BenQ - HT2060

Hey man,your shortlist is actually really solid. You can tell you’ve already done plenty of homework, even if this stuff gets overwhelming fast 😂 The PX701-4K is the most balanced and budget-friendly option here. Really strong for gaming thanks to the low input lag, easy to ceiling-mount, and the auto keystone works fine. Color and contrast aren’t on the level of pricier home-theater models, but for movies and games it’s a safe pick. ProjectorCentral and The Hook Up both speak well of it. The XGIMI Horizon Ultra leans more toward movie watching and convenience. Dolby Vision and the Dual Light system give it noticeably better movie performance. Android TV and casting are smooth too. Just double-check that its mounting limitations work for your setup. The BenQ HT2060 is great if you’re okay with 1080p. It has the best color and contrast of your list and is very home-theater focused. The tradeoff is that it’s not 4K and brightness is only average. The XGIMI Horizon S Max gives you higher brightness and handles bright rooms better. Very living-room friendly with solid smart features, though the price climbs pretty high. If your room is bright, prioritize brightness first. An ALR screen can also help a lot with ambient light. And for input lag, checking independent reviews is always worth it since real-world numbers can be better than spec sheets.

I can’t say enough good about the Benq HT2060. I picked it up in June as my third projector in ten years. First I had a Benq WT770 ST (short throw, 720p resolution) followed by a very used Optoma HD146x (1080, standard throw, facebook marketplace). The short throw Benq still works well to this day and I use it for outdoor movie nights, having replaced the bulb once in its 7 year daily service. Albeit 720p resolution, the color balance and contrast are still really good for a ten+ year old projector which cost a scant $750 at the time of purchase. The Optoma came with a broken color wheel, which I replaced initially, then it broke again 10 months later. Luckily they are $30 on eBay, so I replaced it again. I’m also on my second bulb on that one, but it’s been sidelined for the time being, pending selling it off cheap to a friend, with full disclosure and a color wheel service warrantee, ha. No let me rant and rave and postulate and praise the Benq HT2060! I went with the HT2060 after researching the heck out of a sub $1500 projector. After my time and energy spent on bulbs and color wheels, I was very interested in LED or laser as a “permenant” light source. The added benefit of led running cooler (less hot) and no added warm up/cool down cycle were also perks that I didn’t realize how much I’d appreciate. The resolution is 1080p, downcoded 4k, but it looks somehow better than 1080 and not quite 4k… there’s something going on with this projector. I feel like they got half way, knew they couldn’t claim it as native 4k, and just settled on calling it 1080p. It looks GREAT. The thing people write about with this model that got me across the “purchase” line, is the depth of contrast/black levels, the 96% color gamut, and HDR functionality. The picture on this bad boy puts the optoma 146x out to pasture. Everything is crispy, life-like, and even dark scenes are well-balanced and defined. The TRex attack in Jurassic Park is alive and well, and you can see every detail. I picked it up through Amazon, purchased from Adorama. Because they are a verified seller or whatever, I was still able to buy a warranty from Amazon. I paid $1250 plus $200 (war) and tax. Two weeks later the price was adjusted on Amazon down to $949 for a sale, and I was able to get the difference refunded. Great! My experience so far is summed up in two concrete statements: 1) I know now that contrast and color matter more to me than native 4k. I have a buddy who bought a comparable 4k bulb projector - viewsonic brand. It’s shape and bright as hell! But… my set up looks better, by a combination of factors. 2) I’ll never go back to bulbs. The LED color balance, brightness, lack of heat production, instant (3-5 seconds, comparable to a tv) on/off cycles were something I didn’t know I was getting, and love. The life-cycle being 20k-30k hours instead of 3k-8k… that’s the clincher right there, for me at least. Edit: native autocorrected to booked in the next to last paragraph.

I just did! Ive just rounded out my first month with the Benq ht2060 and I feel vindicated that 1080 has never looked so good, haha. The depth of color, the rich contrast and wealth of hdr10 content (thanks Disney+) have been a treat. I was really worried I would feel the lack of 4k content but so far it’s smooth sailing.

I got my benq HT2060 for $700 on adorama. it came with about 36 hours on it. I thoroughly enjoy it. I watch in a completely dark room on a 106" screen from about 9 feet. I don't mind not having 4k or DV, and have invested more in my sound than anything else. So, sub 800, and in a completely dark room, I think the Benq HT2060 is a good choice.

I have a 106 inch screen in my theater room. The room is 3.8m x 3.5m. The screen is on the 3.8 m wall. I could easily upgrade to a 110 inch screen, and probably should have just started with that. However I would hate projecting onto a white wall. I have the room color treated, made a huge difference. For 1,000, you're not getting 70/80 inch OLED. More like a 65 inch or you need to spend like 1500. my Ben Q HT2060 was $750 open box and the screen was $225. Room treatment was another $200. That's around $1200 and I really enjoy the look of projected films. I'm sitting 9+ish feet from the screen, so the FOV is about right. Like I said, 110 inch screen would be better.

That’s gonna be so sweet. I’d say keep the screen, grab a nicer projector, and enjoy the big screen experience. The Valerion is considered a steal right now, but if you wanna keep the price sub 1000, the benq HT2060 does NOT disappoint. Obviously no projector is going to have the black levels of an OLED, but imo the much larger theatrical screen of a projector makes it so worth it. You have the space, you’re planning on controlling the light with black paint anyway, you might as well make the most of that space and keep the projector setup.

if you can extend the budget a tiny bit i'd recommend the refurbished benq ht2060 for $830

I think the led and laser models are best for ease of use and longevity. Benq has some of the cheaper ones: the ht2060 is 1080p but seems pretty solid and the cheapest option id go for. The x3100i (i have an older model of this one, lots of hours no issues yet) and the x500 are the two that are a step up. There is a laser one too I think that is between those but I don’t remember the model off the top of my head. Whatever you do make sure it fits your intended space, these models have limited image adjustment and keystone takes away a lot of the positives of these models. I also recommend a quality seller NOT amazon just in case you do need to deal with replacement/warranty stuff. A dedicated projector site will help you compare models easier too.

I went with the 1080p Benq Ht2060 because the better black levels, contrast, and color. It’s also LED and not lamp based. The 3550 was one I was contemplating over, but I’ve heard it’s not as good as the 2060 at the things I mentioned. I’ve seen videos of the 3550 and in a light controlled room it looked pretty great for the price. I think you’d be happy with it.

HT2060 is the best bang for buck 1080P projector. As to if it works for your situation with throw, offset, light control, etc is something you will need to determine.

The 2060 is very similar to the 2050 but doesn’t need bumbs and has hdr and will accept 4k input (I believe). Both are very good. The 3550 has 4k pixels. It’s not as bright so only good to 120” in a dim room. All three are solid options