NEC MultiSync WT610

Posted by T3 Online on Wed 31 Oct 2007

It's all done with mirrors, you know.

We love what projectors do; we just don't love the way they do it. The main problem is that getting good-sized pictures often means placing them right next to your La-Z-boy, which is a cabling nightmare and leaves you deafened by the projector's cooling fans. What's more, if your room is spatially challenged, many models won't even give you a particularly big picture. Hardly worth the trouble in the first place.

Cue NEC's WT610. This genuine world record breaker can produce, for instance, a colossal 80-inch picture when placed a mere 18 inches from your screen - neatly sidestepping nearly all of the usual projector gripes.

So how does it work? Well here comes the science part - the projected image is bounced around a series of mirrors, ending up at a large, pop-up one on the top that reflects pictures up and out onto your screen.

We experienced a few set-up hiccups with the WT610, particularly when finding its ideal placement height - it ended up on a footstool. Getting all the picture's edges straight also proved a bit of a faff. But we got there in the end - and along the way we happily chanced upon the added bonus of a digital DVI socket, able to handle Sky's Hi-Def broadcasts due to launch next year.

Despite being bounced from pillar to post, the NEC's pictures enjoy a surprisingly film-friendly balance between brightness and contrast; bags of fine detail; natural but vibrant colours; and smooth, noiseless motion. There are problems with rainbow effects and gentle green fuzziness in dark areas - but these are relatively minor. The only serious aggravation is the use of a "square" image rather than a widescreen one.

Before you all head out to snap a WT610 up, though, do a quick double take at its price. Sadly, new, innovative tech seldom comes cheap, and this product is no exception.