NEC 61XR3 plasma TV

Quake puny humans, the leviathan has arrived!

Wow! If you want a telly that blocks out the sun and can double as a supporting wall in the event of a natural disaster, this is the puppy.

A whole 61 inches - count 'em - crammed with glowing pixels. But despite the huge screen size, the image that it displays is crisp and detailed, even when you're sitting up close, and the resolution is good enough to display High Definition TV (720p). Colour reproduction is decent as well, and our only complaint was a certain amount of judder.

Sound from the big bolt-on speakers is very impressive, with good bass and a stereo effect that's helped by the distance they're set apart. Alas, the styling - as with the main unit and stand - is all a bit too bland for our taste. We'd expect a little more design flair for our £13,000.

As befits an HD-ready telly, there are HDCP-compliant DVI and component inputs, plus an RGB D-Sub socket for hooking up a PC, and basic composite and stereo phono ins. Some may bemoan the lack of a Scart, and admittedly it'd be nice to see an HDMI connection for a fully digital audio-video link.

This is an amazing plasma, offering an incredible, huge picture. Our main issue with it is the price, for which you could buy a good High-Definition projector and screen to achieve a much bigger image and still have change for a couple of 42-inch plasmas to put in other rooms, plus a few chairs, a fridge, beer, popcorn...-