JVC
JVC's 36-inch "I'Art" TV, a direct-view, 4:3 aspect ratio HDTV monitor, can display high-definition signals from an outboard tuner in the 1080i (interlaced) format. Besides its wideband component-video input for an HDTV tuner or a progressive- scan DVD player, there are four composite- and three S-video inputs, plus a DVI input for compatibility with future set-top tuners. To get the best possible picture, the set has a 16:9 display mode and a 3-D digital comb filter, and its Natural Cinema 2:3 pulldown function compensates for frame-rate differences between film- and video-based material. All this plus dual-tuner picture-in-picture. Price: $2,600. www.jvc.com, 800-526-5308
Go Video
If you've got no room for a DVD player and are reluctant to junk your old videotapes, Go-Video's space-saving DVR4000 combines a DVD player and a VCR in a single 17 x 4 x 14-inch chassis. You can watch a DVD while taping a show on the VCR, and Complete Program Record automatically adjusts the recording speed so you won't miss the end of a show because the tape ran out. Internal hookups let you record from a DVD at the touch of a button, but only if the disc is not copy-protected. Outputs include component-, composite-, and S-video and both optical and coaxial digital audio. Price: $349. www.govideo.com, 480-998-3400
Cambridge Soundwords
The MegaWorks 210D from Cambridge SoundWorks is a powered three-piece speaker system designed to enhance the sound from a computer, an MP3 portable, or any device with a minijack stereo audio output. There are two minijack inputs as well as a coaxial digital input. The amplifier in the subwoofer is rated to deliver 150 watts to the 8-inch driver and 60 watts to the 3 1/2-inch driver in each satellite speaker. A wired remote volume control is included. Frequency response is rated as 32 Hz to 15 kHz ±3 dB. Price: $300. www.hifi.com, 800-367-4434
Yamaha
An extra surround channel has snuck up behind us in some DVD soundtracks, but to hear it you need a receiver that can decode the 6.1-channel Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS-ES formats. Yamaha's RX-V2200 can do just that, and it's rated to deliver 100 watts each to six channels into 8 ohms. It also has Dolby Pro Logic II decoding for multichannel playback from stereo sources, and its 23 digital signal processing modes can simulate a wide variety of performing spaces. A six-channel analog input lets you connect a DVD-Audio or SACD player. Wideband component-video connectors can handle HDTV signals, and there are five optical and two coaxial digital audio inputs as well as two optical outputs. A learning remote control with an LCD screen is supplied. Price: $1,199. www.yamaha.com, 714-522-9105
