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For the past five years, DVD has been the bright beam of sunshine spreading across the home-entertainment landscape, not only heating up movie sales and rentals but also, with its first-rate images and sound, helping to spark the whole home theater trend.

Here are some CDs and DVDs you can use to evaluate subwoofers in stores, to set up and test the one you choose, or to scare your neighbors. Pick out a couple and listen to a few tracks over and over. It'll drive your wife crazy, but trust me, it's a lot easier to hear the differences between subs by playing a few tracks you know well than by playing a lot of different material.

Did you know you can get a plasma HDTV for $1,800? That's right - TV technology that a few years ago cost more than a Hyundai is now within reach of most middle-class American budgets. Prices for entry-level big-screen HDTVs, including those flat-panel plasmas and LCDs as well as advanced DLP and LCD projectors, are falling at near-terminal velocity and have yet to hit bottom.

Just a few years ago, retailers were furious when their secret Black Friday ads leaked online before they hit he Thursday papers. Now, they can hardly wait for eager bargain hunters to fire up Acrobat and scour their flyers for deals. But, at the same time, this years deals are a little disappointing.

Just a few years ago, retailers were furious when their secret Black Friday ads leaked online before they hit he Thursday papers. Now, they can hardly wait for eager bargain hunters to fire up Acrobat and scour their flyers for deals. But, at the same time, this years deals are a little disappointing.