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Things get back on track, though, with a peek at the Z2000's roster of connections. Heading things up are not one but two HDMIs, both built to the HDMI v1.3 specification. This means they're able to play the Deep Colour enhanced picture quality format (um, assuming any discs carrying the format ever appear).

Other highlights include two component video inputs for added flexibility and a D-Sub PC port, with the only disappointments being the lack of a 12v trigger output for automatically driving a projection screen, and no RS-232 provision for easier system integration.

With its £1,805 price point looking very affordable by full HD projector standards, the Z2000 has the potential to reach quite a wide and relatively inexperienced AV audience. So it's pleasing to find that it is reassuringly simple to set up.

For instance, that apparently world-beating image shift system together with a very healthy x2 optical zoom make it possible to adapt the Z2000 to just about any room size and shape. What's more, operating the image shift is no more complicated than spinning two wheels down the projector's side; the remote control is well labelled (if a touch unintuitive in layout); and the onscreen menus are clean and, for the most part, sensibly organised.

Looking in depth at a few of the features contained within these onscreen menus, it transpires that - inevitably - the 15,000:1 contrast ratio is not a totally ‘pure' figure. That is to say it's only achieved by using a dynamic iris to ramp down the image's brightness when onboard processing detects that a dark scene is being shown. In other words, you will never find the projector's maximum claimed brightness (1,200 ANSI Lumens) and that 15,000:1 contrast ratio on screen simultaneously.

In terms of the projector's feted quiet running, to get the best results you need to select a Theater Black image preset - at which point noise levels should be no higher than 19dB. If you're wondering how Sanyo has managed to be that bit quieter than the rest with the Z2000, the answer apparently lies in its use of a new Sirocco cooling fan featuring a freshly developed large-aperture design.