Hot items range from cutting-edge satellite radios to retro-tech turntables

Peter Wilson
Sun

Sure, it’s just November, but it’s already time for you Silicon Santas to start thinking about what you’re going to slip into that jam-packed cyber-sleigh of home electronic goodies this holiday season.

Among the items with sizzle in stores this year will be satellite radios, Microsoft’s new Xbox 360, portable DVD players, LCD and plasma TVs, iPods and other MP3 players, DVD camcorders, digital SLR cameras, and portable 4×6 snapshot printers.

Oh, and turntables.

Turntables? Yes, says London Drugs merchandise manager Cedric Tetzel, who reports that at about $100 a pop these vinyl LP-playing devices from way-back-when are big sellers these days.

“The fascination with turntables seems to be a very strong trend this year,” said Tetzel. “The Sony automatic turntable sells for $99 now, and the kids are picking it up.”

Tetzel himself has revived his old turntable, on which he plays his collection of Led Zeppelin albums. Now, he says, he knows he’s not alone.

And, he points out, a top seller on the Web these days is Allsop’s Orbitrack II vinyl cleaning kit.

Aside from the vinyl revival, Tetzel, Lori DeCou of Future Shop and Best Buy, and David Newman of A&B Sound foresee satellite radio units flying off the shelves — or they will as soon as you can get them.

Priced in the $100 to $400 range — and dedicated to either XM Canada or Sirius Canada — the radios are like a cellphone, in that you first pick your satellite radio provider, and then choose the unit you want.

“You buy the hardware component, sure, that’s one thing, but that in itself gets you nothing. You need to buy a subscription to the service you want,” said DeCou, who heads corporate communications at both Future Shop and Best Buy Canada.

Subscriptions are, at least at present pricing, $12.99 for XM, which is offering 80 channels, and $14.99 for Sirius, which offers 100 channels.

Stores that carry the radios will be providing a chance to listen to the offerings, so you’ll know what you’re getting.

“At the end of the day, it’s like digital TV,” said Tetzel. “You”ll probably find that customers, instead of saying I want 80 or I want 100 channels, will want a channel that caters to them.”

Satellite radios are expected to be in stores within the next couple of weeks.

Newman, A&B’s vice-president of consumer entertainment software, sees the excitement continuing well into 2006, especially the in-car market, which will include video as well as satellite radio.

For DeCou, another big item will be the XBox 360, set to debut on Nov. 22, and she warns that customers who want to put one under the tree better hustle their way to stores as soon as they can.

“We did pre-orders online, and now we’re finished with that,” said DeCou, who would not disclose how many were purchased in advance. “Expectations are that there are going to be some significant constraints on the product, so the message is if you’re hoping to get an Xbox, don’t procrastinate.”

DeCou added that the arrival of the XBox 360 has created a whole buzz around the category, just as the new excitement over digital SLR cameras can’t help but increase interest in the whole category of cameras, even though the SLRs are aimed at more serious users.

The excitement is in cameras like the Nikon D50, the Canon Rebel XT, and the newly launched Olympus Evolt 500, which are highly popular with two lens kits and sell in the $1,200 price point.

Newman said that at A&B, while the race for the higher megapixel cameras continues to grow, five-megapixel cameras are fast becoming the norm.

“We’re seeing a split in the design consumers want,” said Newman. “Sixty per cent like the compact, take-anywhere lifestyle camera, while the other 40 per cent opt for the traditional high-zoom professional look and feel.”

As for printing digital photos, Tetzel said seasonal buyers will have a large choice among stand-alone snapshot printers that are meant for producing 4×6 prints without the need for a computer.

“Last year, we had three models on the shelf for Christmas, but this year I’m expecting between six and eight,” said Tetzel, who added that families love to take them to parties where they can produce prints for family and friends instantly.

Not unexpectedly, the iPod and its rivals continue to be major items this year. Where one might have expected the sales of the iPod to slow — even with the arrival of the new video model — Tetzel doesn’t see this happening.

“Back in the Sony Discman days, my son had one and my daughter had one and that was it,” said Tetzel. “Now in the iPod generation, I have one and my wife has one, because it’s more personal than the old devices. You can have your own music and your own playlist.”

Newman and Tetzel both see the flat-panel trend continuing in the LCD and Plasma areas. While Newman sees the entire segment from 32- to 50-inch screens, Tetzel says the excitement is right in the middle of that — at around the 42-inch size, with the emphasis turning toward LCD.

The surge toward the flat panel is also pushing the audio end of things this Christmas, said Newman.

“Go into any specialty A/V retailer today and you’ll see numerous on-wall speaker systems and audio component solutions specifically designed to mate with flat-panel TVs,” said Newman. “Many vendors are now offering simple front-speaker-only solutions that, through advanced processing, give you the re-creation of full multi-channel surround sound.”

Newman believes the flat-panel surge will continue, built on the arrival of the new high-definition formats for DVDs such as HD-DVD and Blue-Ray, which will eventually have both players and discs on offer.

Speaking of DVDs, prices have now come down so far on portable DVD players that you can get them in the $100 to $150 range, which puts them in Christmas gift category.

“I might not buy it for myself, but I’d think, geez, if I had one that would be really cook . . .” said DeCou. “So those things become great gift ideas.”

Also strong, is the DVD recorder, which, said Newman, are offered in configurations that will attract all segments of buyers and have reached a price point, many dropping below $200, that make them highly attractive.

“Recorder configurations can include a full-function VCR, hard disc drives, or both,” said Newman.

Associated with DVD recorders, naturally, are the new camcorders that allow users to record straight on to DVD or even use built-in hard drives.

While DVD camcorders are not for those who want to edit their images using such programs as iMovie on the Mac, they are still popular, said Tetzel.

“In the old days of tape people actually transferred a full tape over to VHS,” said Tetzel. “So they never edited anyway and the DVD camcorder is now a nice small format.”

Newman sees the trend in wireless phones turning towards devices that incorporate more than just one or two functions. Now the interest is high, he said, in those that have MP3 players, voice recorders, full-fledged PDA functions, video recording and video conferencing.

“The trend is to converge personal electronics into one compact, mobile and functional device,” said Newman. “The industry is doing this in a big way with Motorola’s Rokr E1, which incorporates Apple’s iTune software or the Nokia N70, which has the ability for video conferencing.”

While there has been a push on for media centre PCs for a few years now, Tetzel believes that they won’t truly move into the living room until they have the sleek looks of components in a stereo system.

By sheer coincidence, London Drugs just happens to offer a media centre PC from its own Certified Data brand that, you guessed it, looks like a stereo component.

Finally, DeCou said that the gift card has come into its own the past couple of years and, unlike the paper gift certificates of the past, no longer carries the sign of the last-minute desperation purchase by someone who doesn’t want to bother coming up with the appropriate gift.

“The stigma of giving a gift card as being the lazy answer to buying a gift is really gone,” said DeCou. “People don’t look at a gift card and go ‘oh, man, you couldn’t even think what to get me.’ It’s more an appreciative thing, it’s like ‘wow, thank you, because now I can go get what I really want or need or would like.'”

DeCou uses the example of a woman who wants to buy a video game for someone.

“She’s confronted by a mammoth display of games and she’s scratching her head going ‘I have no clue.’ The answer for her is a gift card.”

© The Vancouver Sun 2005

Quality can be an issue for home theatre in box

Dedicated equipment will give better audio quality, specialist advises

CanWest News Service

By Danny Bradbury

When putting together a home theatre system, most people think about the display, but unless they put the effort into choosing an audio setup, they aren’t really getting the big picture.

Home theatre audio systems run the gamut from low-end box-store bundles to individual components costing thousands of dollars.

At the very least, you need a pre-amplifier and an amplifier. The pre-amp takes the sound from your source input (such as your CD or DVD player) and passes it on to the power amplifier, which boosts the signal before sending it out to the speakers. Pre-amplifiers usually contain controls such as source switching, so that you can choose between different audio inputs such as DVD, CD and radio. They normally contain tone controls that let you adjust the timbre of the sound.

Other components are speakers and the sound sources themselves, as there are many different types of radio, DVD and CD player from which to choose.

The cheapest option is to buy everything in one package, commonly known as a home theatre in a box. But beware of quality issues — audio specialists have described these as little more than a ghetto blaster with a couple of speakers attached.

“Many of these home-theatre-in-a-box systems don’t give you good audio quality,” warns Kerry Fuchs, store manager at Saskatoon-based Audio Warehouse. “When you build a system you want components from specialist manufacturers.”

Instead, consumers can opt for an AV receiver, which comes with a radio tuner, pre-amplifier and power amplifier all in one. This leaves more choices for the other components such as speakers, CD and DVD systems.

The more dedicated equipment you use for each function, the better your audio quality will be says Mark Leger, a consultant at Halifax-based home-theatre specialist Fidelis Design. An integrated amplifier contains just the amp and the switching in a single box, leaving the customer to buy a dedicated radio tuner.

Real afficionados buy separate pre-amplifier and power amplifiers, following what audio retailers call the “separates” route. But if you want to do that, bring your wallet.

“It’s not worth doing separates in home theatre unless you’re going to go well over $6,000,” says Jon Connelly, owner of Natural Sound of Kitchener, Ont.

When buying a power amplifier, whether it is integrated or not, the quality-focused buyer will steer clear of units offering lots of power but using integrated circuit outputs, warns Connolly. Instead of focusing just on the power output from the amplifier, focus on units with discrete, transistorized outputs, which you can buy from $400 upwards. This will give you a better dynamic range.

To get the sound from the source to the receiver, the best option is a digital connection, explains Fuchs. Look for an optical audio or digital coaxial output. The alternative is to use an analog output using standard left and right audio jacks, but the quality will be poorer. The home theatre world is moving to the High-Definition Multi-media Interface (HDMI), which delivers both video and sound through one cable. DVD equipment and receivers are already available with these connections.

Many of DVD players also play CDs, and the forward thinking consumer might want to look for one that also supports one of two newer CD formats, Super Audio CD or DVD-Audio.

© The Vancouver Sun 2005

The PC moves out of office, into the TV room

Danny Bradbury

For CanWest News Service

When is a PC not a PC? When it’s sitting next to the TV. Personal computers may have spent the last 25 years on or under a desk, but the battle is on to create an entertainment hub for the family room that brings together the television, computer games and even radio.

Apple recently entered this battle with its latest iMac computer. Shipping with a remote control, it uses Front Row, a user interface designed to offer music, DVD playback, photo viewing and video. But the device, starting at $1,600 and offering up to a 20-inch screen, lacks one major component: where is the TV tuner? Surely, an entertainment PC should offer the capability to hook up to your cable or satellite service?

Microsoft is one step ahead with the XP Media Centre Edition 2005, specifically tailored for entertainment PCs. In addition to DVD playback, photo viewing, Internet radio and games, the software also enables users to use the PC as a personal video recorder by hooking into the cable service. Users can set it to record programs based on a key word, actor or director name, movie or program title.

Microsoft relies on partners to sell PCs running its software. Media Centre PCs have smaller, more streamlined cases. Russell Sampson, salesman at Vancouver-based PC retailer Frontier PC. says a 20-decibel fan will run at whisper-like volumes ideal for the family room.

Look for high-capacity storage in a PC, especially if they wish to record lots of TV. There are two types of storage — hard drive storage for fast access and DVD storage for archiving data. Internal DVDs will support either the DVD-R, DVD+R or DVD-RAM standards — and sometimes more than one of these.

Forget DVD-RAM which few people use these days, says Greg Stapells, owner of Toronto-based specialist PC retailer Signa Computer Solutions.

DVD-R and DVD+R enables consumers to record data to a DVD, to burn recorded TV shows to disc. Hard drives store data inside the PC for fast access.

Some Media Centre PCs will ship with a hard drive storing tens of gigabytes, and it’s best not to economize here, says Stapells. Toshiba’s Qosmio PC offers 120 gigabytes of storage, says product manager Jason Laxamana — and it will ship a 200-GB version next year. It is a laptop rather than a desktop unit. Shipping with a screen as wide as 17 inches, the PC uses Windows XP Media Centre by default and is designed for home users who want to watch recorded TV around the house. At almost 4.5 kilograms for the heaviest unit, it’s not something most people would want to travel with extensively.

Notebooks are not as upgradable as desktop PCs. For example, the graphics chip within the Qosmio cannot be replaced by the user, and with graphics so important for entertainment users, this should be considered.

“It’s basically a choice between ATI and Nvidia,” says Sampson, on the two most popular graphics card vendors on the market.

Look for a video card built for 3-D graphics if you want to play sophisticated computer games on your entertainment PC. Stapells recommends using separate high-end gaming and TV tuner cards for the best performance. He also advises customers to buy a PC with a dual-tuner card, meaning it can take two separate TV signals at once. That will let users record one TV show while watching another. Either way, look for a Digital Video Interface (DVI) connector that connects the PC to a display using a digital rather than an analogue interface, maintaining a perfect picture.

The current weak spot is high-definition TV (HDTV). Now starting to appear on Canadian cable services, HDTV content will grow, but Stapells says no PCs support this yet. ATI offers a HDTV tuner card which will be available in Canada soon.

Underpinning all this is the central processing unit (CPU). Until recently, clock speed (the speed at which electricity pumps through the CPU) was the primary measurement of performance. A 3.2-gigahertz Pentium 4 chip will give better performance than a 2.4-GHz one, for example. Now the two main CPU vendors — AMD and Intel — are touting dual-core processors, which effectively give two separate brains on a single CPU to help divide the work.

Dual-core processors can be useful for multi-tasking — running multiple applications.

High-definition TV filled with choices

Consumers can be bewildered with the variety of big-screen TVs

Steve Makris

Edmonton Journal

challenge, not least for consumers planning to buy a big-screen TV.

With the number of brands growing to include computer companies like HP and Dell, consumers sometimes find themselves bewildered by the gauntlet of big-screen TVs in stores.

Where do you start and who do you trust when investing in your next TV?

First, decide what kind of TV you want. According to the Electro Federation Consumer Electronics Marketers of Canada, flat panel plasma, LCD and projection high definition TVs (HDTV) will account for about 25 per cent of TV units sold this year.

“It’s a unique time to buy an HDTV now,” said Eric Stockner, senior TV merchandise manager for Future Shop Canada. “The 40-inch HDTV is the battleground where plasma, LCD and projection TVs are competitively priced against each other.”

You may not need a high definition TV; simply replacing a worn-out CRT (cathode ray tube) set may be enough. But if you are ready to jump into the world of HDTV, do your homework.

Read magazines or check online sites from manufacturers, and read reviews. Spend time with a salesperson who is knowledgeable about the products.

And be prepared for the salesperson’s first question: Where do you want to watch TV in your house?

Unlike old tube TVs that work anywhere, today’s high-tech TVs use three different technologies that produce sharper and clearer pictures but show differently.

– Plasma TVs: A mere 10 centimetres thick, these are best in average-lighted rooms, and like tube TVs looks great from any angle. They also show older analogue channels best. Prices and models start at $2,000 for lesser known 40-inch brands to $5,000 for name brands and upwards of $16,000 for an LG 60-inch model with built-in PVR (personal video recorder.) New 40-inch HDTV ED (enhanced definition) models for about $2,500 are gaining popularity among people who simply want better TV, and DVD-quality picture.

– LCD (liquid crystal display) panel TVs: These are just as thin as plasma screens, are crisper, and feature punchy colours for brighter rooms. They use technology similar to laptop screens and show digital sources like video games and connected computers with heightened clarity. Despite the hype, their advertised “view from any angle” feature is not as good as plasma. LCD TVs start at laptop size for less than $800 and go up to 45-inch models for $5,000.

– DLP (digital light processing) projection models: These are characterized by a deeper base tapering to the thickness of plasma TVs at the top, are suitable for darker rooms and have narrower viewing angles. They are not as sharp as flat panels and best viewed from a distance — ideally, from a sofa across the room. Like plasma, they start at 40 inches; 60-inch models cost about the same as 40-inch plasma and LCD flat panels.

Two older technologies with HDTV features provide added choice to budget-minded shoppers.

New tube-based CRT HDTVs, like Samsung’s 30-inch widescreen TX-R3079, go for about $1,200; Sony’s 27-inch FD Trinitron WEGA HD Ready TV sells for around $900. TV purists maintain analogue CRT technology is still the best TV available, but screens are limited in size.

And despite industry death threats, HDTV-ready projection TVs using older analogue technology, also under $2,000, attract “big picture” fans with smaller wallets but the lower HDTV quality.

Which of these is the best TV?

“Trust your eyes,” says William Zadnik, a custom systems designer with Edmonton-based Audio Ark. “After all the hype, it’s about what looks best to you.”

True, but most stores don’t play the best HD signal on every TV on display and are unlikely to re-arrange 60 kilogram models for customers to compare side by side.

Samsung’s Techspot (http://www.samsung.ca/techspot) features a nifty live comparison of all three TV technologies in all Brick Warehouse stores.

London Drugs’ recently revamped A/V section, calibrates each TV display and shows models in a progressive order.

“Our eyes and what we like are different,” said Andy Kahrmann, London Drugs national manager of photo-electronics and audio visual systems. “You need to be able to buy to your taste but also understand what you are buying into.”

Judging HDTVs is subjective so watching shows on store TVs you are familiar with helps. Do it in evening hours when most widescreen HDTV shows are on, or on weekends for similar quality sporting events. Compare how clearly grass blades show on sports fields.

Don’t be fooled by daytime shows, many of which appear to be digital but are actually regular analogue quality “bumped up” to look like HD. Or looped demo videos from manufacturers.

Gamers and computer users should try their devices on new TVs before they buy, as some big screens limit computer options. HP’s new Plasmas and LCDs for example, feature additional PC input controls, not surprisingly coming from a computer company.

“We are a serious player in the Canadian market with tier-one high-definition TVs that bring our colour expertise from our printing and digital entertainment and photography products,” said John Kelly, HP Canada marketing manager, personal systems group.

Samsung offers a 24-inch 242MP HDTV LCD that doubles as a computer monitor, but at an unmatched 1900 computer pixel resolution compared with the top 1280 pixels other TVs go to.

DVD players, if properly used, can demonstrate just how good an HDTV is. Especially in dark shadow scenes.

For that you need to have a progressive-capable DVD player connected via component (red, blue and green) cables or DVI (digital video interface, now being replaced by newer, smaller HDMI connectors, the absence of which indicates an older HDTV or DVD player).

New high definition TVs are either “HDTV-ready” — requiring an external tuner box supplied by cable and satellite providers — or “HDTV” with built-in tuners that can receive free HD from off-the-air stations in Toronto, Windsor, Ont., and Vancouver by simply hooking up an antenna.

– – –

DO YOU NEED A HIGH DEFINITION TV?

Before you go shopping for a high definition TV, ask yourself whether it suites your needs and budget.

Sure, HDTV is stunningly clear and sharp, even better than a real movie theatre or home DVD.

But be prepared to pay for more than just the TV.

You will need an additional HD receiver and service from a cable provider or a satellite service.

And don’t be fooled by the new direct cable card feature on the newest TVs — that’s years away from service in Canada and doesn’t work with a satellite feed.

Most new HDTVs have decent sound, but you might want to check out a sound-surround system or bundled package, starting at about $500.

Then, there are the little things, like new HDMI cabling between receiver and TV — for optimum quality — at $100 a metre. And the possibility of redecorating the TV room for that optimum viewing experience.

There is also the issue of HD widescreen content, which is limited to half a dozen U.S. prime-time feeds and weekend sports or playoffs. The rest of the programming is a mix of regular square TV and similar-sized digital-quality broadcasts.

If you still want something better than your present set, splurge several hundred bucks on a new tube and DVD player and rent movies for less than subscription pay-per-view … you will be pleasantly surprised.

© The Vancouver Sun 2005

Hummer laptop among latest high-tech goodies

Then there’s the LG laundry monitor

Charles Mandel

CanWest News Service

Shopping for that hard-to-please person on your list? Here’s an off-beat list of high-tech goodies that will thrill just about every gear-head in your household.

Gassing up your Hummer might not be an option any more with the rising price of fuel, so how about a Hummer laptop ($4,548 US) instead? The yellow-and-white portable is rugged and designed to withstand vibrations that might knock it out of calibration. It even comes with GPS (global positioning system), so if you don’t know where you parked your Hummer, your Hummer laptop can find it for you.

If it’s a more basic model you’re after, without the GPS and Cingular wireless broadband-ready set-up, they can be had for as little as $2,988.

Laundry is a chore, so why not make it easier with LG’s remote laundry monitor ($1,999 Cdn, sold with washing machine.) Plug the remote monitoring device called Clothes Eye into a wall socket and it will tell you the status of your wash from anywhere in the house. From wash, to rinse, to spin, the monitor keeps track of LG’s front-load washer so you don’t have to. A separate dryer/monitor combo is also available.

The only thing better than coffee in the morning might be fetching your toast from a DeLonghi radio toaster ($98 US.) These retro-looking machines, available in a variety of cool colours, not only offers six settings and defrost and bagel options, but they also tune into FM radio stations. No word yet as to which station makes the toast taste best.

If FM radio doesn’t cut it, then you need the Baxter MP3 Ripper ($895 Cdn.) The ripper will burn 25 audio CDs at a time, at the rate of five minutes apiece. Besides duplicating CDs and DVDs, the ripper will also convert entire CD collections to MP3.

After ripping the audio collection, you might as well get on with transferring your data. EasyPC Transfer ($39.99) is a software package that helps transport everything from an old computer to a new one in one easy application. PC Transfer will shift contacts and address book to data files, wireless settings and more.

To some extent, Mimobots ($69.95) do the same function as EasyPC Transfer, but are way cuter. The finger-length flash drives are made to look like small monsters and have much the same appetite. They can absorb as much as one gigabyte of files in their USB ports. Mimobots are currently one of the most stylish computer accessories on the market.

Another tiny tech device is the new HP Deskjet 460 mobile printer ($299) designed for printing from notebooks and handhelds. HP’s offering is the first WiFi-enabled printer for wireless printing and will spit out colour photos and documents just as easily as black and white text. It’s lithium ion battery will deliver up to 450 pages per charge, and it can do up to 17 black-and-white pages per minute

Of course, the mini-tech item of them all is an iPod, and dozens upon dozens of accessories are manufactured for the ubiquitous music player, including speaker systems galore. One of the many options available is the Kensington SX 2000 speakers ($199.99). The flat-panel speaker system with a docking mechanism to charge the iPod delivers fat sound from both the front and back of the system, supplying a surprising and satisfying bass punch. One caveat is to check to ensure the system is compatible with the new iPod nano and video iPod.

The iPod isn’t the only electronic device screaming for accessorizing. Give your PDA that Men’s Vogue treatment with a new leather case from Roots ($34.99). The case fits a number of popular models, including BlackBerry and Palm, and comes with a swivel belt clip.

If you can’t avoid splashing drinks, then you probably need a Kensington Keyboard for Life ($29.99). The spill-safe keyboard has a sealed membrane design to protect against accidental spills. The keyboard not only comes with PS/2 and USB connections and works with PCs running Windows 98 or later, it also offers a lifetime warranty.

© The Vancouver Sun 2005

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