Commuters in New York's Grand Central Terminal got an eyeful of huge TVs and the people who love them last week—see full-sized shot in the Galleries. It was the first stop in a Panasonic plasma tour that will also reach Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, and possible additional places. Says here: "The Panasonic Plasma Tour will be staffed by Panasonic Plasma Concierge experts who will be able to answer consumers' questions and give advice... Featured in the display will be Panasonic's full line of industry-leading Plasma TVs including the 37-inch, 42-inch, 50-inch, 58-inch, the recently debuted 1080p 65-inch, and the 103-inch model, the world's largest Plasma TV.... We know that consumers are looking for bigger screens and, when it comes to large screens, there is no better option than high definition plasma." All righty then. Did you know all Panasonic plasmas are covered by the Concierge program? And that you can call a toll-free number (888-972-6276) so a trained specialist can help you "get on with the experience of enjoying HDTV's benefits"? Well, I should hope so, since Darryl told you last June. Check out the Plasma Concierge website too.
SXRD FOR ALL Sony raised the bar when it debuted its SXRD front projectors a couple of years ago, although they also set a new standard for price. Today, the vibrant high-def images SXRD is known for can be yours for just $5,000 (!) from the VPL-VW50, a front projector that'll bestow upon you all the 1080p-res goodness you can stand.
PREMIUM HIGH-DEF When you've got a killer setup with a giant cutting-edge HDTV, you want some serious video processing, right? DVDO's iScan VP50 has got your number, and it's 1080p, of course. The iScan up-up-(and-away!)-converts all video sources to the new gold standard of HD. What! No 1080p set yet?
THE NICOLE RICHIE FACTOR They've each got six drivers, an aluminum cabinet, and a precision crossover, but Paradigm's Millenia Series speakers will get noticed first for their rail-thin style - designed to complement (all together now) flat-panel TVs.
LIGHT TOUCH Ever get that feeling that you're about to live out a horror movie when you come home at night to a dark house? Lutron's AuroRA kit puts those fears to rest. When you pull up in your car, just tap the portable wireless controller to immediately turn on up to five lights in your house.
ULTRA COOL If you think it's hard to believe an in-ceiling speaker could sound top-notch, THX would like a word with you. Polk's RTS100 is the first in-ceiling model to earn THX Ultra2 status, thanks in part to its driver array.
WINDOWS 1080P If you loved Legos as a kid, a Media Center PC will fulfill your need to build stuff in a grown-up, home theater kind of way. Niveus's Rainier, an "entry-level" model in the Summit series, gives you unprecedented tools: an HD DVD drive and an HDMI output capable of feeding your display 1080p video.
CLIMBING THE LADDER Now in its second generation, Toshiba's flagship HD DVD player can finally provide 1080p video output - the top dog among HDTV formats. The HD-XA2's state-of-the-art HDMI 1.3 output can send both video and digital sound, including the new lossless Dolby and DTS formats, straight to your HDTV or receiver over one perfectly convenient cable.