BenQ HT9060 4K UHD Home Theater Projector – Hardware

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Art Feierman

BenQ HT9060 – Hardware 1: Overview, Lens Quality and Throw and Lens Shift Range, Inputs and Connectors, Control Panel

Overview

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The HT9060 is a fairly large unit. Really many times the bulk of the smallest 4K UHD DLP projectors. It weighs in at 40.8 lbs! In overall size, it is deeper than wide, and has similar size and bulk when compared with the JVC and Sony models it competes against.

Dimensions are: 18.5” wide, 22.2 deep, 8.9” tall

The manual 1.5:1 zoom lens is center-mounted and recessed. Focus and zoom are accomplished by turning the focus ring and zoom ring around the lens. Two lens shift controls are mounted on the top, just behind the lens, one for vertical shift, and one for horizontal.

For those not ceiling mounting, there are two screw thread adjustable front feet, and a small fixed bar in the back center, for a 3 point stance. One IR sensor for the remote is located low on the front, to the right of the lens, the second one is located on the back.

There are two large fan exhaust vents in the front. The air intake is in the back.

The various inputs and other connectors are located on the side – the right side, if you are facing the front of the projector. And, just behind that section is the control panel. On higher-end projectors (typically mounted) the control panels are often on the side or back, as in such setups, the only time the control panel is used is for the initial set up, then the remote from then on.

The Lens

I’ve already mentioned the quality of the lens (based on observation), in the Special Features pages. Other than repeating that the optical quality of the lens seems very good, better than found on most projectors that cost a lot less, here I’ll provide information, regarding throw distances and lens shift. As also touched on, the projector has no Lens Memory ability to work with wide screens (but does support the use of an anamorphic lens and sled to work with those wide screens.

Looking down the "barrel" of the BenQ HT9060 LED Home Theater Projector. The manual 1.5:1 lens is of high optical quality.

Placement flexibility is very good, really rather impressive for a DLP. (DLP designs, in general, allow for smaller projectors.) Having a lot of lens shift is one reason for HT9060’s large size.

Throw distances for 100” diagonal 16:9 screen

Wide Angle	9 ft 10 inches
Telephoto	14 ft 9 inches

For that same 100” diagonal 16:9 screen, the BenQ HT9060 has a vertical shift of 65% of screen height, which is extremely impressive amount for a DLP projector, and a very healthy amount overall, making it similar to competitive 3LCD (Epson UB series) and LCoS designs, such as Sony and JVC.

Lens shift dials are located on the top just a a few inches back from the front of the projector.

This much vertical lens shift allows the BenQ projector to be rear shelf mounted up high (right side up), assuming the room isn’t too deep for the throw distance), in addition to ceiling mounting or table top options. With these numbers, for example, for a 120” diagonal screen, you really couldn’t REAR shelf mount if the room is deeper than about 15.5 feet, since the max distance from that large a screen is 17 feet, 8 inches. But, we measure distance from the front of the lens, so with this projector being about 2 feet deep, we come up with that 15.5 maximum distance from lens to screen, if rear wall mounted. (I sure hope that makes sense! -art)

And the HT9060 has plenty of horizontal shift – 27% of screen width. Remember though, that the more horizontal shift you use, the less vertical, and vice versa.

Bottom line – a 1.5:1 zoom offers very good range (2.1:1 is about the maximum out there), and the amount of lens shift is extremely good. Excellent optics round out the lens dynamics. This is the type of lens and flexibility one should expect from a projector in the HT9060’s price range, even if there are other similar priced projectors offering less capable lenses, or less lens shift.

Inputs and Connectors

Inputs and control panel — HT9060 input panel and control panel located on the side.

As noted, all the connectors are on the right side of the projector. HT9060 sports a good collection of inputs. Let’s take a look, starting closest to the front.

First is the wired network connector (LAN), with the usual RJ45 jack.

Up next is an input found on very few projectors – it is a jack for hard wiring in the remote control. That is normally used when folks create a rear screen setup, with the projector hidden, so can’t be reached by the Infra-red signal from the remote control.

The third is an “old school” analog computer input – with the usual DB15 we’re familiar with for 5 decades (but now mostly replaced by HDMI).

Next comes a pair of HDMIs. Note that HDMI 1 supports HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2. On the other hand, HDMI 1 is the older HDMI 1.4 which supports Blu-ray disc and 3D, but not 4K UHD/HDR. That typically means you will either have an AV receiver to handle your switching, or a switch box, as most folks have at least 3 HDMI devices.

To the right, is a USB connector, and then a pair of 12-volt screen triggers (for suitably equipped motorized screens and/or an anamorphic lens and sled. Both are discussed on our Special Features page.

Finally, closest to the back is another older but still used connector – a serial RS232 (DB9) for “old school”, command and control, from computers, A/V controllers, etc.

Other than that, there are the AC power receptacle and an anti-theft security bar. The control panel is right next to the input panel.

The next page will look at the control panel, the remote control, and the menu system.