Announced in 2011, the Toshiba 55ZL2 is finally a reality and is the first large glasses free 3D panel to go on sale in the UK, so you won't be needing any of those pesky specs.

Toshiba 55ZL2: Build

The panel design itself bears all the hallmarks of a premium TV, with a silver-trimmed black bezel surrounding the screen. The chrome-look silver stand sports a distinctive squared shape that should make it stand out from the crowd.

Toshiba 55ZL2: Screen

Naturally, the main feature here is the glasses free 3D Quad Full HD panel which has an impressive resolution of 3840x2160. Packing a quoted 9 million:1 dynamic contrast ratio, the panel has been designed to produce deep black levels.

The black reproduction that we saw during our demo was good although not quite as inky as we might have hoped. However, we'll reserve judgement for when we can get our hands on a full review model.

The 55ZL2 also offers super HD upscaling beyond full HD 1080p, powered by the brand's CEVO Engine processor.

Overall, the HD picture performance was incredible, which is no surprise given that the screen resolution is four times that of normal 1080p HD. It's a compelling selling point on its own (although the price would seem rather steep, without the fancy 3D wizardry thrown in).

Toshiba 55ZL2: 3D

The glasses free 3D technology has improved in leaps and bounds since we first saw it previewed a few years ago.

While viewing from the dead centre of the screen offers a near-perfect 3D picture, there are also several other 'sweet spots' on the panel so that's it's possible for more than oneperson to watch the TV at a time, solving the 'viewing angle' problem that's usually associated with glasses free 3D.

The lenticular screen tech works in tandem with the built-on camera to automatically place these sweet spots and direct different images for the left and right eye in real time. These can also be adjusted manually using 3D position markers.

As you'd expect, the panel can also convert 2D images to 3D, with the option to adjust the depth control to find the best viewing setup for you.

The 3D picture we saw was good, with clarity and depth perception looking much better than on previous demos.

Toshiba 55ZL2: Features

The TV will also feature smartphone and tablet control, although we didn't get to see that in action, so hopefully it'll be up and running in time for our full review.

The 55ZL2 also sports a built-in Freeview HD tuner, the Toshiba Places inline portal including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and iPlayer support, and you'll also get integreated Wi-Fi and DLNA.

Toshiba 55ZL2: Verdict

As with all 3D technology, it's largely down to personal preference whether the effect works for you and if you're able to watch it comfortably for long periods of time. This is definitely the best glasses free 3D that we've seen so far, and as a 2D HD panel, the 55ZL2 offers superb picture performance.

The price tag of nearly 7 grand will be a major stumbling for most of us mere mortals with normal jobs - we suspect that this TV will have a relatively limited audience made up of minted early adoptors and premiership footballers with money to burn. However, it's an exciting look into the future of 3D and we look forward to testing it out in more depth.

Toshiba ZL2 availability: On order from 12 March 2012 from John Lewis Oxford Street and later through Harrods via Dixons Retail

Toshiba ZL2 price: £6999

Hands-on review by Libby Plummer