BenQ AK900ST's AI picture mode wins over a sim projector reviewer

Golf Simulator Videos has posted its full hands-on review of BenQ's new flagship sim projector. In "BenQ AK900ST Review: The Best 4K Golf Simulator Projector?", uploaded Monday, October 26, the channel's host unboxes the AK900ST, mounts it in his Carl's Place Pro enclosure with a Gray Premium impact screen, and spends most of the 53 minutes showing projected images in GSPro, Infinite Tees and Trackman.

We covered the AK800ST and AK900ST from BenQ's published specs earlier this month. This is the first long look at the flagship running in a real bay. The figures below are the ones read out in the video; we have not checked them against BenQ's spec sheet.

The numbers he gives

The host puts the MSRP at $5,999, which he says is a little over double the AK700ST. He lists 6,000 ANSI lumens, true 4K, a 0.81 to 0.89 throw ratio with 1.1x zoom and optical lens shift. He says the throw ratio matches the old LK936ST flagship, so an owner upgrading could mount it in the same spot. It weighs just over 22 pounds and is much bigger than the AK700ST.

Against the LK936ST he cites 6,000 versus 5,100 lumens, which he calls almost 20% brighter, and 97% Rec. 709 color coverage against 92%. Against the AK700ST he cites 50% more brightness (6,000 versus 4,000 lumens), the added lens shift, and Auto Screen Fit 2.0, which now handles curved screens. He also reads off 18.1 ms of input lag at 4K 60 Hz, a 20,000-hour laser life (30,000 in eco mode), fan noise of 29 dB in eco and 34 dB in standard, and a built-in speaker he found plenty loud.

How it looked

He kept most picture settings at their middle values and turned the contrast enhancer up to high. The AI picture enhancer was the setting that changed his mind. He says he had not seen grass detail like it on any projector he has reviewed and that he could read the Trackman logo on the ball at Pebble Beach. "The AI has fooled me," he says at the end. "I didn't think it was going to be this good."

On DLP flicker in swing video, he says a camera shutter set to an even value such as 1/120 removes almost all of it.

What to do now

If you're building a large bay or a room with lights on, this review is worth watching in full before you buy. Check his numbers against BenQ's listing, and use a throw calculator for your own room. The description links include affiliate codes, which he discloses. He says a follow-up where he plays full rounds on the projector is coming next.