Projector Reviews Images

January and February 2015 Best Selling Business and Education Projectors

January and February's PMA reports brought us the best-selling projectors in everything from pico projectors to 4,000-lumen and up install units. A little background for new readers: each month, Pacific Media Associates releases a list of the top five projectors in varying categories. They’ve been doing this since the 1990s, and the releases continue to provide our industry with valuable information.

Please note that a one-month snapshot doesn’t always give you a complete feel of the projector market as a whole. Some models always show up on PMA’s lists; others change from month to month. PMA also selects different projector categories to analyze each month. For this reason we like to combine two months of reports to give you a more complete look.

Let’s dive in!

January Top Projectors By Sales And Category

The leaders in the Best Selling Large-Venue High-End Projectors group are all at least $1,000. All feature at least 4,000 lumens. Only the Optoma EH501 is HD.

Most of the projectors are installation models designed for classrooms and auditoriums. The two Epson models are portable, making them a good fit for traveling presenters.

Best Selling Large-Venue High-End Projectors 1/15
Projector Comments
 #1  Optoma EH501  HD (1920 x 1080), 5,000 lumens, installation unit
#2 Epson PowerLite 1940W  Wide XGA (1280 x 800), 4,200 lumens, portable
 #3  Epson PowerLite 1980WU  Wide UXGA (1920 x 1200), 4,400 lumens, portable powerhouse
 #4  ASK Proxima C520  5,500 lumens, XGA (1024x768), 5,000:1 contrast
 #5  NEC NP-P451W Wide XGA (1280 x 800), 4,500 lumens, widescreen entry level installation for schools and business

 

The Mainstream Projector category encompasses all markets. Most of January’s winners are designed for business and education, and are exceptionally low priced. The InFocus sells for less than $300.

The odd ball out is the Sony, a mid-sized HD 3D home theater projector that features SXRD, Sony’s version of 3 LCoS Panels.

Best Selling Mainstream Projectors 1/15
Projector Comment
 #1  InFocus IN112a SVGA (800 x 600), 3,000 lumens, low price, lightweight
 #2  NEC NP-M322X XGA (1024 x 768), 3,200 lumens, DICOM simulation, good for education and small business
 #3  Epson PowerLite X17 XGA, 2,700 lumens, good for education
 #4  Epson PowerLite 97 XGA, 2,700 lumens, good for education
 #5  Sony VPL-HW40ES/B HD, 1700 lumens, 3 LCoS Panels (which Sony calls SXRD), home theater, 3D capable

 

January’s top Pico Projectors range from 25 to 700 lumens of brightness. AAXA led the pack, with three slots on the bestseller list. Its AAXA LED Pico took first place, surprising considering the low (25-lumen) light output and built-in battery which has barely enough power to watch a quick movie. The 200-lumen Asus S1’s three-hour battery life is much more reasonable.

The Optoma ML750 is the brightest, weighing in at 700 lumens.

Best Selling Pico Projectors 1/15
Projector Comment
 #1  AAXA LED PICO 25 lumen LED light source, (960x540), 80-minute battery
 #2  Asus S1 200 lumens, ultra short throw, built-in speakers, three-hour battery that can also charge other devices
 #3  AAXA P300 300-lumen, 1280x800 resolution, 60-minute battery sold separately
 #4  Optoma ML750 WXGA, 700 lumens, 3D ready
 #5  AAXA P4-X 125 lumens, WVGA, comes with a tripod

 

Now let's look at February's bestselling models.

February Top Projectors By Sales And Category

Like in January, February’s Mainstream Projector bestsellers were mostly business and education projectors. All are at least somewhat portable and feature around 3,000 lumens of brightness. Built-in speakers and HDMI inputs show that today’s shoppers are looking for one-size-fits-all solutions in their business and education displays.

They also don’t want to pay a lot. These projectors range between $300 and $800.

Best Selling Mainstream Projectors 2/15
Projector Comment
 #1  InFocus IN124a XGA (1024 x 768), 3,500 lumens, 5.4 pounds
 #2  InFocus  IN112a SVGA (800 x 600), 3,000 lumens, 5.4 pounds
 #3  Epson PowerLite X17  XGA, 2,700 lumens, ideal for education
 #4  Epson PowerLite 97 XGA, 2,700 lumens, ideal for education
 #5  NEC NP-M322W 3,200 lumen, WXGA (1280 x 800), DLP, DICOM simulation

 

Once again, AAXA took up three slots on the Pico and Personal Projector list. Its brightest model, the AAXA P300, slid from third place to fourth. The 25-lumen AAXA LED PICO remains in the number one slot.

The 500-lumen Optoma ML500 replaced its brighter counterpart, the ML750, on February’s bestseller list. It is the brightest projector on the list.

Best Selling Pico and Personal Projectors  2/15
Projector Comment
 #1 AAXA LED PICO 25 lumen LED light source, (960x540), 80-minute battery
 #2  Optoma ML550 500 lumens, WXGA (1280 x 800), 14 ounces
 #3  Asus S1 200 lumens, ultra short throw, built-in speakers, three-hour battery that can also charge other devices
 #4  AAXA P300 300-lumen, 1280x800 resolution, 60-minute battery sold separately
 #5  AAXA P4-X 125 lumens, WVGA, comes with a tripod

 

In the 4,000+ Lumen Projector category, Optoma’s EH501 was the bestselling model for the second month in a row. Most of the projectors are geared toward education and business buyers. The 6,000-lumen Epson PowerLite Pro G6750WU, the brightest of the bunch, also works for auditorium, stage and house of worship applications.

Prices were all over the place for this category, ranging from the $1,100 Hitachi CP-X4030WN  to the $4,500-plus Sony VPL-FHZ55/W laser projector.

Best Selling 4,000+ Lumen Projectors 2/15
Projector Comment
 #1  Optoma EH501 HD (1920 x 1080), 5,000 lumens, installation unit
 #2  Epson PowerLite Pro G6750WU Large-venue projector for conference room, auditorium, stage or house of worship, WUXGA, 6,000 lumens
 #3  Epson PowerLite 1940W Corporate, education and house of worship use portable or install unit, 4,200 lumens, WXGA
 #4  Sony VPL-FHZ55/W Wide UXGA (1920 x 1200), 4,000 lumens, laser light source for commercial applications
 #5  Hitachi CP-X4030WN XGA, 4,200 lumens, classroom conference room

 

Keep an eye out for March and April's best sellers - coming soon!

© 2024 Projector Reviews

crossmenu linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram