Acer has announced the arrival of two higher-end laptops, designed firmly with HD multimedia in mind - the Sandy Bridge packing Acer Ethos 8951G and 5951G.

Starting with the daddy of the two, the Acer Ethos 8951G - this is a 18.4-inch display packing monster, with a Full HD resolution and a choice of i3, i5 or i7 Intel Core CPUs.

It has Nvidia GeForce GT555M graphics (or 540M if your budget won't stretch) and professionally-tuned Dolby Home Theater v4 solutions with Acer CineSurround tech - which means five Dolby-tuned built-in speakers and the Acer Tuba CineBass subwoofer.

The 5951G has the same Intel Core options as the 8951G, but is a smaller machine with a 15.6-inch, 1366x768 display. You may not have Full HD, but you can still go for the top Nvidia GPU option though.

The Aspire Ethos 5951G has a 5.1-channel surround sound output with two built-in stereo speakers and the Acer Tuba CineBass booster, which supports low-frequency effects for a totally engaging experience.

Both machines come with a detachable touchpad that doubles up as a remote control, and they also both have Acer's clear.fi tech on board too. What's more there's a nifty instant on button for media playback and you've the option of a Blu-ray or DVD combo drive.

Out in mid-June, the Acer Ethos series costs from £999.