BenQ TK800M vs. HT2550 – Projectors Under $500

Creating a lasting impression

To start, we will discuss the BenQ TK800M! The HT2550 was released in late 2015, nearly one year after it was announced. Compared to its counterpart, this makes it relatively new. It is possible you may not see any noticeable aesthetic differences at first.

Furthermore, the BenQ TK800M’s front panel has a somewhat unusual cyan color. Some may think the design is too flashy. In spite of this, this projector stands out from the rest thanks to its color.

The casing of the TK800M is white in contrast to the front panel. The focus ring and zoom dial are located on the right side of the case. Their function is to set the image size and focus, and are located above the lens.

The navigation keys are located on the left backside of the top. An additional button is included for selecting a source in addition to those for selecting power and projection modes. Changing temperatures and lamp power are indicated by LEDs!

Monitor fans keep them cool during long viewing sessions. There are even grills with this purpose on the front panel. There are discrete speakers on the left that produce 5W of power.

As a comparison, the BenQ HT2550 4K UHD projector looks more subtle. A white casing is also included with this one. Although the front casing of this projector sports a dark gray hue, it has a glossy finish. The BenQ TK800M’s aesthetics have not changed over the years!

Around the body of the casing, there are grills of the same design. A few are for sound dispersion while others assist with the inbuilt fan. Furthermore, the HT2550 has a mono speaker of identical 5W to its sibling!
You will, however, not be able to satisfy your audio needs with the 5W stereo speakers (in both projectors). This is the reason why an excellent choice is either a home theater speaker system or a compact speaker.

On top of the projector, you will find adjustment rings for the lens and zoom. The projection can be adjusted using these controls. The default Keystone Correction feature will help you achieve a rectangular shape if you are unable to achieve it. It basically adjusts itself automatically to give you a rectangle projection!

In terms of the way images are processed, the Benq TK800M and HT2550 differ. 2,000 ANSI lumens is what the latter uses instead of the former’s 3,000 ANSI lumens!

Performance & Quality Built Into Every Project

With a size of 10.70 x 13.90 x 5.30 inches, the BenQ TK800M is constructed of a plastic casing. It weighs around 9.20 pounds despite its sleek appearance. An updated version of the BenQ TK800, the TK800M is an improvement on the predecessor.

• Its products are not simply repackaged with new labels and boxes, as most manufacturers do. Aside from that, the TK800M has numerous features.
• This set includes a new lens with an Iris/Aperture ratio between 1.94 and 2.06 as well as some new accessories. Regardless of its focal length, the lens has the ability to change between 15.57 and 18.67 mm. Thus, the projection size can be adjusted from 30″ to 300″.
• A solid mount secures the lens within, and it can certainly withstand a few bumps before giving way. In spite of its impressive features, we caution you against using it to replace your sandbags.
• BenQ’s TK800M fan is impressive considering all the work it does. It still sometimes makes us hate the fan, even if it is a necessity. This is primarily due to its relatively loud noise level between 29 and 33 dB.
• The creators of this machine clearly had tremendous intelligence at work. Due to its ability to process both HDTV and 3D video files, it is considered both powerful and versatile. Likewise, it is capable of displaying any HDTV video including 480p, 480i, 576p, 720p, 1080p, or 2160p.

Additionally, it supports the frame sequencing, frame packing, side by side, and top to bottom rendering for 1080p, 1080p 24hz, 1080i 60hz, and 1080p 24hz!

As with the BenQ HT2550, it is of similar size and dimensions; it measures 10.70 x 13.90 x 5.30 inches. The specifications of its counterpart are the same, despite its heavier weight at 9.26 pounds. A particular feature of this projector we appreciate is its color accuracy.

• A vivid appearance is achieved with the help of Cinematic Color technology. It supports 96% of the Rec.709 color space, also equipped with a default 30 bit (1.07 billion colors) projection band. Lifelike images are produced as a result. Due to its lower brightness, it is more suited to budget home theater setups.
• As a result, there are 2,200 lumens of light projecting the image. The projection will look faded during the day or in a room with bright lights, so it’s not ideal for a bright environment.

Benq HT2550 projectors are meant to be used in controlled environments, however, such that they can perform to their full potential as home theater projectors.

Options for Connectivity

The inputs and outputs of both projectors are similar. Thus, all devices are now more connected than before.

As well as two HDMI ports, the BenQ TK800M and HT2550 also have 2x USB 2.0 ports, 2x mini-B USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, a DC 12-volt trigger port, and an RS232 port.

The projectors are able to connect to a wide range of devices for streaming media and other devices such as gaming consoles, streaming media players, set-top boxes, and digital cameras due to these ports.

Functionality & features that are important

These BenQ projectors are both 4K UHD. DLP is the projection system used in both systems. In addition, they utilize XPR’s pixel-shift technology to provide 3840 x 2160 resolutions.

However, you can resize your projections in VGA mode to 640 x 480 pixels if you wish to. There is no difference in the aspect ratio between the projectors and screens.

• The projectors utilize 240W lights as a matter of fact. A 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio is possible with each of these projectors. It offers a somewhat lower contrast ratio than our favorite budget projector, which offers a 15,000:1 ratio.
• The BenQ HT2550 casts significantly better images compared to the TK800M, despite all similarities. Meanwhile, the TK800M makes up for this shortcoming with a brightness output of 3,000 lumens.
• Shortly, the Benq HT2550 is geared toward home theater usage, while the Benq TK800M can be used for multiple purposes, including work, gaming, and home theater.
• As a result, brighter pictures will be cast with negligible color accuracy loss! Lamp life can be adjusted in three distinct ways with the TK800M. Lamps are normally operated at the default setting of ‘Normal’ for 4,000 hours.
• Utilize the ‘Economic’ setting, which takes into account the projected brightness, to extend lamp life to 10,000 hours. Since you can notice the difference in picture quality, this setting isn’t entirely recommended.
• In the third setting, called SmartEco, the brightness of the pictures is adjusted in a way that does not negatively affect the picture quality too much, while at the same time increasing the lamp life to 8,000 hours.
• In a contrast, the BenQ HT2550 has four separate settings for brightness. Three of these settings are the same as their counterparts. It’s additional fourth setting, however, was very impressive.
• What we’re talking about is the ‘LampSave’ mode. When you use this, you won’t see much difference between your images and the ‘Economic’ mode. It does increase lamp life to around 15,000 hours, however!
• You can choose from six display modes on the BenQ TK800M. Vivid TV, Cinema, Touchdown, Sports, and 3D are a few examples. Compared to the Sports mode, Football focuses on creating lower latency.
• When it comes to day-to-day viewing, Vivid TV is the best mode. Unlike the default camera mode, the Cinema mode emphasizes the quality of the color details. The Bright mode is not recommended unless you’re demonstrating a presentation!

In addition, the projector provides you with two extra slots for saving custom settings.

BenQ HT2550 has six basic modes, including ISF Night, ISF Day, Vivid, Cinema, and Sport. A projector can better adapt to its surroundings through the addition of ISF modes. As a result, this projector stands out from its competitors.