The ultrasleek KDL 46NX800 looks like a featureless black slab when turned off, dominated by a single pane of glass that extends almost to the edge of the panel on all sides. A sliver of black metal edges the glass panel, and when seen from the side or top, the brushed black metal complements the subtle brushed silver of the low-profile stand. Behind the glass, the relatively thick border around the screen nearly matches the black of the turned-off screen, furthering the illusion that the TV is one piece. The logos and indicators are extremely subtle, at least until the word Sony lights up when the TV is turned on–the light can be turned off, furthering the display’s integrated look.

Sony also paid attention to how the back and sides of the monolith appear. The TV’s notched profile measures 2.5 inches deep at its thickest point on the bottom, narrowing to an inch on the thinner section toward the top. The company glossed the black backside, and hid the back-panel input connectors behind a removable plate. You can channel cables from there down into the base, along with the power cord–although space is a little tight for thick cabling. Speaking of the base of the stand, Sony finally added a swivel, something the company has never added to an LCD TV. In addition to the swivel, the TV, oddly, can be angled back slightly–in case you want to mount your KDL46NX800 on the floor, perhaps?

Sony also gave the TV’s remote control a significant makeover. It iss one of the best remotes we have ever used, aside from the weird duplicate power button on its backside that caused us to shut off the TV once. The company kept the excellent button arrangement from last year’s remote control, preserving the logical size and placement differentiation. However, this year’s keys are more flush and sleek, improving the pressing action–now they emit a satisfying low-pitched click. The remote has a concave shape along its length that seems to send the thumb to the Home key and the middle of the big cursor control naturally. Completing the package, Sony added blue backlighting as well as the cap ability to control other devices via infrared or HDMI.

 

If you want to buy  BEST Bang for your BUCK and Most Designable HDTV this year then it has to be the Sony KDL 46NX800