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Price: $500
Belkin Corp.
www.pureav.com
The PureAV55000 contains a transmitter and receiver that let you take input from one source (a television, cable box, DVD player, stereo system, video game or something else) and wirelessly send it to a TV, monitor, VCR or powered speakers in a different room. The unit offers a bandwidth of up to 40Mbit/sec. at a range of up to 350 feet. It handles standard-definition (but not high-definition) TV.
Price: $180
Linksys (a division of Cisco Systems Inc.)
www.linksys.com
This unit looks like a trim stereo radio, but it's much more. The WMLS11B provides a network connection (wired or wireless) between your PC and stereo system. It can also play PC-stored music directly through its two detachable speakers. A remote control is included.
Price: $230
Logitech International SA
www.logitech.com
This remote control comes in several flavors, including one (the 680) designed specially for the newest round of multimedia Windows PCs. Logitech eases the process of programming your remote by automating the dialogs on the remote itself and including one-touch activity buttons that combine multiple functions for common tasks, such as watching a movie, listening to music or recording a TV show. The Harmony handles up to 15 devices -- anything that uses infrared commands -- and needs no macroprogramming. This might be the easiest way to simplify the tangle of home entertainment equipment, cables, switches and remotes.
Price: $400
Logitech
www.logitech.com
I've been a finicky audiophile for years, and this system does a seriously better job with music than my older (and far more expensive) British stereo speakers. For movies, radio and television, the control module in this THX-certified system decodes Dolby Digital, DTS and 96/24 soundtracks into true 5.1 surround sound. At $400, these speakers are a true bargain. The system includes a 10-in. subwoofer with a 505-watt amplifier, five small satellite speakers and a control module with remote control. The black and chrome system will work with PCs and home entertainment components, and you can plug PlayStation and Xbox games directly into the control module.
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Kay is a Computerworld contributing writer in Worcester, Mass. Contact him at russkay@charter.net.
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