Keep in mind, too, that you don’t necessarily have to choose between getting a new camcorder as a gift and using it to film your holiday adventures. You can use some of the smaller models as a stocking stuffer or wrap one up as a gift to be opened first. Just remember to make sure the batteries are fully charged or that the camera allows you to operate it while plugged into the charger.

The FlipHD and Sony Bloggie Touch

These digital camcorders are affordable, simple, and portable. They’re perfect for web-related videos (like Youtube and Facebook) and quick clips. Their cheaper price tag does come with a few sacrifices though. For starters, you’re limited to the built-in memory, which is only 4GB to 16GB (giving you only 1 to 4 hours of video) depending on model.

In order to accommodate the smaller form factor, the lenses lack any form of optical zoom. These limitations make these small camcorders less than ideal for those exciting and epic adventures, but they still make a great and affordable middle ground.

The Flip comes in a couple of different versions, all of which are capable of recording in 720p and have HDMI output. The Flip MinoHD is one of the most popular of the Flip line, with its smaller size, 60 frames per second recording, and image stabilization. For those who would like a bit more internal memory, the Flip SlideHD comes with 16GB of built-in storage and a slightly larger battery. Unfortunately, it lacks image stabilization and only records at 30 frames per second.

The Sony Bloggie Touch Camera gives you a great bang for your buck. Not only does it record in 1080p (unlike the Flip line) it also doubles as a 12.8MP digital camera for still images. Don’t get too excited though. Its camera lens isn’t much more than a glorified Smartphone camera; it has no optical zoom, limited focus, and small image sensor. Just like the Flip line, the Bloggie’s short battery life, restrictive storage space, and average picture quality will be your greatest limitations.

Sony HDR-CX110

When it comes to the more full-featured HD camcorders, there are hundreds, if not thousands, to choose from, and they can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. The Sony HDR-CX110 provides an excellent balance in price and features. It offers all of the standard features you’d expect from an HD camcorder and comes with 16GB of built-in storage with expansion slots for Memory Stick Pro Duo or SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. This keeps it very affordable and allows you to customize the amount of memory you need through the expansion cards.

The CX110 also offers some of the best image stabilization available as well as a great intelligent auto mode to make shooting simple for even the most novice of novices. To top it all off, it comes with an admirable image sensor and high-quality lens complete with 12x optical zoom.

The entire HDR-CX line actually makes a great place to start when searching for a new HD camcorder. While the CX110 offers an affordable middle ground on quality, features, and storage, spending a bit more on the CX550V (one of our highest rated products), for example, gives you a larger image sensor and a bit more storage.

HDTVs have become a hot ticket item in the past few years, and to keep up with the competitive edge, manufacturers have come up with all sorts of features in attempts to outclass each other. The problem is that even after reading countless TV reviews, it’s still difficult to know just what exactly each feature does. Here’s our quick reference guide for the most popular and most useful features in HDTVs today.

Input Types

These days, HDTVs come with a long list of different input types, such as HDMI, Component, Composite, and S-Video. It’s important to know which ones are most important, and how many of each type you might need.

HDMI

HDMI is the most popular HD cable type, and most modern HDTVs will come with at least two HDMI ports. HDMI is also very convenient in that it carries both audio and video in a single cable, capable of extremely high throughput (for 7.1ch surround sound and 1080p). Given the option, you’ll want to build your home theater with HDMI as your keystone, so it’s wise to get an HDTV with at least 4 HDMI ports.

Component

Component cables are the other, less popular HD cable type. They consist of three cables to carry video, Red, Green, and Blue and often paired two audio cables for stereo sound. As component video is an aging standard, it is slowly being replaced with HDMI; however, many devices, such as video game systems and DVD players, still rely on it, so most HDTV will have at least one or two component inputs, which is generally sufficient.

Composite

Composite cables (often referred to as RCA) carry video through one, generally yellow, cable, and they are often paired with two audio cables. Because it is a fairly old cable type, its only suitable for SD content, but many older devices, like DVD and VHS players, video game systems, and video camcorders require composite inputs. Most people have several of these devices, so you will want to make sure any HDTV you get has enough composite inputs to connect all of your devices.

S-Video

S-Video is very similar to composite in that it carries the video signal through a single cable. It provides slightly better video quality than composite, but is still only suitable for SD content. Most HDTVs tie the S-Video ports in with the composite inputs, meaning you can only use one or the other at a time, but given the choice, S-Video is preferred over composite.

Resolution

Generally speaking, HDTVs come in two HD resolutions: 720p and 1080p. Unless you absolutely cannot afford it, any new HDTV you get should be 1080p. Also, just because a TV says it’s capable of displaying a 1080p signal does not mean it’s truly a 1080p resolution. You’ll want to ensure that the “Native Resolution” is 1920×1080 to ensure you’re viewing a true 1080p picture.

Hertz and Refresh Rate

The refresh rate in HDTVs is somewhat like the arms race during the Cold War. The Hz rate stands for how many times the screen can draw a new image per second. For the most part, those 120 and 240Hz figures are mostly just marketing ploys. The 120Hz HDTVs show some improved quality in high motion environments, but it is generally accepted that 240Hz shows no real appreciable difference over the cheaper 120Hz sets.

DLNA

DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance, and in short, it allows you to share media to your TV through your home network. Most DLNA TVs will have either an Ethernet port or integrated Wifi to connect to your network, allowing you to stream media from any other DLNA devices on your network, such as Window 7 PCs and even some Smartphones.