Philips describes the PicoPix Max as “the smart & fully wireless native Full HD projector with ultra-vivid picture made for use anywhere, [with a] Built-in battery, Android OS, invisible top touchpad, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB-C connectivity to play, work, and mirror all your apps”. It is a Full HD (1,920x1,080) DLP projector capable of producing up to a 120’ image, with built in speakers, and up to a 3-hour battery life.

Along with its portability and versatility, the PicoPix Max stands out as a fully self-contained entertainment unit with: a built-in media player, Android OS app support, Wi-Fi screen mirroring, and HDMI, Micro SD, USB, and USB Type-C connection ports. Philips markets the PicoPix Max primarily as an entertainment machine, but its variety of features also makes it a powerful tool for professional use in office and field environments.

The Philips PicoPix Max is a portable DLP projector that offers Full HD (1,920x1,080) resolution. The LED light source is rated for over 30,000 hours of use. Philips doesn’t provide a lumen output specification for the PicoPix Max, but we will measure it with our own test equipment and provide our findings in the performance section of this review. It comes with most of the major streaming service apps (Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, YouTube) pre-installed as well as the previously mentioned media player that supports a variety of popular file types, and Firefox web browser.

With an MSRP of $899, the Max is the most powerful (and most expensive) of the Philips PicoPix line of projectors that also includes the PicoPix Micro, and the PicoPix Nano. The PicoPix Max is an excellent choice for anyone that wants the functionality of a Smart TV with the portability of a paperback novel.

NEC NP-PX1005QL is a 10,000 lumen, large venue, 4K DLP projector with WQXGA, 3840 x 2160, resolution that can accept a full range of 4K content. This is a commercial/installation class projector with a focus on higher education, corporate, house of worship, and digital signage applications. The NP-PX1005QL uses a laser/phosphor wheel light engine rated at 20,000 hours of life and uses a single DLP to reproduce 4K UHD resolution.

NEC currently offers a total of twelve projector models in its PX-Series lineup. All units in this series utilize DLP chips but resolution varies from WUXGA up to 4K UHD. Brightness ranges from 8,000 lumens delivered by the NP-PX803UL all the way up to 10,000 lumens provided by the NP-PX1005QL.

While there are only three unique chassis, each can be purchased with or without the standard lens and each are also available in both black and white finishes. I reviewed the white finish NP-PX1005QL-W, however an identical version in black is the NP-PX1005QL-B.

We wish to thank Epson America for sponsoring this year’s Best Classroom Projectors Report. 

The NP-PX1005QL resolution is 4K UHD WUXGA (3840 x 2160). To provide a crisp and clear picture, the projector accepts 4K content and can reproduce it without having to rely on pixel shifting utilized by most 3LCD projector in its price point.

The NP-PX1005QL has motorized zoom and focus as well as vertical (+50%/-30%) and horizontal (+20%/-10%) lens shift. While the NEC NP-PX1005QL does not ship with a lens, for maximum flexibility it is compatible with a total of eight bayonet style lenses which allows for a throw distance range of 1.6ft to 183 ft. For this review NEC provided the NP18ZL-4K which is its standard lens. It is a middle throw zoom lens with a range of 1.71 to 2.25.

Since this is a large venue installation class projector it includes several features you would expect in a higher-end model including edge blending and geometric correction.

The NP-PX1005QL has wired LAN and HDBaseT for running audio, video, and control signals over extremely long distances (up to 100 meters). There’s a DVI-D connector, an HDMI 2.2 port for accepting 4K content, several audio inputs and an RS-232c connector for old-school command and control. It also has BNC connectors, a service port and an input for a wired remote control.

When Art Feierman reviewed the BenQ TK800 4K UHD DLP projector about a year ago, he found it to be an excellent performer, with impressive light output and sharpness, especially for the price ($1499 at the time). This year, BenQ has upped its game with an upgraded model, the TK800M, which carries a list price of only $1299. That's a mere $50 more than the TK800's current list price, though the earlier model is no longer in stock.

Because we reviewed the TK800—which won Best in Class for Bright Room Home Entertainment in last summer's Best Home Theater Projector Report —we probably won't do a full review of the TK800M, which is similar in many ways. Still, it has several improvements over the previous model, so let's give it a once over.

Like its predecessor, the TK800M is a home-entertainment projector through and through. Its single-chip DLP design offers full 4K UHD resolution using Texas Instruments' latest 0.47" DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) imaging chip, which has a native resolution of 1920x1080. Each pixel is quickly shifted between four different positions, which happens so fast that the eye simply sees a combined resolution of 3840x2160 on the screen. This is the same chip used in the company's highly regarded HT3550, and it avoids the light-border issue in the previous TK800.

Weighing in at 9.2 pounds, the BenQ TK800M is fairly portable, allowing you to easily set it up wherever the game-day party happens to be. And speaking of games, the new model is well-suited for video gaming as well. Art measured the TK800's input lag at 48ms, and we assume the TK800M has the same input lag as its predecessor, which is good news for gamers.

The new model's high dynamic range (HDR) performance has been improved with the addition of HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), an HDR format that is designed for live broadcasts. It joins HDR10, which is a common format for movies and streaming content. BenQ's exclusive Auto HDR Color Rendition is said to tame the oversaturated reds and greens common to other HDR-capable projectors as well as bring out dark details in HDR images.

- 3840x2160 resolution (1920x1080x4)
- 3000 lumens peak light output
- Offers HLG HDR in addition to HDR10 for greater HDR compatibility
- Auto HDR Color Rendition optimizes colors in HDR mode
- Color gamut increased from 92% to 96% of BT.709 thanks to new color wheel
- Lens quality improved with new 7-element 1.1x glass lens
- Improved 3D compatibility to support more 3D formats
- Sport and Football Picture Modes accurately render fast-paced action
- Onboard 5-watt audio system utilizes aluminum driver in the resonant chamber for better sound
- Auto Keystone makes it easy to align the image on the screen
- Like TK800, 40+ ms input lag in Game mode is fast enough for most gamers, but not the most fanatical (under 20ms ideal)
- 1.1x zoom allows a 100" image with a throw distance from 10.83 to 12.14 feet

The TK800M is touted as a "sports projector," with a dedicated picture mode for football and other sports. It offers a peak light output of 3000 lumens, though it will almost certainly be less after calibration. Thanks to a new RGBW color wheel, the color gamut has been increased from 92% to 96% of BT.709, resulting in slightly more vivid colors than before. Of course, it can't be considered to produce "wide color gamut," since it does not exceed BT.709. Also, the white segment in the color wheel punches up the brightness at the expense of black level. Still, both features allow the image to stand up to plenty of ambient light, which is perfect for your next game-day gathering.

Like all single-chip DLP projectors, the TK800M has no inherent alignment issues whatsoever. By contrast, LCD and LCoS projectors use three imaging panels, which are prone to misalignment that can soften the image. Also, its optical system uses a new 7-element, 4-group, all-glass lens with low-dispersion coatings to minimize chromatic aberration. Together, these components are said to produce razor-sharp images.

3D might be gone from new flat-panel TVs, but it's still going strong in projectors. Whereas the TK800 required manual setup of 3D over-under and side-by-side timing, the TK800M automatically selects the correct timing for 720p and 1080p at 50 and 60 Hz (side-by-side) and 1080p at 50 and 60 Hz (over-under). It can also display frame-sequential 3D up to 720p at 120 Hz and frame-packed 3D up to 1080p at 24 Hz.

The onboard audio system on most projectors is a joke, but BenQ has devoted some attention to it in the TK800M. The speaker incorporates an aluminum diaphragm with neodymium magnet inside a resonant chamber to enhance both ends of the sonic spectrum. A 5-watt amplifier drives the speaker, while custom-tuned sound modes and exclusive EQ algorithms enhance the sound quality even further.

Of course, the single speaker can produce only mono sound, whereas some competitors offer stereo or even stereo with surround effects. Still, no onboard audio system can compete with an external system, especially in the bass department, but the TK800M can serve up better sound than many projectors in a pinch.

If a projector can't be positioned so it's vertically aligned with the screen, the image is distorted into the shape of a trapezoid rather than the desired rectangle. The TK800M provides automatic vertical keystone correction that solves this problem, but I strongly recommend avoiding any keystone correction if at all possible, because it reduces the sharpness of the image.

Unfortunately, the TK800M offers no lens shift, which is a far better solution to problematic placement than keystone correction. Lens shift is uncommon in projectors at this price, though the HT3050 1080p model does offer vertical lens shift for $850, so it's a bit strange that the TK800M does not.

One feature that's missing from the TK800M—and, to be fair, most other projectors—is a suite of built-in streaming apps that can be found in so-called smart TVs these days. Optoma and LG offer "smart projectors" with streaming apps, but this is still fairly rare. Of course, most folks get their online content from a streamer such as Roku or Amazon Fire TV, which can easily be used with the TK800M.

The TK800M's connections include two HDMI inputs—one is version 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 copy protection, while the other is version 1.4. You must use the HDMI 2.0 input for UHD Blu-ray and other modern content; the 1.4 input is useful only for legacy players. I wish they were both HDMI 2.0; also, I wish there were three HDMI inputs, but very few home projectors offer more than two.

There's also a PC (VGA) input as well as Type-A and Type-B USB ports. The Type-A port is intended to provide power for things like streaming dongles such as Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast. However, unlike some projectors, the TK800M has no built-in media player, so it can't play content stored on a USB memory stick or hard drive. The Type-B port facilitates factory service. An RS-232 port and 12-volt trigger output support various control and integration systems. Finally, the back panel offers a 3.5mm stereo-audio input and a 3.5mm stereo-audio output.

The projector's remote is comprehensive, with dedicated buttons for many functions. The buttons are mostly the same shape and size, which makes them difficult to find by feel, but the remote provides a backlight, which lets you see them in the dark. Fortunately, the backlight is red/orange, which doesn't disrupt dark-adapted vision when you look at it. The top of the projector itself also provides some controls, but most people will probably use the remote, especially if the projector is mounted on the ceiling.

In the TK800M, BenQ has made some distinct improvements to the TK800 while keeping the price surprisingly affordable. As a home-entertainment projector—as opposed to a home-theater projector—it will likely perform better than most low-cost models in a room with ambient light, but not as good in a darkened home theater as models without a white segment in their color wheels, especially in terms of black level.

Keep in mind that few if any single-chip, lamp-based DLP projectors have good black levels. On the other hand, true home-theater models like the BenQ HT5550 have a dynamic iris that improves black levels, which comes at a price: The HT5550 lists for $2499, almost twice the price of the TK800M. Art is currently finishing his full review of the HT5550, so be on the lookout for that.

Of course, true home-theater projectors aren't as bright, so you need to decide what's more important to you. If sports in a well-lit room is your thing, the BenQ TK800M should probably be among your top draft picks.

Today’s short, first look review, tackles two assignments: first of all, telling you about the capabilities of BenQ’s TK800, their newest (and fourth) 4K UHD projector launched in less than a year, and second, to help you choose between this and their own HT2550, a very similar and capable projector. This projector, the TK800, BenQ describes as a bright room projector – one suitable for living rooms, rather than dedicated home theaters.

Meet the TK800 – small, lightweight, 3,000 lumens – a pixel shifting 4K UHD resolution (1920x1080x4) projector, based on a single chip DLP design. It supports HDR, but like most 4K UHD projectors, does not attempt to handle the wider color space called P3/BT.2020, that provides better color like we're used to with movie theater projectors.

Like many of the lamp based 4K UHD projectors, the TK800 does do HDR to the best of its ability, but, as stated previously, makes no attempt to tackle BT.2020/P3 expanded color space. So you get half of the “promise” of 4K, but that’s typical. To do a good job with the expanded color space, you basically need a laser light engine (or, next best, an LED light engine).

HDR is a challenge for every projector on the low side of $25K. Projectors, like many 4K LED TVs, really aren’t bright enough to do HDR as intended, so must compromise.

One of these two projectors is going to be the better choice for your room conditions, and type of usage. My job here, after first discussing the TK800 projector on its own, will be to help you determine which of these is right for you.

• Your room or rooms have less control of lighting, and can get pretty bright
• You are more into sports viewing than movie viewing, or at the least, you are less critical of picture quality on movies than a home theater enthusiast (you care about the sports being viewed, not the projector)
• You are the person who has owned several LCD TVs (okay, the world seems to be calling them LED TVs lately), but rarely, if ever, played with picture settings options – that is, rarely attempted to see if you could improve the picture, just happy with what the TV produced “out of the box”
• You can choose a screen designed to work well with a “bright room” projector in fairly bright rooms

• Your room has better lighting control, and if possible, a darker color for your wall, ceiling and floor surfaces
• You are looking for the best picture quality when watching movies
• You want a setup that can handle really dark scenes at least fairly well
• You are never in a situation where the room is very bright, and there’s nothing you can do about it

The TK800 is a physically small home theater/home entertainment projector. In almost all ways, it is identical to their HT2550, but, it is brighter: the TK800 claims 3,000 lumens. 3,000 lumens is a not uncommon number for 4K UHD projectors to claim.

Optoma and other DLP manufacturers, just like BenQ, typically offer two models, typically identical in terms of most things, except for using a different color wheel. (Consider the more expensive Optoma UHD60 and UHD65.) The TK800 uses a RGBW color wheel (red, green, blue, and white slices – white is really a clear slice). This is a typical color wheel configuration found on most business and education DLP projectors.

Traditional home theater projectors avoid using a white/clear slice. The plus side is that with this color wheel, the TK800 gets a big boost in white lumens (although color lumens suffer). Still, when watching something like sports with a lot of amount of ambient light present, that extra boost of white tends to make the image look less washed out, provides more pop to the image, even if colors are a bit more subdued.

To accomplish this “First Look Review," which normally requires spending at least a little time with a projector in our own environment (not a fully black room at a trade show), I had an afternoon visit from BenQ. They brought over the TK800, which we fired up. Over a couple of hours, I got a good look at it handling content including (but not limited to) Passengers in 4K, Ghostbusters (4K), and some HDTV content. I also switched over to the Epson 5040UB, which I use as a reference projector – comparing everything that comes through here to that Epson, it helps me figure out how two projectors that were not here at the same time, compare. That should make sense to you.

For most of the viewing, I did have the room fairly dark, but also opened the shutters more to see how much ambient light the TK800 could handle filling about a 100” diagonal for HDTV, and about 116” diagonal on widescreen movies. Unfortunately, as I had other folks here in my theater, I did not have the time take photos of the TK800 projector in action, but I got a good handle on how it performed.

But, let’s say your room is a den or living room with just basic (not black out) shades on the windows. With higher overall ambient light levels (except maybe at night), this is when you want to consider the TK800. And you definitely want to be pairing it in such rooms with a proper screen that helps out dealing with ambient light. I'm talking either those already mentioned (ALR types - ALR = ambient light rejecting), or other screens which aren’t optically absorbing light, but still manage to keep a lot of that side ambient light from bouncing off the screen to your eyes. A screen such as Stewart’s Firehawk (which I used when I had my projector in my old living room). It and some other grey surfaced screens are often good at dealing with side ambient light and are likely to cost less than comparable quality newer ALR screens.

Before I get into picture quality, let’s talk briefly about hardware. The TK800 is laid out exactly the same way as the virtually-identical-looking HT2550. Both have a pair of HDMIs, two USB inputs, and a 12 volt screen trigger, in addition to stereo audio in, and out, and an analog computer interface (VGA) using the traditional HD15 connector.

Like the HT2550, the TK800 has the same 5-watt speaker system, which, naturally, BenQ hypes, talking about deep bass and “soaring highs.” Hey, this speaker system isn’t bad – for that movie night out in the back yard, or casually watching some HDTV.  And sure, it’s going to serve nicely, with enough volume for sports viewing, but, at the end of the day, it’s still a small 5 watt speaker in a small box, and no matter how fancy the equalization or how well the speaker cabinet design is (the projector in this case), it is not even close to the most inexpensive surround sound system, you can buy for under $200. If you are serious about sound, you’ll want a real sound system to complement this projector.

The images in the photo player immediately above, were taken using the HT2550 projector.  As I said, I didn't have time to do a photo shoot during the brief time BenQ was here with the TK800.  For a good look at sharpness and detail capability of either projector, check out the 3rd and fourth images (from Ghostbusters 2016).  The close-up shows the sharpness and detail capabilities of either the TK800 or HT2550, as there should be no sharpness difference between these models.

I got to do this quick "first look" review the TK800 projector in my home theater – daytime only. I have inserts for all my windows to do a great job of blacking out the room, but, as this is a “bright room” projector, I didn’t put them in, instead relying on the shutters on my four windows. They do more than a good enough job on the brightest days to enjoy any good sporting event.

Mind you, I was viewing the TK800 “right out of the box” – all default settings. Color, as I have come to expect from the better modes on a BenQ HT/HE projector, were pretty good – better than most, without any adjustment. I wasn’t really paying close attention to the individual modes other than to point out that the brightest mode wasn’t all that good, which is typical. It actually was a bit less strong green/yellows than most, but still, you’ll use it only as a “break glass in case of emergency” mode for the worst ambient light levels. The other modes were all rather good.

Bottom line on the TK800: It’s bright, it’s affordable, and it’s sharp. It is optimized for brightness, compared to the HT2550, which, by comparison, is "optimized" for (slightly) improved color, (neither projector can produce near as many color lumens (compared to white ones), but the HT2550 should have color lumens numbers closer to the white ones.. Still the TK800 projector's strength is that in rooms with more than a little ambient light, the extra white lumens can be a positive trade-off.

One last time, because this is important for "bright room" projectors:

Most important tip: Be sure to pair the TK800 with the right type of screen for your room. If your room does get fairly bright, go for an ALR type screen – designed to absorb, not reflect back at you, ambient light coming from above, below, and the sides. I use a Screen Innovations Slate ALR type screen in my very bright living room.  It is very effective, and I pair it with a projector that normally, during the daytime, I have set to produce about 2,800-3,200 good looking lumens. This BenQ can’t produce that many good-looking lumens, but then, my “bright room” projector is basic 1080p resolution, and three times the cost.

I plan to do the full review of the HT2550 sometime late June or early July (2018). I'm hoping to have an HT2550 here at the same time so I can do direct comparisons of the same content up on the screen. Stay tuned!  -art

With a $1,499 list price, the HT2550 has two immediate things going for it: It is the first of the new single chip DLPs to ship that uses the newer, smaller, less expensive, and slightly lower “resolution” 4K UHD DLP chip. There have beem several other projectors using that chip announced, and are shipping soon (or by now, depending on when you are reading this). The W1700 seems to be the same projector sold in the EU and other places outside the US.

Skin Tones are excellent on this 1080i photo from the Victoria Secret Swimsuit Show.

Back in November, based on preliminary press information, I wrote about the HT2550, in as much detail as I could, with a bit of conjecture.

This is our top regular award for projectors. We do offer additional awards in our special reports.

BenQ was kind enough to provide me with a pre-production HT2550 before CES in January so I could take a “first look” and post in time for the official launch at the Consume Electronics Show, which provided even more info. I took a lot of pictures (although the unit wasn’t calibrated). A few weeks ago, however, I received a full production HT2550, and I have been working with it for about the past two weeks. I’ve already put a whole lot of hours on it, perhaps 70 hours – as the projector I’m reviewing is always on, when I’m writing. My viewing on the BenQ so far – about 50/50, split between sports/HDTV and movies.

A little background on this projector. To me, it is the new 4K UHD equivalent of the old BenQ W1070, a low cost 1080p projector from long ago.  That projector was around for years because of the value, known for great color and a very theater like image. Like that W1070 of old and its decedents, the HT2550 has the color and picture.

Not bad, not bad at all! (That means I'm rather pleased with it. -art)  The last BenQ HT projector we reviewed, the HT9050, with its LED light engine, and $9K price is a very different beast. But this much smaller projector sure packs a lot of good performance into a projector that sells for 1/6 of the HT9050’s list price. It can’t match the bigger model, which uses the higher resolution 4K UHD chip, or an LED light engine, but the HT2550 definitely has a much better value proposition.

The BenQ HT2550 is a smaller Home Theater/Home Entertainment projector. Oh, it’s a lot larger than those small LED pico and pocket projectors, yet, with its 9.3 pound curved body and smaller than 11” x 14” footprint, it can be portable if needed. For that matter, it can double as a portable business projector. It would be the least expensive 4K UHD projector on the market for business as well as home, at this time.

2,200 lumens is the brightness. The projector has a modest 1.2:1 zoom lens, providing modest placement – speaking of which, this projector lacks lens shift, which is a bit of disappointment, since BenQ pioneered putting at least a small amount of lens shift on some entry level HT projectors (non-4K UHD). Perhaps most important to comment on here is that with 2,200 at its brightest, and 4K HDR capabilities, this projector is best in a home theater, or at least a room you can fully, or near fully darken. Oh, sure, you can go brighter room if your thing is, perhaps, sports, rather than movies. BenQ, as always, provides a very competent remote control, with good range, and nice backlighting.

Since HDR (High Dynamic Range) is supported – a key part of the 4K suite of improvements providing a visibly better picture than 1080p – I’ll be going into detail as to BenQ’s implementation, as there are always compromises. There’s plenty to cover and discuss, and no better way to get started than to provide a list of the key features BenQ touts. Then, in Special Features and the rest of the review, we’ll see how the BenQ HT2550 actually performs, and its strengths and weaknesses.

After reviewing a slew of beastly business and education projectors, the NEC NP-P474U looks positively tiny. I would call it medium-small, measuring 16.5” wide, 13” deep, and 5.6” tall, but don’t let its size fool you. This LCD, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) projector packs a serious punch with a wall-melting 4,700 lumens. Geared toward the corporate and higher education environments, the NP-P474U is ideal for applications where a bright, sharp image is a must. With all those lumens, the NEC NP-PA474U will be able to combat the uncontrollable ambient light that is the norm for board rooms, conference rooms, and classrooms. Speaking of classrooms – NEC has a great education program offers a great discount on this projector.

We wish to thank Epson America for sponsoring this year’s Best Classroom Projectors Report. 

The NEC NP-PA474U is an $1,849, 4,700 lumen projector with WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution, which is the business and education world’s 1080p. NEC designed the NP-PA474U with installation challenges in mind, providing advanced installation features to make sure the projector can work in multiple environments with less-than-ideal installation conditions. It has horizontal and vertical lens shift, several geometric correction choices, and HDBaseT to make things even easier. That HDBaseT is a major plus for higher education where classroom sizes can be rather large – this allows for signal to be run across a much longer distance than with projectors that lack this feature, but more on that on the Special Features Page.

It has a lamp life of up to 8,000 hours in Eco, 6,000 in Normal Eco, and 4,000 at full power. This is getting to be typical of lamp based projectors, which generally run around 3,500 hours to 8,000 hours in their claims. If you were to have the projector running for 20 hours a week all year long at full power, the lamp would last you just under 4 years before needing to be replaced. Alternatively, if running the projector in Eco for the same amount of time, you’d be extending the lamp life to just over 7.5 years, though you’d be sacrificing some lumens – not a good idea if you’ve got big glass windows with no shades, as is the case in some conference rooms and board rooms. Whatever the case may be, hopefully these numbers give you a rough idea of how long the lamp will last for your applications.

NEC sent me their Multi-Presenter Stick, which is totally awesome as many manufacturers who offer these optional multi-presenter sticks do not send them with the projectors, so we don’t get to review them. In fact, because of this, I thought the second box they sent was for an interchangeable lens, and was surprised to see the dongle. So, that answers the question – can multiple presenters be hooked up to the NP-P474U simultaneously and easily switch between devices? Absolutely. We’ll get more into the features of that Multi-Presenter Stick on the Special Features Page as well.

The NEC NP-P474U has one of the best warranties around – a 3-year parts and labor including InstaCare next day exchange, with 1 year on the lamp. I’m a big fan of warranties. My Epson Home Cinema 5040UB had a problem with the power receptacle – I called them up, told them the issue, and I had a new unit out to me within two days (I called on a holiday). For three whole years, you can have the same peace of mind that your NEC NP-P474U will be replaced quickly, with not much downtime at all. I’ll discuss the warranty further in a moment – in the interest of not giving away the whole show on the first page, let’s move on to that Special Features Page I keep talking about.