Pioneer PDP-508XD

None more black

If there's one thing flat TVs slip up on, it's making blacks look black. Atom-sharp detail's no problem, but giving Batman's cape the correct ebony sheen has all too often been too much for 'em.

Well, not any more. Pioneer's new 50-inch plasma boasts the best black levels we've ever seen on a flat TV, with a contrast range that rivals your old CRT. This eighth-generation model will leave your mouth agape and your eyes on stalks whether you're enjoying DVDs, Hi-Def movies or games.

Even when you're sat in a dark room, you don't notice the TV's backlight as you would with an LCD or cheap plasma; that unsightly, washed-out grey effect is replaced by clean, bottomless black. There's more to this TV than amazing contrast, though. Cineasts will be drooling merrily into their popcorn when they learn it can show HD-DVD and Blu-Ray movies at their original speed of 24fps. There are umpteen settings to be twiddled and software enhancements galore, including top-drawer ISF calibration. Three HDMI inputs also mean that you can hook up pretty much all of your Hi-Def kit.

Sonic performance is similarly inspiring, music and dialogue bursting from the speakers. Spend an extra £200 on Pioneer's external ones and the results will be even more impressive.

It all adds up to a spectacular high-end package. It doesn't boast a full-HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, but other than that, this is a work of untrammelled genius and the state of this particular art.