Smart Tech Buy

Over the last few weeks people have proclaimed the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray War over.  Did Sony crush Toshiba as quickly as the Sony triumphed in the last format war?

During last month’s CES, Warner and subsidiary New Line proclaimed the switch Blu-Ray exclusivity dropping the support of HD-DVD.  Soon rumors of Universal and Paramount following suit surfaced.  HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players were left unsold in piles after the holidays and dvd sales are languishing, as people, rightfully so, are waiting for the format war to be over before committing.  Retailers are pushing companies to adopt the Blu-Ray format to end the war.  Will lack of content and distribution support end HD-DVD for good?

Well, Toshiba and its partners are not going silently into the night without a fight.   Toshiba recently got the approval of a 53GB HD-DVD which would slightly surpass the size of a Blu-Ray Disc.  Now, Toshiba and others are heavily discounting the costs of HD-DVD players to grow the install base.  HD-DVD can still make a comeback, and hopefully, this leads to even more price cuts that Blu-Ray will need to eventually follow!

Check out price cuts for the latest HD-DVD players and for the XBox360 External HD-DVD Player!

Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD Player

THE HD-A30 TAKES THE PERFORMANCE AND CONVENIENCE OF HD DVD TO THE NEXT LEVEL.For the highest level of picture quality with today´s best performing high definition TVs, the HD-A30 adds 1080p output.

NOW SELLING AT $150, MSRP of $199

SOMEIMTES COMES WITH UP TO 7 HD-DVDs  (offers vary)

Xbox360 External HD-DVD Player

The Xbox360 HD DVD Player is the most affordable way to jump into the next generation of DVD technology, along with the flexibility to enter when you are ready. Just plug Xbox 360 HD DVD Player into Xbox360 and enjoy the ultimate home theater experience with more clarity and detail than broadcast, cable or satellite HD. Feed your HDTV the high definition content it craves with HD DVD on Xbox360!

REDUCED TO $129 AND CAN BE FOUND FOR EVEN LESS! 

COMES WITH 5 HD-DVDs AND SOMETIMES OTHER EXTRAS

UPDATE:

Netflix has announced they will be going Blu-Ray exclusive dropping HD-DVD (02/11/08)
Wal-Mart announced they will no longer support HD-DVD (02/15/08)

A best seller, the Sony Bravia KDL-40V2500 40 inch LCD TV currently lists at $1,799.99 at Circuit City, but you can buy it for as low as $999.99.  Check out these deals on Shopzilla.com!

Bravia is the Sony’s HDTV

See Specs Below

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Everywhere you go, people taut the how 1080p is so superior to 1080i, but can you really tell the difference?

First, lets describe what both 1080i and 1080p mean.  First both are 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, but the difference is from how the TV signals are sent.  The “i” in 1080i means interlaced.  That means images sent to 1080i are displayed in alternative fields.  That means that odd fields get the image first then even fields.  This creates a jagged look to the screen.  The “p” in 1080p means progressive.  This means both odd and even fields are filled in the same time making the image look smoother.

 Now, lets see if this makes a difference.  Yes, 1080p does look better than 1080i, but can you tell.  The main reason why people cannot tell the difference is that there are not that many 1080p inputs out there!  Yes you got Digital Cable or Digital Satellite, but that only outputs in 1080i!  So there is no real difference.  Unless you purchase a high end Blu-Ray player or HD DVD Player or a receiver that upscales to 1080p, you will not really see the difference between a 1080i and a 1080p TV.

 Some people I know do spend thousand of dollars on their Home Entertainment system.  Now if you watch Blu-Ray copy of 300 on a high end Blu-Ray player using an HDMI connection to a 60″+ 1080p TV you can tell the difference, but how many people can afford that.  For the ordinary person, 1080i is as good as 1080p!  In fact, most cable and satellite companies will not be send out 1080p quality video any time soon because of the bandwidth costs.  Unless your a gamer with a PS3 and a XBox360 Pro / Elite or you are a technophiles with the latest equipment, 1080i is perfect for you!

Check out these “HDTVs and tell me if you can see the difference!

Sharp Aquos LC42D43U HDTV Read About It

Sony KDL-46XBR4 Read About It

Pioneer PRO-FHD1 Read About It

Sharp Aquos LC-65D90U LCD Read About It

#1.  Dell XPS 720:  I need a new computer and the Dell XPS 720 fits the bill.  With 2GB of RAM, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Q6600 Quad-core chip, 256MB nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS, and 500 GBs this is the perfect machine to help me play today’s PC games, work, and watch media.

#2.  Samsung HL-S7178271″ Rear-Projection DLP TV:  I might spend a lot of time on the computer, but I also love watching TV.  Oh how I would love to watch the Lakers play on a 71″ 1080p DLP TV!

#3.  Bose Acoustimass 16 Series II 6.1 Home Theatre System:  How can you watch TV on a 71″ TV and not have a Home Theatre System?  That should be criminal.  I want to bring the theatre experience in my living room or, better yet, experience video games live I never did before.  Imagine playing Halo 3 or Call of Duty with surround sound on a 71″ TV…..

#4.  Apple 8 GB iPhone & Accessories:  iPod + Phone + Safari browser makes this a perfect combination.  You can watch YouTube videos, surf the net, play flash games, or even listen to free music with the internet capabilities of the iPhone.  Of coarse as an iPod, you can listen to your iTunes or mp3s!  Best of all, you know longer have to carry a phone and an iPod.  Of coarse, to best utilize the iPhone you need to get the accessories for it: ear phones to drown out the outside world, car adaptor to keep it charges even on the road, and a carrying case to protect it.

#5.  Garmin GPS Map:  If you have ever been in the same car as me, you would know I get lost more than Ryoga Hibiki of Ranma!  Well, I did not get GPS with my car, but now I can.  I normally leave 30 min to an 1 hr before Mapquest says I need to leave to get somewhere because I get so lost.  If I had a Garmin, I would not have too!  Of course there are alot of different Garmin’s depending on your price level. 

#6.  Shure SE310:  Do you want to use noise cancelling head phones but do not like how it catches your hair, squeeze your head, or look like huge ear muffs?  Well, now you can get noise cancelling ear phones and eliminate those problems.  The Shure SE310 not only blocks out the sound around you but also has strong base.  

#7.  Tivo HD:  Do you have a HD DVR from your cable or dish company?  Are you frustrated by the fact it does not skip commercials or does not have enough memory?  Are you annoyed by its crappy search capabilities?  Do you want to be able to program your HD DVR from the internet or move shows from your HD DVR to your computer but you can not?  Well now you can with the Tivo HD.  Tivo started the DVR industry and is still ahead of the cable companies when it comes to usability, features, and quality.  

#8.  Lingo Voyager II12 Language Pocket Translator:  During the last year, I went to China, Korea, and Japan, and I had no clue what anyone was saying.  The Lingo Voyager II and other translators would have helped me a lot.  Even if I could not understand what they were saying, I wish I could have asked for directions.  Tokyo was not much of an issue, but no one in Shanghai or Seoul (unless I was in my hotel) was able to understanding me.  Pocket translators are a must buy for foreign travels who are not familiar with the are they are traveling too.

#9.  VUDU Box:  Sometimes I want to rent a movie without having to go to a Blockbuster or putting it on my Netflix que.  The VUDU Box lets you do just that by allowing you to rent movies online.  Of coarse you can just rent it for 24 hrs, but you can just rent it the instant you are read!

#10.  Victorinox SwissMemory 2GB Flash Drive:  Most people, such as myself, love Swiss Army pocket knives, and now I have a justification to carry it around at work.  It is not a pocket knife its a pocket flash drive!  The utility of a pocket knife merged with a flash drive.   I probably would never use anything but the flash drive. but its cool….

Have you ever been away from your home and watch a channel that was only availabe on your cable subscription?  Or have you been at work and just wanted to watch TV from you computer?  Well, now you can with the Slingbox!

I first heard about it from my co-workers.  My co-worker had a problem.  His brother in Hong Kong wanted to watch the English Premier Soccer League games, but they were not being shown there.  The solution might suprise you.  My co-worker ordered the English Premier Soccer League channel on his cable subscription and then gave his brother access to this Slingbox.  Now his brother is able to watch the English Premier Soccer League in Hong Kong!  I thought that was amazing at the time, and I still do!

If you want to be able to do the same thing, go get a Slingbox. 
You can compare prices here.

Check out this post on Engadget. The new 51GB triple-layer HD DVD is now as big as the 50GB Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray can no longer claim its superiority to HD DVD! Now it makes even more sense to buy both!

The Yamaha RX-V861delivers the functionality and quality of high end receivers for less than a grand!  Not only does the RX-V861 upscale S-Video, HDMI, and component to 1080p output via HDMI, but it also supports XM and iPod compatibility.   With excellent surround sound, features that rival a $1.5K receiver, up-scaling to 1080p, and 1080p output, this definitely a great value!

Check out prices now.  Some go as low as $650!

Specs

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As the format war rages on, what should the consumer really buy?  Blu-ray and HD DVD both have over 350 movies in there catalog.   Time Warner backs both formats but Universal and Paramount are HD DVD exclusive while Disney and Sony are Blu-ray exclusive!  As the consumer, you don’t want to be on the losing end.  Who here bought a BetaMax or a DIVX and was later saddened when they could no longer buy anything to play on it?  Superior technology does not always support the winner.  Beta lost to VHS.  Will Blu-ray lose to HD DVD?  HD DVD does have the porn industry backing it.   As we wait for the winner, why don’t you just invest in both?

Read about how to get both! Read the rest of this entry »