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For most purposes, the 1080p resolution in a data projector like the NEC Display Solutions NP-M402H ($1,849) would be overkill. If you need to show fine detail in complex images, however, or show lots of information at once, high resolution is essential. The M402H can deliver that resolution with a big enough image to make all the detail both readable and bright enough to stand up to ambient light.
The projector’s 4,000-lumen brightness rating is actually slightly higher than the rating for the Panasonic PT-RZ370U , our Editors’ Choice high-resolution data projector. In addition, the M402H sells at a lower price than the Panasonic model, although it may or may not be less expensive in the long run.
The standard lamp in the M402H is rated at only 3,500 hours in normal mode or 8,000 hours in eco mode, with a $299 replacement cost for the lamp. In comparison, the Panasonic PT-RZ370U uses a laser-LED light source with a 20,000-hour rated lifetime. Depending on how much you use the projector, and whether you run it in normal or eco mode, much of the savings in the initial price could be eaten up in higher running costs. Be sure to take that into account when you’re comparing prices.
Basics and Setup
The M402H weighs 8 pounds 6 ounces and measures 4.3 by 14.5 by 11.5 inches (HWD), which makes itbig enough so it’s most likely to wind up permanently installed or on a cart for room-to-room portability.
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Setup is standard, with a manual focus and 2X zoom, which matches the Panasonic PT-RZ370U’s zoom. This give you lots of flexibility for how far you can put the projector from the screen for a given size image. Unlike the Panasonic model, the M402H doesn’t offer lens shift to let you move the image left, right, up, and down without moving the projector. However, most competing models offer even fewer conveniences, with only a 1.5x zoom for the BenQ SH940 ($2,999.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) and a meager 1.1x zoom for the NEC Display Solutions NP-PE401H ($1,699.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , for example, and no lens shift for either of these models.
Image inputs for the M402H include the usual VGA port for a computer or component video, two HDMI ports, and a composite video port. In addition, there’s a USB Type B port for direct USB display and a USB Type A port for reading files from a USB memory key. A LAN port lets you send images and audio, as well as control the projector over a network, and you can add an optional Wi-Fi dongle ($80), which will let you connect directly or over a network with computers or iOS devices.
Brightness
Based on Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, and assuming a 1.0 gain screen, the M402H’s 4,000-lumen rating would make it bright enough for roughly a 250- to 335-inch (diagonal) image in theater-dark lighting. In moderate ambient light, it would be bright enough for a roughly 165-inch image. For smaller image sizes or lower lighting conditions, you can drop the brightness by switching to Eco mode, predefined modes with lower brightness levels, or both.
Keep in mind that these image sizes are little optimistic. As with most DLP projectors, the M402H’s white brightness is higher than its color brightness, which means that color images won’t be as bright as you would expect from the white brightness level. The difference can also affect color quality. (For more on color brightness, see Color Brightness: What It Is, Why It Matters.)
Image Quality, 3D, and Audio
The M402H delivers excellent image quality for 2D data images. Color balance was near-excellent on our standard suite of DisplayMate(Opens in a new window) tests, with suitably neutral grays at all levels from black to white in most modes. Color quality is also excellent, with eye-catching, saturated color in all modes. Red and blue are a little dark in terms of a hue-saturation-brightness color model in the brightest mode, but that’s typical for projectors with a higher white brightness than color brightness.
See How We Test Projectors
The projector also handles detail well. White text on black, for example, is crisp and highly readable at sizes as small as 6.8 points, and white text on black is highly readable at 9.0 points.
The M402H does a good job of avoiding rainbow artifacts (flashes of red, green, and blue) in data images. The only time I saw even a hint of them with static data images was with one screen designed to bring them out, and even then I had to make a conscious effort to shift my gaze back and forth across the screen to see the artifacts.
With full-motion video, the only time I saw rainbow artifacts often enough to consider them annoying was with a black-and-white clip. As long as you stay with color source material, even people who see these artifacts easily aren’t likely to find them bothersome. Beyond that, video is watchable, but not impressive, with colors looking a little dull, which is typical for a low contrast ratio.
The projector’s 3D image quality isn’t in the same league as the quality for 2D. The M402H offers HDMI 1.4a 3D support, which lets you show 3D from a Blu-ray player or other video device. Using 144 Hz DLP-Link glasses in testing, crosstalk and 3D-related motion artifacts were obvious enough to be annoying, making for an uncomfortable viewing experience. Fortunately, most applications for data projectors don’t need 3D, which is why some of the best data projectors—including the Editors’ Choice Panasonic PT-RZ370U—don’t offer it. That makes this a non-issue in most cases.
One last small plus is the M402H’s audio system, with the 20-watt mono speaker offering good sound quality and enough volume to easily fill a mid-size room.
If you need 3D, the NEC NP-M402H is obviously the wrong projector to get, and you should be looking at one like the NEC NP-PE401H, which does a better job with 3D. If you don’t need 3D, the Panasonic PT-RZ370U offers the convenience of lens shift and better image and quality than the M402H. But if you can do without lens shift, the M402H’s quality for data images is almost as good, and its video is at least watchable, which makes it a perfectly reasonable choice at a lower initial price.
3.5
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The NEC Display Solutions NP-M402H projector delivers a 1080p image for showing fine detail, plus enough brightness for a large image even with ambient light.
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