NEC LT240K LCD projector review

The NEC LT240K is a DLP based XGA LCD projector. This is basically a business projector that performs very well as a home theatre projector. The NEC LT240K has a very nice 2000:1 contrast ratio but does not have a native 16:9 format which may or may not appeal to you.

NEC LT240K LCD projector
Native 4:3 1024 by 768 LCD projector will display wide screen movies with black bars at the top and bottom

With a street price well under $2500 this LCD projector will appeal to those with a little extra money to spend and high performance on their mind.

The NEC LT240K LCD projector, XGA power

We were very impressed with the performance of this LCD projector. I actually prefer native 4:3 designs over wide screen projectors because I use them for computer games and television. On such a large image the black bars at the top and bottom of a movie don't really bother me but I can see why they would bother some people.

The NEC LT240K gives you control over a huge range of settings so you can dial in the perfect picture. In addition to preset color temperature and gamma settings for presentation, graphics, video and movies there are four user customizable settings as well. You have the ability to adjust gamma and perform color correction via independent red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow controls. You can also set color temperature from 5000 to 10,000 degrees at reasonably precise.

Deinterlacing and scaling for both standard and HDTV was average but clean. We would suggest you use the 480p input if your DVD player supports it. The composite video input is the least satisfying of the inputs and should be avoided due to the limitations of this signal. S-video is better, but should also be avoided if you have a component video source available.

Progressive scan input from DVD produced the stunning, sharp, beautifully scaled image that highlight the importance of using this input with large high resolution displays.

The contrast is definitely this LCD projector's string point. The NEC LT240K delivers solid black levels and very nice contrast to produce a very clear and satisfying image. Theoretically the use of an RGBW color wheel reduces color saturation but the color saturation, while not as deep as it is on other DLP projectors with six-segment RGB-RGB wheels, is quite still good.

Since the LT240K has a 4-segment, 2x speed color wheel, there is a possibility that you with perceive the "rainbow" artifacts that some people can detect. This can occur due to the sequential updating of red, green, and blue as the color wheel spins, such that you see a breakout of red, blue, and green on the screen.

Here are the specifications:

Projector Technology: DLP
Brightness (in Lumens): 2000
Contrast Ratio: 2000:1
Maximum Native Resolution: 1024x768 (XGA 4:3)
Estimated Lamp Lifespan: 2000 hours
Inputs: Composite, S-Video, Component, VGA (with pass through)
Replacement Bulb Cost $300.00

NEC LT240K LCD projector very nice 4:3 action

Overall we were very impressed with this LCD projector. If you don't need a native 16:9 projector and you subscribe to the "contrast is king" theory then you will be very happy with the NEC LT240K.

However at over $2000 you definitely pay a price premium for a XGA LCD projector and unless you really want the high resolution you could save a lot of money and go for SVGA design like the Dell 2200MP.