For an estimated street price of $1700 (as of 9/18/09), the Samsung LN46B750 packages very good picture quality and excellent sound with YouTube viewing, Yahoo Widgets, and the ability to play media files from USB storage or your networked PC. And it does all that while being a remarkably easy-to-use HDTV.

If you've had your fill of flat-screen HDTVs with shiny black bezels, check out the Vizio VL470M ($1300 as of 12/10/09). Moderately priced for a 47-inch, 1080p LCD TV with a 120Hz refresh rate, the VL470M sports a classy-looking matte bezel that sets it apart from the crowd--and it's no slacker in the image-quality department, either.

No doubt about it: An estimated street price of $1219 (as of 9/22/2009) sounds good for a 47-inch, 240Hz LCD HDTV--especially one with multimedia capabilities and a terrific remote. But the Vizio SV471XVT is no bargain when it comes to image quality.

The Kodak ESP 3250 All-in-One color inkjet multifunction printer is very inexpensive ($130 as of January 25, 2010), and it prints superior images on photo paper. Otherwise, it is an average-quality, rather slow machine, appropriate for light-duty school or home use.