Custom installers might disagree on things like the best speakers and the slickest control interface, but they all agree that the place to see the latest and greatest gear is the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association's annual Expo. The S&V staff tirelessly walked the floor of this year's show (held in Denver September 13-17), seeking the trends and the gear you'll be hearing about in the coming months.

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TV manufacturers had a unified battle cry: "1080p! 1080p!" With the highest high-def resolution being touted almost universally as "Full HD" and "True HD," last year's sets can feel like chopped liver.

• Among front projectors, Sony's sub-$5,000 VPL-VW50 (above), based on the company's SXRD technology, stood out. DLP fans will want to check out Optoma's $7,000 HD81. But the award for lowest-priced 1080p projector goes to Mitsubishi's $4,499 LCD-based HC5000BL. (If you can "slum it" with 720p resolution, Optoma's HD70 is a downright steal at $999.) Proving that quality is important - and measurable - Runco and Vidikron announced the first-ever THX-certified front projectors.

• For the most cinematic experience, the trend is to add an outboard anamorphic lens like those used in actual movie theaters, totally eliminating black bars while retaining full resolution. Runco, Vidikron, Marantz, Sim2, and Digital Projection all showed models, and once you see a true widescreen demo, nothing less will do.

• "More is better" resolution was the theme for flat-panel TVs. For instance, Sharp hit a new price point in 1080p with its Aquos LC-42D62U, a 42-inch LCD for $2,499.

• Although a lot of companies used Blu-ray and HD DVD for demos, there was surprisingly little hype about either. But Toshiba did announce second-generation HD DVD players - the entry-level HD-A2 ($499) and the $999 HD-XA2 (both due in December). The XA2 will have 1080p output capability and be the first player to support the new HDMI 1.3 standard.