HP Pavilion m8120n Media Center TV

Product summary

The good: Quad-core CPU and reasonable price mean great price-performance ratio; lots of audio and video connections, including TV inputs; quiet operation; Personal Media Drive slot for easy expansion or backup via external hard drive; built-in Wi-Fi adapter; quiet operation.

The bad: No next-gen optical drive on this retail model; little room for future expansion; shovelware offender--annoying trial offers clutter desktop and hard drive; no mouse control on wireless keyboard.

The bottom line: The HP Pavilion Media Center m8120n boasts a quad-core Intel processor and outstanding overall performance, particularly for the price. Media consumers and creators alike will love its speed and AV connections but may rue the lack of a next-gen optical drive.

Specs: Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4 GHz); RAM installed: 3 GB DDR II SDRAM; Hard drive: 320 GB Standard See full specs >>

Price range: $944.98

Sony Handycam HDR-HC7

Product summary

The good: Excellent video and performance; satisfying photo quality; a decent set of manual controls for the target audience; bundled FireWire cable.

The bad: Annoying touch screen interface.

The bottom line: A great HD camcorder for deep-pocketed leisure shooters, as long as you like the Sony Handycam HDR-HC7's touch screen interface.

Specs: Video input type: Camcorder; Optical zoom: 10 x; Media type: Mini DV (HDV) See full specs >>

Price range: $900.00 - $1,399.98

Canon HG10

Product summary

The good: The Canon HG10 camcorder has excellent image stabilization and generally great video quality.

The bad: Poor audio control; smallish EVF; some annoying ergonomics; no manual focus dial.

The bottom line: A solid hard-drive based HD camcorder, the Canon HG10 nevertheless has its share of annoying quirks.

Specs: Video input type: Camcorder; Effective sensor resolution: 2.07 megapixels; Optical zoom: 10 x See full specs >>

Price range: $675.00 - $1,099.99

Panasonic Strada CN-NVD905U

Product summary

The good: The Panasonic Strada CN-NVD905U combines fast navigation with a user-friendly touch screen interface and high-quality video playback.

The bad: Despite its built-in hard drive, the Strada CN-NVD905U has no ability to rip music files into its memory. Lack of text-to-voice technology for the navigation system is also disappointing.

The bottom line: The Panasonic Strada CN-NVD905U is a stylish, user-friendly entrant to the in-dash navigation market. It delivers decent GPS navigation and media playback, but doesn't raise the bar in either department.

Specs: Product Type:Form Factor: In-dash; Monitor:Type: LCD monitor; Product Type:Type: Navigation system with HDD, DVD player, LCD, radio See full specs >>

Price range: $599.97 - $1,298.00

Samsung LN-T3253H

Product summary

The good: The Samsung LN-T3253H HDTV produces relatively deep blacks with fine shadow detail; accurate color; slick styling; scads of picture controls; superb connectivity with one PC and three HDMI inputs.

The bad: Expensive compared to bargain models; grayscale tends toward blue in darker areas.

The bottom line: Great style, oodles of features, and a solid picture combine to make the Samsung LN-T3253H one of the best LCD TVs available at its size.

Specs: Product type: LCD TV; Diagonal size: 32 in; Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 8000:1 See full specs >>

Price range: $739.95 - $1,099.99

HP Pavilion dv2500t (Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD)

Product summary

The good: Strong set of specs for the price; performance almost matches that of more expensive laptops; attractive 14.1-inch display; dual headphone jacks and fingerprint reader; includes most of the ports and connections home users need.

The bad: Average battery life with the standard six-cell battery; opting for an HDMI port means sacrificing a USB port.

The bottom line: The HP Pavilion dv2500t delivers an eye-catching case, a strong set of features, and solid performance at a lower price than competing systems. We recommend it for home or school use.

Specs: Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz); RAM installed: 2 GB DDR II SDRAM; Weight: 5.5 lbs See full specs >>

Price range: $899.99

Vizio VP42HDTV

Product summary

The good: Inexpensive; relatively accurate color; solid standard-def performance; clean image with little false contouring; user-menu fine color temperature controls; connectivity includes two HDMI and one PC input; unobtrusive two-tone styling.

The bad: Below-average shadow detail; color tends toward red in darker areas; nondefeatable edge enhancement; emits faint buzzing sound.

The bottom line: The low-buck, high-value Vizio VP42HDTV deftly avoids most of the picture-quality pitfalls of inexpensive plasmas.

Specs: Product type: Plasma TV; Diagonal size: 42 in; Brightness (cd/m2): 480 cd/m2 See full specs >>

Price range: $999.99

Vizio VX32L

Product summary

The good: Inexpensive for a 32-inch LCD; produces a relatively deep shade of black; accurate color; usermenu color temperature adjustments; ample connectivity including two HDMI inputs and a PC input.

The bad: Poor off-angle viewing characteristics; some lack of shadow detail; funky white/black/silver styling.

The bottom line: The decent picture quality and excellent feature set of the VX32L HDTV make good on Vizio's bang-for-the-buck promise.

Specs: Product type: LCD TV; Diagonal size: 32 in; Brightness (cd/m2): 500 See full specs >>

Price range: $529.00 - $729.99

Onkyo TX-SR605 (black)

Product summary

The good: Two HDMI 1.3 inputs; converts analog video sources to HDMI; onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; XM- and Sirius- ready; automatic speaker calibration; switches as many as five high-definition video sources.

The bad: Downconverts 1080i component video signals to 720p when outputting over HDMI; HDMI video quality converted from analog sources may not satisfy videophiles; Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding cannot be used with current crop of high-definition video players.

The bottom line: The Onkyo TX-SR605 raises the bar for AV receivers by delivering an amazing number of next-generation audio and video features at an unbeatably low price.

Specs: Product type: AV receiver; Sound output mode: Surround Sound; Amplifier total output power: 630 Watt See full specs >>

Price range: $429.99 - $499.00

Sharp LC-32D43U

Product summary

The good: The Sharp LC-32D43U reproduces a deep shade of black; relatively accurate color temperature preset; decent backlight uniformity and off-angle viewing; sleek styling; ample connectivity with two HDMI and one PC input.

The bad: Expensive compared to bargain models; subpar standard-def video processing; fewer picture adjustments than many LCDs; can't change aspect ratios with HD sources.

The bottom line: Although it has a couple of weaknesses, the overall picture quality of the Sharp LC-32D43U puts it among the best LCDs of its size.

Specs: Product type: LCD TV; Diagonal size: 32 in; Brightness (cd/m2): 450 See full specs >>

Price range: $649.99 - $1,099.99

Sonos Digital Music System (Bundle 130)

Product summary

The good: Two-room wireless digital audio system, expandable to as many as 32 rooms; wireless color-screen remote utilizes iPod-style scrollwheel; easy setup and installation; includes audio inputs for accessing third-party audio sources; streams the same audio to all rooms or different music to each room; excellent compatibility includes lossless file formats, Sirius, Rhapsody and Pandora premium streaming services, music purchased from PlaysForSure and Zune music stores, and free Internet radio stations.

The bad: Can't stream copy-protected music purchased from the iTunes Store; remote's rechargeable battery isn't removable; while the Sonos components are all wireless, one base station is required to have a wired network connection.

The bottom line: Recent firmware and feature upgrades cement the Sonos Digital Music System's position as the best multiroom streaming audio solution available.

Specs: Product type: Network audio player; Sound output mode: Stereo; Network player: Network audio player - AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA See full specs >>

Price range: $999.00 - $999.99

Garmin Zumo 550

Product summary

The good: The Garmin Zumo 550 provides text- and voice-guided directions to motorcyclists and comes with an easy-to-install mounting kit for a motorcycle or a car. All maps are preloaded on the device, and the unit has a built-in MP3 player and integrated Bluetooth for hands-free calling.

The bad: The Garmin Zumo 550's points of interest database is outdated and occasionally gave us wrong street names or no street at all for some side streets. Also, automatic route recalculation is a bit on the slow side. The compass only works in off-road mode, and there's no Mac support yet for Garmin's MapSource software.

The bottom line: Despite some very slight performance glitches, the Garmin Zumo 550 is a fantastic navigation system for motorcyclists (and cars), with good Bluetooth integration.

Specs: Product type: GPS receiver; Destination: Motorcycle; Weight: 10.6 oz See full specs >>

Price range: $625.49 - $1,099.99

Philips SoundBar HTS8100

Product summary

The good: Stylish, minimalist design; built-in DVD player concealed behind motorized door; very good video quality on DVDs; four total audio inputs; iPod dock included.

The bad: No video inputs; sounds better with movies than with music.

The bottom line: The exceedingly stylish Philips HTS8100 SoundBar packs the home theater experience--including a DVD player--into one slim package plus a sub.

Specs: Product type: DVD surround system; DVD type: DVD player; Media Format: CD ( PAL), DVD ( NTSC), CD-R), SVCD), CD-RW), DVD+R), DVD-R), DVD+RW), DVD-RW), Video CD) See full specs >>

Price range: $554.97 - $799.99

JVC KD-NX5000

Product summary

The good: The JVC KD-NX5000 combines a usable, traffic data-equipped navigation system with a plethora of audio and video capabilities in a compact package.

The bad: Its irregular size, complex menus, and rough navigation maps leave something to be desired.

The bottom line: Aside from some usability niggles resulting from its compact size, the JVC KD-NX5000 offers about as many car tech features per square foot as you can get.

Specs: Product type: GPS receiver; GPS receiver: 15 channel; Destination: Automotive See full specs >>

Price range: $679.99 - $1,001.24

Garmin Nuvi 660

Product summary

The good: The Garmin Nuvi 660 offers an accurate GPS receiver, text-to-speech functionality, and traffic capabilities. The versatile system also features a gorgeous display, integrated Bluetooth, travel tools, and multimedia functions.

The bad: The device is expensive, and there are no external volume controls. The system also doesn't support multidestination route creation.

The bottom line: If you can afford the hefty price tag, the Garmin Nuvi 660 is a solid-performing and versatile GPS device that offers all the navigation basics, tools for the world traveler, Bluetooth, and more.

Specs: Product type: GPS receiver; Destination: Automotive; Weight: 6.7 oz See full specs >>

Price range: $454.98 - $945.00