Maxell expands their laser projector line with a 4,000 ANSI lumen, 3LCD MP-JU4001 designed for class and conference room environments. This new laser phosphor light source offers approximately 20,000 hours (normal mode) of operation time and since there is no lamp to replace, the unit is virtually maintenance-free for a reduced total cost of ownership. A new phosphor chip replaces the phosphor wheel and motor resulting in fewer moving parts for higher reliability. Maxell claims the color performance of this 3LCD projector produces the same brightness for white and all colors resulting in more accurate color representation and image quality. The MP-JU4001 offers a new cooling system that protects the optical unit from dust intrusion and lowers the noise level. Look further down in the article to see how this projector fares in the noise department. For added peace of mind, the MP-JU4001 offers a five-year warranty on parts and labor.

The MP-JU4001 is part of Maxell’s 3LCD projector lineup which are designed to deliver high performance in a conference, boardroom, or classroom without breaking the bank. With the ability to deliver up to 4,000 lumens, combined with the reliability and longevity of a laser light engine, the Maxell MP-JU4001 projector could be the perfect solution for someone looking for a mid-brightness business class projector. The MP-JU4001’s native resolution is WUXGA HD (1,920 x 1,200) but the projector accepts 1080@30P content.

WXGA is plenty sharp for K-12 applications. In education, you really only need the higher resolutions for special circumstances. For example, a video production, photography, yearbook, or graphic design class may want to have a WUXGA. Higher education may have more of a need for WUXGA, but rarely 4K, except in the case of medical films, scientific renderings, simulation, architecture, film and design applications.

Its dynamic contrast is rated by Maxell to deliver 2,000,000:1. As with all 3LCD projectors, the Maxell MP-JU4001 produces as many color lumens as it does white lumens, which ensures a bright, vibrant image when utilized in a meeting room, classroom, or mid-size lecture hall. The MPJU4001 laser light engine can deliver up to 20,000 hours in normal power mode. This 3LCD Maxell projector is playing in a price point dominated by Laser DLP and that could be this projector’s biggest advantage.

Let’s start with the basics. The Maxell MP-JU4001 is a 3LCD projector coming in well under 2K with a retail price of $1829 USD. The 3LCD technology used in this projector offers some distinct advantages over other systems like DLP. Unlike typical DLP projectors, there is no color wheel. Projected images produced by a 3LCD system should look better when you are in a space where it’s difficult to control ambient light. Not everyone has the option of having blackout curtains in a meeting room or a classroom. Sometimes, simple blinds are the best and only light control available.

While not as performance rich as its big brother, the MP-WU5503, and almost $1200 dollars less, the MP-JU4001 has a remarkably broad feature set. From my observations, the MP-JU4001 offers really good performance for an education projector in this price point and class. Let’s dive into the details of the Maxell MP-JU4001 education and business projector.

The Epson PowerLite U50 is a 3LCD, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution projector with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. This Epson is well suited for bright classrooms and conference rooms, thanks to its high lumen output and 3LCD technology. Unlike its DLP competition, the U50 has as many color lumens as it does white ones, making colors pop even in the face of ambient light. Whether you are looking for a projector for business or education environments, this Epson is certainly one to consider.

As mentioned, the PowerLite U50 has WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200), which is the business and education world’s 1080p. The aspect ratio, or width/height ratio of the projected image, is 16:10 instead of 16:9 (the aspect ratio of 1080p), so make sure you get a 16:10 screen if you’re buying a new screen.

WUXGA is more than enough resolution for K-12 and business applications. Many projectors in this market have the lower WXGA resolution, which is plenty for presentations and text. The higher resolution is a major plus in the case of this Epson, and makes it a fine choice for high school video production, photography, yearbook, or graphic design classes. This projector will be especially fitting for higher education, where the need for WUXGA may be higher (medical films, scientific renderings, simulation, architecture, film and design applications).

The Epson PowerLite U50 claims 3,700 color and white lumens, which is bright enough to handle the ambient light found in most classrooms and conference rooms, even in those really bright conference rooms where the walls are mostly windows. Later in the review, there is a deeper discussion about ambient light and some photos for reference.

The PowerLite can be purchased for the low price of $1,149.99, and if you're in education, you can expect a hefty discount that brings the price of the projector down to just $899. That is through their Brighter Futures Education Program. For school districts purchasing in bulk, that is a steal of a deal for a WUXGA projector.

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

The Panasonic PT-MZ16KL is an installation class 3LCD laser projector with WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution and rated brightness of 16,000 lumens. The PT-MZ16KL uses a laser/phosphor wheel light engine rated to deliver 20,000 hours of operation.

The PT-MZ16KL is compatible with a total of seven lenses ranging from a .0.480–0.550 Short Throw model to a 4.14–7.40 Zoom unit so you have plenty of installation flexibility. Of course, the PT-MZ16KL has all the connections you would expect on a higher-end business/education class projector including a DVI-D, HDMI 2.0b, HDBaseT port, and 3G-SDI.

The PT-MZ16KL is available in a black chassis (PT-MZ16KLBU) and a white chassis (PT-MZ16KLWU). For this review, the Panasonic provide the black unit along with a mid-zoom ET-EMS600 lens.

The Panasonic PT-MZ16KL is a 16,000 lumen WUXGA installation projector with a laser/phosphor light engine which is rated for 20,000 hours of low maintenance operation.

The PT-MZ16KL is part of Panasonic’s MZ Series of WUXGA installation laser projectors which also includes the 10,000 lumens PT-MZ10KL and the 13,000 lumens PT-MZ13KL. All three models utilize the same chassis (approx. 25-19/32” W × 7-9/32” H 17-21/64” D without lens) and they each weigh about 49.2 pounds.

The PT-MZ16KL does not ship with a lens but it is compatible with a total of seven lenses ranging from a 0.480–0.550 Short Throw Zoom lens to a 4.14–7.40 Long Throw Zoom lens for plenty of installation flexibility. For this review the ET-EMS600 lens was utilized. It is a middle-throw zoom lens with a throw ratio of 1.35 - 2.10:1.

The PT-MZ16KL utilizes a 3LCD imager instead of the single DLP chip found in many business projectors for improved color reproduction. By precisely modulating the PT-MZ16KL laser light output, Panasonic claims the PT-MZ16KL can deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000;1.

The PT-MZ16KL has all the connection you would expect on a high installation projector including an HDMI, DVI-D, SDI as well as a DIGITAL LINK/LAN (HDBaseT) input. While the PT-MZ16KL is a WUXGA projector, it can accept up to 4K@60P content via its HDMI and DIGITAL LINK terminals (HDBaseT) for increased clarity and detail.

The NEC NP-MC372X is an education class 3LCD projector that offers XGA (1,024 x 768) resolution and is rated to deliver 3,700 lumens rated light output. In ECO mode the its lamp is rated for up to 15,000 hours in ECO mode. It offers many features for its current list price of $509. This is an education/business class projector that falls toward the lower end, in terms of size, weight, and price, of education class projectors rated at or near 4,000 lumens.

The MC372X is a good solution for schools and businesses looking for a bright, compact projector with networking capabilities and the ability to simultaneously display content from multiple sources, including mobile devices.

We wish to thank Epson for sponsoring this year’s Education Report and Guide. 

The NEC MC372X is a small footprint, XGA (1,024 x 768) 3LCD projector with a 1.2x zoom lens and rated brightness of 3,700 ANSI lumens. And, while the MC372X is only an XGA projector, it can accept 4K@30P content via its HDMI inputs. It also has USB 2.0A input and a LAN port for network control and asset management. The NEC MC372X’s replaceable lamp is rated for up to 15,000 hours in ECO mode.

The MC372X utilizes a 3LCD instead of the single DLP chip found in many projectors in its class, this should result in richer bright colors. Normally 3LCD projectors can deliver higher native contrast than DLP models as well. The MC372X has a rated dynamic contrast of 16,000:1.

For those looking for an affordable classroom projector, NEC offers two different series which are the MC series and the ME series. There are two models in the MC series, the MC372X and the MC382W which we reviewed last year.

The MC372X’s 3,700 lumens and XGA (1024 x 768) resolution are slightly lower than the MC382W (SRP $559.00) which offers a slight increase in brightness at 3,800 lumens and resolution WXGA (1,280 x 800) for $50 dollars more. For users who intend on showing a lot of HD video, the MC382W would be a better solution.

For customers looking for additional placement flexibility may opt to move up to the ME series. While the ME series projectors have similar features, they have larger zoom range (1.7:1) versus the MC series (1.2:1) which also results in a wider throw ratio. There are three models available in ME series including the ME382U (SRP $919) which is the most notable model in that series at 3,800 lumen WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200).

Overall, the MC372X is a good solution for someone looking at entry level unit suitable for showing presentations photos or documents in a classroom or meeting room.

The Christie LWU530-APS is a 5,000 ANSI lumen business class laser projector with WUXGA resolution that can accept a full range of content up to 4K. It is designed for classrooms, board rooms, and small-sized auditoriums.

Christie is known for producing high quality projectors that usually command a premium price. The goal of Christie’s APS series is to provide reliability, flexibility, and good performance at a value. The APS Series projectors are the most affordable projectors in Christies current projector lineup.

Christie currently offers two laser projector chassis in its APS-Series lineup. The other model is the 6,000 ANSI lumen LWU650-APS ($3,249 SRP) Both models are WUXGA projectors with laser light engines rated for up to 20,000 hours.

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

With the ability to deliver up to 5,000 lumens, combined with the reliability and longevity of a laser light engine, the Christie LWU530 projector could be the perfect solution for someone looking for a mid-brightness business class projector. The LWD530 is part of Christie’s APS-Series projector lineup which are designed to deliver high performance in a conference, boardroom, or classroom without blowing the budget.

The LWU530’s native resolution is WUXGA HD (1,920 x 1,200) but the projector accepts 4K@30P content. Its dynamic contrast is rated by Christie to deliver 3,000,000:1. While the black level and native contrast cannot match those of a similar priced home theater projector, the LWU530 high brightness still resulted in good perceived blacks in a room with some ambient light.

Christie LWU530 produces images with rich colors

The laser light engine can deliver up to 20,000 hours in high power mode. As with all 3LCD projectors, the Christie LWU530 produces as many color lumens as it does white lumens, which ensures a bright, vibrant image when utilized in a meeting room, classroom, or mid-size lecture hall.

Laser-illuminated projectors are becoming increasingly common in the consumer and commercial markets, and with good reason. Laser-based light engines can be very bright and last tens of thousands of hours, greatly reducing maintenance costs.

Epson offers many models of laser-based commercial projectors, including the Pro L1070U. This super-bright model is designed for large venues, yet it's relatively compact, and it offers a plethora of inputs and control options.

The Epson Pro L1070U measures 21.5" x 7.4" x 19.1" (WxHxD) and tips the scales at 34.4 pounds without a lens. That's pretty hefty, so take care when mounting it on the ceiling. Depending on the Lamp Mode setting, the projector is specified to generate fan noise from 30 to 36 dB, which is not super quiet, but not bad. The case's simple, clean design should blend into just about any environment.

This is a 3LCD-based projector—that is, it utilizes three LCD panels, one each for the red, green, and blue portions of the image. The light source is a set of blue-laser diodes, some of which excite a yellow phosphor wheel whose light is then filtered into its red and green components. The blue light from the lasers and red and green light from the phosphor wheel are each directed to pass through the corresponding LCD panel, after which the three colors are combined and directed through the main lens.

Each LCD panel has a native resolution of 1920x1200—aka WUXGA. In addition, Epson's 4K Enhancement technology quickly shifts each pixel diagonally between two positions, and each of those "virtual pixels" can have independent color and brightness. This doubles the effective number of pixels on the screen, because the shifting occurs too fast for the eye to see. It's not true 4K/UHD resolution, but it is twice the resolution of WUXGA, and it allows the Pro L1070U to accept and display 4K/UHD signals. However, the projector does not support high dynamic range (HDR).

Lasers have exceptionally long operational lifespans; those in the Pro L1070U are specified to last 20,000 hours in Normal Lamp mode, which greatly reduces maintenance needs. According to Epson, that 20,000-hour figure is the time it takes the maximum brightness to drop by half of its initial value.

Speaking of brightness, the Pro L1070U claims a peak light output of 7000 lumens, which is more than enough for well-lit commercial venues. Of course, the peak light output will undoubtedly be less if you have it calibrated, but I bet it will still be quite high compared to home-theater projectors, which are designed for dark rooms. I always take brightness specs with a grain of salt, but I wouldn't be surprised if the measured value is still impressive.

Likewise, I view manufacturer contrast specs with a skeptical eye. Epson claims a dynamic contrast ratio of 2,500,000:1 using a dynamic iris, which will probably be less in a real-world measurement, especially after calibration. Still, I'd wager that the effective dynamic range is probably quite good.

The Pro L1070U can accommodate 11 different available lenses, all of which provide powered focus, zoom, and lens shift with multiple lens memories to store different settings. The supplied ELPLM08 lens has a zoom ratio of 1.6x and a throw ratio from 1.44:1 to 2.33:1. It also offers a wide lens-shift range (±67% vertical, ±30% horizontal), which provides great flexibility in placement. In addition, the projector provides horizontal and vertical keystone correction, but I strongly recommend against using them if possible, since they reduce visible detail in the image.

One of the available lenses is the ELPLX01 ($8249), which enables the projector to be used in an ultra-short-throw (UST) application. This lens features a 0.35 throw ratio and zero offsets, making it ideal for narrow spaces and rear-projection setups.

In some applications, multiple projectors are used to create a truly giant image. The Pro L1070U offers advanced edge blending, which joins color-matched images from several projectors into one super-sized display. In addition, one or more projectors can be conveniently controlled remotely over the Web or the venue's local network.

One very cool feature is the ability to play content directly from a USB storage device plugged into the projector's USB port. Alternatively, you can stream content from a Mac or Windows PC via Wi-Fi to the projector by plugging an optional wireless dongle (ELPAP10, $99) into the same USB port. This also requires Epson's iProjection software running on the computer.

The Pro L1070U is fully compatible with Crestron, Extron, and AMX control systems. This allows users to easily integrate the projector into their existing system, which is especially important if it's placed in a relatively inaccessible location, such as a high ceiling.

On its back panel, the Pro L1070U provides a plethora of connectors, including one DVI-D, one HDMI 2.0 (18 Gbps) with HDCP 2.2, and one HDBaseT input. In addition, five BNC connectors and a D-Sub15 VGA connector offer analog-video inputs. The VGA, BNC, and DVI-D/HDMI inputs have dedicated 3.5mm stereo-audio inputs, and a VGA monitor output has its own 3.5mm audio output.

Rounding out the connections are an Ethernet port, a USB Type B port for service, an RS-232C port for connecting to a control system, and a 3.5mm remote jack. Finally, a USB Type-A port on the side of the projector lets you connect a USB storage device or the Wi-Fi dongle.

Unlike most projectors, the onboard controls are found on the back panel. In most other cases, these controls are found on the top of the projector casing. Either way, if the projector is mounted somewhere relatively inaccessible, such as a high ceiling, those controls won't do you much good. Instead, you'll want to use the included remote or control the projector with something like a Crestron, Extron, or AMX system.

In addition, Epson provides projector-management software for Windows PCs, and users can point a browser to the projector's IP address to access a graphic user interface that replicates the functions of the unit's on-screen display. Of course, this requires the Wi-Fi dongle to be plugged into the USB port on the side of the projector.

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The Epson Pro L1070U appears to be a fine choice for commercial applications in large venues. It's very bright, and the laser light engine will last up to 20,000 hours without having to change a lamp. With 4K Enhancement, it effectively doubles the spatial resolution of its WUXGA imaging panels, allowing it to accept and render 4K/UHD video signals. And unlike many such projectors, it can play content directly from a USB storage device or a computer on the local network.

With 11 different powered-lens options—including a UST lens—the Pro L1070U can be deployed in many different situations. Also, it provides a wide assortment of inputs as well as a variety of control options.

Epson has long been known for offering excellent home-theater projectors at very reasonable prices, and the new Home Cinema 3800 is no exception. With a list price of $1699 and support for 4K/UHD and HDR, it offers a lot of bang for the buck.

The Epson HC3800 measures roughly 16" x 13" x 6.5" (LxWxH) and weighs a mere 15.2 pounds, making it easy to use in different locations or permanently mount in a home theater. The 250W UHE lamp is rated to last 3500 to 5000 hours, and the cooling fan generates noise in the range of 24 to 35 dB, both depending on the selected lamp mode—lower brightness means longer lamp life and quieter operation.

Speaking of brightness, the HC3800 claims a peak brightness of up to 3000 lumens—which, of course, will almost certainly be lower after calibration or even in its out-of-the-box Cinema picture mode. Even then, it might still be higher than most calibrated SDR projectors in order to display HDR effectively. If so, this projector is well suited for use in rooms with some ambient light, though HDR looks best in dark environments. You can also use an ambient light-rejecting screen in brighter rooms.

As Epson has touted for years, its peak-brightness specs apply to both white and color brightness—that is, the peak brightness as measured with a white test pattern and as calculated by adding the measured peak brightness of separate red, green, and blue test patterns. This cannot be said of many inexpensive single-chip DLP projectors, which sometimes include a clear segment (or other colors) in the color-filter wheel to boost the overall image brightness. Unfortunately, this can compromise the projector's performance with dimmer, less saturated colors in real-world content.

Three-chip projectors, such as 3LCD and LCoS, can inherently achieve equal white and color brightness. Most of Epson's models, including the HC3800, are based on 3LCD imaging, in which there are separate panels for red, green, and blue, with no other colors added to the mix. This allows equal white and color brightness since white is strictly a combination of the three primary colors.

Each of the three LCD imaging panels in the HC3800 has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Epson's 4K Enhancement technology quickly shifts each pixel back and forth diagonally between two positions, doubling the effective number of pixels on the screen. This is still not native 4K/UHD resolution, which has four times the number of pixels as 1920x1080, but good image processing—which Epson certainly has—helps make it look much sharper than full HD. Plus, projectors with native 4K/UHD resolution start at $5000.

Thanks to 4K Enhancement, which is part of Epson's 4K Pro-UHD suite of technologies, the HC3800 can accept and display 4K/UHD content from UHD Blu-ray discs and streaming providers that offer it. Most people can't see the difference between true 4K/UHD and 4K Enhancement pixel-shifting at normal viewing distances, especially with a high-quality lens. Epson touts its precision lens in the HC3800, which helps bring out the extra detail.

Another important feature offered by this projector is horizontal and vertical lens shift, which are not often included in projectors at this price point. This allows great flexibility in placing the projector while keeping its image aligned with the screen. Like virtually all projectors, the HC3800 also offers keystone correction to compensate for off-center placement, but this degrades the visible detail, wiping out the benefit of 4K Enhancement. I strongly recommend against using keystone correction if you can possibly avoid it.

In addition to lens shift, the HC3800 offers a zoom lens with a zoom ratio from 1.0 to 1.62 and a throw distance range from 1.32 to 2.15 times the screen width. That means the projector can be placed from 3.8 to 46.3 feet from the screen and create an image from 40" to 300" diagonally. I'd call that pretty darn flexible, though the extreme ends of those ranges would not produce good picture quality.

Like many projectors these days, the HC3800 supports high dynamic range in the HDR10 and HLG formats. Epson claims a fully 10-bit signal path with partial 12-bit processing, which should help eliminate any visible banding. Also, the dynamic contrast ratio is specified at 100,000:1 with the auto iris enabled. Manufacturer contrast-ratio claims are almost always wildly inflated, so I take this number with a big crystal of salt.

Many experts say that projectors can't do "real" HDR, because there is simply too little light coming off the screen. For example, Dolby Vision projectors in Dolby Cinema venues achieve a peak brightness of 108 nits on a screen measuring 20 or 30 feet wide, which is twice the peak brightness of a conventional commercial-cinema projector but only a tenth or less of what many HDR-capable LED/LCD TVs can reach. So, most people say that HDR projectors are more properly called "extended dynamic range" or EDR. I'm fine with that distinction, though the image quality of such projectors is still clearly better than those that reproduce only SDR.

3D might be gone from new flat-panel TVs, but it's still going strong in projectors. The HC3800 supports all 3D formats, though the resolution of 3D content is limited to 1920x1080. Viewing 3D requires optional RF-based active-shutter glasses, which are available from Epson and third-party companies like Xpand.

Epson claims the input lag is no more than 20 ms (4K @ 60 Hz), though we have measured the input lag of other similar Epson projectors at 27 ms at 1080p. In general, an input lag of 55 ms or less is acceptable, while a lag in the mid-30s is considered good. The HC3800's input lag of 20 to 27 ms is very good, which will please gamers.

The HC3800 offers two onboard speakers with a total of 10W of amplifier power. This is very handy if you routinely move the projector from, say, the living room to the bonus room to the back yard for outdoor movie night, and it's better than many projectors that provide only one speaker. But it's undoubtedly a far cry from just about any outboard audio system. Fortunately, the projector offers an audio-output jack that sends the audio signal to an external speaker system, which should give you much better sound quality.

In addition to the physical audio output, the HC3800 can send audio to an external speaker via Bluetooth using the high-quality aptX codec and A2DP profile. This eliminates the need for a cable between the projector and speaker, adding to its flexibility. This is a great feature I wish more projector manufacturers would adopt.

One feature that's missing from the HC3800—and, to be fair, most other projectors—is a suite of built-in streaming apps that can be found in so-called smart TVs these days. Optoma and LG offer a few "smart projectors" with streaming apps, but this is still fairly rare. Of course, most users get their online content from a streamer such as Roku or Amazon Fire TV, which can easily be used with the HC3800.

The HC3800 provides two HDMI inputs, both of which operate at HDMI 2.0's highest bitrate of 18 Gbps. This allows them to accept UHD HDR signals at frame rates up to 60 fps. A USB port labeled DC Out provides power (5V/2.0A) for things like streaming dongles, such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Roku Stick, which plug into one of the HDMI ports but require power from a USB port.

Small projectors are incredibly versatile tools. Not only do they provide the most cinematic experience in home theaters, they also serve up engaging images in corporate boardrooms, conference rooms, classrooms, museums, and entertainment venues.

Of course, different models serve different purposes, so you must select the right projector for the job. For example, the Sony VPL-FHZ75 is designed specifically for installation in business and educational settings, and it's got a lot to offer in those environments.

The Sony VPL-FHZ75 measures roughly 20" x 18" x 7" (LxWxH) and weighs in at about 34 pounds. That's pretty hefty, so take care when mounting it on the ceiling. With the Lamp Mode at its Middle setting, the projector generates about 36 dB of noise, which is fairly quiet. The case's simple, clean design should blend into just about any environment.

This is a 3LCD-based projector—that is, it utilizes three LCD panels, one each for the red, green, and blue portions of the image. The light source is a set of blue-laser diodes, some of which excite a yellow phosphor wheel whose light is then filtered into its red and green components. The blue light from the lasers and red and green light from the phosphor wheel are each directed to pass through the corresponding LCD panel, after which the three colors are combined and directed through the main lens.

Newly developed 0.76" LCD panels are joined by a new optical compensator, which reduces light leakage and improves the black level. Each panel has a resolution of 1920x1200, aka WUXGA. Ideally, the pixels from each panel overlap on the screen perfectly, resulting in a full-color 1920x1200 image.

Lasers have exceptionally long operational lifespans; those in the FHZ75 are specified to last 20,000 hours, which greatly reduces maintenance needs. In addition, Sony claims that the projector's brightness remains constant throughout the lasers' lifespan.

Speaking of brightness, the FHZ75 claims a peak light output of 6500 lumens, which is more than enough for well-lit boardrooms or classrooms. Of course, the peak light output will undoubtedly decrease if you have it calibrated, but I bet it will still be quite high compared to home-theater projectors, which are designed for dark rooms. Sony also claims an infinite contrast ratio, because the lasers can be instantly modulated or even turned completely off. I always take brightness and contrast specs with a grain of salt, but I wouldn't be surprised if the measured values were still impressive.

A function called Intelligent Setting greatly simplifies installation. It offers presets that automatically adjust brightness, color, cooling, and other parameters for optimal performance in a variety of environments, such as meeting rooms, classrooms, museums, entertainment venues, and multi-screen setups.

Interestingly, the projector automatically recalibrates itself every 500 hours of use. When the unit is powered off at that point, it displays several test patterns, and an internal RGB sensor is used to recalibrate grayscale, color, and gamma. I'd love to see something like that in consumer projectors!

The FHZ75 can accommodate a variety of available lenses, all of which provide powered focus, zoom, and lens shift, though there are no lens memories to store different settings. The supplied standard lens has a zoom ratio of approximately 1.6 and a throw ratio from 1.39:1 to 2.23:1. It also offers a wide lens-shift range (-5%/+70% vertical, ±32% horizontal), which provides great flexibility in placement. In addition, the projector provides horizontal and vertical keystone correction, but I strongly recommend against using them if possible, since they reduce visible detail in the image.

Sony's Reality Creation video-processing technology is found in many of the company's consumer and commercial display products, including the FHZ75. It uses a pattern-matching database to optimize upscaled images while minimizing induced noise. I've seen it in action many times, and it works quite effectively.

In some applications, multiple projectors are used to create a truly giant image. The FHZ75 offers seamless edge blending, which joins color-matched images from several projectors into one super-sized display.

All projectors have air filters that prevent dust from invading the interior, and this model is no exception. Even better, it automatically cleans the filter after every 100 hours of use by knocking the filter to dislodge dust into an integrated absorber.

The FHZ75 is fully compatible with the leading control, monitoring, and management systems, such as Crestron Connected and Extron XTP Systems. This allows users to easily integrate the projector into their existing system, which is especially important if it's placed in a relatively inaccessible location, such as a high ceiling.

The Maxell MP-TW4011 is an ultra short throw, 3LCD projector with WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution. This 4,200 lumen projector has a laser light engine, making it low maintenance, and it has a rather special feature: interactivity! Interactivity is a trend that’s been gaining popularity in the education space, as well as for business applications. While not all classrooms or businesses will require interactivity, it can provide deeper integration of concepts from lessons or presentations in either environment.

April 1, 2019 marked the day that Hitachi-branded projectors became the Maxell brand. Maxell was originally part of Hitachi, but spun off a few years back – now, Hitachi has merged into Maxell. Pretty cool bit of backstory, if you ask me. Hitachi’s focus – and Maxell’s – has long been on the education market. For this reason, I will primarily be discussing the MP-TW4011 in terms of education, but will sprinkle in some business-y tidbits here and there. Maxell has education pricing, although their numbers are not published online.

I’ll start this review off with a brief overview of the projector and a glimpse into its highlights, before diving deeper into its special features. Next up will be a detailed discussion of the hardware before taking a look at the projector’s picture quality and performance. I’ll summarize everything for you on our last page, as well as provide some insights into the competition and its pros and cons.

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

The Maxell MP-TW4011 is a laser projector with a highly impressive lifespan. Maxell claims up to 50,000 hours of use when operating in Long Life 2 Mode – that’s the most I’ve ever seen on a projector. Even with heavy use – say, 6 hours a day in a typical 180-day school year – you’re looking at a projector that is slated to last up to 46 years.

Now, this is a WXGA projector (1280 x 800), which is the business and education world’s 720p. With the speed at which technology is advancing (Apple is coming out with a 6K monitor this fall, and there are already 8K capable projectors on the market – though totally expensive), the Maxell MP-TW4011 will still be working well past the time when you’d want to upgrade to a higher resolution.

K-12 classrooms don’t often require anything about WXGA resolution. Presentations, education films and videos, and other lessons will look clear and sharp with a WXGA projector. Some high school classrooms might prefer WUXGA (1920 x 1200), which is the business and education world’s 1080p, but they can also get by with WXGA. I imagine the only types of classes that would benefit from the higher resolution as film classes, graphic design or CAD related classes.

4K is completely unnecessary at this point in the classroom environment, save for perhaps college and university classes. The classes that would benefit from 4K resolution are limited to scientific or engineering classes, as well as design-related classes. Maybe a film class if the professor is adamant about showing films to their students using the industry standard for resolution, or if those students will be filming 4K videos themselves.

Back to the Maxell MP-TW4011. This projector claims a wall-melting 4,200 lumens, giving it enough power to cut through the ambient light seen in most classrooms. It features an ultra short throw design, which is highly desirable for classroom environments. With the projector being wall mounted just inches away from the screen or whiteboard surface, there will be limited shadows casting on the projected image, and no light blinding the teacher or students when presenting.

The MP-TW4011 has an MSRP of $4,239 and a street price of $2,829. Due to its higher price point, I see this projector being used in high school classrooms more than the lower grade levels. It is loaded with features, not the least of which being its interactive ones, and it’s those features in addition to the laser light engine and UST design that gives it that higher price point. That is to say – I find this pricing fair for what you get.

The MP-TW4011 comes with a lot of extras that we’ll get into on the next page of this review. It has plenty of inputs and connectors for education applications, including one of its HDMI ports supporting MHL for streaming. If your school allows, you can use a streaming stick like the Roku or Amazon Fire Stick to project educational films and TV shows.

Before we get further into this review, I’d like to note that if you’re seeing some creases in the projected image – that’s because my screen was recently unfurled after moving and has a few creases after we stretched it over the frame. It needs to be adjusted on the frame, but we didn’t have time to do so before I had to get these photos done for this review. Now, let’s take a look at the projector’s highlights.

The Panasonic PT-VMZ50 is a business class 3LCD laser projector with WUXGA (1920 x 1200), resolution and rated brightness of 5,000 lumens. It offers a lot of performance and features for its current street price of $2499.

The PT-VMZ50 is the smallest and lightest 3LCD laser projector rated for 5000 lumens. Lifting the PT-VMZ50 to mount it on the ceiling would easy since it weighs less than 16 pounds. Anyone that spends their days manhandling projectors will appreciate the compact size and light weight of the PT-VMZ50.

In addition to being bright and compact, the PT-VMZ50’s picture quality is very good. It also includes several features that make it a great solution for many meeting and classrooms.

The PT-VMZ50 uses a laser/phosphor wheel light engine rated at 20,000 hours of maintenance-free operation. The PT-VMZ50 utilizes a 3LCD imager instead of the single DLP chip found in many smaller laser projectors so it reproduces bright rich colors.

The PT-VMZ50 has all the features you would expect from a business class projector at its price point. These features include horizontal and vertical lens shift plus a decent amount of image zoom, lots of inputs along with wireless control and connectivity. While this is a business class projector, it is also suitable for use in a classroom.

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

The Panasonic PT-VMZ50U is a small footprint 5,000 lumen WUXGA business projector with a laser/phosphor light engine which is rated for 20,000 hours of maintenance-free operation.

The PT-VMZ50U fits right in the middle of Panasonic’s lineup of WUXGA portable laser projectors which range from the 4500 lumens PT-VMZ40U all the way up to 6000 lumens PT-VMZ60U. All three models utilize the same compact chassis (16”W x 5”H x 14”D) and they each weigh just under 16 pounds.

In addition to the three PT-VMZ60 series WUXGA projectors, Panasonic also offers two WXGA resolution projectors which utilize the same chassis and laser light engine. These projectors are the 5000 lumens PT-VMW50U and the 6000 lumens PT-VMW60U.

Panasonic claims that the PT-VMZ50U is the world's smallest and lightest 3LCD projector rated for 5000 lumens. I have yet to find a lighter and more compact ultra-bright 3LCD Laser projector. The PT-VMZ50U’s compact size and lightweight makes it easy to haul from location to location.

The PT-VMZ50U utilizes a 3LCD imager instead of the single DLP chip found in many business projectors for improved color reproduction. Also by precisely modulating the PT-VMZ50U laser light output, Panasonic claims the PT-VMZ50U can deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000;1.

The PT-VMZ50U has manual horizontal and vertical lens shift, 1.6x zoom lens, dual HDMI inputs as well as a DIGITAL LINK/LAN (HDBaseT) input. While the PT-VMZ50U is a WUXGA projector, it can accept 4K@30P content via its HDMI inputs or DIGITAL LINK terminals (HDBaseT) for increased clarity and detail.

It has a USB input which makes it easy to display photos stored on a USB memory stick. You can also plug the optional AJ-WM50P Wireless module into this USB port which would allow you to wirelessly project images from a laptop or mobile device.