by Ryan Pittman
.
I recently had the chance to upgrade from a BenQ TH671ST (1080p) to the BenQ TK700STi. My initial design felt 1080p would be sufficient for Golf Simulation, Sports and Movies, however after a few hours of playing GSPro in 4K, I wish I would have upgraded sooner!
Garage Golf Simulator Build
Golf Sim Setup
Room Dimension: W24’ x H11’ x D30’
Impact Screen: W10 x H7’7”
Projector: BenQ TK700STi
Launch Monitor: FlightScope Mevo+
Software: GSPro
My previous TH671ST measured a throw distance of 10’ 1” to project a 150” in 4:3 aspect ratio whereas the TK700STi measured 12’ 1” to project the same image. Overall setup was simple as it mounts easily to a universal mount. Upon firing up the unit, it takes you through a quick setup mode once the BenQ Android Streaming device is hooked up.
The TK700STi comes with a BenQ/Android TV Streaming stick that can act as a casting and streaming device which is a must-have for anyone whose ideal setup doubles as a Golf Simulator and Cinema. Within minutes of setting up the projector and connecting to WiFi, I was connected to my Disney + and Amazon Prime accounts for 4K streaming.
The image quality on the TK700STi is great in both mid and low light conditions. My sim build lighting minimizes projector washout with a track lighting system and the 3000 Lumen BenQ displays a bright and true color. The colors were natural with no changes to my graphics card and were enhanced further when changing the projector image setting to “Sport”. Although my PC is not the most up-to-date and powerful as it could be for 2022, I noticed 0 dropped frames or input lag which is credited to the projectors relatively low refresh rate. Movies are spectacular to watch and the powerful Android TV stick was able to handle high-motion movie scenes without buffering or losing quality/frame rate.
The sound is about what you would expect for built-in speakers, but I had no problem hearing the tranquil sounds of GSPro at low-mid volume. When watching movies/sports, it was great for my small garage space with minimal background noise, however, larger rooms/enclosures would benefit from a standalone system connected through the HDMI 2.0 ARC built-in function. For users who would like to enjoy an all-in-one solution ( golfing, movie, home entertainment ) with PS5/Apple TV..etc, this would level up the experience.
Overall, the BenQ TK700STi is a phenomenal unit for anyone looking for a 4K Golf Projector and a must-have for anyone's space that doubles as a cinema room. As mentioned previously, my PC is on the lower spectrum for a 4K experience, however, this projector runs GSPro Flawlessly with Ultra Graphics settings. A huge plus for the TK700STi is the 4K streaming unit that is provided to easily turn this into a “Smart” Projector with full cinema and streaming capabilities. This projector is ideal for both movies and games gave its high refresh rate and low input lag perfect for gaming and high-quality streaming.
BenQ has trained staff to help you find the perfect golf simulator projector – within your room size and budget. To help you make the best decision, you can reach out to one of our experts to set up anything from a chat to a complete online demo, to help you find the right projector for your needs.