Freelance technology writer and reviewer John Archer reportson the hottest products and issues to catch his eye this week...

Even though I've been writing about AV electronics for 10years now, I can honestly say that I've never enjoyed my job more than I doright now.

It's not just watching TV all day

You probably reacted to that statement in one of two ways.Either you thought: 'now there's a bloke who really needs to get out more'. Orelse you thought: 'well, if I was getting paid for sitting on my butt all daywatching TV I'd probably like my job too!'.

However, while these are both undoubtedly valid points, thereason I said what I said is simply that I really don't think the world of AVhas ever been more diverse, fast moving or just plain exciting.

Prompting this rush of enthusiasm are two innovative newproducts I've been testing this week for Home Cinema Choice and What Video magazines. First up, there's Samsung's LE52F96BD, the first flat TV in the UKto use - drum roll please - an LED backlight.

Cue tumbleweed blowing silently across your browser...

Why LED backlighting is a big deal

Just written out cold like that, a TV using an LED backlightprobably does sound about as interesting as concrete. But seriously, if you care evena little bit about picture quality, it's a big deal.

Why? Because by using anarray of individually controllable LED light sources rather than LCD'scustomary single, always-on light source, it's possible to tackle not one buttwo of LCD technology's biggest flaws - poor black level response andsmeary motion.

For instance, you can completely turn the LEDs in a darkpart of the picture off, where with ordinary LCD some light would still bepresent in dark areas, leaving them looking grey.

Or you can activate LEDs inwaves. This replicates the 'scanning' effect found with good old CRT technologythat's so beneficial to showing motion. All this fine LED backlight theoryreally does seem born out in practice by Samsung's LE52F96BD TV, especially in theblack level department. Which makes me suspect that someday all LCD TVs could be made this way.