Picking A Home Theater.(Hardware Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)

Home theaters aren't just for movie moguls anymore. With a big-screen television, DVD player and a surround-sound system, you can live like you're one of the rap stars on "MTV Cribs." But you don't need to take out a second mortgage to get that cinematic experience. There are packages to fit every budget.

The television is the heart of your system. While going bigger is often better, don't empty your pockets while overwhelming the room with a TV that is just too large. Generally, for a 10-foot-by-10-foot room, a 27- inch screen is fine; if you watch a lot of movies on DVD, you should consider a widescreen set. A high-quality DVD player is also important. Look for one that uses "progressive scanning," which displays a sharper image on TVs that support it. Here are three sample systems, one for every budget:

Good: Even with fairly modest funds, you can find nice brand-name products from Sony, Sharp, JVC and RCA. Pioneer's HTD-520DV "home theater in a box" system ($600; pioneerelectronics.com) provides just about everything you'll need. This all-in-one unit includes a five-disc DVD/CD changer-amplifier along with a 5.1 speaker system: two front, two rear, one center, one subwoofer (hence the ".1"). Add in Sony's 27- inch FD Trinitron WEGA TV ($550; sonystyle.com), and you're ready to kick back with a bowl of microwave popcorn.

Better: If you prefer to watch movies letterboxed, but hate those black bars that take up nearly half the screen, it's time to move up to a 16X9 widescreen television. Hitachi's 43-inch rear-projection TV monitor, the 43FWX20B ($2,400; hitachi.com), is large enough to provide a great cinematic experience without dominating your living space. This high-definition-ready set, which can display true HDTV from an HD cable box or satellite source, will bring your current television viewing into the future. To add big ...