The Panasonic PT-FRQ50 is designed for business and education applications. This large projector is 19-5/8 x 6-5/85 x 19-3/8 inches and weighs approximately 35 pounds which is not extreme for a commercial projector.
The PT-FRQ50 projects a very bright image with good color accuracy. It is highly flexible regarding installation positioning and integrates into multi-projector, high visual impact, professional installation environments. Multiple solid-state laser modules are, in large part, why the PT-FRQ50 delivers outstanding color reproduction out of the box.
The projector uses the newest Texas Instruments 0.65 inch DLP DMD imager. This new processor is smaller than its predecessor and due to its digital micromirror configuration displays far less of the light gray border that is more visible on older 0.47 inch and 0.67 inch DLP imagers.
The PT-FRQ50 can deliver beyond its rated 5,200-lumen brightness. The projector's light source life is rated for 20,000 hours of low-maintenance operation and can produce more than enough brightness to overcome the ambient light found in most large conference rooms and classrooms.
The PT-FRQ50 offers 2.0x zoom and a large amount of horizontal/vertical lens shift for ample installation flexibility. It provides just about every connection needed for use in a classroom, museum, or lecture hall installation. The PT-FRQ50 has features that add significantly to the value of this projector including HDMI 2.0 and Digital Link (HDBaseT), allowing it to display 4K@60 fps content.
The unit's liquid-cooled laser light engine and sealed light source ensure years of care-free operation. 27 dB in Quiet mode is extremely quiet for a 5,200-lumen professional projector. Panasonic PT-FRQ50 owners also receive a 3-year or 12,000 hours (whichever comes first) parts and labor warranty.
Not only does the PT-FRQ50 offer all the installation flexibility you would expect from a business/education projector, but its picture quality also rivals that of many DLP-based home entertainment projectors. The PT-FRQ50 is an excellent solution for museums, board rooms, and lecture halls where picture matters as much as brightness and ease of installation.
The PT-FRQ50 can be controlled using a Windows PC, Smartphone, or tablet. Using Panasonic’s free Smart Projector Control app, you can operate and check the status of a Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) connected projector from your iPhone or Android device. You can also use your mobile device to monitor the status of multiple projectors.
Panasonic’s Multi Monitoring & Control software allows network administrators to check status, perform various projector operations, and immediately be alerted to projector abnormalities for quick troubleshooting. Network administrators can monitor individual projectors or projector groups to receive detailed information such as the usage hours of the projector light source, the current input, and any errors.
THE COMPETITION
At $4,999 the LG ProBeam BU60PST is a similarly featured and priced professional laser projector. The BU60PST is designed to deliver highly detailed images for critical government, financial, engineering, medical and digital signage installations. This LG professional projector is built to be used in medium to large-sized venues. It is a compact and quiet projector designed for both install and table top usage providing 6000 (LG rated) lumens of brightness, more than 20,000 hours of laser life, a 1.6x optical zoom lens with horizontal & vertical shift and HDBaseT connectivity. The LG is a smaller unit versus the Panasonic.
One of the big advantages this Panasonic has over the LG is the DLP imager is the newer and larger 0.65 inch unit. The LG uses the smaller 0.47 inch DLP.
