Thanks for the gadget i got for Christmas: Samsung BDP-1500

(Note from the editor: For archival purposes (and in keeping with our DIY viral marketing philosophy), I'm reprinting a series of articles originally written for circuitcity.com.)

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Originally published at circuitcity.com on December 30, 2008
Written by ScottyWhy?

(This week is "Thanks For The Gadget" week on the Circuit City Blog. We want to pay respect to Santa Claus by sending him letters of appreciation for the great gadgets he brought us this holiday season. We invite you to play along by sharing your thoughts in the comments section of this blog post or by joining the discussion in the Circuit City Forum. I'll start things off by writing the first letter.)




Dear Santa,
I love my new Samsung Bluray player! This thing rocks!!!
My wife's parents gave me a Samsung BDP-1500 for Christmas. They are fantastic folks and really didn't have to give me anything this big (but I'm sooo glad they did.) I have to tell you, I couldn't wait to get home and hook it up. I already had a free HDMI cable running through my wall (an act of wishful thinking I guess.) It took a total of 5 minutes to get this thing out of the box and all wired in. I was watching HANCOCK on Blu-ray before my wife finished unpacking the car (just kidding, Wife.)

The picture quality on my HDTV is hypnotic. It's hard to turn away...even during the head-in-the-buttocks scene. The Samsung upconverts standard DVDs, so Dr. House looks extra cranky when I put in an old copy of "House-The First Season". I can't wait to see what "Thirteen" looks like on Blu-ray in the later seasons.

This thing also has "DTS-HD Master Audio", which means I probably should have kept that Onkyo HT-S3100 5.1 Home Theater System that I got for my parents. Guess that gives me something to hope for next year.

So thank you Santa (and my parents-in-law too) for making this a great Christmas!

Have a Fantastic New Year.
ScottyWhy?

Why I Wear Red 4U "ScottyWhy?"

(Note from the editor: For archival purposes (and in keeping with our DIY viral marketing philosophy), I'm reprinting a series of articles originally written for circuitcity.com.)

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Published at circuitcity.com on Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Written by ScottyWhy?

You may have seen Circuit City in the news recently. We've received our share of criticism, in part because we lost sight of what is most important — YOU, our customers. We are 33,000 men and women who are committed to restoring your confidence. A Circuit City Facebook Page was set up as a place where we can respond, receive constructive feedback, and provide accurate information about our Company.

This holiday week, the staff at circuitcity.com/citycenter is dedicating our time to support this fantastic campaign. Each day a member of our team will produce a video that tells, in his own words, why he is dedicated to the idea of "I Wear Red 4U!"

Today's message is from Scotty Why. Scotty is the Manager of the Online Community on circuitcity.com. He's proud to produce blogs, forums, podcasts and other content that is intended to inform, educate, interact and entertain. He enjoys what he does and thinks his work makes it easier for you to make better buying decisions. That's why Scotty Wears Red 4U.

Review: Pioneer XMp3

(Note from the editor: For archival purposes (and in keeping with our DIY viral marketing philosophy), I'm reprinting a series of articles originally written for circuitcity.com.)

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Published at circuitcity.com on Friday, December 12, 2008
Syndicated at usatoday.com and computershopper.com
Written by ScottyWhy?

For purposes of full disclosure, I have to admit that I worked for a satellite radio company that produced some of XM's content before coming to Circuit City. I was the Program Director for XM's UPOP 29 in the early 2000's. More recently, I managed XM's online-only channel WorldZone 100. Knowing my background may help you put this report into perspective.

XM Content
I'm not going to spend a great deal of time reviewing XM's content other than to say it is superb. XM likes to brag about its headliners like Oprah, Opie & Anthony, MLB and NHL. They should be equally proud of the other great channels produced in-house by their talented team of radio pros.

I'm also not going to editorialize on the recent changes to the content lineup as a result of the merger with Sirius. If you want to discuss those issues, feel free to comment to this post or, better yet, go to our City Center Forum.
All-in-all, the variety and creativity found on XM can't be matched by your local radio stations. You can learn more about XM's content at circuitcity.com/xm.

XMP3 on left / INNO on right

Size
The Pioneer XMp3 is an update to the Pioneer INNO. If you compare them side-by-side, they are about equal in height from top to bottom. The XMp3 is slightly smaller measured side to side. It is also slightly thinner. The weight is the biggest difference. The INNO has a metal body and is significantly heavier than the plastic-cased XMp3.

Durability
The plastic case makes the XMp3 more portable, but also less durable than its older sibling. In the photos above you may notice a few scratches on my INNO. Its well-built frame has taken a pretty good beating over the years and it's still going strong. The XMp3 will need a little more tender loving care.

Reception
If your a first time users of satellite radio, it is important to note that reception can occasionally be an issue...especially with these portable units. While testing the XMp3, members of my team that are new to XM would sometimes shake it and complain that it didn't work. The more experienced users instinctively lifted the device higher to the sky or moved it closer to a window. In general, when using the device's built-in antenna, the signal will be pretty solid in cars and outdoors, but may drop out indoors. We could not get a signal in the middle of our office building (in Richmond, Virginia) using just the built-in antenna. We had no issues once we hooked up the extension antenna that is included in the Pioneer Home Kit (sold separately).

Battery Life
We tested the XMp3 over a three day weekend, so we didn't have enough time to give the battery an extensive workout. I can say that the unit was on much of that time and we only had to recharge it once.

Display
The display on the XMp3 is a nice improvement over the INNO. The screen is sharper, the images more attractive and you can see up to three channels at once.

Usability
The XMp3 has a couple design changes that took a little getting use to, but worked great once I got the hang of them:

CONTROL WHEEL - Pretty easy to spin and navigate the features.
DIGITAL KEYPAD - Easy to find channels by simply entering numbers.

Upgrades
There are several upgrades to this new unit that makes it a real winner.

2GB ONBOARD STORAGE -Up from 1GB in the INNO. This means more room to store more MP3s.
A MICRO SD CARD SLOT - This topped my list of options I've always wished I had on my INNO. Removable media means you can easily change your MP3 library on-the-fly.
IMPROVED RECORDING FUNCTIONS - This allows you to record up to 5 channels at a time. You can also schedule to record favorite shows and songs. Combine this with the REPLAY FUNCTION that allows you to rewind a live element, and this unit essentially becomes the TIVO of satellite radio.
XM2GO MUSIC MANAGER - Create and edit playlists, schedule recordings, rip CDs, bookmark and purchase songs...basically iTunes for your XM.

Overall
I'm a big fan of my INNO, and I still prefer it's tough exterior. But the increased storage, improved recording functions and especially the MicroSD slot really caught my interest. I've heard some people say they wanted this unit to support videos and photos so it could completely replace the iPod. I'm less concerned about that. I think this is a big step forward for portable satellite receivers and is stocked with enough features to please both the old and new XM subscriber.

Circuit City customers seem to like it. The average customer rating on circuitcity.com for this product is a 4.6 of 5.0. One customer gives it a 5.0 and says "...this thing isn't perfect, but it is great to record up to 5 channels, then pull this off the charger and listen to whatever you want from those 5. I am continually impressed by this."

How To Subscribe To A Podcast On iTunes

(Note from the editor: For archival purposes (and in keeping with our DIY viral marketing philosophy), I'm reprinting a series of articles originally written for circuitcity.com.)

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Published at circuitcity.com on Friday, December 12, 2008
Written by ScottyWhy?

"Tech Sandwich", Circuit City's tech and gadget Podcast, is now available on iTunes. Here's a quick "how to" that should help you get easily setup to use this simple and helpful tool.

Step #1: Download And Install iTunes
Go to apple.com.
Click "iPod + iTunes".
Click "Download iTunes".



On the Download page, click "Download Now".
On the Setup.exe, click "Save File".
Save file to a folder on your computer that you can easily find (I save all my downloads to a "My Programs" subfolder inside "My Documents". )



Navigate to folder and open the file.
Follow directions to install iTunes onto your computer.


Step #2: Search iTunes for "Tech Sandwich"
Once installed,click the new "iTunes" icon on your desktop.
Open iTunes.
Click "iTunes Store"
Click "Podcast"
Search "Tech Sandwich"



Click "Tech Sandwich" to open the podcast page.

Step #3: Subscribe To "Tech Sandwich"
On the Tech Sandwich page you can listen to individual episodes.
Click "Subscribe" so each new episode will automatically download each time you log onto iTunes.
Click "Get Episode" to download episodes manually.

Don't forget to leave a review.

DON'T FORGET TO TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!!!

How To Skype

(Note from the editor: For archival purposes (and in keeping with our DIY viral marketing philosophy), I'm reprinting a series of articles originally written for circuitcity.com.)

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Published at circuitcity.com on Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Written by ScottyWhy?

Skype is an online communication tool that combines the best of instant messengers, telephones, video phones, conference calls and more. It's easy to use and many of it's functions are free or moderately priced.

The circuitcity.com/citycenter team uses Skype as a messaging tool, for online conference calls, to record interviews and remote podcasts. You can find us on Skype by searching the username "Circuit City City Center."

Skype has been around for several years and has gone through several strong upgrades, yet lots of people still don't know it exists. We thought we'd help you get started if your not already using this great service. This screencast will give you the basics on HOW TO SKYPE.