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Like W1700, BenQ TK800 has 3D capabilities in native 1080p mode, which is one of the main differences between these two models and other 4K projectors that cost less than $ 1500. This is a welcome feature for those who own 3D discs with 1080p HD resolution.
The TK800 weighs 9.3 pounds (Note: 4.2 kg), so it is portable enough to be used for backyard movie nights or other mobile applications. It has better-than-average on-board speakers and has an amazing dynamic range relative to its size-which is also a good feature for occasional backyard applications. And it has a keystone correction function that several competitors lack.
The BenQ TK800, currently US$1499, directly competes with the ViewSonic PX747-4K, priced at more than $1000. The important change between BenQ TK800 and ViewSonic PX747-4K is the replacement of the color wheel with white (transparent) sections to increase the white light output.
BenQ TK800 4K Projector performance
Brightness
Compared with the 2025 lumens W1700, the BenQ TK800 has a nominal 3000 lumens. Typically, this projector has a very bright factory calibration value called Bright (bright) mode, with a green hue. Unless you don't mind the green picture, it is not recommended for video presentations in most cases. It also has presets labeled Vivid TV, Cinema, Sport, and two customizable User modes.
Like the W1700, it has the Brilliant Color (extreme color) function that can be turned on or off (like many DLP projectors, there is no incremental scale from 1 to 10). Turning it off will reduce lumen output by approximately 55%.
There is also an Economic bulb mode that reduces lumen output by 36%.
BenQ TK800 ANSI Lumens Test
Brightness loss of zoom lens
The BenQ TK800 has a 1.2x zoom lens, and we measured about 3% brightness loss at the telephoto end, so there is no reason to worry about which end of the zoom is used.
Brightness uniformity
ProjectorCentral's TK800 test prototype measured a very good 82% uniformity, which was better than the 73% we saw on the W1700 test prototype. Since this is essentially the same light engine equipped with different color wheels, we suspect that the difference may be due to manufacturing differences.
Color brightness
When the Brilliant Color option is set to "ON", the white (transparent) section of the color wheel will produce a large amount of white light relative to the colored light. And as we think, when Brilliant Color is Off, the color brightness is equal to 100% of the white brightness. However, its effect is not attractive. Turning off Brilliant Color will reduce lumen output by 55% (Cinema mode drops from 1792 lumens to about 800 lumens). But it also reduces the contrast and makes the color balance greener, so it is unlikely to be the first choice of users, because the ultimate reason these users buy this model is its increased lumen output. With Brilliant Color, additional white light can increase contrast, neutralize the green tones in the color calibration, and shift the image to a more neutral but still cooler blue tone. With Brilliant Color, the color brightness is only 46% of white, so there will be some loss of color saturation. In fact, the most obvious effect is that the white objects in the picture are brighter than the surrounding colored objects. This can provide a more attractive, higher-contrast picture, but the picture does not reach the desired balance.
3D performance
In fact, the fact that TK800 provides 3D sets it apart from Viewsonic, Vivitek machines, and Optoma UHD50 and UHD60. For less than $2,000, other 3D 4K (or 4K-supporting) projectors are only the $1799 Epson Home Cinema 4000 (using pixel shift on a 1080p 3LCD panel to be compatible with 4K), and the $1699 Optoma UHD51A.
HDMI bandwidth
The projector has two HDMI ports. The first one complies with HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2 standards and has a bandwidth of 18 Gbps. The second is a standard HDMI port with a bandwidth of 10.2 Gbps.
Input lag
The 44 ms input lag on the TK800 is slightly faster than the 50 ms on the W1700. This is suitable for most casual games, but serious or professional gamers may need faster machines, as many 1080p projectors can be as low as 16 milliseconds. However, they are not 4K projectors-44 milliseconds is almost the fastest latency we have seen on 4K models; only the PX747-4K beats the TK800, but 43 milliseconds is only 1 millisecond less.
Rainbow defects:
Nowadays, the rainbow effect of most DLP home theater projectors is very low, including the TK800. However, some people are particularly sensitive to this flaw and there is no way to predict whether you might be one of them. If you are not sure, please purchase TK800 from a reseller with a friendly return policy so that you can test it yourself.
Fan noise
BenQ does a good job of fan noise on this projector. Noise can be heard in full lamp mode, but in our opinion it is not excessive or offensive. Putting the machine in economy mode makes the fan very quiet, showing a low hum that can only be noticed in a quiet room. Even if it is set to the high altitude mode required for altitudes above 1500 meters, the fan noise is unexpectedly unnoticeable compared to many projectors we have heard. In high altitude mode, setting the bulb to economy mode will make the machine surprisingly quiet.
Audio
TK800 has a 5-watt speaker installed on the side. However, the sound is quite good compared to most other portable projectors. The audio is louder and the dynamic range is better than the 10-watt speakers on the PX747-4K. Therefore, for the onboard audio, the specifications have little to do with actual effects. This capability onboard audio, although no substitute for good surround sound system and even bar speakers , but especially convenient for backyard movie or other portable audio applications may require it.
Lamp life and replacement cost:
BenQ has a nominal life of 4000 hours in full-function lamp mode and 15000 hours in SmartEco mode. The replacement bulb is $149.
The TK800 weighs 9.3 pounds (Note: 4.2 kg), so it is portable enough to be used for backyard movie nights or other mobile applications. It has better-than-average on-board speakers and has an amazing dynamic range relative to its size-which is also a good feature for occasional backyard applications. And it has a keystone correction function that several competitors lack.
The BenQ TK800, currently US$1499, directly competes with the ViewSonic PX747-4K, priced at more than $1000. The important change between BenQ TK800 and ViewSonic PX747-4K is the replacement of the color wheel with white (transparent) sections to increase the white light output.
BenQ TK800 4K Projector performance
Brightness
Compared with the 2025 lumens W1700, the BenQ TK800 has a nominal 3000 lumens. Typically, this projector has a very bright factory calibration value called Bright (bright) mode, with a green hue. Unless you don't mind the green picture, it is not recommended for video presentations in most cases. It also has presets labeled Vivid TV, Cinema, Sport, and two customizable User modes.
Like the W1700, it has the Brilliant Color (extreme color) function that can be turned on or off (like many DLP projectors, there is no incremental scale from 1 to 10). Turning it off will reduce lumen output by approximately 55%.
There is also an Economic bulb mode that reduces lumen output by 36%.
BenQ TK800 ANSI Lumens Test
| mode | full power | economic |
|---|---|---|
| Bright | 2603 | 1666 |
| Vivid | 1792 | 1147 |
| Cinema | 1792 | 1147 |
| Sport | 1792 | 1147 |
| Football | 1792 | 1147 |
Brightness loss of zoom lens
The BenQ TK800 has a 1.2x zoom lens, and we measured about 3% brightness loss at the telephoto end, so there is no reason to worry about which end of the zoom is used.
Brightness uniformity
ProjectorCentral's TK800 test prototype measured a very good 82% uniformity, which was better than the 73% we saw on the W1700 test prototype. Since this is essentially the same light engine equipped with different color wheels, we suspect that the difference may be due to manufacturing differences.
Color brightness
When the Brilliant Color option is set to "ON", the white (transparent) section of the color wheel will produce a large amount of white light relative to the colored light. And as we think, when Brilliant Color is Off, the color brightness is equal to 100% of the white brightness. However, its effect is not attractive. Turning off Brilliant Color will reduce lumen output by 55% (Cinema mode drops from 1792 lumens to about 800 lumens). But it also reduces the contrast and makes the color balance greener, so it is unlikely to be the first choice of users, because the ultimate reason these users buy this model is its increased lumen output. With Brilliant Color, additional white light can increase contrast, neutralize the green tones in the color calibration, and shift the image to a more neutral but still cooler blue tone. With Brilliant Color, the color brightness is only 46% of white, so there will be some loss of color saturation. In fact, the most obvious effect is that the white objects in the picture are brighter than the surrounding colored objects. This can provide a more attractive, higher-contrast picture, but the picture does not reach the desired balance.
3D performance
In fact, the fact that TK800 provides 3D sets it apart from Viewsonic, Vivitek machines, and Optoma UHD50 and UHD60. For less than $2,000, other 3D 4K (or 4K-supporting) projectors are only the $1799 Epson Home Cinema 4000 (using pixel shift on a 1080p 3LCD panel to be compatible with 4K), and the $1699 Optoma UHD51A.
HDMI bandwidth
The projector has two HDMI ports. The first one complies with HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2 standards and has a bandwidth of 18 Gbps. The second is a standard HDMI port with a bandwidth of 10.2 Gbps.
Input lag
The 44 ms input lag on the TK800 is slightly faster than the 50 ms on the W1700. This is suitable for most casual games, but serious or professional gamers may need faster machines, as many 1080p projectors can be as low as 16 milliseconds. However, they are not 4K projectors-44 milliseconds is almost the fastest latency we have seen on 4K models; only the PX747-4K beats the TK800, but 43 milliseconds is only 1 millisecond less.
Rainbow defects:
Nowadays, the rainbow effect of most DLP home theater projectors is very low, including the TK800. However, some people are particularly sensitive to this flaw and there is no way to predict whether you might be one of them. If you are not sure, please purchase TK800 from a reseller with a friendly return policy so that you can test it yourself.
Fan noise
BenQ does a good job of fan noise on this projector. Noise can be heard in full lamp mode, but in our opinion it is not excessive or offensive. Putting the machine in economy mode makes the fan very quiet, showing a low hum that can only be noticed in a quiet room. Even if it is set to the high altitude mode required for altitudes above 1500 meters, the fan noise is unexpectedly unnoticeable compared to many projectors we have heard. In high altitude mode, setting the bulb to economy mode will make the machine surprisingly quiet.
Audio
TK800 has a 5-watt speaker installed on the side. However, the sound is quite good compared to most other portable projectors. The audio is louder and the dynamic range is better than the 10-watt speakers on the PX747-4K. Therefore, for the onboard audio, the specifications have little to do with actual effects. This capability onboard audio, although no substitute for good surround sound system and even bar speakers , but especially convenient for backyard movie or other portable audio applications may require it.
Lamp life and replacement cost:
BenQ has a nominal life of 4000 hours in full-function lamp mode and 15000 hours in SmartEco mode. The replacement bulb is $149.
