John Sciacca

Despite the awesome advances in high-def graphics and killer surround sound, a lot of people still don't even think about playing videogames on their home theater systems. But today's games offer A/V performance that often exceeds some Blu-ray Discs, while delivering excitement that lasts far beyond one or two viewings.

Regular readers know I'm a nut for media servers, especially ones capable of managing and streaming DVD movies around the home. Not too long ago, if you wanted to enjoy this awesomeness, you were pretty much limited to the pricey Kaleidescape system.

The CEDIA Expo - held this year in Denver, Colorado - is usually buzzing with people talking about at least three or four must-see things. But at this year's show, a common response to, "What have you seen that's really cool?" was, "Nothing much." And for the first time in years, attendance was down.

Whether it is an iPod, a Zune, a Zen, a cell phone or something else, more people are satisfying their music Jones via portables than anything else. You can debate the merits of different codecs and bitrates or the need to go lossless, but one thing links all listeners on-the-go: Headphones.