Verdict
A not bad projector for carrying matter from room to room , the BenQ GP500 produces high - quality images with first-class colouring facts of life . Its apt four - verbaliser speech sound system also satiate a elbow room with audio , make this a big all - rotund home picture palace system . Dolby Vision and Netflix support would have been nice , though .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The portable projector market start with thickset , not - that - bright , low - solution models , but late innovations in backlight and chip applied science have seen a move to higher - timber projector , such as the BenQ GP500 .
Built to be make a motion from room to elbow room , this projector has a 4 K answer , excellent strait , onboard Android TV , andHDR support(although not Dolby Vision ) .
Design
Although it falls under the banner of saucy and/or portable projector , the BenQ GP500 is quite a beast ( 260 x 267 x 183 mm , 5.4 kg ) , urinate it more of a model designed to be carried from room to room , or into the garden , rather than a take - everywhere projector .
That ’s okay , as there ’s a growing demand for projectors like this , as theXGIMI Horizon Ultraproved : gamey - quality devices that give you the honest scene quality when and where you require it .
Once unboxed , there ’s a job to do before the projector can be used for the first time : add the BenQ QS01 streaming dongle . This has to be set up in a special slot on top of the projector , access by removing two screws at the rear and then slue the entire top venire off .
unremarkably , a dongle is bring home the bacon as a way of gettingNetflix , as with theAWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro , which takes anAmazon Fire TV Stick 4 K Max . Here , the QS01 is n’t compatible with Netflix , so it would have made more sensory faculty for BenQ to escape Android TV 10 straight off on the projector .
At least BenQ has made the dongle work with one remote control ; other projector that I ’ve reviewed have come with two remote : one for the projector and one for the dongle .
The remote is well lay out and contains the standard navigation and playback controls , plus shortcut buttons for common projector dominance , including keystone correction , autofocus and input selection .
With one HDMI embrasure gone , there are two remaining . Both take a 4 K input at 60Hz , and one supports ARC , noteARC . That means there ’s no support for uncompressed audio data format , although given that most of the content you ’re potential to find out will be swarm , this should n’t be too much of an issue .
There are also two USB port at the rear , which you’re able to employ to power a different cyclosis machine . I used a Fire TV stick to get Netflix , as that forge better than using the App Store to uninstall a more basic version of the app .
Overall , this is a neat - look projector , although I would have liked a lens cover at the front for aegis .
Features
When the projector is first turned on , it take aim you through initial configuration , let in setting up Android TV . The first occupation was to pair the remote control , which was problematic and glitchy . I found the BenQ GP500 would n’t respond to the remote very well unless I pointed it at the projector . In the end , I oversee to get through the installation wizard , put in and update , and then find that I had to switch stimulus away from the dongle and then back to the dongle to get it all working properly .
Since a projector like this is designed to be go around , machinelike form to correctly adjust the figure of speech is authoritative . Unlike the systems on the XGIMI Horizon Ultra , the BenQ GP500 does n’t run anything automatically when the projector is moved , but it does have an array of well accessible options .
First , this projector has a physical rapid growth control ( 1x to 1.3x ) , which makes it a niggling easy to get a picture to fill a screen or space on a rampart . Few projectors have this , and it can often be hard to find enough space to place them aright .
On the projector , there ’s autofocus and auto keystone , approachable through the buttons on the remote control . Both do a good job of getting a square picture quick . Then there ’s aim avoidance , where the projector will resize the double to forfend obstacles , such as a wanton electrical switch on a wall ; CRT screen fit , where the BenQ GP500 will render and fill up a projector silver screen ; and corner fit , where you could manually set the four corners of the image to match a covert .
That does do most of what you ’ll need , although the advice I give is always the same : get the projector as substantial as potential of course , as all of these control are digital correction that will impact image quality .
Image sizes up to 150 inch are potential from a aloofness of between 3.3 m and 4.3 m , thanks to the manual zoom .
range of a function mode include presets for vulgar character of content , including games ( 25ms stave at 60Hz at 1080p and 4 KiB ) , sports , living elbow room and celluloid . There ’s control over brightness , contrast , color and tint , plus advanced color temperature and colour direction options . Out - of - the - corner preferences are pretty good , but you may want to tweak them found on the eccentric of screen and turn up you ’re project on .
Although capable of produce a 4 K mental image , the BenQ GP500 uses a 1080p DLP cow chip and XPR technology to tilt this four times per bit to build up a 4 kilobyte persona . That ’s what all projector of this character do , although it does mean that 4 atomic number 19 resolutions are locked to 60Hz . For that reason , turning on the motion enhancer setting to Low can be worth it , just to iron out any payoff that this locked refresh rate can bring out .
run Android TV 10 , the BenQ GP500 is very easy to use and has most of the apps that you ’ll want , including Disney+,Amazon Prime Video , Apple TV+andParamount+ , but now NOW or UK catch - up table service or , as noted already , Netflix .
Performance
Once again , I ’m impressed by what XPR can do . Layering up a 4 K image , you ’d be severely - pressed to tell the difference between this and ‘ truthful ’ 4 K picture . What the BenQ GP500 does is project a sharp and well-defined image that is a prospicient way ahead of a Full HD image .
At 1500 ANSI lumens luminousness , the BenQ GP500 settle more into traditional home cinema territory than some of its rivals ; the Horizon Ultra has 2300 ISO Lumens ( it ’s closer to 3000 ANSI Lumens ) , for example . That means that to get the best scene , the BenQ GP500 needs to be used in a darken way or at night . If you want to use it under a potent light reservoir , you ’ll postulate to opt for a pocket-size image .
There ’s a 4 - lead light source ( RGBW ) , which will last for 20,000 hours . Even using the BenQ GP500 for eight hours a day , means near to seven years of exercise . Given how this projector will likely be used , you should find it hold out substantially longer .
HDR is supported , with HDR10 and HLG formats supported ; there ’s no reenforcement forDolby Vision , which is a pity . Dolby Vision has dynamic metadata allowing luminousness and contrast to be adjusted per scene ; HDR10 is lay for the integral capacity .
It means that HDR10 contentedness is n’t always as well balanced as it could be , and some scenes can lose detail compared Dolby Vision . While the simulacrum is n’t quite as dynamic as on , say , the XGIMI Horizon Ultra , the BenQ GP500 is still a open projector .
Watch darker , glowering content , such as parts of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol . 3 , and the bootleg story is very good , maintaining detail without becoming overtly grey .
Watch brighter scenes , and the colour reproduction is first-class ( 90 % DCI - P3 reporting ) , with strong and vivacious colours that never pass over over into being cartoonish or too intense .
The BenQ GP500 ’s maximal brightness does mean that HDR delivers more detail through the picture , but not the sear highlights that a top TV can deliver .
Four 5W speakers , tuned by treVelo , and grade one at each corner of the projector , produce elbow room - fill audio frequency with enough mass to deal with a big way . You do n’t get the location of a lawful Dolby Atmos frame-up , but stereo emplacement is upright , and there are options to adjust this based on the projector ’s place .
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Should you buy it?
Room - filling three-D sound and quality colour reproduction make this 4 K projector a good choice for those who value timbre while having a degree of portability .
If you require the best HDR formatting , Dolby Vision , you ’ll have to go with an alterantive projector , such as the XGIMI Horizon Ultra .
Final Thoughts
A few months ago , this would have been a shoo - in for one of the best semi - portable home movie house projector . However , the XGIMI Horizon Ultra is now available : it ’s slightly more expensive but is brighter and has Dolby Vision support , arrive at it the expert pick for those who want the well quality image .
However , if you do n’t want to expend that much and can live without Dolby Vision , the BenQ GP500 is a quality option , producing high - quality 4 K images with rich gloss , and it has powerful room - filling sound .
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How we test
We test every projector we review good over an lengthy period of time . We apply industry standard test to equate features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , consent money to review a product .
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FAQs
This projector stand HDR10 and HLG , but not Dolby Vision .
There ’s not aboriginal Netflix app , although a version can be sideloaded .
