LATEST ADDITIONS

Whenever the calendar turns over to a new year, there’s a pretty good chance a new Steve Hackett solo album will also be in tow and ready to greet our collective ears. And lo, what do you know—early 2024 has indeed blessed us with the presence of the onetime Genesis guitarist/vocalist’s (yes) 30th solo album, The Circus and the Nightwhale (InsideOut Music). Naturally, the 1CD/1BD mediabook version of the genre-straddling Circus includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix of its 13 tracks done by Hackett’s longtime keyboardist, Roger King. During a recent Zoom interview, music editor Mike Mettler and Hackett discussed the importance of sound placement in the Nightwhale surround mix, what his favorite Genesis song in 5.1 is, and what Genesis track they’d both like to hear most in Atmos.. . .

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Vertical and horizontal lens shift
Very good pre and post calibration
4LED means no laser speckle
Rich with features

Minus
Disappointing contrast performance
Lackluster sharpness and focus uniformity
Fan noise is loud at full brightness
WCG filter cuts light and disables dynamic contrast

THE VERDICT
The BenQ HT4550i takes a valiant swing at making a home theater but is held back by its limited contrast. Outstanding pre and post calibration performance, 2D lens shift, and an included Android TV streamer make it one of the easiest projectors to set up and use. While not a true home theater projector the BenQ HT4550i makes a strong case for a media room environment.

The home theater projector market is undergoing a major transformation. Lamp-based projectors are being replaced by solid-state projectors. BenQ is a unique company in this market, as it primarily uses 4LED technology instead of the single or multi-laser setups that are becoming more common.