A 1.8x zoom and vertical lens shifting help the VW200 adapt to most room sizes and shapes, too.

Strong images

Generally speaking, image quality is good, although curiously, I found myself only really happy with the picture quality from the VW200 after deactivating the vast majority of its fancy new image processing tools.

As I worked my way through the familiar selection of high-definition Sky transmissions and Blu-ray discs, I found myself shutting down all the various high-tech picture options available.

For instance, I discovered that the Motion Enhancer element of the MotionFlow system causes quite overt haloing and fuzzing around the edges of moving objects, even in 'Low' lamp mode. This is particularly irritating if you're using the VW200 as a display for hi-def gaming.

Having to chop the processing is galling, as without the MotionFlow system engaged, there's more motion blur in the projector's images than I'm entirely comfortable with. It became a choice of choosing the better of two evils.

Finding flaws

As for Dark Insertion... Well, I found the effects of this processing tweak to be rather bizarre, as it seemed to create a pronounced flickering effect.

I guess the idea is that inserting the dark frames produces an effect reminiscent of watching 35mm celluloid at the cinema. But it just didn't work for me at all. Another feature bites the dust.

I found that I also had to be careful with the projector's noise reduction circuitry, for it can actually soften images if set too high.

There can be trouble, too, if you over-egg the 'Cinema Black Pro' contrast-boosting settings, as the projector can end up deepening black areas so far that they start to look hollow.

By the end of my initial setup trials I discovered that I had actually deactivated as much of the VW200's much-vaunted processing as possible. Which is probably not a good sign.

I then discovered that what was left delivered some mesmerisingly good results.

Impressive colour fidelity

For instance, the projector's native black level is excellent; deep, natural and full of shadow detail.

HD images suddenly became terrifically sharp with no noise reduction in play - and provided you're using the projector's 'no overscan' mode. What's more, so long as a standard-def source is of a reasonable basic quality, the Bravia Engine Pro's upscaling talents also work very well, too.

The single most impressive part of the VW200's pictures is their colour fidelity. Thanks to that Xenon lamp and the projector's extensive colour and gamma controls, it delivers vibrant but natural colours that wouldn't disgrace a projector actually costing more.

It shone with Sky HD's recent HD broadcast of Zulu. Here, the rich reds of the British soldiers' uniforms contain exquisitely subtle shading differences.

Plus the actors' faces look as natural, three-dimensional and 'real' as possible given Zulu's vintage nature.

Remarkably quiet projector

A last positive comment should be that despite managing to be impressively bright while retaining good black levels, the Sony VW200 runs remarkably quietly.

So much so, in fact, that I never really once noticed its running noise (quoted at just 22dB) during my entire testing period.

Weighing all the evidence up, though, I can't help but feel that since so much of the Sony VW200's high-faluting technology doesn't actually work that well, its £7,500 price tag doesn't stack up.

Especially when you can get JVC's superior HD100 for considerably less.