With its heritage of high-quality projectors, BenQ is out with another great option for the home theater. The BenQ TK850 can push 3,000 lumens, support 4K UHD, HDR10, and project a clear image up to 200 inches. Coming in at $1,499, it is an investment, but projectors are a great way to get a huge high-quality picture that goes beyond what flat panels are capable of. Be sure to check the video below and see all the brilliant details of the BenQ TK850.
Out of the Box and Design
Measuring 15 x 10.5 x 5 inches, the TK850 has a large footprint but also has a ton of inputs, outputs, and controls. On top, we find some easy controls for menu and navigation along with a door that slides open to reveal the lens controls. The left side of the projector is perforated for airflow and an anti-theft lock slot. On the right side are more vents for airflow.
On the underside of the projector are three feet for getting a level surface as well as mounting points.
BenQ TK850: Ins and Outs
Along the back of the projector are all of the ins and outs. From left to right, there is a 12V trigger, RS-232, a mini-USB service port, USB3.0 media reader, Two HDMI HDCP 2.2 ports, a 2.5A USB, SPDIF, and 3.5 mm audio out. With this wide range of ins and outs, it should be easy to get the TK850 incorporated into any setup.
Remote
While basic looking, the remote on the TK850 is a great addition. Besides the necessary menu controls, the backlit remote also has plenty of dedicated buttons for quickly changing the performance of the TK850. It’s easy to make adjustments to HDR, sound modes, color temp, eco mode, and dynamic iris along with a host of other at-your-fingertip adjustments. And the required dual AAA batteries are included.
BenQ TK850: Video
Setup and mounting options
When powered on, there are a few quick questions to get the BenQ TK850 setup, and then it’s ready to roll. It can be set to auto-detect sources and switch between them easily.
One of those steps is to determine where you will be positioning the projector in relation to the screen. The TK850 can be set to project from the front and rear and also has modes for being mounted on a ceiling, making it easy to fit into any setup.
Lens controls
Sliding back the door on top of the lens reveals some manual image controls. Here are adjustments for focus, zoom, and a handy lens shift. With lens shift, you can kind of shimmy the image up or down on a surface a few degrees to fine-tune the placement if it isn’t quite perfect.
Adjusting the zoom and moving the projector can take the diagonal screen size from 40”-200” with a clear image. I did most of my watching at around 80”, and the BenQ TK850 looked great.
Picture modes and quality
Supporting 4K UHD at 60Hz, the TK850 is sharp. There are also some adjustments to sharpen up the image even more. Additionally, the TK850 also supports HDR10 and HLG. Of course, this is going to look the best in a dark room, but I was impressed with the color from the TK850.
Compared to other projectors that I’ve tried, the color was quite vivid and impressive on the TK850. Thanks to that 3,000-lumen brightness and dynamic iris control, the TK850 displays impressive contrast and clear details. Connecting the Xbox Series X took full advantage of that resolution and made watching videos and playing casual video games a visual treat.
Also marketed as a great projector for watching sports, the smooth motion modes will be great for making games look even smoother, but I typically leave it off when watching most of my media.
Sound and noise
Two 5W speakers on the rear of the TK850 provide decently loud sound, but it won’t be as good as a dedicated setup. But, with both SPDIF and 3.5mm audio out, the TK850 should connect easily with most systems. For an effortless 5.1 setup, check out the Enclave system we reviewed earlier this year.
Fan noise is also pretty noticeable on the TK850 when watching in one of the normal picture modes. There is a silence mode, which helps to drastically drop the fan noise by making some adjustments to the picture, but it is still barely audible.
Gaming on the BenQ TK850
As to be expected, there is a noticeable input lag when gaming on the TK850. It’s not unplayable, and for casual gaming, it would probably be fine, but when playing Destiny 2, it was noticeable and wasn’t a pleasant experience for me. If gaming is your focus, then definitely check out another BenQ projector designed for gaming that we reviewed earlier this year.
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
At $1,499, the BenQ TK850 is an investment, but it is also a great addition to a home theater setup. It’s clear and bright with vivid colors and is intuitive to use. The variety of adjustments make it easy to dial in the image. BenQ also has been a great choice for projectors for quite some time. It also comes with a 3-year warranty on the projector and a 1-year or 2,000-hour warranty on the lamp.
If you’re looking for a portable all-in-one projector, be sure to check out the Nebula Capsule II that we reviewed last year that is basically a smart TV that can fit in your pocket. It’s a great way to take your favorite media anywhere.
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