Auto focus adjusts the lens for the wall distance, and full auto keystone corrects the picture's vertical shape. Neither is perfect on an uneven wall, so one visual check still matters.
Auto focus and full auto keystone look like magic when a picture snaps into place in a few seconds. Underneath, they are two separate jobs with two separate limits. One moves the lens so the image is sharp at the distance to the wall. The other reshapes the picture so its edges are square. Neither can see the wall as a whole, and each works from a simplified picture of what is in front of the lens. Knowing where each one stops is what makes the set-up predictable.
Auto focus adjusts the lens for the distance to the wall, and full auto keystone corrects the shape of the picture when the projector is tilted. Neither is perfect on an uneven wall, so one visual check still matters. Both features are built into the Wanbo X5S, which costs R6,899 including VAT.
The focus locks to one distance, so a wall 2.8 metres from the lens is sharp across its full 2.2-metre width only when it sits square to the lens.
A projector lens focuses on a single plane, the one at the set distance from the lens. The wall should sit on that plane, so the picture is sharp across its width. Auto focus works out the distance and moves the lens to match. On a flat wall at right angles to the lens, that is all it needs to do, and the whole picture comes into focus together.
The trouble starts when the wall is not on that plane across its width. A projector tilted up or down puts the top of the picture at a different distance from the lens than the bottom. The lens can focus at only one distance at a time, so one part of the picture is sharper than the other. Auto focus picks a compromise, and the edges show the cost.
A 3 cm difference between the top corners of a 2.2-metre picture is the kind of error the correction is built to remove.
Keystone is the shape error caused by tilt. A projector sitting below the wall throws a picture that is wider at the top, because the rays spread out as they climb. Full auto keystone measures the tilt and pre-distorts the image so it lands square. The correction is done in the picture itself, which means the pixels are resampled to fit the new shape.
That resampling has a cost. Every pixel is moved and stretched a little, so the far side of a heavily corrected picture loses fine detail. The correction works best for a small error, and the picture keeps its sharpness only when the projector sits close to square with the wall to begin with.
A bulge of 5 mm in a 2.2-metre wall is easy to miss by eye, yet it can still show as a soft strip along one edge of the picture.
Both features work from the projector's own view. They know the distance and the tilt they measure, but they do not know the surface of the wall, its bulges, its textured plaster or a picture frame in the corner. A wall that bows outwards by even 5 millimetres, or one with a cupboard edge running across the picture, will look wrong after the automation has done its work.
The check is simple and takes a moment. Project a plain white image, then look for shadows, bright patches and lines across the wall. Those are the places the automation cannot correct, and they are the reason one visual check still matters.
Wait until the picture stops moving before you judge the focus, then check it from 3 metres back.
Auto focus and keystone run in the same set-up, and they can pull against each other. Changing the shape moves the edges of the picture to a slightly different distance from the lens, so the focus may need to settle again after the correction. Give the picture time to finish both steps before you judge it. A picture that looks soft straight after a correction often sharpens once the focus has caught up.
The sensible order is physical first. Place the projector close to square with the wall, at the height of the picture's centre, and let the automation handle the small errors that remain. The less the automation has to correct, the less it has to compromise.
A 5 mm patch on a 2.2-metre plaster wall in a Gauteng lounge can show up as a visible line on the picture.
A lounge wall in a South African home often has a built-in unit, a picture rail, a plaster finish or a patch from an old fitting. Each one can throw the automation off by a small amount. A flat wall painted in a matte, light colour gives both features the cleanest surface to work with, and that is worth the effort before you buy.
If the wall is the problem, the projector is not. A plain projector screen gives the automation a flat, even surface to project onto, and the picture tends to settle more evenly on it than on a textured wall.
With the projector placed sensibly, the X5S should give a sharp, square picture after a short set-up. Expect a small residual error on an imperfect wall, and treat that as normal rather than a fault. Check the corners, check the top edge against a level line, and make one small manual move if the picture needs it. That routine takes a few minutes and covers almost every set-up.
For the X5S, the projector range lists the auto focus and keystone features, and the projector category shows the projectors we sell so you can compare how each one sets up.
It works on any wall that is roughly flat and square to the lens. A wall that is tilted or uneven will show a soft edge that focus alone cannot fix.
It can, slightly, because the correction reshapes the pixels. A projector placed near square needs little correction, so the quality holds.
No. Leave both on for set-up, then check the picture. If the result is off, correct the placement first and let the automation run again.
Start with the placement, then let the automation finish. Browse our projector category to find the unit that suits your wall and set-up.
It works on any wall that is roughly flat and square to the lens. A wall that is tilted or uneven will show a soft edge that focus alone cannot fix.
It can, slightly, because the correction reshapes the pixels. A projector placed near square needs little correction, so the quality holds.
No. Leave both on for set-up, then check the picture. If the result is off, correct the placement first and let the automation run again.
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