CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[larryp]

If I bought a bulb projector, How do you fill the picture to fill the screen?

I have a 100" 4:3 screen I'm using right now for a 1272 sony.

If I replaced the 1272 with a bulb pj, can my ceiling mount stay in the same place?

I'm not sure how a bulb projector adjust the picture etc. Thanks

[ecrabb]

Hi Larry,

Digital projectors have an optical zoom control that varies the focal length (which changes the throw distance at a given screen size, or changes the screen size at a given throw distance). Some have a large throw range, while others have very little range.

Most digital projectors need to be placed in a specific location (i.e. screen center, flush with top or bottom of screen), while a few projectors also have horizontal and vertical lens shift controls which also allow some additional flexibility in placement relative to the screen.

Still fewer projectors have both those sets of controls, and motorized controls with memories.

As for your 4:3 screen, opinions vary. Personally, I'm of the opinion that 4:3 is essentially obsolete unless you intended to watch a lot of old TV or really old movies. If you're like most of us and watch a lot of HDTV and/or newer movies, then you watch probably 95% 16:9 or wider aspect ratio material, and you'd want to just set up the digital to light up the screen letterboxed.

Oh, as for whether you could use your existing mount, there are a few projectors that probably could do that. My JVC is just slightly back from where my G70 was, and the projector is so light, you could probably hang it offset a little to increase the throw slightly.

SC

[larryp]

Thank You,

My screen was bought with my projector in the late 90's.

My direct tv has regular & HD channels, so many programs still fill the 4:3 size.

HD won't unless I crop it, which I seldom do.

If I got a bulb pj, I'm sure I'd get a new screen to.