OTHER TECH

10. Cheaper than you think Projectors have a reputation for being more expensive than other kinds of video displays, but thanks to the relentless march of technology, that's becoming less and less true. You can get home theater-worthy lower-resolution models for less than $1,500, while LCD projectors with HDTV resolution start around $2,000. Even some high-def DLP models sell for around $3,500 - which is a bit more than you'd expect to pay for a 50- or 52-inch DLP-based rear-projection HDTV, but not by much.

Before you rush off and buy a projector instead of a standard TV, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, you do need to dim the lights when watching a projector. That means either closing the blinds during daytime viewing (and good, opaque window coverings are essential) or only using the projector at night with all the lights turned off.

Second, to take full advantage of a projector, you need a good-size room. In a smaller room, it's hard to get the image big enough to make the investment worthwhile. Also, if you don't mount the projector on the ceiling, ensuring a clear path between the lens and the screen is harder to do in a smaller room.

If these issues are no big deal for you, and if you're looking for the largest high-def image possible, then you're primed and ready for a front projector. Mate it with a good surround sound system and a cable or satellite receiver, and you'll never miss a TV's built-in speakers and tuner. I had a projector set up for a few months in the kitchen (the largest room) of my Brooklyn apartment, and yes, I always seemed to have more friends, and friends of friends, coming over to watch something.

Most of the home theater aficionados I know have front projectors, and even the ones who can't afford a projector want one. Home theater has always been about matching - or even exceeding - the experience of watching a movie at the local cineplex, and projectors do this better than anything.