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Peter Pachal  |  Apr 03, 2007  | 

UPCONVERT, MARK DOWN Now that your piggy bank is empty since you blew all your savings on that 1080p HDTV, you probably don't have much left for a receiver. Good thing Pioneer's VSX-917V won't set you back too much, and it's totally ready for your HD set with its two HDMI inputs. So don't feel bad about splurging on that HD DVD player either.

Peter Pachal  |  Apr 03, 2007  | 

GREAT OUTDOORS Too many people coming over for movie night? Move the festivities outside with the Backyard Drive-In screen, ready to serve up your flick on a huge screen after about 10 minutes of setup. Just park a projector in front of it, and your entertainment is stretched out on a 12-foot viewing area - 18 feet for the extra-large version.

Peter Pachal  |  Apr 03, 2007  | 

AUDIO DÉCOR Wireless speakers haven't exactly taken off, partly because they're never really cable-free since you have to connect them to power. The duo speaker from Soundolier (think "chandelier") skirts that problem by building the drivers into a lamp, which you'd be plugging in anyway.

Peter Pachal  |  Apr 03, 2007  | 

ROOM WITH A CLUE The downside of having an entertainment room is that it demotes your other rooms' status. But not if you set up a multiroom system, and Sonance's C4630SE can spread the joy to six other areas in your house.

Peter Pachal  |  Apr 03, 2007  | 

GLOSS AND SHINE If you're half as serious about sound as you are pictures, the THX Ultra2-certified System 8200e should be on your shortlist. AT has updated its acclaimed 8200, adding sexy gloss-back sides to the new front LR towers at a lower price!

Ken Richardson  |  Feb 12, 2007  | 

Sure, satellite radio is great. But for many listeners, there are still times when they want to come back to earth, so to speak. For those listeners and those times, Cambridge SoundWorks offers a new line of high-performance radios, including this trio of terrestrials.

Doug Newcomb  |  Feb 07, 2007  | 

MAKE MUSIC NOT WAR The car-stereo aftermarket has been engaged in guerrilla warfare with superpower automakers ever since the first Bose system salvo crossed the industry's bow.

Peter Pachal  |  Feb 07, 2007  | 

TOUCHES OF CLASS If you suspect those cheapie plasmas at Costco must be missing something, you're right . . . and it's all found in Pioneer's PRO-940HD set. An arsenal of technologies - including a crystal emissive layer, glare-reducing filter, and improved phosphors - gives you the deepest contrast possible.

Peter Pachal  |  Feb 07, 2007  | 

PIXEL FACTORY DVD isn't as exciting as it used to be, but Oppo's DV-981HD player still manages to impress. After all, you don't find a Faroudja video processor for upconverting video to 1080p format in any old bargain-basement machine. And with the HDMI output, hookup to your cutting-edge flat-panel TV is seamless.

Peter Pachal  |  Feb 07, 2007  | 

BIT PIPELINE One thing about HDMI - the supposed be-all and end-all of HDTV connectors - is that it's one of the most rapidly changing standards in A/V history.

Peter Pachal  |  Feb 07, 2007  | 

THE RIGHT PROTOCOL Vibe has its own take on whole-house audio: The system uses IP (Internet Protocol) to communicate between components. Music on the Vibe AS1-1250/6 server, which stores as many as 1,250 uncompressed CDs, streams digitally over your network to up to six rooms.

Peter Pachal  |  Feb 07, 2007  | 

LEAN AND SO MEAN The leading 58-inch plasma panel costs 5 grand and can't even display a 1080p signal without downconverting it to 720p. Seems like JVC's got it all figured out with its new slim HD-ILA LCoS HDTV. For $3,300, you get a crisp 58-inch 1080p screen in a cabinet just 10.8 inches deep that goes flush against a wall and can even be wall-mounted.

Peter Pachal  |  Feb 07, 2007  | 

HARBORING MUSIC These days, an iPod dock and $3.98 might get you a grande latte at Starbucks, but Escient has a dock model that qualifies as a premium blend. The FP-1 doesn't just stream your iPod music - it completely integrates it into the company's FireBall Music Manager, combining those songs with any tunes you have on servers or PCs.

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