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2011 should present us with many more 3D movies and television programs. But still, the majority of content that you will be watching will remain 2D. And if your 3D TV does not deliver very good 2D Picture Quality (PQ), then you are starting with a cracked foundation.

The NX810 puts you on solid footing with quite good 2D performance.

As I said, I prefer the deeper blacks and slightly richer colors that I see with direct-lit LED TVs and plasmas, but this BRAVIA's picture is not far behind.

It definitely will impress friends and family and if you opt for the 55" or 60" model, the image can dominate a fairly large sized room.

I am not going to detail the differences between edge-lit and direct-lit technologies. (You can read about it in my review of the Sony 52HX909.)

One of the tell-tale characteristics of many edge-lit TVs is their inability to evenly disperse light across the screen, which causes hot spots. I am glad to report that the edge-lit NX810 did an admirable job of spreading the illumination. Hot spots are not a problem with this TV.

But I couldn't help feeling that those tiny LEDs along the edge of the screen - even with local dimming engaged - just were not as committed to creating deep blacks as direct-lit LEDs are.

More importantly to those 3D aficionados, I was not that enamored with the NX810's 3D performance. When viewing the whimsical Alice in Wonderland 3D Blu-ray, I thought the rendering of the 3D effect was occasionally a little too artificially sharp.

I also noticed ghost images every once in a while. In addition, when you tilt your head while wearing the 3D glasses, the brightness and color of the picture shifts. I experienced this on the HX909 too.

Simply, I have seen better 3D performance from other TVs. To be fair, I have also seen worse. And for the less critical, the NX810 3D image should be dandy. Once again, I would recommend this BRAVIA if you are more concerned with 2D PQ.

One last word before I leave the 3D world. The NX810 offers the option of displaying 2D content in 3D. You find the controls in the 3D menu.

Basically, the TV is processing a regular program and creating two offset images that can be viewed with the 3D glasses. You can even adjust the extent of the offset. This occurs internally with the NX810. You don't need a 3D Blu-ray player to create this faux 3D.

From what I have heard, no current TV from any manufacturer has the processing power nor the algorithms to create in real time a realistic 3D image from 2D content. And from what I have seen, I must agree with that opinion. Of course, try it to see what you think.

The integrated audio speakers in the 55NX810 are quite good. But really, if you just bought a 55" TV, do you want to rely on teeny tiny speakers?

Give your TV the respect that it deserves and pair it with a dedicated 5.1 or 7.1 audio system. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much better the picture will look.

With local dimming and a 240Hz frame rate, this edge-lit LED KDL-55NX810 produces an impressive 55" 2D picture. I'm not as enchanted with its 3D PQ. But Sony has loaded this BRAVIA with an abundance of features like built-in wireless capability and a passel of Internet content providers which makes it a good candidate for the centerpiece of a home media system.