Samsung SP-A600B

Powerful light output ; Superb 24p reproduction ; Excellent colours in the bright lamp mode ; Simple operation ; Sharp zoom optics, right up to the edge of the picture

Weaknesses in the de-interlacing ; Colour errors in eco mode require a firmware update

This Samsung has nothing to fear from similarly priced competitors — the colour purity, sharpness, and brightness are all the best that money can buy. Weaknesses in its de-interlacing and faulty non-primary colours in eco mode slightly water down the...

Good out of the Box picture quality ; Very good color accuracy post calibration in best mode (Movie 1) ; Well balanced, good overall picture quality (although gamma is off a bit) ; A very bright entry-level projector in its "best" mode, just above...

The remote control's lack of a backlight ; Dark shadow detail, while good, isn't up to a few other projectors priced similarly ; Limited placement flexibility, and no lens shift ; Black level performance is definitely entry level ; Slight light leak...

It's one of those projectors that a first-time buyer can really enjoy, and a good first step 1080p projector for those who catch the "bug" and become enthusiasts

Detail, colour, deep black, styling

Deep blacks ; Great colour ; Styling

No frame insertion ; Some judder

We spotted the SP-A600B online for £999, which makes more sense, given its limited flexibility and mediocre haul of features. If you fiddle with the machine's colour temperatures you are rewarded with superb colour to match its super fine detail. Hard...

The A600 needs a dark room and it doesn't have lens shift. However, the rainbow effect isn't very pronounced, it's quiet and image quality is excellent.

While there are enough good things about the A600B to persuade me that Samsung should persevere in the scarily competitive projection marketplace, I can't help but think that Samsung really needs to commit to the market more whole-heartedly if it's...