CES 2004: Picks and Pans

From DVD players that do everything to Internet-connected ovens, here's what was good, bad, and just plain weird.

PC World Staff

LAS VEGAS-- The worlds of computing and entertainment continue to collide at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Televisions are getting larger and thinner than ever, DVD players are becoming more connected (next stop, world domination?), and PC technology is moving past the living room, into the kitchen and even the car (for the record, we're not sure if that's a good thing).

Here's a look at some of the highlights--and lowlights--of this year's show.

Pass the popcorn: Optoma's H30 DLP Projector is the buzz of the South Hall, home to the coolest home theater products. The reason: The H30 is a Digital Light Processing projector specifically for home use that produces terrific images in demos. Even better, it costs $1395, an extremely low launch price for a dedicated home theater projector with Texas Instruments' DLP technology and a six-segment 4X color wheel. Arch-rival InFocus says it will introduce the ScreenPlay 4805 in March with similar specs and pricing. --Ramon G. McLeod

Now, that's entertainment: You'll get Digeo's Moxi Media Center through your cable company, but it's much more than a cable box. The device records shows on an 80GB hard drive, and it has a dual tuner so you can watch one show and record another. Some versions have a CD drive to let you rip music to a hard drive, or an extension so you can watch recorded shows on a second television. And some versions act as a cable modem and firewall for an Internet connection. Your cable company decides which version you get, but for a likely rental price of $10 monthly, the Moxi appears a pretty good deal. --Ed Albro

Where's the snooze button? Everybody from Microsoft to Sharp is demonstrating devices to stream music from a PC to a stereo using home networking. The most striking designs--from Roku--feature rounded white cases and big LED displays. A $249 version looks rather like a clock radio, and its $499 big brother resembles a really big clock radio. --Harry McCracken

Who needs a PC? Toshiba's Advanced Digital Media Server is still in testing, but it's pointing the way to the future. This DVD recorder is also a wireless router that can move audio, video, and data on a home net. Expect DVD recorders to emerge as the true digital hub in the living room, mainly because they are true CE devices that belong there. PCs will be another hub on the home net. Toshiba's move looks strong, but check back in a year. --Ramon G. McLeod

Hey, big spender: If you've got money to burn and want a high-end digital projector for your home theater, DWIN's three-chip DLP projector may be for you. The TransVision 10 is similar to commercial digital projectors because it offers three separate chips for red, green, and blue (consumer models usually have one chip for the three colors). Here's the catch: The projector costs $22,950, with optional lenses priced at $2500 to $3500. --Alexandra Krasne

Is there a support group for that? "Hi, my name is Tom, and I'm addicted to TiVo." With my obvious bias out of the way, I can now say some of the upcoming TiVo features for its existing Home Media Option networking package are pretty darn cool. Chiefly: TiVo to Go. Running Sonic on your PC and a special USB key from TiVo (to placate the digital-rights folks), you can move recordings from your digital video recorder to your PC to view, or to burn to DVD to watch elsewhere. Now you can take your backlog of Alias episodes on the road! --Tom Mainelli

TVs Move (Way) Past the Tube

But will it fit in your living room? After LG touted its 75-inch plasma screen as the biggest on the show floor, Samsung sent for a prototype 80-inch model to show. The good news: It will display 1920 by 1080 lines of video. The bad news: you'll have to wait at least a year to buy one. --Andrew Eisner

TV to go: Sony, Sharp, and Samsung are all showing wireless televisions. These battery-powered, flat-panel models communicate wirelessly with base stations. Plug your cable TV input and DVD player into the base station, and you can tote the display into another room or even the patio--watching a movie or TV show all the while. --Harry McCracken

This is must-see TV: A 7-inch-deep projection TV? Count on it. InFocus's ScreenPlay 61-inch DLP projection TV is half the depth of the slimmest projection TVs on the market and lightweight enough to hang on a wall. That puts it in direct competition with plasma and LCD TVs, typically much more expensive than projection TVs. It runs on a Texas Instruments Mustang HD2+ DLP chip, weighs about 130 pounds and is expected to cost about $10,000 when it ships through specialty consumer channels in the second half of 2004. --Ramon G. McLeod

Mood lighting: Yeah, it's a little gimmicky, but Philips Ambilight technology, available in the new Matchline series of LCD FlatTVs and its 50-inch plasma FlatTV models, is stylishly irresistible. There's just something about a nice subdued halo of light on the wall behind the TV that makes watching television sort of sensual. Eye candy like this doesn't come cheap--the TVs start at $6000--but it's truly fine industrial design. --Ramon G. McLeod

A new low (price): At the Texas Instruments DLP booth, a prototype Mitsubishi projector displays 480p (progressive scan) video on an 80-inch screen. The colors are true and the images sharp. Expect to see a few such displays from several vendors within a few months. Priced as low as $1500, they offer a reasonably priced home theater solution. --Andrew Eisner

Music, Movies, and More

Is it safe to go back in the water? Griffin Technology's RadioShark takes TiVo to radio. This $70 device, also at Macworld Expo this week, connects via USB, tunes into AM and FM radio stations, and lets you schedule broadcasts for recording from an online program guide. --Alan Stafford

Looking good: Hard-drive-based MP3 players aren't new, but digital music aficionados have ever-better options. Creative, Rio, and Apple are showing 4GB digital audio players, available for about $249 each. These nifty devices weigh less than 4 ounces (2 ounces, for the Rio) and pack hundreds of hours of music. Despite Apple's fashion colors, my personal fave is the Rio Nitrus 4GB, which has a slick, wedge shape that tapers, fitting nicely into a pocket. --Anush Yegyazarian

This just in: Aiwa's HZ-WS2000 is the thinnest MP3 player I've seen. It's a 2GB player with a separate LCD control module, and supports USB 2.0. --Grace Aquino

Real relief? Media player purveyor Real celebrated its tenth anniversary by announcing RealPlayer 10. The company, long criticized for in-your-face marketing practices like pop-up ads you can't disable, says its new version is a "kinder, gentler" RealPlayer that won't annoy those who install it. --Harry McCracken

Bye-bye, Blockbuster? Disney MovieBeam is just starting to roll out to metropolitan areas, but if it succeeds, you can kiss your video store goodbye. No running out for a movie at the last minute, no late fees, and unlike most cable pay-per-view, you can start and stop the movie at your convenience. --Tracey Capen

Unleash Your Inner Spielberg

High-tech home movies: Hewlett-Packard had a big winner last year with its Dc3000 VHS-tape-to-DVD burner. HP hopes to keep that success going with its DVD Moviewriter Dc4000, which burns at 8X and uses either DVD+R or DVD-R media (or DVD+RW and DVD-RW at 4X). It will cost $299 when it ships this spring. --Ramon G. McLeod

Next stop, Hollywood: MCE Technologies makes QuickStream DV, an external FireWire hard drive that connects to Mini-DV camcorders. This device lets you bypass tape, recording directly to the hard drive, so to edit you skip the time-consuming capture process. Prices range from $599 to $999, for capacities from 20GB to 80GB. --Alan Stafford

High-tech tattoos: HP's LightScribe technology uses radial writing to label discs. It combines your PC's CD or DVD drive with specially coated discs and disc-burning software to produce silkscreen-like labels--it's like getting a tattoo. HP says burn time is 2 to 22 minutes, depending on the complexity of the graphic being inscribed on the disc. --Grace Aquino

High-tech home movies, take two: Yes Video, which offers a VHS-tape-to-DVD conversion service through retailers such as Best Buy, is turning the service into software being built into new DVD recorders. Connect a VCR or camcorder to the recorder, stick in a blank DVD, and the Yes DVD software will analyze the video, create menus and chapter breaks, and even add bonus features like highlighting scenes set to music. The company says Apex will ship the first Yes DVD-capable recorder in April. --Harry McCracken

We Still Have to Get Some Work Done

But can it write your presentation, too? Targus transformed a common travel mouse into a clever three-in-one device: mouse, pointer, and presentation control. Flip a switch on the bottom, and the mouse becomes a laser pointer or a remote control for PowerPoint or another application. The $80 Wireless Optical Mouse/Pointer/Presenter (available in February) operates at 2.4 GHz, previously a frequency only found on larger, desk-bound mice. Its receiver serves a dual purpose as a recharger, another first for small travel mice. Cute. Clever. And incredibly useful for those who take their show on the road. --Michael Lasky

Do you know where you're going to? With the TeleNav service and one of three Nextel cell-phone models, you'll always know where you're going--and how to get there. The phones have a built-in GPS. You call a toll-free number, state your destination, and--presto--directions are downloaded to your phone. The phone will verbally guide you, and can even redirect you if you miss a turn. The service costs $6 monthly; the downside is that only the three Nextel cell phones have it, although TeleNav says more will be on board by year's end. --Anush Yegyazarian

File swapping: The HP Pavilion ZX5000 notebook's USB digital drive is pretty cool. It lets a small Secure Digital memory-based device connect to the notebook, making it easy to transfer big files to another system. Very convenient. --Kalpana Ettenson

Classy carryall: Belkin showed its slim notebook bag, called the Women's Tote. Finally, a notebook case that has a shred of style. --Rebecca Freed

Less impressive: Salient Technologies' two-button V-Mouse isn't your ordinary mouse. Its odd phallic shape made it difficult to grip, and its right and left click buttons are located in an awkward spot on the front. When not in use, the mouse can stand up on its own on the included magnetic mouse pad. The wired USB 2.0 mouse is available now for $42; a wireless model is scheduled to ship in six months for $85. --Alexandra Krasne

Quietly powerful: Case-and-component company Antec is showing the Phantom, a new noiseless power supply that doesn't have a fan. Shipping in April, it keeps its cool with heat sinks instead. --Harry McCracken

Picture perfect: Belkin wants to help you eliminate those unsightly plugs and cables hanging behind your home theater equipment with its PureAV line products. Its audio and speaker cables are designed to provide cleaner sound and better pictures, and its surge protectors safeguard your equipment and reduce line noise from components. Audio and speaker cables range from $10 to $45 and have 24-carat gold-plated connectors. Surge protectors offer fireproof plastic coaxial protection for HDTV, cable TV, or broadband cable. With support for six to nine outlets, devices range in price from $30 to $90; higher-end protectors start at $120. --Alexandra Krasne

Saving space: The thin look of LCDs is spreading to PC speakers, such as Aiwa's $149 UZ-US201 USB speaker. The one-piece, one-point speaker stands vertically to save space. You can place it in front of or behind your monitor. --Grace Aquino

Tools We're Talking About

Look, no hands: Intecs offers a microphone you wear around your neck. Using a piezoelectric-based microphone, the Lucy headset responds to the vibrations from your neck. Intecs also markets a Bluetooth version that might appeal to motorcyclists. --Andrew Eisner

Cut the cord: Jabra's Speakster is not just another Bluetooth headset. Instead, it wirelessly transforms any Bluetooth cell phone into a dynamic speakerphone for hands-free use in a car or a makeshift conference room. The two rechargeable AA batteries provide 10 to 15 hours of talk time and 20 to 30 days of standby time. It will retail for about $119 this April. --Michael Lasky

More Bluetooth buzz: GN Netcom is offering an ingenious wireless Bluetooth headset that works on both your landline and cell phone. The $299 GN 6110 Wireless Headset could push the still-floundering U.S. Bluetooth market into prime time. Attach the tiny receiver/charger to your wired phone and work hands-free, making or taking calls up to 30 feet away. If you don't have a Bluetooth cell phone, use it at home or the office. --Michael Lasky

Inking made easy: Everybody hates paying exorbitant prices for the ink jet cartridge replacements from printer vendors, but few want to deal with messy refill kits or poor printing by off-brand cartridges. A new refill system from Inke could be the answer. The $70 unit automatically refills your empty cartridge using air pressure and a $10 ink refill tank. --Tom Mainelli

Maybe it was something they ate: Tired of spending hours perfecting family photos on the PC, then seeing the kids' faces print out in green from your ink jet? Check out the Spyder from ColorVision. Once a $350 product for pros, it's now a more consumer-friendly $149, but works the same: It recalibrates your monitor so prints look the same as onscreen images (if you're using the printer's approved inks and paper). For cheapo inks and paper, ColorVision's $299 Print Fix package helps you calibrate your monitor by scanning your own printouts. --Tom Mainelli

Easy on the eyes: The 4-megapixel Kodak EasyShare LS743 is the most attractive and compact yet, featuring a good-size 1.8-inch LCD, and is affordable at $349. Also on display is the Casio QV-R51. This $399, 5-megapixel camera features a large 2-inch LCD--a very nice perk when you're viewing photos or framing shots on-screen. --Grace Aquino

Fun and Games at CES

Yes, this counts as exercise: XaviX games actually get you out of your seat. In its baseball game, you swing an infrared-enabled bat at the video image of a ball coming at you. In bowling, you must take your full follow-through, though you never let go of the ball. The consoles connect to your TV; they'll cost about $80, and games will be between $50 and $60 when they arrive in June. But that's a small price to pay for computer games that exercise more than your thumbs. --Ed Albro

We need more evidence on this one: The biggest wait-and-see product of the show: Apex and Via's ApeXtreme PC gaming console. This new DVD player-like device plays PC games through an embedded Windows XP OS and sports a 20GB hard drive, an advanced S3 graphics chip, and Via motherboard and processor. It's certainly innovative, as their CES award attests, but will it sell? Apex's $299 console risks landing in no-man's land, stuck with a system too low-powered to attract PC gamers and too complex and demanding to attract console-gaming aficionados. --Eric Dahl

Not shying away: 321 Studios, which last year introduced controversial DVD X Copy movie-copying software, has done it again--this time shipping Games X Copy. The company says the software copies PC games onto CDs, DVDs, or hard drives despite copy protection on the original disc. It's expected to go on sale online by early February and cost about $70. --Ramon G. McLeod

Skip the garage: AutoExray's EZ-Scan automotive scanners connect to most modern automobiles to diagnose mysterious mechanical ills, and cost from $160 to $700. Shade-tree mechanics will be fine with the least expensive version, and it could help stave off the real mechanic's hefty bills. --Alan Stafford

Moving violation: When did the drive-in movie become the in-drive video? I have enough trouble with cell-phone-toting drivers nearly running me down. Now every car-audio manufacturer is touting pop-out LCD panels in the dashboard to play DVD video. That's not the way to improve your daily commute. --Tracey Capen

Dumb Product Award: JJ Communication's $200 microscope that looks like a USB-enabled toothbrush. Use the Digital MagniCam to shoot close-ups of coins or attach the Ear Cap to peek into your buddy's ear. --Steve Bass

Too Many Cooks?

Is this what life is like for the Jetsons? Salton's Beyond smart appliances communicate over radio frequencies. The coffeemaker can rat you out to your clock radio, warning that you haven't filled it with coffee and water for the next morning. In the past, such connected appliances haven't talked well to each other, let alone you, but these might have gotten it right. --Alan Stafford

What would Julia Child say? TMIO's schizophrenic oven/refrigerator may sound like a great idea--you stick a pot roast in it in the morning, and the in-wall appliance keeps it cold until it's time to cook. You can even turn the oven on remotely over the Internet. But you still need a separate refrigerator, and a single-oven appliance costs $2500 (a two-unit version costs $5000). --Alan Stafford

We don't think she'd approve: TMIO's promotions in the Microsoft partner pavilion tout "Internet-ready, refrigerated ovens." While these babies may be the first ovens you can control by cell phone, I could have sworn ovens were supposed to heat things up, not refrigerate them. --Eric Dahl

Scene and Heard

The rabbit that ate Vegas: Battery kingpin Energizer has a major presence at the show, including a gargantuan Energizer Bunny that towered over the activity near the convention center. Viewed at certain angles from the Strip, it looked like the bunny was peeking over nearby hotels and might sucker-punch the Circus Circus clown or climb the Eiffel Tower at any moment. --Harry McCracken

Size does matter: By my unofficial reckoning, Samsung is the clear winner in CES presence, with two mammoth booths. And the massive spaces were typically full of products and people. But the showstopper is Samsung's HLP5685W 56-inch Wide-Screen HDTV Monitor with DLP Technology, because of its innovative engineering and styling. The television's light engine is in the pedestal on which the monitor sits. This design makes the TV look like a flat panel, but it is a projection TV--and a very good one at that. It's expected to cost about $5000 when it hits stores this June. --Ramon G. McLeod

Worst marketing campaign? I can do without the tuxedo-clad men in sunglasses walking around the show floor whispering "Bluetooth." Now that's really going to make me want to investigate what they're talking about. --Kalpana Ettenson

X-tra hectic: If Vegas seems even more zoo-like than you'd expect during the always-bustling CES, maybe it's because another show is going on--one for the adult entertainment industry. With two concurrent expos, it's hard to tell which conventioneers are in town for which...no, actually, it couldn't be easier. --Harry McCracken

Didn't we learn this in grade school? A pan to the incredibly sadistic person at the Consumer Electronics Association who came up with the diabolically confusing booth-numbering system. It lacks any logic and has crowds literally going in circles. Why is booth 21528 followed by booth 21733, followed by booth 21547? Go figure. One vendor at an orphaned booth complained people came either a half-hour late for meetings or didn't show at all. --Michael Lasky and Rebecca Freed

Maybe Britney should have done this in Vegas: This year, the show floor has too many do-it-yourself karaoke devices demonstrated by people who really can't sing. I don't think I can bear to hear "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" again. --Kalpana Ettenson

No news ain't good news: The Consumer Electronics Show is first and foremost a trade show where dealers and vendors talk business. However, a vast number of media from all over the world come to cover new products. Many companies just can't resist throwing a news conference--even lacking any news. If I'm gonna show up on time for an 8 a.m. press conference, I'd sure appreciate hearing more than "We plan to have a very good year." --Tom Mainelli

SegNoWay: Last year, CES attendees could test-drive Segway personal transporters; I saw not a single Segway this year, but a scooter company is hawking Segway knockoffs outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. I didn't see anyone who seemed tempted to take one for a spin. --Harry McCracken

The name game: Roam around any electronics show, and you're bound to run into little-known companies and products with catchy, sometimes confusing names. Among my favorites: Trapezia, an oddball PC with a display spread over three to four flat-panel screens; and Edifier, a line of loudspeakers. --Harry McCracken

See PC World's ongoing CES coverage.