How to build a 4K home theater that brings best big screen enjoyment to your home

4K. Ultra High Definition. UHD.

It’s all about the pixels. There are 8,294,400 to be exact. Yes, that’s 8.3 million.

It’s a video resolution four times as clear and sharp as the high definition televisions and projectors of the early 21st century. The Jones family across the street has a thumping HDTV home theatre system and their media room is the place to be when March Madness comes around or the premiere of a Game of Thrones comes in on little dragon feet. Sure, their 1080p system is great, but you know there is more. You just know it. And you’re right. There is much, much more. You can do better. The battle lines are drawn. Now it’s time to make the Joneses keep up with YOU. You want to build a 4K system that draws your neighbors to your side of the street – the side where wide color gamut and high dynamic ranges reign. It’s your media room and it’s centered on a dynamic DLP projector system from BenQ.

That’s a great plan, but how do you start? Don’t worry. BenQ has your back.

The Building Blocks of a 4K Home Theater

There are many components needed to build the ultimate home theatre experience, but just like you see the lightning before you hear the thunder, the visual must come first. Every race car needs a powerful engine and the engine of a home theatre system is a projector.

For a picture like you see at the local megaplex cinema you’ll need to get a projector that’s capable of 4K resolution. There are generally two specifications that are the most important for projectors: 3840x2160 or 4096x2160 pixels. The more pixels, the purer the picture. The technology inside your projector to produce the picture is critical to produce an image the Joneses won’t stop talking about. DLP, pioneered by Texas Instruments, is the leading projection display technology on the planet. The DLP chip inside the BenQ line of 4K projectors uses a technology called pixel-shifting, which can achieve true 4K resolution with 8.3 million distinct pixels. That is to say, a DLP 4K projector can bring you a cinema quality experience with true and accurate color and depth.

Another key piece to your home theater experience is the source, or what you’re watching. Today’s best picture comes from 4K Blu-ray discs using a 4K Blu-ray player. 4K Blu-ray discs are becoming more widespread, but you have to have the right system to take advantage of it. Three must-haves are a 4K projector, a Blu-ray player capable of playing 4K, and a 4K Blu-ray disc.

Shift the Pixels

Texas Instruments’ pixel-shifting technology that helps projectors achieve true 4K resolution with 8.3 million distinct pixels. This technology achieves true 4K by producing 8.3 million distinct pixels regardless of the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) chip’s number of native pixels. The DMD is the heart of the DLP component. The technology perfectly quadruples the 0.47” DMD chip’s 1920x1080 pixels to generate a TRUE 4K 8.3 million pixels with lightning-fast pixel shifting speed.

There’s another technology out there called 4K-Enhancement which only produces 4.1 million pixels – half of the CTA required pixel density of TRUE 4K.

4 Things You Need for 4K

4K Blu-ray player

BenQ 4K HDR projector

- Make sure the source output is set to 3840x2160 at 60 Hz

- Make sure the projector selects the correct HDMI color range (auto, full or limited of RGB)

- Be sure to confirm the source player output.

- Make sure source output is set to 3840x2160 at 60 Hz

- Make sure the BenQ 4K HDR projector selects the correct HDMI color range
(full or limited of RGB).
- Also be sure to confirm the source player output.

4K movies or 4K video

- 4K UHD Blu-ray sets come with two discs: one 1080p disc and one 4K UHD disc. Be sure to use the 4K UHD disc.

HDMI 2.0 cable connected to HDMI 1 port

- Not all HDMI cables can support 4K UHD resolution or HDR content. BenQ recommends HDMI version 2.0a/b or better yet, Premium High-Speed HDMI cables.

HDCP

HDCP 2.2 is a copy-protection file format, and all common Blu-ray discs are protected by HDCP 2.2. For those who want to enjoy a smooth Blu-ray disc viewing experience, all the DVD players, amplifiers, projectors and HDMI cables in your system should be checked for compatibilities with HDCP 2.2 decryption. Make sure you have the right cables connected!

But What About Netflix 4K?

4K Netflix files are also protected by HDCP 2.2 as well. That means, everything in your home theatre system must be HDCP 2.2 compatible. Also, an internet connection speed of at least 25 megabits per second (download) is strongly recommended for an optimal 4K streaming experience.

Following our guidelines and building a home theatre system around a BenQ 4K HDR projector will result in a viewing experience that will make the Joneses heads spin. That’s the good news. The bad news is, they may never want to go home. Well played, Mr. Smith.

BenQ 4K Projectors

TK800M | 4K HDR Home Theater Projector in Bright Room

TK800M true 4K HDR for Immersive Live Sports. To fully enjoy the beautiful game at football parties in a bright living room.

TK850 | 4K HDR 3000lm Home Theater Projector

TK850 with 4K UHD and HDR-PRO technology, you can enjoy an authentic HDR viewing experience with family or friends in your own bright living room.

Learn More about BenQ 4K Projectors