[April] LCD front projectors remain the home theater nut’s secret weapon for getting the biggest high-def picture at the best price, and Sony’s $3,500 VPL-HS51 delivers the best picture I’ve seen from an LCD light cannon.

This sleek machine’s three LCD chips deliver crisp pictures with surprisingly powerful contrast thanks to an Advanced Iris control — the same feature found on the company’s SXRD rear-projection sets and high-end projectors. Colors have the rich, natural appearance that’s long been characteristic of Sony TVs. Also, with multiple custom picture memories and a feature called Real Color Processor that helps fine-tune color balance, there’s no shortage of adjustments for tweaking the HS51’s 720p picture. And the stunning industrial design makes it a pleasure to look at even when it’s simply hanging from your ceiling. —Al Griffin
sonystyle.com

View Another Editors' Choice Award Winner
Product of the Year and Best Video Product: Sony KDS-R50XBR1 50-inch SXRD HDTV
Best Portable: Apple iPod nano portable music player
Best Network Product: Sonos Digital Music System whole-house audio network
Best Audio Product: Denon AVR-5805 multiroom receiver
Retail Innovation Award: Best Buy
Visionary Award: Mark Cuban

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HP Pavilion MD6580n 65-inch DLP HDTV
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Klipsch iFi iPod speaker system
Pioneer PDP-4350HD 43-inch plasma HDTV
Pioneer VSX-815 surround receiver
Revel Concerta speaker system
Sling Media Slingbox TV extender
Sony Cineza VPL-HS51 LCD projector
Sony HDR-HC1 high-def camcorder
Yamaha YSP-1 digital sound projector

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