The best home projection systems - we pick the ones to watch

Since the coming of flat screen TVs, everything we watch looks like a large, pin-sharp and ultra-bright projection – even in a room with the lights on or in daylight.

So you’d think any form of home projector was now obsolete – that’s certainly the case with 35mm slide and ciné projectors. Projection TV systems, however, are still made in large numbers, and are regarded as a luxury. 

Switching the lights off and turning your living room, bedroom or basement into a home cinema gives watching films a sense of occasion that simply having the TV on can’t match.

The idea that projection is special goes back a long way. A trip to the cinema was always bigger than watching TV; Dad giving a slide show and swearing at the projector was more of an occasion than flicking through colour prints.

And remember the Chad Valley Give-A-Show projector of the 1960s? The images were dim and disappointing, but I bet it was still the toy you most envied your friends for.

Modern projectors are the most complex home entertainment installation you can attempt. Plonking one down and turning it on is not an option.

Yes, you can buy a cheap projector and use a blank white wall as a screen, but generally speaking, if you have less than about £1,500 to put into your home cinema setup, you are probably better off with a big TV.

So, unless you fancy trying it out by experimenting with a cheap projector, it’s essential to go to a trusted dealer for advice and installation. I’d strongly recommend Richer Sounds: prices are excellent, staff are helpful and it often has discounts on superseded models.

If you do insist on self-install, consider a crazy bargain: the XuanPad video projector has been as low as £49.99 (Amazon) and boasts thousands of rapturous reviews. It’s Amazon, so you can always get a refund.

The system I’d go for if I had the space– and £2,199 to spare – is the Hisense120L9GTUK-A12. Called a ‘laser TV’ by the manufacturer, it’s a projector with a built-in soundbar that stands in front of an included screen. This model cost nearly twice as much a year ago.

Upmarket German TV company Loewe has just launched its first projector, the stylish, super-compact We Beam. With decent built-in sound it has been available at £799 (Loewe).

Its special power? With a suitable battery pack (allow £100) it can be used in the garden on a summer night.

If you’d like to project old 35mm slides and ciné rather than Netflix and Amazon Prime, you could take your chances with a vintage Kodak Carousel or Eumig Super 8.

However, I suggest digitising the slides with the Kodak Slide N Scan I featured in September and using the Kodak Reels film digitiser (£399.99, Amazon) to convert old film to digital.

You could always sell it on eBay when you’ve finished with it.