display, you program up to eight key
words or phrases, and whenever a
dt match is found in the program guide,
►
a Scout icon automatically appears. A
system that controls home appliances
is also linked to the receiver. The
remote uses radio signals so you can
control the machine even if you're not
in the room. You can even control
lights and appliances throughout your
home! An imbedded TV antenna in
the mini-dish antenna helps to pro-
w- vide reception of local network chan-
nels. There usually is an installation
fee of about $100 and programming
packages are available starting at $8
per month.
For the sports nut who needs to
take a television everywhere, check out
the Sony Watchman color TV, with
prices under $200. The bright 2.2-
inch screen and AM/FM radio have a
oir built-in speaker plus an earphone jack
►
for private listening.
Video Players
ow
DVD or Digital Video Disc players
are major news. Similar in size and
look to a compact disc (CD), you now
can purchase DVD movies, video
game s , and computer programs which
promise better sight, sound and inter-
active features than anything previous-
ly made.
OD-
Can't leave home without sports? Take a
Sony Watchman along.
"A DVD disc holds tons of storage
lasting up to eight hours while normal
CDs are limited to less than 80 min-
utes," says Csatari. "Each DVD five-
SSAANtageMzet
C 2 1
The digital Kodak Zoom camera sells for jus t under $900.
inch disc can store an entire movie
with all the cuts taken out, plus a
story about how the movie was pro-
duced and interviews with the stars.
Many also include what's called inter-
active branching, which allows for
multiple endings of the movie you're
watching and gives you the ability to
view the program from different cam-
era angles."
According to Csatari, DVD tech --
nology is likely to replace laser disc
titles which hold only.30 or 50 min-
utes on a side. Moreover, because the
discs are read by laser, there's no need
to rewind a DVD. A DVD player
delivers more than twice the resolu-
tion of standard VHS, has a crisper
image, and the sound comes from six
different channels. It's like being in
the middle of a movie show. And
like a laser disc, a DVD disc can be
indexed so you can go to a specific
place on the disc. What's more, many
of the DVD movies can change the
format of the movie to fit any televi-
sion you play it through, from regular
size to widescreen and in up to eight
different languages.
Even so, the consensus is that you
probably will still live with your VCR
for some time and that you'll be buy-
ing products for both. Sony (Model
DVP-S7000), Toshiba (Model
3006SD), Panasonic (Model DVD A-
300), RCA, Samsung, Yamaha and
pemon all introduced DVD units this
spring and more are expected to corn-
p&e. Prices for a basic DVD player
range from $500 to $1,000 but will
likely drop as sales increase. Warner,
Columbus, TriStar and MGM are pro-
ducing libraries for the DVD at about
$25 per disc.
Toshiba's new top-of-the-line DVD
player, the SD-3107 also includes a 3-
D stereo. While many prefer to use
the SD-3107's Dolby digital for their
home audio system, the addition of
the 3-D stereo gives -users added flexi-
bility. Costs for the Toshiba models
are approximately: SD-2107 priced
below $600; SD-3006, priced below
$700; and the SD-3107 priced below
$800.
In the last few months, the first
Digital VHS (D-VHS) videocassette
recorders arrived. These machines are
aimed primarily at satellite TV owners
who want to record digital programs
for later playback. Prior to D-VHS
you could record programs on a stan-
dard VHS VCR, but you lost the high
video resolution and the great sound.
The JVC Digital-VHS
(HMDSR100) recorder comes boxed
with a satellite TV receiver but it also
plays standard tapes. In the D-VHS
standard mode, up to seven hours of
programing can be stored on a single
D-VHS tape. The JVC model is
priced below $1,000 and the new
Hitachi machine is expected to cost
about $600.
If someone on your list can't stand
to miss their favorite episode of ER,
afternoon soap or Pistons basketball
game, consider the Sangean TV
Digital Receiver/Radio. This stereo
radio is compact and allows you to
tune in to your favorite TV show as
well as AM-FM stereo radio broad-
casts. For under. $100 you can get a
memory present of 19 channels and
automatic channel scanning.
Camcorders
RCA has come out with a new
VHS power zoom camcorder (RCA
CC645) that makes it easy to get a
smooth transition from wide-angle
shots to close-ups. Priced under $550,
its full-size VHS camcorder (RCA
CC433) comes with a wide-angle lens
to record the whole scene.
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