Sprenzy Shopping Blog

Well, I don’t hate Valentine’s Day. Hate is such a strong word. Let’s just say I’m not a fan of February 14th. If you are truly dreading V-Day, I would pick I Hate Valentine’s Day by Bennett Madison to help guide you through the day.

“Finally there’s no shame in hating Valentine’s Day! Whether we’re single, dating, married, or divorced, the dreaded February 14 arrives each year to ambush our self-esteem. No other twenty-four-hour period convinces otherwise happy folk that they’re in fact social pariahs. But now comes protection from the ritual onslaught of Whitman’s Samplers, saccharine cards, and suffocating expectations.

I Hate Valentine’s Day is a bitingly funny guide to getting through the Big Day painlessly, including tips on: People and places it’s best to avoid Ways to take your mind off being single How to score an emergency date Alternative ways to celebrate the holiday – or obliterate all thinking Crossing the minefield of gift-giving Romance for the unromantic Running into the ex Last-resort measures It’s only one day. Tomorrow it’s just dead flowers, empty calories, and a wicked champagne hangover.”

For a more sarcastic view, check out The Anti-Valentine’s Handbook by J. More…

“The mushy sentiment, the lousy candies, and the pressure of finding a date make February 14th a day that many wish didn’t exist. This pocket-sized companion to Flirtology will help lovelorn readers laugh their way through the most brutal of holidays. Learn which movies are best for a night alone (Love Stinks). Identify signs that a date isn’t going well (“HELP ME” written in his mashed potatoes).

Discover why having a date can be worse than not (four words: better looking ex-girlfriend). Skip the heartache. Make this book your V-Day companion!”

Thankfully, I don’t have any heartbreaking Valentine’s Day experiences to share. Sure there were lonely days in high school when I was a shy and slightly awkward teenager but no tragic events to recount. I’ve been a serial monogamous since my college days, so fortunately I have been rarely alone on Valentine’s Day.

My dislike of V-Day stems from the over-commercialism of the day. I don’t like being pressured by marketers and their ads to express my love and affection for my girlfriend on February 14th. I also hate the fact that flower prices are super inflated on V-Day. I’m a firm believer of expressing your appreciation and love for your significant other every single day instead of just one arbitrary day in February.

I have no problems with going out for a romantic dinner or giving boxes of chocolates and flowers. I actually enjoy doing all of these things but not on V-Day when I feel forced to do so. Thankfully, I have a girlfriend who feels the same way. It’s all about how you express your feelings and affection the other 364 days of the year.

Maybe I’ll make individual molten chocolate cakes next Wednesday for my girlfriend because it’s Wednesday, when we allow ourselves to eat dessert (that’s a story for another post), not because it’s Valentine’s Day.

Wired magazine recently released their 2006 gear and gadgets guide with the reviews available online for the first time. I’m a big fan of Wired and always enjoy reading the gear guide issue. The last paragraph of the editor’s note is quite amusing.

“Sure, there are other gear mags, but many of them don’t spend any hands-on time with the products they write about. In our world, that’s a catalog, not a guide. At Wired Test, we used everything we rated. If we say a product sucks, it does. And if we say it’s amazing, it is.”

This year, the gear guide has over 300 product reviews across 11 categories. The ”Best of Test” in each category are:

• Mobile Phones - Motorola Q

• Digicams - Pentax K100D

• Videocams - Canon HV10

• Televisions - Sony TAV-L1

• Video Gear - Tivo Series3

• Portable Audio - Toshiba Gibabeat MES30VW

• Home Audio - Tivoli Audio Music System

• Household - Black & Decker Infrawave Speed Oven

• Laptops - Apple Macbook Pro 15-Inch

• Gaming Gear - Nintendo Wii

• Automotive - Lexus GS 450H

I own the Motorola Q and it’s perfect for my needs. I’ve been longing for the Tivo Series3, but I’m still waiting for the price to drop. There isn’t enough HD programming currently (I’m a Comcast customer) to justify the $700+ price tag.

The gadget on the Best of Test list that intrigues me the most is the Black & Decker Infrawave Speed Oven. I actually own another infrared oven, the Flavorwave Oven. And believe it or not, it works pretty well. I’ve roasted chickens, made prime rib and bbq ribs in the Flavorwave, and it produces good food in half the time of a conventional oven. I still prefer using a normal oven but if you are time constrained, an infrared oven will definitely save some time.

Getting back to the B&D Infrawave Speed Oven, I like the toaster oven form factor, which makes it more versatile than a Flavorwave Oven. The idea of heating up leftovers in half the time of a normal oven without the microwave soggy food issue sounds very appealing. I think I’m going to retire my toaster and replace it with a Black & Decker Infrawave Speed Oven. Sorry toaster, but I don’t eat enough toast to warrant your counter space.

Reader Craig wrote: I’m in the process of buying an HDTV between 32” - 37”. My price range is between $1,200 - $2,000. I’m looking for the best value. I don’t need the latest and greatest technology. I plan on using it to watch HD sports programming. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Craig, I’m going to assume you are looking at flat panel TVs based on your screen size and price range. Let’s start out by highlighting some HDTV buying guides.

• Ultimate HDTV Buying Guide [CNET] - a comprehensive guide that discusses TVs by budget, screen size, resolution, aspect ratio, connectivity and more.

• Picking the Right HDTV for You [Home Theater Magazine] - a quick guide that covers the basics, such as correct screen size and HDTV type.

• LCD & Plasma TVs [Consumer Reports] - discusses HDTV price drops during this holiday season, screen size, performance, 1080p resolution and reliability.

• Big-Screen TVs Videos [Consumer Reports] - a series of videos, which covers HDTV types, 1080p, audio quality, connections and reliability. The videos are little dry but informative.

Skip the guides if you are familiar with HDTV technology, otherwise the buying guides will give you a crash course on HDTV basics. These days you have a lot of choices for under $2,000. I narrowed down the HDTVs by searching/researching across blogs, user forums and review web sites. I’m not sure what your preference is between plasma versus LCD so I’ll provide recommendations on both TV types.

Let’s start out with plasma HDTVs. Note: Prices shown below are the lowest price available not including tax and shipping.

• Panasonic TH-37PHD8UK [$1,133]  - CNET loves these no frills plasma monitors. It doesn’t come with a stand or  speakers and has minimal inputs, but you can purchase these accessories for the TV. The picture quality is supposed to be excellent if you want a minimal, HDTV monitor. The major con is its 1024x720 resolution that can’t fully resolve a 720p signal.

• Panasonic TH-37PX60U [$1,245] - the folks over at the AVS Forum rave about the picture quality of this plasma set. This set does come with speakers, SD memory card slot and built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuners, which allows you to view over-the-air and unscrambled digital cable signals. The set can display 480p/720p/1080i HD signals.

Now, let’s take a look at some LCD HDTVs.

• Sharp Aquos LC-37D90U [$1,599] - “For outstanding detail and sharp images, it’s hard to beat the Sharp LC-37D90U. With the right image and the optimal viewing position, the picture quality is beautiful, even viewed up close. It’s less impressive than some other LCD TVs with dark scenes and off-angle viewing. The resolution is a major plus if you want to use the set as both a computer display and a TV.” The 37D90U is Consumer Reports’ (CR) and CNET’s highest rated 37” LCD monitor and is also a 1080p set.

• Sony Bravia KDL-40S2000 [$1,544] - per Consumer Report, “The new Bravia S series models displayed fine picture quality in our initial tests–almost as good as that of Sony’s $3,300 KDL-V40XBR1, one of the best LCDs we’ve seen so far. They did especially well with fast motion–an Achilles heel for LCD TVs in general–and the viewing angle was comparable to that of most better LCD sets. Still, we haven’t yet seen a TV that matches the wide viewing angle of the best LCD computer displays.” The KDL-40S2000 has a 40” screen but is also available as a 32” model, Bravia KDL-32S2000 [$999].

• Hewlett Packard LC3760N [$1,099] - received good reviews from both CR and CNET - “While the HP LC3760N’s color isn’t the most accurate we’ve seen, its solid black levels and connectivity combine to outclass most budget LCDs.” The lack of color management is a negative on this set.

Before conducting this research, I was leaning towards recommending an LCD HDTV. However based on the reviews, I’m torn between the Sharp Aquos LC-37D90U and the Panasonic TH-37PX6OU. Since you are looking for the best value and not the latest technology, mainly 1080p resolution, the 37PX60U is probably the way to go. At 37”, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference between 720p/1080i and 1080p anyway. Besides the resolution difference, both TVs have comparable features.

I would recommend going to a store and viewing both the Sharp and the Panasonic to determine which set is best for you. Make sure you check out the viewing angles, watch the TVs with HD sports programming and bring your favorite DVD movie to compare the picture quality of the sets. Also, keep in mind the inherent weaknesses of plasma and LCD HDTVs and choose the TV type that best suits your viewing location and habits.

Good luck with your HDTV purchase and let me know if you have additional questions.

Update 12.06.2006: I just noticed the lowest merchant price on a new Sharp Aquos LC-37D90U is now $1,599. As the price drops closer to the Panasonic TH-37PX60U, I’m changing my recommendation to the Sharp LCD HDTV. But you should still go to a store and check out the picture quality and viewing angle.

Other Resources:

Sony BRAVIA KDL-40S2000 LCD Review [Home Theater Magazine]

Sharp AQUOS LC-37D40U LCD Review [Home Theater Magazine]

I stumbled upon a great article on How to Choose a DSLR Camera from the Digital Photography School blog.  The blog post discusses reasons to upgrade to a DSLR. The top 3 reasons out of 9 are:

1. “Image Quality - Due to the larger size of image sensors in DSLRs which allows for larger pixel sizes - DSLRs are generally able to be used at a faster ISO which will lead to faster shutter speeds and less grain (ie shoot at 1600 ISO on most DSLRs will have less noise than shooting at 1600 on a Point and Shoot). DSLRs also have built in noise-reduction when generating JPG images which also helps cut down on noise.

2. Adaptability - DSLR’s ability to change lenses opens up a world of possibilities for photographers. While my point and shoot has a nice little 3x Optical Zoom (and many these days have longer ones) my DSLR can be fitted with many high quality lenses ranging from wide angle to super long focal lengths depending upon what I’m photographing (and of course my budget). Add to this a large range of other accessories (flashes, filters etc) and a DSLR can be adapted to many different situations. It should be noted that when it comes to lenses that the diversity in quality of lenses is great. Image quality is impacted greatly by the quality of the lens you use.

3. Speed - DSLR’s are generally pretty fast pieces of machinery when it comes to things like start up, focusing and shutter lag.”

The article continues to explain how to decide which DSLR to buy. Factors to consider are price, use, size, previous gear, resolution, sensor size, future upgrades and other common features. The author, who is a Canon user, recommends the following DSLRs.

• Canon EOS 400D - “This is a good camera if you’re a little nervous about stepping out of point and shoot land and want something that is easy to use.”

• Canon EOS 30D - “It is positioned nicely between the entry level and Professional models going around and produces wonderful images.”

• Canon EOS 5D - “This camera has great reviews from around the web and is high on my own personal wish list.”

If you are in the market for a digital SLR camera, the Digital Photography School blog posting is a must read before making your purchase.