Guides · Projectors, screens and TVs
BenQ AK700ST vs. AH700ST vs. LK936ST: Which Golf Simulator Projector Fits Your Room?
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These three BenQ projectors are all built for golf-simulator use, but they fit different rooms. The AK700ST combines 4K resolution, 4,000 ANSI lumens, and a 0.69-0.83 throw ratio. The AH700ST uses the same short-throw range and 4,000-lumen brightness but stays at 1080p. The LK936ST moves to 5,100 lumens and 4K, adds lens shift, and uses a longer 0.81-0.89 throw ratio. In a shallow room, the throw ratio settles more than the resolution does.
Geometry decides which models belong on the shortlist
A projector can have excellent image quality and still be wrong for the room. The lens has to sit where it will not enter the swing, create a large shadow, or conflict with an overhead launch monitor.
BenQ lists both the AK700ST and AH700ST at 0.69-0.83 throw ratio. The LK936ST is 0.81-0.89, so it needs more distance from the screen for the same image width. In a shallow room, that difference can settle the comparison before brightness or resolution ever matters.
AK700ST: 4K without giving up the shorter throw
The AK700ST is a 4K laser projector rated at 4,000 ANSI lumens. BenQ lists Quick Focus and screen-fill presets for 16:9, 16:10, 4:3, and 1:1, which help with simulator screens that are not a television shape. The AH700ST has the same presets.
Those tools make setup friendlier, but they do not replace the throw calculation. You still need to know where the lens will land for your actual image width before the ceiling mount goes in.
AH700ST: the same basic placement with 1080p output
The AH700ST is also rated at 4,000 ANSI lumens and uses the same 0.69-0.83 throw range, but its native resolution is 1080p instead of 4K.
That can be a sensible trade in a simulator where the screen is textured, the golfer stands several feet away, and the computer is not being built around 4K rendering. If the room geometry works equally well for both models, the decision becomes largely about how much you value the extra image detail.
LK936ST: more light and more optical placement freedom
The LK936ST is rated at 5,100 ANSI lumens and 4K UHD. BenQ lists lens shift of up to 60% vertically and 23% horizontally, which can be useful when a beam, light fixture, or ceiling-mounted launch monitor prevents the projector from sitting on the ideal center line.
The tradeoff is the longer 0.81-0.89 throw range. BenQ says that installed 14 to 15 feet from the screen, it can project images nearly 10 feet tall. The extra optical flexibility does not help if the lens ends up too far back in the golfer's swing zone.
Brightness matters most when the room is not dark
The gap between 4,000 and 5,100 lumens is more valuable on a larger screen or in a room where some ambient light has to stay on. In a dark basement with controlled lighting, contrast may improve more from keeping light off the screen than from buying the brightest projector.
Golf rooms need enough light around the golfer for safe setup and tracking, but that light should not wash directly across the image if you can avoid it.
Use the real screen width before you choose the model
Take the visible image width, apply the projector's throw-ratio range, and mark the possible lens positions in the room. Then check those positions against the golfer, projector mount, ceiling hardware, and launch monitor.
If the shorter-throw AK700ST or AH700ST lands in a cleaner location, that may be the answer. If the room has enough depth and needs more brightness or lens shift, the LK936ST becomes more attractive.