NEC M311X Projector - A Great Mix of Features & Performance

Feature-packed Business Projector

For most business and education users, the number one feature to look out for in a data projector is brightness, because a lot of times, it’s neither possible nor practical to have a darkened room. In fact, some presenters rather have all the lights turned on, so that they can maintain eye contact with their audience. The NEC M311X (the exact model number for those interested: NP-M311XG) that we’ve here fits the bill to a T with its 3,100 lumens maximum light output. A 3LCD projector with a native XGA resolution (that’s 1,024 x 768 pixels), it’s also equipped with a generous 1.7x zoom lens and an HDMI video input.

Now, for those keeping track of NEC's projector lineup, you’ll notice that the M311X is very similar to the M300X announced in late 2010. Indeed, NEC has retained most of M300X’s specs on its successor, and tweaked a few areas to better target would-be buyers. For one, the newer M311X’s headline 3,100-lumen brightness is slightly higher than the M300X’s 3,000 lumens. Also, contrast ratio (full on/off) has improved to 3,000:1 (from 2,000:1). But perhaps more significant is the fact that the same NP15LP lamp now last 66% longer under Eco mode. According to NEC, the average length of time for the lamp brightness to drop by half with Eco mode enabled is now 10,000 hours; previously, it was 6,000. With Eco mode disabled, the average time span remains at 5,000 hours, which is still very long. (4000 hours is pretty much the standard for a 3000-lumen data projector these days.)

Before we dive into the useability and performance aspects, here are some other notable features of the M311X:

Simple to Use, Yet Highly Customizable

From a ‘cold’ power-up, it can take as fast as 30 seconds for the image to appear on the screen. During our testing, it typically took another minute to reach the set brightness and the fully ready state (which you can tell when the blue power indicator no longer blinks). If you need to adjust the height of the image, there’s a tilt foot (controlled by a lever) at the front edge of the unit; two extendable feet are situated toward the rear for adjusting the left and right tilt. There’s no need to worry about vertical keystone correction as the projector is configured to do it automatically (for up to ±30 degrees). However, unlike many of Epson’s business projectors which have a slider control on the device for doing horizontal keystone correction, there’s no easy way to do it on the NEC M311X. Yes, it’s possible, but you need to use the Image Express Utility Lite (IEU Lite) software on your computer. Alas, the Geometric Correction Tool in this software only supports Windows.

By default, the projector remembers the last video input source used, and attempts to use it again the next time. If it can’t detect the signal from the terminal it thinks you’re using, a message will appear on the screen asking you to check the connection. If you’re using a different input, what you need to do is to hit the Source button once for the projector to cycle through the inputs to detect the signal automatically. Expectedly, this default-to-last-used-input behavior is ideal if everyone is using the same connection to hook up to the projector (say, VGA out from a laptop). But if you’re always switching sources, we recommend going into the menu and change the 'Default Source Select' setting to 'Auto'. This tells the projector to search for an active input and display the first signal it finds.

Now, if you’re looking for the quickest way to turn on the projector, you've two options. One is to enable the ‘Direct Power On’ setting; the other is to enable the ‘Auto Power On (Comp1)’ setting. The former turns on the projector automatically when power is applied; the latter does the same thing when it detects a computer signal at the first VGA input.

With the M311X, you can simply yank the power cord to turn it off. Even when it’s powered off normally via the power button on the remote or the projector cabinet, there’s no need to wait for it to cool down before packing it into the bag. If you’re looking for a portable projector, these are good time-saving features to have.

Speaking of useful features, remember earlier we saw that the M311X has two different types of USB ports at the back? The one at the extreme left is a Type A USB port that accepts a USB flash memory device. Through the projector’s Viewer function, you can project image files stored on the drive. This means that you can do a presentation sans a computer. But there’s a caveat: The viewer only recognizes JPEG files. To minimize the inconvenience, NEC provides a piece of software (Viewer PPT Converter 3.0) to convert PowerPoint files into JPEG files.

To the right of the LAN port is a Type B USB port. Used in conjunction with the Image Express Utility Lite software, it lets you project images via a USB cable instead of a VGA cable. With this USB Display function, you can power on or off the projector and do source selection directly from the computer. In addition, you can control your computer’s mouse using the projector’s remote control. You can scroll, advance a slide, move the mouse cursor, and even perform left and right-click actions. The bad news however is that both USB Display and remote mouse are Windows-only features.

Regarding network connectivity, the M311X has a RJ-45 port, so you can connect a LAN cable from your router or access point directly to it. The usual fare of LAN settings such as DHCP, IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and auto DNS options can be found in the menu. Projector control over a network is also possible via an Internet browser (using an HTTP server function). Alternatively, you can use the bundled PC Control Utility Pro software to operate the projector from the computer. For projecting an image over a wired or wireless LAN (the latter requires the optional NP02LM2 USB wireless LAN unit which costs S$129), Image Express Utility Lite is the go-to software. One noteworthy feature here is the Easy Connection profile, which is available when you're doing a wireless connection. This mode attempts to simplify network settings and connect the computer to the projector automatically.

Performance Matters

Thanks to the 1.7x zoom ratio (the lens is non-powered), the M311X offers a great deal of placement flexibility. Most of our tests were done on a 120-inch screen, which was easily achieved at a lens-to-screen distance of about 3.3m. For those of you intending to use it in a small cubicle, a modest 25-inch projection can be had as long you give it a minimum throwing distance of 0.65m.

If you’re using a VGA cable, you can press the ‘Auto Adj.’ button (present on both the projector cabinet and remote control) to let the projector optimize the image automatically. Now, while we always recommend using a proper projection screen, due to venue constraints (maybe you’re doing a presentation in a fancy restaurant), that’s not always possible. If you’re projecting on a surface that’s not white, colors will turn out incorrect. For a quick adaptive color correction, you can turn to the wall color correction presets in the setup menu; a total of nine presets are available, from blackboard to pink.

The M311X has a rated maximum brightness of 3,100 lumens. To get this level of light output, you’ve to be in High-Bright mode. Besides High-Bright, there are six other preset modes: Presentation, Video, Movie, Graphics, sRGB, and DICOM Sim. Most of these presets are self explanatory based on their names, save for DICOM Sim. Short for DICOM Simulation, this mode is geared for users who need to show accurate medical diagnostic images, such as monochrome digital X-rays, CAT and MRI scans.

If you want to nail down the best possible color and detail, there are a wealth of image parameters you can tweak. These include gamma correction, color temperature, white balance (by adjusting the contrast and brightness of each primary color), contrast (dynamic contrast using the built-in iris has a separate setting), brightness, sharpness, and hue. If your sources support it, the projector can also do closed captioning: this aids comprehension for the hearing-impaired, and is also useful for noisy environments like a trade show.

There’s no doubt that the M311X is a very bright projector. If you need the brightest possible image, besides engaging High-Bright mode, we suggest that you use the lens at the wide-angle end. That’s because light output will drop as you magnify the image. Of course, this isn’t unique to the M311X; it’s the same with all projectors. Thankfully, even at the furthest end, brightness didn’t dip a lot (about 22%). For a projector with a 1.7x zoom ratio, this was an excellent showing. Overall, screen uniformity was very good too. Typical of data projectors of this class, there was light drop off at the corners which resulted in slightly softer details (compared to the center of the image), but one would be hard pressed to notice it under normal circumstances.

Be it an analog or a digital input, the M311X had no problem dealing with a 1080p signal. Over an analog RGB connection, the maximum signal resolution it supports is WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200 pixels). With an HDMI connection, image quality was excellent. Expectedly, we saw none of the jitter than occasionally appeared when we used the VGA input. For data, we saw sharp text right down to 8pt Arial. Colors were well-saturated too. At about two meters away from the screen, we could see the pixel structure; this is in large part due to the projector’s relatively low resolution and its LCD nature. If that bothers you, trying sitting about twice the width of the image away from the screen.

Video performance was commendable too. There was slight detail crushing in shadow areas, but to be fair, the M311X was never meant to be a home theater or multimedia projector. That said, skin tones and foliage appeared natural. The slightly muted colors also lent well to movies. If you’re using an HDMI input and your source supports it, enabling the Enhanced video level setting may help in expanding black levels. The built-in 10W monaural speaker was pretty loud too, and should be sufficient for most small to medium-size boardrooms. To bring audio quality up a notch, you can use the audio out jack at the back to hook up to external speakers. In short, for non-critical video watching (for example, playing a YouTube video during a presentation, or an educational DVD in the classroom), the M311X has more than enough chops to handle it.

NEC M311X: A Great Mix of Features and Performance

There's a lot to like about the NEC M311X. First and foremost, from a features point of view, it ticks most of our check boxes. It has a plethora of video input options - HDMI, VGA (two, no less), S-Video, composite - you name it. Yes, it doesn’t have a DVI input, but that’s a connection that’s being dropped in favor of HDMI in most data projectors today anyway. If you really need to connect the M311X to a computer with a DVI port, the easiest way is to get a HDMI-to-DVI cable or adapter.

If you want to monitor and control the M311X over a LAN, the built-in RJ-45 port and the HTTP server function have you covered. It’s nice that you can receive lamp replacement and error messages via email. An RS-232C serial port (NEC calls it a PC Control port) is also thrown in for good measure. For users who prefer a unified management system for multiple projectors, the projector supports Crestron RoomView too. In addition, if you hate cables like we do, you can setup the projector for a wireless LAN connection. But you’ll need the USB wireless LAN module, which adds a further S$129 to the cost. Don’t mistaken this for a knock on the M311X; many projectors in this class don’t even have such an option.

The M311X has several nice little touches and tools that earned it a few brownie points when it comes to usability and versatility. For example, labels along the edge on top of the projector give you an idea of the positions for the topmost row of connectors. This is helpful if you can’t get to the rear of the projector to plug in a cable, and have to feel your way around. The built-in lens cover that mutes the audio and video when you close it is very convenient too. To be clear, this feature has been on NEC projectors for many years now, and sometimes we wonder what’s stopping the others from copying it. If your computer is connected to the projector via a VGA cable, a serial cable, or over a LAN, you can also install the Virtual Remote Tool utility so that you can perform operations such as powering the projector on or off and switching of the signal right from the computer.

Then there’s the nifty Geometric Correction Tool in the Image Express Utility Lite software that lets you correct image distortion even when the surface isn’t flat. Unfortunately, this, the USB Display, and the remote mouse functions aren’t supported on the Mac. An on-projector horizontal keystone correction control (like the manual slider found on many Epson data projectors) would be nice too. And lest we forget, if you’ve an iOS device, you can use the free Wireless Image Utility app to project stored images and documents over a wireless LAN. We’re happy to find that the app is iOS 6 ready and is optimized for the iPhone 5’s longer 4-inch screen.

Image quality-wise, our M311X test unit handled both data and video very well. The high brightness and the 1.7x zoom ratio offer tremendous flexibility, whether you’re using it as a fixed conference room projector or as a portable projector that travels with you. Furthermore, if you can live with the reduced brightness under Eco mode, the lamp can last for as long as 10,000 hours. By the way, a replacement lamp costs S$375. All that said, at 2.9kg, the M311X isn’t what we’d call light. As with previous times, NEC throws in a soft carrying case in the box - however, it has little to no padding.

All in all, we highly recommend the M311X. It offers arguably the best mix of features and performance in its class. There are two projectors that come close to matching it. One of which is the Sony VPL-EX245, which costs S$1,190. With things like 3,200 lumens brightness, 1.6x zoom ratio, HDMI, dual VGA inputs, USB media viewer, and 16W monaural speaker, its feature-set rivals the M311X. However, Sony only rates the lamp at 3,000 hours at the High lamp mode, and it’s a good 1kg heavier than the M311X.

And believe it or not, the other projector is NEC’s very own M300X of 2010. Indeed, if the improvements of the M311X over the M300X (mainly slightly higher brightness, better contrast ratio, longer lamp life) don’t interest you, the latter is a great alternative if you can find it at a heavily discounted price. For the record, the M300X had a launch price of S$1,599; fast forward two years, the new M311X has a price tag of S$1,299.

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