The NEC NP-MC382W is a compact, portable LCD projector designed for business and education settings. With WXGA resolution (1280×800), it’s great for use in classrooms, meeting rooms, conference rooms, exhibitions, and even retail spaces.
Its 3,800 lumens of brightness and LCD technology make it well-suited for environments with ambient light—no need to dim the room completely. If the specs and features fit your needs, the NP-MC382W is definitely worth considering.
In this review, we’ll start with an overview of the projector, then go over the key features and hardware details. After that, we’ll dive into picture quality, performance, and finally wrap it all up with pros, cons, and a look at the competition.
| NEC Specs | |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| Technology | LCD |
| Native Resolution | 1280×800 |
| Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) | 3800 |
| Contrast | 16000:1 |
| Zoom Lens Ratio | |
| Lens Shift | |
| Lamp Life | |
| Weight | |
| Warranty | |
Overview
NEC is well known in the business and education world, offering projectors that range from entry-level to high-end large venue models. The first NEC projector I reviewed was a WUXGA (1920×1200) pixel-shifting model with 4K support and great image quality. It even won an award in our Classroom Projectors Report a few years ago. Since then, I’ve had high expectations for NEC projectors—and so far, they haven’t let me down.
This image from Journey to Space shows off the NEC NP-MC382W’s strong color performance.
While the MC382W has WXGA resolution (1280×800)—similar to 720p in the business and education world—it can accept 4K content, and NEC says it’s “fully upgradable to 4K when available.” That adds future-proofing in a fast-changing tech world. With LCD technology and a lamp life of up to 10,000 hours (or 15,000 hours in ECO Mode), it also keeps operating costs low.
The MC382W is designed for easy management, making it a great choice for schools and businesses with multiple projectors. It works with NaViSet Administrator 2, NEC’s free software that lets you control and manage several projectors from one place. It’s also Crestron RoomView compatible, so you can manage a mixed fleet of projectors—even from different brands—with ease.
The NEC NP-MC382W does a great job with skin tones—this photo was taken with the projector in Video Mode.
It’s packed with useful features for presentations, like a multi-presenter function that lets up to 16 devices connect at once, dual VGA inputs for PCs, and PC-Free Presentation via USB. I’m especially a fan of the built-in media player, which I’ll cover more on the next page. It also has a 16-watt speaker, two HDMI ports with HDCP, and optional wireless via a dongle. Let’s check out the highlights now.
Highlights
$999 List Price, $549 Street Price
3,800 Lumens
LCD Technology
WXGA Resolution (1280×800)
20:1 Zoom Ratio
Accepts 4K Content
16,000:1 Contrast Ratio
Long Lamp Life: 10,000 hours (Full Power), 15,000 hours (ECO Mode)
Geometric Correction: Keystone and Cornerstone
Virtual Remote
PC-Free Presenting via USB and On-Board Media Player
MultiPresenter: Connect up to 16 devices wired or wirelessly (wireless requires NP05LM1)
Screen Mirroring for iOS and Android
Built-in Software: NaViSet Administrator 2 and Crestron RoomView
16-Watt Mono Speaker
Star Student Education Program: Special pricing for schools
Great Warranty: 3 years parts & labor with InstaCare next-day exchange, 1 year on lamp