The amazing colour range is blended with a finesse we'd previously only seen on Pioneer's soon to be defunct Kuro plasma TVs; shadow details abound to give dark scenes a sense of depth, and the sharpness and clarity on show with HD sources is jaw-dropping.

Making the set's precision with fine detail all the more mesmerising is its excellent suppression of video noise, and the way objects move around the screen without anything like as much smearing and resolution loss as happens with most of Sony's standard LCD TVs.

Thankfully, all that digital processing doesn't generate loads of unwanted video side-effects, either, provided you keep the MotionFlow system set low.

While the 46X4500 is, inevitably, at its sensational best with HD footage, it's also an adept standard def performer. The latest Bravia Engine system does an excellent job of upscaling sources to the screen's full HD resolution.

If pushed to find fault with the pictures, we might say that occasionally dark scenes take on a fractionally green undertone. Also, some of the TV's picture presets are pretty dire, making manual calibration a must.

Finally, pictures set up to look their absolute best aren't especially bright, but this won't matter if you're watching the TV in a sensibly darkened room.

Sound

Audio is reasonably clear, decently loud, possessing of a respectable dynamic range and it's underpinned by a passable dollop of bass. But at the same time, the sound doesn't deliver quite the levels of power and precision that those glorious pictures deserve.

Value

At £3,500 the 46X4500 is extremely expensive for a 46in TV, having said that, its picture quality is so good that it arguably justifies the expense. As the saying goes, if you want the best, you just have to pay for it. Better start saving now.

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