BenQ HT3560 Review | 85 Data compared

The BenQ HT3560 is a top-tier, lamp-based 4K projector recognized for exceptional out-of-the-box color accuracy and deep contrast in dark home theaters, earning an Editors' Choice award for its performance in both SDR and HDR. It offers flexible installation with 1.3x manual zoom and vertical lens shift, while serving as a gamer-friendly option with low input lag times. On the downside, the single-chip DLP design produces frequent, fleeting rainbow artifacts, and the 3D mode exhibits a slight yellow color bias. Additionally, with 2,200 ANSI lumens, the projector is optimized for pitch-black rooms rather than environments with significant ambient daylight.

The BenQ HT3560 is a 4K DLP projector offering exceptional out-of-the-box color accuracy and a wide color gamut for home cinema, featuring three HDMI ports with eARC and responsive 1080p at 240Hz gaming capabilities. However, it suffers from mediocre brightness and contrast, leading to average HDR performance and poor performance in ambient light, while lacking any built-in smart operating system.

The BenQ HT3560 is an affordable $1,699 MSRP 4K UHD home theater projector utilizing a Texas Instruments 0.47-inch DMD DLP pixel-shifting chip to deliver a highly accurate, cinema-grade experience. It provides a manufacturer-rated brightness of 2,200 ANSI lumens, 95% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, and a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio driven by its effective Dynamic Iris technology. Designed primarily for value-conscious movie enthusiasts in light-controlled rooms, it introduces new support for HDR10+ alongside BenQ’s HDR-PRO and CinematicColor technologies, ensuring exceptional out-of-the-box color tracking and deep dark gray black levels with robust shadow detail. Additionally, it features a 1.3x manual zoom lens with vertical lens shift ( %), a chambered 5-watt TreVolo stereo speaker system with eARC for Dolby Atmos pass-through, and surprisingly fast gaming performance with input lag dropping as low as 8.7ms at 1080p 240Hz. Key Pros & Cons Pros: Excellent Value: Delivers true-to-life 4K images and premium color accuracy at an accessible $1,699 price point. Superior Image Optimization: Includes HDR10+ dynamic metadata support and a Dynamic Iris for outstanding contrast and shadow detail. Low Input Lag: Highly capable for...

The BenQ HT3560 is a single-chip, bulb-based DLP home theater projector priced at an MSRP of $1,699, designed to deliver a factory-calibrated 4K visual experience using a 0.47" DMD chip and XPR pixel-shifting technology. Out of the box, it provides exceptional image sharpness and strong color accuracy, utilizing a 10-element lens array and a six-segment RGBRGB color wheel to hit 95% of the DCI-P3 wide color gamut. The projector excels at playing both SDR and HDR content, bolstered by BenQ’s HDR Pro system and a new Local Contrast Enhancement feature that independently optimizes brightness across 1,000 distinct zones. Additionally, it features simple physical setup capabilities, including a 1.3x optical zoom, optical vertical lens shift, and built-in 5W Trevolo speakers that provide a surprisingly well-rounded sound performance compared to standard projectors. However, the review and forum discussions highlight several distinct drawbacks and missing enthusiast features. On the negative side, the projector generates a noticeable fan noise of 39 dB when operating in HDR10 mode, produces a subtle but visible rainbow effect on bright screen areas, and runs warm due to its...

The BenQ HT3560 is an excellent 4K home theater projector engineered specifically for dedicated dark-room environments, earning an Editors' Choice award for its category. Priced competitively, it leverages Texas Instruments' fast-switch pixel-shifting technology with a standard 1080p DLP chip to project a sharp 3840-by-2160 resolution image. Key performance strengths include a specialized six-segment (RGBRGB) color wheel that trades raw brightness for top-tier out-of-the-box color accuracy across the Rec.709 and DCI-P3 color gamuts. It also boasts crisp shadow detail when its Local Contrast Enhancement feature is activated, alongside a gamer-friendly low input lag that drops as low as 8.9ms at 240Hz. Setting up the projector is streamlined via manual 1.3x zoom and a convenient vertical lens shift that offers ±5% height adjustment to bypass image-degrading digital keystone corrections.

The BenQ HT3560 is an excellent 4K home theater projector explicitly engineered for dark rooms, earning an Editors' Choice award for its impressive balance of performance and affordability. Utilizing Texas Instruments' XPR fast-switch pixel shifting on a 1080p DLP chip, it outputs a sharp 3840-by-2160 image. Its standout design feature is a six-panel RGBRGB color wheel that omits a white segment; while this limits its brightness to 2,200 lumens, it unlocks top-tier color accuracy, depth, and contrast for its $1,699 price point. Setup is highly flexible due to a 1.3x manual zoom and a rare vertical lens shift of plus or minus 5%, allowing users to align the image without relying on quality-degrading digital keystone corrections. Connectivity includes three HDMI 2.0b ports—one supporting eARC for external audio—though the onboard dual 5-watt speakers provide surprisingly robust sound on their own. During extensive viewing tests, the projector delivered outstanding shadow detail and a strong sense of three-dimensionality in Cinema and Filmmaker modes, especially when activating the Local Contrast Enhancement feature. Performance pros include its exceptional out-of-the-box color accuracy (covering 100% of Rec.709...

The RTINGS comparison identifies the BenQ HT3560 as a superior upgrade over the HT3550, highlighted by vastly improved out-of-the-box color accuracy, an extra HDMI port, and enhanced eARC support. The HT3560 also offers better gaming performance with 1080p @ 240Hz capabilities compared to the 4k @ 60Hz limit on the older model, which is burdened by poor pre-calibration accuracy. Both projectors share limitations, including insufficient brightness for HDR to fully pop and suboptimal performance in bright rooms, making them best suited for dark home theaters. Additionally, both are susceptible to rainbow artifacts due to single-chip DLP technology, and the HT3560 oddly features a slower USB 2.0 port compared to the HT3550's USB 3.0 capability. For the full comparison, visit RTINGS.