HDTV's best feature: the credenza

I love our new high-definition TV, especially when it's off. Not that there's anything wrong with the picture quality. The 50-inch Sony SXRD is so sharp it makes the opening sequence of "The Sound of Music" look like an IMAX film.

The hyper-realism of the liquid crystal on silicon display takes some getting used to. I have yet to watch a local newscast on the big set. I'm afraid that seeing my favorite (and very excitable) meteorologist larger than life and in near-3D clarity would be too much stimulation.

Sports is another matter. It quickens my pulse in a good way to see my favorite basketball players' expressions magnified as they block a shot or slam down a dunk.

But those images pale compared to the beauty of the TV itself. The rear-projection set is 14 inches deep, but from the front it has the sleek appearance of a flat panel.

Best of all, the TV was the impetus for bringing a beautiful new piece of furniture into my life. My husband and some friends suggested buying a stand from Sony, on the grounds that it was designed specifically for our TV.

That, of course, was out of the question. Everybody knows Sony is an electronics manufacturer, not a furniture maker. I believe in buying furniture for life, not for the landfill. Most media stands offered by big box stores do not pass what I call the heirloom test: Will anyone want this 50 years from now?

Luckily, several high-quality furniture makers offer shelving units large enough to accommodate supersize TVs. Mine came from the Design Within Reach catalog (www.dwr.com, (800) 944-2233). It was designed by Jesus Gasca for Stua, a Spanish manufacturer. In my book, Spain is producing the best affordable modern furniture in the world today.

The credenza I bought has the unexciting name "Sapporo Shelving, One High." The sides and back are snowy white lacquered MDF (medium density fiberboard), and the base is silver powder-coated steel.

The basic unit cost $460, plus $78 for optional frosted glass doors. I also paid a woodworker friend $80 to cut openings for cables in the back. If you're going to invest in a nice piece of furniture, you shouldn't hack it up yourself to save a few bucks.

Considering the Sony stand sells for $300, paying a couple hundred dollars more for a stylish, versatile credenza seems like a bargain. I love how the frosted glass panels soften the industrial look of the components stacked behind them. Now the whole audio-visual area of the room is a restful composition in silver and white. No more black plastic housings.

And -- stroke of luck -- the remote control for the DVD player works through the frosted glass. I wasn't sure it would. Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice for beauty.