OTHER TECH

Tubed Out

Q. My current HDTV is a Sony KV-34XBR-800 - the largest widescreen CRT model available when I bought it. I chose it because the overall picture quality seemed much better than the LCD and plasma TVs available at the time. Now I'm itching for a bigger picture, but I'm worried that I'll be disappointed with the picture quality of current LCDs and plasma TVs. Any suggestions? Evan Evans Sacramento, CA

A. Al Griffin says: It's not surprising that you chose a CRT set over an LCD or plasma model when you went shopping a few years back. At that time, the picture on many flat-panel TVs didn't look nearly as good as the best tube-based models, which easily bested them (and continue to excel) in picture contrast and black levels. Things have changed, however. If you entered a store today, you'd likely find flat sets that can rival the performance of your beloved tube and definitely surpass it in picture detail. And prices for those sets are now dramatically lower than they were 5 years ago.

Cube of Silence

Q. I work in a typical office environment and would like to be able to block out conversations that occur in the neighboring cubicles. Would noise-canceling headphones do the job for me? Samuel Fodulyan Glendale, CA

A. Ian G. Masters says: They might help, although they're better at removing steady, low-frequency sounds, such as air-conditioning hum or traffic noise from outside the building. And, of course, they're great on aircraft. Such 'phones are less effective in the middle frequencies, though, where inter-cubicle chatter, telephone rings, and computer beeps reside. The music you listen to using the headphones is probably as effective in blocking the annoying sounds as the cancellation devices themselves. Headphones that offer a high degree of physical isolation might be your best bet, although they can be cumbersome and uncomfortable after a while.