Televisions

Curved screens remain a source of debate in AV circles. Yet regardless of whether you love or hate them, you can’t ignore them – and that goes for manufacturers as well as punters. So I find myself faced with the 65S9005B: the first curved TV launched in the UK by Sony. And a very striking sight it is too.

After a bit of faffing about, Panasonic enters 2015 in pretty good shape from a 4K TV perspective. Its AX802 sets are now – following the belated addition of Netflix 4K streaming support – impressive mid-range options, while its recently released AX902 models do a credible job of simulating the sort of picture qualities previously associated with the brand's plasma screens.

A 48in Full HD Smart TV, Philips' 48PFT5509 rides into town waving a £500 ticket in the face of potential cash-conscious buyers. Its affordable nature isn’t obvious from its design. The frame is on-trend slim, and the open metal stand mirrors much of the competition, too. You don’t, however, get Philips’ Ambilight technology, but I suppose this is a logical enough sacrifice in targeting that £500 mark.

The LG 47LB730V, at around £700, isn't the most affordable 47in TV on the market, so it has a point to prove. It sets about this task with gusto thanks to a seriously pretty design that mixes an ultra-slim frame with a posh-looking silvery outer trim. The aluminium stand hasn’t exactly been beaten with the ugly stick, either.

While Sony’s flagship 4K TVs for 2014, the X9005B series, are magnificent performers, they represent a considerable challenge for your average UK living room. Firstly, they’re not cheap, and secondly – not to put too fine a point on it – they’re absolutely massive. Don’t get me wrong – I still find the X9005B series highly attractive, with spectacular front-firing magnetic fluid speakers etched into their huge frames. But they really do eat up your real estate.

Whatever angle you take, Sony's KD-65X9005B is a formidable 4K proposition. With its mould-breaking design, pixel-pushing picture processing and audiophile pretensions, it sees Sony’s TV division at its most confident in years.

Trivial Pursuit piece. Cheese. Door stop. Shoe. Rogue Squadron pilot. The humble wedge has many uses. In 2014, we can add TV design to that illustrious list, as Sony introduces a wedge shape to its higher-end TV line-up.