Whenever I scan the menu at a restaurant and see the options “half rack” and “full rack” under the baby-back ribs I can’t say I’ve ever been tempted by the half rack. Not that I indulge in ribs often, but that’s part of it – as an indulgence (OK, forget about this if you have dietary restrictions or philosophical restrictions to meat intake), I say go for the full!
So when it comes to electronics, I believe the same holds true for you’re audio/video components rack – indulge and make sure everything’s covered.
Today that may mean an extra component that you could not have purchased a few years ago – the high-definition DVD player. As part of our Products of the Year, we have that category covered among the A/V components, not only honoring Pioneer’s Blu-ray and Toshiba’s HD DVD players but LG’s innovative Super Blu Player that supports both formats.
Your full A/V rack might also need a combination of items such as a mother brain-type of receiver that drives your entertainment system, video processor, amplifier, tuner, HDMI switcher and perhaps an upconverting DVD player if you don’t want Blu-ray or HD DVD yet (and hey, the one we picked from Oppo Digital also plays multi-channel music SACD and DVD-A formats at a bargain price).
So go ahead and whet your appetite for A/V with a helping of our Products of the Year to fill that equipment rack.
Name:
Email:
Remember my personal information
Notify me of follow-up comments?
Please answer the question below:
Type the 4th letter of the word "theater":
Electronic House is now available in a digital edition. Learn more.
Nice! And how much is the tab?
Slideshow
View Slideshow
Stay up-to-date with home electronics. 
Weekly email offers tips, info and product news.
Get the content that's important to you.
I’d have to disagree with the suggestion to “indulge” ... my preferred approach to purchasing electronics is “minimalist materialism.” I coined that term while explaining my philosophy to Alex Grundner of eHomeUpgrade and it’s one that I’ve always lived by.
Essentially, there’s nothing wrong with splurging on a better flat panel TV or receiver or other component, but when it comes to the number of components, why buy a game system, media center extender, DVD player, and HD-DVD player when you could replace all those components with an Xbox 360? Another example was an old line of Toshiba DVD players that incorporated TiVo software; it was the perfect combination for someone who may not be slinging media around their house or engaging in a game of Halo (it was also one of a few devices at the time that offered TiVo Basic without a monthly fee!).
If you don’t have a clearly defined need for a product or you can find a product that meets some or all of your needs reasonably well, then why buy a component just because it’s the next big thing? You only end up increasing the complexity of your system and spending unnecessarily on hardware that you may use rarely or not at all.