Day two of my week-long series on gadget gift recommendations caters to the desires of movie lovers and geeky cinephiles. My innovative and inexpensive choices reflect the great digital change that movies are going through with home theatre experiences that deliver High Definition, mobile access, interactive features, disc-less formats, and a camera where the world watches you in stunning detail. Break out the popcorn, turn down the lights, it's about to begin.

Samsung Blu-ray Player BDP1600T

$150

After more than three years I'm finally ready to recommend a Blu-ray product. While the format still has its issues and the industry is gearing up to replace it with a new 3D Blu-ray format starting next year, the price has finally dropped to a reasonable point, making it worth the investment just to experience some of your favorite movies in 1080p High Definition, which is spectacular. This Samsung player is one of those rare times when the "deal" really is a deal. Despite the low price, this player offers fantastic image quality and a fast loading time (a weakness of Blu-ray players). It supports the latest BD-Live features, can connect to the internet through ethernet (to watch YouTube videos if you like) and can even support Wi-Fi if you'd like to invest in an add-on. If that doesn't seal the deal, many stores are bundling it with a copy of the Dark Knight, one of the best titles for Blu-ray thanks to its IMAX footage.  

Dexim Premium AV Dock Station For iPod Touch/iPhone 

$100

If you're like me you have full-length movies stored on your iPod Touch or iPhone. Many new release DVDs and Blu-ray titles now come with an included Digital Copy feature just for that purpose. One of the secret features of the iPod Touch and iPhone is that, with the right accessories, you can play those movies on your HDTV, and it looks fantastic. Dexim's AV Dock has the right solution. Connect it to your television either through HDMI or component cables, then dock your iPod Touch and use the included remote to play your videos on the big screen at 720i resolution. The dock will also charge and through USB can perform a data sync with your computer. In addition to playing videos, you can also use the remote to play photos and music through your television. 

When Dexim first designed the unit, it was before the release of the new iPhone OS 3.0 update, meaning that some menu functions are no longer mapped with the remote. The basic functions are fine; play, pause, fast-forward, rewind, volume control, etc. but to specifically navigate your library you'll need to use the touchscreen on your iPod device.  

FoxPop And Pocket Blu Interactive Movie Titles

$17 - $33 each

There are a number of new releases this holiday season that include new interactive technologies that allow the movie itself to connect or interact with your home computer or iPod Touch/iPhone

FoxPop

Available on both select DVD and Blu-ray releases from Fox Home Entertainment, this program has the ability to "listen" to the sound of the movie playing on your television and identify which scene is being displayed. It can then send Twitter-like messages that share related background information and trivia games to either your home computer or iPod Touch/iPhone. The free app also allows you to connect to both Twitter and Facebook as well as surf the next and visit related sites. You can also record your own scene-related messages which will get stored and play back when someone on your friend's list watches the same movie.

Fox titles with the feature include Jennifer's Body, 500 Days of Summer, and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

You can read my detailed review of the technology here.

pocket Blu

Available on select Blu-ray titles from Universal Home Video and Alliance Atlantis, these two free apps for your iPod Touch and iPhone allow you to connect to your Blu-ray player for enhanced features. In both cases you'll need to have your Blu-ray player connected to a home Wi-Fi network. 

Pocket Blu allows your iPod/iPhone to become a remote control to access the movie's playback and menu controls. In landscape view it will display the movie's timeline and a countdown of how much running time has passed and is left. Using Pocket Blu with a movie will also unlock hidden content, allowing you to download featurettes and added content for your iPod/iPhone.

Titles that support pocket Blu include Inglorious Basterds, Public Enemies, Bruno, and Funny People

LaCie LaCinema Classic HD, Design By Neil Poulton

$270 

Note: Unfortunately LaCie Canada reports that they are now sold out of the LaCinema Classic HD. It has proven to be far more popular than they were prepared for and while they have a new supply coming, it won't be until the end of the month, after Christmas. It is worth mentioning, however, that they do offer a range of similar products including a rugged version of the LaCinema HD.

When I first got an iPod one of the first things I did was to copy the music from all of my CDs onto it. I placed all the discs into a box and packed them into storage where they rest there to this very day, freeing up shelf space in my home and allowing me to listen to my music with more convenience. For years I've been waiting for a product that can do the same thing for my DVDs. I give you the Lacie LaCinema Classic HD. 

The LaCinema connects to your HDTV television. It's 1 Terabyte of storage is capable of holding approximately 500 DVD movies or 100 Blu-ray titles and supports 1080p High Definition playback. It has a simple, intuitive interface and a remote control to navigate your collection, which in addition to movies can also include photos and music. In the case of DVD movies, it will upconvert them for High Definition playback. With an ethernet connection you can also have it stream content from any personal computer on your home network and it can just as easily play content from a USB or external drive.

The device itself doesn't include the software to make copies of your DVDs or Blu-rays, that's something you need to do on your home computer with software created by other companies. There are, of course, an ocean of choices when it comes to free software for this task as well as many online communities that offer tutorials and YouTube videos. LaCie's intent here is to leave their product open to whichever system you want to use. 

If you've never made a copy of a DVD I'll tell you what is possible. You can copy the movie, complete with director's commentaries and subtitles. You can copy most extras, including featurettes, documentaries, and deleted scenes. What you'll lose are the menu systems and the scene selection screens, leaving you to fast forward (at very quick speed) much like you did with VHS. It also means no FBI warnings, previews, or trailers for those who can't stand having to sit through those just to get to the movie. 

The advantage, aside from never having to dig through stacks of cases or switch discs in the player, is that you can organize your collection as you wish, creating folders that group movies by director, theme, actor, however you wish.

What's impressive is the LaCinema's wide support for different file formats including DivX, H.254 HD, .MKV, .ISO, SRT, SUB, and DTS audio just to name a few. The list is long enough to make most hobbyists in this area very happy. The performance is equally surprising as playback and quick fast-wording/rewind work without any hiccups or crashes. 

This is, admittedly, a fairly technical product compared to what I normally feature on Canada AM where my focus is always on simple products for the average user, but I felt I should make an exception as this is the one item on my list this year that truly inspired sleepless nights of excitement and anticipation. I have most of my DVD collection transferred over and the convenience of having them all assembled into one tiny box for easy access has been a kind of geek heaven for me. 

Microsoft LifeCam HD Webcam

$90

With YouTube, Revver, DailyMotion, and other video-sharing websites moving towards High Definition, you'll need to make an upgrade if you wish to keep up your "cewebrity" status and internet star lifestyle. This high quality cam from Microsoft offers 720p High Definition, auto focus, a digital noise-canceling microphone, and a rugged aluminum body. The big shock, aside from all the detail it captures, is the widescreen view allowing for more of the room you're standing in to be included in the shot, perfect if you're looking to include larger scale performances, tours, etc.