The first time you plug your Flip Mino-HD into your HD TV, you might get a surprise. Where's the high def? Here's an affordable device that lets you instantly watch your HD Flip videos on your TV and get the high definition resolution you expected.

Some camcorder owners don’t expect to spend a lot of time off-loading and editing their videos.  They just want to plug their camcorder into their TV and play their latest takes.  A father, for example, might want to bring his camcorder home, fresh from shooting his son’s latest basketball game, and show off his son’s prowess to doting family members. 

He could slip his Flip into his pocket on the way out the door, and unobtrusively capture high-quality video while he was at the game.  The problem is that if you plug a Flip Mino-HD directly into your TV, you don’t get High Definition viewing.  In fact, the outcome is less satisfactory than many standard definition camcorders would provide – a significant shortcoming in an otherwise great bargain of a camcorder.

Enter the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player.  The player was designed to connect to a portable USB hard drive where your videos are stored – usually by using its USB connection to offload your videos from your computer.  The WD TV hooks up to a modern HD television with a high-quality HDMI connection.  It has a remote control to allow you to fast forward, rewind, pause, zoom, and pan, so Dad can pick his son out of the crowd on the basketball court and show close-ups off that blocked shot over and over again.

But here’s the kicker:  Without even purchasing a portable hard disk, you can plug your Flip Mino-HD directly into the device, and watch the video straight off your camera, in full 720p High Definition.  Later on, you can purchase an inexpensive USB hard drive and create a whole library of your best home videos, digital music, and family photos, and watch them at your leisure with push-button ease.

Right now, you can buy the WD TV at Amazon for $99.99.  The Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 Gigabyte hard drive, pictured above, is only $117.99.

Flip Mino-HD + WD TV + Passport.  These are great bargains for tough times.