Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit -- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis -- Return-Path: <Ken.Askew@xxxxxxxxxx> Received: from rly-yi05.mx.aol.com (rly-yi05.mail.aol.com [172.18.180.133]) by air-yi04.mail.aol.com (v103.7) with ESMTP id MAILINYI41-7d641cb828f329; Thu, 23 Dec 2004 21:44:58 -0500 Received: from mail66-ash-R.bigfish.com (mail-ash.bigfish.com [206.16.192.253]) by rly-yi05.mx.aol.com (v103.7) with ESMTP id MAILRELAYINYI510-7d641cb828f329; Thu, 23 Dec 2004 21:44:31 -0500 Received: from mail66-ash.bigfish.com (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by mail66-ash-R.bigfish.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9FBF039C9AC for <DISMO@xxxxxxx>; Fri, 24 Dec 2004 02:44:32 +0000 (UCT) X-BigFish: VPC Received: by mail66-ash (MessageSwitch) id 1103856272563527_4178; Fri, 24 Dec 2004 02:44:32 +0000 (UCT) Received: from mailrelay6.pfizer.com (ns11.pfizer.com [192.77.198.11]) by mail66-ash.bigfish.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 77C1B39C9A1 for <DISMO@xxxxxxx>; Fri, 24 Dec 2004 02:44:32 +0000 (UCT) Received: from prsexcn10.pfizer.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mailrelay6.pfizer.com (Switch-3.0.5/Switch-3.0.0) with ESMTP id iBO2iUij002188 for <DISMO@xxxxxxx>; Thu, 23 Dec 2004 21:44:30 -0500 (EST) Received: by prsexcn10.pfizer.com with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2654.89) id <ZB1DLZWH>; Thu, 23 Dec 2004 21:44:30 -0500 Message-ID: <51EAD601A4AAD811B191000E7F2462F30A5310EA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> From: "Askew, Ken" <Ken.Askew@xxxxxxxxxx> To: "'DISMO@xxxxxxx'" <DISMO@xxxxxxx> Subject: FW: Circuits: The HDTV Physicists Speak Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 21:44:27 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2654.89) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C4E962.7C3B1972" X-AOL-IP: 206.16.192.253 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C4E962.7C3B1972 Content-Type: text/plain _____ From: The New York Times Direct [mailto:NYTDirect@xxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2004 1:49 PM To: ken.askew@xxxxxxxxxx Subject: Circuits: The HDTV Physicists Speak topIf you have trouble reading this e-mail, go to http://www.nytimes.com/circuitsemail <http://www.nytimes.com/circuitsemail?cir> <http://www.nytimes.com/circuits?8cir> Circuits <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://www.nytimes.com/mem/email.html> E-mail Preferences <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://www.nytimes.com/circuits> Circuits <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> Thursday, December 23, 2004 <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> Editors' Note: The Circuits newsletter will not be sent next week. It will return to your inboxes on Thursday, January 6. Happy holidays. <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/arrow_circuits.gif> THIS WEEK IN CIRCUITS: Making Sense of Specs <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> From the Desk of David Pogue <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/david_pogue.gif> How Close to Sit to the HDTV? The Physicists Chime In Last week, I <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/16/technology/circuits/16POGUE-EMAIL.html> asked for your help. I wanted to come up with a modernized rule for how far away we're supposed to sit from the TV in the high-definition era - and I loved, loved, loved your responses. They ranged from homespun common-sense nuggets to three-page formulas sent by physicists. Continue... Advertisement Dynamic Logic Survey continue Here's a sampling of the most interesting responses. * "The easiest way is to use 3.3 times the height of the screen. Naturally, this is based on true HDTV (720P, 1080I or 1080P) and 20/20 vision." * "Given the best resolution, you should be sitting approximately 1.5 times the screen WIDTH away from the screen. This will give you a viewing angle of about 30 degrees, which will create the immersive effect without having to move your head too much to catch all the action. With a lower resolution like EDTV, 2.0 to 2.5 times the screen WIDTH will probably be more acceptable." * "Next time you see a film in a theater, take your favorite seat, then hold up your hand at arm's length, palm to the screen, and measure the width of the screen in palm widths. Repeat in front of your home theater and adjust your viewing distance to recreate the screen size you personally favor." * "In our house, it was, 'Don't ruin your eyes!' But, of course, the TV screen was about ten inches across, with a weird magnifier hanging over it. (Yep, I'm old!)" * "I don't need no stinking engineers or complicated math to tell me the optimal distance of screen to viewer. It's like focusing a camera; move closer or further away until you see the image that suits you best. I'm sitting closer now that I have HD." * "You are, of course, assuming that the viewer has 20/20 vision. As a severely nearsighted TV viewer, my rule of thumb is usually, 'close enough to annoy anyone else trying to watch the darned thing.'" * "Though being closer to the screen is more immersive, there is a limit to what's comfortable for most people. If the screen occupies too wide a visual angle, you can no longer track the action by moving only the eyes, and you have to start turning the head. This can lead to neck fatigue and can induce motion sickness in some viewers." * "David, after you sift through all the feedback here, if you come up with what seem to be some good rules of thumb, could you please tell me what size TV to get based on my room size, rather than what size room to get for my TV? My house is more valuable than any TV I will ever buy." * "My only concern about viewing distances is a reminder that much viewing would be of standard-definition TV broadcasting, which, because of its lower resolution, needs to be a consideration, too." * "In film school (many years ago), I was taught that it has to do with matching the screen size to the capacity of the eye's peripheral vision. You want the edge of your peripheral vision to just catch what's going on at the edge of the screen. I've tested this over the years and it works for me, with slight changes as my eyesight has changed." * "When you look at how far people actually sit from TVs, you find that for larger sets, it is determined mainly by the size of the room. Most houses have 10, 12 or 14-foot room widths and that, minus the width of the TV and the couch back, is how far most people sit from their TV." A more detailed response came from Rich Muller, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and an old friend. * "You don't need HDTV or video experts. You need the council of a physicist! Fortunately, that's what I am. "Here's the answer: if the diagonal of the screen is D, and it is HDTV (1080x1920), then your eye will not see the pixels as long as you sit at least 1.5 D away. Thus, if you have a 30 inch diagonal, then you can sit 45 inches away, and even closer if your eyesight is worse than 20-20. "Here's the calculation. The resolution of the human eye is about 1 minute of arc. The sine of that angle is 0.0003. Pixels closer than this will not be resolved. "If you have a TV with a diagonal measurement D, and the height and width are in the ratio of HDTV (1081/1920), then the height of the screen is very close to D/2. There are 1080 pixels in that distance, so the average spacing of the pixels is D/(2*1080) = D/2160. Thus, for a 30 inch screen, the pixel spacing is 30/2160 = 0.014. The number of pixels per inch is about 70. There are more pixels per inch for small screens, and fewer for large screens. If you are observing the screen from a distance R, then your eye resolution (with angle A = 1 minute of arc) will be R x sine(A) = 0.0003 R. This distance must be bigger than the pixel size, so we set 0.0003 R = D/2160. That gives R = D/(2160 x .0003) = 1.5. "That's the rule of thumb that I came up with. At this distance, the horizontal dimension of the screen will cover 82 degrees of your field of view! (Your entire field of view is about 180 degrees.) So - sit up close and be swept away by the clear visual experience." My favorite response, though, came from this clever reader: "Here is the answer to how far to sit from your HDTV," he wrote. "'The way I see it, the closer you can sit without seeing the screen-door effect, the more the picture will fill your vision, and the more immersive the movie will be.'" Of course, that second sentence came straight from my original column. It seems that in posing the question, I unwittingly provided my own answer! Thanks again to all who participated - this was a really great way to get to the bottom of a difficult debate. Next week's assignment: Is there life after death? Just kidding. This week's Pogue's Gallery Video: Digital <http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/technology/20041223double.html> Picture Frames. This week's Pogue's <http://www.nytimes.com/technology/poguesposts/index.html> Posts blog. Visit David Pogue on the Web at DavidPogue.com <http://www.davidpogue.com> . <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/dotted_2.gif> BM_1THIS WEEK IN CIRCUITS <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23spec.html?8cir> <http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23spec.html?8cir> Making Sense of Specs By SEAN CAPTAIN In many cases, product specifications may mean something different from what they appear to, or mean nothing at all. * Consumers <http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23sbox.html> Should See or Hear for Themselves BM__2CONNECTIONS <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23vaca.html?8cir> E-Mail Never Takes a Holiday By JOYCE COHEN For those who dread coming back to an e-mail overflow, the solution is often to take time off from leisure to weed the in-box. 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How to Advertise For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other advertising opportunities with NYTimes.com, contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx> or visit our online media kit <http://www..nytimes.com/adinfo?8dt> . <http://ads.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_remote.html?page=email.nytimes.com/circu its/html&posall=Bottom1&pos=Bottom1&type=noscript> NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Ave. New York, N.Y. 10018 <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> Copyright <http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html?8dt> 2004 The New York Times <http://www.nytco.com/> Company | Privacy <http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/privacy.html?8dt> Policy <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> <http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif> ------_=_NextPart_001_01C4E962.7C3B1972 Content-Type: text/html <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <TITLE>NYTimes.com: Circuits Newsletter</TITLE> <META http-equiv=charset content=iso-8859-1> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1458" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY vLink=#444464 aLink=#990000 link=#000066 bgColor=#ffffff leftMargin=7 topMargin=5 rightMargin=7 marginwidth="5" marginheight="0"> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Verdana color=#0000ff></FONT> </DIV><BR> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> <FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> The New York Times Direct [mailto:NYTDirect@xxxxxxxxxxx] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, December 23, 2004 1:49 PM<BR><B>To:</B> ken.askew@xxxxxxxxxx<BR><B>Subject:</B> Circuits: The HDTV Physicists Speak<BR></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV></DIV><A name=top><!-- ANNUNCIO SERVELET CODE HERE --><!--HEADER --> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD align=middle colSpan=5><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans serif" size=-2>If you have trouble reading this e-mail, go to <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/circuitsemail?cir">http://www.nytimes.com/circuitsemail</A><BR><BR></FONT></TD></TR><!--LOGO --> <TR> <TD colSpan=5><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/circuits?8cir"><IMG height=88 alt=Circuits src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/circuits_header.jpg" width=600 border=0 NOSEND="1"></A></TD></TR><!--END LOGO --><!--BLUE HOUSEKEEPING LINE --> <TR bgColor=#f6f6f4> <TD width=1 bgColor=#cccccc><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD> <TD width=192><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=17 NOSEND="1"><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/mem/email.html"><IMG height=25 alt="E-mail Preferences" src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/email_pref.gif" width=175 border=0 NOSEND="1"></A></TD> <TD width=230><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=230 NOSEND="1"></TD> <TD align=right width=176><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/circuits"><IMG height=25 alt=Circuits src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/goto_circuits.gif" width=79 border=0 NOSEND="1"></A></TD> <TD width=1 bgColor=#cccccc><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR> <TR> <TD bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=5><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR><!--END BLUE HOUSEKEEPING LINE --></TBODY></TABLE><!--END HEADER --> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=1 bgColor=#cccccc><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD> <TD width=17><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=17 NOSEND="1"></TD> <TD vAlign=top width=395> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=395 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD colSpan=2><IMG height=20 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR><!-- BEGIN "IN TODAY'S EMAIL" HEADER & DATE --> <TR> <TD width=100> </TD><!-- BEGIN DATE --> <TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=295><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif color=#920300 size=-2>Thursday, December 23, 2004</FONT></TD><!-- END "IN TODAY'S EMAIL" HEADER & DATE --></TR> <TR> <TD colSpan=2><IMG height=8 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR> <TR> <TD colSpan=2><IMG height=8 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=-1><STRONG>Editors' Note: </STRONG>The Circuits newsletter will not be sent next week. It will return to your inboxes on Thursday, January 6. Happy holidays. <BR></FONT><IMG height=8 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR> <TR> <TD bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR> <TR> <TD colSpan=2><IMG height=8 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><!-- BEGIN ANCHORED NAV --><IMG height=8 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/arrow_circuits.gif" width=10 NOSEND="1"><FONT face=verdana size=-2><STRONG>THIS WEEK IN CIRCUITS:</STRONG> <A href="#1">Making Sense of Specs </A><BR><IMG height=8 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></FONT></TD><!-- END ANCHORED NAV --></TR> <TR> <TD bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--END ANCHOR LINKS --> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=395 border=0><!--BEGIN DAVID POGUE --> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top><IMG height=61 alt="From the Desk of David Pogue" src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/david_pogue.gif" width=256 NOSEND="1"><BR><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size=-1><!-- HEADLINE --><STRONG>How Close to Sit to the HDTV? The Physicists Chime In </STRONG> <P></P><!-- BODY --> <P> <P>Last week, <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/16/technology/circuits/16POGUE-EMAIL.html">I asked for your help</A>. I wanted to come up with a modernized rule for how far away we're supposed to sit from the TV in the high-definition era - and I loved, loved, loved your responses. They ranged from homespun common-sense nuggets to three-page formulas sent by physicists. <!--BIG AD (Position1 - DELETE THROUGH 'END BIG AD' IF NONE) --><A href="#continue">Continue...</A></P> <DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, Sans Serif" color=#999999 size=-2>Advertisement</FONT><BR><!-- PASTE BIG AD CODE (Position1) HERE --><!-- ADXINFO classification="bigad" campaign="ci-2004duracell03"--><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&page=email.nytimes.com/circuits/html&pos=Position1&camp=ci-2004duracell03&ad=duracell_122304_DLsur.html&goto=http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;12284027;10484446;a?http://www.duracell.com/prismatics" target=_blank><IMG height=280 alt="Dynamic Logic Survey" src="http://graphics7.nytimes.com/ads/th/powered_by_336x280x25k.gif" width=336 border=0 NOSEND="1"></A> <!-- Dynamic Logice Tag Start --> <SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://amch.questionmarket.com/adscgen/st.php?survey_num=184769&site=%epid!&code=%ecid!&randnum=%n"></SCRIPT> <!-- Dynamic Logic Tag End --><BR clear=all></DIV><!--END BIG AD--> <P><!-- IMPORTANT: DO NOT REMOVE THE FOLLOWING 'a name' TAG --><A name=continue></A> <P> <P>Here's a sampling of the most interesting responses. <P>* "The easiest way is to use 3.3 times the height of the screen. Naturally, this is based on true HDTV (720P, 1080I or 1080P) and 20/20 vision." <P>* "Given the best resolution, you should be sitting approximately 1.5 times the screen WIDTH away from the screen. This will give you a viewing angle of about 30 degrees, which will create the immersive effect without having to move your head too much to catch all the action. With a lower resolution like EDTV, 2.0 to 2.5 times the screen WIDTH will probably be more acceptable." <P>* "Next time you see a film in a theater, take your favorite seat, then hold up your hand at arm's length, palm to the screen, and measure the width of the screen in palm widths. Repeat in front of your home theater and adjust your viewing distance to recreate the screen size you personally favor." <P>* "In our house, it was, 'Don't ruin your eyes!' But, of course, the TV screen was about ten inches across, with a weird magnifier hanging over it. (Yep, I'm old!)" <P>* "I don't need no stinking engineers or complicated math to tell me the optimal distance of screen to viewer. It's like focusing a camera; move closer or further away until you see the image that suits you best. I'm sitting closer now that I have HD." <P>* "You are, of course, assuming that the viewer has 20/20 vision. As a severely nearsighted TV viewer, my rule of thumb is usually, 'close enough to annoy anyone else trying to watch the darned thing.'" <P>* "Though being closer to the screen is more immersive, there is a limit to what's comfortable for most people. If the screen occupies too wide a visual angle, you can no longer track the action by moving only the eyes, and you have to start turning the head. This can lead to neck fatigue and can induce motion sickness in some viewers." <P>* "David, after you sift through all the feedback here, if you come up with what seem to be some good rules of thumb, could you please tell me what size TV to get based on my room size, rather than what size room to get for my TV? My house is more valuable than any TV I will ever buy." <P>* "My only concern about viewing distances is a reminder that much viewing would be of standard-definition TV broadcasting, which, because of its lower resolution, needs to be a consideration, too." <P>* "In film school (many years ago), I was taught that it has to do with matching the screen size to the capacity of the eye's peripheral vision. You want the edge of your peripheral vision to just catch what's going on at the edge of the screen. I've tested this over the years and it works for me, with slight changes as my eyesight has changed." <P>* "When you look at how far people actually sit from TVs, you find that for larger sets, it is determined mainly by the size of the room. Most houses have 10, 12 or 14-foot room widths and that, minus the width of the TV and the couch back, is how far most people sit from their TV." <P>A more detailed response came from Rich Muller, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and an old friend. <P>* "You don't need HDTV or video experts. You need the council of a physicist! Fortunately, that's what I am. "Here's the answer: if the diagonal of the screen is D, and it is HDTV (1080x1920), then your eye will not see the pixels as long as you sit at least 1.5 D away. Thus, if you have a 30 inch diagonal, then you can sit 45 inches away, and even closer if your eyesight is worse than 20-20. <P>"Here's the calculation. The resolution of the human eye is about 1 minute of arc. The sine of that angle is 0.0003. Pixels closer than this will not be resolved. "If you have a TV with a diagonal measurement D, and the height and width are in the ratio of HDTV (1081/1920), then the height of the screen is very close to D/2. There are 1080 pixels in that distance, so the average spacing of the pixels is D/(2*1080) = D/2160. Thus, for a 30 inch screen, the pixel spacing is 30/2160 = 0.014. The number of pixels per inch is about 70. There are more pixels per inch for small screens, and fewer for large screens. If you are observing the screen from a distance R, then your eye resolution (with angle A = 1 minute of arc) will be R x sine(A) = 0.0003 R. This distance must be bigger than the pixel size, so we set 0.0003 R = D/2160. That gives R = D/(2160 x .0003) = 1.5. <P>"That's the rule of thumb that I came up with. At this distance, the horizontal dimension of the screen will cover 82 degrees of your field of view! (Your entire field of view is about 180 degrees.) So - sit up close and be swept away by the clear visual experience." <P>My favorite response, though, came from this clever reader: "Here is the answer to how far to sit from your HDTV," he wrote. "'The way I see it, the closer you can sit without seeing the screen-door effect, the more the picture will fill your vision, and the more immersive the movie will be.'" <P>Of course, that second sentence came straight from my original column. It seems that in posing the question, I unwittingly provided my own answer! <P>Thanks again to all who participated - this was a really great way to get to the bottom of a difficult debate. Next week's assignment: Is there life after death? <P>Just kidding. <P> <P> <P>This week's Pogue's Gallery Video: <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/technology/20041223double.html">Digital Picture Frames</A>. <P>This week's <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/technology/poguesposts/index.html">Pogue's Posts</A> blog. </P> <P></P> <P><I>Visit David Pogue on the Web at </I><A href="http://www.davidpogue.com">DavidPogue.com</A>. </FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR><BR><!--END DAVID POGUE --><!--BEGIN BACK TO TOP --> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=395 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=395><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/dotted_2.gif" width=325 NOSEND="1"><A href="#top"><IMG height=10 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/btot.gif" width=70 border=0 NOSEND="1"></A><BR><BR></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR><!--END BACK TO TOP --> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=395 border=0><!--THIS WEEK IN CIRCUITS - ARTICLE 1 --> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395><A name=1></A><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=-2>THIS WEEK IN CIRCUITS</FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23spec.html?8cir"><IMG height=75 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/2004/12/22/technology/23spec.byron.gif" width=75 align=right border=0 NOSEND="1"></A> <FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23spec.html?8cir"><STRONG>Making Sense of Specs </STRONG></A><BR>By SEAN CAPTAIN <BR>In many cases, product specifications may mean something different from what they appear to, or mean nothing at all. <BR>* <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23sbox.html">Consumers Should See or Hear for Themselves</A> <BR> <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END THIS WEEK IN CIRCUITS --><!-- ARTICLE 2 --><A name=#2> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=1>CONNECTIONS </FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23vaca.html?8cir"><STRONG>E-Mail Never Takes a Holiday </STRONG></A><BR>By JOYCE COHEN <BR>For those who dread coming back to an e-mail overflow, the solution is often to take time off from leisure to weed the in-box. <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END ARTICLE 2 --><!--STATE OF THE ART - ARTICLE 3 --></A><A name=3> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=1>STATE OF THE ART </FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23stat.html?8cir"><IMG height=75 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/2004/12/22/technology/23stat.gold.gif" width=75 align=right border=0 NOSEND="1"></A> <FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23stat.html?8cir"><STRONG>Digital Picture Frames Reviewed </STRONG></A><BR>By DAVID POGUE <BR>Seven digital picture frames are designed to display and change digital photos, or even treat you to a slide show. Which is right for you? <BR>* <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2004/12/22/technology/20041223_STATE_SLIDESHOW_index.html?8cir">Slide Show: Digital Picture Frames </A> <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END STATE OF THE ART --><!-- ARTICLE 4 --></A><A name=4> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=1>ONLINE SHOPPER</FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23shop.html?8cir"><STRONG>Can You Trust Ebay Bargains? </STRONG></A><BR>By MICHELLE SLATALLA <BR>As the holidays approach, Christmas spirit is a bargain-hunting essential. <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END ARTICLE 4--><!-- ARTICLE 5 --></A><A name=5> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=1>WHAT'S NEXT </FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23next.html?8cir"><STRONG>Accurately Measuring Battery Life </STRONG></A><BR>By ANNE EISENBERG <BR>A new "gas gauge" chip for laptop batteries provide much more accurate readouts of time left. <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END ARTICLE 5 --><!--ARTICLE 6--></A><A name=6> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=1>HOW IT WORKS </FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23howw.html?8cir"><STRONG>MTV's High-Definition Billboard </STRONG></A><BR>By MICHEL MARRIOTT <BR>Times Square soars with glittering buildings that pulse and wink with outsized video screens. MTV's new high-definition screen raises the ante. <BR>* <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2004/12/22/technology/23howw.chart.html">Graphic: Bright Lights, Big Screen </A> <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END ARTICLE 6 --><!-- ARTICLE 7 --></A><A name=7> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=1>PC FILES </FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23cool.html?8cir"><STRONG>Keeping Your Computer Cool </STRONG></A><BR>By IVAN BERGER <BR>Your PC's noise is easy to ignore, but tuning it out still takes mental energy. What are the options for those who want the sound of silence? <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END ARTICLE 7 --><!--ARTICLE 8 --></A><A name=8> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=1>VIDEO GAMES </FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23kids.html?8cir"><STRONG>Wave of Games Accompany Holiday Movies </STRONG></A><BR>By WARREN BUCKLEITNER <BR>Spinoffs have long been a part of the marketing strategy for family movies. The holidays now bring films and video games in equal measure. <BR>* <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/technology/circuits/23game.html">Game Theory: Choose Your Role: Vampire or Card Wielder </A> <P><BR><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/circuits/index.html?8cir"><STRONG>All Circuits Articles </STRONG></A> <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END ARTICLE 8 --><!--BEGIN BACK TO TOP --> <TR> <TD><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/dotted_2.gif" width=325 NOSEND="1"><A href="#top"><IMG height=10 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/email/circuits/btot.gif" width=70 border=0 NOSEND="1"></A><BR><BR></TD></TR><!--CIRC AD--> <TR> <TD vAlign=top width=395> <P> <P><BR><FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=2><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/ads/circuitscirc.html?8cir"><STRONG>Special Offer: Home Delivery of The Times from $2.90/week.</STRONG></A> <P><BR></FONT></P></TD></TR><!--END CIRC AD--></TBODY></TABLE><!-- END LEFT COLUMN --><!--SPACE BETWEEN COLS --></A> <TD width=16><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=16 NOSEND="1"></TD><!--SPACE BETWEEN COLS --><!--BEGIN RIGHT-SIDE COLUMN --> <TD vAlign=top width=160><IMG height=20 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"> <!-- BEGIN FEATURE BOX --><IMG height=20 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><BR> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=160 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width=160 bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=5><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR> <TR> <TD width=1 bgColor=#cccccc><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"></TD> <TD width=10 bgColor=#f6f6f4><IMG height=1 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=10 NOSEND="1"></TD> <TD width=138 bgColor=#f6f6f4><IMG height=10 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=138 NOSEND="1"><BR><STRONG><FONT face="verdana, helvetica, sans-serif" color=#990000 size=-2>NEW IN TECHNOLOGY</FONT></STRONG><BR><IMG height=5 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=1 NOSEND="1"><BR><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18guide.html?8cir"><IMG height=75 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/2004/11/17/technology/18illustration.75.jpg" width=75 align=right border=0 NOSEND="1"></A> <FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18guide.html?8cir"><STRONG>Holiday Buying Guide </STRONG></A><BR>Our annual special issue devoted to electronic gifts for work and play, along with a guide to the world of online shopping. <BR>* <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18toys.html?8cir">Toys & Games</A> | <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18mobile.html?8cir">Mobile Devices</A> | <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18recreation.html?8cir">Recreation</A> <BR>* <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18music.html?8cir">Music</A> | <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18entertainment.html?8cir">Entertainment</A> | <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18home.html?8cir">Home Office</A> | <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/18/technology/circuits/18camera.html?8cir">Cameras</A><BR> <P><BR></FONT><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/index.html?8cir"><IMG height=75 src="http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/2004/12/02/technology/02podd.gadgets.gif" width=75 align=right border=0 NOSEND="1"></A> <FONT face=arial,helvetica,sans-serif size=-1><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/index.html?8cir"><STRONG>Product Reviews</STRONG></A> <BR>NYTimes<BR>.com's new Technology section has thousands of product reviews from CNET and other expanded features.<BR><A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/camcorders/index.html?8cir">Camcorders</A> | <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/cameras/index.html?8cir">Computers</A> | <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/cellphones/index.html?8cir">Cellphones</A> | <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/computers/index.html?8cir">Computers</A> | <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/handhelds/index.html?8cir">Handhelds</A> | <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/homevideo/index.html?8cir">Home Video</A> | <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/music/index.html?8cir">Music</A> | <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/products/peripherals/index.html?8cir">Peripherals</A> | <A href="http://tech.nytimes.com/to p/news/technology/products/wifi/index.html?8cir">Wi-Fi</A></FONT> <P></FONT></P></TD> <TD 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--><IMG height=27 alt="" src="http://graphics7.nytimes.com/marketing/promos/images/arrow.gif" width=32 align=right border=0 NOSEND="1"></A><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> <!-- EDIT SENTENCE ONE -->Is your car big enough for carpools? <!-- END SENTENCE ONE --></FONT> <FONT style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> <!-- EDIT WHITE TEXT COPY -->Check out the "Coolest Cars for Soccer Moms" and pick your kids up in style! <!-- END WHITE TEXT COPY --></FONT></TD> <TD vAlign=top align=left width=11 bgColor=#c8c7c5><IMG height=2 alt="" src="http://graphics7.nytimes.com/ads/images/misc/spacer.gif" width=11 border=0 NOSEND="1"></TD></TR> <TR> <TD vAlign=top align=left bgColor=#c8c7c5><BR><!-- EDIT REFERS ONE AND TWO -->* <A style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif" 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