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The Home Entertainment 2003 Show, held June 5–8, 2003, at the Westin–St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, was an event that will stand out for residents, exhibitors, and visiting press as a well-attended showcase of some of the finest products and technologies the consumer electronics industry has to offer.

From the June issue, Michael Fremer reviews the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?127">Philips 34PW9818 HD-ready direct-view monitor</A> featuring the company's new "Pixel Plus" process. Can regular NTSC now look as good as HDTV? Fremer tells all.

Take an informal survey of HDTV owners and you'll find few complaints about HD- or DVD-sourced picture quality. Most are thrilled by what they see. But ask about the view from standard 480i NTSC cable or satellite and the grumbling begins. Part of the problem is, once you've seen HD, regular television is bound to disappoint. Another issue is screen size&mdash;the bigger the screen, the worse non-HD images look. First-time buyers of HDTV big screens learn what owners of analog big screens have known for years: Blowing up noisy, low-resolution video just highlights and magnifies flaws not readily seen on small screens.