It’s early August, so you know what that means: It’s time to start working on my holiday wish list. Right? Well, maybe it’s a little early for holiday shopping, but that’s not stopping me. Here are a few products I’ve got my eye on this year.
Digeo Moxi Mate
I love my DVR, but I do find it a bit restricting. After all, it only lets me watch the shows I’ve recorded on the TV it’s connected to. That’s great, when I don’t mind sitting in my family room. But what about when I want to curl up in bed and watch a show there? I’m out of luck, unless I want to lug my DVR with me wherever I go. Enter Digeo’s Moxi Mate. This digital media player, which is already available, connects to your Moxi DVR over your home network, so you can watch shows in multiple rooms.
I’m the first to admit I didn’t love the Moxi interface, or the DVR’s high price: It sells for $799. But if you already own one, you can get the $399 Moxi Mate at the discounted price of $199. That’s cheaper than a second DVR.
The Moxi Mate’s functionality is similar to that of Verizon’s FioS Home Media DVR, which works as a multi-room DVR. The Verizon product is much cheaper, starting at $20 per month. But the Moxi packs in many features — including access to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and other sources of online video, as well as onboard games, and more — it’s not really fair to call it just a DVR. That’s why I’d take the Moxi DVR over the Verizon FioS model — if money were no object, that is.
Panasonic Blu-ray/DVR Combo
OK, this product may never make it to the U.S., but that can’t stop me from dreaming about it. Panasonic’s DMR-BW970 Blu-ray player/DVR looks like it could almost be the perfect set-top box. It packs in 2TB of storage, so there’s no more picking and choosing which shows get to stay and which ones have to go. It plays back and records to Blu-ray discs. It also includes an HDMI output, SD card slot, and a Viera link for connecting to other Panasonic products.
The DMR-BW970 is the high-end model in Panasonic’s line of six Diga Blu-ray/DVR combo devices that will be available in September…in Japan. If only they’d make it to the U.S., I think I’d be in heaven.
Nikon Coolpix S1000pj
I love my pocket-sized digital camera. And I love mini projectors that also can fit in my pocket, but are capable of creating a big-screen display on my wall. And, now, these two products have come together in Nikon’s Coolpix S1000pj. This 12-megapixel camera includes a built-in projector that will display your photos and videos on a virtual 40-inch screen.
The projector, which is on the front of the camera, has a throw range of 10 inches to 6.5 feet, VGA resolution, and a brightness rating of 10 lumens; all of those specs are comparable to those of the Optoma Pico Projector. Of course, the Optoma Pico Projector can connect to a variety of devices, including an iPhone, while the Nikon camera/projector combo is more limited. But the Optoma projector sells for $400 on its own, while you’ll be able to get the Nikon camera/projector combo for $430 starting next month.
