DVD Recorders
Have you looking for a DVD Recorder to give as a gift this year and have found slim-pickins on store shelves? It is not your imagination. While DVD recorders are thriving in other parts of the World and Blu-ray Disc recorders are all the rage in Japan, and are being introduced in several other markets, Blu-ray Disc recorders are nowhere to be found in the U.S. and the number of brands and models of DVD Recorders and DVD Recorder/VCR Combos is also being reduced in the U.S. market. For more detals, check out my article: The Case of the Disappearing DVD Recorder.
Also, if you are considering purchasing a DVD recorder as gift this year, check out my DVD Recorder FAQs as well as my current DVD Recorder and DVD Recorder/VCR Combo Top Picks.
Upscaling DVD Players
Upscaling DVD Players have been very popular the past several years. However, as a result of the introduction of Blu-ray Disc players, the number of available Upscaling DVD players is beginning to decrease. So, if you are looking for a great gift to complement an HDTV, a Blu-ray Disc player, which also has the ability to play DVDs with upscaling, would be a better option than an Upscaling DVD player at this point. However, if you are on a strict budget, Upscaling DVD players are very inexpensive (typically $129 or less).
Keep in mind that upscaling cannot convert standard DVD images into true high-definition images, but is a close approximation - especially when you consider the much lower cost for an upscaling DVD player as opposed to a Blu-ray Disc Player. Upscaling works well with fixed pixel displays, such as Plasma and LCD televisions, but results are not always consistent on older CRT-based high definition televisions.
For more information on what you need to know before you buy an Upscaling DVD Player read my FAQ What Is Meant By An HD-Compatible DVD Player? and DVD Video Upscaling - Important Facts.
In addition, check out my suggestions for Best Upscaling DVD Players, as well as my Best DVD/SACD/DVD-Audio Players.
CRT Televisions
In addition to end of analog television, the CRT, or traditional Picture Tube Television, is no longer available as a viable purchase option. Major manufacturers, such as Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba, JVC, and Hitachi are no longer making CRT televisions in any screen size. The only major manufacturers that are making CRT televisions are generic brands - but only in smaller screen sizes, if at all. If you are shopping for a television this holiday season, your choices at most retailers will be LCD or Plasma Flat Panel sets, and LCD or DLP projection sets (although the number of DLP Televisions is decreasing).
The VHS VCR
While almost all U.S. households have at least one VCR and with VCR prices now in the $50 price range, this product has definitely passed its heyday. With inherently poor picture quality and environmentally susceptible recording media, I have never been satisfied with the VHS VCR as the best way to record and watch video.
That being said, the VCR has been around for 30 years and what was the first viable technology to give consumers control over what and when they watch on their TV. Despite early fears from the movie studios, the VCR gave a second life to many films (both classic and more recent) as whole new generations of viewers had access to films just by going down to the video store. Many consumers still have a lot of commercial and home-recorded VHS tapes.
However, with DVD dominating both the video rental and retail market for almost a decade, and with Blu-ray gaining presence with the advent of HDTV, DVD, despite its current top spot, is also beginning to show signs of decline. VHS movies and VCRs have been pushed out of valuable shelf space by retailers favoring DVD players and movies and even more profitable Blu-ray Disc players and movies. Almost all manufacturers have stopped making standalone VCRs altogether, opting instead to include them only as a part of a DVD Player/VCR combo or DVD Recorder/VCR combo.
My suggestion; if you really need, or want, a new VCR, get a DVD Player/VCR combo, or a DVD Recorder/VCR Combo, especially if you are buying it as a gift.
Go Shopping...
There you have it, an overview of my "Hot" and "Not" product categories for the holiday shopping season. Be sure to check out other resources listed on the bottom of this article. Now, go shopping, don't get too stressed, have fun, and have a happy holiday shopping season!
Check out my Top Home Theater Gifts for Holiday Shoppers.
