The NEC NP-MC382W is a capable LCD projector, well suited for business and education environments. This WXGA (1280x800] resolution projector is compact and portable, making it easy to transfer between conference rooms, boardrooms, and classrooms. Feature-laden and versatile, this NEC is fit for a variety of applications in both the business and education environments, including exhibitions, K-12 classrooms, meeting rooms, conference rooms, and even retail spaces.

Its 3,800 claimed lumens combined with its LCD technology makes the NEC NP-MC382W is bright enough to tackle the ambient light seen in these types of environments, and is one to consider if it meets your needs in terms of specs and feature set. I will begin this review with an overview of the projector, followed by its highlights and special features, and a detailed discussion of the hardware. Then, we’ll dive deep into the projector’s capabilities, discussing picture quality and performance, before wrapping it all up for you and providing some insights into competition and its pros and cons.

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

NEC is well known for their part in the business and education markets, manufacturing projectors ranging from entry level to high-end large venue. The first NEC I reviewed was a 4K capable WUXGA (1920x1200) pixel shifter with excellent picture quality. It won an award in the large venue projector class in our Classroom Projectors Report a couple years back, and since then, I have held high expectations for NEC projectors. So far, so good – I have yet to be disappointed.

Speaking of 4K, the 3,800 lumen MC382W has WXGA (1280x800) resolution – the business and education world’s 720p – but can accept 4K content, and NEC says the projector is “fully upgradable to 4K when available” on their sales page. This gives the projector longevity in a world where resolution and technology are quickly evolving. The NEC has LCD technology and a lamp life of up to 10,000 hours at full power, 15,000 in ECO Mode, which lowers the cost of ownership.

The MC382W is set up for command and control – a desirable feature for school districts and business environments that have a fleet of projectors. NEC has their own free proprietary software called NaViSet Administrator 2 to manage multiple projectors at a time, from a single location. The projector is also Crestron Roomview compatible, which allows for command and control of a projector fleet, even if the projectors included are of different manufacturer makes.

It has a host of features for presenting purposes, such as a multi-presenter function that allows up to 16 devices to be connected simultaneously, dual VGA inputs for connecting PCs, and PC-Free Presentation via USB. I have to say, I am a fan of the integrated media player, which I’ll talk about in detail on the next page. The NEC NP-MC382W also has a 16 watt speaker and two HDMI ports with HDCP. It also has wireless capabilities via an optional wireless dongle. We’ll save the rest for the Special Features Page – for now, let’s take a look at the projector’s highlights.

The BenQ MH733 Projector is a compact, 5.5 pound full HD, DLP projector claiming 4000 lumens and potentially 15,000 hours of lamp life. Built with the traveling presenter in mind, the BenQ MH733 is sturdy all around but not too bulky making it perfectly portable for the road.  For the more stationary inclined, this projector is more than suitable for being ceiling mounted, placed on an AV cart, or just throwing it on the conference table when needed.

A 10 watt speaker provides a formidable audio option, but, when needed, the MH733 projector’s  audio out port is there to connect to a room sound system or supplemental powered speakers.  With a full 1080P HD picture, a 16,000:1 contrast ratio, and a 16:9 native aspect ratio, the BenQ MH733 boasts a sharp, crisp picture with easy to read text and clear images.

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

This BenQ is the top of the line in this M73 series, next to the MW732, and MX731, which are WXGA and XGA respectively.  The MH733 comes in at $799, while the MW732 is $699, and the MX731 appears be about $599 at most outlets.  As you would expect, each of the projectors in this series offer the same 10 Watt speaker mentioned above, and many other capabilities in common.

The series includes tons of presenting versatility thanks to wireless dongle capability (sold separately - $59) and BenQ’s QCast App.  Features like split screen, multiple screens from multiple devices, meeting control, seamless mobile device or computer display, and QCast can even can act as a remote for your projector if needed.

As an classroom, or business solution around the office, the M7 series is fully compatible with the most common projector control systems including Crestron, AMX, PJ-Link, and Extron.

For the presenter on the go, BenQ’s seamless USB Reader makes presenting without a computer incredibly easy, saving you extra cords, space, and time.

All in all, the BenQ MH733 is a versatile, high brightness projector, with lots of features that make a solid solution for any business or school looking for a quality, powerful, and 1080p sharp projector in the  sub-$800 range.

The Epson BrightLink 696Ui is an ultra-short throw, 3LCD, interactive projector claiming 3,800 lumens. With WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200 pixels), Wired and Wireless Lan, and advanced interactivity, this is a serious projector to be considered when shopping for your business or education applications. Targeted toward the education market, the Epson BrightLink 696Ui is suitable for both higher education and K-12 classrooms, with an emphasis on higher education.

Priced at $2,799, this projector offers schools the opportunity to create interactive lessons for their students that can aid in retention of those lessons. The price may cause some to shy away from the 696Ui in favor of something more affordable – but, great news! Epson has an outstanding education program that significantly lowers the overall cost of the projector and its maintenance, such as lamp replacement. The Epson Brighter Futures Program makes this projector available for $2,099. It’s not cheap, but the Epson BrightLink 696Ui is worth it.

This projector is the “little brother” of the Epson BrightLink 697Ui. That one has more advanced features (such as Whiteboard sharing) and is priced at $3,299. It is also WUXGA resolution, but claims a wall-melting 4,400 lumens. That’s really bright! The Epson BrightLink 696Ui that is the subject of this review is bright at 3,800 lumens – so bright, in fact, that with the windows open at high noon, the projected image looked clearer and brighter than some of the other projectors I’ve reviewed while projecting those in a fully darkened room. This is one of my top (current) favorite business/education projectors, hands down.

The Epson BrightLink 696Ui was included in our 2017-2018 Classroom Projector Report, where it won an award for Best in Classroom - Best Performance Ultra Short Throw or Interactive.

The Epson Pro Cinema 4040 is perhaps the most overlooked "breakthrough" home theater projector available today.  I'm not saying that it is the best, but it is truly unique at this time.  Because of it's "uniqueness," it becomes an important projector to consider for those with $2499 or less to spend.

The Pro Cinema 4040 comes in a black case, and is bundled with a cable cover, spare lamp, and a ceiling mount for the quoted price.

Here at Projector Reviews, we've long been fans of Epson's more expensive UB series, the current iterations being the Home Cinema 5040UB and Pro Cinema 6040UB - two near identical models (performance wise).  As a result, I almost managed to not notice the importance and value proposition of the PC4040.  And it's a shame.  It should have gotten recognition in last year's Best Home Theater Projectors report. My bad!

This is going to be a relatively short review.  As I start writing this I'm going to try to keep it to three pages, not my usual 9-15 pages for a home theater projector review.  I can do this because I'm simply going to refer everyone to our much more in-depth review of the HC5040UB/PC6040UB projectors.  That's because the Pro Cinema 4040 is basically 90+% the same as those other two.