New Products

PanasonicDon'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

PioneerThe 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

SherbournA 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

iPlasmaYour 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.