Posted on November 12, 2013 By Art Feierman
We recommend you double check the numbers with the manufacturer’s tech support, for accurate lens shift numbers. (At least two of these manufacturers have different information in their brochures, than in their manuals on occaision).
For your convenience, below, the home theater projectors are organized first by price class, then by amount of placement flexibility. The four categories are:
Greatest Placement Flexibility (excellent zoom range, lens shift) Good Placement Flexibility (moderately good zoom range, lens shift) Fair Placement Flexibility (typically limited zoom range, lens shift, there are exceptions) Poor Placement Flexibility (limited zoom range, no lens shift)
None of the projectors listed as Poor can be shelf mounted. Those rated Fair can be shelf mounted, but have very limited range and may not work out in most rooms.
Keep in mind that if you plan to ceiling mount, there isn’t that much difference between the four groups, unless ceiling height is an issue, in which case Poor Placement Flexibility projectors may still be a problem as they lack any lens shift.
The key benefit of ceiling mounting is that you can place the projector closer to the screen which often means a brighter image.
Key benefits of shelf mounting include usually easier to get power to the projector (installation time and cost), less audible noise, easier access, generally simpler to install and align.
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