OTHER TECH

Everyone appreciates surround sound as a part of a home theater, but many people don't enjoy being surrounded by speakers.

By far one of the biggest challenges for most people installing a home theater system is wiring the speakers - especially the surrounds because they're typically placed quite a ways from the rest. Wireless connections are an obvious solution, and at this year's CES, several manufacturers offered systems taking advantage of 2.4-GHz wireless technology to feed the surrounds.

The forces competing to win the prize of the next-generation DVD - the disc that will carry high-definition movies and other HD content - squared off with competing press conferences on the first day of the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show. As in exhibition sports, they played real ball, but the score counted little toward the championship.

Audio gear - designed for high-fidelity reproduction of recorded music - once ruled the Consumer Electronics Show, but now audio is for the most part only a handmaiden to video. However, for those who place sound first, some impressive components begged a hearing.

Sharp reasserts its sizable presence in the LCD-TV field with a 65-inch model - the largest of this type shown at CES.

Sanyo makes it very clear who they like in the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray battle.

XM satellite radio's George Taylor Morris (left) and Bob Edwards, formerly of National Public Radio, discuss the history of broadcast journalism at the XM booth.

Is it hot in here? Alison (left) and Thora get visitors sweating at Maxxsonics' booth.

Considering that TiVo first announced its HDTV plans two years ago and now offers a high-def version of its hard-disk recorder (HDR) exclusively for DirecTV satellite subscribers, devotees of TiVo who subscribe to cable TV have been increasingly turning to high-def cable boxes with HDRs.