The unit can be floor- or ceiling-mounted to project images from the front or rear. A throw distance of between 1.2 and 12m will suit smaller rooms -- although for a typical 3m-wide screen you'll need a distance of around 5m. Adjustable feet beneath the unit help alter the horizontal and vertical viewing angles.
For the uninitiated, setting up a projector can seem confusing, but once you've negotiated positioning, operation is gratefully uncomplicated. On-screen menus are graphically presented with a full range of typical picture settings, including several preset modes, of which Theatre seems to work best with DVDs.
You can individually adjust red, green and blue colour levels, which helps tone down the yellow images inherited from the default settings. And there's also an easy-to-use digital keystone system that corrects image distortion incurred by the projector's placement angle. All adjustments can be controlled by the remote, which also allows you to temporarily cut out the picture or freeze the image.
Despite a low noise rating of 32dB, you'll find the high-pitched hum of the projector's fan a little distracting. It's not exceptionally loud, but it does carry a distinctive sound that's annoying, especially if you're sat too close to it.
Performance
The specification may appear average on paper, but in practice the MT400 puts in a class-leading performance at this price.
Progressive-scan DVD images appear enviably stable and unpolluted by picture noise. Edges are sharply defined and straight lines remain solid and shimmer-free, even with diagonals. Colours need a little correcting to eliminate initial yellow tinges, but otherwise they appear well balanced, with inconspicuous gradation between shades.
Black levels are not exceptionally deep but still expose impressive detail, even in dark scenes, and encourage enough contrast to give pictures a depth-defining sense of realism. Movement is noticeably smooth and cohesive.
Like other DLP projectors, the MT400 keeps its composure when faced with small spaces with only small, discreet spaces between pixels and none of the 'chicken-wire effect' that afflicts LCD models.
Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Nick Hide
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