BenQ TK710STi 4K HDR Laser Short Throw Projector (Factory Reconditioned)

TLDR version: Heaven for PC gaming and movies alike. Long version below. I use this projector for PC gaming (I run an RTX 3080) and as a home theater for steaming movies and shows (right now, primarily the latter, but that more because of my schedule, and I hope to change this soon). The picture quality (to include brightness and HDR) on this thing is top notch, so let’s get that out of the way. Frame rates at resolutions that are pretty competitive with high end PC gaming monitors give you a lot to love about this monitor for gamers... oh and at 100 inches. The price for performance on how this thing functions as a gaming monitor is pretty incredible at this size. Also, for the picture quality at the size you can easily get out of this thing, it beats the snot out of paying 5k + for an 80ish inch OLED TV. This thing compares favorably in terms of brightness, resolution and color with all but the highest end OLED TVs for a FRACTION of the price. Picture-wise, this thing is nothing short of amazing. I do not have this set up in a completely blacked out room, and I would say that the issues I have with natural lighting while using the projector during the day are different but equal to the issues I have watching a TV in a similarly lit room (light dilution vs glare, etc.). That’s a solvable problem; consider a window blackout solution if that’s a concern. Also, if you’re going to go in for this beast, I highly recommend a dedicated screen. Don’t debase the amazing picture quality of this beautiful machine by projecting onto a painted wall, that’s just silly. The Meh: Sometimes the projector seems to get confused with input devices; when I want to use the projector as a computer monitor, sometimes I need to power cycle one or the other. Not sure what this is about, but it’s barely a minor inconvenience, and the couple of times it’s happened it has been when I am deliberately messing around with display settings pretty hard. It may very well be entirely on my PC. The remote that comes with the projector is… mixed. The Android TV dongle that comes with the projector and the way the remote controls both projector AND the “smart TV” ish functionality is pretty great, the remote just isn’t the most responsive. Slow, spaced-out and very “deliberate” button pressing seems to be the key. This is not a big deal in itself; the finicky remote is particularly annoying when adjusting projector settings and the volume on the onboard speaker (which functions but isn’t going to win any awards). So, while the android TV dongle and it’s seamless integration with the remote is a really, really nice touch, it isn’t perfect. Beyond some of the remote clunkiness, there isn't an organic solution for Netflix, and in general, I found that a 4K fire stick it more responsive as a streaming device… the great news is that you can pop a fire stick into the same HDMI slot AND power source on the monitor that is intended for the android TV dongle. Right now, that’s what I’m doing, and the biggest downside seems to be that I have another remote in the mix (but I like the Amazon one better anyway). When I’m feeling brave I’ll see if I can figure out how to power on the projector through the Amazon remote, but it hasn’t bothered me enough to try yet. Anyway, to me this is more of an option than a real complaint, and the fact that the projector comes equipped with what is essentially an organic smart TV functionality should be seen as a bonus… especially at this price point. EDIT: I definitely recommend a sound system that matches the quality of the picture on this projector to do the experience justice. Finding a sound bar that worked with this set up was a BIT of a challenge. At the end of the day, something that has eARC/HDMI functionality is the key, but I also recommend something with a wide variety of input format compatibility. My initial review was pretty heated because I fought a Klipsch Cinema 600 for 2 weeks with missed results - after all that it turned out it was the soundbar (I’m fairly tech savvy, but the problems and solutions to them when they worked were way bizarre, and the soundbar was theoretically compatible). I went with a Samsung HW-Q800, and that was easy to set up, and HDMI ARC worked with the normal amount of setting fiddling, and it sounds great. I edited my review to hopefully save someone the headache, and to correct my mistake in thinking the issue with connectivity was on the projector - it was not. Bottom Line: this projector is…. Amazing. The price per performance on a projector that delivers most of the functionality you’d expect out of a high end gaming monitor (for a similar price on a WAY smaller screen) at up to 120 inches is just. Plain. Dumb. In the best way possible. If you have a stereotypical “man cave” game room and you want to add a screen that is just stupidly big and beautiful for both a quality gaming and home theater experience, look no further. As a point of comparison: Next to a top of the line OLED TV (my original option for down here) that could perform in gaming at the same level, you might say that the OLED looked better- but for 83 inches you’re going to pay something like 4 times the price of this projector (my reason for taking the plunge and buying a projector for the first time). To me, this projector offered 85% of the experience I wanted from an OLED TV at 25% of the price- that math was easy. I personally feel that by almost any other metric, this projector matches or wins in all categories against any remotely comparable TV.