BenQ HT5550
Product Name: BenQ HT5550
Overall
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DESIGN - 92
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FEATURES - 89
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PICTURE QUALITY - 92
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VALUE - 93
Summary
One of the best midrange 4K projector around.
Pros
- This device puts up an excellent 4K performance
- You can expect outstanding color
- Outstanding contrast with Dynamic Iris
- Easy and fast installation
- Best support to HDR10 and HLG
- Deep black levels
- Appealing and inspiring design
- Appreciable vertical and horizontal lens shift
Cons
- Very high input lag for hardcore gamers
- A bit noisy from the pixel-shifting technology
BenQ HT5550 Review
Known as the first single mid-tier version among BenQ 4K UHD projectors, BenQ HT5550 comes with high black levels and a lens with improved range. Compared to previous models, it is certainly a redefined model that puts up a better performance. 4K UHD resolutions with 8.3 million pixels power the image quality of this product. Offering a six-segment RGBRGB color wheel, 1800 ANSI lumen brightness, and a .47-inch DLP chip, BenQ HT5550 provides an enjoyable and entertaining viewing experience.
Let us explore in detail whether BenQ HT5550 meets the expectations of users. This BenQ HT5550 Review analyzes the features and benefits of this home theater projector without a biased approach.
Table of Contents
BenQ HT5550 Overview
The product dimension is 23.3 x 19.5 x 11.7 inches. It weighs only 20.5 pounds. Launched on May 1, 2019, this BenQ model has managed to win the trust of a large number of customers. The noise level of this product under normal mode is 32 dBA. You can expect an acoustic noise level of 26 dBA in Eco mode. Other notable features include excellent backlit remote, 4000-hour lamp at full power and 10000 in eco mode, the best support for HLG, outstanding placement flexibility, and quieter operation.
BenQ HT5550 Design
This model does not have the typical look of previous BenQ models. With a symmetrical design and centered lens, the HT5550 creates a unique style statement. The dark color for the chassis also adds to the elegance of this product. As mentioned above, the lens is placed at the center of the front face. You can find one IR sensor on the right side of the front face and the second one at the bottom of the right corner.
Lens barrel houses the zoom and focus controls. Two knobs for the lens shift are on the top side slightly above the lens. You can find the built-in buttons on the back of BenQ HT5550. This product also comes with two front adjustable feet that can be used to table mount the projector. Equipped with reasonably big rubber buttons, the remote of this device looks sturdy. Overall, the design of this product is appealing and inspiring as well.
BenQ HT5550 features
As a feature-rich home theater projector, BenQ HT5550 meets the expectations of the users in many ways. Some of the notable features are a 6-segment RGBRGB color wheel, a .47-inch DLP chip with pixel shifting, a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, and 1800 ANSI lumen brightness. This device comes with a highly functional Wide Color Gamut setting.
100% DCI-P3 coverage
It boasts of 100% DCI-P3 coverage. It is hard to find this feature on a model of this price range.
1.6x Zoom
The 1.6X zoom makes this 4k DLP projector highly flexible in many ways. You have the freedom to place the projector from the screen within a throw range between 10 and 16 feet for a diagonal image of 100 inches.
Horizontal and Vertical Lens Shift
You can install BenQ HT5550 inverted on a ceiling mount. Thanks to the +/- 60% vertical lens shift. It can even be placed on a table comfortably. You can position this home theatre projector right or left of the vertical centerline of the screen due to the +/- 23% horizontal shift.
Latest HDMI Support
You can find two HDCP 2.2 ports and two 18 Gbps HDMI 2.0b ports on this projector. It supports HDR10 as well as HLG HDR efficiently. This device also comes with a day mode support feature and a lockable ISF night function.
Silence Mode
Another remarkable aspect is that the silence mode ensures noise-free operation at 1080p resolution by turning off pixel-shifting.
Other Features
You can come across 5 HDR brightness levels on this device. This device comes with frame interpolation, detail enhancement, flesh tones, and color improvement functions. The BenQ CineMaster video processing feature is what equips this product with all these features.
BenQ offers a 3-year warranty for this projector along with a 1-year warranty on the lamp. The 245-watt lamp offers 4,000 hours in Normal mode. If you switch on the Economic or SmartEco mode, you can expect 10000 hours.
You can find five options on the Picture Mode menu; User mode, Cinema, Dark Cinema, Vivid TV, and Bright. All these five options allow you to adjust settings.
BenQ HT5550 Picture quality
The picture quality of BenQ HT5550 is extremely good. The 4K pixel shifting projector offers incredibly sharp 4K images. The 0.47″ DMD chip from Texas Instruments is an advanced chip that gives this projector a clear edge over previous BenQ models. This feature equips this product with an excellent pixel-shifting technology that is capable of displaying a 4k Ultra HD image. With an amazing repositioning speed and fast succession, this device takes the image quality to a new level. So, you can expect clearer and brighter images along with a narrower frame compared to many other home theatre projectors available on the market. The chip is highly resistant to misalignment which is an appreciable feature. You don’t need to worry about interference, shadowing, and blur when you use this product.
Brightness
If you check the brightness of HT5550 in terms of lumens, you can find it as a 1,800 lumens projector. There are previous BenQ versions available with 2200 lumens. However, the numbers don’t often speak the truth. You need to check what kind of real experience a projector offers.
The menu of this projector displays Cinema, D. Cinema, Vivid TV, Bright, and a User Defined one. You can change the modes manually on this device. When the right signal is identified, this projector switches to a few more modes including 3D, HDR, and HLG. You can also come across a silent mode that converts BenQ HT5550 to a perfect 1080p one.
If you have high ambient light in the room and need extreme brightness, you can use the Bright mode. The Vivid TV mode produces precise colors. With 4K/HDR, this projector changes to HDR10 mode with Wide Color Gamut. However, you have the option of switching the WCG off if you have a dark or low light environment.
D. Cinema is the best choice with 1080p/SDR content. There is a default lock setting of WCG if you use this projector in low lit rooms. The WCG automatically switches off in bright rooms with the Cinema mode to deliver the best viewing experience.
Contrast ratio/Black levels
Many DLP projectors available on the market fail to deliver deep black levels. To address this issue, you can come across a Dynamic Iris in the previous BenQ models. However, many of them don’t produce the expected results except for some high-end models. The HT5550 offers improved black levels than several other CinePrime models.
The black levels of BenQ HT5550 are as good as any other high-end models. Thanks to the Dynamic Iris and the contrast ratio of 100,000:1. You can expect excellent shadow details with this home theatre projector.
4k/ HDR picture quality
With 8.3 million distinct pixels for each frame, the BenQ HT5550 projector produces 4K UHD 3840×2160 resolution. As a part of optimizing the compact and sleek profile of this projector for the modern lifestyle, it makes use of the new generation 0.47” single-DMD DLP technology. You can expect a resolution of four times higher than Full HD 1080p when you use this device. The pixel blur is efficiently reduced by the 4K-optimized lens. So, you can expect excellent clarity and well-defined fine details with this projector.
The unique HDR-PRO technology of BenQ takes the HDR viewing experience to a new level. Dynamic black and Active Iris technologies play an important role in enhancing the viewing experience. You can expect improved tone mapping with this device. It also provides an admirable contrast range to deliver excellent details from 4K Blu-rays. If you are searching for a projector that offers an unrivaled cinematic enjoyment, this projector is a top choice.
Maintaining perfect high contrast, HDR brightness optimization produces different image sizes and different screen gains. You can enjoy stunning contrast range and outstanding image quality when you activate the HDR mode.
Full HD/SDR picture quality
The projector was able to produce Excellent Full HD video quality as well. In-fact Full HD picture quality was comparable to other high-end Home Theater Projectors. The brightness and contrast levels were comparable to the segment benchmark.
Input Lag
An accepted limit of input lag is 50ms for projectors as far as gaming is concerned. The BenQ HT5550 puts up a satisfactory performance in this regard. You cannot describe it as truly commendable. You can expect 61ms input with full high definition 1080p content. It is reasonably higher than the normal standards. Upon feeding a 4K signal, the number reaches up to an average of 89ms.
If you consider the needs of casual gamers, you can say that the high input lag does not fully ruin the gaming experience. However, this device takes its own time to get used when you play in 4K resolution. One thing you must admit that it is going to disappoint you if you are a hardcore gamer. For casual gamers, it is certainly a very good choice.
If you play in 1080p resolution, you can experiment by activating the Silent mode. This method of approach switches off the pixel-shifting technology, which in turn enhances the input lag to a certain extent. Please bear in mind that you cannot expect a drastic difference with this approach.
Verdict
Pros
- This device puts up an excellent 4K performance
- You can expect outstanding color
- Outstanding contrast with Dynamic Iris
- Easy and fast installation
- Best support to HDR10 and HLG
- Deep black levels
- Appealing and inspiring design
- Appreciable vertical and horizontal lens shift
Cons
- Very high input lag for hardcore gamers
- A bit noisy from the pixel-shifting technology
Final Words
What is the overall experience that a user can expect with BenQ HT5550? This is the common question that most people want to get a clear answer. Since this review makes an honest assessment without any bias, we are committed to offering you an accurate picture. This projector offers many good things for the users. It can be said without an iota of doubt that HT5550 stands taller among the most mid-range 4K models.
It maintains all the good features of HT3550 while offering many other advanced features that users expect with an advanced model. The stunning 4K images need special appreciation along with excellent clarity and sharpness. Without calibration, the colors are really commendable. You can also associate outstanding accuracy with colors.
When it comes to shadow details and black levels, this model does not disappoint the users. You can find tremendous improvement as far as these two aspects are concerned. It would be unfair not to mention about the contrast. BenQ HT5550 offers high contrast to make the viewing experience enjoyable.
This product stands taller among many other models in terms of advanced features and functional benefits. The overall performance is extremely good. The design of this product is outstanding. You can find it as sleek and modern with a strong build. The user-friendliness of this device is truly commendable.
You can install BenQ HT5550 with effortless ease and comfort. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on this task. The addition of a Dynamic Iris helps this device put up a good performance. As mentioned above, installation flexibility has become a hot topic of discussion among many users. You have to mention the improved zoom and lens shift. The manufacturer lives up to the expectations of users in this regard.
You can come across several picture settings on this device including the CinemaMaster Video+ suite. This projector also comes with a wide range of added features that you cannot find in the projectors of this price range. Some of them include HDMI-CEC. ISF Built-in, and a media player. The shape and user-friendliness of the remote are two benefits that most users love. The backlit remote makes the operation extremely easy and convenient as well.
When you compare the features and benefits of BenQ HT5550 with other products available in the same price range, you can easily find that this model stands taller in terms of performance, design, and user-friendliness. The reputation of BenQ as a reliable manufacturer of projectors adds a tremendous amount of credibility. The fast-increasing sales of this product reassert the quality time and again. The bottom line is that this home theatre projector is a product worth buying.
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