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Today's Show:
We start off the main content in today's show talking about a couple of low cost options we found for recording your Holiday memories in High Definition. Then we move on to the 2008 edition of our annual Home Theater Receiver buying guide. Like last year, this year we have given you our HTIB and HDTV buying guide. Once again our series would not be complete without talking about the hub of your Home Theater, the Receiver. This year we have three categories, $500 or less, greater than $500 and less than $1000, and greater than $1000. Last year the cheapest receiver supporting Dolby True HD was the Onkyo TX-SR605 which went for an incredible $380.

Capture HD memories for Christmas:
Flip Video MinoHD, the world's smallest HD Camcorder
It's available at the HT Guys store for $206.
We'll have a full review of this little guy on an upcoming episode. You can also read an article about it at PC World.

Creative Vado HD, pocket video cam.
It's available at the HT Guys store for $199.


Home Theater Receiver Buying Guide

$500 and Less

Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver
(HT Guys Store Price $320) 7.1-channel home theater receiver with full HD integration and video upscaling, HDMI v1.3a (4 inputs, 1 output, 1080P compatible), 1080i Upscaling powered by Faroudja DCDi Edge, TrueHD, DTS-HD Decoding, Audyssey 2EQ for Loudness Correction. Best value out there!

Yamaha RX-V663BL 665 Watt 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver
(HT Guys Store Price $499.95) HDMI 1.3 with Deep Color, xv Colorspace, 1080p compatible, and support for HD Audio formats, Analog video to HDMI up-conversion and also de-interlacing from 480i to 480p, Bluetooth music streaming using Yamaha YBA-10 Bluetooth Audio Receiver.

Greater than $500 and Less than $1000

Denon AVR-1909 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver
(HT Guys Store Price $599) can also be used as a 5.1+2 CH Independent Zone system. Identical quality and power for all 7 channels (90W x 7ch), Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoders, Faroudja DCDi video processing and up-conversion, Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ, 3 HDMI inputs (Audio and Video), Sirius Satellite Radio ready

Pioneer Elite VSX-03TXH 7.1-Channel A/V Receiver
(HT Guys Store Price $999) 110 Watts x 7 Direct Energy Amplification, Rigid Trans Stabilizer Construction, THX Select2 Plus Processing and Certification, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, dts-HD Master Audio/High Resolution Audio, New Freescale Dual Core DSP Engine, Standing Wave Control, Advanced Sound Retriever for enhanced playback from portable audio devices, Neural THX Surround, TBC Digital Video Conversion Converts S-Video, Composite and Component Up to HDMI, USB Memory Audio Playback

Greater than $1000

Sony STR-DA5400ES ES Series 7.1 Channel Home Theater A/V Receiver
(HT Guys Store Price $1419) Enjoy your entertainment in multiple rooms with the STR-DA5400ES 7.1-channel A/V receiver. At the heart, this Elevated Standard (ES) receiver features dual Faroudja DCDi Cinema® chips that enable upscaling of standard definition content to 1080i in up to two rooms. It's also equipped with the necessary connections for full home integration allowing you to start an HD movie in the living room and finish it in the bedroom. You can also listen to your favorites songs in up to three rooms from your iPod® or Walkman® player, PC, or XM® and Sirius Satellite Radio® via dual Digital Media Port inputs. In addition, the STR-DA5400ES features advanced A/V technology that reproduces the latest audio formats from Dolby® Labs (Dolby Digital +/Dolby TrueHD) and dts® (dts HD/DTS High Resolution Audio). Offering plenty of connections, this receiver comes with six HDMI™ inputs and 2 HDMI outputs that are compatible with 1080 60p/24p, Deep Color and x.v.Color video signals.

HT Guys' Ultimate Christmas Present:
Denon AVR-4308CI Advanced 7.1 Channel A/V Home Theater Receiver
(HT Guys Store Price $2149) 140 watts x 7 channels, Wi-Fi and Network capable, Dolby® TrueHD and dts-HD™ Master Audio, DDSC-HD digital Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuitry, Expanded HDMI v1.3a ports with Deep Color, xvYCC, and SACD support, Pure Direct mode & Advanced AL24 Processing Multi Channel, DENON LINK III, enabling high-speed, high-grade digital signal transmission, Audyssey MultEQ XT & MultEQ Pro calibration installer ready, Audyssey Dynamic EQ calibration installer ready