NEC NP216

NEC's NP 216 projector is a 3D model, which means if you have a pair of suitable 3D glasses you can use it to view 3D videos and games.

It's a cheaper way to get 3D than a 3D TV, but it has its drawbacks. It's limited to working with PCs only, not with Blu-ray players or other devices that can output 3D video.

In fact it doesn't have an HDMI port, although it is capable of displaying a 720p high-definition picture.

It can of course be used as a standard projector, and for this purpose it worked well in our tests. It's very bright, meaning it's easily capable of working in a brightly lit room or during the day with the curtains open.

The ‘throw' is very small compared with other projectors we've seen, however, so you will need to position it relatively far from the projection screen or wall to get a large image.

At NEC's minimum recommended distance of 120cm the projected image was barely 80cm, smaller than a 32in TV. That's not especially small in TV terms, but it is for a projector, particularly when compared against a short-throw projector such as the Acer S5200 (click here to read our review of the S5200).

However, it has some nifty features such as the ‘wall colour' function in the menus that will adjust the projector's colour balance to compensate for being projected onto a painted wall.

The menus are comprehensive, with lots of features to adjust, and information given, and though they are well written in plain English there is a lot to take in, so inexperienced users may be overwhelmed.

It looks a little old-fashioned but that shouldn't be noticeable when it's mounted out of direct sight, and it's small and compact. The supplied remote worked fine.

For the PC, it works with Nvidia's 3D Vision graphics kit, so you'll need an Nvidia graphics card and the kit itself. As with all 3D kit, though, the main sticking point is the glasses – the device doesn't work with the flimsy cinema-style ones, and a suitable extra pairs cost an eye-watering £85 each.

The projector itself is available for around £330 online and at that price it's good value if you're using it for computer projection.