More combos to come
Dish Network and DirecTV have both announced combination HDTV satellite receivers/DVRs, complete with gigantic (250GB and up) hard drives built in. The DirecTV iterations use the TiVo DVR interface, while Dish's box--the DishPVR 921--uses Dish's own software. The 921, which Dish claims will be available by Q2 2003 at a yet-to-be-determined price, includes a 250GB hard drive that can hold 40 hours of 1080i high-definition programming. JVC also showed a Dish Network HDTV DVR with similar specs.

Buyer's alert If you haven't jumped onboard the HDTV bandwagon, that may be a good thing, as some enhancements introduced at this show are on their way. Product alerts: sign up to be notified when these products are available DishPVR 921

Satellite viewers aren't the only consumers to benefit from these new combinations, which is good news because most Americans watch TV via cable. TV manufacturers are making good on their recent agreement with cable companies by delivering "cable-ready" HDTVs, which won't require separate set-top receivers to display high-definition content. Panasonic, Pioneer, and Sony all promise to deliver products by September. Sony also showed a set-top box platform it plans to offer to cable companies, which has a built-in hard drive that can be used to record HDTV.

Cutting costs
Prices for HDTVs are dropping, albeit slowly. Samsung's next-generation, 30-inch, wide-screen direct-view unit will probably hit the market for about $900, and its street price will be a bit lower. Sony announced a new 30-inch HDTV for $1,600 and an upgraded 34-inch model, both of which have fine-pitch aperture grilles that should provide higher resolution. And while RCA's first DLP, 52-inch rear-projection TV isn't exactly affordable, it does represent a new low price for the category. And for the ultra-high-end HD fan, Panasonic showed a new three-chip DLP projector that also sets a new price low: $30,000.

Finally, both Sony and Panasonic showcased concept high-definition DVD recorders using the Blu-ray standard, which can store 27GB of high-density recording on a single-sided disc. A Panasonic rep didn't want to speculate when HD DVD recorders would be available, but he did mention that the major stumbling block would probably be copy protection, not technology.

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David Katzmaier is an associate editor who covers home entertainment for CNET. Got a question for him? Let us know.