I got a good deal on a Optoma HD70 and now I`m looking for some basics. I checked the archives (no find), so don´t stone me please . . .

When you project the video, what mode do you use: Native, 4:3, 16:9, LBX??

I read a lot about distance and screen-size here and how to calculate it, but when I switch to 4:3 or 16:9 (depending on the source) and zoom in/out, it doesn`t really matter how far the projector is away from the screen - right?? I can get a pretty big picture. So why do I need to calculate anything?

Or am I doing something really wrong here and should I only use the "Native"-mode to get the best quality?

The HD70 is a 720p digital device. If you feed a 720p signal to it you can use NATIVE and it will display at the full 16:9 size it is capable of displaying.

All other HD and widescreen content will need to be displayed in 16x9 mode so the the PJ will scale it to full size.

4:3 content only displays in the center 66% of the screen. Most people leave it alone, but you could use your zoom to make it large but you will need a 4:3 screen to view it on. Most have a 16:9 screen so they don't fool with the zoom dial. For example, I have mine ceiling mounted and set for zoom and focus and will never touch it again. 4:3 is smaller but I don't look at much 4:3 if any.

The hd70 has a 30% image offset, meaning it throws an image above the height of the lens equal to 30% the height of the image thrown. If you are displaying a 92" 16:9 image the height of that image will be 45", so the offset will be about 14". If you set the PJ on a table, the image will start 14" higher than the height of the lens on your display wall and extend up the wall 45". If you mount the PJ high enough the image will appear on the ceiling so you mount it upside down and the image now displays down the wall. There is a menu setting that will flip the image to make it right side up even though it is mounted upside down.

The best distance for placing your HD70 from the screen is 12 to 14 feet. This will allow for a good sized screen and still give you good illumination.

I use 16:9 unless I am watching a 4:3 program then I use 4:3. The zoom is 1.2x so it can make the picture 20% bigger.

Distance calculator helps because you want to sit around 1.5 screen widths away.

Thanks for your quick answers.

I still don`t really get it. When I watch a widescreen-DVD on "Native", I have a really small image. If I put the PJ on 16:9 or 4:3 (which cuts top and bottom) the image is much, much bigger.

Does this mean, I`m losing quality because the PJ is scaling the image? Should I only use "Native" and move the PJ further back to get a bigger picture?

Thanks for your quick answers.

I still don`t really get it. When I watch a widescreen-DVD on "Native", I have a really small image. If I put the PJ on 16:9 or 4:3 (which cuts top and bottom) the image is much, much bigger.

Does this mean, I`m losing quality because the PJ is scaling the image? Should I only use "Native" and move the PJ further back to get a bigger picture?

Your dvd player is outputting 480 not 720 so NATIVE only shows you 480.

You don't need to mess with your zoom or move the PJ, just set the PJ to 16x9 for any content that is not 720p. If you are not sure what that is, just always use 16x9.

Got it!! Thank you very much, reconlabtech!!