Projector Reviews Images

The Epson PowerLite 5520W is a 5,500 lumen, WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution projector for business and education applications. It has 3LCD technology, which means this Epson projects as many color lumens as it does white ones. This allows the PowerLite 5520W to cut through some serious ambient light while maintaining excellent color. The Epson will be at home in K-12 and higher education classroom environments, as well as conference rooms, meeting rooms, and boardrooms.

I’ll start this review of the Epson PowerLite 5520W with a brief overview, followed by the projector’s highlights before moving on to a list of its special features. We will also tour the hardware, discuss picture quality, and talk about performance before summing it all up for you on the last page. By the end of this review, you should know if the Epson PowerLite 5520W  is the right projector for your business or education applications. Let’s get started!

Epson Specs
Price
Technology 3LCD
Native Resolution WXGA (1280x800)
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 5500
Contrast 15000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio
Lens Shift
Lamp Life
Weight
Warranty

Overview

The Epson PowerLite 5520W claims 5,500 lumens. Epson is known amongst us reviewers at Projector Reviews for beating their brightness claims more often than not, so I expect that this already-wall-melting projector will follow suit. Even still, 5,500 lumens is plenty bright for the kind of ambient light seen in K-12 classrooms and your typical conference room or boardroom – it’s even bright enough to tackle the large image sizes needed for higher education lecture halls. Remember, the larger the image, the more lumens you need!

The Epson PowerLite 5520W is super sharp and does a fantastic job on projecting video.
The Epson PowerLite 5520W is super sharp and does a fantastic job on projecting video.

WXGA resolution is the business and education world’s 720p. That means, it’s business HD, if at the lower end of high definition. For most business and education applications, WXGA is perfectly sharp. In situations where the highest quality image is necessary – such as in engineering or scientific fields – the higher resolution, WUXGA, or 4K capable projectors, will be desired. I generally find 3LCD projectors to have sharper text than competing DLP projectors, though I have to note that this is not always true. I have seen many higher priced DLP projectors that are rather excellent when projecting text. However, as you can see from the image of the various font sizes above, this Epson performs admirably.

Its lamp life is pretty standard – 5,000 hours at full power, up to 10,000 in ECO Mode. Most lamp based projectors fall between 3,000 hours and 8,000 hours, so this projector does pretty well. Running the projector 20 hours a week, 10 months out of the year at full power, you can expect the lamp to last just under 6 years. Not bad! Epson’s lamps are some of the most cost-effective around, and if you’re an educator, you can expect a nice price break through Epson’s Brighter Futures Education Program – more on that on the Special Features Page.

The Epson PowerLite 5520W has advanced connectivity, making it useful for more sophisticated setups, such as what you might see in a higher education lecture hall. We’ll talk more about that on the next page as well, and go deeper into the inputs and connectors when we tour the hardware after that. It is certainly an impressive beast, and though it doesn’t have many features, what it does have makes it great for a variety of business and education applications. For now, let’s take a look at the projector’s highlights before getting into its features and performance.

Highlights

  • 5,500 Color and White Lumens
  • $2,199 List Price
  • WXGA Resolution (1280 x 800)
  • 3LCD Technology
  • Great Lamp Life – 5,000 Hours at Full Power, 10,000 in ECO Mode!
  • 15,000:1 Contrast Ratio
  • Good Placement Flexibility – 1.85:1 Zoom Lens, Lens Shift (50% Vertical, 10% Horizontal), and HDBaseT
  • 10-Watt Mono Speaker
  • Crestron RoomView and Extron Compatible
  • Brighter Futures Education Program
  • Excellent Warranty – 2 Years Parts and Labor with 90 Days on the Lamp + ExtraCare Road Service

The BenQ MW535A is a bright WXGA projector intended for the business and education market.  BenQ claims a bright 3,600 lumens for this projector, making it appealing for environments with little control over ambient light.  There are plenty of inputs to satisfy the requirements of classroom and conference room environments, and a contrast ratio advertised at 15,000:1.  Not bad for a DLP projector with a price tag of right around $550.

We’ll start our review with a tour of the projector itself; and in depth look at the hardware and special features.  We will then dive into a discussion of picture, video and audio quality (there is a built in speaker,) and we’ll even find out if it stands up to its advertised brightness of 3,600 lumens.  We end with a summary page with a quick overview of what we discussed on the previous pages.  By the time we’re all done, you will know if BenQ’s MW535A WXGA business and education projector is up for your tasks.  Let’s start now!

2019-2020-Best-in-Classroom-Education-Projectors-Report-K-12-Value
BenQ Specs
Price
Technology DLP
Native Resolution 1280x800
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 3600
Contrast 15000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio
Lens Shift
Lamp Life
Weight
Warranty

Overview

The BenQ MW535A projector is advertised as being intended for use in a smaller conference room or classroom for presentations, with a maximum audience size of 10 participants.  The MW535A is native WXGA, which means a native resolution of 1280x800.

This projector runs with a 210-watt mercury lamp as its light source, which allows for a bright image in smaller conference rooms and classrooms. Brightness is exceptionally important in conference rooms with windows, or classrooms with little lighting control.  Too much ambient light causes a washed out image; text becomes difficult to read and what should appear black can be seen as shades of gray, which is unpleasant, to say the least.  A brightness claim of 3,600 lumens helps combat the effects of ambient light.  BenQ also makes a fairly bold claim on the life-span of the lamp: 5,000 hours in Normal Mode, 10,000 Hours in Eco Mode, and a whopping 15,000 Hours in SmartEco; this claim almost rivals that of those projectors that utilize a laser light engine. For your reference - most lamp based projectors have a lamp life estimate of around 3,000 to 8,000 hours. This projector is designed to project an image between 30 inches and 300 inches diagonally.

Contrast is claimed to be 15,000:1 for crisp and clear text.  Though we’re not able to test contrast, I will say that it is very easy to read text when viewing presentations.  The WXGA resolution allows for some great images and video; The Last Reef: Cities Beneath the Sea and Journey to Space look incredible!

The BenQ MW535A is designed for quick setup with digital vertical keystone, and even built in test patterns.  This ensures proper color for your presentation and proper squaring on your screen.  The MW535A WXGA business projector is designed to be mounted on a table top in front of the screen, ceiling mounted in front of the screen, and mounted on a table top behind the screen, or ceiling mounted behind the screen for rear projection.  There is no onboard storage, and though presentations can be displayed without a PC, you must use a Mini-USB correction to connect your media to the projector, as there are no regular-sized USB ports available.  There is a single 2-watt speaker built in, which we will discuss later in this review.

The big draw to the BenQ MW535A Eco-Friendly business projector is its SmartEco mode, which maintains brightness very near Normal Mode while conserving up to 70% of lamp power.  Eco Blank mode activates after 3 minutes of inactivity, dimming the image to blackness and thereby saving energy.  The projector has an Auto Power Off feature, which powers down the projector after 20 minutes of inactivity.  When in standby mode, the MW535A draws a minimal 0.5W of power.  These are great methods of saving energy and ensure an environmentally smart choice in the BenQ MW535A.

Highlights

  • 3,600 Lumens
  • $549 Street Price
  • WXGA (1280x800) Resolution
  • Lamp Life up to 15,000 Hours
  • SmartECO Mode offers minimal loss in brightness over Normal Mode
  • 15,000:1 Contrast Ratio
  • 30” to 300” Diagonal Projection
  • One Touch Access to Install Functions
  • Dual HDMI and VGA ports
  • Compatible with PC and Mac computers
  • Digital Vertical Keystone and Built-In Test Patterns for ease of setup
  • Digital Zoom – Increases readability of small text and image details
  • Closed Captioning
  • 3D Capable
  • Blackboard Wall Color Mode

The Epson 990U projector is a powerful, feature packed classroom projector with impeccable color and brightness. The 990U weighs in at 7 pounds and includes a formidable 16 watt mono speaker that should stand on its own in a classroom or boardroom without any need for extra speakers, but there is the audio out option if you need it.  This WUXGA (1920x1200) Full HD resolution projector costs around (typical street price from authorized Epson dealers) of about $1080 and claims to deliver 3800 lumens.

The Epson 990U is part of Epson’s new PowerLite lineup that includes two other projectors built for the classroom, with quality image, brightness, and sound performance at affordable prices.  The new PowerLite series includes native WUXGA, WXGA, XGA resolutions among all the projectors.  The series comes with Epson’s remarkable color brightness and color gamut, three times higher than that of competitive single chip DLP projectors in similar price ranges.  In addition, Epson claims to get 12,000 hours of lamp life in Eco mode on each projector in the series.  All in all, it looks like a pretty solid series based on my experience with this top line 990U.

Epson PowerLite 990U Specs
Price $1079
Technology 3LCD
Native Resolution 1920x1200
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 3800
Contrast 15,000:1, 15000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio 1.60:1
Lens Shift No
Lamp Life 6000 hours
Weight 7.1
Warranty 2 years
Projector Reviews Hot Product Award
Our top award given for products we review. Additionally we have Best In Class Awards in our special reports.]
2018-2019 Best in Classroom Standard Projector Best Performance

We wish to thank Epson America for sponsoring this year’s Best Classroom Projectors Report

Overview

The Epson 990U is most often ceiling mounted (but small business is also likely to use it as a portable).  Schools, on the other hand, will likely mount it, but if not, it may be destined for a rolling AV cart so it can be easily moved from room to room. The lamp can be changed while mounted if/when it does need to be replaced.  Since the projector’s lamp will last almost 6,000 hours even at full power, and far longer using various eco features, many users will never need a replacement lamp.

Designed primarily for the classroom and schools, the Epson 990U has the ability to connect up to 50 Chromebook, Mac, PC, iOS, and Android devices, and simultaneously display up to four screens, with Epson iProjection (wireless module sold separately for about $100).  That same ability, of course is valuable in business conference rooms, and huddle spaces.

Teachers can also push content from the projector to wireless connected devices using Epson’s iProjection software and control which device screens to display; meanwhile students can make notes and send their work back to the projector at the teacher’s discretion.  Lastly, for the school minded, you can utilize RJ-45 and optional wireless connectivity for remote projector management and presentations over the network, leaving you the ability to centralize school announcements among other things in all classrooms.

Bottom line, as you’ll soon read, this projector is an award winner, performing brilliantly in all facets, brightness, color accuracy, powerful speaker, interactive and wireless features, all packed into the Epson PowerLite 990U and making this projector perfectly suited for any classroom or school environment, and well up to the standards of any business professional on the go or in the boardroom.  Even better, if you join Epson’s Better Futures program, you can have this projector for $825, saving $254 per projector.  Plus you get all the benefits of the program including competitive pricing on all Epson projectors, 3 year limited warranty & 90 day lamp warranty, free next-business-day replacement with free shipping both ways, access to Epson’s PrivateLine toll-free tech support at no charge for the life of your warranty, and your own dedicated Epson account manager.

Highlights

  • 3 LCD technology bringing 3x Higher Color Brightness1 and up to 3x Wider Color Gamut5 with Epson over 1-chip DLP projectors
  • 3,800 lumens of equal color and white brightness
  • Widescreen native WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Full HD resolution; 16:10 format
  • 1.6x optical zoom provides a wide range of zoom flexibility and incredible, sharp images
  • Very low cost Epson replacement lamps that can get about 12,000 hours in Eco Mode
  • Enhanced wireless display technology — connect up to 50 Chromebook, Mac, PC, iOS and Android devices, and simultaneously display up to four screens, with Epson iProjection (wireless module sold separately)
  • Two-way content sharing — teachers can push content from the projector to wirelessly connected devices and control which device screens to display; students can make notes and send their work back to the projector
  • Advanced network control — RJ-45 and optional wireless connectivity for remote projector management, presentations over the network and more
  • 2x HDMI, multiple A/V devices; includes 1x MHL-enabled port
  • Built-in 16 W speaker and microphone input and audio out for utilizing external speakers

The Epson Home Cinema 1060 was just announced alongside two other projectors, which are a part of Epson’s new value line. There are a few key differences between the trio – but only a few. They’re similar in feature set and hardware, with varying resolutions and price. All three projectors are currently selling for below $700.

This 3LCD projector claims 3,100 lumens – bright enough to handle quite a bit of ambient light. The HC1060 is full HD, with 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080). It is the most advanced model of the three, making it one to consider when browsing the market for low-cost home entertainment projectors.

Our First Look Review of the Epson Home Cinema 1060 will give a brief overview of the projector, explore its features and benefits, speak on the differences from the HC1060's siblings, and delve into the projector’s highlights.

Before we continue – what is a First Look Review? It’s something between our full-fledged reviews where we spend lots of time both watching projectors perform, and playing with the projector’s full feature set, and, the other extreme - putting up a manufacturer’s press release, as loaded with hype as they are, (as many sites do). 

In some cases, our First Look Reviews are done after we have had a brief look at the projector – at our facility, typically for just a few days. Other times, such as this time, we haven’t had a chance to play with the projector. In such cases, our goal is to apply a mix of insight and common sense to describe how this projector might fit your needs. 

This is something we like to do, especially when the projector is just announced, is expected to be very popular, and/or is a direct descendant (with limited differences) with a projector we’ve already reviewed. Enjoy!

Although Epson describes the PowerLite 2265U as a portable business projector, it is somewhat larger and heavier than many portable models.  However, most portable projectors aren't rated at 5500 lumens (both white lumens and color lumens).  While it may be a little too large for the typical "road warrior" to drop in a brief case when heading out on a business trip, what we have here is a very bright business projector that's compact enough to be easily moved between conference rooms yet bright enough for use in large venues and when considering projectors with 5000+ lumens of light output the 2265U is about as small a projector as you will find.

Epson offers many projector models in their PowerLite series and the PowerLite 2265U is among the higher-end models designed for conference room use.  The PowerLite 2265U offers WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200).  The most similar models in the PowerLite series of meeting room projectors include the 2255U ($1999), 1985WU ($1999), that also offer WUXGA resolution, and the 2165W ($1999) and 1975W ($1999), both of which are lower WXGA resolution (1280 x 800) models.  The PowerLite 2265U appears to also be similar to the Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 1985W that we previously reviewed - HERE.

The Epson PowerLite 2265U received our "Hot Product" award for offering a lot of great features combined with a very bright image that offers very good out-of-the-box color accuracy.  With a list price of just under $2300 the PowerLite 2265U sells for 2 to 4 times the price of many portable business or classroom projector, but this model has the maximum resolution offered for a mainstream business projector (1920 x 1200) and with a measured 5000+ lumens of brightness, its a lot brighter than what you will with those substantially lower priced models.

The NEC P502WL is a laser light engine installation class DLP projector having WXGA, 1280 x 800, resolution and a bright 5000 lumens rated light output.   It offers a lot of features for its $3499 list price.   This is a commercial/installation class projector that falls toward the lower end, in terms of size, weight and price, of the installation class of projectors rated at, or near, 5000 lumens, especially those using a laser light source.

The P502WL uses a laser/phosphor wheel light engine rated at 20,000 hours of life, which is unusual to find in an installation projector at this price point.  While this is an installation class projector, it is also suitable for use in a conference room or classroom.

For education use it would probably be of most interest to colleges/universities looking for a low maintenance projector with networking capabilities and perhaps the ability to simultaneously display content from multiple sources, including mobile devices.  NEC also offers some less expensive, bulb based, entry level installation class projectors in their P4xx series starting with their model P401W that has a list price of $1399 and a rated light output of 4000 lumens.

The P502WL received our Special Interest award as being a versatile projector capable of being a very good larger venue 'entry-level" installation projector as well of suitable for use in certain conference room and classroom applications.  Entry level, only in that it lacks interchangeable and motorized lens options found on more expensive "larger venue" projectors.

The $999 BenQ HT3050 is a quality replacement for their aging W1070 and HT1075 home projectors. The HT3050 is the middle projector of three new home entertainment - home theater entries.  We've previously reviewed (and liked) the more expensive HT4050, which has extra features but sells for four hundred more.  The HT3050 offers a very good value proposition compared to its more expensive sibling, unless you need the extra placement flexibility that the extra cash buys you.  There are performance differences as well.  A lower end HT2050 rounds out the new entries as the pure entry level home entertainment projector. The HT3050 is a single chip DLP projector.  As you can see from the specs below, it's pretty bright claiming 2000 lumens, but it isn't a match for the brightest home entertainment projectors around. It has, however a bit more refined picture, overall, than most of the lower cost DLP projectors. In other words, just above entry level.
The Epson PowerLite Pro Z10005UNL is a large, heavy, very bright commercial installation projector intended for auditorium size venues and/or specialized presentation needs.  This model certainly qualifies as a "heavy metal" class of commercial projector.  The Z10005UNL received our Hot Product Award for its great combination of performance and features.

Affordable Viewsonic PJD7822HDL Home Entertainment - Business Portable 1080p Projector - Replaces ground breaking predecessor.

This PJD7822HD has recently (Fall 2017) been replaced by a newer model, the PJD7828HDL.  Viewsonic is sending us the newer model in October 2017, so look for that review, once posted.  We expect the newer model to replace the PJD7822HD on our 15 Best Home Theater Projectors list.

The PJD6544w Projector is a rather full-featured portable and classroom installation projector. With both wireless and wired networking.

© 2024 Projector Reviews

crossmenu linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram