This projector is very simple to operate, with Sony’s automatic setup features present in full force. Turning on the power causes the built-in lens protector to retract — there’s no lens cap to lose — and the motorised tilt mechanism to raise the projector to the height last used. Auto input search then finds your PC or video connection and displays the image, which is then automatically adjusted for focus, vertical keystone and pixel alignment. Manual settings include a horizontal keystone adjustment that allows you to project off-centre from the wall or screen you’re using. When the power is removed, the internal cooling fans continue to blow until the lamp has cooled. This means you can switch off and go without the usual wait before unplugging the projector.

The VPL-CX76 uses a triple LCD imaging system bearing the ‘3LCD’ logo. The relatively new 3LCD Group is formed of six projector manufacturers and headed up by Epson, from whom the 3LCD logo is licensed. This logo is designed to promote the advantages of LCD technology over competing technologies such as DLP. However, the use of three LCD panels in a projector is far from new, so don’t be fooled into thinking the 3LCD logo is promising you a new, cutting-edge technology.

It also packs more features to help justify its higher price. Most notably, it comes bundled with an 802.11b/g wireless LAN card (for the projector) and a comparable wireless LAN module (for the host PC) so it supports wireless presentations right out of the box. The CX20A has a Memory Stick slot for running presentations or displaying JPEG or MPEG files without requiring connection to a computer, and it comes bundled with software for creating files for a Memory Stick-based presentation. Sony tosses in a pocket-size presentation device that includes a laser pointer.

In performance tests run at its default settings, the CX76 earned better-than-average scores for text and graphics display, landing it in sixth place for overall image quality in a test group of 16 projectors. It earned high scores for rendering crisp text in a spreadsheet screen and for displaying vibrant, realistic color in various photo screens, including ones of a racetrack and a colorful selection of candy.