ZOOM Function on Front Projectors (1 Viewer)

[Rutgar]

I just bought a Sanyo PLV-Z2 LCD projector. When I get ready to set it up, is better to position the projector so that the minimum zoom is being used (further away from the screen), or where the maximum zoom is being used (closer to the screen). Or, in the middle somewhere? Or, does it not make any difference in the brightness/picture quality, no matter where the zoom is set?

- Rutgar

 

[NickSo]

A smaller picture will be ever so slightly brighter (same amount of light concentrated in a smaller area), and you'll get less screen door...

However, the overal image quality will not degrade because the zoom is an optical zoom.

If you're happy with what its at, just set it to the max or minimum... However some people like to have the peace of mind that they have some leeway to zoom when they have their zoom in the middle of the zoom range

 

[Neil Joseph]

It is better to set the projector further away from the screen and use zoom to size correctly than it is to position the projector closer to the screen. The reason is, the closer the projector is to the screen, the more likely you are to get a hotspot in the middle of the screen. The further back the projector is from the screen, the more evenly dispersed the light is on the screen.

FYI, hot spotting will show up as a bright centre in the image gradually fading out to dim edges on the image.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

To add on to what Neil said, also, when you're fully zoomed out (far as possible), the image is being thrown through the center of the lens, the best quality part of it, just like on a camera lens.

Not related to the picture quality is the noise. Farther back the projector is, the less the noise interferes with the movie experience.