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Astro Boy to the rescue for our macro shots!

(Credit: Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)

DIY site Make.com wrote about how one reader ripped an old DVD player apart and fitted the optical drive lens onto a camera phone for some awesome macro shots. We couldn't resist trying it out with an old CD reader that we have.

While we did get some pretty impressive closeup shots with the puny lens and our Nokia E71, here are a few things we noted.

Going to a retail store for consumer electronics purchases can be both exciting and frustrating. After working at Best Buy for two years, I have a few opinions to share that you might want to consider before your next shopping trip.

1. We have no formal training in the field of consumer electronics.
Upon transferring to the computer department from home theater, I expressed concern to the manager: "Will there be time for someone to train me on laptops/desktops? What do these specifications mean?" His reply was simple: "Just do your best. A good salesperson can just read the labels and compare specs." Ouch.

Salespeople are not necessarily experts in the products sold in their departments, even if they are expert salespeople. Though many express a strong interest in the products they sell, your time spent at a retail store fishing for information about a future TV purchase could be better spent online researching the products yourself (I heard CNET has pretty great reviews).

"You need those HDMI cables, you know you do."

(Credit: Amazon)

2. We make little off the big-ticket items, so we smother you with accessories.
Remember the story "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"? Well, if you tell a salesman you're going to buy a TV, he's going to want to sell you a DVD player to go with it. Once he sells you the DVD player, he's going to want to get you to buy an HDMI cable, too.

Managers at Best Buy (and possibly all retailers) tell employees that the store profits surprisingly little from video game consoles and computers. Cables, accessories, mice, and other components, however, have a huge profit margin-- stores can make about $120 from a $150 Monster HDMI cable. Angry yet? The point is, we're going to work really hard to convince you to purchase that big item, but once you've said "OK" you've opened Pandora's Box.

Here's my advice: Grab the big item, and run. Purchase all accessories online, including memory cards, cables, traveling cases, and so on. Amazon, Monoprice, and Newegg are all reputable discount Web sites. You'll find what you need at a much lower price.

The DVP-FX730 and DVP-FX930 are Sony's latest DVD players.

(Credit: Sony)

Two portable DVD players also made their debut at the 2009 Sony line show. New for this year are the DVP-FX730 and DVP-FX930. The DVP-FX730 boasts a 7-inch LCD screen and 5 hours of battery life. Its screen is also covered in an antifingerprint texture, something we've yet to see on a portable player. Look for it on sale this month for around $130.

The DVP-FX930 looks like the successor to our favorite portable DVD player from last year, the DVP-FX820. We were blown away by its impressive high-resolution LCD screen and it appears the DVP-FX930 ups the ante. The player jumps from an 8-inch screen to a 9-incher with full 180-degree rotation and 6-hour battery. Available in five colors, the DVP-FX930 will be available later this month for $190.

Picking the right portable DVD player isn't an easy task. There are many details to factor in such as screen size, battery life, and playback capabilities. Some players have swivel screens, and others opt for a collapsible hinge. While you'll find that most DVD players use the familiar clamshell design, a few models are now adopting the tablet-style form factor.

Some players are even incorporating iPod music and video playback along with SD flash card readers with the ability to play all kinds of file formats including DivX-encoded movies.

We've taken a close look at the top competing models for 2008 and have tested them extensively. So, whether you're looking for a "bare-bones" portable player or one with all the bells and whistles, be sure to check out our portable DVD player roundup and see which unit is right for you.

(Credit: Chinavasion)

As impressive as the GPS Bluetooth rear-view mirror may be, its functions are pretty boring for the most part. At least, that's how it looks when compared with something like this multimedia visor.

Other visors with built-in TVs and DVD players have been around for awhile, but this one is out of control--which, by the way, is exactly what the driver would be if he gets distracted by it. Even though it's on the passenger side, there's no way to completely ignore a visor that lets you play games on its 7-inch LCD and comes with two gamepad controllers with an assortment of retro titles, according to Newlaunches.

It also plays DVDs and CDs, of course, as well as MP3s and MP4 videos, all for $100. But remember, the cost will escalate in a hurry when you throw in traffic tickets, let alone the fender damage.

(Credit: Philips)

Unlike Sony, Philips long ago figured out that it made more sense to play nice with the iPod because resistance, as they say, is futile. A year ago, for example, the Dutch company came out with a DVD player that incorporated a dock for the iPod so it could show videos from the media player on an 8.5-inch screen.

Now Philips has added a model that can work similarly with the iPod Touch while increasing the display to 9 inches. The new DCP951 isn't as seamless as its predecessor, which created a custom slot designed specifically to fit the iPod snugly into the space that housed the player's remote control. Instead it has a retractable adapter to dock the Touch, which makes it seem more like an afterthought.

As if the Philips player doesn't do enough already, Chip Chick says it also has an SD card slot to turn it into a digital picture frame. But frankly. we've had it with those.

(Credit: Touch Interactive )

Talk about good timing. Just yesterday we wrote of a rather unusual media player that stored a proverbial boatload of videos but had no screen to show them on. Now the perfect companion has emerged: a "hybrid" DVD player and 19-inch widescreen display.

This dual-purpose device from U.K.-based Touch Interactive is a lot sleeker and more portable than other DVD combos, as it was designed specifically not to look like products that have come to market. It could probably be outfitted with a tuner to turn it into a TV as well. But maybe the timing isn't so good after all. It appears to be only a concept at present, though we think it would find a niche market based on aesthetics alone. Then again, maybe it's just as well that they waited: It could have been built for HD DVD.

Picture this: an HD DVD fan's ultimate nightmare.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Today's Wall Street Journal has an interview with Atsutoshi Nishida, Toshiba's chief executive, that's kind of interesting for what it doesn't say. The article's headline is "Toshiba's Plan for Life After HD DVD" and the Q&A appears in the "Boss Talk" column, which seems to put executives in a warm seat rather than a hot seat. By that I mean there are a couple of hard-hitting questions ("Isn't the loss of the format war a blow to Toshiba's strategy?), but after you're through with the piece, you get the feeling that the interviewer, Yukari Iwatani Kane, really let Mr. Nishida off the hook.

Personally, I don't really care how Mr. Nishida spends his free time, but I am kind of curious what his thought process was when he decided to go to war with Sony. If you remember, over a year ago there was actually a moment when Toshiba and Sony were in negotiations to settle, but in the end they just couldn't come to an agreement on a unified format. I would have asked Mr. Nishida whether he regrets not making a deal earlier--and why he thought he could win in the first place. I also would have inquired what his plans were for a standalone Toshiba Blu-ray player. I mean, if you're going to ask him what Toshiba's plans are for life after HD DVD, you've got to ask if a Blu-ray player is in the works--especially a BD-Rom drive for Toshiba's laptops. Make him answer the question, right?

Well, without having the question asked, Mr. Nishida did answer in so many words that no Blu-ray player was imminent. He basically said that Toshiba would combat Blu-ray by selling upconverting DVD players that would cost less than Blu-ray players and be just as good. The exact quote: "And we're going to improve this [upconverting feature] even more, so that consumers won't be able to tell the difference from HD DVD images." That so? Well, what was the point of the war in the first place then? Jeez, Louise.

Anyway, I don't expect to see a Toshiba Blu-ray player in 2008, but Toshiba may change its tune in 2009. What do you guys think? Can Sony and Blu-ray be beat by cheaper upconverting players? Is DVD still the future?