Panasonic PT-LRZ35U RGB LED DLP Projector Review

Welcome to our review of the Panasonic PT-LRZ35U Single-chip DLP RGB LED Projector. Panasonic is targeting the PT-LRZ35U, and it’s WXGA little brother, the PT-LRW35, as being ideal for art or science classrooms and any application requiring precise color accuracy such as corporate presentations or artistic renderings. Not to spoil the review but when it comes to color reproduction and overall picture quality the PT-LRZ35U delivers and then some.

Panasonic says they produced the PT-LRZ35U with the goal of solving unnecessary distractions in smaller classrooms and meeting spaces. Panasonic sees the PT-LRZ35U projector as being ideal for these areas because of its whisper-quiet operation (Panasonic claims as low as 24dB in Quiet mode) without sacrificing image quality. We will see.

So, who would want this projector? Well for starters anyone who wants a projector that offers overall excellent picture quality for a unit in its class. It has one of the better pictures I’ve seen recently from a projector in its price point. This is largely due to Panasonic's remarkable Discrete 3 LED lighting system.

The projector's lightweight and small size are largely credited to Panasonic's use of a sealed light engine. There are some real benefits to having the light engine sealed, for one, the projector is quieter and is filter-free. This engine is powered by a discrete RGB LED light source so there’s no color wheel and, color wheel components. The elimination of these components results in fewer moving parts and increased reliability. Panasonic’s discrete RGB LED light source eliminates rainbow distortions and provides viewers an expanded color gamut resulting in better color reproduction and, ultimately, improved picture quality.

The PT-LRZ35U has a native resolution of WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) and became available for purchase this past August 2020.

The Panasonic PT-LRZ35 Series is their first portable projector to use a discrete RGB LED light source. Panasonic designed this new light engine with the goal of producing superior color reproduction and enhanced picture quality, which is ideal for art or science classrooms and any application requiring precise color accuracy such as corporate presentations or artistic renderings. The RGB LED DLP single-chip projector with WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution and a rated brightness of 3,500 lumens offers a lot of performance and features for its current MSRP of $2999 but can be found at multiple authorized sellers at $1699

Panasonic claims, with caveats, that the PT-LRZ35U and its WXGA little brother, the PT-LRW35, are the smallest and lightest R/G/B LED DLP projectors in the 3,500lm class. The PT-LRZ35U weighs 14.77 pounds allowing it to be installed with less difficulty in a variety of situations. Just consider how much easier it would be to mount it on the ceiling since it weighs less than 15 pounds. The PT-LRZ35 Series is 3D-ready with DLP® Link™ technology. While it is true that displaying content in 3D requires optional compatible glasses, it’s still exciting to see a business class projector, for all intents and purposes, offering 3D as a feature. I think “intent” is something I’m going to expand upon below.

Panasonic is using a sealed light engine in the PT-LRZ35 series of projectors and this provides several benefits. You don’t have to worry about cleaning or changing a filter because there isn’t one. Another benefit is long life because all the components of the light engine are sealed in a dust-resistant cabinet. Sealing these components from the outside ensures reliable 24/7 operation and an impressive estimated 20,000 hours of practically maintenance-free operation.

Panasonic also claims the PT-LRZ35U can deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000;1. It has a USB Type-A 2A output that can run USB powered HDMI smart devices like Fire Sticks or Roku. The PT-LRZ35U has a manual vertical lens shift, 1.3x zoom lens, dual HDMI inputs as well as a DIGITAL LINK/LAN (HDBaseT) input. The PT-LRZ35U is a WUXGA projector so it can accept 1,920 x 1,200 content via its HDMI inputs.

The PT-LRZ35U checks almost all the feature boxes you would expect from a business-class projector at its price point and adds a few more features that are not normally seen on this class of projector. These features include a vertical lens shift plus a decent amount of image zoom. As I’ve put the PT-RZ35U through its paces I’ve also come to the conclusion that this business class projector would also fit well into a home theater system. With regard to overall picture quality, the PT-LRZ35U, with its use of discrete RGG LED's gives Panasonic a real advantage over its traditional competitors. My editor and I were so impressed with the improved picture performance and color quality of the PT-LRZ35U we decided to give it a special interest award.

Thank you to Epson for sponsoring the 2021-2022 Education Report and Guide!