Halloween “Black Friday” Ad Leaks Portend Some Scary Holiday Electronics Deals

Although it’s not quite November, it already appears that this year’s Black Friday shopping holiday will once again hold some great deals for those willing to brave early-morning hours and the sharpened elbows of fellow bargain shoppers. Those that do should be rewarded with special holiday prices on HDTVs, high-def DVD players, and portable electronics including MP3 players and digital cameras.

A number of Black Friday websites, such as gottadeal.com, dealtaker.com and bfads.net, have already started posting Black Friday retail ads. But one circular that will be hard to find early this year will be Wal-Mart’s. That’s because the company--which last year set the Black Friday pace with a deep price cut on a popular 42-inch Panasonic plasma--has preemptively threatened legal action against any site that post its ads before November 19th. We’ll be keeping track of how well that threat works.

So far, in fact, Black Friday ad postings have been spotty. One exception is Sears, whose Black Friday specials are now widely available on Black Friday websites. Many of the deals are “opening specials” that are available only from 5:00 a.m. until noon, and which can require both instant and mail-in savings. Among the Sears highlights we found:

• a 42-inch LG plasma (42PC5D) for $900
• a Samsung 50-inch plasma (HPT5044) for $1,400, and a 46-inch 1080p LCD (LN-T4665F) for $2,000
• a 46-inch Sharp Aquos LCD (LC-46D43U)for $1,000
• a Sony W-series 40-inch 1080p LCD (KDL-40W3000) for $2,000, and a 46-inch Bravia LCD for $1,500(unspecified model number)
• a 42-inch Sylvania 1080p LCD (LC420SSR) for $900
• a 42-inch Toshiba 1080p LCD (42HL167) for $1,250
• and a V32-inch Vizo LCD (VXLHDTV32) for $599

Also noteworthy is Toshiba’s HD-A3 HD DVD player fort $170. Other Black Friday specials at Sears include a Philips upconverting DVD player for $30, a $10 DVD player from Coby, a Zenith DVD/VHS combi player for $40, $200 DVD camcorders from Panasonic and Samsung, and numerous deals on digital cameras.

ACE hardware also has a few CE doorbusters, including an unnamed 7-inch digital photo frame for $50, and a 7-inch portable DVD player for $60. Macy’s ad shows a $60 Haier-brand 7-inch portable DVD player, and a $20 Haier progressive-scan DVD player, plus three Pandigital-brand digital photo frames, with 6-, 8- and 9.2-inch displays, for $70, $150 and $180, respectively.

Stay tuned to our blogs for regular updates on Black Friday deals and specials--and feel free to chime in with some of your own!

—James K. Willcox

OS X Gets a Facelift, and Lots More

It's been two years since Apple last updated its Mac operating system, OS X. But today the company launches version 10.5, popularly known as Leopard.

Is it a must-have? As anyone with a Mac knows, OS X is already a well-evolved, secure operating system. Though Apple would like everyone with a compatible Mac to plunk down the $130 Leopard costs, you don’t absolutely need to if you already have Tiger, the version that came before Leopard.

Related information from Consumer Reports:

• Review: Apple's latest iMacs
• Buying Advice: How to choose an operating system
• The best laptops and desktops
• Buying advice: Desktop PCs & Mac computers

On the other hand, there are more than 300 new features in Leopard, some of them significant. Here are several of the most notable:

Desktop updates:

• The most visible change is to the Dock, OS X's program-launcher and taskbar. (See image at right. Click on it for a closer look.)  Leopard perches the Dock's icons on a reflective, 3-dimensional "shelf." This little tweak goes a long way toward making the desktop look neater.
• The Spaces feature lets you create several virtual desktops based, for example, on different projects you're working on. You can easily switch among the desktops, view them all at once, and can drag items between them or change their order.
• The main Apple menu bar gains semi-transparent menus and windows cast more-diffuse shadows on objects behind them, making them look like they’re floating.

Enhanced user interface:

• Leopard provides a new and intuitive visual access to folders in the Dock called Stacks. Your downloads and documents folders are there, and you can add others. Clicking a Stack fans out its contents and lets you choose a file with one click. (See image at right. Click on it for a closer look.)

New "Full HD" TVs from Hitachi, JVC, and Toshiba look promising

This fall is shaping up to be a big-screen battleground between LCD and plasma HDTVs, as LCD models sport ever-larger (45- to 57-inch) screens and more plasma TVs have 1080p (1920x1080) resolution, sometimes called Full HD. Based on our preliminary tests, it looks like three new 1080p TVs--a Hitachi plasma and LCDs from JVC and Toshiba--will ratchet up the competition another notch.

Related information from Consumer Reports:

• Buying advice: LCD vs. plasma TVs
• Why buy a plasma TV?
• Why buy an LCD TV?
• Ratings: Plasma TVs
• Ratings: LCD TVs
• More on HDTV at ConsumerReports.org

Hitachi Ultravision P50S601, $2,800

This 50-inch plasma (Click on image above for a larger view) has full 1920x1080 resolution, unlike some earlier Hitachi models that had an unusual 1080x1024 pixel structure. However, while this TV can accept 1080p signals from a Blu-ray or HD DVD player via its HDMI inputs, it actually converts them to interlaced 1080i. The impact on image quality is subtle for most HD programming, but discerning viewers may see slightly jagged edges on moving objects.

Point-and-shoot Digital Cameras Focus on Features Instead of Megapixels

Although some camera manufacturers have continued increasing megapixel counts in their latest point-and-shoot digital cameras, most at the PhotoPlus Expo held in New York City last week were been promoting a number of other features, some of them quite useful.

Two of Sony’s 8-megapixel subcompacts, the 3x optical zoom Cyber-shot DSC-T70 and the 5x optical zoom Cyber-shot DSC-T200 (Click image at right for a larger view), were generating lots of grins (as well as a few grimaces) on the show floor. The reason? Both cameras have a Smile Shutter mode that takes face detection technology one step further by shooting a photo of the subject when he or she smiles.

Related information

• Official PhotoPlus Expo Web site
• Consumer Reports' Buying Advice: How to choose a digital camera
• Ratings: Point-and-shoots (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only)

Step-up SLRs Heat up the Market at PhotoPlus Expo

In the past several years we've seen dramatic drops in prices for SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras priced under $1,000, a category the industry refers to as entry-level. In part, manufacturers are cutting prices to meet increased demand for SLRs by consumers frustrated with the limitations of point-and-shoot cameras (those with built-in lenses), including low picture quality when shooting without a flash in low light, and frustratingly long next-shot delay and shutter lag.

However, this price drop has been accompanied by an expansion of the market for cameras priced $1,300 to $1,800 (not including lens), a group commonly known as step-up or mid-range SLRs. Several new models in this class, which appeal to serious non-professional photographers, were introduced in the past few months and on view at this year's PhotoPlus Expo, taking place in New York City from October 18 through October 20.

What do you get for $1,300 and up? In general, more sophisticated focusing and metering systems and bodies that manufacturers claim have been better hardened against the elements (more-watertight battery compartments, for example). Plus you get some features that have been common on point-and-shoot cameras but rare on SLRs, such as 2.5-inch and larger LCDs and live-view shooting, which lets you use the LCD to compose shots.

Related information

• Official PhotoPlus Expo Web site
• Consumer Reports' Buying Advice: How to choose a digital camera
• Ratings: Digital SLR lenses (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only)

New recommended SLRs: Lighter, Smaller, Easier to Use

Among digital cameras, SLRs have always held top honors for offering the best quality photos. They’ve also generally been the heaviest and largest. Recently, though, camera manufacturers have begun producing SLRs designed to appeal to people accustomed to the conveniences of a compact camera.

Take our latest pack of SLR Quick Picks. There’s the 6-megapixel Nikon D40 ($600), which we’ve long recommended, and its brandmate, the 10-megapixel Nikon D40x ($800, seen at right), which we’ve added to our list along with the 10-megapixel Olympus Evolt E-410 ($800). Where most digital SLRs weighed in at 2 pounds or more as recently as a year ago, all these cameras weigh less than 20 ounces and are exceedingly compact. They won’t fit into a pocket or purse, but they’re certainly portable and won’t give you a backache--although weight and bulk will, of course, vary with the lens you’re using.

In addition to being compact and lightweight, all are very easy to use, with very good image quality, pop-up flashes (as well as a hot shoe, for attaching a more powerful external strobe) and excellent battery life.

Related information:

• Consumer Reports' Buying Advice: How to choose a digital camera
• Ratings: Digital SLR lenses (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only)
• Review: Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 camera

Plasma TVs May Be the Biggest Bargains This Holiday Season

If you’ve had a big-screen flat-panel HDTV in your sights for a while, it looks like this fall will be a great time to pull the trigger.

Prices this holiday season are expected to hit an all-time low, about 40 percent cheaper in general than a year ago and as much as 65 percent lower on certain kinds of TVs. There’s growing speculation that the season will start off strong on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, with eye-opening deals, particularly on plasma TVs.

We may see some 42-inch 720p plasmas priced as low as $599 on Black Friday, predicted manufacturers and retailers attending a conference held last week by DisplaySearch, an Austin, Texas-based research firm. According to DisplaySearch forecasts, prices could rebound a bit after the kickoff weekend, averaging closer to $1,000 throughout the holidays. 720p plasmas with 50-inch screens are likely to go for about $1,400 this year, down from $2,300 a year ago. Plasma will finally become competitive in 1080p, with the average price of a full HD 50-inch set dropping sharply, to just under $2,400 by the end of the year, the firm projects.

Discounts will be less dramatic on LCD sets, but prices will be lower. A 40-inch LCD set with 720p resolution will go for about $1,000. Look for bigger price cuts in 1080p, where average selling prices will drop to about $1,500 for a 40-inch set and $2,000 for a 46-incher. Full HD 52-inch LCD TVs will sell for about $2,700. DisplaySearch predicts that 1080p sets will take over the 40-inch and larger category this holiday season, accounting for about 60 percent of all HDTV sales.

Analysts say it’s unlikely TV prices will drop much lower in 2008, so there’s little point in waiting for better bargains next year. True, predictions for less-severe price drops in 2007 haven’t panned out, but this time they could be on the money. According to DisplaySearch presient Ross Young, much of the price cutting we’ve seen this year resulted from a perfect storm of events late in 2006, “where we had too much panel supply, too many brands and too many retailers.”

What does this portend for your holiday shopping? Retailers are likely to steer you to big screens and 1080p sets, which offer them bigger profit margins than smaller screens. Many big-box retailers aren’t actively promoting 40- and 42-inch 720p LCD HDTVs, so it may be harder to find them. Young noted that recent advertising circulars by national chains focused almost exclusively on higher-priced 1080p sets 40 inches and larger. And supplies of 32-inch LCD TVs could be tight as manufacturers shift their focus to more lucrative segments, including digital photo frames and notebook PCs.

That means your best bet of finding a 720p LCD set this holiday season may well be in warehouse clubs such as Costco and Sam’s or at mass merchants such as Wal-Mart or Target. These chains, which have a lower margin structure than traditional retail stores, are becoming a more important outlet for TV sales—and they’re a big reason that Vizio became the number-one flat-panel TV brand in the second quarter of this year, according to data from NPD Group, DisplaySearch’s parent company.

Also, gird yourself for a stronger-than-usual push to load up on extras, such as an extended warranty, cables, wall mounts, and even high-def DVD players and digital receivers. With TV prices and margins falling, stores will need to sell you more of these extras to bolster profits.—James K. Willcox

Your computer may be more vulnerable than you think

Your new computer finally arrived. Everything’s up and running, and you feel safe as you surf the 'Net, because you know the system came loaded with a free trial for a well-known security package. But are you really protected?

There’s a good chance that you’re not. A new survey by security-software publisher McAfee and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), released on October 1 to launch National Cyber Security Awareness Month, turned up a notable disconnect between most users’ perception and the reality when it comes to their computer's security.

Consider this: 87 percent of those surveyed said they use antivirus software. But in fact, on 48 percent of the computers scanned as part of the survey, the antivirus software was not up to date. The respondents thought they were protected, but they were actually all too vulnerable because an antivirus that's not up to date is ineffective. The problem spans other types of security software, too. For example, while 81 percent of those surveyed had a firewall installed on their computer to block hackers, only 64 percent had activated it.

Related information:

• Consumer Reports Cyber-Security Center
• Best ways to stay safe online
• Best-rated online security software suites
• U.S. Federal Trade Commission's OnGuard Online Web site

Sony LCD TVs: Two more standouts

Sony's high-end Bravia XBR LCD sets have usually done very well in our Ratings of LCD TVs (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only), but several XBR2 and XBR3 models we tested last year displayed cloudy blotches (called "mura") that marred the picture. This seemed to be caused by backlight leakage that resulted in uneven uniformity.

Sony fans will be happy to know that the problem apparently doesn't affect newer XBR models, judging by our initial tests of the 46-inch KDL-46XBR5 (Seen at right. Click on image on right for larger view.) and 52-inch KDL-52XBR4. These TVs, which have a different panel design than the previous models, displayed no visible clouding or backlight leakage. In fact, we were impressed to see that both sets were virtually free of the uneven brightness that's common on LCD screens 46 inches and larger. The 52-inch XBR4 had no such inconsistency, and there was only very slight streaking on the 46-inch XBR5.

Related reports:

• How to choose: LCD vs Plasma TVs
• Why buy an LCD HDTV?
• The best plasma HDTV we've ever tested
• Best places to buy TVs & consumer electronics

Despite Format War, High-Def DVD Follows DVD Launch Experience

If you’re waiting for either Blu-ray or HD DVD to emerge as the standard for high-definition DVDs, don’t hold your breath. There’s no end in sight to the battle between these formats, judging by comments made during this week’s DisplaySearch HDTV Conference.

Studio support is now split about evenly between Blu-ray and HD DVD, thanks to a recent decision by Paramount and DreamWorks to release movies only in the HD DVD format. By the end of the year, there should be about 400 titles available for each format. So consumers who buy a player now will have to live with the fact that some movies won’t work on their player, and they could be left out in the cold if the industry ever unites behind one format and it’s not the one they chose.

This uncertainty has many consumers waiting on the sidelines. A recent survey by DisplaySearch’s parent company, NPD Group, showed that only 11 percent of the respondents said they were very or extremely likely to buy a high-def DVD player in the next six months, compared to 66 percent who said they wouldn’t or were unlikely to buy one. About 23 percent were fence-sitters who said they were “somewhat likely” to buy a new player.

More than half the respondents said they were waiting for a clear winner to emerge in the format war, but that’s not the only thing holding them back. Many said they see sports, not movies, as the killer HD application, and they get that from broadcast TV. Seventy-two percent of the consumers surveyed said prices were too high, while 70 percent said they don’t need to replace their standard DVD player. The availability of lower-priced upscaling DVD players was another factor mentioned.

The good news is that satisfaction was very high among those who’ve taken the plunge. Nine out of ten owners said they were highly satisfied with their high-def player. The main source of dissatisfaction was a desire for more movie titles. Asked why they chose a particular format, about half the Blu-ray purchasers cited technological superiority, while a similar percentage of HD DVD player buyers said a cheaper price was the reason.

The research firm expects sales of high-definition DVD players to total 1 million units by year’s end. (That doesn’t include game consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360.) That represents only 5 percent of total DVD player sales, but about 26 percent of dollar revenues. That’s because the average selling price of a high-def player is $433, more than four times that of a standard DVD player. The company believes sales will grow to 5 million units by the end of 2008, though it didn’t indicate which format might have the lion’s share.

The topic of interactivity and the ability to connect to the Internet was debated, during a panel discussion that included executives from Microsoft, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Paramount, Disney and Pioneer. Not surprisingly, backers of HD DVD—which makes these features mandatory in all players—saw this capability as a major advantage, while Blu-ray backers said high-def picture quality and high-resolution audio quality were more compelling reasons for buying a high-def player.

Members of both camps acknowledged that one day packaged media will be surpassed by digital delivery of content, but that’s still a ways off. High-def DVDs can be used as digital training wheels to get consumers used to consuming online content. "We can use HD discs [with interactivity] to move into digital,” said Warner Bros. executive Dan Silverberg, “Consumers will get a quicker tutorial into video-on-demand and other things by owning an HD DVD or Blu-ray player.”

In an interesting side note, Sony Pictures’ executive Don Eklund for the first time confirmed that Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console, which has an integrated Blu-ray drive, will receive an upgrade that will enable features such as Internet connectivity and picture-in-picture, something no current Blu-ray players can do. The PS3 comes with an Ethernet port and 40 or 60 GB of memory, key components required by these new features. I’ll be posting more info about the new mandatory Blu-ray specifications that take effect at the end of the month (Oct.31st) in a separate post.—James K. Willcox