If they think it’s all too hard, they’re probably right on the money and begs the question why any sane family would want to share living room space with all the hardware surround sound requires.

To have kosher surround sound you need to cram a receiver, five speakers and a subwoofer. To do justice to the huge amount of pinpoint sound and effects movies have in abundance, a large screen TV is mandatory.

So is a large living space if a conventional projector is on the family shopping list. Or it was, until Sony stepped in with its swish VPL-VZ1000ES ultra-short throw 4K HDR projector.

Resolution provided by this model is four times the resolution of Full HD, and on offer and a treat for the eyes, is a picture composed of 8.8 million pixels.

Sony has also factored in that ambient light is the enemy of all projectors equipping the VZ-1000ES with a brightness level of 2,500 lumens and a huge high contrast range.

This model also complies with HDR (High Dynamic Range), for 4K 24p and 4K 60p flicks and will upscale Full HD Blu-ray and DVDs to 4K resolution.

But the clincher for most average consumers who are not videophiles is this projector’s very, very short throw and the reason why Sony refers to this feature as “Ultra short throw.”

This isn’t hype. The VPL-VZ1000ES will generate a 120-inch image on a wall from a distance of just 10.2 inches (26 cms).

The arrival of this wee video projector gem may get reluctant and house-proud consumers over the home cinema line because the short throw invites installation flexibility. In other words, the VZ1000ES will work just nicely in about any room.

Elsewhere Sony has packed its new projector with features. Its energy efficient laser light source puts paid to expensive running costs, and invites virtually no maintenance.

You will also enjoy its low fan noise that never climbs above 24dB. Also handy is its HDCP compatibility and USB updates for the newest firmware.

Setting up is also plumb easy thanks to built-in auto calibration. Press a few keys on the remote and your new projector is calibrated. And yes, the VZ1000EZ has a professional calibration mode.

The ability to screen the 17:9 format on a 126-inch screen is nice, so to its compact size and low, low power consumption.

What’s not to like?

For more information visit the Sony brand page.