OTHER TECH

SONY

VPL-VW60 SXRD front projector January '08

Sony's VPL-VW50 "Pearl" projector created quite a stir when it first came out - mostly because the company managed to package the same technology driving its high-end SXRD projector line into a model costing less than 5 grand. But as good as the Pearl was, Sony's new "Black Pearl" VPL-VW60 SXRD projector exceeds it in many ways. At $5,000, the VW60 is priced the same as its predecessor, and you get the same 1080p-rez picture, low fan noise, multiple Iris modes, and handy array of installation features. But the new projector also brings two advancements to the table: higher native contrast ratio and improved picture uniformity. That first one means that the picture looks exceptionally bright and punchy for a budget front pro. And the second one guarantees that all manner of movies you watch will show a pure, unadulterated range of colors. Add to the list the VW60's crisp high-def picture and impressive standard-def upconversion, and you've got what amounts to the year's best value in front projectors. sonystyle.com -Al Griffin

LG

BH200 Super Blu Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD player February/March '08

LG's first Super player, the BH100, was by far the year's most exciting product concept - a single player that could handle both the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc high-def formats along with standard DVDs. And while the BH100's concept ultimately proved better than its execution, most of the initial player's shortcomings are addressed in the company's second, more successful stab at a dual-format player, the BH200 Super Blu ($999). Finally, a single machine that plays everything: HD DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, standard DVDs, and even CDs. Picture quality is excellent with all formats, and the BH200 can also hook up to a home network to let you take advantage of interactive features found on both HD DVD and Blu-ray. The major area where this second-gen Super Blu machine comes up short is audio performance, where it's still limited in its support of the new high resolution formats. But while it's not yet the ideal solution, the BH200 still single-handedly delivers almost everything a high-def home theater requires, and LG deserves props for being the first to float a dual-format player on the market. us.lge.com -Al Griffin

JVC

DLA-HD100 D-ILA front projector February '08, Web

My review of JVC's DLA-HD1 front projector (May) concluded that it offers "great picture quality with almost no compromises." You'd think it would be tough for JVC to one-up itself, but the company manages to pull that off with its newest D-ILA front projector, the DLA-HD100. This 1080p-rez model's picture looks unfailingly crisp and clean, with deeper blacks and more eye-popping whites than any other projector I've tested since the old CRT days. Most impressive of all, the picture retains its punch through both bright and dark movie scenes. Overall, the DLA-HD100's brightness measured slightly less than its predecessor, but a sizeable contrast-ratio boost balances that drop. (The HD100's native contrast is so good that there's no need for JVC to cook the numbers with Auto Iris modes like other manufacturers.) At $8,000, the HD100 costs more than the HD1. But with stronger contrast and more flexible picture adjustments - not to mention a pair of HDMI 1.3 inputs - it provides a step-up in both features and performance to help justify the jump. jvc.com -Al Griffin