Review: MovieTime DV10 projector

The idea of installing a projector and forever relegating my TV to the attic scares the bejeezes out of me. Yes, the bejeezes. However, the idea of being able to invite friends round for a Cinema Experience, minus the phones going off, the children on summer holiday, and the person sitting behind me kicking my seat, appeals a lot. The MovieTime DV10 from Optoma is a projector aimed at me - it's one stop shop solution, which means that you've got a DVD player and speakers built into the projector.  It comes with its own carry case, so you can cart it round, stick it up on a coffee table, and be up and running within 5 minutes.

The MovieTime DV10 is designed with simplicity in mind - it's simply a case of plugging it in and loading your DVD into the player positioned on the top. The DVD function is automatically selected, so there's no searching for sources. The speakers are also in-built, so you don't even need to wire those up.  For those that want more than the 5.1 Dolby sound supplied by the two 5 watt speakers, there is an audio output dock for you to hook up your own speaker system.

You can also hook up your television or games console for the full cinema experience via the RGB connection - great if you're hooked on SingStar on the Playstation 2. Finding the input is also easy, as the projector will scan through all the options until it detects a feed.

Praise be to god, you also don't need a cinema room to get a decent size screen - you don't even need a large room. 1.5 metres away from the wall gives you a screen size of about 1.5 metres square, which might not be Odeon proportions, but will certainly make Captain Jack Sparrow that much more life like.

I projected onto a beige wall, which was absolutely fine as a background, although there is an optional screen you can purchase. However, whilst it's bright and crisp in darkness, it's no good in the daytime, even with all the curtains shut. In fact, it's really annoying to be watching a film and then for the sun to emerge and completely wipe out the screen.  It makes you long for dark winter days.

The positioning of the projector can also take a bit of getting used to. It's designed to be set up on a coffee table, so doesn't come with the option of mounting it. It can adjust up to 16 degrees of correction, which is useful when you need to project onto the space above a book case/television/whatever and need to set it at an angle. However, it takes its air input from the bottom of the projector, so piling magazines underneath it, or even carpet, can be a risky business. In fact, it does make a weird burning smell after a while. Concerning.

The design of the projector itself ensures that it's not something that would take up permanent residence on your coffee table. The top loading DVD player reminded me of cheap CD players I used to get given for my birthday from Argos, and the white plastic finish didn't help. The remote is also fairly old-fashioned. Noticeably, it's not backlit, which is annoying when you really need to be using the product in total darkness.

Overall, it's a good idea, and I like the idea of having Screening Nights and Karaoke Evenings. And no matter how much red wine you consume, it's so easy that there's no way of messing it up. However, it's £560 and still out of my price range, and since you can't get rid of the TV for this it won't be finding its way to my living room.