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True 4K Projectors: Key Facts for Your Dream Home Theater

  • BenQ
  • 2024-08-07

What is true 4K and does it matter?

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.

Understanding Native 4K vs True 4K
Understanding Native 4K vs True 4K

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.

Understanding Native 4K vs Tru3 4K
Understanding Native 4K vs Tru3 4K

Understanding Native 4K vs Tru3 4K
Understanding Native 4K vs Tru3 4K

Resolution

Horizontal x Vertical Pixels

Total Number of Distinct Pixels

Other Names

Devices

2160p

3840x2160, 4096x2160

8.3+ Million

4K, UHD, Ultra HD, Ultra-High Definition

Projectors, TVs

WUXGA

1920x1200

2.3 Million

Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array

Projectors, monitors

1080p

1920x1080

2.1 Million

Full HD, FHD

Projectors, TVs, monitors

720p

1280x720

0.92 Million

HD, High Definition

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.

Understanding Native 4K vs Tru3 4K
Understanding Native 4K vs Tru3 4K

Note

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

Standard

Pre-1.4

Cannot support 4K or HDR

-

High-Speed

1.4

Certified for 4K at 24/30Hz fps only

-

High-Speed

2.0

Certified for 4K at 60Hz fps

-

High-Speed

2.0a/b

Certified for 4K at 60Hz fps with HDR

Great Choice

Premium High-Speed

N/A

Stricter testing for 4K HDR at 60Hz fps and expanded color

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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