BENQ TH690ST gives big-screen experience while maintaining focus on gaming

For the longest time if you wanted a high-quality low-latency display for playing newer console games, options have been limited to OLED TVs or high-end LCD computer monitors. Recently, projectors have also been getting really competitive, thanks to better built-in image processing and faster switching DLP chips that offer sharp image quality without compromising on latency or refresh rate. Take the case of BenQ TH690ST.

This is a short throw 1080p 4LED projector and is in many ways a first-of-a-kind when it comes to console gaming projectors. Yes, it’s 1080p but I just don’t think that really matters. Although this is categorised as a gaming projector, it also does a great job with standard TV and films.

Designed for gamers….

In the box you get cables and a remote, which is a tad disappointing because it’s not backlit (but it does have a function button that takes you straight into game mode). The machine looks stunning. I absolutely love the front panel — it’s simple yet elegant. The projector has three adjustable feet. The first one comes down in the middle and then you’ve got two on either side. With the front one, you’ve got a quick-release button as well. On the back there are enough ports — two HDMI 2.2 ports, an RS-232 port, audio-in and audio-out and optical audio. All the control buttons are on the top and they are clearly labelled, so you can easily operate the menus without having to pick up the remote.

There is a physical zoom and focus dial and you can access things like keystone correction as well as other picture modes. This being a short-throw projector means you’ll get 100-inch images from just 4.9 feet away.

When you dive into game mode, the first thing you see is a warning. If you are using keystone correction then you’re not going to get the optimum performance of the projector. So while using 2D keystone correction, both vertical and horizontal, you will experience an effect on input lag. To get the fastest response time, you need to position the projector perfectly. But if you’re not too bothered by fast latency rates then you can use the keystone correction and this means that you can position the projector off at an angle and still have a nice square screen.

The rest of the menu system is standard. In game mode you get HDR10 and also HDR Game mode and you get all of the other things that you expect from BenQ systems.

What I like about BenQ projectors is the level of customisation. Going in and changing colour settings and white balance are very easy, provided you’ve got the menu set to advanced mode. The feature that I appreciate the most in game mode is Room Setting. If you’ve got your set-up in a dark room then you can have it set to dark and this will give you truer colours, more cinematic visuals and theatrical sound. You can also use details adjustment. This gives you an extra level of brightness, so if you’re in first-person shootertype games where the screen is pretty dark then this is a good option.

Let’s talk about gameplay experience. The response time is incredibly low. This is by far among the fastest projectors in terms of response time. BenQ has measured the response time as low as 8.33 milliseconds for 1080p at 120Hz. You also get 16.9 milliseconds at 1080p at 60 hertz, and 4k at 60Hz then downscaled to 1080p is also 16.9 milliseconds. You get incredibly fast response times even with game mode turned off. Does latency rate matter? Yes, it does to serious gamers. It may not matter to me personally but it certainly makes every game feel more responsive.

Should you buy it?

The projector comes with two 5W chambered speakers. It’s clear but not enough to fill a large room. No matter how good the speakers are on a projector, it won’t beat a standalone sound system, so if you are going to be investing in this type of projector, buy a standalone system. By the way, the sound is powered by TreVolo.

The projector offers 2,300 lumens. It does an adequate job in daylight and in dark rooms, it definitely comes into its own. When it comes to watching standard TV — HD source or not — the machine does a great job. Colours are brilliant, vibrant and have the right amount of crispness. The one thing that I really like about BenQ projectors is the level of colour accuracy out of the box. No matter what you’re watching, you get clear images that are not oversaturated.

To answer the question about buying, if you’re looking for a big-screen experience while maintaining focus on gaming, BenQ TH690ST is the answer. It produces TV-quality images and the low latency is impressive.

AT A GLANCE

Device: BenQ TH690ST Price: Rs 104,999

High notes