Guides · Projectors, screens and TVs
BenQ AH500ST vs. AH700ST: Which Short-Throw Golf Projector Fits Your Room?
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AH500ST and AH700ST are both 4,000-lumen, 1080p laser projectors made for golf-simulator rooms, but they belong in different parts of the ceiling plan. AH500ST has a fixed 0.499 throw ratio and is designed to sit very close to the screen. AH700ST uses a 0.69-0.83 throw ratio and 1.2x optical zoom. The better choice is mostly a placement decision.
Brightness Does Not Separate These Two
Both models are rated at 4,000 ANSI lumens and both use laser light sources. Both display 1080p natively. That means the comparison starts with where the projector can physically go, not with a large difference in brightness or resolution.
AH500ST Is for the Room That Needs the Projector Far Forward
With a 0.499 throw ratio, AH500ST places the lens at about half the image width. A 12-foot-wide image therefore needs roughly 6 feet of throw.
That is useful when the golfer stands 9 or 10 feet from the screen and you want the projector clearly in front of the swing. The fixed lens is the tradeoff: placement has to be measured accurately because there is no optical zoom to rescue a bad mounting point.
AH700ST Gives You More Room to Fine-Tune the Mount
AH700ST uses a 0.69-0.83 throw ratio. On a 12-foot-wide image, that puts the lens roughly 8.3 to 10.0 feet from the screen.
Its 1.2x optical zoom makes installation more forgiving. Both models have Quick Focus and screen-fill presets for 16:9, 16:10, 4:3, and 1:1, which help when the screen size is dictated by the room instead of a television aspect ratio.
Do Not Confuse a Shorter Throw With a Better Projector
AH500ST is not automatically better because it sits closer, and AH700ST is not automatically better because it has more adjustment. The useful question is where each lens lands relative to the golfer, overhead launch monitor, lights, garage-door hardware, and ceiling structure.
A projector that lands six feet from the screen can suit one room and be awkward in another if it collides with an overhead sensor or ceiling obstruction.
Both Are 1080p, Even if the Source Is 4K
Both models can accept higher-resolution input, but their native displayed resolution is 1920 by 1080. For many golf rooms, that is a sensible tradeoff: brightness and clean geometry matter more than chasing 4K on a textured impact screen.
If the simulator also serves as a premium theater, or if you are filling a very large, smooth screen from a close seating distance, a 4K model is worth comparing separately.
Use Image Width for the First Calculation
Throw ratio is based on image width, not screen diagonal. Mark the expected image width, calculate where each projector would sit, and draw that point into the same floor and ceiling plan as the golfer and launch monitor.