Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles are a great example of rapidly evolving technology that will improve our lives. The question is, does it pay to be an early adopter? Environmental concern and cost savings are typical purchase motivations. Hybrids can also provide a means of publicly projecting that environmental commitment. Flex fuel vehicles (many larger domestic vehicles that can run on 85% ethanol, or vegetable based alcohol) and diesel vehicles (all of which can burn biodiesel, or refined vegetable oil) are also increasingly common.For hybrids, every analysis has come to the same conclusion: they don’t pay for themselves. That $3-$5,000 premium will never come back in fuel savings. Flex fuel vehicles may not cost a dime more than standard (many people don’t realize they drive one), and the fuel costs the same as gas, but ethanol provides less energy per gallon. Thus, flex fuel vehicles actually get lower fuel mileage. Biodiesel, even with a $1 per gallon Federal subsidy, is still more expensive than petroleum diesel. Still, with no cost savings to be had, isn’t there yet a large environmental benefit?With both flex fuel and biodiesel, farm subsidies artificially lower the cost of crop-based fuels and disguise their environmental impacts. Farming consumes LOTS of petroleum, for everything from operating equipment to transporting crops to making the fertilizers and pesticides that are applied. Much of that fertilizer and pesticide ends up in rivers and lakes, too. The tailpipe emissions from flex fuel and biodiesel are better than their petroleum equivalents, but overall it’s unclear that there is currently any net environmental advantage with eitherHybrids are expensive not so much because of the additional design work and electronics, but because of the increased material content of the vehicle, the electric motor/generator and the battery array. The batteries in particular are typically heavy and made of expensive and toxic materials that are processed in phases around the globe. The hybrid premium goes primarily for dirty industrial manufacturing and transportation, rather than clean design engineering in an office. Plus, if you really compare apples to apples, hybrids only get about 20% better mileage overall.What is a budget-minded and/or environmentally conscious driver to do? Until progress is made on the real promise of alternative fuels, such as growing oil-rich algae in sewer water, we need to remember the basics: keep your tires properly inflated, drive slower, carpool, take public transit, buy the wagon rather than the SUV, etc. Later this year Volkswagen will introduce the cleanest running car on the planet, a turbo diesel Jetta that will get 40/50 miles to the gallon, or 30% better than its gasoline equivalent. Superior mileage, cleaner emissions and apparently more powerful than a hybrid: Wow! But will it draw the proper approving glances in the Whole Foods parking lot? We shall see…–“Tech Dad” John Svoboda is a consumer electronics enthusiast, manager and business owner since the time of the 8-track, and holds a Master of Science degree in Telecommunications

Feeling left out of all the high-definition TV hoopla? I have great news: Prices continue to fall dramatically for all types of televisions!

When shopping for a new set the first thing to remember is that the TV needs to suit your room. All buyers should be looking at the top resolution, called 1080p, so that the set does not become obsolete anytime soon. With 1080p, most people will be happy with a screen size that is 1/3rd to 2/3rds of the viewing distance, eyeball to screen. Those who are more critical, or who plan to view still pictures, as I described in my last article, should stay to the smaller end of that range. Everyone else: go as big as your budget and room allow. Thus, for a 10 foot viewing distance (120 inches), you should look at screen sizes of 40 to 80 inches diagonally. Here are the common display technologies and the sizes widely available:

• LCD : 20 - 60 inches
• Plasma: 40 - 65 inches
• Digital Rear Projection: 50 - 75 inches
• Front Projectors & Screens: 60+ inches

Flat panel TVs, both LCD and plasma, are a lot brighter than the other two types. This makes them the best choice for bright rooms and daylight viewing, such as in the family room. Rear projection sets essentially mount a front projector in a big box with a screen on one side and an internal mirror or two. Both projection types have a fixed amount of brightness. The effective brightness is simply a result of how large a screen that light power is spread across. Big screen = low brightness.

When the choice is between plasma and LCD flat panels, the latter has most of the advantages. LCDs consume less energy, are less prone to annoying reflections in a bright room, weigh less (especially important if you want to mount it to an articulating arm), run cooler and are more reliable and less fragile on average. Plasma screens are better when watched from way off to the side and have superior contrast in dark rooms. Plasmas can be vulnerable to image burn-in, where a static image is actually burnt into the screen, permanently. If you plan to connect a computer or game box to a plasma TV, be careful, or just buy an LCD.

Rear and front projection units can be based on LCD, DLP or LCOS (same as Sony SXRD), the details of which are unimportant because they all can throw a great picture. Bulbs do burn-out on these, but most people get at least 2,000 hours out of them, so it’s not a huge concern. These are not as bright as flat panels, but are larger for a given budget. They suit basement rec-rooms and dedicated home theaters where big is mandatory and daylight is less prominent. Rear projection sets just plug in, while front projectors with matching screens (just like in a commercial theater!) require more skill & time to mount and set up. Only a few years ago, front projection systems in the home were for Hollywood moguls and other well-heeled consumers only. Today you can have a 120” commercial-quality image starting at around $3,000, screen included.

As far as which set to buy, don’t worry about all those tech specifications, especially contrast ratio. Manufacturers play marketing games with those. 1080p native resolution is the only critical one. Brands? Sharp and Samsung are leaders in LCD technology, while Panasonic and Pioneer make superior plasma displays. For rear projection, Samsung, Sony, JVC and Mitsubishi are strong. There are lots of good options with front projectors: JVC, Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Sony, Epson, BenQ and Panasonic. If you need any custom work done (run wires in walls, mount TV to wall, set-up projector, etc.) I strongly suggest you use a professional “custom integrator”. The good ones don’t work for the big-box store geek teams because their experience and knowledge justify their $75+ an hour typical rate. Most are also authorized resellers and since they keep no inventory, they will more often get you the best product for your needs, rather than the one in stock. You might pay a little more and wait a little longer, but the value is likely superior. The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) and The Imagine Science Foundation are two organizations that train and certify such installers.

Happy TV hunting!

–“Tech Dad” John Svoboda is a consumer electronics enthusiast, manager and business owner since the time of the 8-track, and holds a Master of Science degree in Telecommunications

With all the ways to spend your time, watching TV seems like a lesser choice compared to playing with the kids, balancing the checkbook, or reading a good novel. Some of the data about American TV habits is frightening:

• Average minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 39
• Minutes per week the average child spends watching TV commercials: 192
• Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900
• Hours per year the average child watches television: 1,500

• Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66

Unsurprisingly, some families have gone so far as to ban TV entirely in order to rid themselves of the habit. The reality is that the television is a communications tool that can be used with either great of awful effect. To make it beneficial, as opposed to merely a time suck, it must be actively managed.

First, televisions simply do not belong in bedrooms. There is no way to effectively monitor what and how much your child is watching with a set in the bedroom.

Second, the best option is to manage your television with a digital video recorder, or DVR. A DVR is essentially a dedicated computer that records video intelligently. Tivo is the best known name, but cable and satellite companies have their own versions. They all do the same things, but on the ease-of-use scale, Tivo is a 10, Dish Network is an 8, DirecTV is a 7, and most of the others are a 5 or lower.

DVRs can pause live TV and provide instant replay, but the big added value is automated recording. The key when setting up your DVR is to enter all the shows you want your family to watch, up-front. For example, you can set your box to record all new episodes of Nova. The DVR then automatically identifies all the Nova episodes to record, regardless of time or day, and skips duplicates. After you’ve had your DVR running for a week or so, it will be chock-full of the programs you actually want. Thus, when you sit down to watch, the question is no longer “What’s on?,” but “What do you want to watch?” because they are all on!

This is no subtle change. Watching live network TV essentially empowers some media executive to decide what you and your kids should see. Much of the best and most informative programming can be on at odd times and obscure channels. You just need an effective means to sort out the gems among all the junk. Wired Science is starting, but Jane hasn’t finished her homework yet. No problem–it’s being recorded. In fact, after a few months with a DVR, my family largely forgot what days and times our favorite shows are even on!

And then, of course, you can zap those commercials! DVRs allow you to fast-forward or jump (in 30-second increments) through commercials. Most children are happy to watch commercials, but when they are wrapped up in a show, it soon becomes second nature to skip ahead to continue the show ASAP. Once the DVR is fully stocked, the battles over which shows the kids get to watch slow to a trickle. If it’s in the DVR, it’s free game, otherwise it’s only with permission.

Many parents resist the idea of a DVR: “Oh, we watch too much TV already; the last thing we need is more ways to watch”– an understandable, but misguided reaction. My family watches both better and less television with a DVR than without. While that might seem counter-intuitive, I believe there is an appropriate food analogy: consume good quality, eating is more satisfying and you crave less.

Give a DVR a try. It’s the best way to dump television dieting and adopt healthy, long-term consumption habits.

–“Tech Dad” John Svoboda is a consumer electronics enthusiast, manager and business owner since the time of the 8-track, and holds a Master of Science degree in Telecommunications