The new breed of Ultra Short Throw projectors such as the Chiq B5U from Changhong allow you to discreetly hide away the projector up against the wall (with zero installation) but at the same time allow you to enjoy a bigger 4K cinematic experience than even the largest TV. So you can achieve almost double the normal screen size at a reasonable price (its cheaper per inch than a standard TV) at only £1899.
The CHIQ B5U is one of the most understated laser projectors with its ANSI Lumens and Contrast providing us with over double than what is stated on the specification, putting it as the best valued Home Cinema 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector on the market.
Check out these videos showing how understated the Chiq projector is and how bright it is in full daylight compared to it competitors.
The video compares the Viewsonic X10 projector in real non-photo-shopped conditions in the daylight and dark. These days its really hard to compare like with like in projectors especially in terms of lumens and general image quality without side by side comparisons like this Viewsonic X10 versus Changhon Chiq B5U.
Looking at the video it becomes clear the X10 is very overstated in terms of of lumens and contrast ratios as well as some other features. For example, the Changhong Chiq B5U shows only 1900 ansi lumens compared to 2400 on the Viewsonic X10.
Its contrast ratio shows the Viewsonic X10 at 3 million to one versus only 150k to one on the Chiq B5U. Yet when looking at the image compared side by side, the video shows the Chiq B5U has a far superior image despite on paper looking like the B5U is nowhere near as high a spec as the X10.
Its quite clear the Chiq has a far better image quality in terms of brightness and contrast / vibrancy of colour even in daylight. In fact in daylight its a superb spec thats worthy of comparable advertised lumens of 3500 - 5000 lumens such as the Optoma UHDZ65 UST.
Image Quality & Ultra Short Throw
The Chiq B5U is almost certain to give the WOW factor every time it is turned on with its gorgeous 4K Ultra HD Resolution.
The B5Us Ultra Short Throw feature projects a MASSIVE screen size of up to 150” (bigger than any 4K TV) from just inches away from the wall, making it much simply and cheaper to install and hide away in a cabinet up against the wall.
Images project in most lighting conditions and can achieve bright and clear images with the projectors high brightness of 1900 ANSI Lumens and contrast ratio of 15000:1. Also with the pure laser light source and wide colour gamut of ≥130% you can be guaranteed true and natural colours.
B5U also features an Eye Protection function to avoid accidental damages to your eyes. With its built-in sensor, when someone gets too close to the lens, the projector will shut down the light source temporarily (5 seconds) to avoid eye damage.
Get the best gaming experience when playing the latest titles such as Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare with the B5Us low input lag of around 45ms. See the CHiQ B5U in action playing fast motioned games such as: Formula 1, Street Fighter and Spiderman
Be able to project in almost any lighting condition with an Ambient Light Rejection Screen and achieve bright and clear images with the projectors high brightness and understated 1900 ANSI Lumens and contrast ratio of 15000:1. With the pure laser light source and wide colour gamut of ≥130% you can be guaranteed true and natural colours.
Sound Quality
Whilst most home cinema afficionado's will connect external speakers to their projector, the Chiq B5U does actually have a better internal sound system than most projectors with its two 10 watt speakers built in.
You can easily connect to external speakers via Bluetooth.
Low noise is key for any projector and this one comes in at a relatively quite 30db helped by the laser light source which generally uses less power than a lamp projector.
Connectivity
The B5U offers full range of connection ports including Ethernet, coaxial output, audio output, VGA audio Input, VGA input, 2 x USB 2.0, 2 x HDMI 2.0, built-in WiFi (5GHz/2.4GHz Dual Band) and built-in Bluetooth 5.0.
What's In The Box
1 x CHiQ B5U Projector
1x Power cord (UK/EU)
1x Bluetooth Remote control (Incl. 2 x AAA battery)
1x User Manual (English)
Warranty & Lamp Life: Hassle Free
It can be a worry when purchasing a new brand that you may not have heard of previously so its good to know that Changhong has been one of the top 3 brands of high quality TVs (and now projectors) and is a household name to millions across Asia.
As a lamp-free laser projector, the B5U offers over 25,000 hours maintenance free lifespan.
To back up the quality of the projectors, all Changhong projectors include a 2 year UK warranty as standard and a 5 year right to repair. The latter ensures spare parts are guaranteed to be kept for 5 years so it can always be repaired within that time.
In addition, this is serviced in the UK so there is none of the usual hassle of returning goods to China, paying huge postage costs or arguing with Chinese sellers over warranties.
Projection Distance & Smaller TV Cabinet
The Chiq B5U is one of the shortest ultra short throw (UST) projectors on the market with 0.21 to 1 throw ratio instead of the usual 0.25 to 1.
This shorter throw actually makes a big difference since the B5U projector requires the shortest distance to project the biggest screen eg B5U only requires 19.5cm for a 100" screen !
This has the advantage of not requiring a large or specially made TV cabinet/table with a larger depth for the projector. Other UST projectors with longer throw ratio >0.21:1 may need at least 40cm distance to project 100" screen, plus the depth of the projector itself requiring a a TV cabinet with the depth of at least 90cm which most TV cabinets/tables do not offer.
However, it also means you need a perfect flat wall or a flat projector screen to project the image, any slight curves on the wall will cause distortion as you currently got.
Keystone Correction & Fixed Frame Screen Requirements
Like most UST projectors, the Chiq B5U does not support keystone adjustment for a few very good reasons.
- No Keystone means improved image
Keystone is managed by digitally altering or cutting a projected image. This creates a lower image resolution, leaves the altered part of the image slightly out of focus and creates grey shadows around the cut images. When this is magnified to large sizes and in 4k the image quality reduction is highly noticeable so its better to not have keystone.
- Manual Correction is better for UST projectors
As the distance between the projector and the wall/screen is so short you can more easily manually adjust keystone by adjusting the kickstand screws underneath the projector so a manual operation keeps the lens focus sharp.
- Uneven Walls are not cured with Keystone
If your wall is uneven, no end of keystone correction will assist it. Keystone adjustment will only adjust certain points in most of the cases, just the four or eight points of the image rather than iron out the multiple uneven points on most walls.
Hence the best option is always a tensioned or preferably fixed frame Ultra Short Throw Screen. If you’re on a budget then buy some rigid white MDF and mount onto that and cut it to size.
Conclusion
The ChangHong Chiq B5U has a wide range of features, connectivity and inbuilt TV content and is a perfect 4K projector for anyone looking to enhance their living space and enjoy a true cinematic experience at a very reasonable price .
PLEASE NOTE: The projector cannot be used with a soft screen or on a normal wall (see impact on this video). Therefore this projector must be used with a flat rigid fixed frame screen (preferable) or high tensioned UST screen. For example try this Ambient Light Rejection (ALR) Fixed Frame Screen with Chiq B5U projector included
Find Out More About Changhong / Chic Brand
CHIQ B5U FAQs
Q: Is the B5U Compatible at 50 Hz?
A: Yes it is compatible with no issues.
Q: What projection distance is needed for a 100” screen size?
A: The distance required for 100’’ is approximately 20cm.
Q: What is the input lag on the CHIQ B5U?
A: It has an input lag of only 44.1ms, making it great for gaming and watching sports.
Q: Where is the B5U shipped from?
A: All CHIQ Products listed on our site are shipped from the UK.
Q: What is the warranty on CHIQ products?
A: All CHIQ Products have a 2 year warranty with 5 year right to repair.
Q: What is the return period for CHIQ Projectors?
A: 14 calendar days (not working days)
Q: Does the CHIQ B5U HDMI input support ARC?
A: Yes, the HDMI 2 port supports ARC
Q: What is the throw ratio on the B5U?
A: The B5U has one of the shortest throw ratio on the market with a throw ratio of 0.21:1
Q: Can the B5U be ceiling mounted?
A1: Yes, ensure to change the viewing mode of the projector once mounted - Settings > Display > Display Mode.
A2: If you have an ALR Screen installed, the screen will need to be installed upside down or the light from the projector will be blocked by the screen.
Q: Does the B5U support Dolby & DTS Audio?
A: The B5U supports both Dolby and DTS - here is the list of supported audio decoding: MPEG1/2 Layer1/2, MP3, Dolby(AC-3), DTS, AAC, HE-AAC
Q: Can you play media from a hard drive on the B5U?
A: Yes, video files (MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264/H.265, RM/RMVB) on external USB drive can be played directly from the projector.
Q: Is HDR processing done automatically on the B5U?
A: Yes it is all done automatically.
For videos that support HDR, the projector will detect the HDR metadata automatically and display the image in HDR, the whole process is an automatic process, users do not need to make any changes in settings.
For video that does NOT support HDR, the projector can use the SDR-to-HDR technology, to convert SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) content into an HDR (High Dynamic Range) format.