BenQ X3000i: Review in a minute
BenQ's choice of a quasi-cube for the X3000i gives you a user-friendly space for a full-featured 4K UHD projector that incorporates the latest DLP projection technology to deliver 3000 lumens of big-screen brightness, including excellent light delivery. usual color for the company. .
This proves that it delivers impressive results for TV and movie viewing, helped by the X3000i's inclusion of a built-in Android dongle for streaming almost all major services (but notably not Netflix). It also makes it easy to stream Chromecast and Apple AirPlay video, though we've found the best and most reliable results to be achieved by connecting external sources to the two external HDMI inputs.
One of those inputs can accommodate a game console or PC, and BenQ has loaded the X3000i with preset gaming modes for different styles, while the projector achieves input lags of up to 4,16ms with 1080p/240Hz footage. , 16,67ms for 4K/60p.
It's not a portable projector, but BenQ has included built-in rear-facing speakers here nonetheless to make the X3000i a potentially completely standalone solution. But these speakers are small, and the projector may not be in a suitable location for them to blend in with the image on the screen. Therefore, we recommend connecting an external audio system for a life-size experience.
With qualities of colour, detail and brightness above its price tag, as well as special features for gamers, we found this projector to be an impressive and thoroughly XNUMXst century projection solution.
- BenQ X3000i at Walmart for €1,999 (opens in a new tab)
BenQ X3000i review: Price and availability
- How much is it? €1,999 / €1,899 / AUD€3,299
- When did it come out? Announced early 2022
- When is it available? On shelves now at major retailers
The BenQ X3000i retails for €1,899 / €1,999 / AU €3,299 / €2,399.
Don't confuse this model with the BenQ X1300i; both look the same and offer the same 3000 lumens of brightness, but the X1300i only projects a 1920 x 1080 resolution, not the superior 4K UHD image quality of the X3000i reviewed here.
BenQ X3000i review: Design
- Versatile design for positioning
- Two HDMI inputs with ARC
- Android TV internal dongle
BenQ's X3000i projector owes more to the mini-projector design than the wide projector housings more common to true home theater models. Still not as bad as the pictures can sometimes seem, measuring 27cm wide by 20cm tall and 26cm deep. The front edge and curved corners have a nice red-orange band, and the lens window is unusually placed on the top left of the front panel.
This smaller footprint is convenient for tabletop use; The projector's 1,15 to 1,5 throw ratio meant that from a distance of 3,2 meters we could enjoy a screen size of 98 inches to 133 inches by adjusting the zoom.
But you can also flip the X3000i upside down and place it on a high shelf at the back of the room, or attach it via its three mounting holes to a ceiling mount, then invert the image via the projector's options. Whether upside down or upright, the adjustable feet allow for some tilt and is the preferred way to achieve a rectangular screen image without having to resort to trapezoidal resolution adjustments. However, it's there if you need it, and in fact, it's automatic if you want it to be. A test frame screen is available for manual adjustment and for adjusting manual focus.
The X3000i has two rear HDMI inputs, both supporting UHD and one supporting ARC audio output from HDMI to a larger audio system. It can also take audio from an optical audio output or, less reliably and without surround sound information, from a stereo minijack analog output.
A third HDMI input is hidden under a top flap, ready to receive the supplied Android dongle; USB power for the dongle is provided here as well, while there's a full-size USB-A slot at the back for power and maintenance. An RS-232 port allows remote control of the system.
The remote is great, an easy to use, mid-sized, curved white wand that controls internal audio volume and video settings, so it does confuse users a bit by having "settings" and "menu" buttons " tabs to access different menu sets .
BenQ X3000i review: Connected apps and features
- Android TV stick included
- Plenty of streaming and voice control options
- 60 Hz limit
With the Android TV dongle that comes with the BenQ X3000i, it's easy to access a myriad of apps, free and paid, and almost all major streaming services. The specs imply the dongle runs Android 9.0, but ours seemed to run version 10, and BenQ's claim of 5000+ apps seemed confirmed, with the Australian selection including all our terrestrial update services, plus Disney Plus, Stan, Prime Video (Prime is distinguished by a dedicated button on the remote), Kayo, Binge, AppleTV Plus, Paramount Plus, and many more.
The big omission here is Netflix, which continues to drag out work with projector manufacturers; BenQ is not alone here. So Netflix requires some kind of solution. The dongle can mirror screens over Wi-Fi, or it can stream via Chromecast or AirPlay (the latter unusual for Android dongles). But by far the best reliability is achieved by connecting a media box or one of the HDMI inputs and playing Netflix that way.
Using an external input for media streaming also fixes the issue that the Android dongle only provides a 60Hz output to the projector, so you may experience judder on hardware recorded at 50Hz (for example, streaming services). Australian updates and content from other 50 Hz areas, such as Great Britain). When we played the same footage on an AppleTV 4K connected to the HDMI input, everything worked fine, proving that the X3000i projector itself can handle 24, 50, and 60Hz content without issue; the dongle is the limitation.
On the other hand, the Android TV dongle allows you to control and search the Google Assistant, for which there is a microphone and a voice button on the remote control.
BenQ X3000i review: Image quality
- DLP projection
- 4LED light engine
- eco setting
What's hidden inside the BenQ X3000i is, of course, just as important to image quality as the input signals it receives.
The X3000i is a DLP projector that uses one of Texas Instruments' digital micromirror devices (DMDs), which are one of the miracles of modern projection: a device here only 17 inches (0,66 mm) long but still it accommodates millions of tiny mirrors that twist and turn to direct individual pixels to different positions on the screen. This pivot redirects four separate sets of pixels to glow on the screen for each frame, and the claim of this pivot technology is that four of these 1920 x 1080 resolution 'flashes' will deliver 4 x 3840 UHD (consumer 2160K). .
While our opinion is that this method cannot deliver the same single-pixel resolution available to (much more expensive) projectors using native 4K panels, the X3000i shows the best of pixel-shifting DLP, especially since this projector was an early adopter of the latest DLP650TE, a larger DMD device than most, with the 0,66-inch device allowing for larger pixels and therefore less noise than older 0,47-inch DMDs common.
This is supported by a new 4LED light engine that adds an additional blue "bomb" LED to the usual RGB, which BenQ claims increases brightness by 10% overall, while expanding the available color gamut. % of Widest DCI-P3 Range.
Key specs
Supported screen sizes: 60 to 200 inches
Optical technology: 4 LED 4K DLP
Ports: 3x HDMI 2.0b, 1x digital optical out, 1x USB 2.0, 1x 3,5mm audio out, 1x RS-232, 1x 12V trigger
Smart TV: Yes (Android TV via dongle included)
Sizes: 210x270x260mm
Weight: 6,4 kg
Color has long been a strength for BenQ, and the strong yet natural on-screen palette is one of the first things to strike with the X3000i. With a UHD Blu-ray player connected to one of the HDMI inputs, we reveled in his stunning 4K remastered presentation of My Fair Lady, complete with the glittering opera gowns and Covent Garden resplendent flower displays of his scenes. as modern demo material than nearly 60-year-old celluloid. The combination of high-resolution detail and color was dazzling and came with image punch and smooth delivery that could benefit from that larger DMD pixel size.
Color should also be maintained over the long term, thanks to built-in color sensors that need to calibrate and correct for any fading over time, well beyond the typical 20 hours, BenQ says. And 000 hours is enough to watch 20.000 hours of movies a week for 10 years, which may worry his grandchildren.
The new light engine hits a quoted brightness of 3.000 lumens, which has proven to be enough to enjoy the projected image even with some ambient light in the room, though obviously less is better, and full contrast and dark details are only reduced. fully appreciate as close. in the dark as possible.
The X3000i is compatible with HDR10 content and has an HDR10 mode that automatically selects when HDR content is detected. While the benefit of HDR remains dubious in projection light levels, the BenQ projector at least takes this into account (but not the additional metadata available from Dolby Vision and HDR10+). Certainly, when we saw the almost entirely monochrome output of Macbeth's Apple TV Plus Dolby Vision, the sharp contrasts and full blacks were well presented for a projector at this price point. Again, much of this will be lost in a room where the lighting is too high on the dark but, given the best environment, we enjoy not only the detail and shading visible through the blacks, but also the subtle shadows on the luminous sheets of white mist that contrasts with the darkness of this production.
For those who are modernizing...