Teac's PCDV125L stereo is a portable model that maintains the functionality found in a more traditional mini hi-fi system. If you're moving around constantly but want the ability to listen to music and watch movies, it's a good choice.

B&W’s VM6 speakers are surprisingly capable speakers for music and movies, but their thin size impacts upon their performance.

The PT8051 is an impressive integrated unit. It handles movie audio well, despite not having a subwoofer and relying on flat-panel speaker technology. It's also easy to set up and can decode digital signals from DVD and Blu-ray players.

For a casual user who wants to stream digital video, photo and music files as well as watch stored high-definition content, the ME1 works well. If you can handle the lack of digital video connections and the speed of the interface, the ME1 is a good option.

The DMR-XW300 is a highly functional digital video recorder, with few downsides apart from imperfect DVD playback and a high price tag. If you’re looking for incredible flexibility in a single unit, you can’t go wrong here.

The FB163 is a product with plenty of functionality — USB inputs, DVD and DivX playback and an iPod dock. It sounds great, but the implementation of these extra features isn't as smooth as it could have been.

Whatever music you want to listen to, the Transporter is able to take it from your computer to your stereo without any perceivable quality loss. The interface is seamless and direct connection to the online SqueezeNetwork means you don’t even need a computer. If you can handle the high price, you’ll get the quality you paid for.

At $769, the Samsung BD-P1400 remains among the least expensive Blu-ray disc players available. But other models can offer better value.