BenQ Reveals its new high-end 4k HDR home cinema projector the HT2550.
What Is It?
The BenQ HT2550 is a high-end Home theater projector for all media needs, Movies, blue-rays, gaming, presentation and anything you may want to be projected.
Setting It Up
Taking the unit out of the box is simple and the accessories are easy to assemble. For a high-end projector, it is reasonably light and easy to handle. Since I already had a projector shelf I was able to set up the HT2550 in less than 5 minutes. All you need to do is square it up to your wall or screen, provide a visual input, (Movies, Blu-rays, gaming, presentation) and you are ready to go. I did have some initial difficulty as the unit gave me a lamp door error. I re-seated the lamp door and was able to power up the unit. Once the HT2550 was on I was able to get my image adjusted quickly by using the size and focus rings. I attached my Samsung 4k Blu-ray player and set the proper input and it was time to watch some movies.
Testing Pros and Cons
The first word that came to mind upon watching a clip (Thor Ragnarock) was sharp. The HT2550 image is so sharp that you can tear a cornea just looking at it. The colors are some of the truest colors I have seen in a projector and the strength of the image is perfect in its use of the 2200 lumens. One of the major failings I have seen in lesser projectors has been skin tone. Most budget projectors have a warm to orange look but the HT2550 is spot on. Faces are not lost even when the whites are at a level that would normally be washed out. After the movie, I switched to the PlayStation 4 and played No Man’s Sky The Playstation menus look crisp and I adjusted the settings to add HDR and more color to push the HT2550. The projector ran the 2k image at 60hz refresh amazingly well. What was very noticeable was the added contrast and color depth giving the image vibrancy without ever seeming oversaturated. The interface and menu are very clean in look and simple to use and understand. The unit takes a little time to start up but not any more than standard projectors. Sound wise the fan is very quiet and I did not find it to be a distraction or an issue. It does take a few seconds to switch from input to input or if your image changes the resolution. The screen will go to black and then adjust. The speaker on the HT2550 was actually pretty good. I normally have a 7.1 Surround sound system set up in my screening room so I do not use projector sound but when I turned the sound on the HT2550 on it was better than most projectors and if I were using it for a presentation it would be good in a pinch.
Specs
Display Projection System: DLP
Native Resolution : 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) Resolution
Resolution Support : VGA (640 x 480) to 4K UHD (3840 x 2160)
Brightness: (ANSI 2200 ANSI Lumens
Contrast Ratio (FOFO) 10,000:1
Display Color: 30 Bits (1,07 billion color)
Native Aspect Ratio: Native 16:9 (6 aspect ratio selectable)
Light Source Life: Normal 4000 hours
Clear Image Size (Diagonal): 60″ ~ 200″
Audio Speaker 5W x 1
Interface: PC (D-Sub) x 1
HDMI: 2 (HDMI 1: 2.0 / HDCP 2.2 ; HDMI 2: 1.4a / HDCP 1.4)
USB Type A: 1(2.0/Power Supply)
USB (Type mini B): x 1
Audio in (3.5mm Mini Jack): x 1
Audio out (3.5mm Mini Jack): x 1
RS232 (DB-9pin): x 1
Special Feature: HDR, ISF Night/ Day, CinemaMaster Video +, CinemaMaster Audio+2
Compatibility: HDTV Compatibility 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 2160p
Recommendation and Price
If you are looking to create a home theater and gaming experience and have a decent budget to throw at the project this is the projector for you. I do have some concerns since the unit I received had a few bugs out of the box that makes a $1,500 a bit scary but once the HT2550 was up and running it was beautiful, fast and as sharp and color accurate as they come. The Performance with the PS4, 4k, Blu-rays as well as streaming 4k from Youtube and Netflix was impeccable. This may be a great give for the technophile in your family for the upcoming holidays.
I received a demo unit of the BenQ HT2550 from the manufacturer. All opinions here are my own.
