By Lisa Neff

Contributing writer

Ready to take your close-up?

Home movie queen Andy Warhol once made a quip about 15 minutes of fame. In the youtube.com era, not only can many have at that 15 minutes of fame, but everyman and everywoman can become a director of some notoriety.

For those who aspire to contribute to the growing World Wide Web video vault, Pure Digital Technologies makes the Flip Video, a highly compact, easy-to-use digital camcorder.

If electronics intimidate, the Flip Video is for you, a triumph of simplicity. You’ll open the box, remove the camcorder, insert the batteries, slide the “on” button and press a red target button to record. That’s it.

To view video footage, simply plug the camcorder into a television. That’s it.

To download footage, simply flip the USB plug on the camcorder and connect to a computer. That’s it.

Plus, there isn’t much know-how required to edit clips, create custom movies, or take still images.

The camcorder, in cool colors, isn’t much bigger than an iPod and comes with either 2GB of memory for 60 minutes of video or 1 GB of memory for 30 minutes.

Shoot, show and share. www.theflip.com

Hi-def direction: Samsung recently introduced the lightweight SC-HMX10 camcorder, which records in high definition so shooters can play back their recorded memories in HD on their HDTVs. You’ll get crystal clear images of those home movies, amateur documentaries and low-budget horror flicks. Not necessary for a video blogger, but appropriate for the budding filmmaker.

Thin, flat and beautiful: Planning a premiere of a homemade masterpiece? Sony’s Bravia hi-def televisions feature stunning picture quality and come with a modest price tag—about $1,000 for a 26-inch TV and $1,500 for a 32-inch screen. And the colors can match your iPod, your camera, your computer and your cell—white, pink, green, blue or red.

At its thinnest point, Sony’s OLED—organic light-emitting diode—TV measures about three millimeters.

The maker of the “organic panel” promises high contrast, peak brightness, powerful color reproduction, rapid response time and unparalleled image quality.

Lookers will also be drawn to the eye-catching Samsung LN-T3253H 32-inch LCD HDTV—sold in piano black and pearl white and designed to fit neatly into a bookshelf or on a desk or bureau. The screen can also serve as a computer monitor and was designed with gamers in mind—a game mode enhances dark areas, sharpens the picture and speeds up the image-processing response.

Projecting: Prefer to spend Friday night watching the newest DVD release from Colt Studios on your bedroom wall? The Panasonic PT-AE1000 projector was built for savvy home theater enthusiasts—and gaming aficionados—who want to see the image the director intended to show.

Sony’s feature-rich Bravia projectors also create a cinema-like atmosphere in the home, but they come with a Beverly Hills price tag—$5,000 to $15,000.

TV in a tub: For the TV-watcher seeking the ultimate lounge, Baden Bath makes the DVD tub, which features a flat-panel TV screen that folds down, a DVD player and a CD/AM/FM stereo with dual remotes. The tub itself features 10 jets to push water, a heater to keep the bath water temp just right and a fridge to keep the wine chilled. www.badenbath.com

TV on the Net: For those who need their TV fix at the office—or even on the go with wi-fi—Joost.com has the goods. Joost combines the best of TV with the best of the Net, offering viewers anytime, anywhere opportunity to watch full-screen programs. What’s on? More than 15,000 shows—screened for free.