In August of last year, Dish Network announced their latest high definition DVR, the ViP722. This DVR has many of the same features and functions you'd find on a standard DVR, but takes them a step further. The ViP722 is a dual-tuner DVR, meaning that you can record one channel while you watch another. Or if you're just recording, you can record two programs at the same time. read more...

If you've got a gift card burning a hole in your cargo pants and you're thinking about getting a DVR TV solution for your home network, I would probably pass on the Elgato HDHomeRun ($200). I had high hopes for this device, but I'm less than thrilled with the results. It looks good on paper, awesome even. The HDHomeRun, sold by Elgato for the Mac and by SiliconDust for Windows and Linux, is a two-tuner TV/DVR box that can receive ATSC over-the-air digital TV and un-encrypted QAM cable signals. read more...

As any self-respecting home theater enthusiast knows, the first thing you watch on a new piece of equipment can be akin to a religious experience, and each new video format seems to have its demo disc of choice. For DVD, it was 'The Matrix,' and although it's too soon to make a definitive call for the two high-def disc formats, the dual-format release of the shot-on-HD documentary series 'Planet Earth' certainly takes early claim to the title. read more...

Out of the nearly 600 titles released this year on Blu-ray and HD DVD, only one earned a perfect across-the-board score of five stars from the reviewers at High-Def Digest: 'Blade Runner.' Hitting both next-gen formats in mid-December, the five disc 'Complete Collector's Edition' ($39.95) is the ultimate release for fans of the Ridley Scott cult classic, featuring five different cuts of the film itself (including the brand new 'Final Cut') and hours upon hours of supplementary materials. read more...

Let's be clear - the Onkyo TX-NR905 A/V receiver isn't the lightest device in the world – it weighs in at 54 pounds – but that's just about where the negatives end when it comes to this beast. This thing is like a classic Mustang – all muscle. You can throw anything at it - you know, HD DVD players, game consoles, TiVos, Blu-ray - and expect phenomenal 7.1 surround sound. And we mean pristine. read more...

Today we show you how you go about setting up the SanDisk Sansa TakeTV, just to prove that it really is as simple as it looks. We hook up the TakeTV device to our Samsing LCD HDTV in under a minute. Stay tuned - we will have another video up next week that shows the actual usage of the device - putting videos on it, playing them through the dock, etc.

There's something about a fireplace and the holidays that seem to go hand-in-hand. But what do if you don't happen to have one in your home or apartment? Sure, there's the bonfire approach, but that could get dangerous. Instead, we recommend the timeless classic, the Holiday Yule Log. Simply featuring a videotaped fireplace with holiday music in the background, for those who grew up in the New York City metropolitan area, the Yule Log is as much part of the holiday as old Saint Nick himself. read more...

Here's a perfect gift for that Blu-ray fanboy on your holiday shopping list. Encased in an aircraft grade all-aluminum shell, the limited edition Sonar series laser pointer from Wicked Lasers utilizes the very same blue laser diodes that gave the Blu-ray format its space age name. read more...