Extra Extra: Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide is on sale

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It may be a tad early to start your holiday shopping, but there’s a good chance you’ve at least been thinking about it. Maybe you’ve had a big-ticket gift—like a new TV or home theater—in mind for a while now, but are putting off the purchase till November or December. If it’s sales you’re waiting for, you probably know what you want and how much you’re willing to pay. On the other hand, you might just a teeny bit leery of throwing so much cash at something you know very little about. Which is better: a plasma or LCD TV? Should you upgrade to a Blu-ray player or stick with standard-def DVDs?

If you find yourself in need of expert advice, consider the newest edition of the Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide. Inside you’ll find a wealth of information on everything from televisions and computers to smart phones, GPS units, and much more. For each product, the Consumer Reports editors walk you through the basics, explaining what’s available, which features matter, brand profiles, and offering tried-and-true shopping tips.

In addition to product information, the guide offers advice on how to shop smarter, including:

• Netting the best deals online, and protecting yourself when you shop on the Web


• When to repair and when to replace a broken item


• How to haggle effectively


• Finding the best electronics retailer based on our comprehensive annual survey


• How to save—and what to be wary of—with refurbished or open-box products on store shelves


• Where to get free office software, free computer security programs, and more useful freeware

New Ratings: Home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems

This 2.1-channel Samsung Blu-ray HTIB package targets those without room for a full multichannel system. (Click to enlarge.)
[PHOTO: Courtesy of Samsung]

We’ve just posted Home Theater Ratings (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers) for 15 new home-theater-in-a box systems, which include models without a built-in player, those with an integrated Blu-ray player, and models that have a DVD player. Most are 5.1- or 7.1-channel systems equipped with either five or seven acoustically matched speakers, plus a powered subwoofer. One model, a Samsung, is a 2.1-channel system designed for those who don’t have the room or desire for a full multichannel set-up.

Prices for these systems vary widely—the least expensive system we tested, a 5.1-channel system from RCA, costs $160, and Blu-ray models from both LG and Samsung are priced at $700. And price isn’t the best indicator of performance, we found.

You’ll have to choose carefully when buying a system to get the best combination of sound and video quality. For Blu-ray models, high-definition 1080p picture quality was uniformly excellent when playing Blu-ray discs, and most also did a good job upconverting standard DVDs; upconverted 1080p picture quality, however varied among systems with DVD players. But the biggest differentiator among systems was sound quality, which ranged from very good to disappointing.

More models have features such as an option for adding wireless rear speakers, iPod docks that let you play songs or videos through your entertainment system, and auto-calibration feature that can automatically set appropriate speaker volume levels. Some Blu-ray models are able to stream movies instantly from online services, such as Amazon Video On Demand and Netflix.

You’ll find more detailed information on the systems we rated than in previous tests. We’re already getting some new models in for testing, so check back here soon for information about when those results will be posted. —James K. Willcox

Sony, Best Buy team up for new Altus wireless audio line

Sony Altus ALT-SA32PC wireless multiroom speaker system (Click to enlarge)
[ Photo: Sony ]

Hoping to take the complexity out of buying wireless audio products, Sony has teamed up with Best Buy to launch a new Altus line of music systems, speakers and home theater gear based on Sony’s proprietary S-AIR wireless technology.

At a press conference yesterday, executives from both companies also showed a new interactive tabletop kiosk-style in-store display designed to make shopping for wireless audio products easier. Among the Altus products:

• Two iPod docking systems. The multi-room ALT-SA31 ($700) iPod package includes an iPod/iPhone docking station with an AM/FM tuner, two wireless speakers, plus an S-AIR remote control with an LCD that displays music metadata, such as artist and track info. TAIR-SW10i ($400) is a compact iPod docking station with an FM tuner, plus two built-in speakers and a wireless subwoofer.


• Two multi-room PC audio packages. The ALT-SA32PC ($500) system includes a USB PC transmitter, plus two wireless speakers, while the ALT-A33PC ($500) has the same USB transmitter, plus a universal receiver with RCA outputs, so you can wirelessly stream music from your computer to most existing music systems. Both items come with music management software that can access iTunes or Windows Media playlists.

Super Bowl HDTVs: Get the right TV for the "Big Game"

The next best thing to being at this year's Super Bowl in Tampa is watching it on a big-screen HDTV—especially since the game will be shot and broadcast in high definition. For the most impact, look for a TV with at least a 50-inch screen; go larger if you’ll be cheering on the team with a crowd gathered ‘round your set.

Our latest HDTV Ratings (available to subscribers) include 58- and 60-inch plasma TVs, and 52- and 55-inch LCD TVs. Want to go even bigger? A 60- to 73-inch rear-projection DLP TV from Mitsubishi or Samsung, the only brands remaining, offer the most bang for the buck. (Rear-projection DLP sets have been about three times more repair-prone than LCD and plasmas, though). For the greatest impact, consider a front projector and a screen 100 inches or more, mated to a multichannel surround-sound system. While front projectors aren't ideal for everyday TV use, they're perfect for an event like this, as long as you can handle the setup and installation of a separate screen, projector, and speakers.

Samsung adds new LCD, plasma HDTVs, plus Blu-ray HTIB

This week, Samsung offered a sneak preview of some of its flat-panel TV offerings that will hit stores shelves starting next month, including models with color accents (Touch of Color) on their frames, super-slim designs, and LED backlights. The company also showed a new home-theater-in-a-box system that incorporates a Blu-ray disc player.

A new high-end LCD line, the 950 series, features 1080p resolution, 120Hz technology (called Auto Motion Plus), and LED backlighting with local dimming. These sets have the ability to dim certain segments of the screen while others remain bright, which improves color, contrast, and black-level performance, and reduces power consumption, Samsung claims. The 46-inch LN46A950 ($3,200) and 55-inch LN55A950 ($4,200) will be available next month, and replace the LED-based 81-series models. The TVs come with a flash drive preloaded with HD-quality artwork, recipes, children's shows and games, and other digital content.

Other new LCD TVs include the 850 and 860 series, the slimmest LCDs yet in the Samsung line, with a depth of just 1.9 inches. They also have narrower frames than previous models, so they take up less room in your media center. These 1080p sets have 120Hz technology and two USB 2.0 inputs. The main difference between the lines will be that 860-series models, which have blue rather than rose accents, will be sold exclusively through A/V specialty dealers, and are priced $100 higher. The 46-inch LN46A850 ($2,700) and 52-inch LN52A850 ($3,400), and comparable 860 sets will be available in September.

New Blu-ray DVD players—one for under $300

While the latest Blu-ray players from several major brands aren't doing anything to lower the price barrier for Blu-ray ownership, Magnavox has introduced the first sub-$300 model, which is selling at Wal-Mart.

However, many models, including the Magnavox, are Profile 1.1 players that offer BonusView (picture-in-picture) capability, but not the Internet-access capability (called BDLive) of Profile 2.0 players. Even at lower prices, we still believe that holding off a bit longer—when fully featured players are both more plentiful and cheaper—makes the most sense for the majority of us. (Find other helpful buying advice in our "How to choose a high-def DVD player.")

But these all-inclusive players are now on the way. For example, Panasonic's newest standalone player is a Profile 2.0 model, and Samsung's new standalone model, a Profile 1.1 player, can be upgraded later this year to meet the Profile 2.0 specifications.

The down side, however, is that these players are still relatively expensive: $400 for the Samsung model, and $700 for the Panasonic. With the exception of the new Maganavox, the least expensive new Blu-ray players, even those from secondary brands, are $350. It's possible, though, that the introduction of the Magnavox model will put pressure on those second-tier brands manufacturers to get their player prices below $300.

Magnavox: Under $300 at Wal-Mart

The new Magnavox model, made by increasingly busy contract manufacturer Funai, has been sighted at Wal-Mart at a retail price of $298. The player, model NB500MG9, is a BonusView model that features 1080p/24 output (which sends film-base video at its native 24 frames-per-second rate to a TV or projector that can accept it; therefore, no conversion—3:2 pulldown—is needed to match the video to a TV’s 60 fps display). The Funai website has the owner's manual for the NB500MG9 (You'll need Adobe Acrobat, however.) if you'd like to see all of its features.