Sony KDL-46X2000 LCD TV

Say hello to Sony's not-so-little, HD-ready friend!

This "X-series" model is the flagship of Sony's TV fleet, a glass-framed behemoth bristling with more hi-tech paraphernalia than a stealth bomber.

The chief weapon in its arsenal is 1080p compatibility. According to Sony, 1080p is "true HD": HD that'll amaze you with its silky smooth motion and incredible detail. Sadly, at the time of testing, there was almost no 1080p material available, so we'll have to take Sony's word for it.

What we did have bags of was 1080i material, which looks breathtaking on the huge 46-inch screen. Watching Planet Earth on BBC HD, you see every bit of scrub on the African savannah, each hair on a bison's behind and the evil glint in the eyes of a crocodile. An episode of Later... with Jools Holland, meanwhile, shows the Arctic Monkeys' acne-ravaged faces and Paul Weller's absurd haircut in terrifying detail.

It's not just the detail that's impressive. The deft way it creates vibrant colours sets it apart too. Thanks to Wide Colour Gamut technology, gradual transitions from light to dark are almost totally free from the target-style banding effect, that's so common on flat-panel tellies, while black levels are much more impressive than the 1300:1 contrast ratio suggests.

Standard-def material from the built-in Freeview tuner doesn't fare quite as well as the HD stuff. There's a fair bit of digital noise buzzing around footballers on Match of the Day, which is probably made more noticeable by the huge screen size.

Sound quality is excellent, with Saving Private Ryan's louder moments revealing a propensity for beefy bass and crisp treble.

We can't do much else but recommend this screen. It's future-proof, well designed and performs brilliantly with Hi-Def. If you can afford it, go get one.