(Sept. 14, 2009) The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association’s 2009  trade show concluded in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday. The low attendance was indicative of the soft economy, accompanied by fewer companies displaying than in 2008. Regardless of these factors, a number of new products were debuted to this important segment of the consumer electronics industry. We will cover the show with multiple parts. Today we highlight JVC.

JVC brought three significant products to Atlanta. The GD-463D10 is the first large screen 3D LCD monitor offered in the USA and is designed primarily for post production and other commercial use. Unlike the Mitsubishi DLP 3D projection televisions or the Panasonic’s 103″ prototype (which require active “shutter glasses”) the JVC uses a process called “circular polarization” to produce immersive 3D images. The required 3D glasses are passive (no electronic shutters) and are similar to the ones handed out at 3D movies. They provide a distinct left and right image for each eye continuously, at a resolution of 1920 x 540.

The JVC 3D LCD provided a bright clean image. We viewed clips of recent 3D productions including parts of the NBC series “Chuck” as well as U2 concert footage. However, it must be stressed there is currently no 3D live commercial programming (i.e. movies, TV series episodes or music videos) available today to consumers (other than the very poor performing “old style” anaglyphic red/green type glasses) . This format is not directly compatible with the proposed Panasonic/Sony Blu-ray “Full HD” system, though it is conceivable that a convertor box could be offered in the future. HD Guru requested a review sample, once one becomes available and we can obtain licensed 3D source material (we’re working on it), other than PC video games. The GD-463D10 retails for $9153

Blu-ray Recorders

JVC has broken the logjam holding up the US availability of Blu-ray recorders with two models made primarily for the US industrial market. According to sources, CE companies’ reluctance to offer Blu-ray recorders here is due to the  desire not to ruffle the feathers of the Hollywood studios, while ironing out 3D home video standards. For those readers with HD camcorders that want to edit and distribute HD home videos to friends and family on discs playable on Blu-ray players, these recorders are the first and only free standing solutions, finally freeing prospective purchasers from reliance on BD recording drives within a PC.

The SR-HD1250 features USB, SD HC card slot and IEEE-1394 inputs for compatibility with a variety of HD camcorders. The SR-HD1250 includes a 250 GB hard drive ($1995, October).

The SR-HD1500 features a 500 GB hard drive and adds a RS-232C terminal, MOV file compatiblity for Apple Final Cut Pro as well as footable from JVC’s GY-HM100 and GY-HM700 ProHD camcorders  when using the SP (19/25) mode ($2550, October).Perhaps we will see consumer model Blu-ray recorders appear from other vendors soon (they are currently sold in Asia, England and Australia), now that JVC has broken the ice.

Front Projectors

JVC introduced its next generation DILA front projectors with six new models. All use JVC’s .7″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) LCOS chip. JVC’s top of the line DLA-R35 and DLA-HD990 offer a record high 70,000:1 native contrast ratio. The other models contrast ratios are DLA-HD550 30,000:1; DLA-RS15 32,000:1 and DLA-RS25/DLA-HD950 50,000:1. All models are THX certified . (What THX certified means to you is a subject we plan to cover in an upcoming article).

The demonstration of the DLA-RS35 was quite compelling, producing some of the very best high contrast images we have seen out of a home front projector.

All models ship this month the DLA-R35/DLAHD990 are priced at $10,000. The DLA-RS25/DLA-HD950: $8000; DLA-RS15: $5,500.00 DLA-HD550: $5,000.00

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HD GURU also checked J&R (www.jr.com) and found two outstanding Labor Day prices on Sony HDTVs with free shipping included (listed below).

Can you do better than Best Buy with on-line etailers? Yes! HD GURU checked out 6 Avenue Electronics website (www.6ave.com) and found a number of HDTVs with even lower prices by email quote.  The items are listed with  “Email me for the latest price” alongside the price. For example, the Samsung UN46B6000 email quote is $110 dollars lower than 6 Av’s website price or Best Buy’s price (each are listed at $1599.99).

Also, check out HD GURU’s Price Grabber website located on the left hand column of this page for great Labor Day prices from leading etailers. Just enter a model number into the “Product Search” box under “Check Prices”.

Below are the best Labor Day Deals from Best Buy, J&R and another email 6 Ave quote.

Make/Model            Size     Orig.   Now  $Savings Store
Samsung UN40B6000 40″    $2200 $1299.99  $900       BB
Samsung  PN50B850  50″     $2200 $1699.99  $500      BB
Samsung LN40B630   40″    $1400   $899.99  $500       BB
LG           32LH20      32″    $550     $429.99  $120      BB
Sony KDL-32S5100   32″    $750    $559.99   $190       JR
Sony KDL-40V5100   40″    $1200  $879.99   $320        JR
Samsung UN40B6000 40″     $2100 $1259.99 $840       6ave
(Note: This is a 6ave “email quote” price. BB’s  circular price and 6av’s website price are listed at $1299.99 )

Best Buy Package Deals

Sony KDL-46Z5100 (46″) with free Geek Squad Home Theater setup + Sony HTSS360 home theater system + Sony BDPS360 Blu-ray player Orig. price separately, $3150 Now $1649.97 $Savings $1500 (over 47% off original price)

Panasonic TC-P50S1 (50″) plasma + Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray player Orig. $1850 Now $1199.99 $ Savings $650 (over 35% off original separate price total) Note: the DMP-BD60 is also on sale for $199.99 (originally $300)
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Sony announced yesterday, on the eve of the IFA 2009 electronics show in Germany,  it will be offering 3D HDTVs for sale in 2010! Sony plans to market a series of its Bravia LCD HDTVs as well as 3D capable Blu-ray products, 3D capable VAIO computers, digital cameras  and updated 3D capable version of its PlayStation3 (PS3D) gaming console.

The Sony announcement follows on the heels of Panasonic’s commitment to the sale of 3D plasma HDTVs and Blu-ray players in 2010 (Link). Sony accompanied its  press release with a 3D promotional video (Link) which includes mock ups of 2010 3D products.

Like Panasonic’s 3D plasmas, the Sony LCD HDTVs will make use of active 3D shutter glasses to provide “Full” HD 1920×1080 images with 120 Hz refresh (60 Hz per eye).

In addition to the Sony release, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announced at IFA yesterday, it will be supporting “Full” HD 3D and require 3D Blu-ray discs  contain a 2D version of the title to make all future 3D discs compatible with all current 2D Blu-ray players and HDTVs.

Here is an excerpt of its press release.

“The BDA intends to take full advantage of the format’s high bandwidth and capacity to achieve the very highest possible quality 3D experience,” said Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee Chair.  “Just as Blu-ray Disc has paved the way for next generation, high definition home entertainment, it will also set the standard for 3D home viewing in the future.”

The BDA, comprised of major motion picture studio, IT and consumer electronics companies, is working on a uniform specification to ensure consistent delivery of 3D content across the Blu-ray Disc Platform.  The Association is examining a number of criteria and at a minimum, the specification will require delivery of 1080p resolution to each eye and backward compatibility for both discs and players, meaning that 3D discs will also include a 2D version of the film that can be viewed on existing 2D players and 3D players will enable consumers to playback their existing libraries of 2D content.

“Consumer adoption of Blu-ray continues to grow at a very steady pace,” said Bob Chapek, President, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.  “The 3D theatrical market has been very successful this year.  We are just now seeing all of the true capabilities of 3D and with Blu-ray Disc’s superior technical characteristics, as well as the broad industry support of the format, it makes it the ideal packaged media platform for 3D home entertainment.”

With a Blu-ray standard being finalized and the commitment of consumer electronics giants Sony and Panasonic, the HD GURU® expects other 3D product announcements at next week’s CEDIA trade show in Atlanta, GA and at the CEATEC Consumer Electronics Show Japan opening October 6, 2009. The HD GURU® will be attending both shows to provide the best coverage for our readers.

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(August 29, 2009) Every year the new football season brings with it the start of the HDTV peak sales period.  2009 TV sales volume is around 2008 levels, but with a tilt towards smaller screen size consumer purchases, resulting in lower than anticipated revenues for major retailers and vendors.  Best Buy is fighting back this week by dramatically lowering the price of large screen HDTVs and packages, with savings up to 42%!

HD Guru received a copy of Best Buy’s 8/30/2009 Sunday circular. Use this advanced notice to plan a purchase at your local Best Buy or to negotiate with your favorite retailer or etailer. With inventories building on large screen size HDTVs (>39″) dealers and vendors are desperately trying to move more big screens.  The result, the lowest prices of the year for 2009 HDTVs. Discounts this big normally occur after Thanksgiving.  Below are the best deals (we rounded off “Was” to the nearest whole dollar to save space). Best Buy’s circular lists 33 HDTV models on sale.

Make/Model            Size     Was   Now       $ Savings
Samsung UN46B7100 46″    $2900 $1799.99  $1100
Samsung UN46B8000 46″    $3200 $2099.99  $1100
Samsung UN55B6000 55″    $3500 $2399.99  $1100
Samsung LN55B650  55″     $3000  $2299.99 $700
Samsung LN46B650  46″     $2100 $1499.99  $600
Samsung  PN58B550 58″     $2600 $1899.99  $700
Samsung PN50B550  50″     $1600 $1099.99  $500
Samsung LN40B640  40″     $1500 $999.99   $500
Samsung LN52B550  52″     $2000 $1499.99  $500
Sony KDL-40XBR9   40″       $2300 $1499.99  $800

Package Deals

Panasonic TC-P54S1 54″ Plasma w/DMP-BD60K Blu-ray
player was $2300 Now $1649.98 $ Savings $650

Sony KDL-52XBR9 52″ 240Hz LCD w/BDPS560 Blu-ray player and HTSS360
5.1 Home theater system was  $4000 Now $2499.97 $ Saving $1500

Sony KDL-46XBR9 46″ 240Hz LCD w/BDPS560 Blu-ray player and HTSS360
5.1 Home theater system was $3500 Now $1997.97 $ Savings $1500

One more deal.  Beginning tomorrow, J&R (www.jr.com) will have the Panasonic Blu-ray player DMP-BD60K for $199 (was $299) HD GURU is currently evaluating its sister model (DMP-BD80K) with similar video performance and the preliminary test results are excellent.
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(August 21, 2009) The HD GURU obtained Panasonic’s roadmap to large screen 3D HDTV. It includes 3D plasma HDTV displays and Blu-ray players planned to ship next year. In addition, Panasonic Japan, Twentieth Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment (James Cameron’s production company) announced today a partnership that will use the upcoming Fox 3D movie AVATAR as a vehicle to promote and launch 3D home video (PDF Link to press release).

Panasonic’s Executive Vice President Bob Perry provided the HD GURU with details about its 3D HDTVs and Blu-ray players.  He revealed there will be “multiple 3D compatible plasma models” available in 2010 with the smallest at least 50″ diagonal. The Panasonic Blu-ray 3D player will be backwards compatible with 2D Blu-ray discs as well as DVDs. Panasonic will include all 3D processing within the Blu-ray player (as opposed to an external converter) and the signal will be delivered to the 3D plasma HDTV via a single HDMI 1.4 cable (white cable in photo of prototype Blu-ray 3D player). The 3D is “Full HD” (1920 x 1080) with left and right image frames alternating at 120 Hz. Perry explained plasma is an ideal TV technology for “Full” 3D HD as its rapid refresh permits the display of the highest quality 3D images. (Current 3D flat panels show no more than half HD resolution and will only display 3D content via a PC).  Perry added he expects a three year industry transition to 3D compatible displays.

To date, Panasonic is the only TV manufacturer to announce the production of 3D displays, a system to deliver “Full HD” 3D movies and the cooperation of a major movie studio.

Panasonic has multiple studio support for its system, but Perry would not reveal specifically which ones are on-board. However, when HD GURU was shown Panasonic’s latest 3D demonstration of its prototype 103″ 3D plasma, trailers included Disney’s 3D hit “UP”. So it is a safe bet to figure Disney (along with Fox) are in Panasonic’s 3D camp.

Viewing 3D content on the Panasonic plasma requires shutter glasses. Panasonic showed its latest prototype (see photo). Unlike the passive glasses currently used in movie theaters, shutter glasses electronically “blink”, alternating the left and right eye views in sync with the content. Shutter glasses provide the highest quality 3D presentation, according to 3D industry sources.  The new glasses are comfortable and easily fit over my eyeglasses, a marked improvement over previous designs.

The Fox Connection

In a press release out of Japan, Panasonic announced details of its partnership with Fox and Camaron’s Lightstorm Entertainment. Panasonic is its exclusive audio visual partner providing products and technology to help create the live action 3D movie AVATAR. For those of you not familiar with AVATAR, the press release states “In the epic action adventure AVATAR, James Cameron, the director of TITANIC, takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination.  On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. ” Beginning today, the trailer can be seen in theaters nationwide and on the Internet.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox 

Panasonic will be launching a global advertising campaign tied to AVATAR. It includes a nationwide truck tour of Panasonic’s 3D plasma and Blu-ray player as well as advertising and AVATAR product sales tie-ins. AVATAR will be released to theaters worldwide on December 18. Panasonic will be showing the AVATAR 3D trailer in the truck tour, and to the trade beginning with the IFA consumer electronics show in Germany on September 4.

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(July 29, 2009) Buy a high-ticket electronics item like an HDTV today and you can be sure the salesperson will try to sell you an extended warranty that’s supposed to protect your considerable investment well beyond the length of time offered by the manufacturer.

Adding a relatively inexpensive extended warranty seems like a no-brainer so many consumers do, yet because the HD Guru frequently receives emails from buyers complaining about difficulties getting the terms of these warranties honored, we decided to investigate.

Not surprisingly, we found that often what you hear on the sales floor, read in the literature and see online is not what you get.

Best Buy, for instance, recently introduced its “Geek Squad Black Tie Protection” plan. It’s “Like Having A Geek Always With You,” proclaims the pamphlet handed out in the stores by blue shirted staff members. “If a product guarded by Black Tie Protection needs four qualified repairs throughout the duration of the plan,” the pamphlet assures consumers, “we’ll make sure that you get a new one.”

While that sounds reassuring and in and of itself may provide sufficient comfort to induce one to buy the plan, unfortunately, it’s not exactly true. According to the terms of Best Buy’s service contract rather than being “a new one,” the replacement “…may be new or rebuilt…” (“rebuilt” meaning used and refurbished) “…at our discretion.”

Best Buy’s pamphlet also states that “…for TVs 30″ and up… we’ll loan you a TV ASAP if it looks like we can’t get yours fixed on the first visit.” Sounds good, but read the actual service contract and you’ll be surprised to learn that there is no mention of a loaner TV.

Best Buy’s service contract (available upon request at a Best Buy store or on its website) does go to great lengths to state terms and conditions, with the list of terms opening with “This is a legal contract, (hereinafter referred to as ‘The Plan’). By purchasing it, you understand that it is a legal contract and have had the opportunity to read the terms and conditions within.”

However, take the time to actually read the contract rather than relying on the pamphlet and you would also learn that if Best Buy (BB) can’t repair the TV it will “…replace it with a product of like kind and quality that is of comparable performance, or reimburse you for replacement of the product with a voucher or gift card, at our discretion, equal to the fair market value of the product, as determined by us, not to exceed the original purchase price of your product including taxes  (italics added by HD Guru)”.

The “fair market value” is not you might reasonably assume, the price you originally paid, but rather the covered product’s market value at the time of repair as determined by a BB employee. Of course by the time the extended warranty kicks in, the product can be up to four years old and worth next to nothing!

While we can’t cite an actual example of compensation received by a customer for an un-repairable TV covered by Best Buy’s “ Black Tie Protection Plan”, we do know that this past April,  Best Buy voluntarily recalled one of its “house brand” Insignia LCD HDTV models (Post Here). Many of these recalled sets were less than three years old and sold new for up to $1000 plus tax. Best Buy provided gift cards amounting to $500 or about half of the original purchase price.

When asked to comment about the pamphlet’s claims versus the written legal contract’s actual terms, a Best Buy’s spokesperson pointed out that its service contract program’s underwriter, AIG Warranty Group, a division of AIG (yes, that AIG), ultimately determines a covered product’s value.

The spokesperson also acknowledged that despite the pamphlet’s claim, Best Buy’s service contract does not include a loaner program but that the company currently supplies 37″ Insignia LCD loaners to customers whose TVs can’t be repaired during the first service call. Whether the set in need of repair is 32” or 65” the loaner is 37” because it’s the only set size the program offers.

Here is Best Buy’s official response via email (verbatim in bold).

Replacement value

We continue to advocate for the best possible scenario for our customers, and we think they know that. We’ve had virtually no complaints from them about replacements. Replacement value is complicated because the establishment of value for replacement is determined not just by Best Buy, but by the underwriters of our plans.

We’ll continue to work with our underwriters to clarify replacement criteria in our terms and conditions, and to represent the best interests of our customers.  Our progress will be reflected in our service plan literature, and ideally in continued customer satisfaction with our service plan fulfillment.

Timing for loaner TV

We say ASAP in our Geek Squad Black Tie Protection brochure because timing on loaner TVs varies depending on whether Geek Squad is doing the repair – or we’re relying on a third-party.  When we’re doing the job, we can provide that replacement TV immediately, usually right out of our Geek Squad van.  But in some cases, we rely on third parties to reach customers who aren’t in our service area.  Still, we agree that our customers may want more details around when a loaner would be available to them.  And we’ll make changes immediately in our Geek Squad Black Tie Protection literature to include more details about timing.

On line Sellers

Our recent article “On Line HDTV Stores Get Nailed For Consumer Fraud” (Link) reports that a number of Brooklyn based etailers were cited for fraud and fined by the NYS Attorney General. We checked one of the merchants still in business called “Foto Connection” that sells service contracts written by Brooklyn based Consumer Priority Service (dba CPS). We contacted CPS’s customer service department and asked for a copy of its contract. The customer service rep said it’s not available online and that a written request by US mail was required to obtain a copy—not exactly a forthcoming policy for a legitimate company, which we then suspected CPS of not being.

A check of the New York City office of the Better Business Bureau revealed that “BBB processed a total of 23 complaint(s) about this business in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 23 complaint(s) closed in the last 36 months, 21 were closed in the last 12 months. 2 regarded contract disputes;1 Customer Service; 12 Warranty Issues; 3 Refund or Exchange; 3 Repair Issues and 2 Service Issues.”

To Buy or Not To Buy?

Retailers and etailers offer either their own or third party service contracts. Before purchasing either kind, be sure to read it carefully, even if you need a jeweler’s loupe to clearly see the exclusions and other conditions hidden within the contract’s fine print.

HD Guru checked out the service contracts offered by 6th Avenue Electronics and P.C. Richard and Son, two NY/New Jersey Metropolitan area retail chains. Both contracts proved to be far more straightforward and concise than either Best Buy’s or Target’s.  Best Buy’s plan is printed on twenty pages of a 4″ x 8.25″ pamphlet, P.C Richard’s contract terms occupy just 2/3 of a single sided letter size page.

Consider the cost before purchasing a service contract. For instance, Target’s total three years from purchase service contract for a $1300 HDTV costs $79, while BJ’s Wholesale club’s three total years from purchase service contract for the same price TV costs $119. Fined web retailer Foto Connection’s three total years CPS service contract costs $209.30

Best Buy’s four years from purchase date “Black Tie Protection service contract (including the manufacturer’s standard one-year warranty) is $229.99 for a $1299.99 HDTV. In other words you’re paying 17.5% of the set’s total cost for the three additional years of coverage. After reading all of the contract’s terms and conditions, is that a worthwhile investment? Thats your decision!

Remember too that many credit cards will double the manufacturer’s warranty, so check the terms of your credit card(s) before using one to make a purchase.

-HDGuru® with Michael Fremer
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(6/27/09 by HDGURU®) The old adage “If the deal sounds too good to be true, it is” applies to purchases of HDTVs, camcorders, digital cameras and other consumer electronics on the Internet.  This week the office of the NY State Attorney General concluded a settlement agreement with seven Brooklyn based e-tailers, making them pay $665,000 to consumers they cheated, adding another $100,000 in investigation costs. “These companies engaged in the worst kinds of consumer fraud, from classic bait-and-switch schemes to blatant lies and bullying sales tactics.” said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

The press release adds “Under the agreements secured today by Cuomo, two of the companies, Camera Wiz and Sonic Photo, will dissolve completely.  The following five companies will completely revamp their business practices and be subject to ongoing monitoring: Best Price Camera, Foto Connection, 1 Way Photo, 86th Street Photo and Broadway Photo, LLC.  All of the companies will pay substantial monies to provide restitution for consumers who were subjected to the companies’ illegal business practices.”

How do unscrupulous retailers “bait and switch” customers?  While methods may vary from store to store, the first part of any good con is to snag the victim. Prospective buyers want the lowest price possible, and bait and switch operations offer prices that are lower than offered by legitimate dealers (often below cost).

The games begin after the order has been placed. The victim gets a phone call from a dealer sales rep who either advises switching to another, supposedly superior product, or claims the product purchased is designed for a foreign market and lacks the US warranty and English language instructions. Or the salesman will attempt to get the victim to buy upgraded or overpriced items (HDMI cables, screen cleaning kits, mounts, practically worthless extended warranties, etc.) Say “no” and the store will simply not ship the product.

If you have a problem with your main purchase, or are dissatisfied with an accessory, according to the press release, these unscrupulous companies make returning them almost impossible by requiring customers to speak to a live representative during limited business hours and then refusing to answer those calls.

The press release adds “all the fined companies obtained fake ‘consumer testimonials’ through websites that claim to be impartial consumer based ‘rating’ websites, but are in fact are pay-per-click-based websites filled with content provided by the websites proprietors.”. Here’s the full release (NY AG Secures Agreement With Electronics Companies Using Illegal Business Practices).

The Complete List

The seven companies fined operate under over one hundred company names and websites! The HD Guru obtained the list from the NYS Attorney General’s Office, posted here (List of Bait and Switch E-tailers).

Recourse

If you believe you are a victim of illegal practices of one of the listed companies you may qualify for restitution. The NYS Attorney General appointed The New York Better Business Bureau to handle claims. They must be submitted from July 1, 2009 to December 1, 2009 by calling the NY BBB at 212-533-6200 (as of July 1).

How To Avoid A Scam E-tailer

Be wary of sellers located in Brooklyn, NY. For reasons not exactly clear this NYC borough has the highest concentration of scamming e-tailers. The state of New Jersey appears to have the second highest number of bad retailers; however there are many legitimate merchants in the Garden State.

Check out http://sheddingsomelight.com/ for a list of dealers and their business aliases having high numbers of complaints. Here you’ll also find helpful tips on how to detect scam merchants.

Go to review websites, look for the volume and severity of the bad reviews while disregarding the positive reviews because many may be self-generated by the scammers.

Check out the e-tailers’ local Better Business Bureau website for complaints and to learn if they were resolved.

Always check out return policies, restocking fees and freight charges for returns prior to a purchase. Many e-tailers have sterling reputations, so don’t allow the bad ones to inhibit your online purchasing; the HD Guru has made many satisfactory etail purchases by following his own advice!

-HDGuru® with Michael Fremer
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So you’ve seen the demos in the store, read the reviews, found the best price.  You are the proud owner of a brand new High Def video camera. You’ve even shot some video of the wife and kids and watched it on your Panasonic TC-50G10 50” Plasma that was recommended by the HDGURU. It looks great, amazing almost like 3D! Wow, you can’t wait to send a video to Mom & Dad. They bought an HDTV, so they will be able to see just how great the video looks. But, how do you send them the video? They don’t have an HD Video Camera, you both bought a Blu-ray disc player, but how do you make a Blu-ray disk? Well, the answer is here, Adobe has released the Adobe CS3 Production Premium bundle. This amazing complete package includes everything you need to shoot, import footage, edit it, and add special effects, music, graphics, and titles! Everything that you need to create your masterpiece.  Add to that an LG GGW-H20L Blu-ray Disc burner and HD DVD-ROM reader, so that you can not only burn Blu-ray disks, but also watch both Blu-rays , HD-DVD’s, even regular DVD’s and CD’s on your HTPC (Home Theater PC). The only other ingredient that you need for this High Def recipe is 25GB Blu-ray blank disks.

Let me take you through the creation process of your first Blu-ray.  Let’s start. Adobe CS3 Production Premium comes with a fantastic group of programs that include Adobe OnLocation, Adobe Ultra, Adobe After Effects® CS3 Professional, Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3, Adobe Encore® CS3, Adobe Photoshop® CS3 Extended, Adobe Illustrator® CS3, Adobe Flash® CS3 Professional, and Adobe® Soundbooth™ CS3. The install is not for the faint of heart and can take about an hour to complete. The package requires at least 32GB of hard drive space, a 32-bit video card and a 1280×1024 or higher resolution monitor.

With the package installed and your masterpiece shot with your HD Video camera, the real fun begins. Now, Adobe is not for those without some computer knowledge. If you are a little more advanced then you will want to load Adobe OnLocation®CS3 on to your laptop. This program allows you to capture directly to both your videotape and your computer hard drive. It also comes with an impressive array of very professional tools to make sure that your images are recorded perfectly. You can even have some fun with stop-motion animation. At the very least you can immediately review your shots to see if they came out the way that you expected. If you don’t want to get in that deep then you would use Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 to capture the footage from your camera to your hard drive. At this point you have several options, you might want to use Adobe Photoshop® CS3 Extended or Adobe Illustrator® CS3 to create custom graphics to use in your video or use Adobe After Effects® CS3 Professional, a long standing industry standard to create some amazing special effects.  The great thing about it is that is all up to you and your imagination. You can make a simple video with very little trimmings or perhaps your own personal Star Wars epic! One of the more spectacular new additions to Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 is the ability to make web ready flash movies directly from the timeline with Adobe Flash® CS3 Professional without having to go through all the hassles that you might have to with other programs.  Adobe Flash® CS3 allows you to create excellent quality videos in a very small file size. But your choices don’t stop there, you can just as easily export for standard DVD, the web, and mobile devices. Another cool feature is the ability to create dramatic slow- and fast-motion effects right on the timeline, you can slow things down without compromising quality.

Adobe® Soundbooth™ CS3 allows you to orchestrate your video or just clean up your audio. One of the nicest features is the interactivity of the Suite of programs. If you are working on the timeline in Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 then you can right click on any audio file and choose to “Edit in Adobe Soundbooth.” Once your editing is done Adobe is still there for you with Adobe Encore® CS3.

Adobe Encore® CS3 enables you to take your completed masterpiece and burn it to Blu-ray. This is where your LG GGW-H20L Blu-ray Disc burner and HD DVD-ROM reader comes into play. Even though Blu-ray has won the format war, there are still a lot of bargains to be had in HD-DVD disks. Buy ‘em up and watch them with this versatile recorder/player. With Adobe Encore® CS3 you don’t even need a separate burning software, Encore allows you to burn directly to your Maxell 25GB Blu-ray blank disks. I tested both the BD–R (which allow you to record once) and on the BD-RE( the re-writeable version). Both performed spectacularly. They yielded perfect copies that played back glitch free. The time for the burn process depends greatly on the length of your content, but remember HD creates big files to get that great picture. It took me about 30 minutes to get a 10 minute Blu-ray burned.

Now keep in mind that Adobe Production Premium CS3® has many more features and it would take an e-book to tell you about all of them. I will be featuring more in depth technical articles on http://www.wemakehd.com as well as videos made with this package on http://www.exploreworldtv.com. So visit those sites for more info. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will try to answer as best as I can.

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Copyright ©2009 HD Guru Inc.  All rights reserved.  HDGURU is a registered trademark.  The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.  The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable.  Data within is subject to change.  HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

US District Court Rules Class Action Against Best Buy To Proceed

(3/21/09)  The US District Court, Southern District granted a motion on 3/19/09 for Class Action Certification to allow Plaintiff Thomas Jermyn and any similarly situated NY State residents to sue Best Buy for violating its “Price Match” policy.

According to the ruling, the plaintiff alleges, “Best Buy uses false and deceptive trade practices in advertising and applying the company’s well-known “price match guarantee” policy.  Best Buy tells the consuming public it will match a competitor’s lower price on any item purchased in the store.”  Plaintiff alleges that Best Buy uses its “price match guarantee policy as a ploy, to lure unsuspecting consumers into its stores and to induce them to purchase its merchandise, while allegedly having an undisclosed “Anti-Price Matching Policy,” pursuant to which employees aggressively deny customers’ legitimate price match requests.”

Among the major revelations listed from evidence within the decision based on internal BB documents, depositions of current BB employees and declarations by two former BB employees are the following allegations:

·    Best Buy had an undisclosed Anti-Price Matching Policy

·    Corporate headquarters disseminated the anti-price matching policy to regional managers, store managers, assistant managers, and necessary store personnel

·    Best Buy taught its employees how to deny price match requests in its training facilities in New York

·    Best Buy provided financial bonuses based, in part, on denying proper price match requests

·    Best Buy denied more than 100 proper price match requests per store per week.

The court decision lists parts of an internal Best Buy document dated 10/19/2006, written by Phil Britton, a member of Best Buy’s Competitive Strategies Group. Its entitled “Competition Insider Templates”, here’s an excerpt:

“Price Matches

It looms on the wall, on a 9 foot sign.  Our Price Match policy.  There it is plain as day in English (Y en espanol para los de usted que puede leerio.)  However, just because it is our policy, do we abide by it?  Does it really help the customer?

What is the first thing we do when a customer comes in to our humble box brandishing a competitor’s ad asking for a price match?  We attempt to build a case against the price match.  (Trust me, I’ve done it too).  Let’s walk through the “Refused Price Match Greatest Hits:”

Not same model?  Not in stock at the competitor?  Do we have free widget with purchase?  Is it from a warehouse club (they have membership fees, you know)?  Limited Quantities?  That competitor is across town?  We’ve got financing!  Is it an internet price?  It’s below cost!…..”

Contrary to the above quoted document, Best Buy’s posted Price Match policy does not list any price match restrictions based on: competitor’s distance from store (it states “local retailer”), warehouse club-based prices, or whether the competitor’s price is above or below cost.

Best Buy continues to promote its Price Match policy.  Tomorrow’s (March 22, 2009) Best Buy weekly circular, page 3 states “We’ll meet or beat their lowest price.  If you see a lower advertised price, we’ll match it on the spot.”

Last week the HD Guru wrote about the Best Buy’s refusal to provide a policy compliant price match at three of its stores.  Best Buy’s corporate office responded via email with the following statement.

“We apologize for the confusion over this price matching incident, and appreciate that there’s room for mis-interpretation of what we’ll match and when.  The price match in question was over $700 difference from our pricing at the store; while our pricing may vary from our competition, such huge fluctuations in price are rare and
rightfully set off red flags to our employees.

Our full price match policy for in store can be found here (Link).

We encourage customers to become familiar with our price-matching policy and use it to their advantage, especially in these tough economic times.  The key elements of this policy are:

If a customer elects to make a purchase and discovers a lower advertised price offered by a local retail competitor on the same available brand and model, we will fulfill a price match request once proof of price is verified via the competitor’s ad.  The Price Guarantee does not apply to limited-quantity items.

If customers believe they’ve met the applicable criteria and are unable to price match at their local Best Buy store, we urge them to contact our Customer Care Center at 888-Best Buy (888-237-8289) for further assistance.”

The HD Guru contacted Michael Braunstein, the attorney representing the plaintiff in the class action lawsuit.  Mr. Braunstein invites readers who believe they have been “murfed” (refused the price match in compliance with BBs written policy) or have inquiries regarding the class action, to contact him by email or phone.  The class action lawsuit applies to NY State residents only.  However, Mr. Braunstein stated in the phone interview that he would like to hear from anyone who has been rejected for a price match by Best Buy, regardless of the state in which they reside.  His contact information is
Michael L. Braunstein, Kantowitz, Goldhamer and Graifman, P.C. (845) 356-2570; email mbraunstein@kgglaw.com

A copy of the US District Court ruling can be found here decision-and-order-granting-class-certification.pdf

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Copyright ©2009 HD Guru Inc.  All rights reserved.  HDGURU is a registered trademark.  The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.  The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable.  Data within is subject to change.  HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.