Finally, the SIM2 C3X 1080 can be bought with any of three different throw-ratio lens options, offers an extremely handy vertical-image shifting knob, supports multiple lamp output options, and even provides a selection of built-in test signals. Groovy.

Impressive out of its box

Even in its 'from the box' state the SIM2's picture quality is absolutely stunning. But with every little tweak made through the colour management system, the picture becomes better.

Not surprisingly, the single most mesmerising thing about its post-calibration pictures is colour fidelity. I've never seen such a wide, vibrant and expressive, colour palette. It's a real joy to use a projector that delivers the 'true' colour design of whatever film you care to watch.

For instance, the tough combination of tricky lighting conditions, low-lit skin tones and rich table and card colours during the poker sequences in Casino Royale on Blu-ray is rendered so perfectly that I thought I was sitting at the table alongside Bond.

The subtlety of its palette – together with the blistering resolution – also helps SIM2's high-end PJ deliver immaculate, stripe-free blends that reinforce the unit's prowess.

Visually, the model is a premium player. The C3X 1080 can deliver fabulous levels of fine detail and texture. During the 007 card game sequences, tell-tale signs of HD quality like facial pores, and the weave in suits, are all present and correct.

Subtle shadow details, that lesser projectors will hide behind overbearing blackness, tease with detail – causing 2K images to ping like those in a commercial cinema.

Wrapping up the C3X's peerless performance is the complete stability and noiselessness of its HD pictures. As mentioned earlier, the three-chip system precludes the possibility of any of DLP's usual 'distractions'. On top of that, there were no processing artefacts I could see, no grain beyond what might exist in a source, and no forced edging.

If forced to pick a fault with the C3X 1080, I might argue that standard-definition pictures could perhaps be slightly better. The projector's PixelWorks DNX video processing does a good job, but for £23K it would have been nice to talk about a more innovative solution.

But if a machine was ever built for higher definition, it's SIM2's C3X 1080. And the best way to sum up its majestic performance is to say that the only thing that stands between you and complete immersion in the movie is the screen the image is projected on. Which is pretty much the Holy Grail of any cinema.