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LG BH200 Super Blu HD DVD/Blu-ray disc player

Blu-ray and HD-DVD computer drives capable of burning high-def video to disc are few and far between, and prices for them remain sky-high. But when, not if, you do add one to your Mac or PC, you'll still need a capable stand-alone player to watch those discs on HDTV -- and instead of choosing one warring format over the other, why not buy a machine that handles both Blu-ray and HD-DVD? LG's BH200 Ethernet-ready Super Blu is one of the few players available that do this. And its playback compatibility extends to both audio CDs and regular DVDs, which get upconverted to 1080p high-def video. About $1,000.

Netgear EVA8000 Digital Entertainer HD media receiver

This is a non-Apple solution for pushing videos, photos, and music around a wired or wireless home PC network (802.11g and b). It shares many of Apple TV's features -- including high-def video support, iTunes music compatibility, and the ability to stream media from YouTube or Flickr -- but lacks Apple's built-in hard drive. Your PC fills in for the drive, so you have to keep it running. Unlike Apple TV, the Netgear EVA8000 can tune in Internet radio stations. About $350.

Canon REALis SX7 LCoS video front projector

This powerful digital projector has the portability needed for on-the-fly photo presentations but can also do double duty as a home entertainment projector. That's because its 275-watt lamp and LCoS (liquid-crystal-on-silicon) light engine produce an impressive 4,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, while its 1400x1050 pixels render videos, photos, and graphics with a high degree of detail. It isn't just for video and data display, though. The SX7's sRGB and Adobe RGB color space modes also make it a good choice for digital photographers who want big-screen slideshows of their still images. About $6,000.

Velbon Video DV-7000 tripod

When you're shooting video on a tripod -- and you should try it sometime -- you need a model with a head that rotates for smooth horizontal pans and tilts for vertical adjustments. This one does both, giving you the flexibility required for fluid, pro-style camera moves at a very affordable price. The DV-7000's secure quick-release platform lets you quickly remove or mount the camcorder as you shoot. Sturdy aluminum legs and heavy-duty rubber feet provide stability, at maximum height, the 7.5-pound tripod stands 64 inches, and it can support cameras weighing up to 10 pounds. Yet when fully retracted it measures just over 27 inches, making it ideal for videographers on the move. About $110.

Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 11

Pinnacle's Studio series of integrated video editing/DVD authoring programs have long provided PC users with a powerful, user-friendly tool. Studio Ultimate 11 looks to be the best one yet. A fresh interface provides easy access to clips and video effects for drag-and-drop insertion on an editing timeline, and can be configured for wide-screen monitors. Input from high-def HDV and AVCHD-format camcorders is supported, and it can even import pictures directly from digital cameras. The incorporated video effects toolkit includes everything from green-screen compositing to the "Ken Burns" pan-and-zoom effect. The audio effects include Bias Soundsoap to eliminate noise from video and audio-only tracks. There's even a music score generator. About $130.

Apple Final Cut Express 4

Apple's pricey Final Cut Studio is an industry standard for video post-production on the Mac. But even serious videographers will find that Final Cut Express 4, an affordable, stripped-down version, contains more than enough features to produce professional results. In addition to video and 99 audio tracks, the package offers compositing, color correction, and animated title and motion graphics. And it supports high-def input from HDV and AVCHD camcorders, as well as standard miniDV models. (Final Cut Express 4 is a Mac-only application, and it requires OSX 10.4.10 or higher.) About $200.

Vegas Movie Studio Platinum

PC users looking to do advanced video editing have many affordable, feature-packed software options to choose from. Somewhere near the top of that list is Vegas Movie Studio Platinum. This program's clean interface makes assembling clips and layering effects a simple drag-and-drop process. It supports high-def video from both HDV and AVCHD cameras as well as standard-definition models, and it includes compositing and color-correction tools. But as good as Vegas Movie Studio's video editing features are, its audio side really stands out: It's bundled with more than 20 high-quality DirectX sound effects, and it also supports VST plug-ins and 5.1-channel Dolby Digital soundtrack encoding. About $120.

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