Two 4K projectors, two different claims about the same number
Which 4K projector should I buy?
Both machines state 3 000 lumens and the two figures are not the same measurement. Epson publishes white brightness and colour brightness separately, which a three-panel design allows; BenQ publishes ANSI lumens, a standardised measurement taken across nine points of the image. Neither is a lumen in the sense the portable-projector shelf uses the word, and both are far better than an unqualified number. The rest of the comparison is a straight split: Epson brings imaging technology and a contrast figure, BenQ brings an operating system and HDR.
| Compared on | EH-TW7000 4K PRO-UHD 3LCD projector | TK705i 4K HDR projector with Google TV |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | 3 000 lumens white brightness and 3 000 lumens colour brightness — both stated | 3 000 ANSI lumens — stated in a measured unit |
| Imaging | 3LCD, three panels — stated | Not stated in this listing |
| Contrast | 40 000:1 — stated | Not stated in this listing |
| HDR | Not stated in this listing | HDR supported — stated |
| Operating system | Not stated in this listing | Google TV, built in — stated |
| Network | Optional Wi-Fi — stated | Not stated in this listing |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these products answer different questions.
Buy the Epson if the picture itself is the priority: three panels, a published contrast figure, and colour brightness stated alongside white. It expects a source of its own.
Buy the BenQ if the projector has to be the whole system: Google TV built in, HDR stated, and the same ANSI figure without a separate box to feed it.
Not exactly. ANSI lumens are measured to a defined procedure across nine points of the image; a plain lumen figure is stated by the maker in its own form. Epson publishes white and colour brightness separately, which tells you something a single number cannot. Both are real measurements, unlike the unqualified figures used on cheap projectors.
It is a published figure from a maker that also publishes colour brightness, which is a reason to take it more seriously than a seven-digit number from a listing that publishes nothing else. Contrast figures of that magnitude are still measured in conditions no living room reproduces.
4K PRO-UHD · 3 000 lumens white AND colour brightness · 40 000:1 stated contrast · 3LCD · optional Wi-Fi
A 3LCD projector that publishes white and colour brightness as the same figure — a distinction single-chip machines rarely make, and one that decides how a saturated image actually looks.
Best for: A viewer who notices colour rather than pixel count, and anyone bothered by the rainbow effect single-chip projectors can produce.
≈ £959 / 937 €
4K HDR · 3 000 ANSI lumens · Google TV built in
A 4K HDR projector with Google TV on board and a stated 3 000 ANSI lumens — the built-in system is the reason to choose it, and the reason to check licensing before buying.
Best for: Someone who wants one object rather than a projector plus a streaming stick, in a room where the light can be controlled.
≈ £1195 / 1225 €
