BenQ - X500i 4K HDR DLP 4LED Short Throw Smart Gaming Projector - White

I wish this was brighter like its 700STi cousin, but that projector is the old lamp style and the black levels / contrast ratio are much more washed out unless it is dropped to lumen levels which are much lower than this x500i. It’s so saddening. There is literally 0 short throw on the market under 0.9 with the new projection tech that’s any brighter than low 2000s lumens. This x500i looks pretty great (but still missing some oomph for the color and brightness pop) in a totally dark room, and then it looks fairly acceptable but far less stunning with soft red light or like some candle level squint in the dark light and is just all around a real bummer with the use of any ambient light or greater especially daylight or window blind ambience. :/ This means my office where I use it has to basically be under black out curtain protocol with 0 ambient light 24/7 when the projector is in use, which is basically constantly because this is my computer monitor and gaming setup and that makes for a pretty dreary working environment. I would even pay more money for the solution, there are just 0 brighter alternatives without jumping to ultra short throw which has its own list of problems not to mention much much higher price tags. It just makes me so sad.

The projector was great. The sound and picture quality were both excellent. The website says Hulu is included but that's false. The projector had an issue with turning off after 2 hours of use. I think I had a defective unit. Even though it was defective, Best Buy tried to make me pay a $250 restocking fee. Just be aware that they'll try to make you pay the restocking fee even if its defective.