Welcome to the Home Cinema Choice Awards 2009 in association with DTS

The Home Cinema Choice Best Buy Awards 2009 digital edition is now available online!

Finding the best kit among the multitude of black-lacquered boxes and funkily-framed flatscreens can be a bit of a nightmare. The past 12 months have thrown so many technological curve balls that unless you stay as sharp as, er, Sharp, you can seriously lag behind.

Recent developments include the rapid growth of the high-definition audio formats, and the reinforcement of 1080p24 as the HD hobbyist’s resolution of choice. The year has also seen the launch of OLED as a genuine display alternative, and Blu-ray has staked a definitive claim to be the movie medium of the next decade. But, exciting they may be, all of these innovative advancements can sometimes be too much to keep track of.

The crème de la crème
That is, of course, where Home Cinema Choice comes in. Over the last year, the magazine has reviewed over 150 products, some great, some not so. With over 90-95 per cent of those having been given the full, unabridged tech test treatment from our expert reviewers – including thorough workouts in the legendary HCC tech labs. All in order to ensure that you get the very best advice before you part with your well-earned cash.

It doesn’t end there, though. Once a year, HCC’s team of experts gather over a list of every amp, TV, Blu-ray player and a host of other home cinema goodies, all with one thing in common – each was awarded a coveted Best Buy or Reference Status badge – in order to decide which of those are worthy to be called the best of the best.

And after the votes have been cast and counted, the shortlist for the Home Cinema Choice Awards is complete – a list of products so blisteringly hot, that they’d give the filling of a McDonald’s apple pie a run for its money. Essentially, if you’re going to buy any kit soon, this list should be your first stop.

So now, in association with DTS and category sponsors Domestic & General, we're proud to announce the winners of the Home Cinema Choice Best Buy Awards 2009…

Best TV 37in and under

Winner: Panasonic TX-37LZD81
Panny’s LCD TV deserves the gong for its inclusion of both Freeview and Freesat TV tuners.

Also nominated: Hitachi UT32MH70, Panasonic TH-37PX80B, Philips 32PFL9603D

Best TV 40-52in

Winner: Pioneer PDP-LX5090
It’s a Kuro – those blacks are just sooooo deep. And, it’s, sadly, the last of its generation.

Also nominated: Samsung LE46A786, Sharp LC-52XS1E, Sony KDL-46Z4500

Best TV over 52in

Winner: Samsung LE55A956
LED-backlighting? Check. 100Hz? Check. Net connectivity? Check. Massive screen for less wonga? You betcha.

Also nominated: Pioneer KRP-600A, Pioneer PDP-LX6090

Best Blu-ray Player £500 and under

Winner: Panasonic DMP-BD55
A no brainer, this Panny has it all: Profile 2.0, full compatibility with the HD audio formats, and 7.1 analogue audio outputs. No wonder it was a best-seller in 2008.

Also nominated: Panasonic DMP-BD35, LG BD300, Sony BDP-S350

Best Blu-ray Player over £500

Winner: Sony BDP-S5000ES
At over a grand, it’s not cheap. But in the case of the S5000ES, you get what you pay for – video- and audiophile-standard Blu-ray playback. Superb!

Also nominated: Denon DVD-3800BD, Pioneer BDP-LX91

Best DVD Player

Winner: Toshiba XD-E500
Its upscaling prowess is second-to-none for the price, thanks to Toshiba’s state-of-the-art picture processing, eXtended Detail Enhancement.

Also nominated: Pioneer DV-LX50, NAD Viso Five, Denon DVD-1940

Best Digital Recorder
Sponsored by Domestic & General

Winner: Humax Foxsat-HDR
The hard disk drive is king, and all 320GB of this Freesat recorder can be filled chock-a-block with HD goodness. Oh yes!

Also nominated: Panasonic DMR-EX98V, Sagem DTR 64160T, Sony RDR-HXD995

Best Speaker System £2,000 and under

Winner: Acoustic Energy Aegis Neo
What's this system got in common with the Lithuanian navy? They've both got two subs. Although you'll probably have to pay more for the AE setup.

Also nominated: KEF KIT160, MJ Acoustics Xeno System, KEF Q Series

Best Speaker System over £2,000

Winner: Teufel System 9 THX Ultra2
A year ago, little was known about this German speaker manufacturer, but it has consistently received plaudits for its systems. No more so, than with this THX Ultra2-certified array.

Also nominated: JBL LS-Series, Klipsch THX Ultra2, Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series

Best Subwoofer

Winner: MartinLogan Descent i
Designed to match ultra-fast electrostatics, this high-end box of bass can loosen teeth with its TriLinear Balanced Force driver configuration.

Also nominated: Velodyne SPL-1000 Ultra, Bowers & Wilkins ASW608

Best AV Receiver/Amplifier £1,000 and under
Sponsored by Domestic & General

Winner: Onkyo TX-SR706
This Onk is a cornucopia of options and features, including support for the high-def audio formats – made all the more surprising by its price of £600.

Also nominated: Onkyo TX-SR606, Yamaha RX-V1900, Denon AVR-2309

Best AV Receiver/Amplifier over £1,000
Sponsored by Domestic & General

Winner: Pioneer SC-LX81
THX-certified and AIR Studios-tuned, this monster is crammed full of features, and, most importantly, sounds awesome!

Also nominated: Denon AVC-A1HD, Onkyo TX-NR906, Sony STR-DA5400ES

Best Projector £3,000 and under

Winner: Epson TH-TW3800
This cutting-edge LCD PJ has more bells and whistles than a referee's wedding – ISF-calibration is just one tasty morsel.

Also nominated: ViewSonic Pro8100, Panasonic PT-AE3000, Sanyo PLV-Z3000

Best Projector over £3,000

Winner: Sony VPL-VW80
Excellent black levels and stunning details are just two strings to this SXRD PJ's bow – it's a genuine cinephile's dream.

Also nominated: JVC DLA-HD350, Planar PD8150

Best Home Cinema System

Winner: LG HT953TV
Mark Levinson-tuned and with an interesting DVD player/amp controller, this system is easily the most stylish on the market.

Also nominated: Onkyo HT-C5115, Samsung HT-X715

Design Excellence Award

Winner: Sharp LC-52XS1E
£9.000 is a significant amount for a 52in LCD TV, but it is, quite simply, stunning in every way – beautifully finished in brushed aluminium, with audio designed by Pioneer, and as thin as a pencil.

Also nominated: Sony XEL-1, Velodyne DD-10

HCC 2009 Hall of Fame Award

Winner: Chris Johns
To be inducted into the HCC Hall of Fame, a candidate must be a driving force for home entertainment technology. And this year's entry matches the criteria perfectly. As Chief Engineer at BSkyB, Chris has been integral to the launch of the channel, Sky+, Sky HD and is currently working on bringing 3DTV to our homes.


Disc of the Year

Winner: Hellboy II (Blu-ray)
Not only is the film a corker, and the Blu-ray encode pin-sharp and bursting with detail, but the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix is breathtaking, and the extras are excellent.

Also nominated: Dr. No (Blu-ray), Iron Man (Blu-ray), WALL-E (Blu-ray)

Installer of the Year

Winner: Finite Solutions
Over the past year, HCC has reported on a trio of installs from this Cedia Award-winning Leeds-based installer. And they're all awesome.

Also nominated: iHomes, PAC, DSE Digital

Special Reference Status Award

Winners: Pioneer SC-LX90 & BDP-LX91
When matched, Pioneer's Susano amplifier and high-end blu-ray player are a formidable double-act. The system offers one of the best high-def video and audio experiences currently possible.

Also nominated: Sharp LC-52XS1E, Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series, KEF Reference 7.2

The Home Cinema Choice Awards are sponsored by DTS, with category sponsorship by Domestic & General. To read about previous Home Cinema Choice Awards, click here.