Projectors

Sony made it pretty clear during HCC’s recent trip to Tokyo that it sees delivering uncompromising quality as the way to get its once-peerless reputation – and sales! – back. With this in mind, the crosstalk that hampered the brand’s first 3D projector, the VW90ES, needs to be made a thing of the past. Does the ‘sequel’ to the VW90ES, the VW95ES, back up this new brand philosophy?

The ubiquitous iPod has infiltrated most areas of home cinema but the projector market has always been an Apple-free zone. Until now that is. Epson’s MG-850HD is the world’s first home cinema projector with a built-in iPod dock, allowing you to watch movies and TV shows from your Apple device on a screen up to 300in in size – as well as playing music through its integrated 10W speakers.

If you want to get a handle on what makes the Optoma HD83 one of the year’s most interesting projectors, all you have to do is take in its price: £2,400. This makes it comfortably more aff ordable than the likes of Panasonic’s AT5000 and Sony’s VPL-HW30ES.

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

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.

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.