Category: Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Sanyo DP50747 50-inch plasma 720p $948 at Walmart WHAT'S A DEAL: Big size, small price; high 8000:1 contrast ratio; built-in Dolby Digital Surround Sound. WHAT'S THE CATCH: It's only 720p, which will disappoint Blu-ray disc lovers. It also only has three HDMI inputs (compared with the four HDMI inputs increasingly found on televisions of this size). Lastly, its generic looks are a bit ...

Toshiba 46RV530U 46 inch LCD 1080p $899.99 at Costco (up to $1,000 elsewhere) WHAT'S A DEAL: It's hard to find a flat-panel LCD television this big for less than $900, so if you really don't want a plasma instead, then this is your best bet. A generous four HDMI inputs means you'll be able to hook up plenty of HD sources, from your Xbox 360 and Apple TV to your Blu-ray player and cable ...

Panasonic THC50HD18 50-inch plasma 720p $899.99 at Costco WHAT'S A DEAL: A whopping 50-inch flat-panel from plasma pro Panasonic for less than $1,000, generous 3 HDMI inputs, realistic color and black levels. Great for sports, since plasmas handle action scenes better than LCDs. Optimized to work easily with other Panasonic components (DVD players, Blu-ray players, A/V receivers, etc) ...

LG 42LG30 42-inch LCD 720p $799.99 at BestBuy WHAT'S A DEAL: The sound is probably the best we've heard on all the sub-$1,000 TVs we considered. LG has done a nice job of building speakers into this thing, and it has developed something called Clear Voice, which makes it a lot easier to hear dialogue, even with lots of background noise or music in the movie you're watching. WHAT'S THE ...

Philips 42PFL3603D 42-inch LCD 1080p $748 at Target WHAT'S A DEAL: Top-of-the-line 1080p resolution; sexy modern design with rounded edges; accurate color. WHAT'S THE CATCH: The sound is lackluster, but our main beef is that all of the inputs are on the back of the unit, which means it'll be tough to hang this unit on the wall unless you feel comfortable taking it down every time you ...

Westinghouse W2613 26-inch LCD 720p $449.99 from Best Buy WHAT'S A DEAL: Sexy styling, day and night settings depending on room light, energy efficient. Can be used as a computer monitor. WHAT'S THE CATCH: Only one HDMI input; only 720p resolution; regular TV only looks so-so. BOTTOM LINE: This 26-incher does just enough that's right to make it a decent buy for $449. It's ideal as a ...

Dynex DX-LCD32-09 32-inch LCD 720p $429.99 from Best Buy WHAT'S A DEAL: This 32-incher from Best Buy's other house brand has some basic good features like volume leveling (so you're not hit with loud fluctuations while watching a show) and a PC input so you can use it as a computer screen. WHAT'S THE CATCH: It's only 720p resolution and only has two HDMI inputs. BOTTOM LINE: Dynex is ...

Sylvania LC195SL9 19-inch LCD TV 720p $299.99 at Best Buy WHAT'S A DEAL: This one has a built-in DTV antenna, which means you don't even need a cable or satellite box to get HDTV, as it'll pick up free over-the-air HD broadcasts. Since it's so small, even standard definition TV looks good on this small baby. Also, it works as a PC monitor, thanks to a PC input. WHAT'S THE CATCH: At ...

We learned about BetaMaXmas.com this morning from Andrew Sullivan's blog over at Atlantic Online. Remember those long Saturday mornings in the '80s you spent plopped down in front of the TV? Well, now you can relive them on the Web. The BetaMaXmas Web site features a wood-paneled living room, TV Guide, and a rabbit-eared TV, which streams classic Christmas specials on every channel. You have ...

A recent late night flight back to New York was a great opportunity to test out the new iMuffs MB220 Bluetooth headset ($150) from Wi-Gear. The MB220 links with your iPod, iPhone, or Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. The built-in music and volume controls allow you to stash your music player away while you listen wirelessly, which can be a space-saver when crammed into the tiny back rows of a 737. ...

We know you aren't going to believe it 'til you see it, but SCEA has confirmed to our brethren at Joystiq that PlayStation Home will hit the US market before 2009 dawns. In the words of PS Home director Jack Buser: "We've been saying it will launch by the end of calendar year 2008, and that's getting very, very close." He continued by affirming that "launch is imminent," but stopped short of ...

Unless you have some unexplained obsession with gadgets of yesteryear, you probably haven't been paying close attention to how many brands of portable CD players your local retailers have been stocking. According to Currys over in the UK, however, it's being pressured to order up truckloads of 'em to satisfy the 50 pervent uptick in demand compared to last year. Moreover, John Lewis (a ...

Looking for something a bit more distinctive to decorate your iPhone than a sports team logo or rubberized case? If so, you're in luck, because Infectious.com just launched its iPhone art store online. The site offers exclusive laptop, car, wall, and now iPhone art created by real artists, many with actual street cred! The 'art' is made of adhesive vinyl that sticks onto the back of your iPhone. ...

Resolution+. Super Resolution Technology. Upscaling. Upconverting. You've heard it all, but what does it all really mean? Home Cinema Choice has taken the liberty of breaking down the art of upscaling to explain in-depth what's going on when pixels become slightly-more-detailed pixels. We'll leave the dirty work to the read link, but if you've been wondering just how good SD content could look ...

Simply put, we laughed our backsides off when we came across this new, blonde-tastic splash of bubblegum fun. We are, of course, talking about the Keyboard For Blondes, a bright pink keyboard designed specifically for OMG enthusiasts. Though the color alone is enough to drive a 'Hills'-obsessed-daughter and her enabling mother wild, it is the fun details that won us over. Though completely ...