Al Griffin

Have you ever looked at one of our speaker test reports and wondered what that funny-looking graph with the squiggly lines is for? Or have you ever thought about how the information conveyed by that graph relates to what a reviewer hears? Given the many, many new speaker systems that get produced each year, maybe you've wondered what methods we use to differentiate between them.

Sony's XBR series TVs have a devoted following, but some of the sets in the line tend to be priced higher than models with similar features from other set-makers. So if you're an XBR fan who is in the market for an HDTV with a really big screen, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the price of Sony's new 65-inch rear-projection HDTV monitor.

Way up on the list of reader questions we field on a regular basis is, "Which is better, plasma or LCD?" Compared with more affordable tube-type TVs, both technologies are relatively new. But their flat form factor, combined with an ultra-bright picture that looks good from any position on your couch, gives many folks a spasm of techno-lust.