For the Netflix crowd, setting up a movie theater in your house makes perfect sense. When a big release like Apeix starring Charlize Theron or the fantastic sci-fi series O Município Fantástico comes out, you can dim the lights, start the popcorn machine, and sit back and watch. The BenQ W4100i is a great option for this setup, with rich colors and excellent contrast. Several features, including a phenomenal filmmaker mode and 24P frame rate mode, are fine-tuned to please die-hard movie fans. The fact that it’s easy to set up is an added bonus.

The W4100i has many excellent rivals, however. The movie-friendly Leica Cine Play 1 costs almost exactly the same, and the $3,800 Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus is no slouch in terms of brightness, clarity and AI enhancements. My goal was to see if the BenQ W4100i, priced at $2,999 (or $2,799 on sale), can come out on top.

Easy Setup

The BenQ W4100i’s all-black, rectangular design has the look of a home theater projector from 15 years ago, but that's not a ding. I prefer the aluminum-clad Leica Cine Play 1 design better, but the W4100i blends into the background nicely and is barely visible with the lights off.