SHORT-THROW PROJECTORS

If you are looking to recreate the full cinema viewing experience in your home, it's a quality projector rather than a TV that will serve you best

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Before you say anything, give us a moment to guess what you're thinking: "Why on earth would I want to splash out on a projector when today's feature-packed flatscreen TVs are so big - and so impressive?" Here's why.

In comparison with a half-decent projector, even the biggest and best TVs struggle to compete on a number of fronts. As we all know, the bigger the TV the more it costs, but as screen size increases beyond 55 inches, a television's price skyrockets out of all proportion. And that's before you think about the often-challenging logistics of its installation.

Of course, the raison d'être for big tellies has traditionally been the still more challenging logistical problems posed by a projector that needs to be either in the middle of your room opposite the site of projection or suspended from the ceiling. But that was before the advent of the ultra-short-throw projector. By using a combination of wide-angle lenses and mirrors, these extraordinary devices can project an image more than 100 inches in size - much bigger than the biggest TV - from only a few centimetres away. That means you can place them on a shelf or sideboard directly below the screen.

What's more, the relative affordability of the newest models makes them excellent value in comparison with the largest TV screens.

If you are still not convinced, today's UST projectors are generously featured and connected too, often including the major streaming apps such as Netflix and Hotstar. It all means that, bearing in mind the sheer size of the picture available, for an authentic cinema viewing experience in a domestic setting, only a projector will do.

You can project onto a white wall if you like (as long as it's squeaky clean...) but it is much better to invest in a dedicated screen, typically costing a few hundred pounds, which can either be of the fixed or motorised, retracting variety.