There is a school of thought that pegs present generation, high resolution projectors, as genuine alternatives for large screen OLED, micro-LED or QLED TVs. For certain homes, or viewing environments, that may well be the case. If you’re on the fence about it, BenQ’s TK710 projector, may have enough of an argument, to be viewed as an option. That being said, it is at that stage in the spec sheet spectrum, where it costs lesser than the largest screen size TVs (which will still be a smaller canvas than the 100-inches this projector can do).
The TK710 is priced around ₹3,49,000 and this ultra-short throw projection system can place a 100-inch viewing canvas for live football matches, Formula 1 races and a movie binging session. In comparison, the latest generation Sony Bravia 7 will cost ₹4,49,990 for a 75-inch screen size (it’s the same ballpark irrespective, including Samsung and Sony). Mind you, projectors do require a different level of care and maintenance (they’re very susceptible to dust), which is often more complex than cutting-edge televisions such as the Sony Bravia 7. Define if you can manage that.
Short throw or Ultra-short throw, are now the norm with premium 4K projectors for homes. Gone are the days when you needed a lot of gap between the wall or screen, and where you’d place the projector. The ViewSonic X1000-4K projector from a couple of years ago ( ₹3,95,000 price tag them) comes to mind, perhaps little realised at the time that it was a harbinger of change.
BenQ (the TK710 is a short throw implementation), by using a fast response laser light projection system, is able to appeal to gamers as well as for home entertainment scenarios. That shows, particularly when a gaming console is the input source. It is a combination of the gaming mode optimisations, as well as BenQ’s Dynamic Function adjustments for the light source, which improves depth. That’s relevant for gaming, thats equally relevant for sports and movies. This is where the laser light technology provides a distinctly reliable base to build with. It is good that the low input lag mode supports the 4k at 60Hz resolution as well, and there are no compromises on quality.
Another thing you’d likely want to try is the HDR Game Mode, which as the name suggests, brightens up the visuals you see for crisper, better colours. Mind you, this wouldn’t work as well with all game titles (and all console inputs; older ones such as the Nvidia Shield will struggle).
A large chunk of the usage is likely to be derived from movie and TV show binging. The BenQ TK710 simply works. It is easier than most projectors to set up and start with. Once you are comfortable with the placement, detailed picture tweaks await, to adjust this exactly as you’d want in a home environment (those are beyond the primary picture modes—3D, Bright, Cinema, FPS, HDR FPS, HDR RPG, HDR10, HLG, Living Room, RPG and User). This is rated at a peak of 3200 lumens of brightness, not that you’ll deploy all of it all the time (or even most of the time), but thats handy if the projector needs to be usable in a room with the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the windows.
No longer are projectors restricted to a dark-ish room, as perhaps a couple of generations earlier, and thats been their biggest upgrade. Colour reproduction on the TK710, even out of the box and before any custom settings, is the most balanced I have seen in a high end projector till now (most lean towards over-saturation, perhaps to show off). What further helps is the DLP projection system with the laser light, that can allow deeper blacks that can match QLED TVs if you have a screen in place. BenQ’s own V4000i can do OLED-esque blacks.
Also Read:ViewSonic X2000 is indicative of a more versatile evolution for home projectors
Unlike the ViewSonic X1000-4K projector I had referenced earlier, the BenQ TK710’s different design approach means there isn’t a soundbar-esque speaker system built in. You will need to connect this to a home theatre system or a soundbar, with the best course of action being to use the HDMI audio return, or eARC, for Dolby Atmos support. We did notice that upon being set up, there was a very slight audio delay. Usually, a complete restart of the projector and the speaker system sorts that, but in this case, there needed to be a manual alteration of the audio settings to get this spot on.
With certain elements that define its spec sheet, BenQ has made the TK710 projector equally useful for home theatre environments, as well as gaming. The latter is a big deal, simply because many a projector falter before the finish line. There are clearly optimisations which have generationally improved colour, noise handling and therefore finer details. You’ll need a smart device connected via HDMI to take full advantage of this (our experience draws from a combination of the Apple TV 4K, Nvidia Shield 4K and the Sony PlayStation). And as I mentioned, you must have an audio setup in place.