LG OLED55C6V
TV tech has come on leaps and bounds in the past 12 months, and this offering from LG is arguably at the top of the TV food chain. While its 55-inch panel is breathtaking itself, it’s the tech within that’s seriously impressive. LG’s OLED55C6V manages to achieve what it calls ‘Perfect Black’, which is the process of blocking light from entering pixels. It means the colours you see are richer, warmer and more accurate to the original recording of whatever you’re watching. It can also boast to be one of the few TVs on the market that works with HDR, so any content displayed in HDR, is automatically upscaled, and the contrast enhanced. Display aside, the eagle-eyed among you will soon notice just how thin this unit is. LG calls it ‘Blade Slim’, and it’s the company’s thinnest TV yet, due to the lack of backlight which adds a slight bulk. But don’t panic about that, as LG compensates with the addition of Dolby Vision, which ensures brighter and sharper images that naturally brings light into the display when needed. This is, without doubt, the Ferrari of televisions.
£2,300 | $2,500 | lg.com
Sky Q
Sky Q looks to revamp your home entertainment system, with some success. It centres on a new Sky Q Hub, which wirelessly communicates with your TV to provide an all-in-one source of entertainment. There’s a built-in 2TB hard drive that can record up to four shows simultaneously as you watch a fifth, and it contains the necessary technology to be Ultra HD-friendly out of the box. Plus, if you’re a Sky user, you’ll get a hefty discount when upgrading.
From £32 a month | Sky.com
Avegant Glyph
While the Avegant Glyph wouldn’t look out of place in the latest sci-fi film, it’s actually the world’s first home-entertainment system that attaches to your face. It uses Retinal Imaging Technology which mimics natural eyesight with millions of tiny mirrors, so you get a fully immersive viewing experience, without the need for an actual display. There’s also a handy optics adjustment system, which compensates for those with prescriptions, meaning you can still enjoy your movies without the need for glasses. Oh, and did we mention that it can also be hooked up to the latest games consoles as an alternate to your TV? Yeah, you need this in your life.
£540 | $700 | avegant.com
Sony Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector
Projectors don’t have to be big and bulky, especially if Sony’s latest Ultra Short projector is anything to go by. Its compact design means that its highly portable, but the 100-lumen light output still enables it to project images at up to a whopping 80 inches in size. While it works with any sort of media you want to play with it, there’s also a Smart Control system that lets users take complete control of the unit with their smartphone. Dig a little deeper and you’ll be able to find Sony’s xLOUD technology, which packs in two 25mm Bass Reflex Speaker to deliver powerful, room-filling frequencies. It’s never been easier to get the cinema into your living room.
£1,000 | $1,000 | sony.co.uk
Samsung UBD-K8500
Designed to deliver the ultimate cinematic experience, Samsung’s K8500 Blu-ray player is cable of upscaling lower resolution media to Ultra HD, while also providing one of the most diverse colour palettes ever seen. Take advantage of its wireless capabilities, and you’ll be able to stream your favourite movies in UHD to compatible TV sets. For those who may not have caught up with Blu-rays just yet, the K8500 also caters for DVD and CDs as well.
£350 | $320 | samsung.com
Arcam AVR390
If you’re really serious about audio quality, then the AVR390 is a must-have product. Powered by Dolby Atmos – which simulates lifelike, ‘moving’ audio – the AVR390 is capable of being able to fine-tune any track that is played through it. It also uses its own propriety amplifier technology to work in correlation with a great number of home entertainment systems. Both video and audio ports cater for new and older devices, so standard HDMI owners will still have the chance to upgrade their sound quality.
£1,990 | $2,575 | arcam.co.uk
Philips Screeneo 2.0
By placing Screeneo just a few centimetres away from a wall, you can enjoy the latest movies and sports events in full HD, with tracking tech used to keep the projection as smooth as possible. Philip’s LuminAce engine gives the Screeneo a whopping 2,000 colour lumens, which helps portray natural colours and deep blacks no matter on the surface it’s projecting on. Its Dolby Digital 2.1 speaker adds an unforgettable audio experience.
£1,500 | $1,950 | philips.co.uk
This article first appeared in Gadget issue 14. For the latest tech news and reviews, buy the latest issue of Gadget here or download the digital edition.