Sound & Vision Magazine - Ultimate Gift Guide (part 2)

Lite-On DVD recorder
Too busy to watch Boston Legal? Here’s a gift that’ll give back in spades. Just bestow Lite-On’s LVW-1101 DVD recorder ($99) upon a fellow fan with more time on his hands, and he’ll be able to easily copy shows for you. Sure, the deck is a little bare-bones — there’s no S-video input, it has few editing features, and it only records to DVD+R/RW — but what do you want for less than a C note? At least it has a progressive-scan output, so it can serve as a decent player, too. — Peter Pachal
liteonamericas.com

ZVUE portable multimedia player
HandHeld Entertainment’s ZVUE MP4 ($99) looks like a slightly rotund iPod, but it’s actually the least expensive portable video player I’ve seen and maybe the easiest to use. Your digital video, music, and photos are stored on SD flash-memory cards — you load the card from your PC’s card reader or use a USB connection to drag and drop content from your hard drive to the ZVUE. User-friendly Zflicks software converts video from popular formats (except QuickTime) to compressed .zvue files. The player’s controls and onscreen interface are simple and intuitive, and video files converted at medium- to high-quality settings looked and sounded pretty good (though the 21/2-inch, 160 x 240-pixel LCD screen is small and lacks fine detail). ZVUE’s Web site also offers video and music content for downloading, including old movies, cartoons, and TV shows. For video on the run that won’t have you running to the bank, ZVUE gets a thumbs up. — Rob Sabin
zvue.com

ugg5_dvdirect_dvdrd400

DVDirect portable DVD-recorder/drive
No standalone DVD recorder connects to a computer — except Sony’s $260 VRD-VC20 DVDirect. Though it lacks a TV tuner, it’s a compact, portable recorder that makes DVDs directly from non-copy-protected analog or digital sources (the latter through an i.Link connection). Patch it into a computer via its USB 2 port, and it’s also a high-speed drive/burner for CD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, and dual-layer DVD+R discs. Make DVDs in the standalone, direct-to-disc mode, and you automatically get reasonably attractive menus, but using the computer-connected mode with the bundled Nero software gives you much greater editing and menu-creation flexibility. Hint: before committing footage to the standalone mode, practice using the recorder with an erasable DVD. The Sony is very easy to use, but the limited display capability and lack of a video output can mean you sometimes end up with DVD coasters. An impressively simple way to make your own DVDs. — David Ranada
sonystyle.com

Samsung and Toshiba portable DVD players
You know your road-warrior husband wants a portable DVD player — he’s had his eye on them for years. And at last they’re affordable. The question is, which one? We’ve narrowed it down to the Toshiba SD-P1600 (not shown) and the Samsung DVD-L70 (each $200). Both are only 1 inch thick and have a 7-inch LCD screen, stereo speakers, JPEG/MP3/WMA playback, two headphone jacks, an analog A/V output, a remote, and a detachable battery pack. (The Samsung’s battery is good for 21/2 hours while the Toshiba’s will hang in there for 3 hours.) With its 336,000 pixels, the Samsung’s screen is notably sharp and very bright. The Toshiba provides an analog A/V input and digital audio output jacks, but its screen is comparatively dim, and its battery is bulkier. The Samsung’s clamshell is black on the outside and silver on the inside, the Toshiba’s just the opposite. Bottom line: Both are pretty slick. Happy choosing. — Ken C. Pohlmann
samsungusa.com
tacp.toshiba.com

HANNspree crab TV
This easily transportable, pint-size LCD TV flies in the face of traditional bulky models. Or in this case, crawls. HANNspree’s cuddly crab set ($400) has a plush skin that kids will just want to hug, so let ’em — the exterior is plenty durable. Images on the 9.625-inch 800 x 600-pixel screen look passable when connected to your cable box via the supplied composite/S-video cable, and there’s an antenna input (but no antenna) if you want to get programs off the air. It’s not exactly portable, since it runs on AC power only, so don’t get too ambitious when moving it around. If the under-6 crowd isn’t your target, HANNspree also makes mini TVs in varied styles — from sports to swank. — Peter Pachal
www.hannspree.com/us

Humax DVD/TiVo recorder
Humax has improved its DRT800 recorder in two significant ways since my review of it in the May issue. The capacity of the hard-disk recorder has doubled to 160 GB and the price has dropped from $499 to $349 (the TiVo fees are unchanged). Everything else remains the same, including the famously easy-to-use TiVo program guide, the DVD-recording capability, and the ability to connect to the TiVo service through a home network. Unlike most DVD recorders, though, the DRT800 doesn’t give you any way to edit your recordings. Even though you’re stuck with the commercials, having the DVD burner integrated into the TiVo menu system makes it really easy to pump out DVD copies of your favorite shows. — David Ranada
humaxusa.com

StikAx music/video mixer
Now this is a joystick. Whether you’re just a weekend mixologist or a club-hardened pro DJ, you’ll want to get your hands around the Ministry of Sound StikAx ($99). Concoct your own music and video wonders by importing files into the TrakAx software, or use the 450 preloaded music loops and 100 video clips for practice fodder. The software is deep but has an easy learning curve, and it does as good a job as suites costing hundreds more. But the real fun is in the “stick” — connect it to your PC’s USB port (sorry, no Mac support yet), and you can use its eight buttons for drag-and-drop editing on the fly. (It’s way more intuitive and simple to master than a typical keyboard interface.) The extensive interactive tutorials will get you quickly to the multitask at hand. — Shannon McCarthy
stikax.com/us/home.html

Sanyo digital camera
So it does 6 megapixels — big whoop. I’m pretty sure my nose-hair trimmer does, too. No, what’ll impress you most about Sanyo’s VPC-E6 ($400) is the big (2.875-inch) LCD screen, which virtually fills the backside. And photography rookies will delight in the auto-focus touch sensor — instead of your having to press the trigger halfway to focus, it senses your fingertip and makes the necessary adjustments, eliminating “shutter lag.” Without an extending lens, the cam can be stored in tight spots without worry but still packs a 3x zoom for pulling targets in closer. — Peter Pachal
sanyo.com

Ear Force AXT gaming headset
Want to stay up until the wee hours playing videogames without waking the neighbors? Then give the gift of silence by treating yourself to Turtle Beach’s Ear Force AXT headset ($80). Thanks to a built-in amplifier and four speakers in each earcup, the AXT takes the stereo signal from your Xbox and simulates an immersive 5.1-channel surround sound experience. True, its large, well-padded cups will make you look like DJ Jazzy Jeff, but no one’s around at 3 a.m. to see how silly you look. Best of all, there’s a built-in microphone for Xbox Live gaming. Unlike those single-ear headsets that put online communications in one ear while you listen to a game’s music and sound effects from your speakers or TV with the other, the AXT lets you hear the game’s soundtrack and Live chatter with both ears. — Drew Thompson
turtlebeach.com

PlayGear Amp for PSP
There’s no doubt that the PSP is the niftiest all-in-one gadget for gaming, music, and movies, but its tiny built-in speakers are pretty cheesy. For $60, Logitech’s attractive, color-coordinated PlayGear Amp turns the PSP into a mini theater. Its four 1-inch speakers deliver surprisingly good stereo sound — just don’t expect total immersion or anything resembling real bass. An angled cradle lets you prop up the PSP for hands-free movie viewing and a 3-foot audio cable lets you enjoy decent sound while gaming. Since the PlayGear Amp accepts a normal headphone plug for its audio input, you can use it with your iPod and other audio devices. The carrying case — which has enough room to corral your cords — and the collapsible design make the PlayGear a great gift for anyone who doesn’t want to leave his entertainment behind. — Drew Thompson
logitech.com

RoboRaptor
This remote-controlled Mini-Mechagodzilla will be a riot for adults and pure ecstasy for kids, even if some of his tricks — like changing moods or hunting a target — are a little beyond your average 6-year-old. But the fun comes fast and furious as soon as you get the hang of the infrared (IR) remote — you can even unleash Wow Wee’s 2.5-foot-tall RoboRaptor ($120) to go off stalking on his own. Steer him clear of the stairs, though. And his oversensitive IR sensors make him react to walls when they’re still a decent distance away. A couple of other things to keep in mind: the roar is loud enough to get annoying after the 17th time, and pet owners should be wary — cats will absolutely freak out when they see RoboRaptor in action, and dogs may respond to his more-unfriendly gestures in kind. — Peter Pachal