OTHER TECH

DVD isn't the only game in town when it comes to watching movies on your new HDTV. With a high-def Dish Network, Voom, or DirecTV satellite receiver (Dish and DirecTV offer both basic models and ones with a built-in hard disk for recording) you'll have access to hundreds of channels of programming, including a number of HDTV movie and sports channels. These receivers also have built-in off-air digital tuners that let you pull in local HDTV broadcasts with an antenna. The broadcast channels show up in the receiver's electronic program guide alongside the satellite ones, which makes for a smooth integration between the two.

Most cable companies that offer digital service also provide high-def channels - in many cases, local HDTV broadcasts are carried along with premium channels like Showtime and HBO, eliminating the need for an antenna. You can lease a high-def cable box from your cable provider just as you do for standard-def cable - some even offer high-def boxes with built-in hard-disk recorders. The supply of high-def boxes may be limited, however.

Another high-def source for your new system is a D-VHS VCR, which plays prerecorded movies in the 1080i format. While it's not exactly dead in the water yet as a movie format, fewer than 100 titles have been released on D-VHS since its launch in 2002, with only one new movie issued in 2004. But D-VHS decks, which are available from JVC, Marantz, and Mitsubishi and cost around $500, can also record high-definition TV broadcasts when connected to an HDTV or an outboard HDTV tuner via FireWire (a.k.a. IEEE 1394, i.Link, or DTVLink).