DIGITAL L.A. SONY CLEANS UP THE CLUTTER.

Byline: David Bloom

Given the number of DVD players and home-theater systems that have been sold in recent months, it's safe to say the two technologies are catching the eyes - and ears - of a lot of folks.

But a lot of other people have legitimate concerns about putting these systems in their homes, often for reasons that have little to do with the technologies themselves.

Adding a DVD player, for instance, often means yet another box atop the stack of electronics stuffed into the stereo cabinet.

Sony, of course, sees these problems as a marketing opportunity. Thus, they've come up with the modestly monikered DVD Dream System (or more prosaically, the DAV-S300). The resulting package, though imperfect, is indeed dreamy, combining a DVD/CD player, an amplifier, 5.1-channel speaker system and tuner into one compact, stylish and blessedly simple package.

To start with, the actual DVD/CD/tuner/amplifier is about half the height of most stereo components, with a brushed magnesium alloy exterior that matches Sony's WEGA television line.

Even better, the player's all-in-one design lets you dispense with at least three of the boxes in your component stack - a CD player, a tuner and an amplifier - while adding better sound and DVD capabilities that provide literally twice as good a picture as a VHS videotape.

On the back are color-coded speaker connectors to five tiny but powerful directional speakers and to the larger but still modestly sized subwoofer box (the 0.1 in 5.1-channel Surroundsound). There's also an additional set of inputs for one other video or audio component.

To test the system's sound, I tried DVDs like MGM's latest James Bond epic, ``The World Is Not Enough'' that offer the 5.1-channel sound option and lots of dynamic range. I was impressed by how well the system's tiny speakers handled even Bond-size explosions.

The video, of course, was at the usual excellent Sony levels. A remarkably loaded remote control (with a cleverly designed second level of buttons tucked under a flip-up cover) allows you to do everything but slice bread.

My only complaint? With room on the back for only one add-on, you'll either have to buy a switch (Sony, naturally, makes a four-component switch with S-video and RCA jack connections for $55) or make do with just one other component, say a VCR, videogame console or cassette deck.

But I'm guessing such tradeoffs will be worth it to a lot of people, particularly those with limited space or patience with the annoyances of high-end technology. And for a bargain price of about $600, this is indeed a dream.

Protocol of free speech

One of the great things about the Net is its ability to give just about everybody a bully pulpit to spout their views. But some of those views have proved pretty problematic for civil society, as shown in battles over such issues as hate speech on the Net.

The result of one such small fight was announced recently in a deal between booksellers Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith over the handling of ``The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion.''

Created in Czarist Russia a century ago, the book purports to be a secret Jewish plan to rule the world, and has often been used by anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists as ``proof'' of such schemes, though it has been definitively shown to be a fanciful fake.

Under the deal, the two online booksellers will attach to the book's spot on their sites a statement from the ADL saying: `` 'The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,' circulated by the Czarist secret police at the turn of the 20th century, is plainly and simply a plagiarized forgery. 'The Protocols' has been a major weapon in the arsenals of anti-Semites around the world, republished and circulated by individuals, hate groups and governments to convince the gullible as well as the bigoted that Jews have schemed and plotted to take over the world.''

ADL regional director David A. Lehrer said in a statement that the group wasn't ``in the business of banning books, no matter how reprehensible they are'' and said the deal was the ``best solution'' for book buyers.

Our Founding Fathers talked about creating a free marketplace of ideas, where differing beliefs would fight each other for primacy, and where the ``best'' ideas would ultimately win out.

Nowhere has that ideal come closer to reality than on the Net, where, quite literally, anyone can speak to an audience of millions with relatively few barriers or costs.

The argument's flip side is that we need better ways to alert people that there may be a much deeper controversy behind some books, especially those that give hate and lies such prominent currency.

Perhaps the best way to do this, at least on the Web, is with more sophisticated linking, both to books with opposing views, and to bulletin boards or discussion areas where the matter can be chewed on. That truly would be a step toward creating that marketplace of ideas.

SITE OF THE WEEK

--The Webby Awards: The Webcast of the Webby Awards, which honor the best Internet sites in 27 categories, ranging from ``activism'' to ``weird,'' as nominated by a wide-ranging panel of more than 200 judges, then chosen by Net users.

--Where: http://entertainment.yahoo.com/webby

--What's cool: This is your chance to see the awards, a hot ticket in San Francisco where the event will be held, beginning at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, at the Masonic Center on Nob Hill. Actor Alan Cumming will emcee the event.

--Features: If you want to check out all the finalists, head to the organization's main online home, at www.webbyawards.com. Then start planning for your own acceptance speech next year after you hone your HTML and Java skills. The site also archives the winners from past years.

--You'll like this if: You hate fighting the crowds and traffic in San Francisco just to see the Internet's best sites.

Think your Web fave is good enough for Site of the Week? Send your suggestions to [e-mail]

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