Great comparison to the epson 5050UB being in the same price range you've read my mind. I honestly expect low input lag and native 4k without the use of lenshift these days. The moment a projector can do that at the 3k price range, it will be a game changer.
Wondering if you've considered doing a full side by side comparison of the 3550 to 5550? Would be great to get an in depth review of the two different price levels.
I won one of these on eBay and it ended up to be a scam... After going through that I just ended up getting a Optoma uhd51alx and am happy enough! Thanks for the review...
very nice analysis, was planning on HT5050 instead of HT3550, but i don't have enough room lenght for my big screen. I've send HT3550 back after a few months and i'm back on HT3050. I suggest Xiaomi ALPD3.0 next test :)
I got the same one and Input lag is fine for me. It's at around 50 for gaming, which is not really noticeable. Iam not a competitive gamer so it might be different for me.
Great review! I love my 5550. It perfect in my dedicated home theater room since I use an oled tv for gaming and picture quality is much sharper compared to the epson ub. Thing is a beast.
Nice review. I am currently in the process of redoing the basement and plan to update from my 73" Mitsubishi DLP TV to a projector. Space is limited so I want a 4k short throw (not UST) projector to get a 120" image for a roughly 7ft to 8ft throw. I plan to pay not much more thant $2k. Unfortunately, it seems that the xxxxxST line of projectors from Benq (and other manufacturers) are relegated to 1080p (unless I am willing to pay an exhorbitant price). The current 4k projectors I have found would limit me to "only" 90"-100" image size from 8ft or require a >10ft throw for 120". Yes, there is the Viewsonic X1--4k, but no thanks. I guess I have to wait.
You can of course manually zoom out for scope which isn't really a hassle, particularly if the HT5550 is on a shelf. I agree though, Chris, this is a fantastic projector with beautiful colors and detail. It looks particularly good on big budget action and comic book movies.
Thanks so much for doing this review Chris, i trust your opinions on your projectors more than most! Is it better than an Optoma UHD 50 in a side bt side comparison? Cheers Bryan
What do you recommend for watching football on a Sunday afternoon without having to be completely in the dark? Basement but has a sliding glass door with curtains. Also would be used for next gen gaming.
Hi Chris, since we both have UHD60s in our home theaters, what are you thoughts on replacing your Optoma with this BenQ? How does the apparent sharpness compare? How about HDMI handshake speed when using Match Content/Range from Apple TV 4K? I have to have a sharp 4K image I'm used to with the Optoma UHD60 and I'm trying to decide between upgrading to a UHD65 or this BenQ
Hi Chris, coming back to this now as my UHD60 has a stuck pixel and I'm considering the BenQ as a possible replacement. Can you comment on above question?
Can you share what some of the settings you have and what you watched your content with? I watch all movies through apple 4k tv. Your picture seemed a little brighter than mine. i've had this projector for over a year now - bought it when it was first released. I do have an issue with the projector once in awhile, where I get complete white balance wash out, have to unplug my HDMI cables from my Anthem receiver and power plug, and hold power button in for 30 seconds, then connect them again. I always have to turn receiver on first, then projector. This happens about every 10 to 15 times I turn everything on.
Hi I currently have an Epson 3500 projector that is having issues with a blue tint in the bottom right corner. It’s ceiling mounted at approx 14/15 ft in a dedicated home theatre room with some ambient light. If I have to upgrade upon failure what would you recommend I replace it with If I wanted to go to a laser projector or another lamp projector? Geoff
Amazing review as Always Chris! I’m right now looking to upgrade from my TW9200(ub5030). My budget is 1500-2300 Euros. I found the UhZ65 and 5040 in that price range. I want more resolution and game some. Will the 5040 be enough of a bump I resolution(I like my Epson) or will I need to for for UHZ65 for that? Had the 5700 as a consideration as well but I think I need more lumens.
The uhz65 has high input lag which isn't great for gaming. The 5040ub can't do 4k @ 60fps which also isn't great for gaming. The 5050 is the best of both worlds. You could go for the 4010 if the cost of the 5050ub is too high. The big downside to that is black levels though.
@@ChrisMajestic Plus, the 4010 doesn't do 18gbps and no HLG HDR for the future. I think Epson will replace that model pretty soon...it's already been out for about 2 years. I'll bet a new model comes at Jan 2021 CES... I'd wait until Black Friday and see what you can snag the 5050ub for...that's what I'm waiting for, and it's 6 weeks away as of yesterday! lol ;) I scored on the parts for my PC build last Black Friday...$aved a ton! I was actually very $urpri$ed!
As always, great review Chris! Love the shirt too. I’ve watched your TK850 review a dozen times and think that might be the projector for me but still enjoyed the HT5550. I’m having a hard time deciding on a receiver though. Any recommendations for a 9.2 receiver? Probably running a couple power amps for the L-C-R and then the rest of the speakers will be powered by the receiver. I’m running a 5.2.4 setup
@@TheChefComic I haven’t purchased one yet as my 2yr theater build is just wrapping up. I was waiting till the absolute last minute to buy the equipment. I’m between the TK850 and UDH51ALV. They both meet my requirements of short throw to fit neatly behind a soffit in the ceiling and 135” acoustic transparent screen. How do you like the TK850?
I was convinced to get an Epson 5050 next week but the comment about BenQ being a lot sharper, gave me pause. I have 150 inch screen with an old BenQ projector and my biggest concern right now is the blurriness at that size. Set me straight, Chris!
I'm at 135 inches and even though the Epson isn't as sharp I still prefer it because of the brightness, black levels, and input lag since I game on it sometimes. The sharpness is definitely noticeable but the other features are more important to me. It is a tough decision though.
Does it not have HDMI CEC control? need to be able to control a receiver in another room/closet and DVD player. I want to just use an Apple TV for all media/TV besides the occasional DVD/Bluray.
This projector is definitely inspired by the older Mitsubishi HD1000 / HC1500 . That's what I have now , the dark color and centered glass lens is the selling point for me as a replacement.
Can you help me, need a 4K project for golf simulator that is ceiling mounted at 13ft from screen that is 144inches wide and 110 inches tall. Any ideas?
Its a reflection off the screen since I was using an alr screen meant for UST projectors. Its also because of the angle of the projector. I didn't get a chance to swap out the screen before testing this projector.
Can you do a video with some suggestions for an outdoor projector? Looking at the optoma hz39hdr. Going to set it on a coffee table with a screen about 8 feet away by my pool
I like your Speaker and headphones choice. I don't know what Interface you use bu when it come to sound output the best will be an Audient iD14. It will be as good as any other interface up to 700$
Thanks for the review. Would love to get this but the throw may be too long for my room, which is only 3 meters long. I don't need a massive picture, 92 inches would be fine, but even then I think I wouldn't be able to get the projector back far enough.😱😭 I've seen other reviews say that a downside to the 5550 is that it isn't very bright. Obviously in the specs it's 200 ANSI lumens less, but in real world is it noticeable compared to the 3550? What did you find? Sometimes the calibrated brightness of projectors is the opposite to what their specs would suggest, so just wondering if that's the case here?
Its not that much different from the ht3550 in brightness. Its made for a dedicated home theater so 1800 lumens is plenty of brightness. There are higher end projectors with even less lumens. I personally don't usually like the professionally calibrated settings. The picture is usually too dim for my liking. The ht5550 in vivid mode looked great even though its not as color accurate as cinema mode.
@@ChrisMajestic thanks for the advice. Looks like I'll have to go for the 3550 because of the throw on the 5550 being just too long for my small room. One question I have though, for your desired screen size, is it best to get as close to the screen as possible, or as far away as possible? I would have thought close would be best as (I assume) it ensures the brightest image. I've also heard opinions expressed that say using zoom on a projector means you lose pixels in the image. Is that right?
Motorized zoom, focus and H/V shift are 100% essential for a cinemascope setup. I have an Epson 4040 and at normal viewing distance for me (9ft - 104" 16:9 and 9ft - 128" 2.35:1 ) it looks amazing. I would call Epson's shift more like 3K then 4K, Better then 1080p but not as sharp as True or Native 4K. Again at 9ft away it looks as sharp as my friends 4K native Sony. Only when pixel peeping up close can I see the difference in most content. The 5050 or 6050 just improves on what I just described, Super blacks and now that the 5050/6050 has fixed the one limitation with the Epson's (No HDR 60 for games) It has become one of the top gaming projectors IMHO.
Here is my approach... I got the 3550 half a year ago and got to see the 5550 in action a month ago. The colour is better but not that much. Black levels and contrast seem to be the same, BAD. The image is not that sharp, its almost also bad if compared with OPTOMA uhd51 f.e.Operational noise is ok ish and not high pitched. That horizontal lens shift would have saved me a few holes in the ceiling so 5550 is easier to install. The good thing is that they are calibrated from factory so, huge benefit for gamma and decent colour reproduction. So... none of those projectors is good for a dedicated home theater room, and EPSON is a much better choice. A dedicated room screams for a motorized lens shift, low ire contrast and BLACK LEVELS people. There is no point for a 4k projector with good colour if it candisplay information in only SOME scenes with resolution and good colour. Most movies have dark scenes that 3550 and 5550 cannot display correctly especially in a dark room like mine. So I try to enjoy the cinematic image my projector produces, some times... and took a good last bite at the fact that: the 4k projector worth having if one is into dedicated home theater, costs from 5000 and above (sony or jvc). Just like things were 6 years ago, nothing changed
No. The 6050ub is a step up from the 5050ub. Its not its predecessor. And it retails for $4000. I used the 5050ub for comparison because they're priced nearly the same.
I guess I do not understand pixel shift. If it has a native 3840X2160 display chip why does it need pixel shift. Also what were the movies at 3:07, 4:32 and 4:41 if not the same movie?
There is much confusion around this point because some projector manufacturers (I'm looking at you Epson) don't make it clear that their projectors don't display a 4k image and so people think that you can't get a true 4k image unless you use a native 4k lense/projector, which is not the case. Seeing a 4k image means that there are over 8 million pixels on the screen. You can get a 4 k image 2 ways; 1) using a native 4k lense, in which case no pixel shifting is involved, and 2) doing what Ben q does, which is pixel shifting a full hd lense 4 times. Both are 4k because both display the full number of pixels, but 1) is called 'native 4k' and 2) tends to be called 'true 4k'. Both are 4k though. I don't know about the Epson 6050UB, but certainly for the 5050UB down, Epson call 'pro uhd' or 4k enhancement, but actually they shift a full hd lense only 2 times and so, as Chris says in the review, it's about half the resolution , i.e. half the number of pixels, of what 4k should actually be.
There is native projector resolution and native chip resolution (pre-pixel-shifting). The end result on the screen is what determines the native resolution of the projector. The ht5550 has a native chip resolution of 1080p and after pixel shifting it has a native 4k resolution. The Epson has a native 2k resolution.
@@markdemariassy8685 Yeah, it's such deceptive BS. Either the chip has 3840X2160 pixels and is native 4k or it doesn't. If you have to fake or manipulate to get 4k then it's not native PLAN AND SIMPLE. They need to look up the definition of native. It's nothing more than the industry trying to confuse you so you think you are buying something you are not getting.
@@ChrisMajestic Although most people, when watching both displaying the same image at the same time, can't see a difference! Me, I can't do the rainbow effect! Ugh! :(
If you're pc gaming on a projector then yes, but with console gaming this isn't as useful considering the games/consoles are optimized to keep a constant framework.
Does this suffer from rainbow 🌈 effect? I'm sending my tk-850 back because I can't handle the rainbow effect. It gives me a headache and my eyes feel strained.
Its the type of screen I was using and the angle of the projector. I didn't have time to swap out the screen before shooting the video. Its meant for an UST projector.
Why is this level of projector always so much lower in lumens? I have a pretty bright room, but don’t really plan on watching much during the day. Regardless, need more lumens.
Ansi lumens is a standardized measurement. This is why you see projectors on amazon making crazy claims like 7000 lumens. They're not talking about ansi lumens.
@@ChrisMajestic thanks alot for your response and the top reviews . now I will search for the best alternatives to the uhd50x to find the best projectors for gaming
@@ChrisMajestic I’m also on an optima uhd-51a and have been eyeing the Benq’s for their color accuracy. Thanks for this review, answered a lot of questions I had about this model!
@@ChrisMajestic 2400 lumens with a short throw is pretty great. Long throw units are only good for dedicated theatre rooms. That eliminates the vast majority of consumers. But it is what it is. What issues are you finding with the ultra short throw units? I haven't heard of any drawbacks except screen size limitation.
@@ChrisMajestic literally just ordered the Optoma GT1090 short throw laser 1080p 120hz unit. Have been waiting for a Ben Q 4k with short throw for a while but nada. My 1st unit was Optima and it crapped out after 3 years. Hope this one lasts the 20,000 hours the laser is rated at. Thanks for all your reviews btw. Nice work.
I hate how no mater what u buy its never hi-end I just got a 3550 and that was too much money for me now this one is still not high end gosh someone should make a hi-end projector for $1000
This projector gets the job done pretty well. ru-vid.comUgkxS9P8zTOcmQg-hH0QeUi3dspOLyYgQ6dH Bear in mind it's a mini projector but all things considered the picture quality is pretty good. The attached photo is of the projector projecting onto my white closet doors. I still have not messed with the settings but I can't wait for our first family movie night on a larger scale. If you have issues with volume not working with your firestick, go into volume settings and you will find your solution there.