Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors are a great alternative to more traditional projectors, mainly because they are only a few inches from the screen and can project an image 100 inches or larger. This compact arrangement saves you the hassle of dedicating your entire living room to watching movies, but another benefit of UST projectors is that they’re great for watching sports in well-lit spaces where people are more likely to get up and walk down.
But what about games? The best 4K projectors can produce crisp images when watching movies, but they’re not always the best option for gaming: few models come with HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K 120Hz or a game mode with low input lag. There are some exceptions, such as the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 and JVC DLA-NZ8, but in general, most projectors are not suitable for next generation game consoles.
The new V5000i from Ben Q aims to remedy this shortcoming. It can accept 4K 120Hz signals from the PS5 and Xbox Series X (although images are displayed at 4K 60Hz) and has “low input lag” according to BenQ, though the company’s release for the new projector didn’t list the exact number. . (We’ve reached out to BenQ for confirmation and will update this story accordingly.) Thanks to the 2500 ANSI Lumens brightness specification, games should also display well on the included 100-inch ambient light reduction (ALR) screen, even when played with room lights on.
The V5000i’s specs show it’s also good for watching movies when the lights are off. It supports HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG high dynamic range formats, while the updated HDR-PRO feature with local contrast enhancement independently optimizes gamut in more than 1000 areas on the screen.
The V5000i uses a three-laser (RGB) light source and BenQ claims BT.2020 color space coverage of 95% and DCI-P3 coverage of 98%. Having seen UST projectors with similar specifications, we can tell you that colors should look vibrant on the V5000i and that both 4K Blu-ray and streaming sources will display well.
For streaming, the V5000i uses an Android TV stick that plugs into one of the projector’s HDMI inputs and preloads popular apps like Netflix. In terms of sound, the BenQ UST has a built-in 40W Trevolo sound system with Dolby and DTS support.
Opinion: Ultra short throw projectors are the perfect alternative to large screen TVs.
Whether you’re using it for console gaming, daytime TV viewing, or nighttime movie viewing, UST projectors like the V5000i are a great alternative to both standard long throw projectors and ultra-large screen TVs. And at $3,499 (around £2,775 / AU$5,175) with the bundled 100-inch screen, the ALR V5000i seems very reasonably priced for what you get.
In comparison, a good long throw 4K projector like the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 will set you back $5,000 and you still have to pay extra for the screen, while some other UST projectors like LG Film Beam HU915QE The prices recently reviewed by TechRadar are even higher. Some of the best 4K TVs come in screen sizes up to 98 inches, but you’ll pay $8,500 and up for them (if you want one of the biggest and best OLED TVs).
While it’s not the brightest UST projector option (for example, the LG model mentioned above can reach 3,700 ANSI lumens), the V5000i has enough light output to look good in a room with some measure of lighting control, and its ALR screen should help boost image contrast. But perhaps the most interesting thing about BenQ’s new projector is its HDR10+ and HDR-PRO with local contrast enhancement.
HDR10+ is a high dynamic range dynamic format in which image contrast is adjusted for each scene separately. And although it is not as widely used as the Dolby Vision format used in several UST projectors such as Formovier Theater and some Hisense models with HDR10+ programs can be streamed from some of the best streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Paramount Plus.
HDR-PRO with Local Contrast Enhancement is a feature also found in the three new long throw projectors that BenQ is introducing with the V5000i: HT4550i, HT3560 and TK860i. Similar to LED local dimming on TVs, this feature divides the image into multiple zones, and then an algorithm analyzes the brightness and makes individual gamma adjustments for each individual zone.
We haven’t seen it in action yet, but BenQ claims that Local Contrast Enhancement, along with improved HDR-PRO tone mapping on the new models, delivers twice the peak HDR brightness of the company’s previous generation of projectors – a significant feat. improvement.
BenQ’s new HDR processing features, as well as low input lag for the projector, make the V5000i in particular an intriguing all-rounder for movies, games and more. The V5000i will be available for order starting in July and we hope to be able to tell you more about the performance of this affordable and feature rich UST projector at that time.
