Samsung HLR6768W 67-inch DLP HDTV
True HD was the talk of the show. Everyone is unveiling flat-panel and micro-display TVs that can handle 1080p (1,920x1,080 progressive)--good enough to display every single pixel of the highest-resolution HD programming. The competition was tough, but the Samsung HLR6768W 67-inch rear-projection DLP gets our vote, not only for top TV, but also for Best in Show overall. It's the biggest DLP TV available, and it's thin and light, twice as sharp as previous DLPs, and relatively affordable. With Blu-ray and HD-DVD on the way and with broadcasters such as ESPN already promising 1080p, 2005 will be the year HD gets real.


ACCESSORIES
Slingbox personal broadcaster
The innovative Slingbox from Sling Media lets TV addicts access both live TV programming and programs on digital video recorders (DVRs) from anywhere, anytime, using a box that connects a cable box, a satellite receiver, or a PVR with a home network. Pair the $250 Slingbox with a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop, and you can watch your local television content from the other side of the house or the other side of the world. Sling Media has dubbed the concept "place-shifting" (as opposed to TiVo's time-shifting), and it's a great way to make the most of your cable TV subscription and DVR. Better yet, there's no monthly fee to use the service.


BURNERS AND STORAGE
Buffalo TeraStation 1-terabyte RAID drive
You can never be too rich, and you can never have too much storage, especially in the age of media PCs and HD camcorders. Buffalo's TeraStation provides a whopping terabyte of disk space and offers the data security of RAID 5, a solution that combines storage and secure backup at a decent price. While a terabyte of storage sounds unnecessarily big, the list price of $999 makes it a sweet deal. Behold the future of home storage.


CAR TECH
iBiquity digital radio
Last year, iBiquity announced its digital terrestrial radio technology. This year, it is becoming real. More than 2,500 radio stations are now broadcasting digital, manufacturers are onboard, and cars with digital radios should roll onto the lots in 2006. The equipment is pricey, but unlike satellite radio, there's no monthly fee, and you get all the stations you already know and love over the traditional AM and FM bands, only with much better sound quality. A radio renaissance could be on its way.


CELL PHONES AND HANDHELDS
Samsung i730 Windows Mobile smart phone
Last year belonged to PalmOne's Treo smart phone. But this year, the Treo is facing a slew of sophisticated competitors, all vying for the title of Treo killer. The best and brightest of these is the Samsung i730. This Windows Mobile 2003 smart phone is packed with so many goodies that we don't know where to start, but we'll try: a hidden, sliding keyboard; 65,000-color, 2.8-inch display; loads of memory; Bluetooth wireless; stereo speakers; and EVDO (3G) for faster data speeds.


COMPUTERS
Alienware DHS 2 series Media Center PC
From established players such as HP and Sony to upstarts (in the States, at least) such as MSI and BenQ, everybody and their mother trotted out a media PC. Alienware's latest DHS desktop is the coolest, though. While the Media Center software gives you access to thousands of on-demand movie titles and music tracks, Alienware's DISCover Console Gaming software lets you demo, buy, and download games--on demand. Other notable features include dual TV tuners, HD audio, and the Intel PCI Express-based 915 chipset. All of which makes us hopeful that this may finally be the year for multimedia PCs.


DIGITAL PHOTO AND VIDEO
Kodak EasyShare One 4-megapixel camera with Wi-Fi
What's so exciting about a 4-megapixel camera? The Kodak EasyShare One embodies several trends in digital photography that are about to go mainstream. The optional Wi-Fi lets you upload your photos wirelessly, whether you are still on vacation or just don't want all the wires on your desk. And its large, bright LCD, in combination with the camera dock, allows for on-the-spot slide shows without the squinting. It may cost a little more, but the EasyShare One is the wave of the digital photo future.


HOME THEATER
Toshiba HD-DVD recorder
It looks like Toshiba will be the first to ship an HD-DVD recorder, just in time for this year's holidays. HD-DVD, and a rival format called Blu-ray, both get lots of press because they offer enough space to store feature-length movies in high-definition (or store a whole bunch of data). The Toshiba recorder will cost $1,000 and, of course, have an HDMI output for optimum quality. Don't toss out those DVDs just yet--it remains to be seen when or how Hollywood will play along--but high-definition discs are clearly the Next Big Thing.


NETWORKING
Linksys Wireless-G router with SRX (Speed and Range Expansion)
Last year, 802.11g was a huge hit. This year, a new technology, MIMO, promises to make wireless networking even better. The Linksys Wireless-G with SRX is one of the first routers with MIMO (multiple input, multiple output), which uses multiple radios and antennas to maximize the performance of 802.11g wireless networks. From what we've seen so far, MIMO will dramatically boost the speed and range of 802.11g networks. The Linksys Wireless-G router with SRX is proof positive that MIMO is here to stay.


PERIPHERALS
Konica Minolta Magicolor 2430DL color laser printer for photos
Lasers are great for printing text. Inkjets excel at photos. Konica Minolta bridges the gap for the first time with its Magicolor 2430DL, a color laser printer that produces the best-quality images we've ever seen from this technology. Though it still can't quite match inkjets for durable, framable pictures, the Magicolor 2430DL's speedy performance, low price and operating costs, and better-quality photo prints make it the Next Big Thing for homes and small offices.


PORTABLE AUDIO AND VIDEO
Samsung YH-820 Micro HD MP3 player/photo album
The Samsung YH-820 isn't the first MP3 player with a color LCD for displaying photos. But it is the best yet. This 5GB model is one of the smallest in its class, yet it has a 1.6-inch color LCD that displays both album art and photos, along with an FM tuner and recorder, and voice and line-in recorder. The YH-820 plays MP3s and WMAs, and it is compatible with Microsoft's latest digital rights management technology, which lets you transfer music from subscription-based services such as Napster. Best of all, at $230, it is cheaper than many standard-issue 5GB players, making it a sure bet for 2005.


SOFTWARE AND SERVICES
Orb Networks' Orb digital media streaming service
If you don't have TV on your PC yet, get it. For $80 per year, the Orb digital media streaming service from Orb Networks sends the TV you record on your PC, via Windows Media Center, SnapStream, or the like, to any Internet-connected device. Your phone (and laptop and handheld) will never be the same after Orb--next thing you know, you'll be watching Alias from Starbucks. Orb also streams photos or any digital content from your PC to those devices and eases the previously pesky process of transferring photos from camera phones to your computer.