The cost of owning a real home cinema has fallen hugely over the past eighteen months. Video projector prices are down considerably and it's now possible to get HD Ready projectors for a lot less.
But if you're looking to settle for a standard-definition machine, perhaps because you know that the vast majority of movies you'll watch are going to be from DVD, then some truly remarkable bargains are becoming available.
The latest high-end brand to join the big-screen budget scene is Toshiba. With a typical price point of $2599, the DLP MT400, is certainly going to attract attention. Beneath the lid is the highly regarded Texas Instruments' Matterhorn DMD, with a resolution of 1024 x 576 pixels. While it's certainly compatible with, and capable of, showing the difference between high-
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and standard-definition, it can't do high-def without downscaling. Is this a problem? Guess that depends on what you want to watch...
Design and setup
Sat on your coffee table, the MT400 looks quite a pretty thing, thanks to its crisp, white bodywork and substantial metal face plate. It's fairly small and light too, making it unusually portable. Just the ticket if you want to keep the projector in a cupboard while it's not being used, pulling it out for special occasions.
The MT400 isn't the friendliest projector to set up, though. It's not complicated, just limited. For example, the optical zoom available to you is restricted to 1.2x. Consequently, if you want a 100in image, you're limited to just 3.4-4.2m as your throw distance. We also found the fact that there only seems to be a single drop-down leg on one side of the projector's rear a bit strange, as with it employed, the projector seems frighteningly unbalanced.
