Holiday Preview: Home Video Buying Guide

While the weather outside is indeed frightful, gathering around the fireplace has never been more delightful thanks to cutting-edge advancements in home video hardware. Don’t have access to the Yule Log DVD, let alone in high-definition (HD)? Ease up off the egg nog – there’s no need to panic. You can stay nice and cozy indoors this holiday season curled up with one of these great gifts instead.

Download Your Favorite Flicks – Samsung BD-P2500 Blu-Ray Player: $400 

Seeing increasing demand for more easily-accessible content, several Blu-ray player manufacturers are introducing streaming on-demand video capability to their wares. While LG was first to the punch with their Netflix-enabled BD300 player, Samsung isn’t far behind. For example: The company recently gave owners of the BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 players access to Netflix movies and Pandora music. Of course, these models – among our top picks this season – are first and foremost premium Blu-ray players capable of displaying films at 1080p (read: blistering high-def) resolution; the fact you can stream Netflix movies on-command just makes them that more enjoyable. So, in addition to playing back Blu-ray discs, you also get access to Netflix’s 12,000-strong library of movies online, streaming in near-standard-def quality – not a bad bonus. If you already own either of these units, you can add the Netflix upgrade for free at Samsung Support. To enjoy the Netflix capability, you will, however, need a Netflix subscription.  (Check Price)

The Price Is Right – Olevia BD-110 Blu-Ray Player: $229

Although purse strings may be tight in this troubled economy, given the amount of time you’ll be spending safely cocooned in the living room enjoying so-called “staycations,” home entertainment remains an easily justifiable investment. To wit: If you’re pinching pennies, but still want to buy that special someone a great home theater gift this holiday season, consider Olevia’s aggressively-priced BD-110 Blu-ray player ($229). It offers the clarity and realism of a high-def image, but on the kind of budget that still leaves you enough to buy gas and maybe even spring for a night at Taco Bell. (Woo-hoo!) Bear in mind as well: The BD-110 is a Profile 1.1 player, meaning you can enjoy Bonus View content (such as picture-in-picture commentaries) on Blu-ray discs with this feature enabled. At such a hard-to-beat price, this entry-level player is perfect for newbies wanting to make the HD leap. (www.olevia.com) 

Big and Beautiful – Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 7500 Projector; $5,000

When you think of a giant screen, no doubt visions of flat-panel TVs dance in your head. However, with a front projector, you can enjoy a really huge high-def image at a relatively small price. For instance, while plasma or LCD sets at the 100-inch-plus size cost an arm and a leg (and are scarcer than honest mechanics), Epson’s flagship 1080p PowerLite Pro Cinema 7500 UB 3LCD projector offers an incredible HD picture for the relatively (as compared with similarly large, $100,000+ television models, that is) small price of $5,000. The “UB” in the name stands for UltraBlack, which is where the projector shines—on inky black levels that enhance contrast for an eye-opening image. Available with an optional anamorphic lens ($6,000) for a super-wide 2.35:1 aspect ratio (sans black bars), this puppy’s not only a real jaw-dropper: It’s also competitive with many more expensive models. (www.epson.com)

Multimedia Your Way – Nero LiquidTV; $199 ($99 for software only)

The miracles of the digital video recorder (DVR) are legendary, with the revolutionary device – which lets you record, pause and playback live television – responsible for untethering literally millions of viewers from their TV sets. Impressively, now, you can unleash yourself from your home DVR as well. Nero LiquidTV | TiVO PC, a DVR app for your PC, ties you only to your content, not to the device on which you are enjoying it. Translation: With this application, you can record live TV and watch it wherever your heart desires—no matter whether it’s on your computer, a TV, iPod, PSP, or DVD player. This gives you incredible flexibility to watch what you want when visiting family this holiday season. And, with the familiar TiVo interface, you’ll feel right at home, even when you’re sitting miles away. Compatible with Windows XP or Windows Vista, the software comes with a TiVo PC remote, a TV tuner card, a one-year TiVo subscription, and an IR Blaster to create a wireless connection between your cable/satellite box and PC. (www.nero.com)

Let the Games Begin – Xbox 360: $299.99

Yes, Sony’s PlayStation 3 has the advantage when it comes to playing Blu-ray discs – the next-generation video disc format of choice. But as an all-around performer, the Xbox 360 not only has the best selection of high-definition games (see: Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Prince of Persia, etc.), but also the most versatile video download options. Using the system, you can grab TV shows (South Park, The Colbert Report), music videos (including joints by Fall Out Boy, T.I. and Linkin Park), movies (Sex and the City, Netflix’s catalogue) and even original independent shorts. Face it: The fact that the system also runs Halo 3 and Dead Space is just a bonus. (Check Price)

The Best for Less – InFocus X9 Projector: $1,099

InFocus aims to bring large, high-def images to the masses with its new X9 DLP projector. For a mere $1,099, the X9 offers solid, high-definition 720p visuals, and while images aren’t as high-resolution as on 1080p models, its price certainly reflects this. BrilliantColor technology offers breathtaking color rendition, and the projector is very bright as well, so you don’t have to worry about ambient light infringing on the quality of your image. Connections further include HDMI and VGA, among others, so you can connect your Blu-ray player and PlayStation 3. Add a screen, and you’re looking at a 100-plus-inch HD image for under $2,000 – not bad in our book. (Check Price)

Now Screening – Da-Lite Affinity Screen: Price Varies on size

Take the guesswork out of your screen/projector combo with the new JKP Affinity Screens from Da-Lite. The company, in collaboration with video guru and Digital Video Essentials calibration disc series creator Joe Kane, saw the need for a new screen material to complement high-definition projectors. The Affinity screen is their answer, featuring very wide viewing angles that allow you to see a uniform image, no matter where you sit in your home theater. Da-Lite has also reduced surface texture, so light scatters less and the high-def image is more uniform. Certified by JKP and ideally suited for high-def projectors, you simply can’t go wrong with this precision display.  (www.dalite.com)

Power PC – Dell XPS X1530 Laptop: $1,150

While it may seem odd to include a laptop in a round-up of video products, with the portable DVD category nearly obsolete and Blu-ray playback functionality increasing appearing in new notebooks, we beg to differ. Dell’s X1530 is one of this new breed, featuring a Blu-ray drive that can record and play high-definition discs (on a spacious 15.4-inch widescreen, no less). Furthermore, if you don’t want to invest in a standalone player just yet, you can even connect the laptop to your HDTV using the computer’s HDMI output. And if home movies in HD are your thing, you also have the option to make your own on the Dell thanks to a Firewire port for downloading video from an HD camcorder and Roxio Creator 10 software for burning high-def discs. A 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor supported by 4GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive make this laptop pretty efficient for, you know, actual computing, should you be so inclined, to boot. (www.dell.com)

Sound Advice – Sony STR-DA5400ES Receiver: $2,000

Most people think of receivers as audio devices, but these all-star quarterbacks of the home theater world can do wonders for video as well. Sony’s latest 7.1-channel receiver, the STR-DA5400ES, proves this by including CAT5e ports that allow users to send high-definition video to a second zone in the home. That means you can use one source, such as that fancy new Blu-ray disc player, in two different rooms, really stretching your home video dollar. The receiver also has a second Faroudja DCDi Cinema chip that upscales your standard-def DVDs to 1080p through the HDMI input. It will also upscale HD video in the second zone to 1080i. Rounding out its capabilities, the STR-DA5400ES supports all the latest Blu-ray audio formats, including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS High Resolution Audio, and DTS HD Master Audio. With six HDMI inputs, the bottom line is that this receiver is a video enthusiast’s dream. (Check Price)

Go Ahead, Stuff Yourself – TiVo HD XL: $300

There’s nothing quite like sitting back and enjoying a rousing football game after a festive holiday meal. Of course, if you have NFL Sunday Ticket, you may be hard pressed to choose exactly which game to watch. Never fear: With TiVo’s HD XL 1-terabyte DVR, you can record up to 150 hours of high-def content so you never miss a touchdown. The HD XL is also the only DVR to be THX-certified, meaning it meets THX standards for both audio and video. And, as if that’s not enough, consider that the HD XL also lets you connect to the Internet to download content from YouTube, Music Choice, Rhapsody, and Amazon.com. Whether you’re a serious home theater enthusiast or just a TV nut who doesn’t want to miss a thing, it doesn’t get better than this.