Peter Pachal

HDTV FEAST If you give your TV a workout every time you turn it on - throwing everything from HD shows to discs to games at it - has Olevia got the TV for you. The 742i 42-inch LCD panel is equipped with a slew of high-def inputs, including a pair of HDMI ports, as well as two (count 'em!) HDTV tuners. The Olevia showcases it all in 1080p, the Rolls-Royce of HD formats.

NEVER COMPROMISE Going with an HTiB system generally means settling for convenience over performance, but Onkyo's HT-S990THX bites off a chunk of both. Not only is the included receiver rated to deliver an impressive 110 watts to each channel, but the speakers have big enough woofers (5-inchers) to actually do something with that power.

MULTITASKER Although described as a "multimedia" projector, Canon's REALiS SX60 has a Home Cinema mode for when you want images to pop. Its rated 2,000:1 contrast ratio means nice, deep blacks, and the 1,400 x 1,050-pixel resolution is more than enough for 720p HDTV.

CLEAR CENTER Nothing that special about supermodel-thin speakers (3.5 inches) made to match flat TVs . . . unless they're designed to give you three channels of sound from just two speakers.