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There are now so many televisions to choose from that it's hard to get a clear picture of what will suit you best. Here Duncan Madden, a former editor of Boys Toys magazine and one of Britain's leading technology journalists, tunes in to the five best flatscreens. Click to view Top 5 TVs.
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Best All-round TV (Sony BRAVIA KDL-40X2000U) |
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 From one of the most respected manufacturers comes this powerhouse LCD television for anyone looking to eek the very best out of every peripheral product they have, be it SKY HD, PlayStation3 or HD camcorder. Very beautiful, very desirable and very capable, the Sony has it all - with a price tag to match. |
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Sony's X series from its BRAVIA range represents the very top end of televisions the company manufactures, available in 40, 46 and humungous 52-inch guises. I've opted for the 40-inch as my choice simply because you need a very big front room to warrant splashing out the extra cash on those bigger screens - though if you do they are undeniably worth it.
It's a beautifully designed and constructed set, as you would only expect from Sony. Build quality is faultless with both the main unit and remote control reassuringly sturdy in the hand, while the floating screen design looks the absolute business. And if you're not a fan of that silver bezel surround, you can opt for black, blue, red, brown or white instead, albeit for an extra £150. But if you're shelling out this much it seems churlish not to have exactly what you want for comparatively little extra. |
Image is everything |
 The first thing that stands out about the Sony X series is that these TVs all support 1080p, or full HD, currently the very best possible picture quality you can get from a TV. This means a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels with no picture compression or resizing from the source to fit the image on the screen. Sony believes this is particularly important where its PlayStation3 is concerned as it believes every game will come prepped to 1080p so you'll need it to take full advantage of the spectacular processing power on offer.
Alongside the HD credentials, The KDL-40X2000U features BRAVIA ENGINE EX, crazy techwizardry that boosts standard definition signals by four times to create 'Digital Reality Creation', so your average television programme is going to look far better than ever before.
But no matter the source, this television produces some of the best pictures I have ever been privy to, as Stuff magazine comments, “Sony's picture quality is a fair degree better than any rival when you're watching off-air TV… But if that's impressive, switching to 1080p is even more rewarding. The depth of field - its ability to make pictures appear three-dimensional - is remarkable.” Marry this to the phenomenal colour array and perfect black replication and you have a picture that is so realistic it has you reaching out to touch characters on screen. |
Sweet sounding |
| With all this picture perfection you could be worried that Sony would overlook the audio side of things. But you can rest assured that's not the case, with both BBE Digital and Dolby Virtual Pro-Logic II delivering a supremely weighted and punchy audio palette that's as at home with the dialogue of the characters on Lost as it is with the rumble of engines on the PS3's epic Motorstorm. |
Hooked up |
As you would expect at this price - arount £1,800 - the Sony features in-built analogue and digital TV tuners with Electronic Programme Guide so there's no need to connect up an extra box. But with this kind of kit you'd be crazy to rely on the Freeview channels when you can take full advantage of Sky HD, which is why Sony has included such a bountiful array of connection options.
Alongside the three SCARTs (all RGB) and dual components, the twin HDMI mean you can keep your Sky HD box and PS3 hooked up for constant use - no need for a third as the PS3 is a Blu-ray DVD player too. There's also optical digital out, PC input so you can use it as the mother of all PC monitors and a PCMCIA card slot. Comprehensive barely covers it. |
Final thoughts |
 Despite its ultra high-end credentials, setting up the Sony is a breeze thanks to the step-by-step onscreen menu system, and with all those connectors clearly labelled and explained in the handbook, it should be up and running as the beating heart of your home entertainment setup in no time at all. It comes supplied with a tabletop stand, but if you really want to make it look as good as possible it's well worth investing in the SU-WL51 wall mount bracket, though it's not cheap at around £350. |
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For further explanation of technical terms click here
Typical Price: £1,800/$3,560
For currency converter click here |
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