TV and Home Theater
More traditional forms of home entertainment devices still make for popular choices, as PC World editors look at beefing up their TV and home theater setups. Rebbapragada's considering a 37-inch Vizio LCD TV: "We need a bedroom TV, and Vizio has proven to be good and inexpensive in the past." Dahl did some early holiday shopping and got himself a Samsung LN 4071T HDTV. "It's my new baby," he says. "It's one of the better 40-inch LCD TVs out there; it does 120 Hz so you can make live HD sports events look even more amazing, or completely ruin the look of 'Saving Private Ryan'-seriously, this 120-Hz thing is kind of weird. I managed to snag one for $1699 at Fry's a couple months ago. That was way too good to pass up, and I'm glad I didn't. Now I just want the damn HD disc format war to end so I can start buying HD movies."
Denny Arar recently got an HDTV, and wants to fine-tune its colors. However, she's skipping pricey professional calibration and opting for the DVD of Joe Kane's Digital Video Essentials. "You can buy several versions-including a brand-new $35 HD DVD edition-at Kane's web site, and he links to a retailer who sells the original version. A great gift for someone who's recently bought a digital TV."
McCracken is also a new HDTV owner, but finds himself "in the odd situation of having an HDTV LCD and no HD source material." His wish list includes "a TiVo HD and an HD-capable DirecTV dish and set-top box."
For Gadget Freak columnist Dan Tynan, an even bigger image is better: "I want a Sony Bravia VPL-AW10 direct projector. It's 720p HD native, has HDMI, component, composite, RGB and S-Video inputs, and is literally whisper-quiet-easily the quietest projector I've ever tried, and I've tried a bunch. It does frame correction so film and video frame rates sync up, and it upscales DVDs to its native resolution. It's a snap to set up and use. And did I mention that it's under $1000? I can't find any other projectors that can compare spec for spec at that price."
Of course, there's more to home theater than just video. Albro wants to tickle his ears with Yamaha's YSP-3000 digital sound projector. "I want surround sound, but I don't want all those speakers all over the room. This way I can get surround sound with one box."
Music to Our Ears
iPod ClassicThe iPod has been the technological gift of choice almost from the moment of its inception, and that's pretty much the same this time year. McCracken wouldn't mind getting the 160 GB iPod Classic, "so I can have fun trying to fill all that space," but it's new Nano and especially the iPod Touch leading the pack. In fact, the Touch tops Tynan's list, "partly because my old iPod Mini is dead, and partly because it combines the really cool parts of the iPhone-that groovy interface, the screen that flips 90 degrees to display videos, Wi-Fi, pocket browsing-without the uncool stuff-the staggering price and the cell plan from AT&T. It still needs a better keyboard, but... damn."
Apple iPod Touch
Both Tom Spring and Dahl couldn't wait, and went out and got their iPod Touches already. Says Spring, "It is by far the best dual-purpose portable multi-media device going." Dahl agrees, saying the Touch is "by far the most fun MP3 player I've ever owned. The multi-touch interface is just a pleasure to use, and the integrated Web browser is the best I've ever seen on a mobile device."
Both, however, are chafing at Apple's restrictions. "What I need is something that can help me break the shackles of iTunes by giving me a tool to get the video I own and want onto my iPod, as opposed to the video Apple is pimping," says Spring, but he's angling for a gift: "Apple QuickTime Pro 7 lets me transfer video files into a format that my iPod can play back for only $30. The only problem is that I'm a cheapskate and would love someone to get the software for me." Dahl is more interested in exploring the iPod Touch's other abilities. "Maybe for Christmas I'll Jailbreak mine and throw a bunch of new apps on it."
Small and light is also popular. As much as Tynan is wowed by the iPod Touch, he says he'll "settle for a new the iPod Nano. it's an amazing form factor. makes my now-broken Mini look like a Tonka toy." The Nano is also Melissa Perenson's first choice, though she says she's "been tempted by the sale prices on the first-generation Zune."
Microsoft ZunePhotograph: Rob CardinAlbro's also been tempted by the Microsoft line of media players; in particular, the 8-GB Zune Flash is on his radar. "I know, I know, it's a Zune," he says, referring to the Zune's status as a punchline for the last year. "But I'm thinking about it. The interface looks pretty good and I like the idea of wireless synching." It looks like Apple might have to start looking over its shoulder.
Music and Movies, Anytime, Anywhere
Photograph: Marc SimonTynan and Spring both want to make their media more portable within the home. "I still want a Sonos Sound System, even though they're not new," says Tynan. "Multiroom audio using Wi-Fi, the best touchscreen remote on the market, looks like an iPod on steroids, and now works with every major DRM music system except for iTunes. If it didn't cost $1000 to start, I'd get one." This may be a hint to family and friends.
Spring, meanwhile, is a fan of SanDisk's Sansa TakeTV Video Player. "It's not sexy tech, but extremely practical for those not interested in crawling behind their home entertainment center yet again to try and hook up a media bridge, only have disappointing results." He prefers the TakeTV scenario, where the USB device is plugged into a small dock connected to a TV, and plays back any video files you've copied to it from your computer. "This is a great way to skip futzing with Wi-Fi set-ups, transcoding, and burning DVDs.
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