Other Tech

Since many kinds of TV can deliver the high-def experience, choosing a set often comes down to finding one that fits your budget and has the right screen and cabinet size. Here are the four most common ways of producing a high-def picture.

Winning product: B&W FPM Series on-wall speakers. Accepting the award: Peter Wellikoff.

Winning product: Bose Lifestyle 38 uMusic home entertainment system. Accepting the award (left to right): Jim Scammon, Bob Maresca, and Chris McCann.

When we select gear to review at Sound & Vision, we shy away from stuff that seems inferior or merely mimics what's already available. We look for products that represent an important trend or new development - whether a technological breakthrough, a leap in performance, or a bold design statement.

To the uninitiated, TiVo owners can seem a bit cultlike. And if you're still living in the Dark Ages of analog tape recording, having yet to experience the divine Renaissance afforded by the video hard-disk recorder, or HDR, then the devotion might seem a bit absurd.

If you're frustrated with the radio programing in your area (and, seriously, how could you not be these days?), the premise of satellite radio is like a dream come true: dozens of channels playing near-CD-quality music, organized by genre, brimming with vitality, and, best of all, almost uninterrupted.

When they first got off the ground - literally -about three years ago, the XM and Sirius satellite radio services focused their attention on the millions of people who get into their cars and drive somewhere every day.