Gear of the Year

To get 1080p in a smaller, thinner package, look at the Sharp Aquos LC-37D90U ($2,700). The 37-inch, LCD flat-panel television features the same resolution as the Sony models. A 6-millisecond pixel response time means onscreen motion should appear smooth, with little or no noticeable image blur. DVI and FireWire inputs allow direct connections from computers and digital camcorders. A built-in tuner pulls HD signals out of the air.

TV Transporters: Moving Pictures

Digital video recording device TiVo practically perfected the concept of “time-shifting” television—i.e., recording programs as they air, so you can watch them whenever you choose. Now, “place-shifting” is all the rage and Sling Media’s Slingbox AV ($180) is the practice’s reigning champ. Connect the device to your TV and your computer network, and you can tune in your home program offerings—including local channels and cable or satellite stations—as they air, on any computer in the world with high-speed Internet access. You can even call up recordings stored on a digital video recorder. This year, Sling Media added SlingPlayer Mobile ($30) to its product line. The software extends the Slingbox’s reach to cell phones and PDAs running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system, so you can watch live TV on pocket-sized wireless devices.

Another place-shifting option is the Archos AV 500. Available with a 30GB ($450) or a 100GB ($550) hard drive, this product bundles TV recording functions with port-able playback capability. The AV 500 package includes a docking station that stays connected to your home entertainment equipment, allowing you to capture recordings from television sources, a VCR, a DVD player, or a camcorder. Once content is loaded, watch it wherever you like on the AV 500’s 4-inch widescreen LCD display. The device also stores, displays, and plays digital photos and MP3 music files.

Sure, Apple’s iPods rule the MP3 player roost for now, and Microsoft’s forthcoming Zune (available this month) is garnering scads of attention, but there are other portable music machines on the market worth considering.

Creative Technology, Ltd. offers the Zen Vision:M to compete with the full-size, fifth-generation iPod (which has video playback) and the Zen V Plus as an alternative to the iPod Nano. Each of the Creative units includes an FM radio tuner and a voice recorder—features not available on an iPod. The Vision:M ($250) sports a 2.5-inch, 320-by-240 resolution screen for video—just like an iPod—and has a capacity of 30GB. The Zen V Plus sells with 1GB ($130), 2GB ($170), or 4GB ($230). Creative devices don’t work with Apple’s iTunes music store, but they’re compatible with other music download services, including subscription-based offerings from Napster, Yahoo!, and Rhapsody, which charge a monthly fee ($10 to $15) for unlimited access to song catalogs. (The catch: If you cancel your subscription, you lose your use of the tunes.)