An Audio Lover’s Video Player.

Over the past year, Denon has quietly assembled an interesting array of Blu-ray players designed to suit a host of budgets and systems—from the digital-only DVD-2500BTCI transport ($999) to the recently announced “entry-level” DVD-1800BD ($749).

Residing at the top of the chain is the reference DVD-3800BDCI ($1,999), a beefy unit whose build quality and high-end components befit that higher price tag.

Serve it Up – Audio and Video Servers Galore

Maybe you've got a huge collection of digital music, and you'd really love to listen to it throughout your home, instead of simply on your iPod.

Perhaps you want to rip your DVD collection to disc and secret the cases away in storage.

No matter the particulars, chances are you have digital media you want to enjoy in the more comfortable parts of your home—away from the desktop. Enter media servers.

Digital Out

At first glace, this appears to be just another iPod dock. What makes it special is on the inside (awww, isn't that sweet)—so hidden, in fact, that if you didn't know about it beforehand, you may miss it.

You see, this is the first iPod dock that is able to extract a digital signal from the iPod, keeping the signal digital (depending on your system) all the way to the speaker terminals on your amp. Even if your setup isn't digital that far, wouldn't you rather rely on the digital converters in your receiver/pre-pro than the $300 iPod? Me too.

Can't Afford a new Rolls? How about this instead?

Hyundai is trying to be Toyota. And Honda. And why not, they're both some of the most respected and successful car makers out there. With the Genesis, Hyundai aims right in the middle of the luxury sports sedan market.

To help them with that image, they enlisted Lexicon to design the audio system. The only other car with a Lexicon audio system is the Rolls-Royce Phantom. So it's in good company.

Don’t call it a home theater in a box—SE2 Labs’ ITC One packs a lot of functionality into one sleek package, and does so with style to spare

Within ten minutes of unpacking and installing SE2 Labs’ long-awaited all-in-one device, the ITC One, I realize that something is seriously wrong. Most of my video outputs aren’t working and one speaker isn’t getting sound. I’m seriously dreading having to lug this behemoth back to my front door to send it back.

Not a very flattering intro, I know, but this unfortunate incident ends up being key to my realizing what an amazing product SE2 Labs has created.

Tune In: Sound Off

Transport yourself into audiophile euphoria. Transform your iPod into a high-resolution audio/video media server.

iPod docking solutions come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Discover some of the offerings, and see which ones fit your personality and needs.

Was it ever really gone?

Spinning and buying records, while remaining a niche, has enjoyed a renaissance recently as vinyl playback equipment enters its golden age.

Why, however, would anyone consider adding a record player to their audio or multimedia system for the first time, or the first time in a long time?

Because records can sound much better – more like music, less like a facsimile.

The New Order

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I'm a hold out. I never listen to music over my computer, even as I've become increasingly aware that the traditional CD and/or turntable-amplifier-speaker based hi-fi system is on its way out, and that some of the most revered audiophile manufacturers like McIntosh, Linn, and Kaleidescape are designing component-grade music servers.

So sure, my interest is piqued, but I have a fantastic high-end audio system, why would I ever want to listen to tunes over my computer?