1080p beamer roundup

With the limelight stolen by the award-winning Pioneer Kuro and Sony Bravia X flat panels, it's high time we relook at their 1080p beamer counterparts to rekindle the lost interest. These sport the same multimillion-pixel resolution, plus the advantage of a supersized screen which is the closest you can get for a truly theatrical effect.

	1.	Sony VPL-VW200       CNET Asia rating: 8.7 out of 10 The good: Exceptional color fidelity; deep black with excellent shadow detail; superb feature package; includes panel alignment and blacking; solid connectivity. The bad: Expensive; some loss of resolution because of the scalar; MotionFlow anti-judder processing creates artifacts and makes film look more like video; no horizontal lens shift. The bottom line: Although it certainly costs more than most of the 1080p competition, the SXRD-based Sony VPL-VW200 delivers one of the best pictures of any projector we've tested. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	2.	Epson Dreamio EMP-TW1000       CNET Asia rating: 8.3 out of 10 The good: Vivid colors; judder-free, 3D-like HD visuals; bright; future-proofed; wide zoom and lens shift; 24Hz 1080p; affordable. The bad: Slightly soft standard-definition pictures; manual lens adjustments; single HDMI; Japanese-centric D4 jack. The bottom line: The Epson EMP-TW1000 lacks luxury functions and inky blacks but excels in the basics, critical for truly theatrical home entertainment in our space-conscious Asian quarters. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	3.	Optoma HD80   CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10 The good: Vibrant and 3D-like pictures; very competent HD upscaling; future-proofed specs; stylish and compact design; excellent connectivity; affordable. The bad: Mild black crush; limited zoom; vertical offset complicates installation. The bottom line: If you have a deep entertainment room and insist on nothing less than DLP, the HD80 is definitely the way to go. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	4.	Panasonic PT-AE2000   CNET Asia rating: 7.5 out of 10 The good: Produces a deep level of black; solid feature package with lots of setup options like horizontal and vertical lens shift; superb connectivity including three HDMI inputs and a PC input. The bad: Inaccurate primary colors of red and especially green; not bright enough to drive very large screens. The bottom line: The Panasonic PT-AE2000 1080p projector is a credible performer, especially when you consider its excellent shadow details. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	5.	Sanyo PLV-Z2000   CNET Asia rating: 6.7 out of 10 The good: Accurate color decoding; independent memory per input; comprehensive connectivity; includes both horizontal and vertical lens shift. The bad: Primary and secondary color accuracy is way off, particularly red and green. The bottom line: Despite some performance shortcomings of the Sanyo PLV-Z2000 projector, it's nonetheless a competent and feature-rich 1080p entry. Review | See full specs | Rate this