BenQ TH690ST Full HD 4LED Short Throw Gaming Projector — White

BenQ TH690ST Full HD 4LED Short Throw Gaming Projector – Big-Screen Play From 1.5 Metres

Short-throw projection solves the most common problem in gaming rooms and smaller living spaces: there simply is not enough distance for a conventional projector. The BenQ TH690ST produces a 100-inch image from about 1.5 metres away, so it can sit on a low table in front of the seating instead of needing a ceiling mount at the back of the room. Its native resolution is Full HD 1920 x 1080, displayed through a DLP system lit by a 4LED light source rated at 2,300 ANSI lumens.

The specification is aimed squarely at console and PC gaming. Input lag drops to 8.3 ms at 1080p and 120 Hz, with dedicated game picture modes, HDR support and a pair of built-in 5 W speakers for rooms where a separate sound system is not part of the plan. This White version is the standard TH690ST; it is not a 4K model, although it accepts signals up to 4K UHD and scales them to its native Full HD output.

Key features

• Native 1080p Full HD DLP projection, 2,300 ANSI lumens
• 4LED light source with up to 30,000 hours life in Eco mode
• Short throw: 100-inch image from about 1.5 m, 0.69 to 0.83 throw ratio
• Low input lag: 8.3 ms at 1080p 120 Hz, 16.7 ms at 1080p 60 Hz
• HDR10 and HLG support, 98 percent Rec.709 coverage
• Two HDMI 2.0b inputs and S/PDIF audio output

4LED light source

Instead of a lamp or a single-colour LED arrangement, the TH690ST adds a dedicated pump LED to the red, green and blue set, which raises brightness and improves colour saturation for a given power level. BenQ rates coverage at 98 percent of Rec.709 and 84 percent of DCI-P3, with 30-bit colour depth. The practical benefits are long life and consistency: 20,000 hours in Normal mode and up to 30,000 hours in Eco, with no lamp replacements and far less brightness drift over the life of the projector than a lamp-based design.

Gaming performance

Fast-moving games punish slow displays twice, once in motion clarity and once in control response. The TH690ST accepts up to 120 Hz at Full HD and keeps input lag at 8.3 ms in that mode, which is quick enough that the projector stops being a factor in competitive play. Game and HDR Game picture modes tune the image for that use, while HDR10 and HLG input support means consoles such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S can hand over their HDR output properly. The 500,000:1 contrast ratio helps dark game scenes retain shadow detail rather than crushing to grey.

Setup in a small room

The 1.2x zoom gives some flexibility in placement distance, and 2D keystone correction with automatic vertical adjustment tidies up the geometry when the projector cannot sit perfectly square to the screen. Physical alignment should still come first, with keystone used for final correction. At 366 mm wide and 3.6 kg, the unit is easy to move between a shelf and a table, and fan noise of 33 dB in Normal mode, falling to 28 dB in Eco, keeps it unobtrusive in a quiet room. Built-in stereo speakers rated at 5 W per channel cover casual play, and the S/PDIF output passes multichannel audio on to a soundbar or AV receiver when one is available.

Connections and everyday use

Two HDMI 2.0b inputs with HDCP 2.2 handle a console and a streaming device or PC without cable swapping. A USB Type A port supplies power for a streaming stick, and there are 3.5 mm audio in and out sockets plus an RS-232 port for control systems. Picture modes cover Cinema, Sports, Living Room and 3D alongside the game modes, so the same projector that handles a tournament session in the evening can show a film afterwards without reconfiguration beyond a mode change.

For gamers short on throw distance who still want a genuinely large, responsive image, the TH690ST combines the right three things: a short-throw lens, a low-lag Full HD signal path and an LED light source that asks for almost no maintenance over its life.