My new toys

I got my new set of gadgets/ toys for the year. I gave more importance to value for money than brand and so on.

I selected the Syntax Olevia LT37HVS 37" HDTV because it had the best features in its price range and to get even a slightly better TV I had to spend at least twice amount.

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  I bought it from the local Microcenter for about $1600 (hoping to get back $500 in mail-in rebates :P ).


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  It has a built-in HD tuner that allows you to directly connect an HD antenna and get the OTA (Over The Air) free HD channels.


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  It can support High Definition resolutions upto 1366x768 i.e., 1080i (interlaced) or 780p (progressive). If you connect it to a Progressive DVD player, you can see DVDs at 480p and that looks good.


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  It claims to have a 8ms response time that is required if you are watching fast action sports or playing games. Some say that the actual response times may be lesser.


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  It has all the inputs that you need. 2 Component, 2 S-Video, 1 HDMI, 2 composite, VGA, etc. I use Sony THX Component Monster cables and the clarity is much better compared to the normal composite connection.


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  Both the speakers are 20W each and are just okay but you need external speakers to enjoy DVDs and HD programs. That's why I bought the Onkyos.
  

Onkyo HT-S780 7.1 Home Theater System and Onkyo DV-CP702 6 disc DVD player

Onkyo is an established player in the audio market. I found some very good reviews about the system and a good deal on the Onkyo website. The Home Theater itself does not have a DVD player but the receiver/ amplifier received great reviews.

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  They bundled the DVD player with the HT at a discounted price of $450. After a quick search on Google I found a promotion code that gave me an additional $90 discount. I also got $10 off for registering at their website. So the total price I paid was $350 with no taxes and free shipping ($450 - $90 -$10). I think it is well worth the money I paid.
  


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  I will edit this post a few days later to add more about the system..
  

Just before these purchases I got my Dell 700m 12.1" laptop. I wanted an ultra-portable so that I don't have to think twice before carrying my laptop with me. I thought I will get more work done that way :P

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  I added almost all the upgrades possible like Windows XP Professional, 1 GB RAM, Wireless a/b/g, Windows Media center with Remote, 80 GB HDD and the extended battery.
  


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  I used a online discount coupon for $750. So my total with the Free printer, taxes and shipping was $1200.
  


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  The battery lasts for about 6 hours if you are not using the DVD player a lot.
  


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  The screen is very bright but the highly reflective screen makes it difficult to work at times. It is supposed to give a better movie viewing experience.
  


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  It is light and small enough to carry around but the extra battery attachment is not so sturdy/well-connected. So you have to make sure not to hold it on that side.
  


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  The major drawback I found later was the lack of bluetooth support. I wanted to connect it to my Syntax TV and work from a distance with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. But I am not terribly bothered about it since there are alternatives to it.
  

I upgraded the Free printer to the Dell All-in-one Photo printer 942. I think it is useful to have an All-in-one printer at home. At least you will need it to send in all your mail-in-rebates :).

It outputs pretty good photos if you use good photo paper.




I also bought the Maxtor 300 GB external Hard Disk with my laptop. It supports both USB 2.0 and Firewire.

I use it to store a lot of video files captured from my MiniDV camcorder (Sony PCR DC-350) and backup using Norton Ghost. It is silent too.

Now all I am waiting for is the XBox 360.