Built around essentially the same design as the NEC NP-P401W($1,124.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window), the NEC NP-P501X ($1,999) offers a touch higher brightness and an XGA (1,024-by-768) resolution. The resolution and, to a lesser extent, the brightness put it in a different category than its close cousin, which is Editors’ Choice for WXGA (1,280-by-800) projectors for mid- to large-size rooms. It shares most of the same strengths, however, which is enough to make it our new Editors’ Choice as an XGA projector for a large room.

The NP-501X($1,499.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is a head-to-head competitor with the Epson PowerLite 1965 XGA 3LCD Projector( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window), the previous Editors’ Choice in the category. The two offer the same brightness rating (5,000 lumens), but differ a little in terms of features, so each has some advantages over the other. The Epson model includes a DisplayPort connector that the NP-P501X lacks, for example, and it comes with Wi-Fi standard. The NP-P501X offers a 1.7x zoom, besting the Epson model’s 1.6x; it comes with two HDMI ports instead of one; and it adds vertical lens shift so you can adjust image height without tilting the projector. In comparing the two models, the NP-P501X comes out ever so slightly ahead.

Some Basics
One feature the Epson and both NEC models share is that they use a three-chip LCD engine. As with any LCD projector, this gives them two advantages compared with most DLP projectors, and one disadvantage.

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On the plus side, three-chip LCD projectors create colors using a different approach than DLP models like the Optoma X401. The difference guarantees that they don’t show the rainbow artifacts (flashes of red, green, and blue) that at least some people can see with almost all single-chip DLP models. Another advantage is that their color brightness and white brightness match, something that’s often not true for single-chip DLP projectors. That’s important, because a difference between the two can affect both color quality and the brightness of color images.

The key disadvantage compared with DLP projectors is that the NP-P501X lacks the 3D support that’s nearly standard for DLP projectors today. For most applications, however, that shouldn’t be an issue.

Connections, Setup, and Brightness
Setting up the NP-P501X is typical for this class of projector.The 9-pound weight and the brightness level make it most appropriate for permanent installation or room-to-room portability on a cart. One it’s in place, you simply plug in the cables and adjust the manual focus and zoom.

The 1.7x zoom offers significant flexibility in how far you can put the projector from the screen for a given size image. Also welcome is the vertical lens shift, which lets you adjust the image up or down from the center position, without having to tilt the projector and deal with keystone distortion.

The back panel offers a solid set of image inputs, with two HDMI ports for computers or video sources, rather than the usual one; a VGA port for a computer or component video source; composite video and S-video ports; and a USB Type A port for reading files from a USB memory key. In addition, there’s a USB Type B port to connect to a PC, both for direct USB display and for controlling the mouse from the projector remote, plus a LAN port that lets you send images and audio, as well as control the projector, over a network.

For my tests, I used a 92-inch (diagonal) image. As you would expect from the projector’s 5,000-lumen rating, the image was easily bright enough to stand up to the ambient light in a typical classroom or conference room. As a point of reference, using SMPTE (The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) recommendations, 5,000 lumens is bright enough for roughly a 260- to 350-inch (diagonal) screen in theater-dark lighting. If you need to, you can lower the brightness by using Eco mode, picking a lower brightness preset mode, or both.

Image Quality
Quality for data images was nothing short of excellent in my testing, with the NP-P501X handling our standard suite of DisplayMate(Opens in a new window) screens with ease. Colors were vibrant and well-saturated in all preset modes, and color balance was excellent in most modes. More important for most data images, the NP-P501X handles detail well. Both black text on white and white text on black, for example, were crisp and easily readable even at 6.8 points. Video quality is best described as watchablebut not impressive.

One last welcome touch is that the audio system. The 16-watt mono speaker delivered good-quality sound and enough volume to fill a large room. For stereo or for still higher volume, you can connect an external sound system to the projector’s stereo output.

If you need an XGA projector for a large conference room or classroom, the NEC NP-P501X is clearly an excellent choice. If you need 3D, you should take a look at the Optoma X401 as an alternative. If you don’t need 3D, you should look at the Epson 1965 as well. The features it offers that the NEC model lacks, including the DisplayPort connector, could make it a better fit for your needs. That said, the NEC NP-P501X’s lens shift, and its slightly better data-image quality than the Epson projector, give it enough of an edge to make it Editors’ Choice as an XGA projector for a large room.