JVC JLE55SP4000

If pressed to think of TVs which feature good sound I can only think of a couple -- Bose VideoWave, Toshiba's Cell TV -- and it's usually been accompanied by a whopping price-tag. JVC's JLE55SP4000 hopes to join this illustrious group -- boasting a "proprietary audio section that negates the need for an outboard soundbar or other HTIB solution" -- but without the price-tag.

The TV includes a 15W x 2 speaker system and a supplementary 15W subwoofer. Based on a JVC demonstration, the TV did sound better than most TVs with alot of emphasis on treble and a little bit more bass than most TVs. Dialogue did sound quite natural, but a separate sound system would undoubtedly sound better than the down-firing speakers.

The TV is a 55-inch edge-lit LED which features a passive 3D system similar to LG's Cinema 3D. The TV has onboard 802.11n wireless and boasts a number of apps including, uniquely, the Slingbox Player. This is the first TV that enables users to serve content from a Slingbox in another room, or anywhere in the world. It also comes with a reversible QWERTY remote.

The TV will be available in January 2013 from select big-box retailers for $1299.