Bigger, Better, More Beautiful--But at a Price

By Maryanne Murray Buechner

No other product category is so sweetly seductive and yet so baffling as home theater. Not too long ago, all you had to do was buy the largest TV you could afford, connect stereo speakers, plug in a VCR and voila--you had bragging rights to state-of-the-art home entertainment. Now there's DVD, Dolby Digital, high-definition TV, personal TV, rewritable CD--all dazzling technologies, to be sure, but disorienting too. HDTV, a digital format so luscious it can make an enthusiast weep, was the year's biggest tease, delayed by technical complications and industry infighting. Yet some experts are optimistic, saying it will really show its colors in 2000--at least in major markets--and those who buy wide-screen, HDTV-capable sets (see No. 1) will have "future-proofed" their living rooms. "Now is the time to start thinking about HDTV," says Lee Richman, a home-theater custom installer in New York City who helped design the system on these pages. The total cost of our fantasy setup, not including furniture: $6,900. Of course, you don't need every black box shown here. But you may be tempted.

--TIPS: PARTS AND PARCEL

DVD DRAG Some DVD players may have trouble keeping audio and video in synch. Most manufacturers will fix the problem for free. Ask about it at the store when you buy.

WARM UP Expect your new speakers to take 12 hr. to 50 hr. to "burn in," or reach peak performance.

GO ONLINE Visit nab.org for a list of stations broadcasting digital TV before buying a decoder.

SEEK HELP Consider hiring an installer to get everything working together properly. Most charge by the hour.

--By Maryanne Murray Buechner