Tech Gifts for TV Hounds

I watch a lot of TV, which comes in handy for work. Over the past 12 months, I've had the chance to play around with tens of dozens of TV-related gadgets, from TVs and DVRs to TV-friendly laptops, video iPods, and remote controls. Here are some of my favorites, all of which would make excellent gifts for TV hounds (if you order by today, that is, for mail-order stuff, or you can just do the brick-and-mortar shuffle until Sunday, right?).

Pioneer ELITE PRO-FHD1 50-inch 1080p Plasma Monitor: I've written about this TV countless times over the past couple of months. As far as I'm concerned, this is the crème de la crème of high-end monitors (and it just happens to be a flat-panel plasma). It does full 1080p, has plenty of the latest inputs, and displays excellent colors, fine blacks, and overall clarity. It has a nice dot-by-dot setting, which shows you the original source picture (rather than some overscanned version). Pioneer's video processing is renowned, which is probably why even my crappy regular DVDs and iPod video looks good on this thing. One drawback: It doesn't come with speakers, but if you can afford this $7,000 beauty, you probably already have a killer A/V system.

TiVo Series3 HD Recorder: Early adopters who hate their glitchy HD-DVRs from the cable company will welcome this latest-generation HD TiVo. It has two slots for HD-enabled CableCards, so you can record two shows at once, plenty of the latest inputs (HDMI, DVI, component), and MP3s capabilities, but not pictures—yet. It's also the first DVR to be certified for THX, a high-end audio/video specs standard created by George Lucas (just know it'll do the best surround your cable system can provide). But the real benefit, besides HD, is the smooth and user-friendly TiVo interface, which I wish would just get itself onto cable boxes or built in to TVs already!

Dell XPS 2010: Dell's XPS 2010 looks like an innocent humongous and heavy desktop replacement laptop when it's closed, but open it to reveal a sexy and slimmish mini-desktop with a detachable wireless keyboard and an adjustable 20.1-inch flat-panel screen. The Intel Core 2 Duo processor, built-in Windows Media Center Edition (with TV tuner), and 7.1 surround sound capability make this a total home theater and computing solution for small apartments or dorm rooms (provided, of course, that you don't need to carry it around too much). It's also Windows Vista capable, if you absolutely must buy it now (otherwise, wait until February!).

Hauppauge WinTV PVR: Give anyone with a computer the gift of DVR and/or TV watching capability with this TV tuner/PVR kit, which turns any PC into a TV with DVR. Just install the software and plug the device via USB to the computer. The device then lets you connect to an antenna or cable box. Built-in ReplayTV software makes for easy program scanning, recording, and video management. It's PC only, but Mac users will want the Elgato EyeTV 2 package.

Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote: Someone with too many remotes on your list? Help them get minimal with the Logitech Harmony 1000 Advance Universal Remote. As with other user-friendly Harmony remotes, setup couldn't be easier: Just answer a questionnaire on your computer as you're configuring the remote, and the software does the rest. This is the high-end version of Harmony's more affordable remotes (for something more affordable, I recommend the Harmony 670 Advanced Universal Remote).

iTunes Gift Card: Complain all you want about the iPod's small screen, but about 50 percent of my TV watching happens with my video iPod. For me, $2.99 is a small price to pay to keep up with the latest episode of Lost or Battlestar Galactica. And the improved video quality of iTunes 7 means that video looks decent on the big screen, too. So for anyone with TV lovers on their list, an iTunes gift card is a spot-on gift (and quite easy to get at the last minute!)

Related links:

Yahoo! Tech Holiday Gift Guide

The Movie Lover's Wish List