Sanyo PLC-XL50 LCD Projector
Need a really short-throw projector for tight spots? Sanyo’s PLC-XL50 might be the ticket.
Sanyo broke new ground at last year’s InfoComm when they unveiled the PLC-XL50, a short-throw projector that can illuminate an 80-inch (diagonal) screen with a projection throw of just 3.5 inches. Needless to say, it got plenty of interest, although some journalists didn’t notice the actual placement of the projector (flush against the top of the ceiling, right next to the demonstration screen) until it was pointed out to them.
At first glance, you’d probably mistake the XL50 for a stage lighting accessory, or maybe a security camera. Its design is so unlike a conventional projector that the lens opening is halfway down the chassis, not at the end. And that “opening” is actually a narrow slot that measures two inches by five inches, not a traditional lens barrel.
Confusing in appearance? Sure, but not in function. Because the lens is a fixed focal length type, there are no adjustments to make other than a very careful positioning of the projector, which must be as square to the screen as possible in both a horizontal and vertical plane to avoid keystoned image problems.
Out of the Box
The PLC-XL50, at its core, is a 3LCD design with 1024x768 native resolution and a brightness specification of 2,000 lumens. Given its short projection throw (the focal length is 4.83mm), you should see some very bright images in conference rooms and classrooms.
According to Sanyo’s specifications, the projection lens and aspheric mirror assembly work within an ideal projection distance of 1.57 inches to 3.2 inches (measured from the front of the projector housing, not the mirror). Within that range, you should see a maximum variance in projected image diagonal measurements from 60 inches to 80 inches.
A fixed vertical image offset places the bottom of the projected image six inches above the top of the projector, and that was with the PLC-XL50’s housing flush against the screen. That means you’ll need a low cart for mobile/tabletop projection and a fairly tall screen. For ceiling (inverted) projection, this offset is sufficient to allow flush mounting of the projector where wall and ceiling meet.
Inputs, Outputs, and Controls
The connector panel includes composite and S-video inputs, component video jacks, and a pair of 15-pin VGA connectors for PC signals. One of those connectors doubles as a monitor loop-through. There’s also a two-watt audio amplifier on board, with two stereo RCA jacks and one mini (1/8-inch) phone jack to drive it. Unfortunately, you won’t find any DVI or HDMI connectors on this projector, which is surprising considering how common they are on everything from desktop computers to DVD players.
Sanyo provides a full set of controls on a secondary housing that sits at right angles to the front of the projector. The supplied remote control has a simple button layout, with two master inputs (computer and video), plus digital zoom and keystone correction, freeze image, auto image setup, lamp mode control, and image/audio mute.
Sanyo has also provided a security feature on this projector. Four pushbuttons on the connector panel can be set up as an access code upon powering up. If the projector’s AC power cord is removed and the correct PIN is not entered, an alarm will sound (it’s powered by an internal rechargeable battery).
Image Settings
In addition to the basic image adjustments, there are five image presets built in to the PLC-XL50. The first three are Dynamic, Standard, and Real, and there’s little difference between them other than changes in color temperature and slight changes in brightness. You can make your own image tweaks and save up to four combinations of them in the User image adjustment memory slots.
The remaining two settings are intriguing. The first (Blackboard) is actually intended for use with greenboards. This selection drops the projector’s color temperature into the mid-5000K range to compensate for the greenish cast. (And no, you won’t find a corollary “Greenboard” setting for use with blackboards.)
The next setting—Colorboard—corrects for four different board tints or paint colors including warm beige, blue-gray, dark amber, and light green. Once again, the PLC-XL50’s color temperature warms up or cools down to compensate for the color shift these different surfaces will create. You’d be surprised at how well these corrections work.
Performance
The super short throw of this projector caused me some difficulties in taking accurate measurements of its performance. After I figured out a way to get the measurements, I calculated brightness at 2129 ANSI lumens, slightly exceeding the Sanyo specification. I took this reading with the lamp operating normally—selecting lamp Low mode dropped brightness by about 20% to 1725 lumens.
ANSI (average) contrast came in at 190:1, while the highest peak contrast reading measured 261:1. I was surprised to see brightness uniformity as high as it was, given the extremely short projection throw. I measured 78% to the average corner and 70% to the worst corner, with a maximum color temperature shift across the screen at 397 degrees. It’s obvious that a lot of thought and care went into this challenging projector design.
Projection Issues and Performance
As mentioned earlier, the PLC-XL50’s lens is a varifocal type, so the range of focus adjustment is very limited. You’ve got to be within Sanyo’s recommended projection distance to achieve crisp focus. If not, then images will overshoot the screen and you’ll need to shrink them with the digital zoom control.
If you plan to install the PLC-XL50, make absolutely sure the screen surface and lens are in the same optical plane and level to each other. There are leveling legs at the front of the projector to correct for some tilt if you’ve placed the projector atop a cart or a low table. Keystone correction is limited to a digital keystone adjustment.
There is a limited image focus adjustment in the form of a lever along the side of the housing, just to the right of the input connector board. The range of this adjustment is limited to tweaks of critical focus once you’ve positioned the projector as precisely as you can.
Focus consistency on a pull-down screen was not great. Even minor ripples in the screen surface will result in soft text and images. However, projecting on a wall or a rigid screen greatly improves edge-to-edge focus, provided the projector is level and positioned at a true 90-degree angle to the wall.
Image quality was very good with a mix of standard-definition video and HDTV, plus desktop spreadsheet and PowerPoint graphics. This projector has a 4:3 native aspect ratio, so any widescreen video content (480p, 720p, 1080i) will appear letterboxed. In addition to HDTV compatibility, the PLC-XL50 does an excellent job scaling PC signals over a wide range of image resolutions 640x480 (VGA) to 1600x1200 (UXGA).
Conclusion
Sanyo’s PLC-XL50 fits a real need in the market. It’s a versatile performer that overcomes most projection space limitations but doesn’t sacrifice brightness. Users have to get used to positioning the projector carefully to avoid keystoned images, just like the old days with overhead projectors. The lack of any digital video interfaces is a drawback, though.
Product Specifications
Pete Putman heads ROAM Consulting LLC based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. In addition, Putman maintains HDTVexpert.com, a fast-growing website that covers digital TV, HDTV, and display technologies.
