LATEST ADDITIONS

<A HREF="http://www.runco.com">Runco International</A> has begun shipping two new widescreen plasma display panels (PDPs) incorporating the company&rsquo;s "Vivix" video-scaling technology. The 43"-diagonal CW-43MC and the 50" CW-50MC feature inboard processing cards with Runco's highly regarded scaling and image processing capabilities. The CW-43MC sells for $9995 and the CW-50MC for $13,995.

Yippie-i-o-ki-ay, separates-lovers! The Outlaw Model 950 preamplifier-processor is the good five-cent cigar every home-theater bandito has been craving, and the 7-channel Model 770 amplifier is fit to be corralled, cable-tied, and hauled to your mountain hideout as well. The Model 950, in particular, shuns any of the boutique-brand weirdisms you might expect from a mail-order-only outfit like Outlaw. On the contrary, its pleasingly simple front panel conceals a wealth of features that's not a single, solitary letter shy of the latest list of home-theater acronyms. This li'l dogie's got it all!

For the benefit of those who find it difficult to keep straight all the different manufacturers whose names begin with "Audio," Audio Refinement is the brand name of YBA's affordable line of electronics. YBA itself&mdash;if you're really out of the loop&mdash;is probably the best-known manufacturer of audio equipment in France. YBA is a family business, the initials standing for the name of the designer, Yves-Bernard Andr&#233;, whose wife, Ariane Morin, is the company's CEO.

To a videophile who cut his or her teeth on CRT units, a 7-pound video projector that is no larger than a fat dictionary and can be mounted inconspicuously on a ceiling or table is hard to believe. It can even be stored out of sight and set up again, when needed, in minutes. How good can it be?