What the NEC PX1005QL is designed for

It is ideal for:

• Large classrooms, conference rooms, boardrooms
• Small auditoriums
• House of worship
• Digital signage
• Theme parks

It is also good for:

• Sports Bars
• Command & control
• Simulation, CAD/CAM and other high-res applications
• Medical Presentations

What the NEC PX1005QL gives you . . .

• 10,000 lumen rating (ISO 21118)
• 3840 x 2160 resolution with 0.66-inch Texas Instruments XPR DLP chip; supports signals up to full DCI 4K (4096x2160)
• 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• Low-maintenance, laser-phosphor light source
• Supports HDR for UHD/4K signals
• Up to 20,000 hour laser life
• Digital inputs include HDMI, DisplayPort, SDI
• Choice of 8 lenses, including multiple fixed and motorized zoom/shift/focus options for throw range between 1.6 and 182.9 feet
• +50%/-30% vertical lens shift and +20%/-10% horizontal lens shift
• Lens memories for zoom, shift, focus to accommodate different input signal types
• Virtually maintenance free, no filter changes required
• Four-corner keystone correction
• Geometric warping for projection on spheres, cylinders, corners and other non-standard surfaces
• 360 degree installation and Portrait mode
• Built-in stacking correction for up to 4 projectors
• Built-in edge-blending
• DICOM Sim mode for medical education and presentations
• Rated for 24/7 operation
• Meets OPS specs for digital signage
• Supports Crestron, AMX, and Extron networks
• Wireless or wired backlit remote control
• Available in white (PX1005QL-W or black PX1005QL-B)
• 5-year/20,000-hour parts and labor warranty; includes 1 year of InstaCare plan providing limited 3-day repair/return or next business day exchange

Connections

• HDMI (2.0b, HDCP 2.2 x 2)
• DisplayPort(20-pin, HDCP 1.4 x 2)
• HDBaseT (RJ-45)
• SDI (3G/HD x 4)
• USB-A (power only)
• LAN (RJ-45)
• PC/RS-232 control (D-Sub 9-pin)
• Remote terminal (3.5 mm, for wired connection of supplied remote)
• Expansion slot (for optional SDI input cards)

Physical Attributes. The PX1005QL is a substantial projector, weighing in at 68.8 pounds without a lens and measuring 19.7 x 23 x 8.5 inches(WHD). In most cases, it will likely require two people to safely move and install.

With the projector on a table, input and control connectors are on the rear of the right side panel as viewed from the back. The Kensington lock slot is forward of the input connectors, and the control panel and power connection and main switch are on the right side panel near the front. As seen from the back, intake vents are on the front and left side panel, and exhaust vents are on the back panel.

Setting Up the NEC PX1005QL

Throw Distance. The eight available lenses for the PX1005QL offer throw distances from 1.6 feet to 182.9 feet. The specified image size ranges from 40 to 500 inches diagonal. Among the available lenses are two fixed and six zoom lenses; all offer powered focus and shift and the zooms add motorized zoom adjustments. The two fixed ultra-short and short throw lenses (throw ratio of 0.38:1 and 0.76:1) can project a 200-inch, 16:9 diagonal image from approximately 5.5 feet and 11 feet, respectively. The zoom with the longest throw ratio, ranging from 5.25 to 8.28:1, projects a 200-inch image from approximately 76 to 120 feet throw distance. The ProjectorCentral NEC PX1005QL Throw Calculator will show the required throw distance or throw range for your image size with any of the optional lenses.

Mounting and Lens Shift. Along with these broad lens options to accommodate throw distance, the PX1005QL offers generous powered lens shift for wide mounting flexibility (+50%, -30% vertical and +20%, -10% horizontal) when the projector is used in its normal orientation. Digital zoom and position controls (both vertical and horizontal) are also provided, as is advanced 4-corner keystone correction (+/-40 degrees, both horizontal and vertical.) Lens memories are provided so specific zoom, shift, and focus settings can be applied to individual inputs.

Special installation features include 360-degree orientation and a Portrait mode. Built-in edge-blending is also on board, as is geometric correction that allows bending of the image to fit corners or spherical projection surfaces without the need for outboard processing.

Along with onboard edge-blending, built-in stacking—said to be an industry first—allows you to combine up to four PX1005QL projectors (side-by-side or with a stacker frame) and align them with manual geometric correction or NEC's MST (Multi Screen Tool) camera-assisted Windows PC software. This provides an image of up to 40,000 lumens for very large screens and/or high ambient light, and also gurantees no loss of image in mission-critical environments if one projector fails.

As noted in the list of connectors above, the PX1005QL comes with an unusually extensive selection of input ports including HDMI, DisplayPort, SDI 3G/HD, and a dedicated HDBaseT Ethernet port that can be used as a signal and control path. (A separate RJ45 LAN port for control is also provided.) Any of these inputs can be set as the default for turn-on, or the projector will boot to the last input used. Additionally, an internal slot for an input expansion card (available separately) is hidden behind a panel.

To take advantage of this plethora of inputs, a helpful onboard Picture-by-Picture function allows either side-by-side viewing of two active inputs, or a screen populated by four images in quad format. Given the projector's 3840x2160 UHD resolution, the latter arrangement allows the simultaneous viewing of up to four 1080p resolution images. Among other uses, this might be an attractive option for display on large screens in sports bars.

Menus and Control. Control is provided via the supplied remote as well as via LAN connection to a dedicated HTML web interface or compatible control systems including DisplayNote, Crestron Roomview, AMX Becon, and PJ Link. As noted, a dedicated HDBaseT connection is also available for long-distance video and control signal transmission. The infrared remote control also has the ability to be directly wired to the projector via a standard two-conductor cable with 3.5mm mini-plugs. The remote's backlit keys provide a high degree of functionality, but some key setup functions, such as the lens controls, are doubled up with others and therefore require additional keystrokes to access and a bit of a learning curve to adjust to.

Not surprisingly for such a capable projector, the graphic menu system is extensive. It is intuitive and graphically attractive, but there was noticeable lag time between button press and the menu's reaction with some functions, such as changing picture modes. This was not a serious annoyance but did require some getting used to to avoid double-pressing the same key in lieu of an immediate visual confirmation from the menu.

Among the menus are a wide range of adjustments to tune image attributes. There are seven preset color modes, not including an Edge Blending mode and an Auto mode intended to select the color mode based on the type of input signal. Along with adjusting the basic grayscale and color settings for each mode (Contrast, Brightness, Color, Hue, Shaprness), there are individual White Balance controls for red, green, and blue Contrast and Brightness (i.e., gain and offset) to fine-tune the grayscale with instruments, and full RGBCYM color management controls for Hue and Saturation of each primary and secondary. A control for DLP Brilliant Color is available for most color modes and provides three options including Off, Medium, and High.

Beyond these, three adjustable Gamma settings—Dynamic, Natural, and Black Detail—can be used to extract various levels of contrast to best match content. A Dynamic Contrast control (with options for On or Off) is also provided, as well as an adjustable Contrast Enhancement control that can be used to add a degree of edge enhancement at the transitions of light and dark areas in the image.

Performance

Our PX1005QL test unit was mated with the model NP18ZL-4K zoom lens ($2,214), which offers a variable 1.73 to 2.27:1 throw ratio and motorized zoom, lens shift, and focus. This, coincidentally, is also the lens mating cited by NEC for achieving the projector's specified brightness. With this lens at its widest zoom postion and the projector at its brightest power settings and color mode, the PX1005QL delivered 9,543 ANSI lumens—95% of its rated brightness and well within accepted manufacturing tolerances. (Note that the PX1005QL is specified for 10,000 lumens with ISO21118-2012 compliance, which calls for the same 9-point measurement technique used for ANSI lumens but accounts for measurements taken from a larger sample of production units.)

To mitigate brightness or save energy, there is a Light Mode menu with two ECO power modes and a variable Normal mode with a slider that ranges from 100 percent to 20 percent brightness. The variable slider in Normal mode reduced brightness in amounts accurate to its labeling at the lower end of its scale, but in our sample delivered about 10% more brightness than its label suggested (vs. full measured brightness) at the 50 percent and 75 percent settings.

The power slider is locked out when either of the fixed ECO modes is selected. When selected, ECO1 reduced brightness in our sample by approximately 10% in any mode. ECO2 reduced brightness by approximately 40% in any mode.

The measurements in each color mode (HDMI input, lens at its widest zoom position) were as follows. Omitted from this table is Auto mode, which will automatically select one of the available color modes below based on the signal.

NEC PX1005QL ANSI Lumens

Mode	Normal (100%)	ECO1	ECO2
High-Bright	9,543	8,589	5,726
Presentation	8,092	7,283	4,855
Video	6,030	5,427	3,618
Movie	5,878	5,290	3,527
Graphic	5,984	5,386	3,590
sRGB	3,407	3,066	2,044
DICOM Sim	6,030	5,427	3,618
Edge Blending	7,911	7,120	4,747

Zoom Lens Effect on Brightness. At its full telephoto setting, the NP18ZL-4K zoom lens used on our sample reduced brightness by a modest 9.5%.

Brightness Uniformity. Brightness uniformity with the NP18ZL-4K lens used on our sample was 88% at the widest zoom setting and 81% at the longest telephoto setting. These are good results in keeping with a high quality zoom lens and there was no hotspotting detectable with any live content.

Rainbow Artifacts. Through the course of evaluation, the PX1005QL occasionally demonstrated the rainbow artifacts common to most single-chip DLP projectors. These were very infrequent in normal viewing. Some viewers are highly sensitive to rainbows, so our standard caveat applies: If rainbows are a concern, work with an integrator who can provide a demo before purchase.

Input lag. Using a Bodnar 4K lag meter with a full bandwidth 3840x2160 input signal, we measured input lag around 80-85 ms in most picture modes. The results were similar with a Bodnar 1080p lag mater.

Fan Noise. The PX1005QL is officially rated for 49 dB of fan noise in full power mode, 39 dB in ECO1 mode, and 37 db in ECO2. In addition to fan noise, which varies based on settings and conditions, there is a steady, audible emission from the electronics that emanates at a different pitch than the fan. These both contribute to the potential intrusiveness of noise from the projector.

The projector has a variety of mechanisms to optimize the fan speed. The default Auto position of the Fan Mode setting in the menu adjusts fan speed based on the position of the brightness slider in the Normal power mode, or selects an appropriate speed for the fixed ECO1 and ECO2 modes. At its most quiet—in either ECO2 or with the Normal mode set to 20 percent power—the level of fan noise was largely masked by the electronics noise.

With the Normal power mode set to 100 percent, casual SPL measurements taken from 5 feet behind the rear exhaust vent registered an approximately 4 dBA boost in fan noise. Either the full power or lowest power setting would likely be intrusive in close proxmity to the projector, but this can be mitigated by getting the projector further away from viewers or positioning the viewer in front of rather than behind the projector. Keep in mind that, in most cases, a projector like this will be mounted well above viewers to avoid the dangers of direct laser light exposure, and these projectors will often be in environments with higher ambient noise.

Switching the Fan Mode setting to High, the only other option besides Auto, cranks the fan to its fastest level, which added nearly 12 dBA of noise compared with the fan at the next-to-loudest, 100% power setting. It would obviously only be used when the projector encounters extreme conditions.

There is no High Altitude Mode as found in most other projectors. Instead, the PX1005QL has a sensor that detects atmospheric pressure and temperature and cuts back the power/brightness as needed. At elevations from 2,000 to 5,500 feet, the projector is reduced to 90 percent power once temperature rises above 85 degrees F or 80 percent power above 96 degrees F; above 5,500 feet the power will be cut by 90 percent or 70 percent once temps reach those same thresholds.

Viewing Presentations. The PX1005QL's High Bright color mode, which delivers the brightest possible image, exhibits the usual green bias that most commercial projectors do in their brightest mode. However, it showed considerably less tint and more subtle green shading than seen in many projectors, and end users should find this mode is quite usable for PowerPoint or other graphic presentations where very high brightness is required due to ambient light conditions or a large image size. The Presentation mode, though somewhat less bright (see Measurements), delivers a slightly warmer (redder) tone that should better suit mixed graphics, while the Graphic mode, which is considerably less bright than either of the other two, leans more toward a cool blue. Plain black-and-white graphics with fine details, such as a spreadsheet, looked best on High Bright in our testing, though environmental conditions and the content will determine the best mode.

Viewing Videos, Movies, Photographs. The sRGB and Graphic modes visually provided the most accurate color out of the box for still photos, depending somewhat on the images. Both modes delivered essentially neutral whites and grays and good flesh tones, though the considerably higher (and usually desirable) brightness from the Graphic mode (5,984 measured lumens versus 3,407 for sRGB) sometimes came with some reddish oversaturation of caucasian faces.

For viewing 1080p TV and Blu-ray movies, the Movie mode, with its default D65 (6,500K) color temp, was the preferred choice. It provided essentially equal brightness to the Video mode, though looked subtly warmer (redder), which served most movie content well. Familiar reference clips showed accurate flesh tones, very vibrant but not excessively punched-up or unnatural colors (particularly on tell-tale green foliage and bright reds that can look artificial an on some projectors), and acceptably good contrast and black level—even in dark room conditions where such a high-brightness light cannon shouldn't be expected to deliver the deeper blacks of a dedicated, low-output home theater projector.

Indeed, taking down the brightness using the Light Mode control, as well as other modest adjustments made by eye to the Movie mode's Brightness (black level) setting and the available gamma and contrast adjustments, allowed the dialing in of a superb-looking 1080p image with a variety of movies. The projector's scaling with both live video programs and film-based content particularly, aided by the excellent sharpness of the lens, made for crisp details on good quality transfers and broadcasts.

The PX1005QL has an HDR menu that can be set to On, Off, or its default setting of Auto. In the latter mode, it auto detects an HDR10 signal, as might be found in a UHD Blu-ray, and applies a fixed gamma adjustment to accommodate. It will apply this in any picture mode, including the Auto picture mode, however the Movie mode was also the preferred mode for HDR content. Not surprisingly, 4K test clips enjoyed additional sharpness from the added resolution.

Our Take on the NEC PX1005QL

The NEC PX1005QL made a good impression right out of the box for its obviously substantial solidity and build quality, and continued to impress with both its tremendous range of features and its image quality. Its 4K/UHD resolution, courtesy of Texas Instrument's 0.66-inch XPR DLP chip, made for exceptionally sharp images whether viewing upscaled 1080p or native UHD content. With options for eight different fixed and zoom lenses—all motorized—plus generous lens shift capabilities, there are few installation scenarios where this projector could not be made to accommodate.

That goes for situations with either very large screens or high ambient light, as well. With 10,000 lumens of verified light output, the PX1005QL is a powerhouse that functions well for presentations in bright rooms with overhead lights or even some degree of sunlight streaming in. For cinematic viewing in subdued light, the projector provides extensive adjustments to fine-tune both the brightness and color to deliver pictures as accurate to the original as the audience demands, and with surprisingly effective contrast.

Beyond all of this, the PX1005QL brings both energy savings and overall cost efficiency. The 20,000 hours of rated half-life for its laser light engine at full power and its filter-free design mean low maintenance costs for the life of the projector. And its $24,000 list price, combined with its fully-loaded feature mix, makes it highly competitive among 4K laser projectors at this 10,000 lumen brightness level. For situations where both high brightness and exceptional sharpness are demanded for the most impactful presentations, the NEC PX1005QL should rightly earn its place on your short list of projector candidates.

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our NEC PX1005QL-W projector page.

To buy this projector, use Where to Buy online, or get a price quote by email direct from Projector Central authorized dealers using our E-Z Quote tool.