Panasonic, JVC and Sharp have asked Japanese punters to return 16,500-odd LCD projectors in case the machines catch fire.

Apparently, one did, and to prevent anyone being caught in a future projector pyrotechnics, the three companies today told owners to unplug the machines and contact them for a replacement.

How many will actually be returned is anyone's guess. While the three companies said they'd together sold 16,599 of the potentially incendiary projectors, the devices were all manufactured in the early 1990s. The last batch left the factory in 1992, so it's a good bet the many of them have long since been replaced and either binned or left to gather dust.

The machines were all made by Sharp, which sold the lion's share of them. Panasonic and JVC both offered the projectors under their own brands.

Sharp blamed the fire risk on the degradation of electrolytic capacitors on the motherboard. Their insulation is no longer up to the job, it said, which can lead to an electrical discharge and the risk of the projector's internal catching fire.

Affected Sharp models are the XV-101T, PG-1000T, PG-X1000 and XV-T1V. To that list, add JVC's VX-100T1 and Panasonic's TH-100CV1. It's not known how many of these projectors were sold over here, but a number turn up on local lists of bulb spares, suggesting the projectors were offered by UK buyers.

if in doubt, consult your supplier.