High-definition media center: Lux Dual HD

If you want to make the leap to high definition but you're having a hard time deciding between HD-DVD and Blu-ray (after all, who wants to get caught with the equivalent of a Betamax system?), VidaBox has you covered. And then some.

Built inside a nearly silent, rack-mountable case enclosure, the dual-HD Lux media center uses Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 to deliver a next-generation home theater that can replace your DVD player, audio receiver and TiVo. The system includes SPDIF optical and coaxial audio outputs for Dolby Digital and DTS sound, and it supports up to 1080p high-definition video output. Dual analog and dual HD tuners allow you to record multiple broadcasts at the same time.

At the core of the Lux lies one of AMD's dual-core Athlon X2 processors (either the 3800+, the 4200+, or the 4600+). The system includes 750GB of storage standard, but you can customize it all the way up to a whopping 3.75TB.

This system isn't cheap -- it starts at $3,500 and goes up significantly from there. Want the full 3.75TB? Tack on $2,900 to the base price. And those tandem HD-DVD and Blu-ray drives will cost you, too -- add another $1,400 to the basic model. But isn't that very special someone on your gift list worth it?