What would you like for Christmas?

What do I want? I think a Kindle would be nice, as long as it fits into my hand like a paperback. I love to read but hate to use a computer monitor while sitting in my computer chair…and I also don’t like hardbacks, they’re too unwieldy. Having the 160 gig iPod would be nice, too, could fit more movies on it with all my music (have the 80 gig but it’s almost full of music right now).

What would I like, but I know I will never get? Well, obviously since I’m a conspicuous consumer with little income, I’d like to be free of my credit card debt. Of course, that’s after world peace and working healthy legs for me. First things first, and all that.

Happy Kwanzaa, y’all.

The picture quality between Blu ray and High Def DVDs is the same. The diff is in the movie titles available under each format. The movie studios are backing one or the other, and won’t release thier movies in the others format. So you can only watch Harry Potter on one and Pirates of the Carribean on the other, depending on the Studio.

The battle is like Sony Beta vs VHS format of the 80s. Sony Beta lost, and VHS cassettes became the universal format. This time around Sony blu ray seems to have the upper hand with marketing and name recognition. however the consumer is the loser because the players cost so much, they are reluctant to buy until the winning format is determined. My son purcased a X Box 360 so I got a blu ray, I can play both now. However the Xbox dvd player costs $175 more. I think the PS3 can play blu ray with out an additional player.

I have to put my 2cents in regarding the whole “high def” DVD business. I was in Best Buy this past weekend and they had a movie playing on a Blu-Ray DVD player and the exact same movie playing on a regular DVD player, right next to each other. I always thought the same way most others did in that HiDef DVD’s weren’t really THAT much better than regular ones because I’ve seen both players in action and in my mind, I never thought the price justified the purchase.
That was until I actually witnessed them side by side. I was like a deer caught in headlights. The difference was absolutely incredible and after standing their in awe for 20 minutes, I ended up buying a 52 inch 1080p HiDef TV on the spot! I was absolutely blown away by the incredible clarity that this BluRay machine had over the regular DVD player. Sure regular DVD’s are great and I’ve lived with them and thoughouly enjoyed them for years. I’ve been to friends houses and watched NFL games the Discovery Channel in HiDef and was always impressed. But I was never impressed enough to spend the extra money to convert to a HiDef tv set until this past weekend. I’m telling you, Best Buy had an ingenious marketing plan going on with that little demonstration of theirs. I sat there for 20 minutes watching this movie amazed at the picture quality and stood there looking back and forth from set to set as I continued to pick out and be amazed by the differences.

I’ve always been the type of guy that loves my electronics and I enjoy having the latest in gagetry, but I’m not one to go out and make a purchase right when something new comes out. I usually wait a year or so until the bugs are worked out of the new products and the prices come down a bit. Well….my wait came to an end this past Saturday and I finally broke down and purchased a HiDef TV. My wife had already purchased a Playstation 3 for our son over Thanksgiving wknd, but we really weren’t thinking about the HiDef drive at the time since we knew we didn’t have the tv to utilize that feature. But we did know that eventually we’d upgrade and we’d be all set once that time came. The thing we’ve noticed since is that most stand alone BluRay players cost just about the same price as the Playstation 3 does. So you end up getting an awesome gaming system that’s going to last you for years and years, all while enjoying the beauty of movies on the HiDef player that’s incorporated into this incredible system.

I’ve been doing research on HiDef TV’s since they came out and have just been bideing my time until the prices came down. Those of you that are interested in converting, do yourself a favor buy a true HiDef TV by purchasing a 1080p set. There are quite a few TV’s that claim to be High Definition, but unless it says 1080p on it, you’re not really getting true HiDef. If it says 720p or 1080i, it’s not a true high definition tv. They’ll be considerably cheaper than the 1080p, but if you look at them side by side you’ll see the difference. 1080p is currently the only true high definition set on the market.

So if you’re considering upgrading to a BluRay player or even a high def tv, do you homework and shop around. And I can assure you, you won’t be dissapointed with the Playstation 3 or any Sony BluRay DVD player for that matter. The difference is amazing and I would suggest to anyone that’s considering HD DVD players to seriously consider the Sony. The picture quality is amazing and you won’t be dissapointed. I only hope now that Sony catches up to Microsoft in their game title department. We went back and forth trying to decide between the Xbox 360 & the Playstation 3. In the end we’re happy with the choice we made with the P3.
Hopefully Sony won’t lose this format battle, but if they do, I’m sure it won’t be for another couple of years. And by that time, the prices should have dropped considerably. Plus if I’m not mistaken, I believe all tv networks are supposed to be converting to hi def by the year 2010. Perhaps someone can verify that?

Happy Shopping and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all!

You’re right about the 720 but although 720 IS considered hi def, the 1080 actually produces more lines of resolution, thus giving you a clearer more crisp picture. In that link you offered us, the guy there says there’s not much difference between the two, however when I did the “pepsi taste test”, I could tell a difference. I also agree that CableOne needs more HD programming and I’m sure it will come in time.
However MY main reason for spending the extra for the 1080p was specifically for watching movies on the blu ray. The difference is incredible.
And if you want to get the most out of your Xbox360, make sure to buy the “premium” model, as that’s the only one that comes with an HDMI output. (High Definition Multimedia Interface) All the PS3’s come standard with the HDMI output, (which was another selling point for us), but you have to buy the premium Xbox 360 in order to utilize higher definition games & movies on your HD TV.
There have been some problems with the Xbox 360 heating up and wearing out over time, but Microsoft has been putting out newer machines with upgraded heatsinks, cooler running cpu’s and quieter DVD drives.
I like the Wii as well, but it’s more for younger kids and familys as the graphics are more like cartoons, as opposed to “life like” graphics the other two models offer.

I want a brewery for Christmas, or at least someplace I can apprentice at for a few years.

Slats - ditto on the brewery. If I were to be an apprentice, it would be at a Trappist Belgian brewery, though…. man why can’t we drink beer at work!?

The time to buy from those Kiosks is after Christmas. Their items are marked down about 50%. I bought one glass figurine before Christmas last year, went back after Christmas and bought 3 more at half-price. Had 3 Christmas gifts for next year. I’ve been very pleased with the quality of these figurines.

And Joe, your nail doo-dahs were probably packaged a whole lot fancier than buying the block at Wal-Mart. And besides that, you don’t get the beautiful French accented lady at Wal-Mart. Feel better?

able to SELL is what I meant…..

I’m still used to having the option to go back and correct our posts….I keep forgetting to proofread it below before releasing it. sorry!

One thing about the newer PS3 having the HDMI outputs. They are the only gaming system with what is called 1.3a capabilities so you need to have a HMDI cable certified 1.3a, however most HD TV are 1.2 compliant so the added 1.3a features of the PS3 will not be available. Most people would not notice the difference anyway.

Neither Dish Network nor DirectTV support or use any 1.3a features

For 99% of all consumer AV equipment on the market, a Standard HDMI 1.2a cable will provide you with a perfect picture. For example, Microsoft’s XBox 360 only makes use of 1.2a HDMI features. HDMI 1.2a is fully supported by Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

As for 720 vs 1080. If you are getting a TV smaller than 50″ it is unlikely you will be able to tell the diff between 720 and 1080 so if money is a consideration the 720 sets are a real bargin and put out a beautiful picture.

As for DVD players if you get a new upconvert player, you can find them realitively inexpensive, they put out a “near HD” quality picture for a fraction of the cost of a blu-ray or HD DVD player.

So a person could have a pretty sweet system with a 42″ 720 and an upconvert DVD player without breaking the bank.

And please do not purchase the high priced cables from Circuit City/Best Buy, there are many places online that sell top quaility (even better) cables for a fraction of the cost ($8.00 vs $80 or more) and you can order the exact lenght you want. I also ordered my Optical cables online and got them 18″ long (the exact size I need to keep the clutter down, they were steel braided and the ends were very sturdy, and I paid $6 a piece.

Even with 2 day UPS Shipping I saved a ton vs. the local stores who make their money off warranties and overpriced cables and wire.

I had a chain letter sent to me the other day and I usually just automatically delete them from my inbox but it came from a good friend so I decided to open it. I wish I could post it here for everyone to read, but I’ll explain the “jist” of it because it’s something we should all think about….
It talked about those of us that grew up 30,40, 50 years ago and all things that are considered “harmful” to kids today, were not a problem back then. We’ve been bombarded for years with the fear that every little thing is going to kill us or make us sick, etc etc. People my age and older grew up and played with toys that had lead paint on them and we didn’t die or get sick or have retarded children. We laid in cribs (on our stomachs mind you) that were painted with lead paint and we didn’t get deathly ill or become autistic. When we turned 9,10, 11 years old most of us were so excited to get that BB gun for Christmas, but nowadays they don’t even advertise BB guns on TV anymore. Good luck even finding them sold anymore. There used to be dozens of varieties. Rifle BB guns, pistol BB guns, pellet guns, etc etc… Over the years we’ve been “programmed” to believe that EVERYTHING is either going to make us deathly ill or it’s going to kill us and I believe it’s crippling us as a society.
It went on and discussed a few more ridiculous issues that people deal with in this day and age, but this was the underlying theme. Stop being so afraid of everything!!

I’ve been following this “toy fiasco” over the past year with all the recalls and I think it’s a load of crap. My children have literally boxes & boxes of toys and over half of them are or have been on a number of these “recall lists”. I’ll be damned if I’m going to throw out thousands of dollars worth of toys just because the fear mongers in our government tell me the lead paint on them is bad for my child. Number 1 my children don’t chew on their toys. (their not dogs!) Number 2, none of them have ever gotten sick from playing with their toys. Number 3, none of the paint is peeling, flaking or otherwise wearing off any of these toys in order to make them sick. And if it was, I still wouldn’t be worried about it!
This whole lead paint/toy fiasco is a crock and I would urge all of you to stop being so fearful of every little thing the media blows out of proportion.

They took an awesome toy off the market a few months ago, Aqua dots, claiming that when ingested, the chemical breaks down and resembles the effects of GHB….the date rape drug. A couple of children (probably too young for this toy to begin with) out of millions decided they would eat these things and they ended up getting really sick. So what does our government do? They do a nationall recall of this product and ruin the fun for everyone. This was an awesome toy and when used correctly by the right age group, was perfectly safe.
When I was 5 years old I put an upholstery tack in my mouth and it ended up getting stuck in my throat. In trying to dislodge it I ended up really scraping up my throat. On the way to the hospital it finally popped out. I bled for awhile and my throat was raw for weeks, but I learned my lesson and never put anything like that in my mouth again. Should we have complained to the FDA or some “regulatory committiee” to ban upholstery tacks and do a recall on ALL tacks because they can poke you and make you bleed and they’ll really mess you up if you swallow them? NO! That’s ridiculous! And so it this recall on every major new toy out there. Tacks don’t go in your mouth and neither do toys! We as a nation need to start taking a little more responsibility for our actions and our childrens actions and stop being talked into believing that every little thing is going to harm us.

I’m sure I’ll hear from many about how we should listen and heed these warnings. Well you go right ahead! But not me or my family. I’m so sick of our “chicken little government” with the “sky is falling” message that they continue to pump into our heads each and every day. Get over it people and live your lives. There are a lot more important things to worry about than a couple of Dora the Explorer action figures!

Does anyone own or have any experience with those Hard Drive Camcorders? I’m looking to purchase a new camcorder for the family and I’m really interested in hard drive type. I’ve been researching the mini dv, dvd and HD types and have been reading the reviews on all. They each have their own unique and good quality’s, but I’m really dead set on the HD type. I’ve narrowed it down between the Sony or JVC brand. The Sony is nice because it has a touch screen, but is much more expensive just because its a Sony. Plus I’ve heard the picture quality could be much better considering the price. I also like the JVC brand because it has a widesreen viewfinder and you can record in widescreen format which is perfect for us since we have a widescreen tv. Plus the fact that it’s about 100 bucks cheaper than the Sony.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
Thank you!!

I was just asking for opinions, if you didn’t want to give one maybe you shouldn’t have. I’m just trying to find out if the quality of the harddrive camcorders are any good. (from somebody that has one or has actually used one)
Thanks for your pointless opinion though. Real nice.
Happy Holidays!

Thanks Joe. The prices have really dropped on the mini dv camcorders and I was wondering if those are easy to burn to DVD? I know there really easy to copy to video tape, but we don’t have a VCR anymore. Do most dv camcorders come with a usb port to be able to copy the file to your pc and then burn it to disc?
Thanks!

I had a rotten experience with a Mini DV camcorder…which after extensive research, I found it very peculiar, because Mini DV is an industry standard for broadcast television.

Anyway, before I had recorded 30 minutes of footage, the playback was displayed with big horizontal bars accross the screen. The “even-field” interlaced bands were blacked out, which in an older camera, would suggest a clogged recording or playback head. But it was puzzling, with brand new camera.

The manufacturer was little to no help with diagnosing and repairing the malfunction. It took several months and numerous phone calls to get anywhere. Ultimately, the they came through when I demanded an accomodation…they gave me nearly retail value for the Mini DV and I paid the difference for a Hard Disk Drive camcorder.

Even if the camcorder itself was a dud, I couldn’t trust the recording media, so I figured I’d jump to the newer technology. I chose a 30 GB true widescreen camcorder, and so far, I like the results.

The video quality falls *just* shy of the few hours footage I was able to retain from the Mini DV camcorder. By comparison, the compression applied to the Mini DV-captured footage during the DVD rendering process was less aggressive—and therefore more detailed—than that applied by the hard drive camcorder.

This is evident primarily when viewing/editing the video on my iMac, which has a near-high-definition quality display. The MPEG artifacting is quite noticeable, and at first I was disappointed that after all the trouble I went through, I had taken a step back in quality.

However, when playing the DVD back on a TV screen, I noticed the quality was nearly the same as the DVDs I had created from the Mini DV camcorder. Most of our viewing takes place on a 51″ widescreen TV, and I suspect that a smaller TV would show less image degradation. So for the most part, I’m satisfied with the HDD camcorder.

With that said, all hard drive camcorders record in a playback mode, most likely the MPEG-2 format. Thus, to be “edited” on a computer, the files must be transferred via USB 2.0 or Firewire. Only recent releases of popular video editing software can import the playback formats.

Additionally—like nearly every Mini DV camcorder produced—most (if not all) hard drive camcorders are equipped with a DVD copy button and a video out port, so you can connect it to the line in port on a DVD recorder.

Thank you for the info Nevermind! Very informative. I appreciate it! I would have thought the HD camcorders would have a little better picture quality than the older mini dv, but I guess not. I believe I read that somewhere in researching all the different formats. Oh well…being that I still have a 32in CRT tv, it shouldn’t matter much anyways. I just like the fact that we won’t have to carry around (or risk losing) any extra tapes or dvd’s and even at the highest setting, most HD camcorders will still give you about 7 hours of record time before having to transfer it to pc to burn onto a disc.
Thanks again for your informative post!

No problem!

Of course, the world of technology is in a constant state of innovation…there are a number High-Definition hard drive camcorders on the market right now. They’ll set you back about $800–$1200 but they’re the latest thing. I’m curious about the image quality, but not enough to plunk down the cash.