Q: What about the other video components?

DVD Players, High-def DVDs, DVRs and More

Now that you've decided to splurge on that widescreen HDTV, what about the other video components? After all, you're going to need sources to play all that wicked cool video content in way-cool high definition. Here's a quick way to outfit your video dreams.

DVD Players

You can get fairly inexpensive DVD players, but remember, better ones will have better processing. The thinking up to now has been to buy a universal player that can play not only DVDs and your CDs but also DVD-ROMs, DVD-R and RW, CD-R, and RW, +R and RW, and every R and RW in between-in addition to multichannel music formats DVD-Audio (DVD-A) and Super Audio CD (SACD=. That is, until...

High-Definition DVD Players

They can play movies in stunning "Full HD" 1080p resolution, play a regular DVD and upconvert it from its 480 lines to 1080p, allow you to access the disc menu without leaving the movie, and provide interactive features over the Internet. They are, to be highly technical, way cool. Except there are two competing formats, and they're incompatible.

Movie studios that produce the discs predominantly only support one or the other. That means if you buy a Blu-ray Disc player and want to see a high-def movie in competing format HD DVD, you're often outta luck. Unless you buy a player like one from LG and Samsung that can play both. The current thinking: If you have to have high-def DVD now, buy one of each player, and it's still less expensive than buying a dual-format device.

DVRs

Digital video recorders such as the ubiquitous TiVo allow you to record shows to a hard disc for easy retrieval and viewing later and even let you pause "live" shows through its memory buffer that records as you watch. That's sweet. DVRs are available in stand-alone units, but more and more they are being built into cable and satellite receivers, for example. Get an HD DVR if you want to record in high definition. Choose a hard disc size that's compatible to your viewing habits, and go one higher; you'll be surprised how quickly your storage capacity is met.

Satellite and Cable Receivers

We can't stress this enough: You need HD source material to watch HDTV-and that means an HDTV receiver. You won't see the HD without it. CableCards that fit into the back of newer TVs preclude the need for a cable box but do not allow interactive services such as video-on-demand. Look for component video connections or HDMI, if you can get it.

VCRs

You still have one of these? No worries. Many of us do. You can still hook it up to that stunning HDTV. But after a while, we bet you won't use it much any more.