A new home cinema system has been launched in the UK by a Sussex company.

Owl Video Systems of Uckfield, the market leading supplier of large screen multimedia and video projection systems, took over Uckfield's Picture House to launch the Grand Cinema digital projector.

Both the cinema and Owl's headquarters on the Bellbrook Industrial Park escaped last week's devastating flooding and the launch was able to go ahead.

Owl has linked up with Italian company Seleco which in turn is using technology designed by Texas Instruments of the US for the projector.

The system will play DVDs but it is anticipated at the beginning of next year customers will be able to use it for watching television programmes.

Technical director Alan Roser described the Grand Cinema as a breakthrough in home entertainment.

He said: "The projector uses the same digital system that is used in cinemas so the quality of the picture is very high.

"Unlike the projectors that have been used before, this one does not have to sit square in front of the screen.

"It can be placed anywhere convenient opposite the screen and the picture is adjusted to the correct proportions with minimum effort.

"Thanks to the latest technology, people can enjoy movies in big-screen splendour without leaving the comfort of their homes.

"It is mainly aimed at the home theatre enthusiast but it will be ideal for boardrooms and lectures."

But the Grand Cinema does come at a price.

The cost of setting up the system is £6,000 including VAT.