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Beginning as barely a trickle, it is now becoming a steady stream as more and more "universal" optical-disc players reach store shelves. The latest models can play DVD-Video discs (and home-burned DVD-R/RWs recorded in the DVD-Video format), DVD-Audio discs, CDs (including CD-R/RW discs and those with MP3 files), and Super Audio CDs.

Photos by Tony Cordoza Cutting-edge tech your thing? Flat-panel plasma TVs are where the action is! Over the past few years, the image quality of these space-saving sets has improved tremendously, and prices have moved steadily downward.

Photos by Tony Cordoza Not all that long ago, it seemed like the high-resolution DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD music formats were heading for a showdown. The two sides were entrenched on either side of no-man's-format land, and neither seemed willing to talk about a truce, let alone concede defeat.

Photos by Tony Cordoza Great sound used to mean opting for speakers in generic rectangular boxes, while curvy, stylish designs had all the hi-fi credibility of a Blue Light Special boombox. No longer.

Finding a product that performs better than its price would lead you to expect is always a pleasure for a reviewer. Toshiba's SD-4800 is just such a product-a relatively inexpensive DVD player that's packed with all the latest features. For example, it plays DVD-Audio discs through its multichannel analog outputs, which also serve for Dolby Digital playback.