Whether or not the dorm officially excludes gigantic-screen HDTVs, a 58-inch plasma will be difficult to wall-mount if you receive one as a back-to-school gift. The 32-inch sets below, with prices from budget to high-end, still guarantee you'll have plenty of visitors when you want to host a Wii fest. They'll even connect to your PC so you don't have to huddle around the laptop screen to watch your latest torrents. We've thrown in a couple of larger sets in case your parents are complete suckers, including one with a built-in DVD player and another sure to reinforce "green" street cred. Finally, if you'd rather guarantee a permanent party in your room, we've thrown in a pair of less expensive home theater projectors.
Editors' top pick
The bottom line: Solid picture quality propels the Samsung LN32A450 LCD TV to the front of small-screen class.
Price:
$569.95 - $799.00
The bottom line: LG's 32LG30 doesn't produce the deepest black levels, but its color accuracy after calibration will warm geeky hearts.
Price:
$597.97 - $799.99
The bottom line: The bargain Insignia NS-LCD32-09 32-inch LCD performs better than its basement price would indicate.
Price:
$479.99
The bottom line: Toshiba's 32-inch 32CV510U LCD, with its picture quality and feature set, makes a solid choice for mainstream HDTV shoppers.
Price:
$499.99 - $709.99
The bottom line: Perfectly acceptable image quality and a well-integrated DVD player make the Westinghouse VK-40F580D a solid choice for people going the combo route.
Price:
$897.00 - $1,186.12
The bottom line: Although it has its share of picture-quality problems, the Eco-friendliness of Philips' 42PFL5603D flat-panel LCD will win the day for consumption-conscious shoppers.
Price:
$859.99 - $1,249.99
The bottom line: Panasonic's TH-42PX80U 42-inch plasma sets the picture quality-to-value standard for entry-level plasma TVs.
Price:
$674.99 - $999.99
The bottom line: The Panasonic PT-AE2000U 1080p projector is a credible performer, especially when you consider its relatively low price.
Price:
$1,995.00 - $3,882.64
The bottom line: While Sanyo's PLV-Z2000 1080p projector does have some performance shortcomings, it's nonetheless a very good value.
Price:
$2,099.00 - $2,639.99
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