Richard Gray
Household electricity is subject to dips and surges from breaker boxes and interference from appliances - all of which can degrade the performance of your home-entertainment system, according to Richard Gray's Power Company. The RGPC 400 Pro is a surge protector and power-line filter/enhancer that cleans up your power supply. With four AC outlets hooked up in parallel using 12-gauge wiring, the 30-pound box - about the size of a ream of office paper - has a 6-foot power cord with a 20-ampere fast-blow fuse. The 400 Pro is said to be most effective when used with power amplifiers, preamps, and front projectors. Price: $795. richardgrayspowercompany.com, 800-880-3474
Proview
You can't pick one up at the drug store yet, but high-def-ready plasma TVs are becoming more affordable. Take Proview's 42-inch (diagonal) MH-422HU, which costs $3,500. It's only 3 1/4 inches deep (not counting the stand) and comes with detachable stereo speakers. To watch high-def programs, you'll need to hook up an external digital tuner to the set's component-video, VGA, or DVI input. proview-usa.com, 877-532-8176
Tributaries
The new HDMI digital connector lets you transmit high-definition video and 5.1-channel digital audio through a single cable - extremely convenient if you have HDMI connectors at both ends. But what if your new DVD player has an HDMI output and your two-year-old HDTV has only a DVI input, or vice versa? With a Tributaries DVI-to-HDMI or HDMI-to-DVI adapter, you won't have to settle for an analog video connection, though you will have to hook up your audio separately since DVI is video-only. Price: $50. tributariescable.com, 800-521-1596
Onkyo
How about a complete home theater package to go with that flat-panel TV, sir? Onkyo's HT-L970 system will turn your TV room into a home cinema with a six-disc DVD changer, a 6.1-channel digital surround receiver, a powered subwoofer, and six wall-mountable aluminum satellite speakers - all finished in silver. The heart of the system is the 65-watt-per-channel TX-LR552 receiver, which can process all your audio for surround sound, including stereo music thanks to Dolby Pro Logic IIx and DTS Neo:6. All of the speakers are 3 1/2 inches thick - perfect for mounting alongside a flat-panel TV. The ported subwoofer has an 8-inch driver and a 150-watt amplifier. Price: $1,000. onkyousa.com, 800-229-1687
NOTE All prices and product information are supplied by the manufacturers. Dealer prices may vary.
