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RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 2 As American consumers prepare for the upcoming holiday shopping season, a new national survey spotlights the popularity of home electronics on individual and family wish lists. More than 2,200 moms and dads responded to the survey, commissioned by consumer electronics retailer, Circuit City Stores, Inc. More than half (51 percent) chose home electronics, such as a new TV, digital camera or PC, as their top  choice for a holiday gift for the whole family. Home electronics beat out a family trip (29 percent), a new car (four percent), new home appliances (also four percent) and "other" gift ideas (12 percent). Asked what kind of tech gift they personally would like to receive, moms and dads agreed they'd prefer a new TV. Top three tech gift choices for men:
>> Advanced TV, such as flat panel or HDTV (41 percent)
>> New computer (19 percent)
>> Video game system, such as Xbox 360(TM), PlayStation(R)3, or Nintendo Wii(TM) (10 percent) Top three choices for women:
>> Advanced TV, such as flat panel or HDTV (24 percent)
>> New computer (22 percent)
>> Digital camera (16 percent)
Other tech gift choices included MP3 players, DVD players, a new cell phone and a new camcorder. The Circuit City 2006 Holiday Survey was commissioned by Circuit City Stores, Inc. and conducted on the Internet Oct. 21-25, 2006 by Decision Analyst, Inc. of Arlington, Texas. The margin of error is plus or minus two percentage points. Circuit City's "Hot for the holidays" list: Note: All prices noted below are current as of Nov. 1, 2006 and are subject to change. Please check with a local store or visit http://www.circuitcity.com for most up-to-date prices and promotions. Advanced TVs, including flat panel and HDTV: It's no surprise that advanced TVs are the top choice in Circuit City's nationwide holiday gifts survey, as they will have exceptional values this season.
>> Extraordinary prices on small LCD TVs (less than 20 inches), starting at $199.99, and including: Sharp 20" LCD Enhanced Definition set, perfect for the bedroom or a small den -- $449.99
>> Large screen TVs (32 inches and up) start at $799.99, and include: Samsung 40" LCD Widescreen HDTV -- $1999.99 Personal Computers: A new computer is one of the top gift picks in our holiday "wish list" survey. Circuit City carries a huge selection of computers in stores and online from top manufacturers, including HP, Compaq, Toshiba, Sony, Gateway, Acer and eMachines. Check for special promotions during the holidays.
>> Notebook computers start at $499.99
>> Desktop PCs, an extraordinary value, start at $349.99 Video Games: Circuit City is your destination for the hottest video game systems and game titles, including:
>> Sony PlayStation(R)3 -- available November 17, high definition gaming plus Sony's Blu-ray DVD player built-in -- $499.99 and $599.99
>> Nintendo Wii(TM) -- available November 19, brings revolutionary new game play with motion sensitive controller -- $249.99
>> Xbox 360(TM) -- a leader in high definition gaming systems, with dozens of new game titles available this season -- $299.99 and $399.99
>> Redesigned Nintendo DS(TM) Lite handheld gaming system, available in three colors -- $129.99 Dozens of great new game titles out for the holidays, including: "Call of Duty 3" -- for Xbox, PlayStation(R)2, Xbox 360(TM) "Socom Combined Assault" -- for PlayStation(R)2 and Socom Fire Team Bravo 2 for PlayStation(R) Portable "Eragon" -- for PlayStation(R)2, Nintendo DS(TM), PlayStation(R) Portable, Xbox 360(TM) "Bionicle Heroes" -- for PlayStation(R)2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS(TM), Xbox 360(TM) "Superman Returns" -- for PlayStation(R)2, Xbox, Xbox 360(TM) Digital Cameras: Today's digital cameras have more megapixels, more features and are more affordable, making them a hot item for the holidays. Some spotlight products in this category:
>> Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras offer incredible performance and virtually eliminate shutter lag, starting at $699.99; including the Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1 megapixel camera -- $899.99
>> Point & Shoot -- great pictures from handy little cameras, with five megapixel models starting at $99.99; including the Sony Cyber-shot(R) DSC-W50 six megapixel digital camera -- $229.99 Portable Audio Circuit City offers a large selection of MP3 players from brands like Apple, Creative Labs, SanDisk, iRiver, Samsung and Sony, starting at $49.99, including:
>> New iPod shuffle -- At less than an ounce, this postage-stamp sized player is a breakthrough in music portability. Available November 5 -- $79.99.
>> Microsoft Zune(TM) -- Share your tunes and videos wirelessly. Available November 14 - $249.99.
>> New iPod nanos -- Put 1,000 songs in your pocket in one of four colors (silver, blue, pink or green). Prices start as low as $149.99. Camcorders:
>> A great value, digital camcorders start at $249.99, including the Canon MiniDV Camcorder (ZR500) -- $249.99
>> DVD camcorders start at $399.99, including the Hitachi MiniDVD (DZBX35A) -- $399.99
>> Hard drive camcorders record without tapes or DVDs, starting at $499.99, including the JVC Everio-G Camcorder (GZ-MG27US) -- $549.99
>> MPEG camcorders, tiny and lightweight, record onto flash memory, starting at $99.99, including the DXG Digital Video Camera (DXG- 305VBC) -- $99.99 Digital Satellite Radio: Join millions of listeners who enjoy crystal clear radio and amazing programming choices coast-to-coast. Radios start at $49.99. Listen to what you want, where you want with new portable units from XM and Sirius. (subscription service required)
>> XM Pioneer XM2go inno(TM) -- $249.99 after rebate
>> SIRIUS SL100 Stiletto with WiFi capability -- $349.99 GPS Navigation: Never get lost again, and never have to ask for directions! Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation devices can help you get to anywhere you want to go, starting at less than $400.00.
>> The Garmin C340 not only gives turn-by-turn instructions and street names, but also is preloaded with nearly six million points of interest to guide you to gas stations, restaurants and more -- $599.99. Movies & Music: Hot new releases at unbeatable low prices are available every Tuesday during the holidays at Circuit City. Plus check out more than 300,000 movie, music and game titles at circuitcity.com. Visit circuitcity.com for release dates. Movie releases include: "Cars" "The Da Vinci Code" "Ice Age: The Meltdown" "Superman Returns" "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" "Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby" CD Releases include: Mary J. Blige -- "Mary J. Blige & Friends" exclusively at Circuit City Sugarland -- "Enjoy the Ride" Jay-Z -- "Kingdom Come" Gwen Stefani -- "The Sweet Escape" Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry, Fantasia -- "American Idols" Ciara -- "Evolution" Gift Cards: Always welcome under any tree, Circuit City gift cards start at just $5.00 and can be purchased and used in our stores, online or by phone. Available in festive holiday designs, Circuit City gift cards can be personalized and customized with family pictures or designs at http://www.circuitcity.com. Beginning in late November, Circuit City will offer an interactive DVD gift card that allows users to access free music downloads, a game and much more. You can even give peace of mind this holiday season with a firedog(SM) gift card. Circuit City's firedog(SM) technicians stand ready to help consumers with PC services, home theater installations and integration of their new home electronics. Wine Cellar: Keep your spirits cool for those holiday parties. A large selection of wine refrigerators can be purchased online at circuitcity.com, including the Sunbeam Wine Refrigerator. This item chills up to eight bottles and will also be available in most Circuit City stores in early November -- $89.99 About Circuit City Stores, Inc. Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) is a leading specialty retailer of consumer electronics and related services. The domestic segment operates through 635 Superstores and five other locations in 158 U.S. markets. The international segment operates through more than 950 retail stores and dealer outlets in Canada. Circuit City also operates Web sites at http://www.circuitcity.com, http://www.thesource.ca and at http://www.firedog.com. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010709/CCLOGO ) SOURCE Circuit City Stores, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related links: http://www.circuitcity.com http://www.thesource.ca http://www.firedog.com
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