Whenever I have winter parties, I pop in the fireplace. Actually I pop in a video of a fireplace, which comes complete with crackling sound. It gives the same mesmerizing, relaxing, Zen experience of a real fire without all the messy black soot. Though my guests know it’s kitschy and fake, they end up gathering around it anyway, as if it were emitting actual heat.

Now the faux fire has been brought into the digital age on a new HD DVD, “Ambient Fire: Ultimate Video Fireplace. [1]” In addition to being very high resolution and life-like, the “ultimate” features nine different holiday scenes including the standard Yule log [2] ––some are tightly focused on flames, others show the mantel, and one “looks like a display you might see at your local department store,” writes one Amazon reviewer (yes, apparently even fake fire has critics), “it’s cheesy but charming in its own campy way.” And, if you think the simple crackle is lacking something, you can choose from a variety of music––carols, jazz, and classical, all of which are ideal for using your television to inspire contemplation rather than cause distraction.

Photo by wanderingnome [3]