Mitsubishi
Not only does Mitsubishi's WD-62825 rear-projection HDTV have a big, 62-inch screen for high-definition shows to stretch out in, but it also has a built-in 120-gigabyte hard disk for recording them. The disk has room for 12 hours of high-def programming or 72 hours at standard-def. DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology creates images with a 1,280 x 720-pixel resolution, and there's no possibility of their “burning in” to the screen over time. The set incorporates Mitsubishi's NetCommand control interface, which can route commands to other gear through its infrared-emitter output or two-way FireWire ports. Pick your favorite flavor of HDTV hookup from FireWire, VGA, RGB+H/V, component video, or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), a digital connection that carries both audio and video and is appearing on some DVD players. Price: $6,499. mitsubishi-tv.com, 800-332-2119


Rave-MP
Whoever thought that 5 gigabytes would fit in a package as tiny as Rave-MP's ARC5.0 digital music player? That translates into hours and hours of music, encoded in either MP3 or WMA format, stored in the 2 1/4 x 3 3/4 x 3/4-inch player's built-in memory. You won't even be able to get through it all before you have to recharge the built-in lithium-ion battery, although it's said to last 10 hours or more. Transferring music is fast work with the USB 2.0 connection, and software is provided for both Macs and Windows PCs. Other convenience features include an FM tuner with 20 presets, a microphone and voice recorder, and an armband. Price: $249. rave-mp.com, 480-998-3400

Boston Acoustics
Flat-panel TVs are a natural for wall mounting, speakers less so, and putting three of them around a sleek plasma set can look cluttered. Boston Acoustics' P400 combines the front left, center, and right speakers into a single cabinet designed to hang above or below your TV. Its 40-inch-wide chassis should closely match most 42-inch plasmas, and it comes with either a black or silver grille. Besides the trios of 1-inch tweeters and 4 1/2-inch woofers, three 4 1/2-inch passive radiators help stretch the speaker's bass output down to 80 Hz. The P400 is magnetically shielded, and an optional foot helps you aim it if you put it on a shelf. Price: $1,500. bostonacoustics.com, 978-538-5000

NOTE All prices and product information are supplied by the manufacturers.  Dealer prices may vary.

Sony
Are you an aspiring moviemaker? Sony's HDR-FX1 high-definition camcorder could be what you need to take your creations to the next level. The cam — only the second high-def consumer model after JVC's GR-HD1 — captures video in a widescreen (16:9) format at 1080i resolution (1,440 x 1,080 pixels) thanks to its trio of 1-megapixel CCD sensors. Cinematone Gamma and Cineframe functions adjust the picture to give it the warm, smooth look of film. The 12x optical zoom can be controlled by either a lens ring or controls on the camera and handle, and there's a 3 1/2-inch swiveling LCD view-screen. The cam records on MiniDV tapes, but Sony also sells an extended-length HD DVC tape ($18) that can hold 63 minutes of high-def video. There's a FireWire (i.Link) port for offloading footage to a computer for editing. Price: $3,700. sonystyle.com, 800-222-7669

Humax
Simple-to-use TiVo recorders efficiently time-shift TV shows, but since video is stored on a hard disk, recording one for a friend usually means dusting off your trusty VCR. Not so with the Humax DRT800, which combines TiVo with a DVD recorder. It still works the same as any TiVo machine — recording your favorite shows to its 80-gigabyte drive — but if your pal missed last week's Survivor , just pop in a blank DVD-R or DVD-RW and burn him a copy. It works fast (burning at 4x speed), and you can make DVDs in the background while you watch or record a live show to the hard disk. And once you connect the DRT800 to your home network through its Ethernet port, you can access the digital photos and music stored on your Mac, PC, or other TiVo machines in your house. Price: $499 ($100 rebate with TiVo activation); TiVo subscription, $12.95 a month or $299 for the life of the recorder. humaxusa.com, 866-486-2987

Altec Lansing
Want to share the music on your iPod? Altec Lansing's inMotion iM3 portable speakers let your friends listen in. The one-piece system folds up neatly for easy carrying in the supplied bag and weighs less than a pound. Each speaker has a pair of 1 1/8-inch Micro Drivers, which use Altec's MaxxBass processing to give the iM3 a little oomph (down to 60 Hz for those keeping score). An efficient Class D amplifier gets about 24 hours of playback out of the four AA batteries, or you can use the AC adapter to plug it in. There's an auxiliary input in case your portable CD player gets jealous, and a card-size remote control lets you navigate your iPod from afar. Price: $180. alteclansing.com, 866-570-5702

NOTE All prices and product information are supplied by the manufacturers.  Dealer prices may vary.

Toshiba
If you think HDTV is a toy only for the rich and famous, Toshiba's 30HFX84 will make you happy to be proved wrong. Just hook up an external high-def tuner (you can get one from your cable or satellite provider or buy it separately), and this affordable 30-inch widescreen set will have you surfing high-def channels in no time. The two component-video inputs accept HDTV signals, and the HDMI input can accept both digital high-def video and audio from similarly equipped sources. SRS WOW technology simulates surround sound from the TV's built-in stereo speakers, which are rated for 20 watts of total power. A backlit remote is supplied. Price: $1,000. tacp.toshiba.com, 800-631-3811

TDK
You can make your DVDs look like they were professionally mastered with TDK's PrintOn DVD, which lets you print graphics or text directly on the surface of the disc with a compatible inkjet printer. Three different kits are offered, each containing five blank DVD-R or DVD+R discs. The White Matte kit ($9.99) has discs with a white surface — good for text and a professional look. Color Matte ($9.99) gives you discs with red, blue, green, gold, and silver backgrounds. And discs in the Photo Quality kit ($19.99) have a gloss surface for high-resolution images. tdk.com, 800-835-8273



Arcam
From British manufacturer Arcam, the DiVA AVR300 has everything you need in a modern home theater receiver. It's rated to deliver 100 watts into each of seven channels with all channels driven. There's 6.1-channel Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES decoding plus Dolby Pro Logic IIx for 7.1-channel playback. If 5.1 is all you need, the back-surround amps can be reconfigured to power a pair of speakers in another room. The three component-video inputs can handle HDTV, with composite- and S-video input signals converted to component video so you can route all video sources through the same output. A backlit, learning remote control is supplied. Available in black or silver. Price: $2,199. audiophilesystems.com, 317-841-4100

Polk Audio
The Power Port technology used in Polk Audio's RM7400 home theater speaker system is said to enhance the lower midrange — the part of the audio spectrum that covers male voices. Each front left/right tower stands 3 feet tall and has two 4 1/2-inch polymer drivers and a 1-inch silk tweeter. The center speaker has the same drivers but is 24 inches wide. And each surround has a pair of 3 1/4-inch midrange drivers and a 3/4-inch tweeter. The PSW505 subwoofer teams a 12-inch driver with a 100-watt amplifier and is rated to take things down to 28 Hz. Except for the black sub, the speakers have a titanium finish. Wall brackets are supplied for the surrounds. Price: $2,500. polkaudio.com, 800-377-7655

NOTE All prices and product information are supplied by the manufacturers.  Dealer prices may vary.

Panasonic
Don't even bother calling shotgun when there's a Panasonic CY-VHD9500U rear-seat player/monitor in the car. It'll be much more entertaining in back fooling around with this DVD player and 9-inch widescreen flip-down LCD. The player has a Secure Digital (SD) slot for playing video clips, audio files, and digital photos, and it reads CDs with MP3 files, too. Auxiliary inputs let you hook up an external source like a game console. And you won't even get tangled up in wires since infrared signals carry audio to the two pairs of supplied wireless headphones. A card-size remote control is included. Price: $1,300. panasonic.com, 800-211-7262

Pioneer
The time is ripe for upgrading to a DVD recorder, but that pile of videotapes might make you reluctant to turn your back on VHS. A DVD/VHS combo recorder like Pioneer's DVR-RT500 is the obvious answer. Not only will it let you time-shift TV shows (eased with VCR Plus+) by recording them to write-once DVD-R or erasable DVD-RW discs, but you can transfer your tapes to DVD at the touch of a button. You can also make VHS copies of noncopy-protected DVDs for friends. For playback, the RT500 has a progressive-scan output for improved video quality, and it reads CDs with MP3, WMA, and JPEG files. There are two composite/S-video inputs. Price: $499. pioneerelectronics.com, 800-746-6337

Sherbourn
A 7.1-channel home theater can demand a lot of power, but Sherbourn's Model 7/1250A power amplifier will make sure you don't come up short. Rated to deliver 200 watts to each of seven channels into 8 ohms (with less than 0.05% total harmonic distortion), the Class AB amp uses a pair of huge torroidal transformers to adapt AC power from your wall outlet. It has both unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR inputs for each channel, and three channel pairs are bridgeable for a sizzling 400 watts each. Weighing in at 115 pounds, the 7/1250A measures 19 x 17 3/4 x 7 inches. Price: $2,250. sherbourn.com, 978-663-7385

iPlasma
Your plasma TV is thin. The rest of your gear isn't. This marriage isn't doomed, though, as long as they find a way to co-exist happily, as on iPlasma's PTS-6000 floor stand. With three shelves and a slim, space-saving profile, the stand keeps your system together without hiding anything except the cables (thanks to its wire-management system). Any flat-panel set with a screen 37 to 55 inches in size will fit the stand, and the height is adjustable. The supports are made of stainless steel finished with five layers of metallic silver powder-coat paint. Each shelf can hold a component up to 18 x 15 x 6 inches in size and 40 pounds in weight. There's even a built-in ambient lighting system to give the area behind your plasma a warm glow. Price: $895. i-plasma.com, 408-761-9153

NOTE All prices and product information are supplied by the manufacturers.  Dealer prices may vary.