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Still more good news concerns the clarity of the 55X4500's pictures. The screen is, of course, a Full HD affair, but as ever, that's only a small part of the battle when it comes to reproducing HD in its sharpest glory.

So as I stare goggle-eyed at the exceptional levels of detail and immaculate, noiseless edges of the impressive Zodiac broadcast on the 55X4500, I have to give major kudos to the TV's Bravia Engine 2 system too, for the way it improves picture quality without introducing softness or lag.

Also earning my respect is the MotionFlow 100Hz system - or more precisely, the new Clear MotionFlow mode. For with this activated, even really rapid action such as the black and white fight in a toilet at the start of Casino Royale is presented with slightly enhanced fluidity and enhanced resolution but, crucially, without nasty side effects.

Switch MotionFlow to its more high-powered Smooth or Standard settings, and traces of the flickering and edge shimmering problems I've noted before with the technology start to appear. But with the Clear mode, the glitches all but disappear. What's more, I actually preferred the Clear Mode's more ‘laid back' approach to judder removal for it leaves an image more reminiscent of something I'd expect to see in a cinema.

LED TVs to date have tended to suffer a little with ‘blooming' around really bright image elements, especially if they're surrounded by darkness. But somehow the 55X4500 keeps this under control, further enhancing the impact of the set's ability to present ultra-bright whites and colours right alongside pitch blacks.

The 55X4500 is, inevitably, at its stunning best with HD material. But it's also remarkably good at showing standard definition for such a large, Full HD screen. Some terrific processing - especially from the DRC mode we mentioned earlier - adds bags of detail to standard definition sources, yet crucially it does this cleverly enough not to exaggerate any noise that might be in a source. Even the usually dreadful-looking Hallmark channel emerges from the 55X4500 looking as if it's been broadcast in some kind of decent DVD-level quality.

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