BenQ HT4550i 4K HDR Home Cinema Projector Review
Home theater projectors are great if you want to bring the movie theater experience home and have room for a screen. I’ve always wondered what a projector would look like in my home, but I was a little skeptical that it would be able to match the brightness, color and contrast of a TV. Now that I’ve tested a couple 4K projectors, I’ve definitely seen the light. I set up the BenQ HT4550i 4K home theater projector (coming soon) and my family spent hours watching movies and shows. The picture quality of the BenQ HT4550i is absolutely fantastic and it provides an incredibly immersive viewing experience.
BenQ HT4550i Projector Features
BenQ 4K Projector Review
The BenQ HT4550i is a 4K home theater projector with 3200 lumens. It is a long throw DLP projector that uses a 4LED light source. The projector includes a dongle to connect to your Android TV, and two remotes – one to control the projector and the other to control the Android TV. It has a maximum screen size of 200 inches and a minimum screen size of 60 inches, and can be placed on a stand or mounted on the ceiling.
16:9 aspect ratio, 30-bit color depth and 4K Ultra HD resolution provide lifelike image quality and color reproduction
Picture modes include 3D, Bright Cinema, Cinema, Filmmaker Mode, Filmmaker Mode HDR, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, ISF Day, ISF Night and User
New HDR10+ technology adjusts and enhances detail in bright and dark areas
Advanced color temperature adjustment and CinematicColor ultra-wide 100% DCI-P3 and 100% Rec.709 color space for truest color reproduction
HDR-Pro technology, Local Contrast Enhancer and Tone Mapping brighten and add detail to images in dark movies or games
Integrated 5W speakers
Three HDMI 2 inputs, USB input, media reader and Wi-Fi compatible
2D lens shift and 1.3x zoom let you customize your room image
Android TV adapter with Netflix pre-installed
30,000-hour lamp life
Setting up the BenQ HT4550i Projector
BenQ Digital Dog HT4550i Projector
Setting up the BenQ HT4550i is easy. Before you can plug in the projector and turn it on, you’ll need to insert the Android dongle into the device. To do this, you will use a screwdriver to remove a small box on the back of the projector.
Once you’ve added the dongle, you can turn on the projector and then you’re done with the setup. It uses the Android operating system, so the setup process is simple for anyone with a Google account. I just logged in and it walked me through adding my favorite apps. The BenQ HT4550i comes with two remotes. You pair them together for seamless use, and once you do, you’re ready to watch the content you want.
The longest part of the setup process for me was aligning the image to my 100-inch screen. You can use the 2D ladder chart as well as the focus and zoom dials on the top of the projector. I found it easy to center, but due to the position of the projector, I had a little bit of the image spilling over the edge of the screen. I like how you can use the vertical and horizontal zoom to center the projector because it’s much easier than picking it up and moving it around the room.
Testing the BenQ HT4550i 4K Projector
While 1080p projectors have been the standard for some time now, 4K projectors are becoming mainstream. They now have the technology to truly compete with the latest TVs, with crisp 4K resolution, wider viewing angles and spectacular colors. After previously testing the BenQ TK860i 4K projector, I was prepared for the image quality and vibrant colors of a 4K projector, but I can see why the BenQ HT4550i is considered a high-end home theater option. I think this projector is perfect for anyone who considers themselves a movie buff or wants to upgrade their home theater. It is one of the best out there and when you delve into the technology that is built into it, you can tell that it is designed to reproduce the truest colors and image quality.
Image Quality of the BenQ HT4550i
BenQ Review.
For optimal viewing, I always keep the curtains in my living room closed. While I’ve found that this projector produces the best image quality and contrast at night when the room is dark and there’s no ambient light, it looks great during the day as well.
Watching movies on the BenQ HT4550i 4K projector was a unique experience. We put a 100-inch screen where we normally put our TV, and we placed the projector 8 feet away from the screen. Even in this temporary setup, the HT4550i produced amazing image quality. I saw so much that my neck ached every time I tilted my head back to look at the screen, but it was worth it. I can only imagine what it would look like if I mounted it on the ceiling and used the right screen.
This projector has a lot of technology built in, including HDR- pro technology, HDR tone mapping, leading edge local contrast enhancer, and more!
