When gearing up for a cozy movie night, the last thing you want is for your projector to act up.
But this is only a problem if you don’t know much about projectors.
When you know the ins and outs of a projector, it won’t be long before you get it working again.
Everything is so much easier when you can troubleshoot and fix common glitches that may pop up when using a projector.
In this NEC projector troubleshooting guide, we share easy tips that teach you what to do when:
- Your NEC projector won’t stay on; or
- When the picture doesn’t look right.
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Step 1: Check That You’ve Connected the Projector the Right Way
Perhaps because we’ve done it countless times before, we often don’t give it much thought. But an improperly inserted power cord could be why your projector won’t turn on.
Confirm that you’ve plugged the power cord into the projector and the power outlet correctly.
If that looks good, check that the lamp cover is intact. The projector will not turn on if the lamp cover is not attached correctly.
To be sure, you can remove the lamp cover and reinstall it. Make sure it goes into its allocated groove and snaps into place. Then tighten the screws.
Step 2: Check Whether the Projector Is Overheating
If you had shut down the projector a few minutes earlier, check whether it is hot to the touch. That may indicate an overheating problem.
Ensure that the space around the projector is uncluttered for air to circulate freely.
If the room is too hot or doesn’t have adequate air conditioning, move the projector to a cooler area.
If you’re operating from a high-altitude area, change the projector FAN MODE settings to HIGH ALTITUDE.
Running the projector in a high-altitude environment without changing the fan mode settings will cause the device to overheat quickly and eventually shut down.
Step 3: Check the Lamp
When the lamp has reached the end of its life, the projector will not turn on. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell whether this is the case by looking at the lamp. But there are tell-tale signs that can help you know for sure.
What has the picture quality been like the last few times you used the projector?
When the lamp is about to die, the screen usually loses its brightness. Images appear dimmer regardless of how bright they are at the source device and regardless of how much you change the settings.
If you’ve observed this when using the projector, it’s probable that the lamp has outlived its purpose. Your only option now is to replace it.
Note that the projector sends a warning message when the lamp life maxes out. This message pops up on the projector screen.
So it’s a good idea to pay attention to any messages that pop up on the screen when you’re using the projector.
After sending the warning message, you’ll have 100 lamp hours before the lamp dies. During this period, the lamp indicator will flash red.
Once the grace period is over and you’ve exhausted the 100 hours, the flashing red indicator will turn into a steady, continuous red light. If not replaced immediately the lamp may pop, damaging other components. It may also release mercury vapor which is extremely hazardous.
At this point, you won’t be able to turn on the projector until you replace the lamp. Remember to reset the lamp hours after installing the new lamp.
Step 4: Change the Timer & Power Settings
If the projector turns itself off, check your Timer or Power settings. It’s likely that you’ve activated Auto Power Off, Program Timer, or Off Timer.
When Auto Power Off is activated, the projector turns off after a specified period of inactivity. It could be after 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, or 60 minutes depending on what you set the duration to be.
Change the setting to off.
Go to Settings > Setup > Power Options > Auto Power Off > OFF.
When the Off Timer is enabled, the projector will automatically shut down after the specified time—options vary from 30 minutes to 16 hours.
Go to Settings > Setup > Power Options > Off Timer and change it to OFF.
If the Program Timer is enabled and the Function option is set to Power Off, the projector will shut down at the set time.
Go to Settings > Setup > Control > Tools > Program Timer Enable > OFF.
Step 5: Check Input, Display, and Picture Settings
You can eliminate most picture errors by changing things in the Settings.
Below, we’ll list the most common picture-related problems and how to solve them.
No Picture
If you can’t get a picture on the screen, check whether the lens cover is closed. If it is, open it. When the lens cover is closed, you cannot get an image on the screen.
If the lens cover is open, check that you’ve selected the right input.
Most modern NEC projectors detect and project the input signal as soon as you connect your source device. But if you’re getting nothing, go to Settings > Input and manually select the correct input.
If you’re projecting something from your computer, try updating your graphics card driver. If the error is due to an incompatible driver, updating the driver may solve the problem.
Adjust the brightness or contrast as needed. If the contrast is set to the lowest level, the image may be too dark for your eyes to see.
Blurred Picture
If the image looks blurred, adjust the focus. The process of doing this varies in different NEC projector models. Consult your user manual for the instructions to your model.
To focus the picture, NEC projectors require you to:
- Adjust the focus ring
- Adjust the focus ring and peripheral ring or
- Adjust the focus lever and distortion ring
Flickering
If there is any flickering, change the fan mode setting to AUTO. When the Fan Mode is set to HIGH ALTITUDE, the lamp overheats and causes the image to flicker.
Picture Becomes Dark
If the picture suddenly turns dark, the projector may have entered Forced ECO Mode. This usually happens when the ambient temperature is too high.
Change the Fan Mode to High to lower the projector’s internal temperature.
Unusual Color
If the color is off or appears unusual, change the Hue settings.
Go to Settings > Adjust > Picture > Hue. Then use the directional keys to increase or decrease the hue.
You can also use Contrast Adjustment under Video settings. The feature uses suite vision to balance contrast and resolution for improved picture quality.
Go to Adjust > Video > Contrast Adjustment and choose AUTO to automatically adjust picture quality or MANUAL to adjust picture quality manually.
Picture Is Off-Center
If the picture is not square to the screen, use the keystone correction settings to center it.
Go to Display > Geometric Correction > Keystone or press the Geometric button on your remote to access the settings.
Then change the horizontal keystone, vertical keystone, tilt, cornerstone, and horizontal/vertical corner (for corner projection) adjustments.
If the picture is scrolling vertically or horizontally, it could be that it’s playing in an unsupported resolution.
Check the user manual to see which resolution your projector model supports for each signal.
You can adjust Image Options to reset the picture.
Go to Adjust > Image Options > Horizontal/Vertical and adjust the bands as needed.
The projector saves the settings you set. So any time you project that signal with the same resolution and vertical and horizontal frequencies, it uses those settings.
Vance is a dad, former software engineer, and tech lover. Knowing how a computer works becomes handy when he builds Pointer Clicker. His quest is to make tech more accessible for non-techie users. When not working with his team, you can find him caring for his son and gaming.