Panasonic just announced four new projector series. The first two series are designed for business and classroom applications and the last two are for large venue exhibition and other applications where brightness, picture quality, and reliability are crucial.

Starting with the units designed for small to medium classrooms and meeting spaces, the Panasonic’s PT-LRZ35 series are their smallest and lightest DLP projectors capable of delivering 3,500 lumens.  The PT-LRZ35 series are the first portable projectors in Panasonic’s lineup that utilize a discrete R/G/B LED light source. The filter-less design, in a sealed optical unit and dust-resistant cabinet, ensures reliable 24/7 operation for up to 20,000 hours of maintenance-free operation.

The R/G/B LED light source delivers superior color-reproduction and enhanced picture quality, making them ideal for applications that require precise color accuracy. To ensure minimal distraction in a classroom the PT-LRZ35 is whisper-quite (as low as 24dB) while still providing a bright high-quality image. This series is also 3D-ready with DLP® Link™ technology (requires compatible glasses). The PT-LRZ35U WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200) along with its little brother, the PT-LRW35U WXGA resolution (1280 x 800) LED projectors will be available August 2020.

For those looking for a brighter unit for larger classroom and meeting spaces, the Panasonic’s PTFRZ60 Series DLP® SOLID SHINE laser projectors are engineered to provide clear and bright images even in well-lit rooms while producing minimal noise.

While the PT-FRZ60 Series is capable of producing up to 6,000 lumens, these projectors are compact and lightweight. A 2.0x optical zoom combined with 360° installation maximizes placement flexibility. For years of reliable, consistent operation, the PT-FRZ60 projectors are equipped with a filter-less cooling system, sealed optics, along with a dust-resistant laser light engine rated for 20,000 hours.

PT-FRZ60 projectors have a variety of connections and support 4K signals via DIGITIAL LINK and HDMI® terminals with CEC compatibility.

All three models in the lineup provide WUXGA resolution (1,920 x 1,200). Customers can choose from three models based on their brightness needs. They range from the 6,000 lumen PT-FRZ60 down to the 5,000 lumen PT-FPZ55. They will be offered in both black or white cabinets. and will be available November 2020.

Panasonic also introduced two new series of installation class projectors.

The PT-RQ35K Series Laser Projectors are the world’s smallest and lightest 3-Chip DLP projector’s capable of delivering 30,000lm of brightness. The chassis of the new 30,000 lumen PT-RQ35K Series is 40% smaller than the 26,000 lumen PT-RQ32K. The new filter-less cooling system, hermetically sealed DMDs, along with Failover Circuitry and Backup ensures 20,000-hours of nearly maintenance-free operation.

In addition, the PT-RQ35K Series blue and red laser technology emit more optimal wavelengths expanding the projector’s color-space by 114% compared to the PT-RQ32K resulting in even richer and more vibrant colors.

The PT-RQ35K Series has several new features for simplified setup, improved connectivity, and easier remote access and monitoring. These include the 'Smart Projector Control' application and Near Field Communication function which makes it easy to read and change basic setups just by holding a mobile device against the projector’s touchpoint.

The new Remote Preview function makes it possible for users to preview and verify the content video quality remotely at any time of day, whether indoors or outdoors, via multi-media control software or a web browser.

The 4K (3840 x 2400) resolution PT-RQ35K and PT-RZ34K which is WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution model will be available in December 2020.

The smaller PT-RZ990 Series 1-Chip DLP® SOLID SHINE Laser Projectors are ideal for exhibition spaces, houses of worship, and museums. PT-RZ990 Series projectors are compatible with a wide range of 1- Chip DLP lens options for exceptional installation flexibility.

SOLID SHINE Laser and Quartet Color Harmonizer ensures that the PT-RZ990 Series laser projectors produce enhanced color-depth and accurate white-balance for realistic image reproduction. The PT-RZ990 Series projector’s laser light engines can also deliver up to 9,000lm with up to 20,000 hours maintenance-free operation due to their air-tight, dust-resistant optical units, and a new filter-free cooling system. Panasonic’s Smart Projector Control feature makes it easy for users to make adjustments to the projector via a smartphone.

The PT-RZ990 series deliver WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution and are available in black or white cabinets. They are available with a variety of brightness options ranging from 6,000lm to 9,400lm. All models in this new series will be available in October 2020.

LG Professional Solutions has introduced two new business focused smart 4K DLP Projectors. These projectors both utilize powerful laser light sources which are rated for up 20,000 hours of near maintenance free operation. If you used these projectors for 8 hours a day, their laser light sources would last for 7 years. This reduces long-term costs by eliminating expensive bulb replacement as well as prevents any interruption in operation.

Due to their 4K resolution, they can deliver the highly detailed images often required in corporate and healthcare environments. In addition, both projectors support 4K@60P HDR content for those who want to watch high quality video..

An advanced 12-point keystone adjustment is also available on both models to help align the projected image to the screen regardless of placement angle or if the surface is uneven.

The projectors have dual 5-watt speakers and both units are Bluetooth equipped to send audio wirelessly to a separate stereo system. You can even connect a Keyboard/Mouse/GamePad to either projector’s USB ports.

The LG ProBeam BU50NST is a compact 5,000 lumen laser projector designed for corporate and education applications. With 5,000 lumens of output it is bright enough to be utilized even in brightly lit corporate, hospital, and education environments.

It offers 1.6x lens zoom along with horizontal and vertical lens shift which, combined with the 12-point warping function. reduces image distortion and allows precise alignment with the screen.

The BU50NST even includes a DICOM picture mode which is designed to present medical images – such as X-rays, CAT-scans, and MRI’s with enough contrast, detail, and quality for use in medical schools, at medical conferences, and for education purposes, etc.

The BU50NST has two HDMI 2.0b (HDCP2.2) inputs as well as a two USB inputs. In addition, BU50NST also has HDBaseT™ compatibility which allows a single low cost CAT6 cable to carry 4K signals long-distances to the BU50NST.

The ProBeam BU50NST is powered by LG’s WebOS with smart features designed for business and education purposes like (Miracast®) wireless screen mirroring, Wi-Fi, and a web browser.

LG CineBeam HU85LS is an ultra-short-throw laser projector that can project a 120-inch image when the chassis is positioned just 7.2 inches from the wall or a 90-inch image when placed just 2 inches away. Its short throw capability makes it an ideal solution for retail, hospitality, small boardrooms, and classroom environments.

The HU85LS has a rated brightness of 2,700 lumens and its 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio should produce deep blacks and smooth gradients. While conventional projectors use one light source to generate all three colors, with one light source, the HU85LS, like many of LG's consumer CineBeam counterparts, uses multi-channel RGB laser technology to generate more vivid colors. Since the HU85LS has a multi-channel illumination system, it does not utilize a traditional spinning phosphor wheel which reduces visible “rainbowing” that is an issue with many DLP projectors.

The HU85LS is packed with many of the smart features found in LG consumer projectors. It is equipped with a version of ThinQ AI webOS that is utilized in all LG consumer projectors including the HU85LA 4K Short Throw projector which Art reviewed several months ago. ThinQ AI webOS was originally developed for LG’s lineup of flat panel smart TVs. It is a Smart business projector made by a Smart TV manufacturer. LG is way ahead of most manufacturers when it comes to building Smart projectors because LG simply has incorporated everything they have learned over the years building Smart TV elements into their CineBeam projector lineup.

The LG CineBeam HU85LS also comes with a Magic Remote that has an integrated microphone. You can use voice control to operate the projector as well as control a wide variety of compatible Smart devices via Google Assistant.

The LG ProBeam BU50NST and CineBeam HU85LS projectors are available now. A 5,000-lumen WUXGA model is planned for later in the year.

We at Projector Reviews are sharing here, projector sales tracking information, for North America, provided to us by PMA Research the projector industry's well respected company that tracks projectors (and other displays (more on them below).

This summary provides a list of the 5 best selling projectors in the US, in these categories in two separate months:

• Higher power commercial laser projectors (5000 lumens+)
• Interactive Projectors
• 4K UHD Home Entertainment Projectors

Look for different data in our next update, in a couple of months!

Below are the rankings of the top best selling projectors, in each of three categories, with results separate for November 2019 and January 2020. This info is provided for us to share with you, by PMA.

Pacific Media Associates (PMA) publishes what is typically a semi-monthly list of the best selling projectors in different categories. They rotate which categories each month they report, to cover the widest swath of the market.

PMA Research has been doing this reporting since the 1990s, and the releases continue to provide our industry with valuable information.  PMA Research sells highly detailed information of their tracking to the manufacturers, including their marketshare, which find the data extremely useful.  We get a summary – a  top five, while those paying manufacturers get virtually a unit by unit breakdown of most projectors sales numbers, from direct and distribution, as well as breaking down the other categories, such as laser projectors, mainstream business projectors...

We combine their data to produce our summaries and comments for your information.

We’ve provided some links at the bottom of each list.  Those are either a review of the same projector as seen on the list, or a sibling – typically one with almost identical feature sets, except perhaps different resolution, or different brightness.  Any links will relate closely to describing the projectors making the PMA lists shown here.   -art

Best Selling 4K UHD Home Entertainment Projectors 11/19

Optoma UHD50 Introduction and Highlights

BenQ TK800M First Look Review

BenQ HT3550 Review

Optoma UHD60 First Look Review

Viewsonic PX747-4k First Look Review

Now let’s look at January's best sellers.

If you live in the Boston area and are into the art scene, there is a good chance that you have heard of ILLUMINUS. ILLUMINUS is an annual show where artists and performers can showcase their work. This year, artists will be using projectors from the Epson Pro L-Series line to showcase large scale digital art. Pretty cool huh?

The Pro L-Series is Epson’s primary commercial laser projector line-up. They are ideal for a wide range of applications, and are compact in design. Built-in advanced features such as edge blending and projection mapping make them especially suitable for museums, digital signage and events.

At the time of this publication, Projector Reviews is waiting for the arrival of one of the newest Epson L10 laser projectors for review..

LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov.25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Epson today announced that its laser technology will help transform Boston’s public spaces into an activated urban canvas as the exclusive video projector provider for ILLUMINUS 2019. Consisting of artwork created with new media technologies, performances and immersive light and sound experiences, ILLUMINUS 2019 is an annual festival in downtown Boston that features projects at the intersection of art, design, technology and science.

During the two-night event, co-presented by the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District (BID) and LuminArtz, artists will be using Epson Pro L-Series laser projectors to create large-scale digital and video art projections and interactive installations throughout downtown on Thursday, Dec. 5 and Friday, Dec. 6 from 5 to 11 p.m. The ILLUMINUS team and guest curator David Guerra of AREA Gallery in Boston’s SoWa neighborhood assembled more than a dozen regional and national artists and creatives working in new media, light and sound.

“We are excited to partner with Epson for this upcoming event, as they align with our mission to support a network of artists, designers and creative technologists who collaborate to develop new and innovative works,” said Jeff Grantz, executive director, ILLUMINUS. “Epson’s laser projectors will provide this year’s artists with advanced projection technology tools and beautiful display capabilities that will allow them to bring their creative visions to life in amazing ways throughout downtown Boston.”

Created by and for the Boston community, ILLUMINUS focuses on advancing the understanding, enjoyment and appreciation of contemporary art and celebrating digital culture in the public space. Addressing issues that are at once social, conceptual and formal, this year’s selection of interactive experiences, performances, new media, and video art seek to generate and intervene in social debates and spark positive change in Boston.

“We’ve watched as the art world continues to embrace and take advantage of the benefits and flexibility of projection technology to create spectacular installations, from intricate fine art pieces to large-scale projection mapping projects,” said Gavin Downey, senior product manager, Epson America, Inc. “We are excited to have the artists of ILLUMINUS 2019 incorporate our projection technology into their overall vision to showcase their work and express their creativity.”

About Epson Laser Projectors
Epson’s large-venue solutions mean more creative possibilities and unparalleled audience experiences. Setting the standard is Epson’s Pro L-Series laser projector line that uses proprietary technology to deliver exceptional color output and durability. Combine that with the available mounts, frames and lenses and you have everything you need to bring your live events to life. For additional information about Epson’s projector solutions, visit https://epson.com/liveevents.

About ILLUMINUS
ILLUMINUS is a contemporary arts festival that features original installations, video projections and performances by artists who work in the medium of light and sound to create immersive experiences that turn city streets into an installation gallery. This festival is created by and for the Boston community.

Their mission is to support a network of artists, designers and creative technologists who collaborate to develop new and innovative works. ILLUMINUS gives artists the platform to enter into conversation with the city and current culture. ILLUMINUS takes place in the public realm and bridges cultures and communities by engaging artists who create through many different lenses. For more information on ILLUMINUS visit, http://www.illuminusboston.org/.

About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to becoming indispensable to society by connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. The company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics, and is underpinned by original microdevices. Epson is proud of its contributions to realizing a sustainable society and its ongoing efforts to realizing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than U.S. $10 billion.

Epson America, Inc., based in Long Beach, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/EpsonAmerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

EPSON is a registered trademark and EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2019 Epson America, Inc.

SOURCE Epson America, Inc.

We are pleased to be able to share with you, recent business, education, and home projector sales tracking information, for North America, provided to us by PMA (more on them below).

This summary provides a list of the 5 best selling projectors in the US, in these categories:  Mainstream professional projectors for business and education (1000 - 4999 lumens), higher power commercial laser projectors (5000 lumens+), Interactive Projectors, and 4K UHD Home Entertainment Projectors.  Below are the rankings of the top best selling projectors, in each of three categories, with results separate for May and July. This info is provided for us to share with you, by PMA.

Projector Reviews is just back from CEDIA the largest US show for home theater projectors and other AV and home install equipment.  A number of new home theater and home entertainment projectors were announced, And several new projector - Laser TVs were demonstrated.

Pacific Media Associates (PMA) publishes what is typically a semi-monthly list of the best selling projectors in the Home Entertainment, Mainstream (Business) and 5,000-plus lumen categories (US sales only).

PMA has been doing this reporting since the 1990s, and the releases continue to provide our industry with valuable information.  They sell detailed information of their tracking to the manufacturers, which find the data useful.  We get a summary - a  top five, while paying manufacturers get virtually a unit by unit breakdown of most projectors sales numbers.

We combine their data to produce our summaries and comments for your information.

We've provided some links at the bottom of each list.  Those are either a review of the same projector as seen on the list, or a sibling - typically one with almost identical feature sets, except perhaps different resolution, or different brightness.  Any links will relate closely to describing the projectors making the PMA lists shown here.   -art

Best Selling 4K UHD Home Entertainment Projectors 5/19

Optoma UHD50 Introduction and Highlights

BenQ TK800M First Look Review

BenQ HT3550 Review

Optoma UHD60 First Look Review

Now let’s look at July's best sellers.

Greetings to everyone interested in big, bad, commercial projectors (and some not so big, and far more affordable)). It’s time to look in on NEC.

I go way back with NEC – in my last life - as a major online projector seller until 2003, we were one of NEC’s largest dealers. I really mean “way back” - when 2000 lumens was “large auditorium” and weighed 50-100 pounds.  If memory serves 2000 lumens could cost $30K - $50K around 1999

The NEC booth today, in 2019 seemed to have an application, rather than a product focus. There was a lot of emphasis on projection mapping and digital signage, along with other apps.  Although I didn't really take a look, NEC was showing some very smart enterprise-level monitoring software, that was getting a lot of interest.

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One worth a serious look is their new, what I call NEC’s “step up laser projector”. You may be familiar with our recent NEC P525UL laser projector review. It proved to be an excellent projector. The P525UL is what I call an “affordable laser” projector, under $3000 for WUXGA.

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Many companies have “affordable lasers” now, but this new NEC P605UL is a step up from that. It still lacks high end / higher price features like interchangeable lenses, but raises the brightness bar to a claimed 6000 lumens, whereas most “entry level” laser projectors are 3000-4500 lumens. Nicely done,

Nice value proposition, especially as the NP-P605UL is a 3LCD projector, so it will have plenty of color lumens.

Translation: This NEC won't have to sacrifice as many lumens to get great color, or cut through lots of ambient light as some competitors using DLP tech combined with "business" color wheels that have a "white slice" (clear). Of course there are other trade-offs as well, but my point is that 6000 lumens of laser pumping through 3LCD, is going to be one especially bright seeming projector for a most reasonable price.

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The P605UL is on our short list, to be reviewed. Its list price is $3500, but for you educators out there, keep in mind that NEC has a very robust education program. Education pricing should be significantly lower!

I believe there is a strong market for "brighter" affordable lasers like the P605UL and the other projectors in its family. It should, for example, prove to be a volume seller to universities and colleges for lecture halls, (when the installation doesn't require special lenses, as this projector's price will be barely half of that of similarly bright projectors offering lens choices.

Also not to be forgotten:  Laser projectors definitely have a reputation for appearing to be brighter when viewed, compared lamp-based, with the same brightness.  Laser light engines lose brightness extremely slowly compared to lamps and maintain color balance far longer, two more important advantages.

The heavy metal (big projectors) was well represented. Their 10,000 lumen PX1005QL which Phil is now reviewing, was mounted above a larger screen (120” diagonal?) and handling the ambient light without difficulty. As you can see in the second image, it has a periscope ultra short throw lens so it is mounted right above the screen. Periscope lenses were pretty much everywhere this year it seems.

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NEC pitches a strong focus beyond product performance, built around long warranties, support, replacement programs, and a lot of maintenance free projectors in the line-up. Food for thought: It seems to me, that NEC has, over the last couple of years, been shifting their lineup to include more 3LCD projectors and a few less DLP projectors.

I'm outta here.  -art

Next up:  Panasonic - then a break from projectors, for some really cool OLED displays.  Can you say "LG?"

Greetings Projector Fans, Educators, Presenters – etc.

I intended to have this second Infocomm projector feature - this time Vivitek, up days ago, but life is crazy. Our house is in escrow and closes in a few days. I have to move my testing room and home theater next week!

But, back to work:

Let’s start off with Vivitek - one of the projector manufacturers and their latest and greatest in projectors, from my second day of meetings. (We also have a video from the Vivitek booth. Nikki, I remind you, is will be posting it, as well as producing a number of other videos from the show. Only a few will go up on YouTube, but all will be posted on our site.

Let’s talk Vivitek!

Not everyone knows Vivitek, but they seem to be grabbing market share in projector space, rather quickly, so, you are probably wondering – who are they? Well, first of all, they are part of Delta Electronics, an almost $8 Billion (US$) conglomerate, with 83,000 people worldwide (per Wikipedia).

Some of you may remember that Delta, which is definitely a huge Taiwanese company, spun off another projector company almost 20 years ago: BenQ.

Well, they also own Vivitek, and on the very high end, they own Digital Projection. I visited both booths, and both had some impressive “stuff!” But here I’ll focus just on Vivitek.  (The Digital Projection booth, almost certainly had the coolest projector displays - we'll blog on that too.)

Their booth was loaded with models for business, education, digital signage, and other commercial applications, but the thing that first catches everyone’s attention is the top of the booth screens that go all the way around a large booth. They are doing a lot of cool edge-blending up on top. As you can tell from the pictures (and our video - elsewhere), they weren't going for 360-degree edge blending, rather they had several different very wide, but not tall, edge-blended videos running.

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Vivitek is showing quite a few laser projectors. Of the ones I looked at and discussed, they ranged from 4500 lumens up to the 13,500 lumen DU8195Z. Doing rear screen and seeming impervious to ambient light is was their DK10000Z (aptly outputting 10,000 lumens). Shown here, is the 4500 lumen WUXGA.

In terms of mainstream projectors for higher education lecture halls, conference rooms, etc., that 4500 lumen DH3660Z, looked especially impressive. It’s native 1080p, gets 20,000 hours on the laser engine, offers very respectable placement flexibility with vertical lens shift and a 1.5:1 manual zoom lens. It touts HDBaseT and advanced networking with support for Crestron RoomView, AMX, Extron and other protocols.

The DH3660Z nicely fits into the general description of an "affordable laser projector."  It lacks advanced features such as interchangeable lenses, and projection mapping, but as noted, definitely supports advanced networking, making it a very good choice for enterprise-level installations - whether in school districts, corporations, military/government, and universities.

We will definitely be bringing in the DH3660Z or one of the other variations in the DH3600 series for a full review.   And that projector will be featured and competing in our 2020-2021 Best Education Projectors Report, for our top Best In Classroom Awards.  Look for that next full report to publish March 2020!

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New major installation, or perhaps upgrading that auditorium, church, or large entertainment venue to 4K capabilities?

Vivitek’s 7500 lumen 4K UHD DLP laser projector – the DK8500Z (shown here with an ultra-short throw “Periscope” style lens) should be an excellent performer! (Don’t they get tired of all those “Z”s in their model numbers?) The list price for this 61-pound projector offering interchangeable lenses is $22,500,

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As the DK8500Z is brand new, there's no street pricing yet.  That requires a quick comment.  Projectors in this price range sometimes have MSRPs (list prices) others do not.  That's because this is a serious commercial projector that normally will be sold/installed by a professional A/V integrator.  That tends to make list prices pretty irrelevant, since the pricing is usually bundled with installation and support, with this type of higher end gear.

My point - this early on, there's no way to say whether this Vivitek DK8500Z's list price is reflective of what they will sell for, or on the other end of the spectrum, some brands/models get very heavily discounted.  (up to 50% off).  It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Sorry, I can't help more with expected selling prices.

Enough Vivitek for now. We have a video too, from the booth.

Thanks for checking in! My next Infocomm blog will look what NEC is up to, in terms of projectors.

I am at Infocomm ’19 in Orlando. It is the start of day two of visiting the major projector manufacturers and learning about the latest, and hottest new models.

While I’m taking in another 8 meetings today, Nikki is also preparing several videos I shot yesterday, in the booths of Sony, Epson, Casio, Canon, Optoma, Viewsonic, and Vivitek.

This is certainly the Year of the Laser Projector here at Infocomm. Between all the meetings I had yesterday, the only lamp-based projectors were relatively inexpensive ones, and rarely were any of them a focus of the manufacturers at the show. We still don’t have laser projectors in the $1,000 range, although we certainly have Casio’s solid-state LED laser projectors starting even below that.

Here are just a few tidbits from my visits with marketing and product managers:

They have added a new Lightscene (specialty) projector (for digital signage, projection mapping). On the more mainstream side, Epson showed the new L10 series of laser projectors with interchangeable lenses (it uses the same lenses as Epson’s higher end lasers, and older G series lamp based projectors). The new L10 series starts with 6,000 and 7,000-lumen models. Shipments this fall.

Epson also showed their latest and greatest version of Moverio, a pair of “glasses” with twin projectors built in, designed for augmented reality, ideal for field support or training (you can quickly upload, for example, a technical document to a field engineer on site, so they can see the info in the glasses while also seeing through the info to work on whatever software or equipment). I see it also as great for doing portions of our videos, so am having Epson ship me a pair!

Epson also displayed their heavy metal – their largest projectors going up to 30,000 lumens, with more than a dozen laser projectors in their line-up, from “entry level – laser” to massive commercial laser projectors including 20,000, 25,000 and their brightest, a 30,000 lumen projector but that one won’t ship until early next year.

Sony’s booth was mostly about large LED displays, but there were some projectors, including their GTZ280 projector (it has been around a while), which is 4K, is seriously expensive, and designed especially for entertainment display and scientific applications, including renderings, modeling, etc. The smaller GTZ240 is another specialty projector, this one with a very wide-angle lens, whose primary markets including planetariums… It has features like MotionFlow, Reality Creation Upscaling, and 4K, 3-D capabilities for reliable simulations. Also interesting, it has an infrared mode for simulating night vision. You won’t find that on every projector.

Sony’s “latest and greatest” mainstream commercial laser projector is the VPL-FHZ75, which is a step up from the older FHZ61 that we reviewed last year. We will be bringing one of these in for review this year. Sony also showed their smaller laser projectors, including the PHZ10, which we reviewed a year or so ago. It is one of their affordable laser projectors (no interchangeable lenses).

ViewSonic is showing a number of projectors, one of which is this under-$300 pico projector with 80 lumens, the M1+, which is WVGA. In addition, they were showing (not demoing) the M2 which you can also see in this image. The M2, is a huge step up from the M1+. It is full 1080p resolution, and it is a smart projector! Still not impressed, it supports HDR! And it is very portable, check out the carry handle.

Here’s one more from Viewsonic, the LS850WU, a 5000-lumen laser projector, with WUXGA resolution and HDBT. They call that one a Home Enlightenment projector! And of course, we need to mention a 4K UHD entry, the LS700-4K, with 3300 lumens and a laser light engine. We will bring one of these in to review, in the near future.

Optoma is showing a number of new or newer commercial projectors for business and education, including the 506 series which offers laser projectors up to 5200 lumens. 506 series projectors are available in WXGA, WUXGA and 1080p versions.

And for you home theater fans, Opotoma is again showing their P1 home theater projector – laser, ultra-short throw. For more info (in June) check out my Advertorial/first look, which is featured on our homepage, just below the masthead. Head back to our homepage, and the P1 scene image just below the masthead to learn a lot more about the P1. A video will be posted shortly.An interesting tidbit, Optoma proudly proclaimed in signage in their booth that they are the #1 brand for 4K projectors world wide, per PMA (the research firm I often quote).

Ok, I just ran out of time. Heading to the convention center for day two of Infocomm. I’ll provide more on my next blog, focusing on today’s meetings and finishing off some additional info on yesterday’s meetings, including Canon. Today I start out with Vivitek, then LG, NEC, Panasonic…

Hang in there folks, more info, and videos coming real soon. We will be posting the many videos over the next two/three weeks. -art

It was big projector news back in July 2013, when Hitachi announced they shifted their projector business to Maxell, a part of the Hitachi conglomerate. Since then, Maxell was spun off as the Maxell Group. No matter, the projectors, continued to sell under the Hitachi name, per their agreement. Essentially for these past years Hitachi Branded projectors were built by Maxell, in the same facilities that were previously Hitachi.

The Maxell MP-WU5503 is one of the first new projectors to feature the Maxell name.

Now as of April 1, 2019, that is about to change. The Maxell Group recently announced their new line of projectors (which are now shipping), and going forward, will be sold under the Maxell name and no longer under the Hitachi name. Maxell announced that their new line of projectors will offer the same performance and reliability that everyone is used to. Historically, Hitachi (now Maxell) has had solid performance in the education sector, in particular.

We are in the process of reviewing our first projector under the Maxell label: the Maxell MP-WU5503, which is a projector very suitable for education (and business) applications. So, are they as good as the Hitachi projectors? We will find out soon enough.

Stay tuned..

We are pleased to be able to share with you, recent business, education, and home projector sales tracking information, for North America.  This summary provides a list of the 5 best selling projectors in the US, in these categories:  Mainstream business/education projectors, Higher power commercial projectors (5000 lumens+) and Home Entertainment Projectors.  Below are the rankings of the top best selling projectors, in each three categories, with results separate for October and December, This info is provided for us to share with you, by PMA.

Pacific Media Associates (PMA) publishes what is typically a semi-monthly list of the best selling projectors in the Home Entertainment, Mainstream (Business) and 5,000-plus lumen categories (US sales only).

PMA has been doing this reporting since the 1990s, and the releases continue to provide our industry with valuable information.  They sell detailed information of their tracking to the manufacturers, which find the data useful.  We get a summary - a  top five, while paying manufacturers get virtually a unit by unit breakdown of most projectors sales numbers.

When PresentingSolutions. com - my previous company, was a major internet projector reseller, we, like most others, reported our projector sales data to PMA.  (Visiting that URL, these days, refers you to this site).

We combine their data to produce our summaries and comments for your information.

We've provided some links at the bottom of each list.  Those are either a review of the same projector as seen on the list, or a sibling - typically one with almost identical feature sets, except perhaps different resolution, or different brightness.  Any links will relate closely to describing the projectors making the PMA lists shown here.   -art

Best Selling Home Entertainment Projectors 10/18

Epson Home Cinema 2150 Review

Epson Home Cinema 2150 Video Review

Epson Home Cinema 1060 First Look Review

Epson Home Cinema 660 First Look Review

Now let’s look at December’s best sellers.