Here are some other categories of gifts that we could spend a lot of time discussing.  I’m only hitting some big points here.   The best way to figure out the right TV or camcorder is to go the store, check out the pictures, camcorder features, etc, and then look to see if your budget will support what you are looking for (the budget always comes up, doesn’t it?)

Flat panel TVs:  These of course are the rage.  Why buy a TV with a big tube sticking out the back when you can get a flat panel one and save yourself room (and also some back ache) when taking out of the box and setting up.   These TVs come in a myriad of sizes from very small (I’ve seen them under 20” diagonal) to over 50” in size that can fill up a good portion of your room. 

When buying flat panels there are two main types to look at:  LCD and Plasma. 

LCD (liquid crystal display) units can be wall mounted or put on a stand, and have a flat screen and shallow profile as everyone is looking for currently.   These systems don’t have a phosphor coating on the screen, so you don’t have to worry about a “burned in” image on the screen, which can be nice.  Recently, LCD TVs have started to come in bigger sizes, which used to be the domain of plasma ones (which I will get to next).  One measure of TVs now is how the blackest “black” on a unit contrasts to the whitest “white” that can be displayed.  The LCDs do well, but they don’t measure up to the plasma units currently. 

Plasma’s have a more impressive ratio on this measure, and thus will have an advantage.   Also, plasma TVs are considered superior when there a number of different types of images up on the screen (light and dark).  This can be an advantage for playing video games, or for those of you with a real desire to be able discriminate every detail in your favorite movie.  Another factor to look at is resolution (how many lines being utilized to form the picture).  The 1080p mark is the top standard right now.  You will also find 1080i resolution, which doesn’t use as many lines.  If you are big into games, you will want to opt for a 1080p unit.  Otherwise, if you just watch standard shows in HDTV then 1080i should be fine for you.  

I’ve noticed that LCD models will tend to cost less than plasmas as an additional thing to look at.  If you are a real connoisseur of fine detail on movies or games, you will want to pay more an opt for a plasma tv.  If having a very good picture at a decent price and you aren’t so much into games, than an LCD TV is probably what you are looking for.   Both LCDs and Plasmas come with HD-TV tuners (typically if they are over a certain size), so you just need to have a cable or satellite system that is delivering the HD signals to get the nice detailed images for your weekend sports or favorite shows that you like to watch.  All the main manufacturers (Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic) tend to make very good units.  I have seen Vizio at places like Costco and similar stores.   They tend to be cheaper and still have very solid images, although they may lack some of the amenities of the better known brands.   I suggest going to your favorite store, check out the pictures, look over the prices, and determine what makes most sense for you or the one you are buying a gift for. 

Camcorders:  Remember the days when the camera had to be big enough to handle your VHS tape cartridge?  Those days are long gone.  You can now get camcorders utilizing mini-DVD drives and also those that leverage hard drives in the cameras themselves.  

The big choice here is what format do you want the video saved to.   The options include:  DVD, mini-DV, Hard drive, Hi-8/VHS-C.  As I have looked these over at the various stores in recent months, I find myself thinking that the DVD and Hard drive units are the best way to go.  The other options that include some kind of tape (mini-DV, Hi-8) don’t appeal as much to me.   To get that video footage transferred over is not as easy in my opinion, and I have always felt (and experienced) more things going wrong with these kinds of options   If you rule out those options we are left with the DVD and hard drive units that are out there.   The DVD disks can be played in various DVD drives, so not much of a problem there.   However, the amount of time you can record on one (30 minutes to one hour based on the mode you are recording in) is somewhat problematic.  Also, the slow record mode that allows you to get more on the DVD tends to cut down the quality of the video. 

If you look at the camcorders with hard drives in them, you shouldn’t have to worry about the amount you can get on the drive.  A standard 30 GB hard drive unit can record as much as approximately 22 of the small DVD discs that the other cameras use.   Hmmm…sounds pretty good to me.  

Transferring the video content to a home computer for burning on to a standard CD/DVD disk should be pretty easy as well.   I don’t know about you, but getting hours of video on a hard drive before I have to record over or erase previous content sounds appealing to me.   If you have a computer with standard ports on in it (think USB), you should be fine for transferring.   I haven’t read anything negative on video quality either in my perusals of various websites.  You will find prices somewhat under $500 to over $700 or more based on the size of the hard drive in the unit and whether it can record in high definition or other formats.   I would think 30 GB would work well for most folks, but bigger ones up to 60 GB are available as well. 

So, there you have some of my thoughts on other gift ideas for the holidays.  What has your experience been with these products?  Share your stories (good and bad) as you have ventured out looking for flat panel tvs and camcorders.  

Happy Holidays!

Well, it is that time of year again, when many of us are out shopping for gifts for our family members or other loved ones.  Buying gifts for those close to you can always be stressful.  Getting gifts of the electronic variety can be even more stressful given the choices that are available in the different categories.  What I will do here is go over some the basic categories of gifts that are available, and things to consider before you plop down that cash or credit card when buying the gift.

Computers:  If you are considering buying a computer for someone, the biggest decision in my mind is the type you are looking for:  a standard PC or a Mac is the decision you will likely have to make here.  Talk with the person to see what their preferences might be.  

If they are on the Mac bandwagon you will know this rather quickly as they talk about the superior quality of Mac computers to PCs and how the latest OS X Leopard program will be totally sweet. 

If they don’t mention Macs in their conversations, a standard PC from HP, Dell, or Gateway will generally suffice.  When buying a computer you may look to see if it includes some desktop application programs (Microsoft Office or other programs are very standard), and perhaps check on the memory (at least 1 GB, 2 GB is better in most cases).   If the person likes to store photos or music look to increase the size of the hard drive as needed (I would go with at least 250 GB here).  If they are a big gamer you will want to look at the graphics cards available and go with a higher end option here as well.

Game consoles:  For younger people on your shopping list, getting one of the popular home video game systems (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or Wii) might prove to be the best choice.   There are advantages and disadvantages to these three units right now. 

Currently, it is fairly easy to find the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 at the store you might be shopping at.   Wii’s are harder to find because of their popularity and the way their remote control units operate, where you move them to simulate the swing of a tennis racket or how you might release a bowling ball.   The Wii price of under $300 is also attractive.   For Xbox and Playstation (particularly Xbox 360) you will find more popular games available for these systems.  However, their prices are going to be more than that of the Wii, so this will be something you have to factor in as well.  

If the person you are buying for has been talking a lot about Halo 3, you need to go with the Xbox 360.  If the person is more active and isn’t tied into a particular game, the Wii or Playstation 3 might be the better choice.  The Playstation 3 has very good graphics and is starting to get more games available for it as well. The more information you have on the individual the better off you will be in making the proper choice.  In my mind you can’t go wrong with any of these systems. 

Digital cameras:  In the last four years these have become extremely popular.   The next time you go to a camera store look at how many standard 35mm cameras are still being sold.  You will be amazed how few you can actually find now.  Prices on digital cameras can range from under $100 to well over $500. 

They typically will all take a standard number of pictures and hold them until you download them to your PC (see paragraph above relating to hard drive sizes for computers).  The cost will go up based on the number of megapixels they support (more megapixels, better pictures essentially).  If your loved one doesn’t mind the quality of your photos you can settle for something in the 4-5 megapixel range.  If the person you are buying for is more of a photo nut, then you will want to perhaps look at cameras in the 7-8 megapixel range and spend a few more dollars.  

I will try and hit some other electronic gift item options in my next post.   In the meantime, have you bought electronic gifts in the past and did you have any issues deciding which model or type of product to get?  Did the person receiving the gift like it after you presented it to them? 

Share your stories. I'd love to hear them. 

While 1995 was only 12 years ago, in the IT world that time frame can seem like an eternity.  Some things we were experiencing in the IT front back then:

• Microsoft Office 95 was the release from Microsoft, and was starting to gain ground for productivity and taking on Word Perfect, Filemaker, and other apps that were around
• Windows NT 3.51 was Microsoft’s latest networking version
• Dial up Internet connections were the standard for home users (remember those days?)

The reason I bring this point up is that sometimes I think IT students feel their “knowledge base” will be valid for a long time.  As an IT student at Rasmussen College or any other school you are probably well aware that new application programs are released on a regular basis, new advances occur in peripherals, faster CPUs are built, or other hardware components are created each week seemingly.  If you work with any vendor specific products you will be having to learn new dialog boxes, commands, and other nuances relating to the products at hand - here is a good blog on Windows Vista, how it works in a WAN environment as an example, and how it differs from XP.

So what does the knowledge you pick up in your classes really do for you?  I don’t think it’s the knowledge itself that is key, but the process of learning how to learn, and absorbing concepts and ideas that will be critical to your careers in IT.   The specific knowledge and skills you learn in your degree classes will slowly lose importance, but the ability to pick up new ones, and the processes you used and devised while a student at Rasmussen will serve you well whether you stay in IT for your whole career or transition to another one at some point.  Think of the information you learn right now as foundation that you continually build on. 

In 1995 I was just starting to get my feet wet in technology, and it would be a few more years before I would ramp up and understand networking, office applications, and the like.  I see now where Google is looking to release Apps and make a run at Microsoft Office .  I’ve been dabbling in Office 2007 for a while now, but with this new information, will I have to brace for a big change down the road? 

If I were a betting man, I would have to say yes. 

What do you think?