NEC P525UL Laser Projector Review – Performance: Brightness, Image Noise, Audible Noise
| Color Mode | Lumens |
| High-Bright | 4335 |
| Presentation | 3840 |
| Video | 4283 |
| Movie | 3102 |
| Graphic | 3545 |
| sRGB | 3124 |
| DICOM SIM | 3486 |
Brightness at mid-zoom
NEC lists two bright specifications for the P525UL. It is listed as a 5000 lumens projector with a peak center output of 5200 lumens. Just how close did the P525UL come to hitting its target 5,000 lumens? I took 3-4 readings about 15-20% out from the center of the lens which usually gives a pretty good approximation of ANSI lumens. At the full wide angle, I measured the P525UL in its brightest picture mode, HIGH-BRIGHT, with the ECO Mode set to OFF.
NEC P525UL Brightness: 5037 Lumens
At wide zoom, High-Bright mode.
The P525UL measured 5037 lumens which were slightly above NEC’s brightness claim. For the seven available modes, I also measured them at mid-zoom since it is common for a projector to be zoomed in a bit when installed. While brightness uniformity was good there was a drop in brightness from the center of the image to any of the 4 corners which explains why NEC lists both a center and ANSI lumens measurements in their documentation.
NEC P525UL has a claimed contrast of 500,000:1 with Light Adjust (Dynamic Contrast) enabled. We don’t have any way to measure this claim, so what we pay more attention to is how the projector performs in terms of black levels. While the black levels were not on par with a better home theater projector, they were good for an entry level installation projector. As far as its intended use in the business and education market goes, the blacks are black enough for most business and classroom applications.
What really makes this NEC projector unique is how incredibility quiet it is for a 5200 lumens business projector. The sealed LCD cooling system not only isolates the optics from dust and eliminates the need for filter changes, but it also greatly reduces fan noise. The NEC P525UL produces only 22db in Eco Mode and 27db in high power! The P525UL was so quiet in ECO mode that I could barely hear it from 3 feet away. My desktop computer was noticeably louder. The P525UL is a great option if you are looking for an extremely quiet projector to utilize in an environment where ambient noise would be distracting.
NEC P525UL Laser Projector Review – Performance: Brightness, Image Noise, Audible Noise
| Color Mode | Lumens |
| High-Bright | 4335 |
| Presentation | 3840 |
| Video | 4283 |
| Movie | 3102 |
| Graphic | 3545 |
| sRGB | 3124 |
| DICOM SIM | 3486 |
Brightness at mid-zoom
NEC lists two bright specifications for the P525UL. It is listed as a 5000 lumens projector with a peak center output of 5200 lumens. Just how close did the P525UL come to hitting its target 5,000 lumens? I took 3-4 readings about 15-20% out from the center of the lens which usually gives a pretty good approximation of ANSI lumens. At the full wide angle, I measured the P525UL in its brightest picture mode, HIGH-BRIGHT, with the ECO Mode set to OFF.
NEC P525UL Brightness: 5037 Lumens
At wide zoom, High-Bright mode.
The P525UL measured 5037 lumens which were slightly above NEC’s brightness claim. For the seven available modes, I also measured them at mid-zoom since it is common for a projector to be zoomed in a bit when installed. While brightness uniformity was good there was a drop in brightness from the center of the image to any of the 4 corners which explains why NEC lists both a center and ANSI lumens measurements in their documentation.
NEC P525UL has a claimed contrast of 500,000:1 with Light Adjust (Dynamic Contrast) enabled. We don’t have any way to measure this claim, so what we pay more attention to is how the projector performs in terms of black levels. While the black levels were not on par with a better home theater projector, they were good for an entry level installation projector. As far as its intended use in the business and education market goes, the blacks are black enough for most business and classroom applications.
What really makes this NEC projector unique is how incredibility quiet it is for a 5200 lumens business projector. The sealed LCD cooling system not only isolates the optics from dust and eliminates the need for filter changes, but it also greatly reduces fan noise. The NEC P525UL produces only 22db in Eco Mode and 27db in high power! The P525UL was so quiet in ECO mode that I could barely hear it from 3 feet away. My desktop computer was noticeably louder. The P525UL is a great option if you are looking for an extremely quiet projector to utilize in an environment where ambient noise would be distracting.
