Maxell MP-WU5503 Laser Education Projector Review – Special Features

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Nikki Zelinger

Maxell MP-WU5503 Laser Education Projector Review – Special Features: Excellent Placement Flexibility, Wireless Capabilities, Advanced Networking

Excellent Placement Flexibility

The Maxell MP=WU5503 has vertical and horizontal lens shift.

Placement flexibility makes installation easier, and when installing a whole fleet of projectors, this is definitely something to consider! The Maxell MP-WU5503 offers a good amount of flexibility with its 1.70:1 zoom lens – about as good as it gets on a business/education projector – generous lens shift, and HDBaseT compatibility (more on that in the Advanced Networking section of this page). Note that the lens functions are manual, not powered. Though this is a nice perk, it’s not a necessary one, and its absence on the MP-WU5503 provides for an overall lower price than if it did have motorized lens features.

That it does have lens shift – +56.5% vertical, +4.6% horizontal – is a major plus. Say you get the mount up, the zoom right for your screen size, but the height of the projected image needs to be adjusted. Instead of having to shift the mount or adjust in another way, you can simply shift the lens up or down and get the projected image Goldilocks perfect. This is particularly useful if your screen has already been installed! And that 50%+ vertical lens shift is quite generous, so even if you’re way off in placement, lens shift will get the image to a point that’s “just right.”

Wireless Capabilities

Wireless capabilities are becoming commonplace on projectors, with some models even having it built in directly to the unit, but not all projectors have this capability (yet). In the case of the Maxell MP-WU5503, wireless is optional via a module you can buy separately from the manufacturer. Like most projectors with optional wireless, the Maxell has a USB port for the module (USB wireless adaptor USB-WL-5G). This allows you to wirelessly connect an external computer and project its screen, which comes in handy for visual presentations done by both teacher and student. The Maxell also can connect to Andoid and iOS mobile devices! Score.

Advanced Networking

Ah, Advanced Networking. A must-have for many a higher education environment – where this projector will most likely be used. It was featured in the Higher Education Projectors category of our Classroom Projector Report: Best Education Projectors 2019-2020, where it competed with a boatload of other capable projectors, many of them also with Advanced Networking. Shocker. If you haven’t read that report yet, I highly recommend checking it out before making your final decision on which projector to purchase for your school’s fleet. If you’re intrigued by THIS particular projector, keep reading and then hop over to the report to check out our award winners.

Alright, so we have HDBaseT, which, if you don’t already know, is a standard that was developed years back that allows this projector to accept A/V signals over long distances using low-cost CAT6 cabling. That makes this projector awesome for large venue environments such as lecture halls, auditoriums, museums, etc. It also has compatibility with key command-and-control software – that’s AMX, Crestron, and PJ-Link, which is extra helpful when managing a fleet of these projectors. Whichever one you choose, you’ll be able to turn the projectors on and off, check the status of the projector (things like temp, light engine life, etc.), and receive push notifications. Maxell also has its own Moderator Software for the same purpose.

Next up is our tour of the projector’s hardware (spread over the next two pages), then our discussion of picture quality and performance. See you on the next page!

Maxell MP-WU5503 Laser Education Projector Review – Special Features: Excellent Placement Flexibility, Wireless Capabilities, Advanced Networking

Excellent Placement Flexibility

Placement flexibility makes installation easier, and when installing a whole fleet of projectors, this is definitely something to consider! The Maxell MP-WU5503 offers a good amount of flexibility with its 1.70:1 zoom lens – about as good as it gets on a business/education projector – generous lens shift, and HDBaseT compatibility (more on that in the Advanced Networking section of this page). Note that the lens functions are manual, not powered. Though this is a nice perk, it’s not a necessary one, and its absence on the MP-WU5503 provides for an overall lower price than if it did have motorized lens features.

That it does have lens shift – +56.5% vertical, +4.6% horizontal – is a major plus. Say you get the mount up, the zoom right for your screen size, but the height of the projected image needs to be adjusted. Instead of having to shift the mount or adjust in another way, you can simply shift the lens up or down and get the projected image Goldilocks perfect. This is particularly useful if your screen has already been installed! And that 50%+ vertical lens shift is quite generous, so even if you’re way off in placement, lens shift will get the image to a point that’s “just right.”

Wireless Capabilities

Wireless capabilities are becoming commonplace on projectors, with some models even having it built in directly to the unit, but not all projectors have this capability (yet). In the case of the Maxell MP-WU5503, wireless is optional via a module you can buy separately from the manufacturer. Like most projectors with optional wireless, the Maxell has a USB port for the module (USB wireless adaptor USB-WL-5G). This allows you to wirelessly connect an external computer and project its screen, which comes in handy for visual presentations done by both teacher and student. The Maxell also can connect to Andoid and iOS mobile devices! Score.

Advanced Networking

Ah, Advanced Networking. A must-have for many a higher education environment – where this projector will most likely be used. It was featured in the Higher Education Projectors category of our Classroom Projector Report: Best Education Projectors 2019-2020, where it competed with a boatload of other capable projectors, many of them also with Advanced Networking. Shocker. If you haven’t read that report yet, I highly recommend checking it out before making your final decision on which projector to purchase for your school’s fleet. If you’re intrigued by THIS particular projector, keep reading and then hop over to the report to check out our award winners.

Alright, so we have HDBaseT, which, if you don’t already know, is a standard that was developed years back that allows this projector to accept A/V signals over long distances using low-cost CAT6 cabling. That makes this projector awesome for large venue environments such as lecture halls, auditoriums, museums, etc. It also has compatibility with key command-and-control software – that’s AMX, Crestron, and PJ-Link, which is extra helpful when managing a fleet of these projectors. Whichever one you choose, you’ll be able to turn the projectors on and off, check the status of the projector (things like temp, light engine life, etc.), and receive push notifications. Maxell also has its own Moderator Software for the same purpose.

Next up is our tour of the projector’s hardware (spread over the next two pages), then our discussion of picture quality and performance. See you on the next page!