Get Ready for Blu-Ray 2.0

We waited for the Blu-Ray vs HD battle to be over for a long time. Now that Blu-ray has won, we find a new standard creeping in. Welcome Blu-Ray 2.0.

So whats the difference in 2.0 versus whats already out there? I mean, a Blu-Ray player is a Blu-Ray player right? Well, not exactly. You see Blu-ray has profiles which determine what features are available for playback.

Let me try to break it down for you.

From the first Blu-Ray player released until around November 2007, they were all profile 1.0 players. They offered no local storage, no Internet capabilities and a secondary video and audio decoder was optional.

Profile 1.1 aka “Bonus View” players are being sold now along side of the Profile 1.0 players. Profile 1.1 players allow for picture-in-picture content which allows you to browse other features while the main film is running. To do this they had to include local storage which is at minimum 256k. These added features mean that Profile 1.1 players also have a mandatory second video and audio decoder.

Profile 2.0 aka “BD-Live” players are set to be released this year. They include a local storage upgrade over Profile 1.1 players. This takes local storage from 256k to 1 gigabyte. Along with the added memory, Profile 2.0 players will have an ethernet port for Internet access. Once you are hooked up to the Internet, BD-Live will give you access to content such as online shopping and games.

Both Sony and Panasonic have already stated their plans to make BD-Live players. The Sony BDP-S550 will be priced at around $500, and Panasonic’s DMP-BD50 will be between $500 and $650. Both should be available this fall.

SIRIUS Stiletto SL100-PK1 Portable Satellite Radio Receiver

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Model: SL100-PK1

List Price: $249.99

Price: $146.06

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Description

The Sirius Stiletto SL100-PK1 is a great, compact, portable satellite radio receiver which also allows you to play internet radio and MP3’s. It’s much like an iPod but with additional features.

The sleek and stylish SL100 has a removable battery and built-in antenna, and it even comes with a headset that has an integrated antenna for even better signal reception. The 2.2-inch screen is bright, colorful and easy to read. The Aurora graphic user interface give you navigation control and provides easy one handed access to all features and content.

With the SL100 you also have the ability to save up to 10 hours of individual songs from live Sirius programming broadcasts by a single press of a button. When listening to your favorite channel the LCD screen displays channel logos, song title, and artist information.

Features

• Portable receiver with a built-in antenna allows reception of Sirius signal
• Eliminates the need for an external car or home docking station
• Offers up to 100 hours of storage capacity and can handle MP3 and WMA files, enabling you to mix Sirius content with your own personal music collection
• Headphones come with two batteries, (one small and sleek; the other with extended life) and an indoor A/C adapter for charging the batteries
• Dimensions: 2.0 x 4.5 x 11/16 inches (WxHxD) with slim battery; 2.0 x 4.5 x 1.0 inches (WxHxD) with standard battery; weighs 4.3 pounds

Merry Christmas from EvalGuide.com

We just wanted to take a moment and wish you and your family a merry Christmas. Thanks for being a part of the EvalGuide.com reader community in 2007. We will continue to bring you new and exciting things in 2008.

You may already be done shopping for Christmas presents but have you picked up something for yourself? Well, we wanted to share a few deals we found that may come in handy if you are still in the buying mode or need to get yourself a gift.

So, check out the deals below and see if they interest you and stay tuned to a fantastic year, with many more unique and new electronics to review.

Merry Christmas,

Travis Wade

LCD and Plasma TV’s Found to be Highly Reliable

Consumer Reports released a report which claims that LCD and Plasma TV’s require very few repairs within the first 3 years. Consumers who buy the extended warranties on Plasma or LCD TV’s this year will be wasting their money. It’s very unlikely that anything will happen within the first three years! Thats great news for people who are about to purchase these items for Christmas gifts.

LCD and Plasma TV’s have a 3% repair rate according to Consumer Reports Annual Product Reliability Survey for December. On the other hand, Rear-projection TV’s were found to have a much higher repair rate than LCD or Plasma TV’s.

Panasonic’s 50-inch TH-50PZ700U Plasma TV was named Consumer Reports’ best flat-panel TV ever tested. Overall, Panasonic flat-panel TV’s had a 2% repair rate.

Among those that required repair, the average cost was $264 on LCD TV’s and $395 on Plasma TV’s.

If you insist on buying the extended warranty on your new LCD or Plasma TV make sure it is no more that 15% of the total cost of the TV. Some retailers push you to buy this but remember the average price for a repair would be much less in some cases than the extended warranty.

Flat panel high definition TV’s were at the top of most peoples wish lists this Christmas. It was closely followed by a Windows based notebook computer and a digital camera.

Remember, before buying a big ticket item like a TV, read reviews online first. Just because the sales person says it is a good TV does not really mean it is.

Make sure to read our article:

5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Buying a High-Definition TV

before you make your purchase this year.

-Travis

Christmas Gift 2007 Online Shopping Guide

It’s not easy searching through the flyers that come in the paper trying to find a good deal. But, reality is that that company had to spend money to print that ad and put it in the paper. It’s all cost to that company and they are going to try to recuperate that cost. How? Buy marking up their products of course. Thats the nature of business.

Here is a trick. Although shopping online can be a pain at times. You know, like waiting for packages and signing for things, in reality, you can save a lot of money if you do it right. Buying from large stores is good for security and ease of returns but you usually pay a higher price unless they are trying to clear their inventory.

You see, these companies can buy in large bulk amounts and get great discounts on products. For instance, a DVD player you might pay $199 for they get for $79 dollars. But, they have to pay bills, employees, advertisements like the flyer in the newspaper. All of these things add up. Although they say they bring the savings to you, in reality they have a high markup for their products and they have to just to stay in business.

So, how do I do my shopping online? I use many different methods. I like to use price comparison sites to find products that I know I want to buy and use review and price comparison sites like this site, to research products before I buy. That way, I know what I am getting before I purchase it and I am finding the best possible price without having to search all over the internet myself.

Another good tool, if you have not used is is Froogle. Froogle is a product of, you guessed it, Google and it offers a shopping comparison so to speak. Be careful with Froogle though. Anyone can post a Froogle ad. It’s like ebay but your credit card number goes to the person not to paypal. It’s more risky because you don’t know who is on the other end of that transaction and they could easily be a crook. So, make sure they have high reviews or they are a known name in the industry.

When we do our price comparison we only use “trusted” merchants because we don’t want you to worry about identity theft or getting robbed from your hard earned money.

Our trusted merchants have been around for many years, are well established in the industry and have physical store addresses. That way, we know their track record, we know how they perform in the industry and if we bought a high ticket item, worst case we can go knock on their door and get our money back. You should never have to worry about that with the merchants we list however because they are legit, large businesses.

Amazon is another place that is usually very cheap and you get your products quickly. However, when shopping on Amazon make sure you buy from Amazon. They do have options to buy from other merchants and Amazon has a market place like eBay where almost anyone can post something for sale.

Usually you will find a “buy new” section and a “buy used” section. If you click on these you will be taken to a list of merchants. If you simply add it to cart from the product page, unless otherwise stated on their page, you are purchasing from Amazon. They will state what merchant is selling the product if it is not from Amazon.

Another great tool is eBay. However, BE CAREFUL. The reason I say that is because, especially in the Holiday season, crooks are everywhere. People often will post an ad for a product that they don’t actually have. Their distributor may have it but they don’t have it in their possession. This can cause problems if their distributor runs out by the end of the auction. Make sure they have it in stock or you may find it a bit empty under the Christmas tree this year.

Well, hopefully this will help you and give you some ideas on where to look for your Christmas shopping adventure this year. It’s always an adventure. Oh, and if you are looking for ideas for a man, we have a list of the Top 10 Christmas Gifts for Men for 2007. Check it out. It may be helpful.

-Travis

Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP Digital Camera Best Price Guide and Review

Looking for a compact camera that gives you plenty of value for your money? Then look no further than the Canon PowerShot A570 IS. This camera seems to be a nice pick. It even runs on AA batteries so if you run out of juice you don’t have to wait for the batteries to recharge. You can always pick up some new ones in a crunch.

This camera seems like a great bargain so lets take a deeper look to make sure that looks are not deceiving in this case.

The first thing you notice about this camera is the 4x optical zoom. Usually you can only find a 3x zoom in a compact camera. Then there is the optical image stabilizer technology built into this camera. Thats not usually found in a compact with this kind of price tag. Ah, but wait, there is more.

Some of the features include manual exposure controls, optical image stabilization, flash output control, a high-resolution 2.5-inch LCD, 7.1-megapixel CCD, supports ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto to help with image blur and lowlight situations, includes a Print/Share button for easy direct printing and downloading and finally the DIGIC III image processor has improved face detection technology which enhances red-eye correction. Overall, the feature list on this compact camera is impressive. But how is the image quality?

You can rest assured that this little camera will be able to capture enough detail for photo-quality 15 x 20-inch prints. There is a little bit of noise at higher ISO levels but then again, you are talking a sub $200 camera. You are getting image stabilization and 7.1 mega pixels that bring a great amount of clarity to this camera.

Conclusion

Overall, the Canon PowerShot A570 IS is a solid compact camera that offers a lot of value for your money. Although we were a bit disappointed with it’s noise at high ISO setting you will still be hard pressed to find a compact camera with all of these features, at a price like this.

Price Comparison - Canon PowerShot A570 IS

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$152.99	$179.99	$171.99	$166 - $199

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The 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Buying a High Definition TV

Buying a high-definition TV is complicated. You may hear many technical terms and it can get confusing. Even so, you need to make sure you understand what you are buying before you buy it right? Because if you don’t, you will end up disappointed, frustrated or with a bad case of buyers remorse. And of course, you don’t want that. You just want a nice TV!

So, let me show you the common mistakes buyers make when purchasing a high-definition TV so that you will not make the same mistakes.

1.) Which Picture Looks The Best

This is the most common mistake people make. They go to the store, find the TV with the best picture and purchase it. Plain and simple. Well, it’s usually not so simple when they get home and they find out that it does not have enough connections to hook up all of their entertainment devices. Or is not compatible with what they have.

Soon, they are either going through the hassle of taking the TV back or buying new equipment so that it will work with their new TV. That is a unplanned expense that could be avoided with a little research. This leads me to my next mistake.

2.) DVD, VHS, PS3, GBA, PVR

All of these devices listed above are something that will hook up to your TV. Knowing how many devices you will need to connect to your TV and how they will need to be connected is key. Make sure you identify what connection type the device uses.

Here is a helpful example:

If you have a cable with a yellow end on it then you have what is commonly called composite or RCA connections. This is pretty much on every device on the planet I think. DVD players, PVR’s, VHS players, etc.

If you have 3 wires green, blue, red then you have what is called component video. This is found on DVD players and PVR’s mostly.

If you have a cable that comes in your house from the cable company, that type of wire connection it is also called a coax connection. It is also found on DVD players, VHS and PVR’s.

If you have a connection with 24 pins in it you probably have a DVI connection. This is mostly found in 1080i HD Receivers, TV’s and DVD players.

If you have a connection that looks like a USB port but bigger then you have a HDMI connection. This is the most common high definition connection seen on most current devices.

Don’t forget, not only should you document how many connections you will need your TV to accept but you will also need to write down which type of connections your new TV will need.

3.) Letting a Salesperson Decide for You

Many people trust the opinion of a salesperson when making large purchases. You would assume the would know more than you. I mean, they sell the things right? Actually, if you think about it, with the many different models and brands that they have to keep up with, how could they really be an expert in anything? Plus, they usually make a commission off of your sale. Most of them don’t even care if you like it or not, they just want to make the sale.

Then you get it home, and find, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Or maybe they are trying to clear out old stock and sold you last years model.

Research is key. Trusting a salesperson with your purchase could burn you in the long run. A few moment invested online searching through reviews and consumer reports could save you from making a huge mistake.

4.) Don’t Buy a No-Name Brand TV

Just because it is cheap does not mean you are getting a good deal. In fact the rule of thumb is you get what you pay for usually. Now, I’m not saying that a good deal can’t be found, thats part of what comparison shopping is all about. But, if you have never heard of the company before there is probably good reason.

Your sales person may try to tell you that they are all manufactured in the same plant and that they just rename them. Sometimes this is true. Sometimes it is not.

Remember you don’t have to make a purchase right that second. Take a pen and paper with you to the store. Write down the models and brands that you liked which also had enough hookups for your current devices, and go home and research them. Find the best one out of the bunch and get that one.

Plus, you may find a better deal online anyway. I mean, you have already seen the TV so you can comparison shop online. However, use caution. Only buy from a retailer that you have heard of like Best Buy or Circuit City. If something went wrong with your TV you don’t want to try and return it or get it fixed through Joe’s TV Shack.

5.) Poor Budgeting for Peripherals

It’s just like the “batteries not included” label on an flashlight package. It does not come with everything you need to get going right out of the box and neither does your TV.

You may need DVI or HDMI cables for your devices. You would not think cables could be very expensive but start pricing them now. They will add up very quickly. Especially high quality cables.

You may also need a TV stand or wall mount. You may want better sound to expand your high-definition experience and want to purchase a home theater system. Also, if you want to have your cable or satellite signal in high definition then you will need to add additonal costs per month to your cable bill. Whatever you need plan ahead. If not you could soon be spending way more than you initially bargained for just to get your TV and devices functional again.

I hope this has been informative and has helped you. Please contact us with any feedback you may have.

Microsoft Zune 30 GB Digital MP3 Media Player

The Zune 30GB digital media player stores up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures or 100 hours of video and features wireless networking so you can share your music, pictures and videos. It also has a 3-inch color screen and a landscape mode for watching your videos.

This is one of the hottest media devices on the market at the moment and is usually found at a price thats hard to beat. Compared to some of the other players on the market you get a lot more for your money with the Zune. For example, most of the digital media players on the market don’t have wireless capability, so you can’t hop on your wireless network to transfer your music, movies or pictures. You usually have to have a USB cable to plug in to your PC. No more! The Zune 30GB Digital Media Player has taken care of this for you. But don’t worry, this player comes with a USB cable for those who don’t have Wi-Fi and it also comes with earphones and a sleeve to protect it while transporting it around.

Compared to the iPod Touch 16GB, you get twice the space for half the price. Yeah, you don’t get the fancy touch screen like the iPhone has but is that really so bad? Unless you are a tech geek that has to have the bleeding edge of technology, you will be fine with this player.

We recommend this over the Apple iPod Touch just because of the price and space factor. You get twice the space and it costs over half the price. Plus, it does the same thing.

Conclusion

If you are on a budget and would like a nice digital media player with Wi-Fi but can’t afford the iPod Touch then go with this one. You wont be disappointed. It’s easy to use and has much better capacity. Plus these Zune players have been around for a long time and they are reliable.

Below, we have compiled a price comparison with the lowest prices we could find for the Zune 30GB.

Price Comparison

$99.99	$199.99	$149.99	$114 - $195

Top 10 Christmas Gifts Ideas for Men of 2007 - Christmas Presents for Him That Guys Love

It’s that time of year again and although this is more of a review site, I thought you could use a little help shopping this year. After all, men are hard to shop for. So, I compiled a list of the Top 10 Hottest Christmas Gifts that guys would love to get! I already did the comparison shopping for you, and if you are anything like my wife, you love a good deal. So, without further a due, I bring you the Top 10 Christmas Gifts of 2007 for guys.

#1 - Apple iPod Touch 16GB

Yes, this is #1 on our wish list this year. You know us guys. We love our gadgets. Read our review here.

Price Comparison

$0.01 - $399	$399.99	$399.99	$394.99

#2 - Movado Luno Men’s Stainless Steel Watch Model 0605556

This is a simple, elegant watch. It is rugged and well put together. It’s not too casual nor to dressy and fits both a suit or jeans and tennis shoes. It feels great on your wrist. Just the solution for the guy that could use a nice watch. This watch will last him forever!

Price Comparison

$459.99	$525.00	$499.99	$350 - $650

#3 - Panasonic DMP-BD10AK 1080p Blu-ray Disc DVD Player

Yeah, just what he needs, a high definition DVD player to watch Jackie Chan movies when the game is not on. But hey, if thats what he likes to do, then he will love this DVD player. Great for all of those HD movies. Also ladies, it can bring the “chick flicks” to life! We have reviewed this DVD player and love it. You can read the full review Here. I know there is lots of talk between Blu-ray and HD DVD players and which one to get. Do this, check out our links below to the retailers and see how many Blu-ray players they have for sale versus how many HD players they have for sale. It’s Blu-ray every time. So what does that mean? Go Blu-ray for your HD. HD lost momentum. The new standard seems to be Blu-ray. If they are making more, selling more and offering more options, then Blu-ray will be the last one standing. Oh and don’t forget the Playstation 3 has a built in Blu-ray player! Might be able to get a toy for him and they kids all at the same time!

Price Comparison

$0.01 - $539	$499.77	$474.99	$469.73

#4 - Garmin nüvi 350 Pocket Vehicle GPS Navigator with Maps for North America

The Garmin nüvi 350 Pocket GPS is the top seller this year of vehicle GPS devices on Amazon.com, and with good reason. It shines above the rest of the bunch with the many features like turn-by-turn directions, automatic routing, and 320 x 240 color touchscreen display just to name a few. Not only that but the 700 MB GPS navigator comes bundled with MP3/audiobook player, photo viewer, and world travel clock. Plus, it comes preloaded with City Navigator NT V.8 with maps of U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. This is a must for the man that hates stopping for directions. He will love it, and so will you. This unit MSRP is $479.99 but we found it so much cheaper than that. Just look below at our price comparison.

Price Comparison

$354.51	$326.48	$399.99	$344.95

#5 - Canon PowerShot SD1000 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

About the size of a pack of Trident gum, the Cannon PowerShot SD1000 is so compact and easy to carry, he will be more likely to bring it with you wherever he goes. Lets face it, guys hate to carry stuff. It gets on our nerves. Thats why some dude invented the fanny pack but now it’s out of style and there is no way you would catch us dead with one. But, we don’t mind carrying stuff if we can put it in our pocket. This camera is the, put it in your pocket kind of camera, that he is sure to carry with him.

Price Comparison

$167.38	$0.01 - $259.99	$168.99	$176.99

#6 - Samsung HLT6187S 61″ Slim LED Engine 1080p DLP HDTV

This is the number one hottest selling TV right now, and with good reason. The Samsung HLT6187S is a step above the rest and for the price, you can’t beat this TV! Combine this with the #10 sound system and/or the #3 Blu-ray DVD player on this list and you will never have to or want to go to the movie theater again! Aside from the sound system or the DVD player, guys want one thing when it comes to digital entertainment, we want our picture to be top notch. We don’t need great sound as much as we need a clear picture. My recommendation, before spending any money on DVD players or surround sound speaker systems, make sure the picture is the best and if not forget the other gadgets and grab this TV. He will be so glad you did!

Price Comparison

$1,913.88	$2,399.99	$2,599.99	Starts @ $1,797.00

#7 - HP Pavilion DV6662SE 15.4″ Entertainment Notebook PC

This laptop, feature packed with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5250, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive and Windows Vista Premium, just to name a few, has our attention. It’s a perfect combination of power and performance while being value priced. We did the shopping around for you, and boy did we find some deals! This laptop MSRP is $1,375.00 but we found it so much cheaper than that! Check out our price comparison below. Remember all guys love gadgets and everyone needs a computer. So if your guy needs to tech it up a bit, this will make a great gift.

Price Comparison

$0.01 - $1,299	$1,049.99	$1,049.99	$1,099.99

#8 - Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf Pinseeker 1500 Laser Rangefinder w/ Slope Calculator

Just the thing for the avid golfer. The Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf Pinseeker 1500 will be a wonderful and helpful surprise for him. This neat little tool will help him when he is trying to calculate the distance and velocity in which he needs to hit the next shot. If there is one thing, besides the golf clubs, that you need when on the golf course it is a tool like this. Not only will he absolutely love it, his friends will envy him because he has a tool that gives him an advantage! Also, with our price comparison below, we found great deals on this. Don’t waste your money in retail stores this year when you can save a ton while letting us find the best price for you. Just look below at the price comparison.

Price Comparison

$309.00 and up	$372.25	$379.99	$399.99

#9 - Playstation 3 80GB MotorStorm Pack Limited Edition

Video games, yes I know. But we love them. Why? Well I will let you in on a little secret. You see we don’t play sports anymore, wether it’s because we are out of shape or just too old, but we always remember the “glory days” of high school or college. Here is the thing, we can feel like we did back then through video games. Yes that feeling of victory. 2% brain power and 98% testosterone. Being competitive is what we are all about and what a better way than in the saftey of our recliner! So, give him not only a video game system but give him back that feeling of being young again… Ha, I know, I used that line on my wife and she had the same reaction. Well, how about this, the Playstation 3 also is a Windows Media extender and a Blu-ray DVD player all in one. Sound better? Well, guys I tried! Here is our recent comparison of the Playstation 3 models.

Price Comparison

$499.99	$499.99	$499.99	$499.99

#10 - Onkyo HT-SR800 7.1 Home Theater Entertainment System

He has a high-definition TV. He has a high-definition DVD player. But, what he doesn’t have is the Onkyo HT-SR800 7.1 Home Theater System! This system produces extreme sound, making those movies come to life! The 7.1 channel receiver/speaker package nearly covers all A/V formats, letting you customize this system seamlessly into your existing entertainment center. So basically, any equipment that is already in place it will integrate with. This versatile yet affordable system even has connections for an iPod, making this the product of choice for home entertainment packages. As always, we have done the shopping for you. Check out the best deals we found below.

Price Comparison

$389.97	$459.99	$419.99	$249 - $449

Conclusion

We hope you found this guide helpful while doing your online shopping this year. Keep checking back as we are going to have a Christmas Gifts for Women, Christmas Gifts for Teens, Christmas Gifts for Kids and Cheap Christmas Gifts posts coming soon.

If you are in the market for good movies checkout Top DVD Movies for Christmas Gifts at our new site DVDBaM.com.

Have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season.

-Travis

travis@evalguide.com

Service Lets You Transfer Large Files and Share Without Worry of Email Attachment Limit - Review of YouSendIt.com

It can be annoying, trying to share a large file with someone and it is too big for email. That gets old quickly but happens to thousands of people every day. Is there a solution? Well, just maybe. I recently heard about a service call YouSendIt which allows you to send very large files with no worry of email attachment limits or FTP clients.

Sounds promising doesn’t it? So how does it work? We decided to sign up for the Free Trial and give it a test drive. It works like this. You upload a file to their servers via a web browser, then you specify the email addresses of the person receiving that file. An email is sent to the specified email addresses with a special link. They click on that link and it starts the download of the file you uploaded. It’s that easy!

This could be the final solution of email attachment troubles. We liked their service and recommend them to you. They have a limited Free Trial so if you are interested Click Here to go to their site.

YouSendIt - Click Here to Start Your FREE Trial

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