What to Know Before Building 4K Home Theater

What is true 4K and does it matter?

BenQ

2024/08/07

Home Cinema Projector TV Projector Resolution HDMI 4K

There are many components to building your own home theater system, starting with a projector. For a picture like you see at the cinema, you’ll need to get a home theater projector that’s capable of true 4K resolution, with 3840x2160 or 4096x2160 pixels. The more pixels, the more vivid the picture contents are. The technology that’s used inside your projector to produce the picture is important too. DLP (Digital Light Processing) is the leading projection display technology on the market. The DLP chip inside BenQ’s 4K projectors uses a technology called pixel-shifting, which can achieve true 4K resolution with 8.3 million distinct pixels.

We’ve put together a few questions to help you pick out the right 4K DLP projector.

· What is True 4K UHD?

· What Powers Our True 4K DLP Technology?

· How Does True 4K DLP Technology Differ From 4K-Enhancement Technology?

· What do you need to enjoy 4K HDR?

· Which HDMI Cables are Needed for 4K HDR?

· What’s HDCP 2.2? Is HDCP 2.2 compatibility important?

· Can I stream 4K Netflix content with BenQ’s 4K projectors?

What is True 4K UHD?

CTA (Consumers Technology Association), defines 4K UHD, or True 4K, as visuals that must deliver 8.3 million distinct pixels on the screen, which is four times the resolution of Full HD 1080p. 4K resolution produces sharp, detailed images, enhacing the home theater experience.

Resolution	Horizontal x Vertical Pixels	Total Number of Distinct Pixels	Other Names	Devices
Resolution 2160p	Horizontal x Vertical Pixels 3840x2160, 4096x2160	Total Number of Distinct Pixels 8.3+ Million	Other Names 4K, UHD, Ultra HD, Ultra-High Definition	Devices Projectors, TVs
Resolution WUXGA	Horizontal x Vertical Pixels 1920x1200	Total Number of Distinct Pixels 2.3 Million	Other Names Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array	Devices Projectors, monitors
Resolution 1080p	Horizontal x Vertical Pixels 1920x1080	Total Number of Distinct Pixels 2.1 Million	Other Names Full HD, FHD	Devices Projectors, TVs, monitors
Resolution 720p	Horizontal x Vertical Pixels 1280x720	Total Number of Distinct Pixels 0.92 Million	Other Names HD, High Definition	Devices Projectors, TVs

What Powers Our True 4K DLP Technology?

Our True 4K DLP technology, developed by Texas Instruments, empowers projectors to achieve authentic 4K resolution with 8.3 million distinct pixels, regardless of the native pixel count on the DMD chip. It achieves this by either doubling the DMD's 2716x1528 pixels or quadrupling the DMD chip's 1920x1080 pixels, resulting in a genuine 4K quality with lightning-fast pixel shifting speed.

How Does True 4K DLP Technology Differ From 4K-Enhancement Technology?

Both True 4K DLP Technology for DLP projectors and 4K-Enhancement Technology for other projector systems utilize pixel-shifting techniques, but they yield fundamentally different results.

True 4K DLP Technology

True 4K DLP Technology generates 8.3 million distinct pixels, achieved by doubling the DMD's 2716x1528 pixels or quadrupling the DMD chip's 1920x1080 pixels. This results in a genuine 4K resolution of 8.3 million pixels, all at a rapid pixel shifting rate.

4K-Enhancement Technology

4K-Enhancement Technology can only produce 4.1 million pixels by doubling the native 1920x1080 pixel resolution, falling short of the 8.3 million pixels required for true 4K resolution. This is due to the nature of liquid crystals, which can’t withstand the switching speed required to produce 8.3 million pixels.

Learn More about "Pro-UHD"

How True 4K DLP Technology Makes the Visuals Smoother

True 4K DLP technology features an actuator that increases resolution via pixel displacement on the DMD and then superimposes the pixels four times before outputting them as a single image composed of 8.3 million unique pixels. In order to make the visuals smoother, the high-speed pixel displacement utilized by the actuator entails a degree of vibration that does cause it to produce some high frequency noise.

What do you need in order to enjoy 4K HDR?

In order to enjoy 4K HDR you’ll need the following items:

A 4K Blu-ray player
A BenQ 4K HDR projector
Make sure source output is set to 3840x2160 at 60 Hz
Make sure the BenQ 4K HDR projector uses the correct HDMI color range (full or limited of RGB, YUV limited). Also be sure to confirm the source player output.
4K movies or 4K videos
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.
An HDMI 2.0 cable connected to HDMI 1 port

Which HDMI cables are needed for 4K HDR?

Not all HDMI cables can support 4K UHD resolution or HDR content. What is the difference between HDMI cable versions, and which one do you need?

Certification Standard	Version	Characteristics	Remark
Certification Standard Standard	Version Pre-1.4	Characteristics Cannot support 4K or HDR	Remark
Certification Standard High-Speed	Version 1.4	Characteristics Certified for 4K at 24/30Hz fps only	Remark
	Certification Standard 2.0	Version Certified for 4K at 60Hz fps	Characteristics
	Certification Standard 2.0a/b	Version Certified for 4K at 60Hz fps with HDR	Characteristics Great Choice
Certification Standard Premium High-Speed	Version N/A	Characteristics Stricter testing for 4K HDR at 60Hz fps and expanded color	Remark Best Choice

What’s HDCP 2.2? Is HDCP 2.2 compatibility important?

HDCP 2.2 is a copy protection file format, and all standard Blu-ray discs are protected by HDCP 2.2. For those who want to enjoy a smooth Blu-ray disc viewing experience without any hindrance, all associated disc players, amplifiers, projectors, and HDMI cables should be checked for compatibility with HDCP 2.2 decryption, to ensure the Blu-ray discs can play properly.

Can I stream 4K Netflix content with BenQ’s 4K projectors?

Since 4K Netflix files are also protected by HDCP 2.2, meaning that for all the Netflix packages you’ve subscribed to, the audiovisual system, the projector, and the HDMI cables used must be compatible with HDCP 2.2. Also, an internet connection speed of at least 25 megabits per second is strongly recommended for an optimal 4K streaming experience. For 4K 60fps video contents, a 4K 60Hz-compatible HDMI cable is also required. (Please refer to the question “Which HDMI Cables Are Needed for 4K HDR?”). For more information regarding Netflix, please refer to their website.

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What's BenQ DLP Projection Technology?

Digital Light Processing (DLP), awarded 2015 Academy Award of Merit (Oscar®statuette), is the leading projection technology used in 90% of world's digital cinemas and 100% of IMAX theaters. DLP powers next-generation 3D gaming devices, high tech heads-up telematics, and of course the most impactful projectors on the planet. With DLP dominating the worldwide projector market with over 50% share, BenQ is today the #1 bestselling DLP projector brand, delivering unmatched world-class performance.

Home Cinema Projector TV Projector Resolution HDMI 4K

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