clear.

It gives a nice crisp 4k picture. For all you tech heads out there, yes this projector uses pixel shifting technology, and no it doesn’t make a bit of difference on the incredible picture quality. You’d have to be extremely picky to complain about one of the sharpest budget 4k projectors out there. It’s also great for gaming as well. I have it set up in a home theater with a speaker system but the built in speakers are actually way better than I expected. I absolutely love watching movies on this thing and the customer support from BenQ is excellent as well. Highly recommend this projector.

By Dcabman at best Buy

Alternate of BenQ TK800M 4K UHD home theater projector with HDR and HLG

 Sony VPL-VW715ES

SPECIFICATIONS

Resolution: Native 4KPanel: SXRDHDR: YesMax image size: 300inConnectivity: HDMI 2.0 (x2), LAN, PC, USBHDCP 2.2: YesBrightness: 1800 lumensLamp life: 6000 hoursContrast ratio: : 350,000:1

REASONS TO BUY

+Fantastic 4K detail+Excellent motion processing+Solid contrast control

REASONS TO AVOID

-Image can lack subtlety

Sony has supplied the market with a fair few native 4K projectors over the last few years – all high-end, all highly commendable.

In many ways this particular Sony is an irrefutable showboat. Its colour palette is more focused on vibrancy and eye-catching saturation, and it’s shading favours the dramatic to the subtle, but there’s a definite appeal in that approach too.

Detail at 4K is outstanding and there’s a very good texture and realism to every part of the on-screen image. Tonal detail in light and dark areas is excellent, even in scenes of mixed lighting, thanks to some pinpoint contrast control with help from the Dynamic Iris. There’s also the very hard to beat bonus of Sony’s superb motion processing.

Set up is relatively straightforward, and once you have it up and running you’ll be rewarded with pictures that will keep your eyes glued to the screen.

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