Peter Putman

In the beginning, there was analog television. You aimed the antenna, tuned in the channel, and then sat back to watch as the amplitude-modulated pictures flashed on the TV screen and the frequency-modulated audio blared forth from the speakers. Some time later, analog TV added color by shoehorning in a small signal with the necessary information amongst those amplitude- and frequency-modulated pictures and sounds.

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<LI>Price: $2099</LI>
<LI>Technology: LCD</LI>
<LI>Resolution: 1366x768</LI>
<LI>Size: 40"</LI>
<LI>Inputs: One HDMI, two component, one each composite and S-Video, one RGB on 15-pin DSUB </LI>
<LI>Feature Highlights: Over-The-Air and cable HD tuners, Picture-In-Picture, built-in DVD player, built-in speakers, tabletop stand.</LI>

As retail prices for plasma displays continue to decline, there appear to be some really good deals coming to market &ndash; mainly, plasma monitors sold under unfamiliar brands in big box stores and wholesale clubs. In particular, plasma monitors are of interest to buyers who already own a cable, satellite, or terrestrial DTV set-top box and don't particularly need an integrated tuner or CableCARD slot.

Sharp's XV-Z2000 front DLP projector raised more than a few eyebrows when it first appeared at CEDIA Expo 2004. Was this indeed the first 1280x720 HD2+ DLP projector for less than $5000? If so, it would represent a seismic but long overdue change in DLP projector pricing, which has typically kept the MSRPs of 720p models above $7000&mdash;and, by extension, non-competitive with 720p LCD projectors that retail for half of that price or less.