Projection fans have been waiting for 4K resolution to come down in price for years, and it's finally happened. Thanks to a new generation of DLP chips, you can finally enjoy all of the pixels of 4K TV shows and movies without paying a fortune.

The BenQ HT2550 ($1,500) is one of the least expensive 4K projectors available, and it's really good. First off, it actually delivers every line of 4K onscreen according to test patterns. It also puts up an excellent image overall, with solid contrast and accurate color, although it fell short of a couple of slightly more expensive projectors I tested, namely the 4K Optoma UHD60 and the Epson Home Cinema 4000.

But before you, the projector fan, reach for your wallet, you might want to reconsider that desire for 4K. Comparing these light cannons directly with the 1080p resolution BenQ HT2050 ($700), it was tough to see the increase in sharpness. Sure, it's there, but I had to be watching the right material from a relatively close seating distance and be paying pretty close attention. As I've seen before, the impact of superior contrast, color and other image quality benefits far outweighs the impact of 4K.