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Finding an entry-level 4K projector is getting harder day by day, as there are so many brands that are offering this feature. But most of them are not native 4K. They are based on pixel-shifting technology. Epson Home Cinema 3200 and BenQ HT3550 are both 4K projectors. In this post, we’ll see which one would be good for our home theatre purpose.
| Feature | Epson 3200 | BenQ HT3550 |
|---|---|---|
| Projection System | 3LCD | DLP |
| Contrast Ratio | Up to 40,000:1 | Up to 30,000:1 |
| Brightness | 2,900 lumens | 2000 lumens |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Native Resolution | 1920 x 1080 x 2 | 3840 × 2160 |
| Native 4K | No | No |
| 3D | Yes | Yes |
| 3D Resolution | Full HD | Full HD |
| Color Gamut Support | BT.709, BT-2020 | REC.709, DCI-P3 |
| HDR Support | HDR10, HLG | HDR10, HLG |
| Keystone Correction – Vertical | ±30 degrees | ±30 degrees |
| Keystone Correction – Horizontal | ±30 degrees | Not supported |
| Lens Shift – Vertical | ±60% | ±10% |
| Lens Shift – Horizontal | ±24% | Not supported |
| Throw Ratio Range | 1.32 – 2.15 | 1.13:1 – 1.47:1 |
| Projected Distance | 40″ – 300″ | 30″ – 300″ |
| Max Lamp Life | 5,000 hours | 15,000 hours |
| HDMI 2.0 | 2 Ports | 2 Port |
| Speaker | None | 5W x 2 |
| Anamorphic Lens Support | Yes | No |
| Fan Noise | 24 – 35 dB | 28 ~ 32 dB |
| Price | Check Amazon | Check Amazon |
Contrast Ratio
The contrast ratio which is essential when you are watching movies is good in Epson 3200 as it supports till 40,000:1. However, BenQ HT3550 has 30,000:1 which is not bad.
Let me tell you that if you are after the projectors that give true contrast between blacks and whites, there are many projectors where the numbers are high, for both contrast ratio and price.
But, for this comparison, you can conclude on Epson 3200, as it gives you a higher contrast ratio.
Brightness
In the brightness department also, Epson 3200 does a good job of giving the consumers a higher lumens feature. Epson 3200 can be 2900 lumens bright, whereas BenQ HT3550 is 2000 lumens bright.
So if you are buying the projector for your living room, it would be better to go with Epson 3200, as it will be more bright and can dominate other ambient light better, than BenQ HT3550.
But if your preference is to watch movies in a room with better control of light to produce a dark environment, anything would be fine. BenQ HT3550’s brightness would be more than sufficient to watch movies or sports etc.
Image Adjustments
Another area where Epson 3200 shines is that it supports keystone correction of the image both horizontally as well as vertically as required the surface on top of which you are planning to project.
Basically, you can project on a slanted wall and still view the picture in correct dimensions by adjusting with keystone correction.
Even BenQ HT3550 also supports keystone correction vertically +/- 30 degrees, but it doesn’t support horizontal keystone correction.
Also, with Epson 3200 you can adjust the image shape using both horizontal and vertical lens shift adjustments. You can adjust horizontally from -60% to +60% and vertically from -24% to +24%. However, BenQ HT3550 supports only vertical lens shift of +/- 10%.
Speaker
This is one area where BenQ HT3550 beats Epson 3200. BenQ HT3550 comes with a built-in speaker of 5W x 2 chamber speaker. So, you are saved from purchasing speakers separately.
However, most of the people really do not care if a projector doesn’t provide speaker, as anyhow they are going to attach their favorite stereo system.
Gaming
If you play action games then you need to make sure that the input lag between the source and the projector is less. If the input lag is high, then the gaming experience will not be good as the frames come late to the screen. Low input lag is ideal for gaming.
As per the tests done by many users, BenQ HT3550 has approx. 50 ~ 60 ms, whereas Epson 3200 has around 15 ~ 20 ms which makes it the choice for gaming.
Verdict
After looking at all these specs, it is clear that Epson 3200 give us better features for the same price as that BenQ HT3550.
Epson 3200 give us better specs for Contrast Ratio, Brightness, Keystone Correction and Lens Shift features.
So, I feel Epson 3200 would give us better bang for the bucks that we spent.