LATEST ADDITIONS

When the light falls just right, Sony’s W9 LED TV glints emerald, like something precious – which, indeed, it is. This 40in thinscreen follows hot on the heels of one of last year’s finest LCD displays, the HW8, and seeks to maintains Sony’s forward momentum with a modicum of extra functionality and a splash more AV refinement.

Having got his start working in New York's George Eastman House archives - home to one of the largest collections of silent films in the world, as well as a good portion of Martin Scorsese's own private collection - James White has become one of the leading lights of film restoration in the UK.

Considering the sizeable challenges the restoration team faced with Mario Bava's legendary horror anthology, this Blu-ray release of Black Sabbath is nothing short of miraculous. Both the Italian and US edits of the film boast wonderfully rich colour palettes and pleasingly natural levels of film grain throughout. The only extras on the HD platter are a chat-track and a fascinating featurette examining the differences between the two versions of the film. However, additional interviews and trailers can be found on the DVDs included in the set.

We may still be in the grip of economic gloom but I can see some light at the end of the consumer electronics market’s long dark tunnel, and that light is home cinema. During this recession, the electronics industry has fared even worse than other consumer goods sectors and has had more dips than a fondue party. The general public are simply not buying TVs and audio systems like they used to. In fact, throughout 2012, the UK public purchased half as many TVs as it did in 2006.