BenQ’s DLP 4K projector is its most colourful ever

Grey on the outside, but inside there's cinema-like DCI-P3 megarainbows.

BenQ’s new X12000 produces colours as good as your local cinema’s, courtesy of a combination of LED and DLP kit, delivering DCI-P3 accuracy.

For those not in the cine-know, that’s a colour spectrum used in commercial movie projection the world over - and it’s pretty much the pinnacle for home cinema.

DLP stands for digital light processing and it’s basically projector tech that uses dinky mirrors and a spinning colour wheel to bounce pictures at your screen. It means better colour accuracy and it’s used in most cinemas - and the X12000 is the first to use it with a 4K resolution.

Pair that with Philips ColorSpark HLD LEDs and you've got a stunning range of colour kicked out with the sort of brightness levels that sunglasses are made for - think 2200 lumens - which is a seriously sought-after combination. In fact, this is the first model to offer it.

Projectors do tend to need more controlled viewing conditions to reach their full potential but, even in a bright room, the X12000 will give you a 4K UHD picture - that’s 3840 by 2160 pixels, and a true resolution of 8.3 million pixels - that can go as big as 180 inches.

It might not match the 'infinite' contrast of an OLED, such as LG’s Signature W, but a dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000:1, paired with gamma control that ensures balanced brightness, should mean you’ll be too engrossed to notice.

The X12000 can throw an image from more than 2m away - and it uses a 14-element lens array and True Zoom tech to retain image quality however far away it is from the wall. It’ll adjust automatically to optimise zoom and focus, too, using a triplet of lens groups to banish any curviness.

We don't have any local pricing as yet, but we expect it to be in the $10,000 range.

While that’s not pocket change, it does undercut the 4K-equipped Sony VPL-VW520ES by some margin, delivering better brightness in the process. The SXRD projection tech found in Sony projectors is famed for its contrast ratios - we’re talking 300,000:1 - but if BenQ can realise its colour promises, it might just be onto a winner.