NEC NP-PX1005QL Projector Review- Hardware Tour

NEC NP-PX1005QL Projector – Hardware Tour: Overview, Overview, Control Panel, Inputs and Connectors, Remote Control, Menus

The PX1005QL is an installation class projector and its size is comparable with other 10,000 lumen business or classroom projectors. While the dimensions are similar, NEC PX1005QL weighs 69 pounds which was noticeably heavier than the 15,000 lumen Epson Pro L1755UNL which clocked in at just 48 pounds.

The projector’s lens is in the center of the front panel. While power focus is available, adjustment can also be done manually by turning the lens focus ring. Also located on the front panel is a cooling intake vent and a lens release button.

The top of the projector has status lights along the left side of the front edge. There is also an IR sensor on the front and rear. The left side of the projector holds the control panel, inputs and power connections. The entire right side of the projector is covered with another intake ventilation grill. A cooling exhaust vent covers the entire rear of the projector.

The PX1005QL has its control pad on the left side of the projector. At the right top of the control pad is the power button and below it is the Zoom, Focus, and Home buttons. There are Menu button (to display the on-screen menu) and Exit button along with 4-way menu navigation buttons with the enter button in the middle. The input buttons (to select the desired signal input) are located along the left side.

There are 4 lights along the front edge of the projector’s top panel. The Power indicator which shows if the projector is ON/OFF/SLEEP/STANDBY. The Status light blinks when Lens Calibration has been indicated or is in progress. The Light indicators provide information on the light source mode (Normal, ECO1 or ECO2). The Temperature light indicates if the ambient temperature is too high or low.

The power and signal connectors for the PX1005QL are located on the left panel of the projector. It has two HDMI inputs, two DisplayPort inputs, an HDBaseT port and a SDI (3G/HD) connections. There is also a LAN connection, a Serial Port for PC Control, wired remote control input and USB-A Port. Lastly, there is a removable panel to access a slot to add an optional 3G/HD/SD-SDI input board.

The supplied NEC remote control is back lit and offers tons of controls. Since the remote is compact, there are several buttons that do double duty.

The Power On and Off buttons along with an Info/Lens Calibration button are located at the top of the remote. The row below that contains Test pattern, a Focus/Volume button, and an ECO/Lens Shift mode button.

The next section below contains buttons to access and exit the on-screen menus. There is a group of buttons containing the 4-way navigation buttons with an enter button in the center. Below those is a button to turn off the Onscreen menu and a Lens Shutter button to temporarily turnoff the projector’s light source.

The third section contains an AV-Mute button and buttons to access the Source and Picture settings menu directly. The 3-D Reform buttons provides direct access to the Geometric tool menu. There is also a PIP/Image Freeze button and an Auto Adjust button to automatically optimize conditions for selected input (HDMI, DisplayPort, etc.).

The next section contains buttons to directly access the available inputs (HDMI, DisplayPort, SDI, HDBaseT). Note there are three buttons for inputs that are not available on the PX1005QL including Computer, Video, and S-Video.

The bottom row contains a Remote Light button, a Help button to directly access the PX1005QL Information menus and CTL button. Press and holding the CTL button while press the desired selection switches functionality. While using buttons for 2 things reduces the number of buttons on the remote control, it can be more confusing. I would have preferred a large remote with discrete buttons for Zoom, Focus, and Lens Shift.

The PX1005QL has a well laid out menu structure. When the menu button is pressed the top-level menu is displayed offering 5 groups of menus across the top (i.e., Input, Adjust, Display Setup, and Info). The images of the menu included in this section represent only a small number of all the sub-menus available. I tried to show the submenus that contain frequently used adjustments (image, setting, networking, etc.). NOTE: the color shift in the images is caused by the high shutter speed on my camera.