DVD format wars and a slow Christmas shopping season means bargains galore for savvy shoppers.

Toshiba’s second generation 720p/1080i resolution HD-A2 HD DVD player can be had for $399.99 on Amazon.com. While Toshiba’s third generation 1080i-capable HD-A3 HD DVD player is priced at a mere $249.99. The 1080p-capable HD-A30 HD DVD player costs only a bit more at $349.59.

In addition to HD-DVDs, the players can also play regular DVDs, DVD-R/Ws, DVD-VRs, CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs.

Customers who purchase Toshiba’s HD-DVD players are still eligible to receive five free movies via a mail-in rebate. This is in addition to the two movies, The Bourne Identity and 300, which come in the box.

Sony has introduced the first OLED television at CES 2008. According to Sony, the 11-inch (measured diagonally) XEL-1 model is just about 3 millimeters thick and offers picture quality with extremely high contrast, outstanding brightness, exceptional color reproduction, and a rapid response time.

The OLED display panel uses extremely low power levels since the light-emitting structure of the panel eliminates the need for a separate light source. As a result, OLED panels can be up to 40 percent more efficient per panel inch compared with a conventional 20-inch LCD panel. Additionally, since OLED displays create their own light, any mercury associated with traditional backlighting is eliminated. OLED displays can prevent light emission when reproducing shades of black, resulting in very deep blacks and a contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1.

The Sony XEL-1 features the latest connectivity options, including two HDMI inputs and a Memory Stick® slot for viewing high-resolution photos.

The Sony XEL-1 is available now at Sony Style® retail stores nationwide for about $2,500. Initially, supplies will be limited.

SONY OLED XEL-1 UNTESTED!

US $999.00 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 10:17:07 PST Buy It Now for only: US $999.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list

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Are you stuck with dull, geeky-looking backup drives? No more! The Golden Disk’s unique golden wave design was created for LaCie by the world-renowned designer Ora-to. The casing has a liquid-motion look that will look great anywhere!

The drive sports a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface with plug & play, driver-free installation (Windows 2000, Windows XP & Mac OSX). And, it’s fan-free for quiet operation.

Dimensions

Size – 1.57 x 4.4 x 7.4 in.
Weight – 31.7 oz. / 900 g

What’s in the box?

LaCie Golden Disk
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable
Power supply kit
Quick Install Guide
LaCie Backup Utilities (preloaded)
User Manual
LaCie ’1-Click’ Backup Software (Windows/Mac)
LaCie SilverKeeper Backup Software (Mac)
2 Year Limited Warranty

Price and Availability

The street price is about $175. The 500GB Golden Disk is available at Amazon.com.

Panasonic recently announced the introduction of the DMP-BD30, the next generation high-definition (HD) 1080p Blu-ray Disc player. Blu-ray means incredible full-HD images, breathtaking sound and 5x the data capacity of DVDs.

The DMP-BD30 is the first Blu-ray player with Final Standard Profile, which adds a variety of new and enhanced features. Also unique to the DMP-BD30 is the inclusion of an SD Memory Card slot for playback of high-definition (HD) content recorded on camcorders using the AVCHD format. An AVCHD Direct Navigator function makes it easy to search for particular scenes. The SD card slot also allows viewing of digital still images in the popular JPEG format captured with digital cameras.

Final Standard Profile is an advanced function added to the Blu-ray standard, which opens the door to new functions such as Picture-in-Picture (displays a second image in a sub window) and Audio Mixing (allows the user to switch the sound between the main and sub windows).

Superb picture quality is complemented by exceptionally pure, accurate sound thanks to Dolby(R) TrueHD and DTS-HD(TM). UniPhier(R)’s advanced processing capability decodes these audio signals with high precision and outputs them in bitstream form with no degradation. It also brings re-mastering to Blu-ray for the first time, which compensates for data lost during the compression process creating a fuller, richer sound.

Panasonic N2QAYB000184 Blu-Ray Disc Player Remote Control BD DMP-BD30 35 50 55

US $29.99 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 14:54:58 PST Buy It Now for only: US $29.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list

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Tags: Blu-ray, Panasonic

Looking for a portable media player (PMP)? The Archos 605 WiFi has the highest screen resolution (800×480) and the highest quality screen in a Portable Media Player on the market today. Combine that with touch-screen capability and WiFi connectivity – you’ve got a winner in your hands.

Download content wirelessly and directly to your Archos 605 WiFi or stream movies, TV shows and music from your computer or laptop. With an optional Web browser plug-in, you can surf the Web and enjoy videos from online videos sites like DailyMotion and YouTube.

The Archos 605 comes with photo viewing capabilities (JPEG, BMP, and PNG files are 100 percent compatible with the player). The player can even pull up PDFs for portable review — an ideal means to take bigger documents or e-books in PDF format on the road. Because of the Archos’s USB 2.0 compatibility, files can be quickly transferred to the device in the absence of a WiFi network connection. Charging the player can also be accomplished with an active USB connection.

The ARCHOS 605 records NTSC/PAL/SECAM in MPEG-4 AVI format with stereo sound, VGA resolution (640×480) at 30 or 25 fps through an optional DVR Station/DVR Travel Adapter. Audio recording can be accomplished through the same adapter: stereo line-in, WAV (IMA, ADPCM or PCM) format.

What’s in the Box

Archos 605 WiFi portable media player, headphones, USB cable, adapter for optional DVR Station Gen 5, protective pouch, quick start guide, and legal/safety notice.

Archos DVR Station Gen 5 for 405, 605, and 705 Players

US $50.99 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 10:46:48 PST Buy It Now for only: US $50.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list

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Tags: Archos

Looking for a unique Christmas gift? The Digital Foci (pronounced “foe-sigh”) Pocket Album with 1.5″ color screen lets you view your favorite photos anytime, anywhere. You can even pre-load photos to make the gift even more special.

The Pocket Album runs on a Lithium-ion battery with up to 9 hours of battery life. You can easily recharge the battery with included AC adapter or with USB power by connecting it to your computer. The unit also features a built-in clock with automatic on/off timer. The LCD screen contrast is adjustable for choosing your optimal viewing angle.

Features

• Holds up to 74 digital photos with 8MB internal flash memory
• 1.5” color LCD screen
• 9 hours of battery life using Lithium-Ion batteries
• LCD contrast adjustable for choosing optimal viewing angle
• Builds automatic photo slideshows with adjustable time intervals
• Built-in clock with automatic on/off timer
• Photo Viewer Software (compatible with Windows Vista/XP/2000, Mac 10.x or later)
• Rechargeable battery with included AC adapter or via included USB cable
• Measures 2.2″ x 1.6″ x 0.5″ and weights only 1.2 oz

The user-friendly Photo Viewer Software (included) is used to convert JPG or BMP images from your computer to Pocket Album. The software also lets you crop and rotate photos you wish to transfer, before automatically resizing them for optimal storage and display on the pocket album.

The Digital Foci Pocket Album is priced at about $40 and is available at Amazon.com.

Today’s high-definition televisions (HDTVs) are capable of displaying a far greater amount of movie realism than a standard DVD player can deliver. That’s why Blu-ray Disc (BD) technology was developed. Samsung is the leading manufacturer of Blu-Ray Disc Players. The BD-P1400 comes on the heals of the very popular BD-P1200.

The BD-P1400 adds a few important features such as support for 24 frames per second output, which is claimed to reduce judder when viewed on a compatible display. The BD-P1400 also has internal decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD which means that most AV receivers (those equipped with either HDMI or 5.1 analog audio inputs) can be used to amplify the high-resolution soundtracks. The BD-P1400 also retains many of the key features of the BD-P1200, like an HDMI 1.3 port, an Ethernet jack to upgrade the firmware and 5.1 analog audio outputs.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) transfers high-definition (1080i/720p/1080p) video and audio from your DVD or BD to your TV, home theater, or other digital AV components. It allows you to connect your Blu-ray player to your home theater system with a single HDMI cable.

Samsung BD-P1400 Blue Ray Player

US $170.00 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 15:27:53 PST Buy It Now for only: US $170.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list

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Tags: Blu-Ray

Have you ever panicked that you have misplaced or lost your flash drive? The thought of sensitive data getting in the hands of an identity thief give you the chills? Get yourself an IronKey! An IronKey flash drive gives you military-grade security allowing you to protect your data, passwords and web surfing with hardware-based encryption. The IronKey is your own portable Fort Knox.

Still not convinced? The IronKey’s rugged metal casing is injected with an epoxy compound that makes it not only waterproof but tamper-proof. It is virtually impossible for someone to tamper with an IronKey without causing irreparable damage rendering the unit unusable.

The IronKey password is hashed using SHA-256 functions before being transmitted to the IronKey Secure Flash Drive over a secure and unique USB channel, and stored in an extremely inaccessible location in the protected hardware. The password try counter is also implemented in hardware, to prevent memory rewind attacks. Typing your password incorrectly too many times initiates a “flash trash” self-destruct sequence, which is run in hardware rather than using software. IronKey’s patent-pending “flash-trash” methodology incorporates an exhaustive hardware erase of all flash and Cryptochip memory.

When you visit a website and log into an account, the IronKey Password Manager asks if you would like for it to store and remember that password for you. If you choose to save this password, it is stored in the encrypted Password Manager database, which is doubly encrypted. If you plug your IronKey into a computer that has keystroke logging software on it, or if your computer becomes infected with a keystroke logger, you will be protected because the IronKey Password Manager enters your passwords for you into your web pages, instead of have you type them in.

Any downside? IronKey only works on computers running Windows XP and Windows Vista. Mac OS and older versions of Windows are not supported.

The IronKey costs about $140 for the 4GB version, $100 for the 2GB version, and $75 for a 1GB version. Certainly, a small price to pay for secure and portable data. See links below.

Tags: IronKey

If you want to compete in the crowded super-tiny MP3 player market, you need a unique design and killer feature set. Check out the SanDisk Sansa Clip. It includes a small OLED screen that displays playlists and currently playing tunes. It is compatible with both MP3 and WMA files, has an integrated FM tuner with 20 preset stations, a microphone for voice memos, and a long-lasting rechargeable battery. You have a choice of four different colors in either 1GB or 2GB storage capacities.

The Sansa Clip has a hi-speed USB 2.0 port for fast and easy transfer of files from your PC or laptop. Expandable? No. Inexpensive? Yes! You can get the 1GB version for about $40 and the 2GB version for about $60.

If you are looking for an even smaller MP3 player, consider the Sansa Express shown below.