Can you watch 4K HDR content – LG HU70LA vs BenQ HT3550? The HU70LA is built around an LED light source specified to last up to 30,000 hours and a 0.47-inch 4K DLP XPR chip with a native 1080p. Key features for the HT3550 include its .47-inch DLP chip for full 3840 x 2160 resolution with assistance by four-phase pixel shifting; a six-segment RGBRGB color wheel; 30,000:1 contrast ratio with the Dynamic Iris on; and a Wide Color Gamut (WCG) setting. Get details in LG HU70LA vs BenQ HT3550 comparison.
Pros & Cons – LG HU70LA vs BenQ HT3550
LG HU70LA
FOR
- Compact design
- Eight color presets for SDR; five for HDR
- Native 4K at a low price
- Long-life LED light engine
- LG WebOS is great
- Digital TV tuner and LG smart TV platform
- Google Assistant onboard
AGAINST
- No 3D support
- Speakers aren’t great
- No HLG support
- Mediocre contrast/black level for dark-room viewing of 1080p content
BenQ HT3550
For
- Excellent detail
- Vibrant, accurate colors
- Clean image with little video noise
- Built-in Android TV streaming
Against
- Not particularly bright
- Mediocre contrast ratio
Specs – LG HU70LA vs BenQ HT3550
LG HU70LA
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Lamp Type: LED
- Lamp Life: 30,000 hours
- Brightness: 15,000 ANSI Lumens
- Resolution: 3840×2160
- Digital Keystone: Vertical Only
- Video Modes: 720p, 1080i, 1080p/60, 1080p/30, 1080p/50, 2160p/24, 2160p/60, 576i, 576p, 480p, 480i
- Contrast: 150,000:1
- Display Type: DLP x 1
- Color Processing: 10-bit
- Throw Distance: 6.6′ – 12.3′
- Image Size: 60.00″ – 140.00″
- Throw Ratio: 1.22:1 – 1.53:1
- Projector Size: 3.70″ x 12.40″ x 8.30″ (Height x Width xDepth)
- Weight: 7.1 lbs
- Audible Noise: 30 dB / 25 dB (eco mode)
- Internal Speakers: 3.0 Watts (x 2)
- Input Lag: 40-50 ms
BenQ HT3550
- Native resolution: 3,840×2,160
- HDR-compatible: Yes
- 4K-compatible: Yes
- 3D-compatible: Yes
- Lumens spec: 2,000 (ANSI)
- Zoom: Manual (1.3x)
- Lens shift: Manual
- Lamp life (Normal mode): 4,000 hours
Price comparison – LG HU70LA vs BenQ HT3550
LG recently launched one of the more affordable options in the form of the new LG HU70LA (HU70LS in the UK) CineBeam 4K projector, available for $1,799 (£1,650, around AU$2,900). That’s not exactly cheap, but compared to other native 4K projectors that cost three to five times as much, it’s a downright bargain.
The first true 4K home theater projector for movie lovers for under $2000, the HT3550 features the same color standard for home viewing that was used to create the 4K film itself, accurately preserving the movie’s original image.
What is the key difference – LG HU70LA vs BenQ HT3550?
Design
LG HU70LA
Its minimalistic design is reflected even in the buttons on the projector itself. The HU70LA’s unusually small size and weight for a 4K projector—3.7 x 8.3 x 12.4 inches (HWD) and just 7.1 pounds—helps make it easy to set up. It’s also easy to carry to the backyard for a movie night.
The included remote does most of the heavy lifting (including focusing!) so you won’t have to worry after you’ve mounted it to your ceiling. It uses 4 Channel LED with Wheel-less technology. The HU70LAB uses RGB separate primate colors, giving it a bright, vivid picture with no color loss
BenQ HT3550
The small vertical lens shift is enough to let you correct for a minor vertical misplacement and match the image position to the screen without having to tilt the projector and resort to keystone correction.
Connectors
LG HU70LA
- Audio Out: Mini Jack
- HDMI (DHCP 2.2)
- HDMI 2.0
- Network: RJ-45 (ethernet)
- USB x 2
- Wireless Networking
Connections are expectedly on the back and consist of two HDMI 2.0 ports with HDCP 2.2 (one with ARC), two USB 2.0, one USB-C, optical out, 3.5mm audio out, Ethernet, and a standard SMA coaxial socket for the built-in digital tuner. In addition to the wired connections, the HU70LA also supports Bluetooth connectivity, wireless sharing with iOS and Android devices that have the LG TV Plus app installed, and screen sharing with Miracast.
BenQ HT3550
- HDMI inputs: 2 (Both HDMI 2.0b)
- PC input: No
- USB ports: 2 (USB 3.0 and 2.5A power)
- Audio input and output: 3.5mm out
- Digital audio output: Optical (1)
- LAN port: No
- 12v trigger: Yes
- RS-232 remote port: Yes
- MHL: No
- Remote: Backlit
The HT3550i has excellent connectivity options. Both HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.0, so you can connect two 4K HDR sources, if you so desire. I would assume most people buying a projector like this will have everything connected to an AV receiver first, with just one HDMI running to the projector, but the option for two is nice.
Display
LG HU70LA
For a 100-inch image, the throw distance ranges from roughly 8.75 to 11.0 feet. the HU70LA combine all the smart capabilities of flat panel TVs with the long life of a LED light engine and 4K resolution to create a true flat panel TV replacement.
BenQ HT3550
While it has a better zoom range than the like-priced Optoma UHD30, 1.3x vs. 1.1x, it’s got a shorter throw. So to fill a 100-inch screen it needs to be around 8 feet from the screen, compared to 10 feet with the Optoma and most other projectors in this price range.
Brightness
LG HU70LA
I measured it at 821 ANSI Lumens, which is bright enough to fill a 16:9, 130-inch diagonal, 1.0 gain screen in a dark room, or a 90-inch, 1.3 gain screen in moderate ambient light—even without taking the promised higher perceived brightness for LED projectors.
BenQ HT3550
I measured roughly 677 lumens in its Cinema mode, while the other BenQ and Optoma were around 1,600 in their comparable modes.
Color
LG HU70LA
The HU70LA offers eight preset color modes for SDR. Switching back and forth between them made it obvious that Standard, Sports, HDR Effect, and Game modes were blue shifted relative to Cinema and both the Expert (Bright Room) and Expert (Dark Room) modes. Except for the Vivid and Sports modes, however, which occasionally delivered oversaturated color in some scenes, none of the modes were far enough from accurate to move memory colors—like skin tones, blue skies, or green grass and leaves—out of a realistic-looking range.
BenQ HT3550
The HT3550 offers 10 color preset modes plus one User mode. Five show on the Picture Menu by default—Bright, Vivid TV, D. Cinema (short for Dark Cinema), Cinema, and User mode—but the projector will automatically switch to 3D mode when it sees a 1080p 3D input signal, and it will also switch to HDR10 or HLG modes when it sees appropriate HDR input.
Resolution
LG HU70LA
The HU70LA has a 0.47-inch 4K DLP chip with XPR (Expanded Pixel Resolution) pixel-shifting technology. The chip, which has a native resolution of 1080p, is shifted four ways to quadruple the pixel count up to 2160p. The result is remarkably close to a true UHD image and at a normal viewing distance there’s little, if any, visible difference on real-world material. The projector accepts HDR10, but unfortunately is not compatible with Dolby Vision or HLG.
BenQ HT3550
For 1080p content on the HT3550, BenQ touts a low color error straight from the factory for both Cinema and D. Cinema modes, thanks to calibration of each projector before shipping. The company recommends using D. Cinema mode for a dark room and Cinema mode in a room with ambient light, a recommendation I agree with.
What are the similarities – LG HU70LA vs BenQ HT3550?
Audio
To be completely honest, the 3.0-watt speakers are lackluster at best. For the price point of this projector, you would expect sound comparable to television. That’s just not the case. They lack bass or reverb, making the sound quality flat from the get-go. You’ll want to invest in a soundbar at the very least to make up for it.
Remote
The projector comes with LG’s Magic Remote, and it’s generally pretty easy to use. You can use the remote to point at menu items if you want, or simply use the direction controls to make selections. The remote is around six inches long, and has controls for channel, volume, settings, and more. There’s also a microphone button for voice controls, and quick access buttons for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The remote isn’t as simple as a Roku or Apple TV remote, but you’ll get used to it.
Streaming apps
You can directly download LG webOS 4.5 Smart TV Platform for streaming apps to the projector, eliminating the need to purchase any other streaming devices like a Roku or Amazon Fire Stick. You can stream 4k movies over Wi-Fi. Additionally, you can also use wi-fi to mirror a device screen or play videos directly from your phone, tablet, or another device.
Lamp life
Lamp life is on par with this generation of projectors. The 4,000 hours in Normal mode improves to 10,000 in Eco. SmartEco mode, which varies lamp level based on the brightness of the content, improves this even more, to 15,000 hours.
Alternate – LG HU70LA vs BenQ HT3550
Sony VPL-VW395ES
The entry-level standard for native 4K projectors.
SPECIFICATIONS
Resolution: Native 4KPanel: SXRDBrightness: 1500 ANSI-lumensHDR10: YesHLG support: YesInputs: HDMI (x2)Lamp life: 6000 hoursHDCP 2.2: Yes3D: Yes
REASONS TO BUY
+Glossy HDR picture+Excellent HD upscaling+Insightful, cinematic image
REASONS TO AVOID
-Nothing at this price
This is Sony’s replacement for the excellent VW295ES. Now armed with the X1 for Projector picture processor, and features like Super Resolution Reality Creation and Dynamic HDR Enhancer, it resets the standard for the entry-level native 4K projector.
Like the rest of the native 4K Sony series, the 395ES uses Sony’s SXRD, 4096 x 2160 resolution, D-ILA panels which combine the best of LCD and DLP technology. The results in this case are sharp picture which draws an excellent balance between HDR punch and tonal details.
As with most native 4K machines, there’s no Dolby Vision support, but Sony’s own dynamic HDR technology can still provide a frame-by-frame HDR analysis for the best possible picture at all times.
Even with SDR material, the results are quite astonishing. There’s little want for detail when upscaling from HD and there are bags of carefully shaded nuance with both contrast and colour. The only thing that stands in its way is that the even better JVC DLA-N5 isn’t a whole lot more expensive.
Editor’s recommendations
- LG HU70LA 4K UHD LED smart home theater CineBeam projector review
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- WEMAX Nova short throw laser projector – 4K resolution UHD HDR10 review
- Sony VW325ES 4K HDR home theater projector VPL-VW325ES review
