If all things were equal, you could rate a television by its native pixel count, or resolution. All things are rarely equal, though. Numerous manufacturers are now introducing higher-definition television sets, but the picture quality and utility of these sets can differ substantially.

In the battles between ancient Grecian city-states, Spartan society was known for its narrow focus on militaristic goals. Modern-day electronics manufacturer Fujitsu may not be sending sales reps to battle with swords and sandals, but the company seems to have similarly dedicated its product line toward a single purpose. While the company’s competitors use creative amenities to draw attention to their flat-panel TV lines, Fujitsu has stripped its plasma to the bare essentials.

Cinematic Sensation

Technically, film is inferior to high-definition video.

Look at any high-definition program that is originally shot on film and transferred to high-definition video, such as movies or some TV shows, and compare that with something like Discovery HD Theater that shoots nearly all of its footage in a progressively scanned, 1080 line high-definition video format, and the HD video-originated material will look superior every time.

New high-end in-wall speaker designs give freestanding speakers a run for the money.

Flat-panel televisions may look as sexy as Catherine Zeta-Jones in an Oscar-night gown, but you have to be Michael Douglas to afford either one. Are the rest of us doomed to watch NBC’s The Biggest Loser on plump rear-projection televisions that consume massive chunks of living room space? Not if RCA and InFocus have anything to say about it. Through the use of an image-folding technology created by InFocus, RCA has slimmed the cabinet of its latest DLP rear-projection TVs down to plasma-like proportions. But did the TVs lose anything besides their girth in the process?

Every video display manufacturer on the planet is fighting for a larger share of the U.S. consumer market, which guzzles 25 million televisions each year. Of course, most of these companies are focusing on flat-panel TVs because that’s what everyone seems to be buying these days. For now, established brands like Sony, Hitachi and Mitsubishi have the advantage. But given the dizzying technological changes occurring in the TV world, computer monitor manufacturers feel they can get a jump on the name brands.

When you are passionate enough about audio and video to appreciate high-performance equipment, but do not want to devote all of your resources to acquiring it, you face a decision—and an anxiety that consumers on the ends of the purchasing spectrum do not suffer. After all, if performance is paramount and price is no object, you simply buy the best. And if your financial means are hopelessly far from meeting your desires, you have no choice but to settle for inexpensive components.

Smaller antennas pick up signals from nearby transmitters. Larger antennas (lower left and above) need a rotor to receive signals from widely separated distant channels but can reject reflections from nearby objects.

Larger antennas need a rotor to receive signals from widely separated distant channels but can reject reflections from nearby objects.

A large high-gain antenna without a rotor might pick up distant signals if they’re all in the same direction.