BenQ W1350 Projector

Fancy some big screen projection?

Projectors have become a more established technology within living rooms over these last few years, as we’ve seen from some of the examples we’ve reviewed in the past. What’s more, some offer far better audio and visual technology than the business models that most of us are probably more familiar with.

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Sony XBR-65X850C 3D LCD Ultra HDTV

Is it safe yet to buy a 4K TV? Manufacturers want us to think so, even though it seems that there’s always some new hitch to make consumers wary that the set they buy today will be an expensive doorstop a year or two down the road. For example, the first few 4K TVs lacked an HDMI 2.0 interface—a necessity if you wanted your set to be compatible with future 60-fps Ultra HD content like sports. When the next generation of 4K sets came out, there was a question of whether the HDMI 2.0 interface would support HDCP 2.2 content protection—a necessity if you wanted to watch copy-protected Ultra HD movies.

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LG Electronics LAS950M

LG’s top-of-the-line soundbar and subwoofer solution is also part of its Music Flow multiroom audio system. So that’s a lot of options in this two-box solution.

Our first thought when unpacking the company’s LAS950M soundbar and subwoofer combo (also known as the HS9) was that LG has come quite a long way in recent years with the styling of its offerings. Both devices were elegantly understated with wraparound black grilles and clean, silvery tops. But equally interesting is that LG has come on in leaps and bounds with audio quality in its recent products, notably the Music Flow multiroom system, of which this soundbar can form a part. Let’s see if they perform as well as they look.

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TCL U55H8800CDS

The rise of the big Chinese TV manufacturers continues, as TCL shows it can do premium curved 4K LED-backlit design very nicely, thank you.

TCL Electronics, one of the biggest Chinese TV makers, is pushing hard into the fancier end of the market. The U55H8800CDS Ultra High Definition TV is clear evidence of that — a handsomely-styled 55-inch curved-screen unit selling at a relatively modest $2499.

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Sony KD-75X9405C

With its bold design and 75in panel, this TV puts the 'big' into bigscreen entertainment

If the current trend is to try and minimise the space the new generation of TVs take up by giving them incredibly slim frames, Sony’s KD-75X9405C is the untrendiest TV of the year. It's not just content with assaulting your living room space with a vast 75in screen; this monolithic beast adds sidebars down each side of that screen, making it look more like an 85in set.

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LG 55EG960V

Representing OLED in our high-end TV tussle is this curved, 4K style icon from LG

OLED technology has finally gone from being the stuff of AV fantasy to a living, breathing reality you can actually buy. What’s more, you can actually already buy it for less than you might imagine. The 55in 55EG960V costs £3,800, despite being only the second native 4K/UHD OLED TV we’ve seen. That makes it the most affordable set in this roundup, albeit at a smaller screen size. Expect to pay £6,000 for the 65in model of the 960V series.

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Sony HT-XT3

Looking for a soundbase to boost your TV's sound and get to grips with your music needs? Look here, says Mark Craven

The HT-XT3 is a soundbase with a Smart heart. Sony's £450 newbie flaunts Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, app control, multiroom support, screen mirroring and media streaming, while its conservative rivals off er little more than an optical audio socket. And it does all this remembering that sound quality still matters.

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PMC Twenty Series 5.1

Mark Craven luxuriates in the clear, crisp waters of PMC's Twenty Series speakers

With its early '90s origins in the world of pro audio, PMC is a well-known marque in hi-fi circles. It has collected accolades for its range of speakers that aim, in the company's own words, 'to replay the purest intentions of the artist without colouration.' It doesn't, in case you were wondering, make a soundbar.

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Sony STR-DN860

Sony’s entry-level 7.2 receiver fails to scale new heights, puns Steve May, but that might not matter to you

The STR-DN860 AV receiver may be light at just 8.3kg, but it arrives with a weight of expectation. Its predecessor was a bestseller for Sony, and this update boasts cool new multiroom functionality, improved HDMI connectivity and some luscious hi-res audio playback compatibility.

The receiver opts for a solid, streamlined look with no pull-down drawbridge. The only fascia acne are headphone and mic inputs, plus USB. As £400 AVRs go, it's among the best-looking ones out there.

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Panasonic TX-50CX700

Firefox, 4K and a smart design make Jamie Carter an instant fan of Panasonic's TX-50CX700

Many will expect a 50in 4K TV that sells for less than £1,000 to care little for design. Corners have to be cut somewhere. And yet Panasonic's £900 TX-50CX700 offers one of the most arresting style flourishes of all – two barely visible feet providing that ‘floating look’ that so many TV designers aim for but usually miss. This may be a budget TV, but it's a beauty.

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Pioneer BDP-LX58

Someone should remind this over-achieving Pioneer Blu-ray player that it only sells for £500, chides

The BDP-LX58 is Pioneer’s Blu-ray Prince Regent. By designation it ranks below the brand’s flagship LX88 (and sells for half as much), but it doesn’t doff its cap to anyone. It looks beautiful and is built like a hotel room safe. A 1mm-thick steel-plated bonnet keeps a lid on erroneous vibration, while the chassis features a 1.6mm-thick base, reinforced by a 3mm plate. In operation it’s library quiet. You’ll want to load discs simply for the pleasure of ejecting them again.

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Libratone Diva

Libratone is back with another fabric-coated soundbar that has designs on Adrian Justins' living room. But can this app-controlled audio booster impress where it really matters?

If you're in the market for a soundbar you have a choice to make. You can accept a few sonic compromises and go for something slim and demure (and usually bargain-priced) or you can go for something with a bit more meat on it, something that’s more likely to deliver the sonic goods by virtue of having much larger drive units. And the latter option also offers up the possibility of discarding the otherwise essential requirement of a separate subwoofer.

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Panasonic DMP-BDT270

Impressive 4K upscaling and 3D playback convinces Jamie Carter that this affordable Blu-ray player could find a place in a budget AV setup

Under fire from the likes of Netflix and an incoming Ultra HD format, the received wisdom is that the basic Blu-ray player is on borrowed time. The compact quality of the Panasonic DMP-BDT270 suggests otherwise.

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