NEC NP41

by Rich Malloy
Price as Reviewed $999

In contrast to the sleek Casio XJ-S57, the new NEC NP41 is a white, utilitarian box. There’s no fancy lens cap here; an ordinary translucent plastic disk pops onto the lens aperture the way such items have always done. And, at 3.6 pounds, this model is the lightest projector in this roundup, but certainly not the lightest we have seen recently.

The connectors on the projector’s rear panel cover just the bare minimum: VGA (which doubles as the component video input with an optional cable), S-Video, composite video, and a mini audio socket. There is also a PS2-style round “control” port.

Although relatively large, the remote control has only a few useful controls. These include the somewhat standard but infrequently used digital-zoom buttons.

The best part of this projector is something that is missing: a focus ring around the lens. The reason? The focusing is done automatically and rather skillfully by the projector itself. The projector also automatically compensates for any trapezoidal or keystone image effects, but because such compensation usually degrades image quality, we turned this feature off via NP41’s on-screen menu.

On our tests, this projector scored quite well. Its brightness of 2210 lumens was just a tad shy of the advertised mark of 2300. In our checkerboard contrast test—a more realistic analysis than the industry-standard full-on/full-off test—the NEC scored a ratio of 534:1, which is one of the higher marks we have seen, and the highest in this roundup.

We really appreciated the speedy warm-up and cooldown times, the latter being an impressively short 14 seconds. Subjectively, we like the color capabilities, especially some nice bright yellows, which is rare for DLP projectors. The cooling fan was a bit noisy, however, even in low-power Eco mode.

With a price tag of $999, including a two-year warranty, the NEC NP41 is one of the lower-priced XGA projectors capable of more than 2000 lumens of brightness. Add in the automatic focusing feature, and it becomes a real bargain.

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NEC NP50

Price as Reviewed $1,181.57 - $1,191.99

It's easy to save time and money on presentations with NEC's NP50 multimedia projector. Almost fully automatic, this projector starts up, focuses, corrects keystone, and shuts down on its own. All you really have to do is plug it in and get down to business. The eye-catching design, small footprint, and light weight of the NP50 is complemented by its incredible functionality. The NP50 also comes with integrated features to improve color accuracy, white/black levels, provide wall color correction for projection on non-white surfaces, image magnification, and lamp protection with direct power off.

Dimensions (HxWxD) 246 x 72 x 177 mm
Weight 1.6 kg
Projection technology DLP
Contrast Ratio 1600 : 1
Max. resolution 1024 x 768
Brightness (lumens) 2600 ANSI lumens
Projection distance 1.4 to 13.4m
Projection image size 33- to 300-inch
Aspect Ratio 4:3
Estimated lamp life 3000 hours

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NEC NP3151W

By Brian Sheinberg
Price as reviewed $3,995.00

As HD video content is increasingly displayed in corporate and education settings, the NP3151W widescreen projector from NEC Display Solutions of America has been designed to deliver home theater-level video quality for professional environments. The Test Center recently had the opportunity to evaluate this multi-featured projector and see what's under its hood.

At 4000 lumens, the NP3151W is certainly one of, if not the brightest, projectors to make its way into the Test Center. Weighing in at 16.1 pounds, its 15.7 x 5.9 x 14.1 inches build is also one of the largest we've seen.

If we had to choose one word to describe this projector, it would have to be connectivity. A glance at the rear of the unit reveals a dizzying array of connectors. For inputs the NP3151W supports Component (3 RCA), S-Video, Composite A/V (3 RCA), DVI, and Analog RGB (15-pin and 5 BNC). There are also three stereo mini audio jacks, a 9 pin serial PC control port, a 15-pin RGB output, and a USB port for a keyboard or mouse. Network connectivity is accomplished by way of an RJ-45 Ethernet port and a USB mounted 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi adapter.

Utilizing 17 calibration patterns in DisplayMate's testing suite, the projector aced all but the black level test, with a setting a little lower than optimal. (It should be noted that when black levels can't be adjusted, such as in this case, lower levels are preferred to higher).

Considering the size and brightness of the unit, environmental variables weren't unreasonable. After about an hour of use, the top of the projector measured 96 degrees Fahrenheit, while the output at the fan's vent was 149 degrees. Sound levels while operating were below the 55 dBA threshold of our meter although, curiously, when the device is turned off the exhaust fan speeds up for about 1.5 minutes, generating a sound level of 58 dBA. Power consumption remained constant at 402 watts while on and 17 watts when off.

Most of the NP3151W's adjustments are easily accessed via a browser-based control panel. Using any computer on the same network, the projector can be remotely powered on and off, and the input source can be selected. Other remote features include volume control, picture adjustments, and the status and remaining life the lamp and filter. In addition, there is built-in security by way of a password to protect against unauthorized use; and separate user accounts to limit the access level of available menu options.

Throughout all of our tests, which incorporated multiple input sources (including a Hi-Def session of GTA IV), the NP3151W stood up to the challenge. Video quality is above par with bright, vivid colors, and the two internal 5 watt speakers had enough volume for everyone in the lab to hear.

The included collection of software, called NEC Projector User Supportware 5, is a suite of five Windows applications (for W2K and newer) that helps make presentations simpler. The first, Image Express Utility 2.0, also has a Mac OS X version and allows anything on the PC screen to be sent to the projector via wired or wireless LAN. The other programs are Desktop Control Utility 1.0, which lets anyone use the projector to remotely operate a PC over the network via a USB mouse; PC Control Utility 1.0, with which the same adjustments as the browser-based utility (plus a few more) can be regulated; and a customized version of Ulead Photo Explorer 8.0 SE Basic, with added features specific to the projector.

A fifth program called Viewer PPT Converter 3.0, converts PowerPoint files into a file that, when saved onto a USB Flash Drive, and then inserted into the projector's USB port, can be displayed with the NP3151W's built-in viewer function.

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NEC NP100

by Rich Malloy
Current Price: $399.95 - $594.99

While it’s not the first sub-$500 projector on the market—a distinction that belongs to the Sanyo PDG-DSU20N--the NEC NP100 may be the most impressive. With strong contrast, plenty of brightness, and a good picture, it’s an excellent budget model for both work and play.

Design

Like the slightly older Sanyo PDG-DSU20N, the NEC NP100 has a slick white design. According to the company, it weighs 5.3 pounds, easily making it the lightest budget model. On our scale, however, it was even lighter, at just 5.1 pounds—a very rare case of a projector weighing less than claimed. The top panel is unique: It’s a recessed cavity just deep enough to accommodate the projector’s credit card–size remote control. But be careful not to lose the remote, as no menu control buttons are on the projector itself.

Performance Tests

On our tests, the NP100 did fairly well. We measured the brightness at 2081 lumens, which is higher than NEC’s claim of 2000 lumens. The contrast ratio was also impressive at 711:1, one of the best we have seen for all projectors and certainly the best for a budget model. On our qualitative tests, the images were quite sharp, with very little flicker or noise. The colors looked good—even the yellow shades that are often such a problem for other models.

NP100 Entertainment

Of course, such a projector is bound to be used for entertainment applications as well as pie charts. The NP100 did quite well in this regard. The native SVGA resolution was not quite high enough to display 1080i HDTV really well, but it was good enough for regular digital TV and DVDs. The cooling-fan sound was a bit noisy during a movie, but you can lower it by switching to Eco mode with barely a noticeable drop in brightness.

A Few Caveats

The NP100’s image size was a bit small, at 36.5 inches diagonal at a 60-inch distance. Uniformity of brightness from the corners of the image to the center was also low, at 60 percent. And the cooldown time was an irritatingly long 2 minutes.

Long Lamp Life

One cost factor often overlooked when buying a projector is the cost of its lamp. NEC prices the NP100’s replacement lamps at $179, one of the lowest prices we’ve seen. The company also rates the lamp at a very long 3,500 hours in regular mode and 4,000 hours in the low-power Eco mode.

NEC NP100 Verdict

If you have a few extra dollars to spend, we would opt for NEC’s more versatile and higher-resolution XGA version of this projector, the NP200, which is still a bargain at $649. However, the NEC NP100 does a good job with typical presentations at an amazingly low price. And with an introductory rebate of $50 (which ends on June 30), it’s also temporarily the least expensive, at an astounding $449.

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