Overview, design and build

If we were building a dedicated home cinema tomorrow, we would, without doubt, install a 3D projector. While cynics continue to shrug at the tsunami tide of 3D flatscreen TVs heading our way, and we also have some reservations, we've yet to meet anyone who's walked away from a 3D home projector demo who didn't have a grin on their face.

After all there's something completely understandable about the simple proposition of movie-watching in a dark room, with no disturbances. In this context, 3D is a killer addition to the home entertainment experience.

And if we were equipping said picture palace, Sony's second generation VPL-HW30ES would be on our shortlist.

It's a breathtakingly good projector, blessed with an alluring price tag. By our reckoning, that's the equivalent of around fifty family visits to the local multiplex (including snacks and beverages). This thing would pay for itself in no time.

The Sony VPL-HW30ES' design is in line with previous Sony SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) projectors. The distinctive curvaceous, glossy lid and side-mounted inputs look suitably swish. Our test sample was finished in the standard black, but there's a new white finish available, too.

There's a broad connection choice of two HDMIs, PC D-Sub, component video, RS232 and Ethernet. Yet one obvious omission is a 12V trigger. Frankly all projectors of this calibre should have this as standard. Used to integrate a projector with an electric screen, this 3.5mm jack can hardly be construed as a luxury. We're sure we're not alone in feeling a little miffed by its absence.

There are other marked differences between this model and last year's VPL-VW90ES, but these seem more justifiable given the cost saving.

The motorised lens protector and zoom have gone, along with the ingeniously integrated 3D glasses sync transmitter. Instead, we get a separate transmitter, the TMR-PJ1, which ties to the projector via Cat5 cable.

Consequently, you'll need to give the Sony VPL-HW30ES some thought when it comes to installation, as the transmitter needs to be placed close to the screen, facing the audience.

Thankfully, the imaging engine beneath the lid is just the same; the 240Hz panel delivers superb detail and colour fidelity.

New this season is a Dynamic Lamp Control, which delivers three times the brightness of last year's model. This light boost makes a huge difference to 3D performance.

Sony has also refined its 3D projector glasses. First time around, you needed to affix little filters to each lens; this year the new Active Shutter TDG-PJ1 eyewear is good to go straight from the box.

They're also considerably lighter; Sony has reduced their weight by 18g. Even worn over prescription spectacles, they're manageable. While they have to be manually powered up to sync, they switch off automatically, preserving juice.

The glasses are USB rechargeable – a 30-minute session on the ring main provides around 30 hours of use.

Interestingly, the spectacles are not officially included with the projector. Like the transmitter, they're an optional extra. However, Sony UK concedes that all dealers are likely to bundle goggles and projector together as a package. Do remember to check this when comparing prices from different retailers.

The motorised zoom may be missed, but horizontal and vertical lens shift wheels make for a simple setup. The throw distance is generous enough to achieve an image of 120-inches from a distance of a little over 13 feet.

The remote control is also backlit, an eminently sensible provision.

The VPL-HW30ES is respectfully quiet. Run the lamp on Low and fan noise drops to a gentle 22dB; this is perfectly acceptable in a cinema environment. Even during quiet scenes we weren't really aware of it.

Performance and verdict

While this projector offers multiple tweaks for colour temperature, gamma and noise reduction, you really don't need to work too hard to get a great-looking image.

Regardless of your views on 3D, the VPL-HW30ES is a fine 2D projector. It's capable of deep, convincing blacks with tangible shadow detail. Unlike rival D-ILA technology, SXRD relies on a dynamic iris to deliver deep contrast. Here the Advanced Iris system has a couple of auto modes, which adjust to scene content; sensitivity is variable. I wasn't particularly aware of the iris opening or closing during my audition. Alternatively, you can manually set and fix it to taste.

The VPL-HW30ES is all about eye candy. Arthouse animation Chico & Rita looks simply ravishing, displaying vibrant reds rather than washed-out oranges. Colours really pop from the screen.

There are no fewer than nine picture presets available, including a trio of Cinema modes designed to emulate the characteristics of 'real film', 'digital cinema' and 'pro monitors.' There are also modes dedicated to 3D gaming and still photography. Investigate them at your leisure, because differences can be subtle.

Motion resolution is good, provided you engage Sony's proprietary fast framerate technology. The VPL-HW30ES offers two MotionFlow processing modes, Low and High.

With MotionFlow off, the moving picture resolution of the unit falls from 1080 lines to approximately 750 (when motion is locked at 6.5 pixels per frame). The good news is that horizontal panning judder is inherently low.

Switch the Motion Enhancer to Low and definition creeps up to around 950 lines. The process creates some slight artefacts around moving objects, but nothing to write home about. We'd regard either setting as fine for watching movies.

Give the High setting a wide berth though, unless you're watching ice hockey... or maybe curling. The resulting sheen removes all traces of cinematic texture.

In 3D mode, the VPL-HW30ES is nearly as impressive. The 240Hz panel is fast, but there's still some double imaging visible on traditionally troublesome Blu-ray discs.

Thankfully, the quality of 3D authoring is evolving rapidly and as a consequence discs seem less susceptible to crosstalk. Resident Evil: Afterlife and Tangled (an interesting double bill at the best of times) offer stunning depth and clarity. RE: Afterlife consistently uses rain and water to emphasise depth, which is far more effective on a large screen than when viewed on 3D TV. The credit sequence in particular is stunning; you really will feel caught in the downpour.

The VPL-HW30ES is equally entertaining when fed by a console. Sony has a small but perfectly formed selection of 3D titles now for the PS3, and they're quite a hoot in Gigantovision. Fast-moving games are next to impossible to spot crosstalk on, so you can just relax and play.

Perhaps predictably, Sony has also invested this projector with the ability to dimensionalise 2D content, using algorithms borrowed from its Bravia TV line. However, we hereby deem this feature to be pointless and refuse to comment on it further.

Verdict

The Big S has delivered a barnstorming big-screen projector with the VPL-HW30ES. Not only is it good enough to convert the fiercest 3D cynics, it's also a darn fine 2D projector in its own right.

While it may not be perfect – the lack of a 12V trigger particularly rankles and we'd rather the transmitter was back integrated with the lens assembly – this remains a compelling argument for bringing big-screen 3D home.

One of the biggest draws of the new breed of 3D technology is also one of its biggest drawbacks: choice. Do you go for passive 3D TVs that just need plastic 3D glasses like those at the cinema, or do you opt for a TV that uses the more costly active shutter glasses? If you go for active, which brand do you choose? If you have Sony glasses, will they work if you switch to a Panasonic TV in the future?

While the absence of any industry standard for 3D means there's plenty of choice out there for us consumers – on paper at least, we get to pick and choose the hardware that suits our needs – it has resulted in a lot of bespoke standards arising that are incompatible with each other.

While 3D TVs are slowly becoming more accepted in our living rooms, another alternative is also starting to gain traction: the 3D projector. The ViewSonic PRO8450W demonstrates why this alternative to 3D TVs is getting so much attention.

At around £1,200 it isn't cheap, but considering the cost of large 3D TVs and the features the ViewSonic PRO8450W contains, it's not a bad deal at all.

This heavyweight projector certainly isn't lacking in inputs. Two VGA and two USB sockets, Ethernet, component and HDMI offer plenty of connectivity. The projector also has a built-in speaker, which is perfectly fine for presentations but no use for movies – you'll want an external speaker setup for the best media experience.

The ViewSonic PRO8450W also comes with a remote control, which is useful if you've mounted the projector on the ceiling.

Due to the heat emitted by the lamp, the device needs plenty of ventilation, which is provided by a large built-in fan. It isn't the quietest projector we've tested and we found that the whirring can prove distracting after a while. Of course, a decent home cinema sound system will all but drown out the noise, but in quiet, reflective scenes, the spinning of the fan could ruin your enjoyment.

Image quality

The most important consideration when buying a projector for movies and games is image quality. The ViewSonic PRO8450W's native resolution is 1,280 x 800 WXGA, allowing for resolutions up to 720p in 16:9 widescreen ratio. Our test Blu-rays looked very good, with fast moving action helped by the projector's 120Hz refresh rate and 2,000:1 contrast ratio.

The image brightness that the projector can achieve is a decent 4500 ANSI lumens, however this does result in a lot of ambient light being created from the image. This means that although you might be sitting in a darkened room to watch a movie, with the projector on and displaying images, the place will be lit up as if the lights were turned on. For most people this won't be too much of a problem, but for die-hard home theatre enthusiasts it could again prove distracting.

One of the biggest selling points of the ViewSonic PRO8450W is its 3D compatibility. As a 3D DLP projector it's not the best 3D experience you're going to get, but it does the job.

Don't think you can just unpack the projector, plug it into your PC or 3D Blu-ray player and begin watching in 3D – you're going to need some additional kit first. If your PC is already equipped with an Nvidia 3D Vision kit, which includes the transmitter and 3D glasses, then you're good to go.

If not then you might have to consider getting one for around £88 – and don't forget that you need an Nvidia graphics card. If you have an AMD card then you'll have to go down AMD's HD3D route. It's a more open ecosystem so you're not tied to any specific brands or standards, but it's quite new and isn't as widely supported as Nvidia's offering.

Optional extras

To watch 3D media via a Blu-ray player or PlayStation 3 you'll need the ViewSonic VP3D1 3D video processor, which sits between the source and the projector and allows the PRO8450W to display 3D images. It costs a not insubstantial £186. Oh, and you'll also need 3D glasses – why not the Viewsonic PGD-250s? A snip at £70 a pair.

Once again we're left with 3D's biggest downfall – its complexity and expense. The PRO8450W isn't an out of the box, plug-and-play 3D device – it's just a small, expensive piece in an elaborate puzzle, and the results fail to convince us its worth the trouble and expense.

Despite the AV industry's best efforts, it seems the public's interest in domestic 3D may be waning. Indeed, it feels as if the format needs a 'booster shot' from some landmark film or product, to re-ignite public enthusiasm.

SIM2's C3X Lumis 3D-S could be just the product for the job – except that it costs just shy of £30,000, or a bit more if you go for one of its longer-throw lens options. In fact, it's about as mass-market as a Bentley Continental.

So, for most people, excitement will be limited to 'wow, look at what 3D can do', rather than it being a product they can buy for themselves.

Wow factor

But just the fact that the Lumis 3D-S can elicit 'wows' at all is enough to keep the 3D flag flying.

For a start, it looks drop-dead gorgeous, with more curves than a 1966 Raquel Welch and in all the right places, too. Plus, it's beautifully finished and can be bought in any of four striking colours: the standard high-gloss gun metal grey (which is what our sample came in), or white, black or red.

Since you won't be expected to install a £30,000 projector yourself, your installer will thrill to this machine's set-up flexibility. At the heart of its almost infinite tweakability is SIM2's Live Colours Calibration 2 software, which works in tandem with a colour meter to enable your lackey to get the Lumis 3D-S' colour palette looking essentially perfect.

The Lumis 3D-S' main 'wow'- inducing talent, though, is its picture quality, and its 3D pictures are far and away the best I've seen outside of a top-end commercial cinema.

A number of key factors contribute to this projector's near-perfect 3D images. Most significantly, its full HD, active 3D pictures don't suffer at all from crosstalk noise. This double ghosting phenomenon has plagued all previous 3D displays to date to a greater or lesser extent. But with the Lumis 3D-S I didn't find a single crosstalk ghost – and believe me, I spent quite a lot of time looking.

The Golden Gate Bridge sequence in Monsters Vs Aliens has become a classic crosstalk test scene, but every strut and cable of the bridge was reproduced by the Lumis 3D-S immaculately.

So what does the 3D-S do differently compared to all of its 3D display rivals? The answer glories under the name of Triple Flash.

This system, previously only used in commercial cinema installations, 'flashes' each frame of a 24p alternate-frame, full HD Blu-ray picture into the appropriate eye three times, giving each orb a 72Hz effect and producing a 144Hz overall 3D image. Doing this, claims SIM2, ensures there can't be any of the 'leakage' of one eye's picture information into the other eye, the problem that causes crosstalk.

Triple strength

That's not the only massive 3D performance boost Triple Flash technology delivers, either, as the 144Hz overall refresh rate also takes images beyond the point at which your eyes can perceive the 'flickering' that's so commonplace on other active 3D displays. Removing these two flaws instantly has a beneficial impact on 3D viewing, especially when you're talking about images measuring up to 300 inches across. It's as if active 3D technology has finally and suddenly snapped into focus.

The fact that the 3D-S is considered capable of driving 300-inch screens points to another huge weapon in its high-end arsenal: its exceptional brightness. A dimmable 280W lamp serves up brightness as high as 3000 ANSI Lumens, which pretty much combats the inevitable dimming effect of SIM2's active shutter 3D glasses (two of which are bundled).

As for other aspects of its picture quality, the 3D-S' colours during 3D viewing are the most natural I've seen on a 3D display, handling even the quite difficult and diverse tones of Tron in 3D with total accuracy.

What's particularly brilliant about this is that your installer won't even have to calibrate the 3D-S' 3D hues separately, for SIM2 has already measured the colour properties of the glasses so that its calibration system can simply apply the correct offset values to your 2D colour settings when the projector is switched to 3D mode.

Yet another brilliant aspect of the 3D-S' colour performance finds 2D and 3D images suffering no colour noise. The single biggest reason for this (and another justifier of the 3D-S' price) is its use of three 0.95-inch DLP chipsets, one each for the red, green and blue colour elements. This removes the need for the colour wheel used by single-chip DLP projectors, so you don't get issues related to colour wheels such as fizzing noise and the rainbow effect.

In the 'normal' projection world, a brightness level as high as the 3D-S' 3000 ANSI Lumens would raise concerns about its contrast potential. But it's quickly clear – particularly when watching 2D – that this video-chucker's black level response is superb, combining deep blacks with punchy whites and colours within a single frame.

Also striking is how naturally this excellent contrast range is achieved; there's no need to use a dynamic iris, so there's no brightness instability and shadow detail reproduction is outstanding.

It's not just detail in dark areas that impresses on the Lumis 3D-S, though. Its detail reproduction with both 2D and 3D HD sources generally is nothing short of mesmerizing, providing an awesome reminder of why full HD 3D was invented.

Completing the conversion of your home into a movie theatre is the Lumis 3D-S' motion handling, which is crisp and effortlessly natural. SIM2 has built some motion processing into its latest projector, including a mode specifically designed for 3D. But while this did improve the look of one or two sports-based sources, for the most part I'd recommend leaving it turned off.

Tech Labs

Power consumption: Watts

White screen: 241 Watts
Test footage: 242 Watts

With our 100IRE full white display, the SIM2 drew 241W. However, the projector's lamp doesn't vary its brightness, regardless of content, hence the near-identical figure.

Contrast ratio

Claimed: N/A
Actual: 61500:1

A post-calibration contrast measurement of 65,000:1, with a luminance of 17.9fL, is very impressive.

Colour temperature: Kelvin

Preset: 6700 K

The complex colour management system allows calibration to 6,500K. Of the various presets, we measured D65 in Native mode at 6,700K.

Hard to fault

Try as I might, I'm really struggling to come up with anything bad to say about the Lumis 3D-S. Its remote control is rather rubbish – although owners will likely ditch it in favour of a wider-ranging home entertainment controller anyway.

It also runs a touch noisily, especially when you're watching 3D. But again, a good installer should be able to work around this.

In other words, my efforts to moan about the Lumis 3D-S have proved pathetically ineffectual. Which is just fine by me, actually. I really don't want anything to undermine the main point about the Lumis 3D-S, which is that as well as being a typically sensational SIM2 2D performer, it's far and away the finest 3D display I've seen.

So much so that it won't fail to persuade even the most hardcore of 3D sceptics that the format is more than just another gimmick.

Usually projectors that cost less than £800 are either aimed at the business/education markets or absolutely rubbish. And there can be no hiding place for shoddiness when you're watching a picture that's 100-inch wide or more.

With this in mind, I was wary of the InFocus SP8600. But then scepticism changed to enthusiasm when I found out it uses a DarkChip 3 (DC3) chipset.

This is a generation on from the DarkChip 2 system usually found in budget DLP PJs (such as the recently reviewed BenQ W1100), and typically delivers benefits over the DC2 in terms of colour response, noise levels and, especially, contrast.

The other key part of the SP8600's optical system is a three-speed, six-segment (RYGCMB) colour wheel, which should help single-chip DLP's rainbow effect.

Colours, meanwhile, ought to benefit from the inclusion of UNISHAPE lamp technology – here, the lamp continually adjusts its output to match the colour segment in play on the colour wheel.

Meanwhile, the SP8600's connectivity includes a handy two HDMIs and a 12V trigger output. In short, there's really nothing on the SP8600's spec sheet that betrays its decidely cheap market position.

Maybe its build quality is shoddy? It's certainly not the prettiest projector around, with some rather plasticky, gloss-free black bodywork. But it's small enough to store in a cupboard when not in use, and it's got sufficient curves not to look ugly when sat on a coffee table.

The SP8600 backs up its usefulness in relatively 'rough and ready' environments by carrying a built-in speaker system, leaving an 1800 Lumens brightness output figure as the only thing concerning me on its spec sheet. A figure this high can be a good thing with a 'normal', more expensive projector. But the concern with a model as cheap as the SP8600 is that its brightness will overwhelm its contrast, leading to poor black levels.

Setting up the machine reveals that it doesn't have any vertical optical image shift. This is entirely normal at the SP8600's price point, but I mention it because it means many people will have to use keystone correction to straighten the sides of their picture – a process which effectively results in distorting the source image a little.

Optical zoom is limited, too, at just 1.2x, but the SP8600 does provide plenty of fine tuning options, including gamma controls and colour management.

Tech Labs

Power consumption: Watts
White screen: 241
Test footage: 242

Power consumption increases to 275W with 'Boost' lamp mode activated. There's a minimal difference with movie footage – consumption stays the same regardless of content.

Contrast ratio
Claimed: 5,000:1
Measured: 2,100:1

In the default 'Bright' mode, we measured contrast at 2,100:1, with luminance at 36.4fL. Post calibration, contrast reduced to 1,200:1.

Colour temperature: Kelvin
Normal: 6,700K
Cool: 7,400K
Cooler: 8,100K
High Cool: 8,500K
Lamp Native: 6,700K
Warm: 5,100K

'Normal' picture mode gave the most accurate colour temperature.

As hoped, the DC3 chipset helps the SP8600 perform ridiculously well for its money. Detail reproduction from the stellar Blu-ray of the Coen brothers' True Grit is superb, with, for instance, the textures in background wallpapers and every strand of the film's unfeasible amounts of facial hair being excellently rendered.

The image's contrast is exceptional for a projector at this price point, too. The high brightness rating pushes whites and bright colours, as expected but, contrary to my fears, it doesn't stop black levels during dark scenes from looking reasonably believable and natural. There are plenty of £1,000-plus projectors that don't deliver dark scenes such as True Grit's nighttime shack shoot-out as convincingly as does the SP8600.

Motion is handled well, with no severe motion blur or judder issues, and rainbow noise is only noticeable when very bright objects appear against very dark backgrounds. Which is to say, not very often.

For the most part, other types of noise, such as dot crawl and grain, are decently suppressed. The only bizarre exception appeared during one of my favourite test scenes, the main card game in Casino Royale (the Daniel Craig version). During this sequence, the heavily filtered skin tones broke down into quite excessive blocking noise – a phenomenon I couldn't repeat with any other disc. And I tried a lot of 'em.

There must be something about that Casino Royale colour tone specifically that upsets the SP8600. Thankfully for fans of the Bond movie, InFocus has developed a firmware fix you can download and apply to the projector yourself that can kick the noise into touch.

Aside from the minor rainbowing and fixable noise issue, the only complaint I can level at the SP8600's pictures is that dark scenes look slightly hollow, thanks to a shortage of shadow detail. Cue a reminder of the SP8600's sub-£800 price – I expect issues like that at this price point. But I don't expect a performance so rewarding.

The InFocus is therefore a home cinema bargain of quite ridiculous proportions. Get in!

Active shutter 3D technology can be expensive, particularly if you want to cater to a large audience, but what if you could convert an active shutter 3D projector into a passive one? Then you could use the dirt-cheap passive polarised glasses of the sort you get in cinemas.

This is the idea behind the PolaRotator from 3D Experience. Think of it as an active shutter ‘window’, which sits in front of the projector, synchronising with the alternating 3D frames, and turning them into circular-polarised images which can be viewed with cheap passive glasses.

The system consists of the PolaRotator LCD device and stand, a driver box with controls for sync rate and eye reverse, and cables to connect to the VESA output of the sync source – which in our case was Optoma’s 3D-XL converter – check with 3D Experience for compatibility with other projectors.

Our demo Optoma projector and 3D-XL convertor (normally viewable with active shutter spex) produced excellent 3D images viewable with cheap polarised glasses.

The PolaRotator was also easy to set up and use, though some adjustment of the PolaRotator is necessary to get just the right angle for maximum effectiveness.

However, it’s not cheap; at this price it could only be viable for the pub, club or educational markets.

It's also worth noting it needs a special ‘silver screen’. Ordinary projection screens scatter light too much for the polarisation effect to work. The distributor offers a range of laminated board portable screens up to 84-inches, or if you’re really serious you can buy material and make your own.

Also, no glasses are supplied (even for testing purposes!).

BenQ's W1100 projector delivers large scale, vibrant images without obvious compromise, and its a full HD flag-waver for AV in our straitened times. Despite the budget price tag, this model is undeniably cute.

Should you be a fair-weather projectionist, it is small enough to store in a draw, but it's also smart enough, with its contemporary white finish, to leave out when guests drop by.

Its distinctly upmarket remote also helps. Backlit and comfortably moulded, it feels good in the hand.

There are generous connections on the back, comprising two HDMIs, component and S-Video inputs, phono AV and a 12V trigger. The latter allows the projector to automatically sync with an electric screen or lighting system – a pleasingly professional AV embellishment for such an affordable model. Other connection options include a PC D-Sub input, Type B USB 'upscreen' connector, RS232 port and PC monitor output.

It doesn't take long to have the W1100 up and running. While there is no vertical lens shift, the projector sports auto keystone correction which works surprisingly well. There's also a manual option, should you need to fiddle further.

BenQ is rightly proud of the 12-element optical system used on this model. Straight out of the box, the W1100's image is preternaturally sharp and bright. The picture pings like buttons off a fat man's waistcoat and I soon had this PJ a-popping.

Image controls are extensive. There are three user-definable presets allied to a trio of picture settings (Standard, Cinema, Dynamic). All the expected picture parameter controls are here and can be saved to the individual user preset.

As with all small projectors, fan noise is an issue. Large vents pull air in on one side and expel it on the other, cooling the DLP chipset in the process. There is none of the sophisticated noise management seen on more costly models.

You are given a modicum of control, though. You can dive into the lamp menu and adjust the lamp setting from Normal to Economic. This reduces power consumption by 20 per cent, but more importantly, knocks back fan noise from 27dB to a low 22dB thrum.

When you're on a tight budget, you can't expect extravagances. So I can't complain about the lack of fast framerate technology on this model. That particular feature is reserved for BenQ's step-up W1200 model (around £200 more).

However, motion resolution is limited as a consequence. The W1100 tops out at a measured 650 lines. But what this PJ lacks in fast moving detail, it gains in cinematic swagger.

Image dynamics and colour fidelity are very impressive. With TI's Brilliant Colour mode engaged, hues are striking without becoming seriously overcranked. I found yellows in particular tended to zing. Through the W1100, the vibrant hues of Forties Havana (Chico & Rita, Blu-ray) are utterly entrancing. Rita's rosy-red lipstick mesmerises Chico (and us) when they first meet, yet never dominates the colour palette.

The machine brings enough light to spare and there's a crisp bite to static detail. The black level is good; the W1100 tracked a 20/20 B&W greyscale with only minor pinching at each end of the scale.

Power consumption (Watts):

White screen: 293W
Test footage: 295W

Contrast ratio:

Claimed: 5,000:1
Measured: 4,400:1

Colour temperature (Kelvin): 6800K

Presets:

Colour temperature can be adjusted for 6500K via red/blue white-point controls via the User mode

Standard: 8,200K
Dynamic: 7,400K
Cinema: 6,800K

It's easy to overdo the sharpness settings though. I'd argue the main Sharpness control should not be eased past 4 on the numerical scale. This is optimum to bring out believable detail and delineation, as is evident in Chico and Rita's rotoscoped animation. Once I'd started watching, I just didn't want to turn it off.

Motion slickness

The projector does suffer from horizontal panning judder, but this is to be expected given the lack of glacial frame interpolation. On the upside, there's no motion artefacts to contend with either.

Although this is a single-chip DLP model, I wasn't disturbed by colour fringing or rainbows from the six-segment colour wheel. Even high contrast images barely registered a flash. It's very impressive.

Like so many tabletop projectors, the W1100 includes a modest amp and speaker. BenQ rates the output at 2 x 10W, although it certainly doesn't sound that loud. To make the most of its sound box, the projector employs SRS Wow HD sound processing. This aspires to boost bass response, raise the soundstage and widen the sound field. Make of those claims what you will.

For a full HD projector, the W1100 is an unqualified steal. I love the Lasik sharpness of its images and the striking colour fidelity. This model definitely punches above its weight. Budget home cinema builders have never had it so good.

Projectors are ideal tools for sharing presentations, displaying pictures and watching movies, and are a great choice for broadcasting on a large screen. However, while they're certainly more portable than most TVs, projectors can still be quite large and unwieldy.

This can make it difficult to find a place to position them, and placement is an essential consideration when using a projector. It also means they're not very portable.

The Philips PicoPix PPX 1430 is a high quality mini projector that's incredibly well built and doesn't suffer from the corner-cutting and compromises that tend to plague hand-held devices of this sort.

The projector comes with composite leads for connecting to DVD players. If you want to connect the projector to your PC then you'll need to buy a separate VGA connector cable, which is a bit of a pain, as that's what you're most likely to be using it for.

You can attach a USB flash drive to the projector and play compatible files from it directly, or use an SD card from a camera and camcorder. This goes some way towards making up for the lack of VGA cables.

You use the buttons on the top of the projector to find compatible movie and photo files – access the menu and you'll find them in the 'Videos' and 'Photos' folders.

File compatibility can be a bit hit and miss, with WMV files not recognised, but MOV files playing fine. You may need to convert your videos if you want to play them from a USB stick or memory card.

Photos are displayed automatically in a slideshow with randomly generated transitions.

On the whole, the image quality of this projector is very good, especially considering its small size. It can broadcast images up to 80-inches in size, though around 40 to 50-inches is best for the Philips PicoPix PPX 1430. Basically, it's a decent pocket-sized projector.

Despite being a relatively new name on the UK projection screen scene, Screen Excellence (part of U.See Ltd) has already successfully established itself. This is apparently due to the product that's catching the eye of end users and custom installers alike – the EN4K fabric, as fitted for our test of the motorised RM2-T rig.

This textile is acoustically transparent and so avoids the picture problems often associated with such projection screens (to the extent that it's apparently 4k compatible), while also costing surprisingly little.

The 100-inch RM2-T rig itself looks fairly unassuming, having been designed to be unobtrusive when you're not using it. The container for the screen is just a long, flat-backed barrel in a metallic black finish.

However, this finish immediately raises concern, because it reflects a noticeable strip of light along the barrel's underside when the screen is being used. We're told that the RM2-T will be offered with a full velvet finish as an option, but our test model didn't have this.

Features

After this slightly careless start, things improve fast. The simple motorised mechanism for lowering and raising the screen works surprisingly smoothly and quietly for a unit in the Screen Excellence RM2-T's price bracket. What's more, once it's fully extended, it has enough tension to look as flat and solid as a fixed frame screen.

It's good, too, to see the screen framed by a really light-absorbing black velvet border and fitted with a layer of black backing. This backing plays a crucial role in reducing the light let through (and thus wasted) by the acoustically transparent screen's perforations.

Meanwhile, the weave of the main 0.98 gain, matte white fabric is startlingly dense and smooth for an acoustically transparent screen. And since there's no easily discernible mesh or grid-like pattern in the fabric, no screen structure shows up in the pictures, either.

On test

Using a trio of projectors – Epson's EH-TW5500, JVC's X3 and Sony's VW90 – with various brightness outputs and source types, the RM2-T never once betrayed a hint of fabric screen structure from any remotely sensible viewing distance.

This is a considerable achievement for an acoustically transparent fabric, which starts at around £1,800 for an 80-inch fixed screen version. Even some similarly priced solid vinyl screens struggle to completely hide their structure from the picture.

Even better, there's not the slightest trace of moiré interference. This wavy line noise can occur with acoustically transparent screens when the rows and columns of pixels in a picture have a step size close to that of the fabric's perforation step or weave size.

The RM2-T's image is totally noise-free and natural, even when showing very bright images.

The fineness and solidity of the EN4K fabric suggests, indeed, that it probably will deliver on its 4k claims. However we couldn't actually test this, given the current difficulties in finding 4k projectors and sources.

What we were able to test on the EN4K, though, was full HD alternate frame 3D footage. The screen resolved Avatar's extraordinary detail levels and perfect depth handling with seemingly effortless accuracy that was just superb.

Three dimensional viewing does highlight a solitary EN4K weakness, as 3D images looked a touch darker and less punchy than they did on our reference solid (not acoustically transparent) screen. The slight loss of brightness created by the screen's acoustic transparency can also lead to colours looking marginally less vibrant, too. But hues are nonetheless accurate in tone and extremely clean with it.

Verdict

While a solid screen might give you a slightly brighter image, by the standards of acoustically transparent fabrics, especially affordable ones, the amount of light seeping through the EN4K material is remarkably small. It's especially small when you consider how well it allows audio to permeate through from speakers mounted behind it.

Screen Excellence claims the projection screen introduces just 2dB of audio loss, despite the density of its fabric. We struggled to detect any deterioration in the audio at all, using our ears and measuring equipment.

At this point, the full and potent appeal of the RM2-T becomes blindingly clear. It balances picture quality and acoustic transparency while costing relatively little. So it makes a hugely attractive proposition for anyone wanting to put together a convenient, but also high-quality, home cinema room without spending a fortune.

Overview

Not everyone 'gets' 3D. Indeed, there are days when we're not sure we totally need it. But not so today.

At the root of our sudden 3D love-in is JVC's new DLA-X7 3D projector. We thoroughly enjoyed the brand's entry-level and ridiculously good value DLA-X3, but the step-up X7 really does take quality to another level.

Not that the qualitative leap is obvious from the outside. For, at first glance, it appears identical to the X3, with the same large, vaguely elliptical body shape, impressively polished finish and striking racing car-style vents down either side.

The X7 does weigh slightly more than its sibling for some reason, but really the only obvious external sign of the X7's step-up status is the addition of a little THX logo on its upper edge.

For dedicated home cinema fans, of course, this logo is potentially very important, as it shows that the X7 has been officially endorsed by the third-party quality assurance group. What's more, the logo refers to the machine's performance with both 2D and 3D, meaning THX was convinced about such key 3D issues as brightness, colour and crosstalk noise.

While I'm on the subject of endorsements, the X7 joins the X3 in being supported by the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF), which considers the projector flexible enough to be professionally calibrated by one of its experts.

Features

Among the tools available are fuller colour management tools than you get on the X3 (including a unique option to adjust the picture's orange balance), a 12-point gamma adjustment system and lamp output and manual static iris settings.

The colour management system is a little unusual in its presentation, but you can get it to bend to your will after a little experimentation. It's pretty likely, however, that most people buying this projector will have it installed professionally.

The X7's more basic tools – motorised image shifting, focus and optical zoom – are impressive in terms of range and the finesse with which you can fine tune them.

And it's decently connected, with its twin v1.4 HDMIs, D-Sub PC port (the latter not found on the X3), RS232, LAN port and 12V trigger port. We always wish for a third HDMI on projectors at the X7's level, but JVC is hardly alone in sticking with two.

One other notable connection is the port that enables you to add JVC's external 3D transmitter. For, unlike Sony's VPL-VW90ES active 3D projector, JVC's models don't incorporate the necessary 3D transmitter within the main projector chassis. This might annoy some, though the flexibility it offers in terms of being able to optimise IR transmission angles could be quite handy for some room installations.

More annoying is the fact that JVC only includes one pair of active shutter glasses as standard in the UK (though this is more than you get if you buy the X7 in most other European territories).

Picture

Peruse the DLA-X7's quoted specifications and you'll notice that while it has the same 1300 ANSI Lumens of maximum brightness as the X3, it promises a 70,000:1 contrast ratio compared with the X3's 50,000:1. And with JVC's D-ILA projectors that these are native contrast figures.

In other words, you should be able to enjoy a truly extreme contrast performance without seeing the sort of distracting brightness 'jumps' you get when other projectors use dynamic irises to achieve better contrast.

And so it proves. Just as we've found with so many JVC D-ILA projectors before, the X7 can deliver a contrast range that's nothing short of awesome.

The main contributory factor to this is the X7's superlative black level response. We simply haven't seen a better black colour from a projector costing less than five figures. Deep, rich blacks don't look forced or dominant, thanks to the appearance of genuine shadow detail and subtle colour differentiation within even the darkest areas.

We felt on occasion as if the X3's black level response wasn't quite as good as that of JVC's previous equivalent model. Perhaps this was a result of JVC having increased the X series' brightness output by 30 per cent, to counteract shutter 3D's tendency to reduce brightness.

With the X7, though, you get the best of both worlds: a significant brightness boost over last year's equivalent HD950 model, but also a black level depth at least as good as that of its groundbreaking predecessor. Not surprisingly, this combination makes for an image of frequently jaw-dropping dynamism.

3D quality

It's also a combination that serves the X7's 3D playback extremely well. Where last year's DLA series would have left 3D looking muted and dull (if they'd been able to display the new format), the brightness boost in JVC's current range means the X7's 3D images look punchy and richly coloured. As with any serious projector, a completely blacked out room gives the very best effect.

The JVC DLA-X7 also suffers even less with crosstalk ghosting noise than Sony's VPL-VW90ES. In fact, it seldom bothered us at all, even during scenes such as the notoriously tricky Golden Gate Bridge sequence in Monsters vs Aliens, which was extremely impressive.

Even better is the sheer size of the X7's 3D pictures. Seeing great 3D movies such as Despicable Me and Avatar delivered well on a screen more than 100-inches wide is enough to win over even the most die-hard 3D sceptic. We've seen it happen.

Our biggest gripe with the X7's 3D playback, though, doesn't involve its picture quality. Rather it's the relatively loud running noise the projector kicks out when using the high-brightness 3D preset. It's not unbearable, but it could be enough to persuade some people to sacrifice brightness and switch the lamp power output to its lowest level, which greatly reduces cooling noise.

On test

Power consumption: Watts

White screen: 235 Watts – An expected power consumption from such a potent projector – 'high' lamp mode increases it to 305W

Test footage: 235 Watts – No change in power use with movie footage

Contrast: ratio

Claimed: 70,000:1
Actual: 45,000:1

Colour temp: Kelvin

Presets: A range of CT presets that we measured as being slightly off. But you can create your own user setting to achieve 6,500K

5,500K: 6300K
6,000K: 6800K
6,400K: 7,400K
7,500K: 8,500K

Verdict

However impressive the X7's 3D pictures might be, 3D viewing will probably only occupy a small proportion of your total viewing time (unless you're James Cameron). So it's handy that the X7 is also a terrific 2D projector.

On top of its impressive handling of dark sequences are punchy whites that are a big step forward from last year's models, intense colours and clean motion handling, even without resorting to the provided motion processing circuitry.

We also commend the X7's freedom from distracting video noise and its terrific sharpness, which did full justice to the exceptionally detailed Blu-ray transfer of The Social Network.

The big question for the X7 now is whether it can really justify costing nearly twice as much as the X3. We think it can, because it delivers a marked improvement over its cheaper sibling.

It'll be interesting to see how the flagship X9 can be even better.

Three dimensions work best on a cinema-sized screen where the format is more immersive and ultimately more convincing. While a 3D TV promises a peek through a dimensional window, cinema opens the doors and drags you inside.

But until now, megascreen 3D has been an expensive proposition. Enter Optoma with the world's first 3D converter, the 3D-XL, which, when bundled together with a projector, is less than a third of the price of its high-end rivals.

So what can you expect from a 3D cinema system that costs less than a grand to install?

Your starting point is the HD67N, a single-chip DLP projector, designed with the gamer or casual big-screen movie fan in mind. Priced at just £500, it may lack the finesse of the themescene range and rival home theatre models with features such as entry-level 720p video processing using a standard 120Hz refresh rate, manual zoom and focus, and rudimentary heat management, but for the cash, it's churlish to complain.

The HD67N is no torch but it's bright enough. Throwing out 2,000 ANSI Lumens you can use it in a moderately-lit room without bleaching away all the colour and contrast; just the job for social gaming sessions and LAN parties.

While Optoma rates contrast at 4,000:1, inevitably, image quality benefits massively from being used with a proper blackout.

The HD67N's glossy white cabinet is stylish and build quality is good. Rearward connections include HDMI, PC, phono and S-video. There's an integrated 2W speaker, which does the job if you're setting up for a quick gaming session, but the noise it makes is little more than functional. The remote handset is backlit with striking blue LEDs.

Operational noise is quoted at 29dB and I noticed that there's quite a high whine to the spinning colour wheel, which is soon disguised when the fan kicks in.

Ease of use is good. Recognising that it will most likely be used at low level, on a desk or table, there's a control ring topside for easy operation. Once up and running, it cycles through inputs looking for a signal. Alternatively, you can jump straight to a source using the remote.

Despite the entry-level price, there's a wide range of picture parameters. Delve into the advanced menu and you can tweak gamma, RGB Gain/Bias and TI's Brilliant color settings. There are various viewing mode presets available (Cinema, Bright, Photo, Reference), plus one configurable User setting.

Poke around the display menu and you'll find the Overscan adjustment, plus vertical image shift and keystone correction. There's also a bizarre Superwide mode, which masks 16:9 content and expands 'Scope movies to fit a 1.85:1 median.

Unfortunately, that traditional single-chip DLP bugbear, the rainbow effect, is back in evidence, although I can tolerant it more in this grade of PJ than on a higher-end model. It's only really intrusive in scenes with high contrast.

Lamp brightness is variable between Standard and Bright. If you choose the latter, the fan goes into hyperdrive. So in most instances, this is to be avoided.

Video quality befits what is a good, general purpose projector. I experienced no significant problems with motion resolution or image smoothness. The HD67N passed my standard panning test – the Blu-ray of Sleeping Beauty – with silky smoothness and no motion picture artefacts around the cantering prince charming.

Moving picture resolution shows only a moderate loss of definition, although there is some colour fringing evident on a scrolling monoscope test pattern. A scrolling text sequence at 100/50 and 30 per cent luminance was only slightly blurred.

Driving the HD67N is a 3x speed, 6-segment colour wheel, which delivers excellent chroma fidelity. an all-red test sequence of luscious strawberries and ripe tomatoes avoided a tendency to veer toward the orangey.

On the debit side, black levels are crushed, which robs the display of dynamism. Attempts to track a 16-step grayscale failed, with a loss of either superwhites or shadow detail. And being a 720p display, the pixel structure of the image is visible when the display is drawn large. While only able to output 720p, the projector will take a 1080p24 signal from Blu-ray and scale downwards.

Upgrading to 3D

Undoubtedly one of the cooler tricks of the HD67N is its ability to upgrade to 3D. To do this you'll need to add the £280 for a 3D-XL converter box, which includes a pair of Optoma active Shutter glasses.

The 3D-XL is not a cosmetic match for the projector. Indeed it's a decidedly unglamorous function junction, which takes the feed from your 3D source (be it Blu-ray player, Sky+HD box, PS3 or Xbox 360) via HDMI and then routes it on to the projector.

If your source is in a side-by-side format (ie Sky or cable box, Xbox 360 or camcorder), then you'll need to manually engage the SBS button on the front of the unit.

To help couple with the 3D-XL adaptor, the 3D menu on the HD67N offers two compatibility choices: DLP Link and Nvidia 3D. If you do opt to use the 3D-XL with third-party Nvidia 3D glasses, these will come with a small sync transmitter unit. There's a dedicated plug for this on the back of the converter.

The provision of DLP Link means that the HD67N does not need a dedicated sync transmitter, neither is there an integrated IR blaster in the projector. Instead sync data is sandwiched between the left/right frames, bounced off the screen and then picked up by a receiver on the bridge of the supplied 3D spectacles.

The DLP-Link system made its debut in classrooms last year, but this is the first time we've seen it in action for the domestic market. the pairing of projector and 3D adaptor actually works well. Double imaging (aka crosstalk) is noticeable only by its absence.

Troublesome sequences, such as the opening scene church steeple in Monsters Vs Aliens, are refreshingly clear of ghosting. the opening credits of the same movie, presented in extreme negative parallax, are sharp and focused. It's rare to see home 3D looking this clean.

But there are significant issues with the DLP Link System. Smuggling sync data into the video output for projection is ingenious, but also prone to failure. Move your head slightly away from the screen and the glasses lose sync and flicker back to blurry 2D. Mind you, Optoma pushes this as a positive feature, allowing you to see what you're doing and saving glasses power.

Though they have been largely well-received, I also have reservations about the Optoma glasses themselves, which I found prone to fall clean off your face when you lean forward. Certainly they don't have the lightweight stylishness of, say, Samsung's second-generation Bluetooth-enabled glasses.

Overall, the HD67N / 3D-XL combi is a valiant and welcome attempt to bring the cost of 3D projection down. The 3D implementation is potentially great, but it's rather compromised by the eyeware and DLP Link syncing issues.

Meanwhile, limitations with the black level and resolution exclude the HD67N from being an ideal home cinema projector, though as an affordable big-screen solution for gamers and sports fans, it's rather good fun.