You may have not considered it before, but if the lighting in the store is not in-line with the ambient light in your home, you may not get the picture quality you expected when all is said and done. In some stores, light levels can be as much as 50 times higher than what you would find in a typical home—this masks HDTVs with poor black level performance, making the picture appear clearer than it really is under normal conditions. In the end, many consumers make a decision on brightness levels alone. Conversely, if the store is trying to push higher-end sets, light levels will be toned down to bring out the best black levels and contrast ratios. Best Buy's Magnolia Home Theater division is a good example of this.

But why would a retailer try and convince you that the cheaper set is as good or better than a more expensive model? The answer often lies in profit margins—figures that are often low for many HDTVs. The idea is to try and convert the money you saved on the HDTV into higher profit extras like overpriced HDMI cables and unnecessary store services.

In the end, you don't have control over the ambient light in a big box store, so being aware of the light situation and making more informed decisions using specs and research into the product (as opposed to a visual decision alone) can help you get a better TV for your money. HD Guru also suggests that cupping your hands over the display to block out light might help you get a general idea of the black levels. It's not an exact science of course, but it's better than nothing. Hit up HDGuru for all of the details. [HD Guru]

In case you're wondering, that means paying workers on commission, keeping employees for a long time, and making sure they actually know what they're talking about. Naturally, Best Buy, via a spokesperson, was defensive about these claims:

Our employees are exceptional at demystifying complex technology!

while Walmart's PR strategy was hilariously honest:

With electronics data so readily available online today, many customers come to us looking for a particular brand or item, knowledge in hand, and may not want or feel comfortable shopping with a salesperson.

Neeeeeerds!That said, commission-driven aggression doesn't necessarily equate to better service, and I suspect the WSJ's conclusion has less to do with the chains' superior customer experience than it does the public's inordinately toxic impressions of big box retailers like Best Buy. But the sentiment certainly rings true: even as a gadget blogger, I feel better buying my gear from someone who can answer basic questions about it. [WSJ--Image courtesy of the WSJ]

A senior VP for the company was blunt about their ambitions, exclaiming "Circuit City's business is up for grabs right now and we expect to get our share." Their plan includes all the mainstay techniques of their competitors: dedicated brand displays for brands like Apple; aggressive bids for new phone offerings, including, contrary to some reports, the Palm Pre; a full embrace of the netbook craze; the addition of eye-catching, higher-end TV sets and home theater equipment.

The new fixtures, displays and directives will start making their way to stores this week. This is good news for communities once served exclusively by Circuit City, and could help drive down electronics prices for everyone. That said, it'll definitely make a lot of people squirm a little bit. The report explains why: despite Circuit City's demise, Best Buy isn't doing that well, as they—like most electronics stores—struggle to get people through the doors in leaner economic times. Thing is, Walmart is doing very well, and will probably continue to do so no matter how bad the economy gets. It's happened before, people. [WSJ—Photo by Brandon Thibodeaux for the WSJ]

All of the majors (Amazon, Best Buy, New Egg) are covered, as well as tons of others from flowers, shoes—even mail-order dry-aged steaks, all nicely sorted by shipping price level. Very helpful. Check it out: [Dealhack]

There is even talk of major retailers like Target and Best Buy getting involved—but you have to wonder whether or not the moniker of a semi-defunct gadget company is enough to drive sales of vacuums and massage chairs in other stores. Either way, if this is Sharper Image's "big announcement," that is pretty lame. [WSJ]

For $10 with free shipping, you can buy "something" at somethingstore. You won't know what it is until you open it, but it's most probably new, and possibly a gadget or electronic equipment. Then again, the site explains that "you can be a 25-year-old man and your something maybe [sic] a white tank top embroidered with a pink heart." Still, way more fun than a gift card. [somethingstore via neatorama]

As for warranties and service, CompUSA has stated that all products currently being serviced in the tech shop will be completed and returned. All outstanding warranties will be a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Wow, going out of business during the holidays makes things easy on everyone doesn't it? Hit the link for the full details. [CompUSA via Crave]

From what we've seen in unconfirmed reports on the Net, the problem comes from insufficient cooling for the GPU. This in turn causes the three red lights, which means you're going to have to send back your 360 to Microsoft and possibly get a dirty refurbished unit in return. If you're really, really lucky (and French), you'll get a unit with added cooling as well. – Jason Chen

Massive Failure Rate For Xbox 360 Exposed [Smarthouse]

Was the retailer demands the only reason for the price drop? Perhaps, but there have been a lot of PSP2 speculation lately. If you don't have a PSP, now may be the time to jump, especially with this system getting down to a more reasonable range, the possibilities with the device as a media player and especially because of some good game titles like Puzzle Quest, Ratchet & Clank and, of course, Lumines.

PSP Core Drops to $169 Tomorrow [Kotaku]

The PSP may be flopping right now, but if Sony can put the right spin on it, I could see a "PSP Lite" taking off. Especially if it still has the great looking screen, media support and cheaper (think competitive with the $129 DS Lite) price tag. You know, I am kind of excited to see what is going to happen with the PSP, which has a ton of potential. Take note, people. I don't get excited over Sony products very often. –Travis Hudson

PSP Something Happening Soon [1UP]