TechRadar's best kit of 2010
The top tech of the last 12 months, as reviewed right here
We review a lot of products each year here at TechRadar, putting each and every one through its paces thoroughly to ensure we give you the best possible advice.
Now we're at the end of 2010, it's time to look back at the very best kit we saw. These are our picks of the most impressive examples of each type of tech, and are the ones we'd happily spend our own money on.
TV - Philips 21:9 Platinum 58PFL9955H
Philips' flagship HDTV is admittedly pricey at £4,000, but you get some incredible performance for that money. Listing all of the features of this TV would take forever, so let's just say that the 21:9 aspect ratio (which is perfect for movies), 58-inch screen, direct LED backlighting and 3D capability all come together to make the most visually stunning screen you can buy. It's simply the ultimate home cinema TV.
Read TechRadar's full Philips 21:9 Platinum 58PFL9955H review
Blu-ray player - Sony BDP-S370
With this Blu-ray player, Sony seems to have found a balance of price and performance we never thought possible. It boasts nearly flawless HD pictures, remarkable upscaling skills of regular DVDs and the ability to play high-quality HD on-demand content from BBC iPlayer – and you can find it for only a little more than £100 these days.
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Read TechRadar's full Sony BDP-S370 review
Freeview receiver - Humax HD-FOX T2
When we first reviewed this Freeview HD receiver back in February, we were pleased with its general performance, but couldn't help but be disappointed at the lack of recording capability. Humax has since added a firmware update that enables you to add an external hard drive to record, nailing that problem beautifully. In fact, we're even told that Humax will throw in a free hard drive, making this box almost impossible to resist.
Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he's in charge of persuading our team of writers and reviewers to watch the latest TV shows and movies on gorgeous TVs and listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. It's a tough task, as you can imagine. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he's also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He's always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he's explaining the offside rule.