BenQ HT4550i Review

[@ryaneckel5601]

How would you compare this to the ls12000? Side by side comparison would be great if you could do it? I’m in the market for my first projector and have been eyeing the 4550, I’d love the ls12000 but I don’t think I can swing that now. The 4550 seems legit from reviews I’ve read but there’s some saying it’s just ok because of the single dlp chip

[@thedaingeon]

They are both fantastic projectors, but I would probably go with the Epson if you have the $5K budget. The BenQ 4550i is legit yes, but the Epson is a bit more future proof with HDMI 2.1 and 4K 120hz for gaming. If you like 3D though then I would go with the 4550i.

[@ryaneckel5601]

@@thedaingeon Thx for getting back to me, I appreciate it. Did you see any RBE, that’s my biggest worry with the 4550, I’ve never seen a dlp in action so idk if I’d even see it but I’m worried about it

[@lucy-me-lucy]

Nice review 👌 I have a dedicated home cinema dark room, is this projector bright enough for my 150" 2.35:1 screen?

[@jamiljoyner7785]

Great video, thank you!. I would be specifically interested in hearing about the practical differences in the signifcantly increased brightness of this unit over the HT3550 (on paper). I have the 3550 and this much more brightness would be very appealing. Also a brightness and overall comp against the LS11000/12000 would be awesome too.

[@ryaneckel5601]

Hey the KZbin channel called the hook up I believe did a comparison of the 4550 with the ls11000 and I believe 3 or 4 other projectors, i just watched it the other day. The guy was pretty thorough with each projector. 4550 was 95% of the ls11000 and scored second overall just behind ls11000. He liked the hdr picture, color and sharpness more than the epson if I remember correctly. Check it out man, it’s like a 28min video

[@ryaneckel5601]

How’s the picture on the 3550?

[@jamiljoyner7785]

It's great honestly. As a 1st projector, I wouldn't have anything negative to say about it really. For that price point, you're getting the majority of what you getting from these projectors were talking about that cost 2x as much. Bright enough to watch sports with a ALR screen in a pretty birght room. Color accurate out the box and great cinematic image quality for movie watching in a dark space. Like I said, for a 1st projector choice I think it's hard to beat. The Epson UB series has better black levels and color brightness, but is way bigger, more expensive, and only really puts out 1440p resolution. @@ryaneckel5601

[@jprzybylski]

Thanks for the great review. Just received mine but notice strange color shifts when using smartEco mode. Disabling SmartEco solves it but contrast performance is not as good without SmartEco. Curious if you noticed these color shifts using SmartEco?

[@ElliotsBike]

Great review! Any chance you can do a video comparing to the HT3560? Wondering if the cost difference it really worth it. 3k is a lot.

[@thedaingeon]

Will do! I’ll have that comparison in pt. 2 along with other detailed information about the HT4550i

[@iancunicolae2626]

how much better is the 4550i vs the uhdz50 which is on sale for 1/2 what the benq sells for? is it worth it to get the Optoma or the benq it is worth the $1500 extra?

[@thedaingeon]

Not familiar with the UHDZ50 but when comparing the BenQ HT4550i to the UHZ50 the BenQ is way better. There are few comparison videos on KZbin you can find putting it up against other projectors and the HT4550i is definitely better and worth the increased cost. Remember they also have great customer service so I would recommend the HT4550i over the Optoma. Hope you like and subscribe to the channel!

[@iancunicolae2626]

@@thedaingeon Thank you for the response, i checked out all your videos. I called projectorcentral and they confirmed the same thing the benq is better. However i got the uhz50 for 1500 out of the door with 3 years warranty . the benq is double, I went with the UHZ50 now time will tell if it turns out ok. I will let you know. I am worried a bit, because i already purchased a UHZ50 from BB and it had a dead white pixle in the middle of the screen, so i returned it. Hopefully the 2nd would be better.

[@HugeVictor]

I bought this projector to replace my w1070 and I ended up having to return it. The image quality is better, but is it $3600CAD better? Not even close. Also, consider the brightness, on my 165" screen, it was way too bright on normal, still uncomfortable on eco, too dark on eco/wcg and more noisy than the w1070 on normal/eco.

[@akbermazhar9303]

How does this compare in performance to ht5550i? I got one for $650 but didnt know it was 5 year old projector ad the 4550 is last years model. Usually he higher model number represents the latest model. i will be using on 120'' screen for 4k movie watching in dedicated theater room with no light. Looking for best cinematic true to authetic color reproduction etc. thanks!

[@jeremynorris2889]

Are you using the HT4550i as your main projector now or do you still have the LS12000?

[@thedaingeon]

The LS12000 is still my main projector that I have mounted in The Daingeon.

[@jeremynorris2889]

@@thedaingeon thanks. So the HT4550i was just for review? I have a Sony XW5000, but miss DLP so I was thinking about going with the Benq and saving a little money. Thanks again

[@matthewhutchinson1247]

What’s the input lag on the projector?

[@Antonio-qn2el]

I need a short throw version of this to replace my aging HT2150st pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[@thedaingeon]

What dimensions are you working with in your media room? What size screen are you looking to fill? Hope you like and subscribe

[@Antonio-qn2el]

@@thedaingeon Subscribed already! it's not a media room, it's a small bedroom, I'm doing 120" with a HT2150st from 2.3m/7.5f, throw ratio is 0.69-0.83, very few options in that range, could do with a 100-110" projection size, but I'd like it image quality to be a noticeable improvement. The HT4550i is nuts, I'd gladly shed x3 what the HT2150st cost me.

[@charliefranco6937]

does it support 3D?

[@lomaleks1332]

Can I use it as a long throw projector for 300'-inch screen?

[@thedaingeon]

Using projectorcentral.com to choose this projector it says you can get a 300” image if you place the HT4550i -25’ to 30’ away. Hope you like and sub to the channel!

[@lomaleks1332]

@@thedaingeon as far as I understand this distance can be shortened if I use 1.3x optical zoom

[@gamecock2465]

I wonder how the JVC NZ30 would compare to this projector considering they are basically in the same price range.

[@richardknott2021]

The remote light doesn’t stay on very long…maybe a second ..other wise a great projector..

[@pacom7148]

Thanks for the video, I join the request to make a comparison with the LS12000, I have an optoma hz40 with ALR 120 screen, and I have these two projectors in mind, I visualize with ambient light during the day, and at night in the dark, and I am in doubt between benq or epson, in my case it would be epson 11000, which today is for €3500. Thanks and greetings from Spain.

[@thedaingeon]

I am just returning from Spain! Yes I plan to make a compare video between the 4550i and the LS12000. Hopefully in the next month. Please like and subscribe!

[@Staafe100]

@@thedaingeon this would be an interesting comparison!

[@vagomaniac]

Whille you framed your screen nicely you didnt give enough information about picture quality. explain the different modes of dynamic contrast, color filter, lamp modes...

[@thedaingeon]

I will do a pt. 2 and give more details on those features you requested along with a comparison to the 3560 and side by side footage. I really appreciate your feedback

[@vagomaniac]

@@thedaingeon That would be an awesome side-by-side since I owned the 3550.. Cheers

[@nicksymons635]

Thanks for the review. Is there a specific reason you would choose a white over a grey sceen with this projector?

[@justinbeamon6624]

In a dedicated room there's no reason to have a grey screen. You always want a good quality white screen with no ambient lighting. A grey screen is basically like putting sunglasses on for your projector.

[@nicksymons635]

@@justinbeamon6624 thanks! Im about to plan my first home theatre in my basement. White screen it is! Cheers

[@robinv1485]

While what he said is indeed true, with these projectors that have less than ideal black levels it can actually give higher contrast, since grey even in a completely black room will go blacker than a white screen, there's no way around it, light is shining on it. The 4000i isn't that bad, if you're going with something to improve it, I'd chose a silver instead of grey instead due to that reason. It's pretty much in the middle of grey and white, so you don't compromise the whites that much. Sony's and JVC's currently yea white screen all the way since the blacks are so good you'd actually be losing contrast in that case, you would just make everything on the lighter side dimmer with no noticeable gains. Epson and BenQ silver (imo, some folks prefer grey especially on the epson to hide that blue tint, I think its overkill) and every thing else that is not great at blacks grey to offset and gain a bigger contrast, especially cheaper models. If you can better yet, order samples. Most companies will send you small samples for you to try out and compare before investing in a full screen@@nicksymons635