The Quick Verdict
Get the BenQ AH700ST 1080P Short Throw Laser Golf Simulator Projector (Ace). BenQ says it can fill a square 1:1 screen. It has a named golf mode, BenQ publishes an input-lag figure for it, and its zoom lens gives you a range of mounting distances instead of one fixed spot. The Optoma GT2000HDR lists at $500 less and puts a wider image up from the same distance. It's worth it if your screen is 4:3 or 16:9 and you need the biggest image from the shortest distance to the screen. That's the exception. The BenQ is the default. Check price at The Indoor Golf Shop →
What They Have in Common
Both are 1920x1080 native with a native 16:9 aspect ratio. Both use a laser light source and both are short-throw by the numbers. Neither has lens shift. Both list 4:3 among their stated screen modes. Neither maker states which standard its lumen figure is measured to.
Where They Differ
Throw ratio and image size
Image width is throw distance divided by throw ratio. The BenQ has a zoom lens rated 0.69–0.83:1, so from 10 ft back it gives an image 12.0 ft to 14.5 ft wide. The Optoma has a fixed 0.496:1 lens, so from 10 ft back it gives an image 20.2 ft wide.
If you start from a 10 ft wide image instead, the BenQ sits 6.9 ft–8.3 ft from the screen and the Optoma sits 5.0 ft from it. The Optoma's optical zoom is 1, which means each image size has exactly one mounting distance. Pick the spot and you've picked the picture width. The BenQ's 1.2 optical zoom turns that single spot into a window. Before you buy either one, measure the distance from where the lens would hang to the screen.
Screen shapes
BenQ lists 16:9, 16:10, 4:3 and 1:1 among the AH700ST's modes. Optoma lists 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10. A square 1:1 screen isn't among the Optoma's stated modes. That doesn't mean it can't do it. It means Optoma doesn't say it can. If your screen is square, the BenQ is the one whose maker puts that shape in writing.
Brightness, input lag and golf mode
The BenQ is rated at 4,000 lumens and the Optoma at 3,500 lumens. Neither maker states the standard behind its figure, so I'm not calling either one brighter.
BenQ publishes 33.4 ms of input lag at 1080p 60Hz. Optoma doesn't publish an input-lag figure for the GT2000HDR, so there's nothing to compare it against.
The BenQ has a golf picture mode by name. Optoma doesn't say whether the GT2000HDR has one.
Keystone, light source, size and warranty
The BenQ's keystone is 2D, ±30 degrees both vertically and horizontally. The Optoma's is ±15° each way.
Rated laser life is 20,000 hours for the BenQ and 30,000 hours for the Optoma.
The Optoma is 0.67 lbs lighter, at 6.61 lbs against 7.28 lbs. It measures 10.79 W x 4.49 H x 8.50 D inches, against 11.95 x 4.43 x 9.23 inches for the BenQ.
The warranties are split differently:
- BenQ: "3 years parts and labor from purchase date (original retail purchaser), US."
- Optoma: "1 year projector parts and labor; 5 years or 12,000 hours light source."
The BenQ is a 2024 release and lists at $2,299. The Optoma is a 2023 release and lists at $1,799. Call it a hunch, but the warranty split matters as much as the price gap here.
Who Should Buy Which
Get the BenQ AH700ST 1080P Short Throw Laser Golf Simulator Projector (Ace) if:
- Your impact screen is square. BenQ lists 1:1 and Optoma doesn't.
- You want a published lag number before buying: 33.4 ms at 1080p 60Hz.
- You want a projector with a named golf picture mode.
- You want mounting slack. For a 10 ft wide image it can sit anywhere from 6.9 ft to 8.3 ft from the screen.
- You'd rather have 3 years of parts and labor on the whole projector.
- You want the wider keystone range, at ±30 degrees each way.
Get the Optoma GT2000HDR if:
- Your screen is 4:3 or 16:9 and you need the widest image from the least distance. It needs 5.0 ft for a 10 ft wide image.
- $500 less at list matters more to you than a stated golf mode and a published lag figure.
- You want the higher rated light-source life of 30,000 hours, plus its separate light-source warranty of 5 years or 12,000 hours.
- Every bit of weight counts on the mount. It's 6.61 lbs.
The Bottom Line
The BenQ makes more of its case in writing. That includes square-screen support, a golf mode, a lag figure, and a zoom that turns one mounting distance into a 6.9 ft–8.3 ft window for a 10 ft wide image. The Optoma GT2000HDR is the shorter-throw projector. At $1,799 list it's the pick for a 4:3 or 16:9 screen where the projector has to hang 5.0 ft from the screen. If I had to bet, the published specs are what you'll lean on once the bay is built.