Sanyo PLC-XD2200 DLP Data Projector - Physical Tour
5-24-10 -Mike Rollett
|
|
 |
Physical Tour
The Sanyo PLC-XD2200 has a clean, simple appearance. Starting with the front panel, the lens is recessed on the left side of the front face, which keeps it protected even without its lens cap (which, like many projectors, can be tethered to the projector). Just behind the lens, in a recess in the top of the projector, are zoom and focus adjustment rings. There is an IR receiving eye just to the left of the lens. To the right of the lens are two stacked air intake vents. The bottom intake vent also houses a removable filter on the bottom of the projector, which slides out from the front. There is one front height adjustment foot in the center with the usual push-button release. Fine height adjustments are made by screwing the foot in or out. Unfortunately, there no adjustment feet in the rear, so table mounting should be on a fairly level surface.
Moving to the top of the projector, facing it from the front, there is a cover in the right rear for accessing the lamp. This makes for easy lamp replacement if the projector is ceiling mounted, as you wouldn’t have to unmount the projector to replace the lamp. In the left rear corner is a control panel with the normally used functions, including indicators for power on, lamp status and for warning of projector problems (like overheating). There are buttons for Power, Auto Setup (which includes Input Search, Auto PC adjustment and Auto Keystone). These are followed by buttons to bring up and select from the on-screen menu, as well as menu navigation (Up, Down, Left, Right) buttons. The Left and Right menu navigation buttons also function as Volume Down and Up respectively.
The only thing on the left side (again facing the front of the projector), toward the front, is the built-in one-watt speaker. On the right side, toward the front, are the power cord connector (a somewhat odd place for one), as well as two heat exhaust vents and a screw for removing the lamp cover.
Moving to the rear panel, starting at the left, there are two more heat exhaust vents. Just right of that are an RS-232 port (for computer control of the projector) and a Kensington lock, followed by two computer input terminals. The first input can also serve as an input for component video and S-video (with appropriate adapters – not included) and the second input also doubles as a monitor output when not in use as an input. Continuing on, there are stereo audio inputs, a single PC audio input, a composite video input and an audio output (which is adjustable for output volume level from the remote). Finally, there is a LAN jack for a network connection. Below that is another air intake vent with a slide-out dust filter.
It should be noted that although the lamp cover is well placed on the top of the projector, the two dust filters (one on the bottom that slides out toward the front and the second on the rear panel that slides out along the rear) may be difficult to remove if the projector’s ceiling mounted. As the filters need to be removed for cleaning much more often than the lamp needs to be replaced, this is something to consider if you plan on ceiling mounting the PLC-XD2200.Sanyo PLC-XD2200 Remote Control
The PLC-XD2200’s remote control is a small, white remote with gray buttons (except for the Power button which is a bright red). Buttons are appropriately grouped and cover many of the important functions without accessing them through the menu. For example, while many projector remotes allow for scrolling through the various inputs, the PLC-XD2200 remote allows the user to individually selecting each video input. Also, scrolling through image modes and switching lamp mode can be performed on the remote. There are also buttons for Auto Setup, image blanking and freezing, audio volume and mute, digital zoom, info, P-timer and keystone correction.
As is the norm with multimedia projectors, the buttons are not backlit or even glow-in-the-dark, as backlighting can often be distracting. With a remote this small and as simple as the PLC-XD220 is to operate, there is no problem using the remote in darkened rooms.Sanyo PLC-XD2200 Setup & Menus
Setup of the PLC-XD2200 is quick and easy. As with many projectors in the PLC-XD2200’s class, zoom range is limited. So, unless you’re using the projector on a movable cart, you’ll need to consult the user guide to find out how far the projector needs to be from your particular screen. Although the lack of rear height adjustment feet necessitates are fairly level surface (when table mounting), the image height can be quickly adjusted with the front adjustment foot. If the front height adjustment is not extreme, the auto-keystoning feature makes will square the image to the screen with minimal edge distortion. We typically recommend that if you have to use keystone adjustment, you should keep it to a minimum to avoid unwanted picture distortion and the PLC-XD2200 is no exception. That being said, the auto keystone feature in the PLC-XD2200 certainly comes in handy for quick setup and works quite well.
Bringing up the menu, the user goes to Image Select to choose the desired image mode and then to Image Adjust to make the usual adjustments (contrast, brightness, color and tint) to the picture. Unlike many projectors in this class, there is an expanded range of adjustments available to the user in any image mode (except Blackboard or Colorboard). These include a choice of four different color temperatures, white balance (red, green and blue) and gamma. While many users may not have a need for these adjustments, they can come in handy presenting images with dark scenes (where the gamma control can improve shadow detail) or with whites that look too red, blue or green (color temp and white balance). All of the settings can be stored in any one of four User modes, allowing the presenter to select a mode that fits best with his or her particular presentation. This level of control is not often seen in this class of projector, and is a welcome feature of the PLC-XD2200.
If you’re not using a screen, the PLC-XD2200 has settings for a variety of surfaces. In addition to the usual Blackboard setting, there are also color profiles for Red, Blue, Yellow and Green surfaces. This allows for better color balance with any surface.
