2007 really has been a watershed year for TVs. Prices have plummeted so quickly it's hard to keep up; sizes have increased so fast; and flat TV technology has improved so much that it's enough to make you dizzy.

With so much going on, it's fair to say that any TV that manages to stand out from the crowd like the following five (presented in no particular order) really has to be something special.
TVs just don't get more special than the Pioneer PDP-508XD.

Realising that market prices were dropping so fast that it couldn't keep up, Pioneer decided the time was right to step out of the cut-throat price war. Instead, it would throw all of its efforts into creating a whole new standard of flat TV performance for which it could charge a premium price. And with the 508XD, it achieved that aim quite magnificently.

The 08XD models are nicknamed 'KURO' by Pioneer, which is Japanese for 'black'. And the reason for this name is simply that the TVs use evolved plasma technology to produce the single finest black level response the flat TV world has ever seen.

If you don't think this sounds like a big deal, consider that without a good black level response colours can't look natural, dark scenes can't look credible and shadow detailing is limited. In other words, you just can't get a truly cinematic image without a good black level. So it follows that by delivering the best flat TV black levels yet, the KURO models also produce the most cinematic flat TV picture quality yet.

As we suggested earlier, the 508XD isn't cheap. But with all sorts of other reasons to love it too - its large size, its superb connectivity, its flexibility with both HD and standard definition sources, its remarkably rich colours etc - in our opinion its money very well spent indeed.
While you have to pay for the absolute best picture quality around, though, you can thankfully get very good picture quality for relative peanuts, courtesy of the Panasonic TH-42PZ70.

Panasonic has long been a star of the flat TV world with its 'Real Black Drive' plasma technology, and although it's had its thunder stolen somewhat this year by Pioneer's remarkable advances, its managed a major coup of its own by launching the UK's only full HD 42-inch plasma TV.

The 42PZ70 makes its extra resolution count in two ways: greater detail in its pictures, and more subtle nuances in its colour reproduction. And of course, these new strengths join older Panasonic triumphs like a superb (if not quite KURO-level) black response and really nice colour tones.

Arguably the very best thing about the 42PZ70, though, is how affordable it is. You can now get its Panasonic quality and full HD resolution for under £1,000 if you know where to look. And that's little short of amazing.
If the TVs covered so far sound too big for you, then how about our next selection: the Philips 32PFL9632D. This 32-inch LCD model crams into its svelte little body more hard technology than most brands use across an entire TV range - and all of it is put to outstanding use in producing picture quality to die for.

Probably the single most important secret of this TV's success is its new Perfect Pixel HD Engine.

This takes all the already impressive stuff found in the latest generation of Philips' detail-boosting Pixel Plus processing, and adds a powerful new HD Natural Motion circuit to make movement look smoother, a 48Hz to better show 1080p/24 feeds from HD DVD and Blu-ray players, a new colour boosting circuit, and 14-bit video processing that's reckoned to give you as many as four trillion different colour tones.

Plus the set has a 100Hz processor to tackle LCD's problems with losing clarity over moving objects; while Ambilight technology that makes your viewing more relaxing and immersive by casting pools of colour light from the TV's sides.

Finally, an innovative 'Clear LCD' backlight system that uses an array of Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamps in place of the usual single backlight, boosts black levels and motion handling. It all adds up to the most fun I've had with a 32-inch TV all year.
Our 4th selection is a TV that finally unlocks for the mass market the real potential of digital broadcasting AND recording. The LG 42LT75 is the first TV in the UK to be officially certified as a ' Freeview Playback' set, which means three things.

First, it's got a built-in digital Freeview DVB-T tuner. Second, it's got a built-in hard disk drive (160GB) that can be used for recording digital programmes. And third, the recording system allows the pausing of live TV and is fully conversant with the latest iteration of Freeview's 7-day electronic programme guide, including permitting the series link functionality that's long been so attractive on Sky+ boxes.

What's more, the operating system LG provides to make all the 42LT75's functionality accessible is quite superbly designed, ensuring there really is no barrier to even the most technophobic of TV buyers getting into the joys of the digital TV world.

Add to all of this very decent 42-inch LCD pictures and the fact that you're getting the lot for just a grand, and the set's inclusion on our top five list is a no-brainer.
Picking the final brand for our TV top five is easy; no look back at 2007 would be complete without something from Samsung. The Korean brand has had a remarkable year, combining huge sales, great strides forward in performance terms, and bags of impressive innovation. Picking the exact model to feature, though, is more tricky.

In the end we were torn between two outstanding offerings: the Samsung PS50P96FD 50-inch plasma, with its jaw-droppingly affordable and impressive full HD performance, and the Samsung LE52F96BD, a huge 52-inch LCD TV which replaces the usual LCD backlight with an array of individually controllable LED lights with startling results.

In the end we've gone for innovation, as the LE52F96BD's LED system instantly gives you the best black levels, richest colours and arguably finest motion handling the LCD world has yet managed. Somehow we doubt this is the last we'll hear of LED...

Roll on 2008. TVs can (and will) only get better.