Benq TK705STi Short-Throw Projector Review: Tidy Little Box for Little Rooms

The BenQ TK705STi is a short-throw, Google TV-enabled projector, good for small rooms that may’t match a conventional mannequin. Total picture high quality is excellent. Brightness is… good. It is in step with equally priced rivals, although not class-leading.

The silver and gray design is both stylish or mundane, relying in your perspective, however on the very least it is non-obtrusive, similar to its dimension.

Whereas its goal efficiency is not fairly nearly as good as some current projectors, the picture it creates is greater than the sum of its elements. It is pleasing and lifelike, with not one of the potential artifacts of its laser-powered brethren.

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Specs and such

• Decision: 4K
• Lumens spec: 3,000 (ANSI)
• Zoom: No
• Lens shift: No
• Mild supply kind and life: LED, 20,000 hours (30,000 ECO mode)

The TK705STi is a short-throw projector, which implies it sits farther from the display/wall than an ultra-short throw projector, however nonetheless nearer than a conventional or long-throw projector. Make sense? Mainly, to create a 100-inch picture the TK705STi must be rather less than 6 toes away from the display.

BenQ says the projected picture has 3,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, however that is fairly removed from what I measured. In its most correct mode I received round 1,280 lumens. In its less-accurate Brilliant mode I received 1,786. These are all affordable numbers, greater than sufficient to create a brilliant picture and just like what you will discover within the worth vary. However within the projector brightness arms race, these are light moonbeams in comparison with the blinding supernovas of current Anker, Xgimi and Valerion fashions. These are all costlier, to be truthful. 

Mild output performs double obligation with projectors, in that you really want a brilliant picture as a result of it is pleasing to look at, nevertheless it additionally determines the dimensions of the picture you may create. That mentioned, it is truthful to query how a lot mild most individuals want. No projector can compete with an excessive amount of ambient mild and all look higher with out it. So after a sure level, its brightness is a bit superfluous.

The lens within the TK705STi is mounted, no zoom or lens shift. Behind all of it is an LED mild supply that is rated for, basically, the lifetime of the projector (round 30,000 hours).

Connections

• HDMI inputs: 2
• USB port: 1 USB-A, 1 USB-C
• Audio output: 3.5mm analog, eARC
• Web: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz
• Streaming interface: Google TV
• Management: 12v set off
• Distant: Not backlit

The TK705STi has a reasonably commonplace assortment of connections for a contemporary projector. There’s Google TV streaming, HDMI inputs and even Bluetooth if you wish to use it as a speaker. These audio system share 8 watts of energy and, as with most projectors, it is higher off paired with separate audio system and a receiver or a soundbar.

In a nod to conventional residence theaters, there’s additionally a 12-volt set off port for powering on by way of a house automation system.

Image high quality 

I have never reviewed any brief throw projectors recently, so I did not have any readily available to straight evaluate to the TK705STi. The ghost of the BenQ X500i, one in every of my favorites of the previous few years, looms giant, nonetheless, as you will see. I’ve included the efficiency of some equally priced non-short throw fashions, however even that is a bit deceptive. Manufacturers comparable to Xgimi and JMGO drastically drop the costs of their projectors after they have been accessible for just a few months. So it is controversial as to what’s precisely truthful to match the BenQ to in a overview, a projector at its full retail worth, or one at a reduced, however related worth. I am going to solid a large internet so you may get an thought the place the 705STi’s efficiency sits as compared.

I spoke about general brightness above, and to place the TK705STi’s 1,280 lumens (or 1,786 in Brilliant mode) in perspective it is roughly the identical because the Xgimi Horizon S Max (1,300) which price a bit extra when new, however is barely much less now. Curiously, Xgimi claimed 3,100 lumens for that projector. In order that they’re each off by related quantities. The BenQ’s mild output can also be near the JMGO N1S Pro (1,198), which was additionally costlier when new. So whereas there are some projectors that supply even brighter photographs, the bonkers Xgimi Horizon 20 Max (2,699) involves thoughts, they’re all at present costlier. Regardless, 1,280 lumens is greater than sufficient to create a brilliant picture on a 100-inch display. 

The BenQ’s distinction is ok, although not a standout. I measured 545:1. That is beneath the common of all of the projectors I’ve reviewed for CNET, however spot on the median. Very similar to brightness, its distinction is in step with equally priced 4K projectors, which is appropriate for the cash. But, this does imply the picture is not fairly as punchy as some costlier fashions, with shadows and black letterbox bars extra gray than really black. 

Risking a little bit of repetition, coloration can also be good, although not as correct as some. Total colours are practical and pleasing, with accurate-looking pores and skin tones. It is equally correct because the like-priced projectors talked about above, however much less correct than BenQ’s W4100i and GP520. That is often a side of projector efficiency BenQ does properly, so I used to be shocked that it was merely common right here.

That each one mentioned, the tip consequence simply kind of works. Whereas “the whole lot is nice, however not nice” does not sound like reward, it additionally signifies that the TK705STi does not do something improper, which is the place a variety of the competitors will get tripped up. Quite a lot of its rivals will mess up how they deal with coloration, or have laser artifacts (extra on these in a second), and general create a picture that technically measures properly, however is much less interesting to look at than the TK705STi’s. There’s a naturalness to the BenQ’s picture that is straightforward on the eyes, even when the projector’s headline specs aren’t outstanding.

The competitors

Fashionable projectors use two fundamental applied sciences to create mild: LEDs (comparable to with this BenQ) and lasers. Some fashions use a mix of each, or add a phosphor, and arguably all lasers are LEDs, however for simplicity these are the principle classes. In our testing, most projectors utilizing laser mild sources are brighter, and may have deeper colours. Quite a lot of that may depend upon the mannequin and the way it’s designed, however for this dialogue that is the principle “professional” of lasers. 

The “cons” are twofold: speckle and chromatic aberrations. Speckle is a kind of shiny grain added to the picture, kind of like a sparkle texture or glitter. Relying on how massive the picture is, and the way shut you are sitting, chances are you’ll not discover this artifact. The opposite facet, chromatic aberrations, are solely a difficulty for sure individuals with glasses, particularly excessive index lenses. Once more, relying how shut you are sitting, mild coming in to the lenses not within the middle of the lens will get bent in a different way. The result’s a break up of sure wavelengths, so objects, particularly white objects like textual content on a darkish background, will seem like they’ve coloured halos. As somebody who wears glasses and sits pretty near a big display, I personally would not select a three-laser projector in my theater. 

As a substitute, I’d select one thing like BenQ’s personal X500i, which can also be an LED projector. I reviewed the X500i in late 2024, and I nonetheless give it some thought. It created among the best general photographs of any projector I’ve reviewed in the previous few years. That was due in no small half to a incredible distinction ratio of 1,990:1, among the best I’ve measured in a fairly priced 4K projector. Paired with a number of the most correct coloration of any current projector, it was beautiful. As a result of my theater’s format I could not mount it, in any other case I’d have purchased it. It went again to BenQ over a 12 months in the past, however my measurements bolster my reminiscence of it. No different sub-$2,000 4K projector comes shut by way of distinction and accuracy. 

Nonetheless, the X500i is just not almost as brilliant as this TK705STi, 30 to 50% dimmer relying on the mode. In case your aim is the largest, brightest display doable, the X500i is not that. Its 911-as-measured lumens is lots for a 100-inch picture, nonetheless, and appears nice doing it.

Little black… uh, gray field

The TK705STi is the consummate “B” pupil: good, however not nice. It is not a standout in any particular means, nevertheless it’s strong all-around and does not do something poorly. It may not be the brightest mannequin you should purchase, however the picture it creates is pure and pleasing to look at. That is very true in the event you put on glasses, as talked about above. For smaller, or narrower, areas, it is an excellent possibility. Personally, I would get the larger, and at present cheaper, X500i which creates an amazing picture. That projector is just not as brilliant, nonetheless, so you may’t get as massive a picture as you may with the TK705STi. There are at all times tradeoffs, however I feel that the X500i is wirth it.

Associated to the TK705STi is the TK705i, the longer-throw model. I hesitate to name it “lengthy throw” since most BenQ projectors  nonetheless want lower than 10-feet to create a 100-inch picture. The TK705i can sit between 87.2 and 113.3 inches (round 7.3 to 9.5 toes) for that dimension picture, whereas the TK705STi solely wants 69.7 (5.8 toes). Whereas they share related specs the lenses are totally different so their precise efficiency is probably going considerably totally different.