Plasma HDTV
Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK 
This all-picture plasma consistently tops the most-popular lists. For one thing, you don't pay for stuff you won't use: speakers, a tuner, a gaggle of inputs, and a fancy  remote. Excellent picture quality seals the deal: the TH-50PHD8UK is hands-down the best value in high-resolution 50-inch flat-panel TVs.

“I honestly would rather watch movies with this TV (plus my sweet sound system) than going to a theater. It's that good.” Farid Kaahn

Rear Projection TV
Sony KDS-R60XBR1 
The Sony KDS-R60XBR1 is the first within the reach of consumers. It still has a hefty price tag, but it has excellent picture quality and features. No, it's not quite as thin as a flat panel, but with a picture this great looking, who cares if you can't mount it on the wall?

“Its magnificent picture quality! SXRD is probably the finest picture you can buy for under $12,000. It has advanced picture fine-tuning feature for prosumers. The 50" model has a dazzling bright display that outshines everything I've seen so far.” G.E.

Video Projector
Panasonic PT-AE900U 
This three-panel LCD projector delivers true 720p HDTV resolution and can produce a good picture for the money. It has especially accurate color reproduction for an LCD projector. DLP models offering this resolution are significantly more expensive, however, and for the price, the Panasonic PT-AE900U is one of the best-performing front projectors we've seen this year.

“It puts out a great picture with the least SDE of any digital projector I've ever seen.” King Todd

Front Projection Screen
Stewart FireHawk G3
www.stewartfilmscreen.com
For large home theater applications Stewart Filmscreen's FireHawk is our choice. It’s dark gray material has a 1.25 gain, which reflects more of the light from the projector back to the viewer, and increases the over-all brightness. This combination keeps most of the ambient light in your theater from washing out your picture. It is an incredibly versatile screen that can give an amazing image, even in a room with all the lights on. And gives you more contrast than any other screen, regardless of the projector!

“Image Quality and Build Quality: Stewart's reputation is as good as it gets, with reviewers across the board consistantly giving Stewart screens top grades.” Projectorreviews.com

Flat Panel LCD
Sony Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 
This sleek, 40-inch KDL-V40XBR1 delivers the best picture quality we've seen to date in a flat-panel LCD. It's still not a plasma-worthy picture and--like most Sonys--it has a premium price tag (quite a bit more than similarly sized plasmas). But if you have your heart set on an LCD--or you just really like the look of this Sony—this is our choice.

“I would easily rate it a five-star product and re-purchase one for my home theater.” Randy Nelson

Virtual surround
Denon S-301 
The Denon S-301 all-in-one system offers easy setup, creates a virtual surround effect from just two speakers, plays just about every disc format under the sun. Especially novel, is its iPod integration: connect one using the supplied cable, and you can navigate the player's menu system on your TV screen using the remote. The price of the Denon S-301 may be a bit steep, but you're paying a premium for the best combination of style, sound, and features that we've seen from any HTIB to date.

“For what I need the S-301 is a great little system. It is loud enough to fill a big room. The sound quality is good. And the price range is OK for the features and the quality.” E. Lee

AV Receiver
JVC RX-D702 
The JVC low profile RX-D702 includes HDMI switching and HDMI upconversion--and it's currently the least expensive receiver on the market with both. In addition to HDMI, the JVC includes a wireless USB streaming-audio solution that's unique among receivers we've tested. Its blend of features and solid sound quality make it among the most capable receivers of the year, especially at this price.

“If you're in the market for an excellent sounding HDMI capable multi-channel AV receiver with reasonable funtionality and a relatively small footprint than I encourage you to consider this JVC receiver.” H. Kane

Speakers
KEF KHT-3005
www.kef.com
The strikingly styled, egg-shaped satellites have cast aluminum housings finished in high-gloss black or silver. The result is a speaker system that looks even more expensive than it is. and sounds as good as it looks. Critics are impressed at the accuracy and depth of the sound the speakers deliver no matter what the material. Music playback is especially impressive. A 250-watt-powered subwoofer completes the speaker kit, which can fill even a large space with great sound.

“Awsome speaker system. I was skeptical about this small size system, but WOW!!!!!!!! These speakers deliver!” Harold D. May

DVD Recorder
Pioneer DVR-533H-S 
Record your library of home movies and your favorite television programs to disc quickly and easily with the Pioneer DVR-533H-S DVD recorder. The built-in 80 GB hard drive lets you record lots of home movies and TV shows for temporary storage, and it can hold up to 170 hours of content (recorded at lowest video quality--SEP Mode). Once recorded, you can watch them whenever you want, edit them, delete them, or burn them to DVD. This Pioneer's features thoughtful design, and overall value.

“If you're looking to replace a VCR, or just jump into the world of DVD recorders, the Pioneer 533H would be a great choice!” Lucas Davenport

Blue- Ray DVD Player
Samsung BD-P1200 DVD Player
www.samsung.com
The Samsung BD-P1200 is one of the best Blue-Ray DVD players on the market.
With its sleek design, this is a very attractive unit. The remote is very well laid out, all of the important buttons are grouped together and it's easy to use. The player can play Blue-Ray discs and DVD's both have exceptional video quality, of course the Samsung BD-P1200 can not play HD-DVD discs. Overall this player is one of the best on the market.

“I can definitely say that is a striking improvement in vividness and detail, making the picture seem strikingly more lifelike.”G.F.

Universal Remote
Logitech Harmony 880 
The SST-880 boasts a simple setup and user-friendly design make it our top remote of the year. Just connect it to the USB port of your Windows PC or Mac and answer a few simple questions on Harmony's Web site, and the remote configures itself. Great ergonomics, a color screen, and a docking station for recharging sweeten the deal.

“This thing does it all. One button press turns everything on and sets it to correct channel and formats for sound and picture.  Once its set up, the wife or kids can press one button and they are done. Throw the other remotes out you won't need 'em!!” M. Santangelo

Gaming Console
www.xbox.com
Microsoft Xbox 360  is a console, with game controllers and A/V cables that are designed to interface with your TV. Microsoft has essentially packed a high-end PC gaming rig into a relatively small box that fits into any A/V rack or cabinet. And its ease of use, plus a host of digital media and networking features, helps elevate the already-good Xbox experience to a whole new level. It's currently the best console out there.

“Overall it's an excellent multimedia center and great gaming system.” N.Nick

CD Player/Changer
Sony CDP-CX355 CD Changer
In addition to storing entire CD collections, this player is also compatible with CD-R/RW and Text Discs. There is even a PS/2 Keyboard connection to enable you to connect a PC-keyboard to assist in organizing and cataloging your collection. Of course, the CDs sound great too. The Sony CDP-CX355 CD Changer also makes a great gift for that special someone, which can provide the both of you an almost endless supply of romantic background music.

“This product is so easy to use, plus I love that I can get rid of all the cd cases, no more clutter because everything is stored in the player which frees up a lot of space, no more dust or fingerprints on the cd's!!” Camille McGill“

LCD TV/DVD Player Combo
Toshiba 32LV67 32-inch LCD TV - DVD Player Combination
This combo features a larger 32-inch LCD HDTV, with 1366x768 native pixel resolution, that is a great size for small living room. The TV section features a built-in NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner that can receive current over-the-air and analog cable programming as well as over-the-air and unscrambled HD cable programming. Also featured is a built-in DVD progressive scan player, plus HDMI, Component, and analog video inputs for connecting additional devices, such as a Blu-ray Disc player, DVD Recorder, or VCR.

“This is my second Toshiba LCD TV, and I bought this one based on my great results from the first one. I haven't been disappointed one bit! The picture clarity, the DVD player, the set's design, the sound . . . everything's been outstanding.”M. Miller

Headsets
Sennheiser HD212 Pro
www.sennheiser.com
The HD 212 Pro closed, dynamic Hi-Fi stereo headphones are perfect for powerful modern music, providing a crisp bass response and good insulation against ambient noise. These rugged headphones can also be used for mobile sources and home mini Hi-Fi systems.

Brilliant sound, phat bass, lightweight, can run fine from an ipod or laptop without a separate pre-amp, can wear them for hours, shields out all outside noise including planes, screaming babies and colleagues.” Greta Conlon