Consumer Reports Annual Electronics Issue Finds Great Values and Strong Performance on Products for the Holiday Shopping Season

The annual Consumer Reports Electronics issue hits newsstands this month with a record number of product reviews — 448 models total — just in time for the holiday shopping season. A few highlights from the report:

"This season it's all about value in electronics," said senior electronics editor at Consumer Reports, Paul Reynolds. "Our tests have shown that electronics are pulling their weight and then some. There are iPods with cameras, TVs connected to the Internet and BluRay players that make the viewer feel like they are in the theater. This new issue gives readers a guide to some of the hottest products and top-performers in our tests, just in time for the holiday shopping season." [...]

New Music Players: Zune HD versus iPod Nano

The latest Microsoft Zune HD 16GB, $220 or 32GB, $290, is a largely successful redesign but continues to remain Windows-only. It is thinner, more elegant, and more colorful than previous models. Features include Wi-Fi to access the Internet, ability to download purchases directly to the player, and wirelessly sync the player to a PC. The multitouch screen display was quite responsive, users can zoom in on photos with a simple finger movement and reorients Web pages and photos when tilted. The Zune HD is the first portable player with a built-in HD Radio, and like the new iPod Nano, it allows users to tag songs they would like to purchase later.

The fifth generation iPod Nano multimedia player, 8GB, $150; 16GB, $180, has useful new features, but is still unable to capture still photos. Video recording capabilities make their debut in this version and after synching with the computer, it is easy to e-mail videos to friends, post on Facebook and YouTube or edit in iMovie. The video quality is comparable with that of a standard-definition pocket camcorder and fine for casual viewing, but does not compare to a full-sized standard-definition camcorder. The FM tuner offers Live Pause which allows listeners to hit the pause button during programming and pick-up where they left off or rewind up to 15 minutes or fast-forward to catch up to the live broadcast.