— Projector Throw · Home cinema
BenQ X3100i throw distance & placement — 120-inch
Problem. A BenQ X3100i owner planning a 120-inch 16:9 image needs to know how much room the projector's zoom lens actually needs, and how much slack that lens gives for a mount or shelf that isn't in the perfect spot.
Answer. For a 120-inch 16:9 screen (2.66 m wide), the BenQ X3100i's 1.15-1.5:1 zoom lens throws from 3.06 m to 3.99 m. That is roughly a metre of usable placement range — the projector can sit close to 3 m from the screen or further back near 4 m and still fill the same image.
02 / In depth
How this preset reads — the engineering view.
The X3100i uses a zoom lens rather than a fixed-ratio lens, which means the same 120-inch image can be hit from a range of distances rather than one exact spot. Across its 1.15-1.5:1 throw ratio, that range is 3.06 m to 3.99 m for this screen size — useful when the ceiling joist, shelf, or rear-wall position isn't negotiable.
At 3300 lumens, the X3100i suits a room with some light control rather than one that is fully dark or fully bright — curtains drawn in the evening, or a dedicated media room with modest ambient spill. Its native panel is 3840x2160, and the 4LED light source is the detail worth knowing before buying: it is not a lamp (no bulb replacement cycle) and not a single-phosphor laser, so brightness and colour behaviour follow the LED engine's own characteristics rather than either of those.
From this preset, drag the screen-size slider up or down and watch the throw-distance band move with it — larger screens push both ends of the 3.06-3.99 m range further out, smaller screens pull them in. The 1.3x zoom multiplier stays constant, so the width of the placement band scales with distance.
The calculator settles the geometry — throw distance versus screen size — and stops there. It does not account for screen gain or material, ambient-light rejection coatings, the physical mount or shelf hardware, lens shift (if the specific unit offers it), or any part of the audio system in the room. Those remain separate decisions once the throw envelope is confirmed.
What this preset deliberately does not solve
- The 3.06-3.99 m range assumes a 120-inch 16:9 screen exactly; other screen sizes shift both numbers.
- 3300 lumens is a specification figure, not a guarantee of image brightness in every room — ambient light and screen gain both move the perceived result.
- Zoom range covers throw distance only; it says nothing about lens shift, keystone correction, or mounting offset for this unit.
How this preset differs from its siblings
The home-theatre-120in sibling preset is built around a longer-throw premium 4K HDR projector at roughly a 1.5:1 ratio with a single-distance answer near 4 m. The X3100i's 1.15-1.5:1 zoom is wider and shorter overall, so its 120-inch throw band starts a metre closer to the screen at 3.06 m — a meaningfully different placement conversation for rooms where the projector has to sit nearer the screen. Its 3300-lumen, 4LED specification also sits in a different brightness-and-light-source class from higher-lumen laser fixtures, which is why this model gets its own preset rather than sharing the generic home-cinema one.
03 / Hydrated calculator
Try the configuration — live.
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