Maxell MP-WU5503 Laser Education Projector Review – Summary

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The Maxell MP-WU5503 is a WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution projector that claims 5,000 lumens. It almost hit its claim when measured at full wide angle, coming in just 163 lumens below at 4,837 lumens! As most projectors measure up to 25% below claim, this is something to celebrate. This $6,299 projector comes with an excellent 5-year or 20,000 hour (whichever comes first) warranty, and, as Maxell mainly plays in the education market, there is likely education pricing for this unit – though Maxell does not publish their education pricing online.

The MP-WU5503 is most suitable for those larger higher education classrooms, lecture halls, auditoriums, and museums, but could also find its home in large conference rooms, board rooms, meeting rooms, houses of worship, and entertainment venues. The Maxell can project an impressively large image – up to 300” diagonal! Keep in mind, however, that the larger the image, the more lumens you need, so if you’re planning on projecting a large image like that, you’ll want to do your best to install the projector at full wide angle to get the most lumens possible.

This Maxell has 3LCD technology, which means it has as many color lumens as it does white ones – you can expect colors to remain bright even in the face of ambient light. True, they will wash out a bit, but if good color in an ambient light ridden environment is important to you, you’re better off going with a 3LCD than a DLP projector in that scenario. It also has a laser light engine, which tend to look brighter in the presence of ambient light than those projectors that are lamp based.

Speaking of that light engine, it has a lifetime claim of up to 20,000 hours. That claim is for both full power and ECO mode. Lamp based projectors usually have claims of 4,000 to 8,000 hours at full power. While lasers have a higher up-front cost, their low maintenance over their lifetime levels out the cost, as you’re not replacing lamps every several thousand hours, saving on both parts and labor.

The Maxell MP-WU5503 offers excellent placement flexibility with its 1.70:1 zoom lens, generous lens shift (– +56.5% vertical, +4.6% horizontal), and HDBaseT for transmitting A/V signals over long distances. It has wireless capabilities via an optional wireless module (USB wireless adaptor USB-WL-5G) that allows you to project from an external computer, or connect an Android or iOS mobile device. In addition to HDBaseT, it has advanced networking in the form of compatibility with key command-and-control software – that’s AMX, Crestron, and PJ-Link, as well as Maxell’s own Moderator Software for the same purpose.

The Maxell MP-WU5503 has great connectivity, with everything you need for higher education applications, and then some. It has several Audio ports, HDBaseT, wired LAN (RJ-45), and a USB port for the optional wireless module. It also has a pair of HDMIs, Composite Video ports, two VGA connectors, and an RS232 connector. Its 16-watt mono speaker is plenty loud enough to fill a large university classroom, but if you’re planning on installing it in a lecture hall – better hook it up to the hall’s external sound system.

The color on the Maxell MP-WU5503 is excellent. You’ve got your pick of the litter when it comes to modes, with Standard Mode being the “best” mode for presentations and websites (2,729 lumens), and Cinema being the best mode for viewing video (2,438 lumens). Dynamic Mode, when measured at mid-zoom, came in at a respectable 3,451 lumens, and would be acceptable to use when you need the most brightness the projector is capable of. As for the rest of the modes, DICOM SIM. measured 2,963 lumens, Whiteboard Mode at 1,669 lumens and the final mode, Natural, measured at 1,463 lumens.

• Non-typical button layout on the remote that took some getting used to
• Not backlit – would have been nice, but with a remote control like this, it’s not to be expected