All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
There's no blight on the American home worse than the media cabinet, a big wood box whose sole purpose is to hide a big plastic box. Luckily there's now an affordable way to escape this decor drudgery: Decent digital video projectors built for office use have dropped below $1,500. Set one up in your living room, plug in the DVD and cable, and - poof! - no more big box. Expect to make some compromises (the room must be dark, extra bulbs are expensive, and the display isn't as stunning as, say, a 50-inch plasma), but they deliver delicious eye candy without being an eyesore. - Thomas Goetz
IN A $1,500 PROJECTOR, YOU GET:
• 30- to 300-inch screens Units tested averaged 50-inch views when set up 10 feet from the wall.
• SVGA resolution Lower than XGA (found in pricier projectors) but fine for most TV tasks.
• 1,000 to 1,500 lumens More lumens means more light and more image - particularly important for daytime watching.
• LCD or DLP Debates rage about which is better. The difference was negligible in our tests.
• Up to 2000:1 contrast ratio As high a rating as any but the top TV technologies.
THE SAME MONEY COULD BUY:
• 30- to 34-inch CRT Old but reliable. They're sharp, bright, and clean but take up a lot of space and weigh a ton.
• 46- to 52-inch rear projection Big, crisp, and cheap screens. Try not to focus on the narrow viewing angle and inadequate brightness.
• 20- to 23-inch LCD Slim - but little screens with low contrast ratios.
• 40-inch plasma You wish! The smallest, least expensive plasmas start at 2,500 bones.
InFocus X1
We banished our old tube to the bedroom after watching the X1. With ample brightness and a sharp image, it does a fine job on games, DVDs, HD sports, and just watching plain ol' television. Even low-resolution reruns stayed sharp, avoiding the washed-out look that plagued lesser models. During home theater viewing, high-detail epics like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers earn the full effects: A 16:9 ratio function spreads the image across the room. InFocus smartly put some time into perfecting the X1's functionality. The menu offers preprogrammed cinema, gaming, presentation, and video settings, as well as the ability to concoct your own formula for visual perfection. A welcome bonus is the lighted remote - great for navigating in the dark.
WIRED: Best all-around performer at a bargain price. Makes the most of its 1,100 lumens with sharp contrast and a full range of adjustments. Handy illuminated remote.
TIRED: Screen doesn't scale as large as others. Not the most svelte unit we tested.
$999, www.infocus.com
Sharp PG-B10S
WIRED: A worthy challenger to the X1, with brilliant sharpness and the largest range of display sizes. Bright enough to watch in ambient light. Handy pan and tilt lever.
TIRED: Lower on contrast than other models. Often suffers from a slight pixelated effect.
$1,395, www.sharpusa.com
BenQ PB6100
WIRED: A solid all-around unit, attractive enough to not stand out in the living room. Easy-to-use menu system.
TIRED: Limited picture scaling. Not as bright or sharp as we'd expected, given the 1,500 lumens and 2,000:1 contrast ratio. Somewhat noisy.
$999, www.benq.com
Sony VPL-ES1
WIRED: The easiest unit to use, with slick looks and full automation (auto tilt, auto source, no lens cap to lose). Nice and bright.
TIRED: Image is too large for most living-room unit-to-wall distances (Sony built it to operate at short range).
$1,299, www.sonystyle.com
Immerse yourself in Kill Bill or Unreal Tournament at 2 am without waking the neighbors! Surround sound headphones envelope you in 360 degrees of very personal audio. - Chris Baker
Sony MDR-DS8000
If Roman emperors had harnessed high tech, they would have sported these wireless cans, which pound stadium-worthy sound into your skull. They're decked out with optical input, 24-bit surround decoder, and a Logic 3D processor - plus an onboard volume control lets you adjust without juggling remotes. Best feature: A gyroscope inside the headphones reads your head position and adjust accordingly, so you can putter around within a 33-foot radius and still get buffeted by directionally accurate sound.
WIRED: Crystal-clear audio, well defined across the acoustic spectrum.
TIRED: The batteries need recharging every two or three movies.
$800, www.sonystyle.com
Pioneer SE-DIR800C
WIRED: Synthetic leather exterior makes them the comfiest tested. Impressive surround - almost as good as Sony's, but $325 less. Wireless.
TIRED: Interference-prone (walls, furniture, even our legs got in the way).
$475, www.pioneerusa.com
Zalman ZM-RS6F
WIRED: Real, not simulated, surround - three speaker drivers are packed into each wraparound can. Collapsible for travel. Ten-foot cord.
TIRED: No optical in; you'll need an amp or sound card that breaks the audio into separate channels. Better for games than films. Dialog can sound tinny.
$70, www.zalmanusa.com
Kinyo 5.1 Channel Surround Sound Headphones
WIRED: Decent sound for the bargain-basement price, and the 20-foot cord should reach from your DVD player to the couch.
TIRED: Audiophiles will be disappointed in the extremely feature-poor amp.
$50, www.kinyo.com
The digicam wars have entered into a new battle, with Nikon and Canon selling 6-megapixel digital SLRs for less than $1,000. These cameras let you shoot (and spend) like a pro, taking advantage of fancy lenses, flashes, and other accessories. Both models produce excellent, hi-res images, but they differ in style and details. - Marty Katz
D70 Outfit
You can tell that Nikon engineers zoomed in on Canon's first-to-market Rebel; the D70 boasts a slight edge in almost every spec. Instant on, fast shutter response, and richer controls than the Canon are just a few of the perks. The 21.2-ounce black body is plastic but sturdy. Recent lenses are compatible, but only brand-new SB600 and SB800 flashes will work with it in advanced TTL modes. A grand nets just the body, though - the 18- to 70-mm lens (27- to 105-mm equivalent) will cost ya.
WIRED: Pro camera looks. Detailed feature micromanagement. Full kit includes a high-quality, compact 18- to 70-mm lens.
TIRED: Doesn't fully support older flashes. Costs at least $200 more than the Canon system for the complete setup.
$999 ($1,225 with lens), www.nikonusa.com
EOS Digital Rebel
Canon's groundbreaking Rebel puts much of the performance of expensive DSLRs in a featherweight (19.7 ounces) plastic wrapper. It sports an easy-to-understand user interface and is available with a serviceable 18- to 55-mm (29- to 88-mm equivalent) starter lens for only $100 more. The EOS takes nice pictures out of the box but feels a smidge amateur-grade. Add a pricey Canon lens or two, however, and you can snap serious pics. Just don't drop it.
WIRED: Complete package for $1,000. Light and unobtrusive. Simple interface.
TIRED: Slightly limited features and controls. Plastic exterior makes for a photo-newbie look and feel. Chintzy starter lens unusable on other Canons.
$899 ($999 with lens), www.canonusa.com
Instead of cursing the hot sun on your next expedition, harvest its energy. These luggable solar chargers power most gadgets - just plug them into the 12-volt socket as you would a car's cigarette lighter. - Cathy Lu
ICP Solar Technologies PowerFLEX 20
WIRED: Offers 20 watts - enough to charge a laptop. Waterproof. Only 1.9 pounds. Flexible for rolling up.
TIRED: Adapters aren't included; they're $15 extra. Unwieldy (52 x 13.4 inches) when unfolded.
$300, www.icpsolar.com
Brunton Solaris 25
WIRED: 25-watt output. Trifold design packs into a small, durable 4-pound parcel. Comes with 12-volt and universal power adapters.
TIRED: Hard to position correctly. When unfolded to test, it blew shut in the wind.
$399, www.brunton.com
PowerQwest SunCatcher Professional
WIRED: Nice form factor - zips up neatly into a portable package. An inexpensive choice for charging low-powered devices like cell phones.
TIRED: By the time its 14.5-watt flow juices a laptop, your trip might be over.
$270, www.powerqwest.com
Creative Energy Technologies Porta Power 20 Solar System
WIRED: 20-watt output. Comes with a rechargeable battery to keep things buzzing when the sun goes down.
TIRED: Battery makes it heavy - 8 pounds isn't what we'd call "porta."
$399, www.cetsolar.com
Sniff out fibs by measuring either tiny voice tremors or slight changes in the skin's electrical conductivity. These are a mixed lot - a game accessory, an office novelty, and a serious weapon against deceit. - Gordon Bass
CCS International VSA 15
WIRED: Consumer-friendly version of the National Institute of Justice-approved VSA 2000. The simple numerical readout clearly displays level of stress in target's voice. Phone input allows covert operation.
TIRED: For this price, you'd better have some serious foes. Phone use falls into a legal gray area.
$4,500, www.spyzone.com
idQuest
WIRED: Works on the same proven galvanic skin response principal as law-enforcement polygraph machines. Accurate enough to curtail hazardous questioning by office-mates.
TIRED: Blinking-light results are hard to interpret. Available only inside cheesy idQuest board game.
$40, www.idquest.com
Handy Truster
WIRED: Inexpensive. Supposedly based on voice-stress analysis software developed by Israeli intelligence. Smaller than the iPod mini.
TIRED: Toylike controls and LCD interface. Real-time results are displayed seemingly at random. Appears to react mainly to voice volume.
$18, www.liebusters.com
InFocus X1
Sony MDR-DS8000
D70 Outfit
EOS Digital Rebel
ICP Solar Technologies PowerFLEX 20
CCS International VSA 15
PLAY
>
Test
