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$1,000 SAMSUNG TXM-3096WHF Who says high-definition television has to cost a fortune? This 30-in. DynaFlat widescreen comes "HDTV ready"--meaning you still need either a progressive-scan DVD player or an HDTV tuner to see the next-generation television images in their full glory. www.samsungusa.com
MODERATE
$3,000 PANASONIC PT-40LC12 Despite its girth, this 40-in. HDTV-ready rear-projection system does not come with an integrated HDTV tuner. What's cool about it? A picture-in-picture feature that lets you view two shows (or a PC desktop and a TV show) side by side. www.panasonic.com
EXPENSIVE
$5,300 HITACHI 65XWX20 This is tomorrow's TV today. Hitachi's 65-incher has built-in HDTV tuners, VirtualHD for improving TV and DVD signals, and a system for remote control of other home-theater components. It's also got 12 interfaces, including FireWire and DVI. www.hitachi.com/tv
HOME THEATRE IN A BOX
INEXPENSIVE
$300 RCA RTDVD1 This is a dorm-room special. For a great price, you get everything but the TV: a DVD player, audio receiver and speakers. RCA's 200-watt system even comes with MP3 playback (a must for college kids), Dolby Digital sound and an S-video output. www.rca.com
MODERATE
$600 PIONEER HTD-520DV At the heart of the 520DV is a five-disc changer that doubles as a 500-watt receiver. Dolby Digital and DTS decoders provide surround sound, but two powerful front speakers deliver a great two-channel stereo experience as well. Perfect for master bedrooms. www.pioneerelectronics.com
EXPENSIVE
$1,200 SAMSUNG HT-SK6 No longer just Sony-on-a-budget, Samsung has joined speaker-maestro Klipsch to build the HT-SK6, a progressive-scan DVD player with 725 watts of power. Precision speakers, designed for easy placement, are from Klipsch's famed Quartet Microsystem. www.samsungusa.com
skimp
$40 LEAPFROG LEAPSTART LEARNING TABLE It's not Elmo, but it's got the music and visual effects to wow any two-year-old--at least long enough to teach letters, numbers and songs. www.leapfrog.com
splurge
$400 ARCHOS JUKEBOX MULTIMEDIA 20 An audio-video toy for bigger kids, this jukebox holds more than MP3s; it can store up to 40 hours of MPEG-4 video for viewing on its LCD screen. www.archos.com
CELL PHONES
INEXPENSIVE
$200 SONY ERICSSON T68i This phone can be had for as little as $150, and it's about to become very trendy. It offers multimedia messaging, high-speed data and PDA-type apps, a color screen and Bluetooth to boot. Many carriers even throw in the removable camera module for free. Without the camera, the older model sells for as low as $50. www.sonyericsson.com/us
MODERATE
$300 SAMSUNG A500 For folks addicted to their cell phones, customization is key. With the A500, you can create icons for every caller and set the background using any JPEG you want--a great way to make use of the active-matrix LCD. Sprint's PCS Vision even lets you download Java games and other programs straight to the phone. www.sprintpcs.com
EXPENSIVE