DL.TV

episode 23 (1x23)

Air date: Dec 20, 2005

* Hybrids: they're not just cars, but the future of hard disk drives. We explain why magnetic disks and flash memory chips are a winning combination, and what technologies are most likely to make it to your local Fry's or CompUSA. * Addictive games: these free time-wasters are so hard to quit they should be illegal. * December is wrapping up, and the 2005 Google Zeitgeist is finally here. The top gainers of 2005 inlcude (not suprisingly) Myspace and Wikipedia, with 'Janet Jackson' as the top Google News search--clearly the public is focused on the hard news. * No free antivirus program is perfect, but we like AVG, Avast 4 , and AntiVir better than some more expensive programs. We recommend you only install one antivirus program, so choose wisely. * Do you really need Hi-Def DVDs for Hi-Def playback? Robert checks out the NeuNeo HVD2085 DVD player, to see if the upconverting player lives up to the hype. * Plus, everything on Hi-Def DVD players: upsampling vs. upscaling vs. upconverting, 3:2 pulldown, resolutions, low cost solutions, and more from our expert/co-host Robert Heron. * Viewer Question: Travis asks "What's your take on the 'HDTV' torrent downloads of TV shows?" Not the legality issue, of course, but the quality issue. * Answer: HD is always compressed to get the file size down, and resolution reduction is usually part of that process--but they can still look pretty good. As far as the legality issue... * We analyze the latest technology news, from our tech-centric San Francisco studio. * And, as always, we take a swing at more of your viewer questions.