The HD-7000 is a very professional box. It emphasises functionality and performance over ease of use.

If you're after a relatively inexpensive way to receive high-definition digital TV at home, the Legend Digital LHD2 is a good choice, provided you can live with a couple of small design issues.

The HT-CN650DVW is a well-priced home theatre system, which has a very musical sound and plenty of punch.

As a receiver and speaker system, the LX70 performs fantastically. Setup is complicated, but it does excel in surround sound and digital decoding.

The Sony DSTHD100 is innovative and easy to use, despite a few minor flaws.

A reasonable purchase for those venturing into the world of home theatre.

While we like the LinkSYS Media Center Extender with DVD Player DMA2200, we found using Media Center too unreliable to replace our Freeview boxes, let alone a service such as Sky+. And although media streaming and DVD upscaling make this a fully-featured device, its Media Center foundation prevents it from reaching its potential.

The RC7723W is an easily operable, trouble-free recorder. While it doesn't pack a huge range of extra features, its design ensures quick and effective recording.

A decent convergence device. Not too flashy, but with plenty of display options. It's not really the choice for the hard-core videophile, but for the rest of us the V5500 covers most of the right bases.

Elegantly simple, the Sony is not a revolutionary device, but it's easy and intuitive to use.

A great receiver with a good set of features and impressive auto calibration.

If you need a fast way to make DVDs without a computer, the VRD-MC5 is a relatively cheap and user-friendly option. Unfortunately, its unashamed bias towards Sony-branded camcorders slightly lessens its charms.