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This might shock many people but I believe in it with all sincerity. A projector can easily produce a screen size of 120 inches diagonal (compared to 30 inches for the largest TV or 40-50 inches for a good plasma screen). The result is that dancers are almost life size in front of you!! The effect is awesome!! You are completely involved in the dance experience. Jumps really soar and you jump with them – movement across the stage becomes a dazzling experience of grace and speed. The experience of almost having to move your neck and eyes to follow a dancer in flight makes all the difference in my view.

Even in better is the depiction of corps de ballet scenes especially close up of a few dancers at a time. The spine-tingling factor one gets in live experience is certainly present here.

You will not get a larger image of dancer even if you are in the front row of the theatre. But there are certain advantages of a filmed version as oppose to a live performance – the director can present a variety of camera angles and close ups. A live performance only gives the view from one angle. Imagine watching a film like Titanic or Pearl Harbour from one panned-out camera angle – that is what watching a live performance is like!

The best ballets to watch via a projector are the ones shot in the studio. The ABT DVD of Giselle with Fracci and Bruhn has been much criticised for the annoying cross-cutting of camera angles and shots. But when watching it on a projector it is totally different. It becomes real edge-of-the-seat stuff –far better than anything I have seen live.

I have been harsh about the direction of Paris Opera videos and DVD for having too many panned-out shots. But those criticisms dissolve when watching these DVDs on a projector. In fact they are superbly directed on the big screen!!!

Of course DVD is the best medium for a projector – but I find lower resolution VHS tapes perfectly acceptable as well. In fact, for pas de deux and solo numbers VHS is as good as DVD. I really enjoyed the Prince of the Pagodas with its terrific pas de deux. Particularly well filmed VHS like the Balanchine celebrations will put many DVDs to shame!!! However corps de ballet scenes do suffer badly on VHS. I should point out that for most projectors you must play an NTSC tape though a proper NTSC video machine – not on a PAL machine with NTSC play back facility.

But aside from ballet, a projector will open your mind to a wholly different art form – film art. Before buying a projector I only watched mindless violent action films like Terminator etc. But thanks to the projector my mind has been opened up to stunning works of film art like Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver, Red Shoes etc The Red Shoes is particularly stunning with its incredible photography by Jack Cardiff. You have not seen these films unless you have seen them on a projector. The TV is a dreadful medium for these works! The screen is too small and most of the picture is cut to satisfy the 4:3 TV ratio.

Projectors are incredibly versatile, take seconds to set up or put away and without exception are dual voltage and will cope with both PAL and NTSC picture signal. The bulkiest item will be the screen – but these can come in roller blind format or as a collapsible tripod. They can be installed and then put away in seconds! I also find that projectors are pretty forgiving if they or the screen are not properly set up.

You can project the picture on a painted matt white wall. This is not recommend for ballet because the white colours will cause glare! This is due the spotlights directed and the dancers 'flashing' back. This is not a problem with movie DVD because the lighting is heavily diffused and made to look absolutely natural.

Virtually no projector has the standard SCART socket. So you need to connect your DVD via the S-video or even better by component inputs. Do not use the composite input because it significantly degrades the picture sharpness. Most projectors have cheap speakers attached but you really should direct sound through your stereo system.

Projectors start from about £1200 but they will give a poor low-contrast picture., Good projectors start at about £2000. You should only consider DLP projectors with a 500:1 minimum contrast. DLP projectors (as opposed to LCD) give much better contrast AND eliminate the “lines” (or chicken wire effect) you will see on LCD or TV screen.

Ideally the projector should have component inputs or at the very least computer VGA inputs. This will allow the use of an Iscan Line Doubler which gives a “progressive scan” picture. This effectively doubles the resolution of the picture. For the ultimate in home cinema, consider a 16:9 aspect ratio projector. This will allow you to play DVDs in their true format with far better resolution! Most projectors are still 4:3 TV ratio which means that only a portion of the screen is used for widescreen films.

The “Plus home theatre Piano projector” has all these features including a built-in progressive scanner (usually costs £800) and costs only £2000!! But it is not very bright and should only be used in a very dark room. Also it is only available in the US and Europe. But it is totally multi-voltage and picture so it can be used everywhere. Go to www.plushometheater.com (note US spelling of “theater”) for a list of dealers and more information. Dealers are in France and Germany . Its nearest competitor starts at about £4500.

For an excellent internet guide to projectors try www.projectorcentral.com.

Other costs you need to consider are screens and projector lamps. The lamps usually last about 1000 hours (ie a year and a half ) and cost about £300. An excellent UK supplier of screens is at www.widescreen-centre.co.uk. Screens typically cost £150-250.

The projector is probably the single most treasured item I have in my house – the impact it has had on my life has been like no other entertainment device I have ever brought. You may have noticed that I have not been to the ballet very frequently this season. I am afraid it is because of the projector. Going to see ballet “live” is second best.