Five Projectors That Still Behave Like Displays

Smart TVs stopped being screens. They fingerprint what you watch, even from HDMI, and sell that profile. A dumb projector does not. It takes a signal and throws light. That is the whole product.

These five models still work that way in 2026. No Android TV. No ads. No app store. No ACR stack on the display itself.

The projector is only half the system. What you plug into HDMI decides whether the setup stays private.

What to Connect

The projector has no brain. The source does. If the source phones home, you gained nothing.

Best default: the PC you already own. HDMI cable. Airplane mode or Ethernet unplugged. Local files, Steam offline, a browser with no account. You already control the OS. Do not add a Fire Stick "for convenience."

Best dedicated box: a small x86 mini-PC, wired only. Intel N100 fanless (ASUS PN42, industrial N100 boxes) for 4K60 local files and a light Jellyfin/Kodi front end. AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS class (Beelink SER8 and similar) if you also want local transcode or offline models. Install Linux or a locked-down Windows. Disable or physically remove the Wi-Fi module if the board allows it. Leave the Ethernet cable in a drawer unless you run a local NAS on a separate VLAN.

Best physical media: a 4K Blu-ray player used as a disc drive, not a streamer. Panasonic DP-UB820 is the usual pick for HDR tone-mapping. Leave Wi-Fi off. Play discs. USB files if you must. Do not sign into its network apps.

Avoid as the display source: Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Google TV sticks, Shield, smart-TV dongles, and any "Android 14 in a HDMI plug." Those recreate the TV you just escaped.

Audio: use the projector's 3.5 mm or eARC into a dumb amp / soundbar with no account. Bluetooth from the projector is a radio you do not want; most of these units do not have it anyway.

Rule: one cable in, no radio on, files you already have.

1. BenQ TH575: Wins on Radio Silence

Why it wins: BenQ's own spec sheet lists no OS, no Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth, no wireless mirroring. Two HDMI 1.4 ports, USB power, analog audio, RS-232. It is a lamp DLP that displays whatever you send. For a privacy build, that absence of radios is the feature.

Also good: cheap, bright enough (~3800 ANSI claimed) for a dim living room, low enough lag for casual games, USB can power a device you should not plug in.

Cons: 1080p only. Lamp, not laser. Bulbs die, colors drift. Narrow color vs cinema lasers. No lens shift. Fan is audible. HDMI 1.4, not 2.1. RS-232 exists; leave it empty.

Use it if: you want the smallest attack surface and will accept HD.

2. BenQ TK710: 4K Without an OS

Why it wins: laser 4K (pixel-shift DLP) with no built-in Google TV. BenQ sells a sibling with a dongle (TK710STi). This one does not. Picture and lag are the product. HDMI 2.0, USB power, eARC, modest lens shift.

Also good: 3200 ANSI-class brightness, ~4 ms in 1080p/240, usable in a room that is not a cave. Firmware is a projector menu, not an app store.

Cons: not native 4K. No HDMI 2.1 / 4K120. Possible DLP rainbow on some eyes. Weak built-in speaker. No HDR10+ / Dolby Vision on this trim. You still need a source that can output 4K60 cleanly.

Use it if: you want a bright 4K image and refuse a smart chassis.

3. ViewSonic PX701-4K: 4K Price Without Apps

Why it wins: 4K lamp DLP, no smart OS, two HDMI, RS-232, USB power. Firmware updates go through USB from a PC, not a cloud login. Gaming numbers are the reason it exists (very low lag, high refresh at 1080p).

Also good: brighter than most living-room lamps in this band. HDR10/HLG input. Cheap for a 4K panel.

Cons: lamp again. Color and contrast are "good for the money," not cinema. Some siblings add RJ45. Buy the port list, not the family name. ViewSonic has a cloud color-profile toy; ignore it. No lens shift. Rainbow risk.

Use it if: budget 4K and games matter more than blacks.

4. Epson Home Cinema LS11000: Real Theater, Still Dumb

Why it wins: 3LCD laser, 4K PRO-UHD, motorized lens, HDMI 2.1 with 4K120 and low lag. No Wi-Fi. No Bluetooth. No apps. Ethernet is control-only. Unplug it and the unit is a light engine plus two HDMI sockets.

Also good: no DLP rainbow. Equal white/color brightness. Quiet enough for a dark room. eARC. This is the model you keep for a decade.

Cons: expensive and heavy. Contrast is good, not JVC. No Dolby Vision. Ethernet, RS-232, and 12V trigger exist for installers. They are unused risk if you cable them to a smart home hub. Pixel-shift 4K, not native SXRD.

Use it if: the room is dedicated and the source is a PC or disc player.

(LS12000 / QB1000 sit in the same family: same privacy profile, more money.)

5. Sony VPL-XW5000ES: Native 4K and Boring Firmware

Why it wins: native 4K SXRD, laser, no smart OS. Two HDMI, USB, RS-232, LAN for control. Sony's projector firmware is a picture processor, not a content store. Leave LAN unplugged.

Also good: processing (X1 Ultimate) and motion are in a different class from the BenQ/ViewSonic lamps. Long laser life. Quiet. Integration ports for a local control system, not for Netflix.

Cons: HDMI 2.0 only: no 4K120. Manual lens. Price. No Dolby Vision / HDR10+. LAN is still a network jack; treat it as hostile. Overkill if you only watch 1080p files.

Use it if: image quality is the point and you will never plug the RJ45.

How to Read This List

None of these is air-gapped in the hardware-wallet sense. HDMI is a wire. A compromised laptop can still display secrets on the wall. What they do not do is run a second computer that watches the wall.

Summary: How to Leave ACR

Automatic Content Recognition is a Shazam for video. A smart TV samples the panel (often a few frames per second), hashes picture and/or audio, and matches it against a catalog. HDMI does not protect you. A Blu-ray, a console, and a file on a USB stick all hit the same panel. The TV still knows the title. That data feeds ads and measurement firms. Toggles labeled "viewing information," "Samba," or "smart experience" are the polite name for it.

A dumb projector has no catalog, no ACR client, and no reason to phone home. Combined with a source you own, your PC, a fanless mini-PC with Wi-Fi off, or a disc player that never joins Wi-Fi, the display path stops being a sensor.

You give up one-remote app stores and ambient-light "smart" brightness. You keep the image. That is the trade.

Check before you buy: official spec page, line by line: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, built-in OS, Android dongle included. If those cells are not "No," it is a TV with a lens.