Physical Tour
The Sharp PG-D3510X has its lens offset to the right side of the projector when facing it. The lens sits in a notch where the front and top panels meet. There is a manual, sliding lens cover that protects the lens when not in use and also provides video and audio mute (AV Mute) when the projector is in operation. If the cover is left closed for more than 30 seconds, the projector automatically turns off. AV Mute can also be accessed from the remote without closing the cover and also allows for display of a blank screen or alternate screen (such as company logo). This is a feature we’ve seen on other projectors, allowing for a pause for questions during a presentation. On top of the lens are tabbed rings for adjusting lens focus and zoom. There is an IR receiving eye on the bottom right corner of the front panel and a push button for releasing the front height adjustment foot in the center. Fine height adjustments can be made by turning the foot. There is also one screw foot in the rear, right (as you’re facing the rear) corner of the PG-D3510X for adjusting the rear height.
On top of the projector, right in the center, toward the rear, is a control panel with the most oft-used functions, plus indicators for power on, lamp status and temperature (if overheating). There are buttons for Standby/On, Input Up/Down (which also serve as Menu Up/Down buttons), Menu, Navigation (Up, Down, Left, Right and Enter) and Auto Sync. The Left/Right menu navigation buttons also function for Volume Up/Down.
On the left side (again facing the front of the projector), toward the rear, is the exhaust vent. On the right side are the built-in speaker and air intake vent. Access to the lamp is on the bottom of the projector. While this necessitates removal of the projector if it’s ceiling mounted, it is unlikely that a projector this portable would be installed in a fixed location, making this less of an issue.
Moving to the rear panel, starting at the top left, there is a LAN jack for a network connection. Below that is the power cord jack. Moving across the top from left to right, there is an RS-232C input for computer control of the projector and a USB jack that, when connected to a computer, enables the projector’s remote to act as a mouse. Next are an audio output jack, monitor output terminal, audio input jack and computer input terminal. Finally, there are inputs for S-video, composite video and stereo audio, as well as a Kensington lock and security bar.
Sharp PG-D3510X Remote Control
The PG-D3510X’s remote control is a small, straightforward approach that is fairly easy to use. Buttons are appropriately grouped and cover all the important functions without accessing them through the menu. There are buttons for displaying an on-screen pointer, image auto sync and freeze, AV mute, picture resize and changing to 3D mode. Of special note are buttons that, when the projector is connected to a computer via USB, can act as a mouse. There are also buttons to control the projector’s 7-watt built-in sound volume
The buttons are not backlit or even glow-in-the-dark, but that is not unusual for this class of projector, where backlighting can often be distracting. That being said, I would have preferred at least making some of them glow-in-the-dark, as some of the buttons are quite small and difficult to locate by touch in a darkened room.
Sharp PG-D3510X Setup & Menus
Setting up the PG-D3510X is quite simple. When first turned on, a Setup Guide appears on the screen, instructing the user how to focus the image, adjust the height of the projector and zoom the image to fill the screen. This, of course, is pretty standard stuff, but it may be some help to the first-time projector user. For anyone else, or for future use, the setup guide can be turned off in the regular menu.
Once setup, pressing the “Menu” button takes the user to a Quick Start menu. This menu will automatically search for a live input and allow the user to change the displayed resolution, resize the image, apply keystone correction, change the lamp to “Eco+Quiet” mode (low power) and change the language used. From there, you can select “Go To Complete Menu” to access the rest of the PG-D3510X settings. Like the Setup Guide, the Quick Start menu can be turned off so that pushing the “Menu” button will take you directly to the complete menu.
Once in the complete menu, the user can select the desired picture mode and make the usual adjustments (contrast, brightness, color and tint) to the picture. It should be noted that the PG-D3510X differs from most of the projectors in its class by offering a full CMS (color management system) for individual adjustment of each of the projector’s primary (red, green and blue) and secondary (cyan, magenta and yellow) colors. While fairly common on more expensive home theater projectors, this level of control is unusual for business/education projectors, even more so at the price point of the PG-D3510X.
