Nec NP-L50W

NEC NP-L50W

Count the NEC NP-L50W ($749 direct) as one more variation on what started out as an exciting new category of projectors just months ago and now consists of an assortment of nearly interchangeable models from different companies. Like all the others, it's built around a WXGA (1,280 by 800) DLP chip, uses red, green, and blue LEDs for its light source, and offers a 500 lumen brightness rating. It also shares the same key strengths and weaknesses as its competition. That makes it worth considering, but doesn't do anything to make it stand out from the crowd. The NP-L50W, along with the Optoma ML500 ($650 street, 3.5 stars), the Acer K330 ($600 street, 3.5 stars), and the ViewSonic PLED-W500 ($700 street, 3 stars), are as similar to each other as slices of bread cut from the same loaf. There are variations from one to the next, but they are exceedingly minor. The range in weights, for example, is 2.5 to 2.9 pounds, with the NP-L50W weighing in at 2.6 pounds. None have external power blocks, and they all have similar measurements, with the NP-L50W coming in at 1.7 by 8.9 by 6.9 inches (HWD). Setup for all of these models is standard, and all offer a similar set of connectors.