Panasonic PT-AE900 projector

The king of budget HD projectors.

Panasonic has a history of making excellent home cinema projectors and this model doesn't disappoint.

Fed with an HD trailer of Jarhead it produces stunning pictures. Blacks are deep and colours look vivid and natural. Its biggest strength, though, is the way it produces great-looking pictures from a variety of sources. Most projectors produce good images from HD video and DVDs, but this one also makes lower quality TV signals look exceptional. It's also quieter than a Lib-Dem fleeing a brothel when in low lamp mode.

Setting up can admittedly be tricky as the joystick for the lens shift is a bit fiddly, but this excellent machine still trumps its rivals. It's the best all-round HD projector you can buy in this price range and a worthy of your cash.