Projector brands and models supported
The calculator carries verified specifications for 28 projector models across 15 brands. Every record cites the manufacturer datasheet URL with a retrieval date.
- AWOL Vision: LTV-3500 Pro
- Barco: F90-4K13, G62-W14
- BenQ: HT3550, V5000i, LK936ST
- Christie: Crimson HD30, 4K10-HS
- Epson: EH-LS12000B, EH-LS800B
- Formovie: Theater
- Hisense: PX2-PRO
- JVC: DLA-NZ9, DLA-NZ8, DLA-NP5
- LG: HU915QE, HU810PW
- Optoma: UHD55, CinemaX P2
- Panasonic: PT-RZ970, PT-RZ34K
- Samsung: LSP9T
- Sony: VPL-XW7000ES, VPL-XW5000ES
- ViewSonic: PX747-4K, LS920WU
- XGIMI: Horizon Ultra, Aura
Supported screen aspect ratios
- 16:9 (HDTV / UHD) — The HDTV and UHD standard. Default for streaming, broadcast and most modern home-cinema content.
- 16:10 (Business / Data) — Standard for office projectors and laptop output. Vertically taller than 16:9, useful for slide content.
- 4:3 (Legacy / Education) — Legacy aspect for older SD content and many education classrooms with whiteboard mounts.
- 1.85:1 (Academy Widescreen) — Academy flat / DCI widescreen. The most common theatrical exhibition ratio for non-anamorphic films.
- 2.35:1 (CinemaScope) — Classic anamorphic CinemaScope. Used for films released before the DCI shift to 2.39 / 2.40.
- 2.39:1 (Anamorphic / DCI Scope) — Modern DCI anamorphic / scope ratio. Default for premium home cinemas with motorised masking.
- 2.40:1 (Modern Anamorphic) — Used interchangeably with 2.39:1 in current cinema delivery. Slightly wider on rounding.
- 21:9 (UltraWide) — PC UltraWide / sim-racing format. Approximate 2.33:1 — close to but not identical to CinemaScope.
Projector Throw Calculator — Engineering-grade, Multi-brand, Multi-aspect
— Calculator · projector throw
Throw distance, visualised.
Pick a brand, model, screen aspect and image size. Throw range, lens shift envelope, viewing distance, pixel density and feasibility flags resolve in real time. Sources cited per model.
Throw distance range
3.80 m – 6.07 m
projector → screen
Image size
2.81 m × 1.18 m
2.39:1 · 120″ diag
SMPTE viewing
5.25 m
THX 4.33 m
- model
- Sony VPL-XW7000ES
- throw ratio
- 1.35 – 2.16 : 1
- lens shift
- H ±36% · V ±85%
- native panel
- 3840 × 2160 · 16:9
- lumens
- 3,200 ANSI
- engine
- SXRD · laser
- pixel density
- 35 PPI · 128 PPD
Reference SXRD with native 4K. Strong lens shift makes off-axis ceiling mounting straightforward. Best in a treated room with controlled ambient.
Feasibility
Native 16:9 panel will letterbox the 2.39:1 image — vertical pixels unused unless paired with anamorphic lens or zoom-shift memory.
· Engineering advisory · Projector Throw
What the throw maths actually predicts about the room.
The calculator answers 'where does the projector sit'. The engineering layers underneath — light output, lens choice, mount discipline, screen pairing and lifecycle — turn that answer into a room that performs at year ten the way it performs at handover.
Deployment observations
- Throw ratio is not a single number — it is a range across the lens zoom. The Sony VPL-XW7000ES at 1.35-2.16 gives a 4.6m room real placement flexibility for a 130″ screen; a fixed-throw UST gives one (precise) answer. Specify the lens envelope before the room is finalised, not after; retrofitting a longer-throw projector into a closet that was sized for a UST is expensive.
- Lens shift is the most under-appreciated optical specification. A premium SXRD/D-ILA with ±100% vertical shift can ceiling-mount well above the screen centre without geometric distortion; a budget 4K projector with 0% shift forces the mount onto the screen's perpendicular axis or accepts digital keystone correction (which throws away pixels). The lens-shift envelope determines whether a ceiling-mounted projector can be discreet or visually intrusive.
- Pixel density per degree is more honest than 'native resolution' alone. At the SMPTE 30° viewing distance, a 4K projector resolves roughly twice the PPD of a pixel-shifted 1080p projector on the same screen. For a 130″+ screen at <5m viewing distance, native 4K is audible (visible) on bright scenes; below 100″ at 4m+, the delta narrows. The calculator surfaces both PPI and PPD so the choice is informed.
Operational notes
- Screen pairing is half the picture. A 3000-lumen projector on a unity-gain matte-white screen in a treated dark room looks reference-grade. The same projector on a 1.2-gain ALR screen in a living room with controlled lighting is also reference-grade. The same projector in an untreated bright kitchen looks washed out at any size. The calculator's brightness warning surfaces the failure mode before the install.
- Lamp vs laser is a lifecycle decision, not a price decision. A 4,000-hour lamp at one viewing hour per day exhausts in 11 years; a 20,000-hour laser engine at the same usage lasts to 55 years. For frequently-used home cinemas the laser premium pays back inside the first refresh cycle.
Lifecycle implications
- Refresh cadence by light source: lamp projectors refresh on lamp replacement (₹15-40k per replacement plus filter service, typical 4-5 year cycle). Laser-phosphor projectors run 20,000 hours to 50% brightness — at 3 hours/day that's an 18-year curve. Tri-laser RGB engines hold colour gamut longer than laser-phosphor. The calculator flags the light-source type so the lifecycle expectation is set at brief stage.
- Mount infrastructure outlives every projector. A solid ceiling mount, conduit-run HDMI/fibre cable, and a dedicated mains feed with surge protection are 20+ year decisions. The projector itself refreshes 2-3 times across that infrastructure lifetime; plan the room around the mount, not the unit.
· Why it matters
A throw calculator that quotes a single distance for a zoom lens is wrong. A calculator that ignores lens-shift envelope sends mounts to the wrong axis. A calculator that ignores ambient light leaves owners disappointed at handover. This one carries the throw range, the shift envelope, the SMPTE viewing recommendation, the pixel density honesty and a feasibility flag — all per a verified-sourced projector spec. Twelve brands · thirty marquee models · sources cited per model · last verified 2026.
· Frequently asked
Projector throw —
what people ask first.
Why does throw distance show a range instead of a single number?
Because most projector lenses zoom. A Sony VPL-XW7000ES at 1.35-2.16 throw ratio can place a 130″ image anywhere between roughly 3.9m and 6.3m of throw distance. A single-number calculator hides that flexibility and forces an early mount-position decision that may not match the room. Fixed-lens and UST projectors do return a single distance — that's correct for those lenses.
How accurate is the projector database?
Every model carries a citation to the official manufacturer datasheet or product page plus the date that spec was last verified. If we can't cite a primary source, the model doesn't enter the database. v1 carries verified data for 30 marquee models across 14 brands. We re-verify on an annual editorial pass and bump the verifiedAt date.
What if my projector isn't in the list?
Send the model name and the datasheet URL via the contact form — we add verified models in editorial batches. v1 deliberately focuses on the marquee SKUs each brand is currently selling in India; expanding to every variant is a v2 task.
Does the calculator handle anamorphic lenses?
Not in v1. The 2.39 and 2.40 aspect ratios in the dropdown apply to projecting wider images on a 16:9 panel using letterboxing (vertical pixel area unused) or zoom-shift memory. True anamorphic-lens math (where a horizontal lens stretches the image and reclaims the letterbox area) is a v2 feature.
How is the SMPTE/THX viewing distance calculated?
SMPTE recommends a horizontal viewing angle of 30° for cinematic content; THX recommends 36°. Viewing distance = image width ÷ (2 × tan(angle/2)). For a 2.7m wide screen the SMPTE distance lands around 5.0m and THX around 4.2m. Both are surfaced because rooms typically constrain you to one or the other.
· Begin
Building a cinema
or boardroom?
The calculator answers the placement question. The room, screen, mount, audio chain and integration are the conversation. Send the floor plate and we will write back within two working days with a projector and screen pairing matched to the room.