OTHER TECH

Sharp SD-AT50DV Sharp really thought things through when designing the SD-AT50DV system. Placed side by side, the ST-AT50 control unit and DX-AT50 disc player take up about the same space as a standard component. Slight indentations on top of each unit help them nestle together when stacked, and it doesn't matter which one is on top and which is on bottom. There are even plastic stands so you can position them on their sides, as long as the readouts are on top. Each front panel has a 1 1/4 x 2-inch sky-blue backlit LCD and a minimal number of control keys-five on the main unit and six on the player. You can operate the system without using the onscreen displays, and, in fact, you have to use the LCDs for audio settings such as speaker levels and delays since these aren't available onscreen.

Sharp SD-AT50DV DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) control unit 8 1/2 x 2 3/8 x 10 3/8 inches disc player 8 1/2 x 2 3/8 x 10 1/8 inches satellite speaker 3 3/4 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/8 inches subwoofer 10 1/4 x 14 3/4 x 16 5/8 inches SYSTEM WEIGHT 36 5/8 pounds PRICE $800 MANUFACTURER Sharp Electronics, Sharp Plaza, Mahwah, NJ 07430; www.sharpusa.com; 800-237-4277 Click here for Key Features. Click here for In the Lab.

The SD-AT50 connects to the subwoofer, which contains all of the system's amplifiers, via a pair of cables with small, square multipin connectors. While one of the cables has to supply power to the SD-AT50, it still would have made more sense to use a single cable. The control unit and the player are connected by a tiny system-control cable and a coaxial digital audio cable. While the other systems here allow you to choose between interlaced and progressive scanning using onscreen menus, you have to make the selection here using a small switch on the back of the disc player.

The five silver plastic satellite speakers-the smallest in this roundup-are about the size and shape of a one-pint Chinese-food take-out container. They have screw holes in the bottom for mounting adapters, but no keyholes on the back for wall hanging. The color-coded speaker cables have tinned bare leads on one end for connection to the spring clips on the satellites and small rectangular plugs for connection to the sub. The subwoofer fires downward for increased placement flexibility.

The longest remote control of the group looks deceptively simple with its unusually large cursor pad surrounded by four bright-blue arrow keys. The straight columns of identical gray control keys would be confusing to deal with if there were more of them, but many of the keys, including the numeric keypad and a second cursor set, are hidden under a slide-down cover on the back of the remote. While all the keys are small, they're so sparse that you won't be intimidated. But if you try to use both sides of the remote at once, you're likely to accidentally press a lot of keys.

The Sharp offers the fewest bells and whistles of any of the systems here beyond Dolby Digital, DTS, and DPL II. Like the Yamaha, it features Faroudja's DCDi video circuit for eliminating jagged edges on interlaced images converted to progressive-scan format. You can choose only between the usual aspect ratios, a pair of black-level settings, and Movie or Music settings of Sharp's own Dynamic Sound ambience mode. The built-in test tone lets you precisely adjust the level and delay for each speaker-a feature missing on some of the more expensive systems.

While the Sharp system lacked the impressive detail and overall depth of color of the Panasonic SC-ST1, it presented the fairy-tale wash of color inherent in The Chamber of Secrets with only subtle noise in dark backgrounds and minimal artifacts. Professor McGonagall's wrinkles, for instance, were clearly visible. While the player didn't stumble between disc layers, subtitles mysteriously appeared for a moment and then vanished.

Even though you'll want to watch movies on this system, you might want to check it out initially with your eyes closed since it sounds much larger than its tiny satellites would suggest. The subwoofer does a very good job with the low-frequency hums and booms, and while it can't go super low, it gave plenty of authority to the rumble of the Hogwarts Express and the thrashing of the Whomping Willow tree as it pounded the magic car. Subtle high-frequency transients, like the clicks of knitting needles and the ticks of the Weasley's clocks, came through without calling attention to themselves. Dialogue was always clear and smooth.

As I'd expect from small satellites with minimal baffles, the system sculpted a very solid two-channel stereo image when I played the Dar Williams CD. What I didn't expect was their uncommonly smooth sound. Her voice retained its fullness and slight huskiness without sibilance or tinniness. The flip side of that coin, though, was a slight lack of articulation on the transients. Raising the volume made the system sound strident and harsh, but switching in Pro Logic II opened up the sound field while removing the edginess.

These systems share one flaw that resembles Harry's ability to speak with snakes-they have more abilities than may be desirable. And like the spells Ron attempts to cast with his fractured wand, the intended action can cause unintended results. Does anyone truly need more than half a dozen video modes or a score of audio modes?

All four systems can perform their share of audio and video magic. The Denon entranced me with its pure audio, while the Panasonic edged out the Yamaha ever so slightly for best picture quality. The Yamaha and the Sharp offer exceptional value, while the Panasonic makes a styling statement that few if any other systems in this price range can equal. And its integral stands provide great convenience. When you open the box of any of these systems you won't find a chamber of secrets, just good solid technology that can transform nearly any room of your home into a theater. And since you're more likely to use one of these in a smaller space like a bedroom or home office, you might find more than one room of your home transformed into a magical movie retreat.