New Products

Microsoft makes it easy to morph your Xbox 360 into a high-def movie machine, thanks to its HD DVD add-on. Just plug it into your console, and you're ready to go. And at $200, it's less than half the price of the cheapest standalone HD DVD player.

FLAT CAT Other subwoofers may laugh at the SC-IW's unconventional design, but installers will love it, since the slim sub (3.4 inches thick) is made to fit perfectly inside a 2 x 4-foot studded wall. The driver module (that's the small part) can fire up or down, with a scoop aiming the bass into the room.

GET YOUR TWEAK ON A first-ever for the high-end company, McIntosh's VP1000 video processor (top) has the goods to deliver two separate 1080p signals via HDMI. Control freaks will delight at the multitude of adjustments: Each input can store different picture settings for both output zones.

May the flash be with you! For daily data transport, Star Wars fanatics can now stay on target with USB flash drives that are both practical and whimsical. Mimoco's Star Wars mimobots include a storm trooper as well as Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 & all designed to the exacting standards of Lucas Licensing.

TRICKS FOR THE TRADE Denon threw that conspicuous "CI" into this receiver's product number to let you know it has some special tricks for custom installers. Trick 1: Source renaming, so your front panel doesn't just have to say "DVD" - call your player "Philips 721" or even "Ralph" if you want.

MEDIA À LA MOD Out of the thousands of products, hundreds of pimped-out vehicles, and dozens of partially clad... um, booth models at the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas in November, VizuaLogic's VMOD stood out from all the hubbub.