Frustrated buyers return hard-to-use gadgets

To paraphrase Henny Youngman, take my camera—or cell phone, MP3 player, computer, TV, video recorder—please! It’s too darned hard to use.

Frustration with confusing electronics gear caused 13 percent of consumers to return a product, according to a recent survey of more than 1,500 consumers by the NPD Group.

Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. I’ve had my share of I-want-to-fling-this-thing-out-the-window moments. A digital camera with baffling icons and a hard-to-fathom menu system comes to mind, as does a combo DVD recorder/VCR player that had me scratching my head. In fairness, much of the complexity stems from the fact that today’s gadgets pack so much capability that they’re harder to use than the single-function gizmos of yesteryear.

When you’re stymied, you might find an answer in the product literature or from a phone support line—if the manufacturer still provides them—or possibly at the company’s Web site. Online support, from manufacturers, third-party sites, or other users, is increasingly your best shot. Tomorrow, I’ll share some pointers on good places to get assistance. (Feel free to weigh in with your own suggestions in the meantime.)

Cablevision's "remote" DVR: Will it be a better option?

With the Supreme Court's decision, "Remote DVR" may be on the way, but when that will be and how much it will cost remain to be seen.

The Supreme Court’s recent decision not to hear a final appeal by broadcasters and movie studios seeking to block Cablevision’s proposed “remote DVR” technology opens the door for the company, and others, to offer such a service.

Unlike a conventional DVR, which stores programs on a hard drive in the cable box in your living room, Cablevision’s planned remote DVR service lets you store programs on the company’s servers. Because the technology resides within the cable system’s network, subscribers can use their existing cable boxes instead of renting new equipment. This would free consumers from the storage limits of their hard drive (often about 30 hours of HD video). It could also theoretically make the service cheaper, since the cable companies don’t have to deploy and service separate boxes.

So when will we be able to get this new service? Unfortunately, no time soon, since Cablevision says there’s no timetable in place for a rollout of its remote DVR service. Instead, Cablevision’s first application of the technology will be far more prosaic: Subscribers with standard cable boxes will be able to pause live TV when the phone rings—something I (and Cablevision subscribers with DVRs and cable-phone service) can already do with my DirecTV DVR service, which displays Caller-ID information on the TV screen.

As a result, many questions remain as to how the service will really work.

Give Dad the gift of entertainment on Father’s Day

[ Photo courtesy of Paula Pandey Chhetri ]

With Father’s Day just 3 days away, here are some last-minute suggestions that don’t include either a Sham-wow or a Snuggie. Instead, get your Dad or husband something he’d actually want—a gadget to make his entertainment more, well, entertaining. Here are a few suggestions for any budget.

$50 or less: Consider a set of decent earbuds (the Sony MDR-ED21LP, $20, is one example), or a DVD or Blu-ray disc of his favorite flick or series. An iTunes gift card, $15 to $50, will let him download music as well as movies and TV shows he can watch on an iPod, iPhone, or computer.

$50 to $100: A pair of noise-canceling headphones can deliver satisfying sound while providing a sonic sanctuary from unwanted outside noises, whether he’s on the go or just hanging out at home. We found several that fall into this price range in our last headphone Ratings (available to subscribers).

If you can spend $60, consider a basic Netflix subscription, which entitles Dad to two DVDs a month for a year. That translates to 24 movies, or a compilation of a TV series he might have missed. (A few critically acclaimed series to consider: Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, Mad Men, The Wire, The Shield, and Dexter. And allow me one personal recommendation: If he’s into history and mystery, I think he’ll love Foyle’s War, a PBS series about a police inspector dealing with espionage, sabotage, propaganda, and everyday crimes on the English coast during World War II.)

I’m in love with my DVR

Photo: apdk/Flickr

Please don’t tell me whether Jack Shephard blew up the island, or whether Jack Bauer lives to fight another day. I haven’t watched the season finales of Lost and 24 yet—they’re on my DVR.

I’m saving my two favorite shows for an evening when I can kick back and revel in them. I want to watch them at my convenience, not the network’s, so I’m not rushing in from work, dealing with a sick dog, or debating the merits of zoysia grass versus tall fescue with the landscaper.

Another reason I prefer to watch a recording is that I can fast-forward through each 2-hour program in about an hour and a half (sorry about that, advertisers, but I swear it doesn’t affect my decision about which toilet-bowl cleaner to buy). I also make ample use of pause and rewind (a godsend for deciphering Jack’s mumbled threats or simply replaying a scene to get a slow-mo look at the Smoke Monster).

Other things I love: It’s incredibly easy to use—in fact, it’s hands-down the most intuitive tech product I’ve encountered. Many folks say TiVo is even better than the Scientific Atlanta model I rent from my cable company, but I found it easier to go the rental route and get a recorder integrated with my set-top cable box.

It’s also brain-dead simple to record a whole season of a series (just choose “Record all first-run episodes on this channel” option), and I’m blown away by the ability to record two new programs while watching a previous recording. Plenty of other consumers evidently agree with me—about one-third of households in Nielsen’s People Meter Panel have a DVR, and the research firm says this device is “changing the TV landscape.”

Dish Network to offer DTVPal DVR, a DTV converter box with DVR capability

Beginning Nov. 19th, Dish Network will start taking preorders for the DTVPal DVR, the first digital-to-analog converter with DVR recording functionality.

The box (click on the image for a closer look), which can record both standard- and high-definition over-the-air programs, will be available in mid-December for $249.

The DTVPal DVR, first announced at CES back in January as the TR-50, can record up to 150 hours of standard-definition, or 30 hours of high-definition, programs. Other features include analog pass-through, auto-tune timers for use with a VCR, a seven-day program guide, and an easy-to-follow setup wizard. The box comes with a remote control, and features a pop-up signal-strength screen for monitoring reception.

Because converters with advanced functionality are excluded from the NTIA's coupon subsidy program, you can't use a $40 coupon to offset the box's suggested $299 price. However, Dish says it is cutting the selling price to $249 via a $50 instant rebate.

Other DTV converters from Dish have fared well in our exclusive Ratings of converter boxes, which have just been updated. We have now rated 31 models, covering a good cross-section of the market. Prices for tested models range from about $40 to $90, and a growing number now have features such as a VCR timer and analog pass-through. For more information, visit our free DTV converter box guide for the latest information, including important DTV converter box features and free access to the DTV converter box Ratings.

And stay tuned for our take on the new DTVPal DVR, which we'll review as soon as it's available.

—James K. Willcox

CES: More ways to get video from PC to TV

There’s a lot more video content on the Web these days, from YouTube clips to reruns of "Lost," but it isn’t easy to watch online video on your big HDTV. And while Apple may have grabbed the spotlight with today's Apple TV announcement, it's not the only company working to bridge the gap between your home office and living room. A number of devices and services announced at this year’s CES cover some of the same ground (without the splashy rollout).

Sony’s new Internet module will allow most of its new televisions to access free Internet video content, including some in high-def, from providers including AOL and Yahoo!, as well as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony BMG Music. Known as the BRAVIA Internet Video Link, it will connect to your TV and your Internet service. It should be available in mid-2007; no pricing information yet.

Sony’s offering limits your viewing to the so-far limited fare of its content partners; the movie content is mostly trailers, for example. Other solutions allow you to view almost any Web content. Sling Media, whose Slingboxes allow you to send TV content to your PC, has announced the SlingCatcher to do the opposite: the device will allow anything that can be viewed or played on your PC to be viewed on a TV. No pricing or introduction details yet.

Netgear says its new Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000), a box similar in size to a standard DVD player and listing at $349, will automatically catalog and play movies (including HD), TV shows, music files, and personal photos from a home network, across multiple PCs. It will also allow users to stream unprotected Web content. If your PC has an optional TV tuner installed, the device can be used to schedule and make recordings and pause or rewind live broadcasts. You may need a new router to use the Digital Entertainer, since it works only with some 802.11n-compliant routers.

Among other announcements, Microsoft also announced at CES plans to make Internet TV from select providers — including standard- and high-definition live television channels, video-on-demand, and digital video recording — available via its Xbox 360 gaming console by the 2007 holiday season. 

We've reviewed earlier network media receivers, and found most of them to be best suited for people who are comfortable fidgeting with a home network and can tolerate occasional crashes and resets. The next batch promises both more robust features and greater ease of use. Only time (and our test labs) will tell if they live up to those goals.

— Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor

Technorati tags: apple, apple tv, iptv, ces, bravia, netgear, consumer reports