HT3550

I bought a used Benq W2700/ HT3550 for less than £400. It's a good 4k projector. Look for used ones or maybe have a look at Alibaba, I just got a quote of £580 for a JMGO N3 4k laser projector duties and shipping included. It's a bit of a gamble!

https://preview.redd.it/amtmqhvpem3f1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b534be9f005f227cff6fa7512db2d7b6dda14b52 We have a similar room with not much length to work with so I got a used benq ht3550 and a 100 inch screen. Works perfectly even with the window. I usually black out the window with a curtain, eventually I'll have something more permanent up there, but even without the curtain as long as it's not middle of the day it's fine. (This picture was taken around noon so not the ideal lighting)

HT3550

yes and no , it uses pixel shifting tech to "scale" to 4k , you are correct in saying its not native 4k , thanks for adding this

You're not wrong on the technical details ,Epson's sub-LS11000 models use 2x pixel shifting and don't hit the full 8.3 million pixels on screen like 4x-shift DLP projectors do. But calling it "only software upscaling" oversimplifies it. Epson’s pixel-shifting is still hardware-based and does provide a visible bump over native 1080p, even if it’s not full 4K.

Yeah, 8.3 million physical pixels sounds great on paper, but it’s not the whole story. Epson’s 3LCD projectors, even with 2x pixel shift, still hold their own with better color accuracy, brightness, and no rainbow effect. A lot of the cheaper 4K DLPs use that 0.47" chip with 4x wobble, which technically gets all the pixels on screen, but can come with motion artifacts and washed out blacks. So yeah, if you’re staring at paused 4K content up close, DLP might look sharper. But for actual viewing movies, gaming, sims. Epson’s image quality often just looks better overall. It’s not all about the pixel count.

You’re not dealing with a “bad projector” — you’re dealing with physics. The HT3550 is a dark-room cinema projector. In a light-controlled basement it shines. In a family room with lights on and a 120” screen, 2000 ANSI lumens simply isn’t enough. But here’s the important part: 2200 lumens on the Horizon Pro is not a real-world upgrade. That’s a \~10% brightness bump. On a 120” screen with ambient light, that difference is marginal at best. You might gain a slightly punchier image due to processing, but you’ll likely lose black level and contrast compared to the BenQ. If you want a noticeable improvement in a lit room, you need one of these: • Smaller screen (100–110”) • ALR screen • 3000+ ANSI lumen projector • Or move to a large TV Switching to another \~2000 lumen class projector is mostly a lateral move. If your HT3550 still works fine, I wouldn’t call the Horizon Pro an upgrade — it’s more of a trade-off. That’s the honest answer.

I've owned the HT3550 for 6 years and it's been nice. I've got a basement that can be blacked out which was great initially with the BenQ, but now with young kids, and reducing parts of the basement, it's used as our family room pretty much. so lights are frequently on (but still dimmed a lot of times). anyway, I'm finding the picture washed out a lot (picture attached if I did that right). Im not a projector purist really. I just want a good picture that can be viewed in low light as a daily family projector. Until today I've never heard of the XGIMI until I saw it on rting.com. I assumed some cheap Amazon crap but saw how highly rated it is and seems like it will meet my needs and sub $2k. Doing some browsing on Reddit seems like it's the flavor of the month type of projector that gets a lot of love and hate. Sorry for the long post but would the XGIMI be an upgrade for me over the BenQ or am I just wasting money? I have a 120' set up for reference. I really appreciate it because I'm very lost.

I really appreciate the thoughtful answer. It means a lot. I (perhaps ignorantly) was reading that the Horizon Pro was 4100 lumens so I took that as a significant upgrade based on just having a "brighter" imagine in a lighted room situation. I imagine the 4100 lumens is a false narrative based on other factors that are outside my scope and the 2200 lumens you list is more accurate? Thanks again! Edit: reading your post again. Would an ALR screen be a bigger upgrade for the BenQ or if I got the Horizon Pro? Because that is certainly a cheaper upgrade vs. getting a new projector.

I have an HT1075 (1080p). Upgraded to a HT3550 and ended up returning it, not enough difference to justify the cost. If you’re primarily streaming there’s even less of a difference

I got a used Benq HT1075, after a year of enjoyment I bought a used ht3550.  After a week I didn’t see enough of a difference to justify it and returned.   I think unless you make a substantial jump in price it’s hard to get a huge difference in quality 

I agree 100% about this sub and I also have a PJ40. I pledged on Kickstarter almost a year ago for the Valerion Max and my (lamp based) BENQ HT3550 developed multiple issues so I got the PJ40 just to get me through and I have to say for the price the image quality is impressive, it is brighter than my BenQ was (even with a new lamp) it starts up within a few seconds vs about a minute and the color is good, not great but if you had nothing to compare it to you wouldn’t really have anything to complain about. The main issue with this and other lower priced PJs is how long it will last. Once the LCD gets burned out it’s pretty much e waste at that point and Reddit is littered with people saying how theirs didn’t last very long. That said if you aren’t planning on using it everyday for years and years it’s awesome gaming or watching movies on a huge screen. If you’re not ready to repair it in the next year or possibly two I’d go with a TV.