Monoprice VGA to RCA

Works great right out of the box. Works great for watching Hulu and other streaming video sources. Picture looks just like its from a cable box or dvd player.

As someone else noted, you'll have to make sure to switch from PAL to NTSC if you're in North America (default is PAL). This is configured with dip switches.

I did not have to deal with the problem of the settings having to be readjusted after every use (that WOULD be annoying), because I didn't really have to adjust anything. Of course, the edge of the desktop was rolled off the edge of the screen on all four sides, but this is because of the nature of old-fashioned SD CRT televisions: they are actually designed to cut off some of the picture so that there is no "wasted" space. If I wanted to, I could have probably fiddled with the "zoom" and positioning controls, but for what I wanted to use it for: watching streaming video (primarily old tv shows) off the web full-screen, that was unnecessary. The edge-to-edge effect with the tv cutting a bit off the edges is how we have watched tv for decades.

I am running mine through a Philips HDD DVD recorder, simply because that was the device that had convenient A/V jacks on the front in my rack. Probably it helps with some of the signal processing as well.

It is important for buyers to have correct expectations with this device, however: you should not expect crisp PC-monitor-like graphics and easily readable text fonts. Your old-style CRT television is simply not capable of producing a high-res image and was never designed to display computer output. Likewise if you use an LCD with this device it will be the same because the composite and S-Video inputs on even an LCD tv are designed to accept and display a signal of CRT-tv quality. Sorry but that's just the nature of this beast. Do not expect HD quality!

To the person who gave this a bad review because they ran the composite output of this into a dvd recorder and tried to upscale it to 720p with an hdmi output: your doing it wrong! If you want crisp, hi-def output on a hi-def tv that has hdmi, then why not just get a gadget that converts VGA directly to HDMI (they do exist, I believe), or get an HDMI output card on your computer? Many hi-dev tv's even have a VGA port, so you can just plug your PC into it directly (or a DVI port, which can be easily converted as well). There are many better ways to do it with a hi-def tv than with a scan converter; scan converters are meant for old-style standard def tv's which have no other input options than composite or S-Video. Of course you are going to get bad results when you take a hi-res computer image, shrink it down to DVD or VHS-quality video, then try to magnify it through "upconverter" circuits. Its like taking a 10 megapixel still photo, printing out a postage-stamp sized print on your ink-jet printer and then scanning it back in and then wondering why the quality is degraded!

But if Standard Def is fine for you (as it is for me), and you understand the limitations, then this will work well. I only rarely watch television, and I have not felt the urge yet to go out and spend hundreds or thousands on a super-duper 95 inch super ultra 1080i LED flat screen. I bought this to show old tv reruns to my kids on demand, and it works great for that! We just got done watching the third episode of the original 1960's Addams Family on my 32" Zenith CRT I bought for $25 at the Salvation Army, and it worked perfectly!

Bottom line: if you don't require high-def, and you understand the limitations, this will work well. Don't expect to use your TV as a computer monitor with this device--its for displaying power-point slides, video and still photos. At 800x600 with a big enough tv, it might work reasonably well as an ok monitor for occasional things. If you want PC-monitor-quality output with a hi-def tv, look for a different solution.

The converter box has one input (VGA) and three outputs (VGA, TV, S-Video). It it powered off a USB port.

The pros are that it is small and works quite well for video. I tried it with three different pcs and the quality of the video input will determine what you get out of it.

Cons include the quality of text output to the screen and the use of a USB port for power. If you use large fonts and icons, a lower resolution setting (800x600) and a quality video card you can read text well enough to surf the web (but you will have to use scroll bars at that low resolution) I am using an older 36" Toshiba (pre-HD)

I am overall pleased with my purchase. I would recommend it for the price.

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The device came set to PAL, but once I switched it to NTSC it was easy to configure.

The size and position for horizontal and vertical are easy to set, but the device forgets my settings every time I turn it off. Since I am powering the device from the computer's USB port instead of using a separate power supply, this happens every time I turn the computer off.

Since the device sits behind my computer and TV, I find it easier to live with only being able to see the top 60% of my lower panel (GNOME) or task-bar (Windows) than it is to re-configure the device every time I turn on my computer.

My TV is about 37 inches and not high definition (free at the dumpster when my neighbors got a HD flat-screen :-) ). I find that text is too fuzzy to read without large fonts for the OS when I use 1024x768, so I keep my computer set to 800x600.

A word of advice, do not let your computer automatically adjust your display size because it will automatically detect 1152x864 which is an unsupported resolution. At this resolution, my TV flickers and there is double-image with most text un-readable. Depending on your OS, this may or may not be possible to prevent, and it can be very difficult to override since the screen is garbled when you try to change the settings (especially if you don't know the keyboard commands for your OS).

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This converter works well. I did have a small problem hooking it up using my laptop. It took me about an hour to figure it out. The problem was on my end not the converters. But after I figured out the problem it worked like a charm.

This product does come with instructions and troubleshooting but it is not very detailed. The problem I had was getting a picture to show on my TV. I set the NTSC panels down for USA. I put the VGA connection in my laptop and connected the other end to the VGA in port on the converter and the S-Video out to my TV. Vertical colored lines showed up on my TV screen (like the when a tv network goes off and they are testing) I was able to press the menu button on the converter and I did see the menu options come up. So I knew I had something right.

((( SETTING YOUR LAPTOP DISPLAY )))

I ended up having to set the Display menu on my laptop. Click Start, Control Panel, Display. Click on the Settings tab. Then click advanced Then you will have to click the tab that displays what type of viewing equipment you are using. (Not general, adapter, monitor, troubleshoot, color management) Its the tab that I didn't list here ... LOL ... You then want to set it to dual view. You might have a drop down box or option box. Once you set it click ok.

I hope this helps, cause it took me an hour to finally figure it out... LOL... GOOD LUCK!

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I ordered this product because I wanted to hook up my netbook running Windows XP (with a small display) to my TV in order to watch streaming video, such as Netflix, on a decent-sized display.

As with any type of conversion from PC to TV, things such as text will be nearly impossible to read, but video (including subtitles or text in the video itself) looks great. I can't really tell a difference between this setup and cable TV.

Product works as advertised and comes with all cables needed to hook up to an RCA input or an S-Video input. Note that there is no audio hookup on the unit. This was not a problem for me, as I hooked up a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable (such as this: http://www.amazon.com/RiteAV-3-5mm-Stereo-Male-Cable/dp/B000V0G2C4/ref=pd_cp_e_2) from the headphone jack on my laptop to the same input on my TV as the converter is hooked to (i.e. converter connects laptop to Video 2 video inputs on TV and audio cable connects from headphone jack on laptop to Video 2 audio input). This allows the audio to play (and control volume) through my TV.

I set mine up so that the converter signal acts as a secondary monitor (this is an option in my display settings). This way, I can keep my PC monitor at the higher resolution I like (1366 by 768), and the secondary display has the lower resolution (1024 by 768) in order to make the converter's signal show up. I have a separate browser window on the secondary display (TV), so I can surf or work using my laptop display and the video plays on the TV. When I need to read the text in the browser window in order to change videos, I just drag that browser window back onto my main display (where I can actually read the text), find and start the video, then drag it back on my secondary display (or just squint a lot!).

A couple of troubleshooting notes:

If you see a blue screen or colored bars on your TV, try lowering the resolution on your PC display.

If you're in the U.S. and the display is black and white and/or wiggling, make sure both jumpers are set for NTSC. (There is a diagram on the bottom of the unit)

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VideoSecu 8 of Bullet Security Cameras Audio Video Outdoor Day Night IR Built-in Microphone for Hom

This security camera is exactly as described. I received the package on time. The cables should not be folded in half, then coiled up like the ones that came with the camera. I needed a large room to unwind the cables, so I could snake the cable through the wall. The cable mess took the longest time setting up the camera. Overall the camera is working properly, I'm satisfied with the product, no complaints.

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JVC Everio GZ-HD5 3CCD 60GB Hard Disk Drive High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabil

I like the size, and fits perfectly on your hand.

The stabilized zoom doesnt work as well as other cameras.

When downloading to your computer, MAC or PC, you will need to buy the plugins to be able to import them into your video editing programs. (premiere, iMovie, Final Cut...). It has it's own proprietary file type. (MOD & TOD) which is supposed to be MPEG 2.

My parents have a JVC mini-DV camcorder, purchased several years ago, which works very well for them. Sadly, that camera works better for me than this one. That one does video through i.LINK, this one doesn't seem to, but judging by a comment below I need to spend more time and TLC with the instruction book. That one uses conventional mini-DV tapes. On this one, the tapeless workflow takes some getting used to. The TOD format will be recognized by QuickTime if you install the provided codec, and then the patch to make it work with QT after v. 7.3 (if you update regularly, you're on 7.5 and it won't work.) TOD isn't recognized by Adobe Premiere Pro directly, but there are expensive codecs out there that will convert it. You could also rename the files from TOD to M2TS (MPEG-2 TimeStamp) and Creative Suite will slurp it right up. I admit, I jumped on what looked like a bargain and thought I got stung. As time goes on, though, it's slowly growing on me.

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I am returning this product because of false advertising by JVC. The specifications show that the camera support i.LINK, but this is not the case. You can plug the camera in to your PC using a 4 pin cable, but it doesn't support the capabilities of i.LINK which include ability to control the camera and get live video feeds using a PC. I wanted to use this camera as a PC camera, but it is not possible. Even if you hook it up to your computer using the other video output connectors, you cannot disable the auto-standby mode.

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I've had it for 2 years now

The only reason I didn't give it 5 Stars for everything is the TOD file format. Who the hell uses that? What were they thinking. It's super easy to use and the video quality it fan freaking tastic. You will not find a better camera for the same retail price, no way.

The software is Cyberlink and as companies go well, at least they aren't out of business.

I love it, but will go the extra dollars next time and see if it's worth it, then I will know.

Robert

Orlando

PS

What a stupid name "Everio" or whatever

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I have been using this camera for over 6 months and the video and still image quality are outstanding!! I have never had an issue with it even in very low light conditions.

Rode VideoMic Pro VMP Shotgun Microphone

I've been a Canon user and Canon fan for many years, but Canon video cameras always seem to have some sort of sound problem. In the case of Canon DSLRs with video capability, the problem is the loud and annoying hiss that occurs when you use an external microphone in a quiet setting. The first time I used my new Canon 60D to make a video, I quickly realized that the onboard microphone, while adequate for perfect circumstances, was not a good fit for outdoor use or pro-style interviews. I decided to buy an inexpensive $45 shotgun mic big mistake which produced the loudest ambient hiss I've ever heard on a recording. After a bit of research, I found that the 60D and other Canon DSLR cameras (and no doubt other brands as well) almost always produce a notable degree of "quiet room hiss" when used with most external microphones--and of course it's usually worse with a cheap mic. Further research led to further frustration, with all the "experts" suggesting that quality in-camera recording is just not feasible on DSLRs and you should buy an expensive independent recording system and then "sync" the sound to the video in post. What?!?!? I don't work for Sony Pictures, I just want to do some good quality commercial work for Internet posting. Then I ran across a YouTube video of a guy testing Rode microphones. He said that, after posting his video of a test with a Canon DSLR, Rode contacted him and told him that by setting the Rode Videomic Pro's dB switch to +20 and adjusting the manual sound level setting on the camera to about 20%, he could achieve a virtually hiss-free recording. Thus I ordered this mic from Amazon. It arrived on-time and in perfect shape, I ran a series of tests under various conditions, and I couldn't be more happy with my purchase. Interestingly, the suggested DSLR setting is right there in the Rode manual--perhaps they added it after the YouTube video was made. Bottom line, if you're shooting video with a DSLR and you want simple, high-quality sound for a reasonable price, this is your mic. Buy anything less, and in my opinion you will be unhappy with the results.

One small caveat: This is a professional mic with a 10 year warranty, but it's not for people who don't take care of their equipment. The mini-jack cable is thin and could easily catch on something and break or be ripped from the mic if you aren't careful. The "rubber band" shock mounting system--while clever and effective--is easily pulled from its mountings and could be easily lost. (One extra set of replacement bands comes with the unit.) In other words, be prepared to handle with care, and you'll no doubt get years of use from this excellent pro microphone.

Other reviewers have gone way more in depth and with much more eloquence than I ever could about this microphone. I won't even try to match it. However, I will give you the best info you will need on a Canon DSLR with manual audio control.

Turn on the microphone. Plug it into the camera. Set the top switch on the microphone to the high pass filer setting. Set the bottom swtich to +20 dB. Turn the camera on. Go into the audio settings and switch them to manual. Set it to the lowest setting possible, then increase it four notches.

You're welcome.

Seriously, out of the box, you're going to get a notable hiss (like in all Canon DSLR footage) and you're going to think this only adds slightly to your footage audio. If you use these settings, they are the best, and recommended from Rode (though not in the manual).

I actually made a video reviewing the mic and all the settings therein. In the video you can hear exactly what kind of output you get from each setting. You be the judged. As Amazon video reviews are 100MB or less, and mine is larger, and as they don't allow YouTube links, all I can say is to search YouTube for Alfeetoe and find my Videomic Pro review.

Hope this helps and streamlines the setup process a bit.

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I bought this Rode VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun microphone to go with my Panasonic TM900 camcorder since I travel a lot shooting interviews etc. I needed something that was light and compact in keeping with the scale of the TM900. I had very bad experiences with the Sennheiser MKE300 wow has that company gone downhill. The Sennheiser had a constant hum and static and I couldn't get enough volume out of it.

I have the Rode Videomic which is good but is too big for the TM900 and I've found it unwieldy for traveling (somehow its Z shape and those rubber bands don't give me a lot of confidence).

The Videomic Pro however is almost a perfect match for the TM900. It fits well into the bracket and there's no problem with fitting the plug into the camera's mic socket (which is set at an angle). I also fitted a larger ring wide angle adapter(the EXII HD7X46)and this does not interfere with the mic.

The audio from the mic is great it's quite sensitive but reducing to -10DB is generally adequate for normal interview situations relatively quiet room, one subject facing camera and mic. Setting the internal recording level to 0 seems to do the trick. For quiet voices you can up the mic to 0db or +20db. I have not had occasion to use the latter yet.

The mic also has a high pass filter (HPF) which cuts rumble. I am not sure if this cuts wind sound significantly but will try that later.

The mic does not seem to pick up motor noise from my camera but then I don't do a lot of zooming when I'm filming (and when I have, the mic hasn't picked it up). Like my other Rode mic, it is also suspended on "rubber bands" but this time only two (and they give you spares). The rubber bands can detach quite easily so it's something to be aware of.

I like the inclusion of a LED light to tell you that the mic is on and also to tell you if the battery is ok or not.

I did NOT like the difficulty of inserting the battery. You have to futz around with the front cover which latches onto a groove under the actual barrel of the (foam covered) mic itself and then push up to latch the bottom. The diagram in the instruction book conveniently omits the actual mic! I guess it's always difficult the first time and maybe I'll get used to it. Anyway it's lucky that one good battery will last for around 70 hours (at least that's what Rode claims) so I hope I don't have to change the battery a lot.

Also for this price it would have been nice to get a case of some sort but no such luck. Anyway I use small Pelicans or soft foam bags for packing.

I haven't tried them yet but this mic can also be fitted to a boom, and there is a pistol grip for it. The bottom has a screw thread so you can put it on a stand but you will need an extension cord to reach the camera as the cord that is attached to the mic cannot be removed and is short.

The mic weighs 0.18 lb (86 g) and its dimensions are 1.69"x6.02"x3.74".

Conclusion: if you need a small and light mic for a similarly scaled camcorder, this is a great purchase. I'm very satisfied with it and it does a good job.

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I've used the VideoMic Pro (stereo) for a few shoots. I attached it to a Panasonic HD-TM900K High-Def camcorder operated in 2D mode with no lens attachments. First impressions:

Upside

1. Gives the videographer much more creative control over the audio portion of the shoot. Compared to the on-board 5.1 mike array (including when it is set for front-stereo pick up only via the camcorder), the VideoMic rolls off to-the-side audio (e.g., comments by the camcorder operator or from a noisy background) much more effectively so the subject's sounds are recorded crisply.

2. The gain/level control adjustments (-10dB, flat, + 20dB) coupled with the camcorder's on-screen audio volume meter or using the real-time audio output and earphones greatly help with balancing far away and near-field subject audio so you can record more precisely.

3. The rubber shock and isolation mounts effectively remove extraneous camcorder sounds (by the way, this camcorder doesn't have appreciable fan noise, contrary to a few negative comments about it).

4. It's compact and doesn't enter into the field of view of the camcorder even in its widest angle mode.

Downside

1. The camera's special audio functions, such as changing the angle of response proportional to zoom, won't work with the external mike, but the manual level settings help with this.

2. One more thing to stuff into the camera bag, but just get a bigger bag.

3. No case for the device, so get a ziploc bag to prevent damage or loss of the rubber bands during transport.

I haven't tried the high-pass/low-cut filter for suppression of noise from fast wind, but using just the supplied foam wind shield (not a dead cat), preliminary tests with < 10 mph wind shows effectiveness.

Overall, this improves my confidence in the audio quality of the shoot.

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I've previously shot interviews at California wine tasting events with the wonderful Sony PD170 SD camcorder and Azden pro audio. I loved the control with the pro gear but it is time to move on to HD and I decided to experiment with a Sony Handycam HDR-CX360.

My Azden audio equipment doesn't work with the Sony Handycam for some reason. There is static and humming. I need a shotgun mic so I read the mixed reviews of the Rode models and went with the Pro.

We experimented at home with the stereo turned up and the results were poor. It didn't seem like much of a shotgun but there was no time to figure out another solution before the huge Family Winemakers of California tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco.

The noise created by a couple thousand wine drinking attendees and winery staff in that old military warehouse pier is a nightmare for audio. The ambient noise is a constant din that makes conversation challenging. I was standing only a few feet away shooting and could barely hear my wife asking the questions and the winery staff answering her.

After a couple of interviews we went outside to review them with the camcorder review function and the audio sounded at least salvageable with the camcorder speakers. We shot for the next few hours and hoped for the best. I didn't shoot with headphones because my Sony Studio Monitor set is too loud with this camcorder.

The Rode Pro did fantastic and equaled my big pro audio gear with a 16" shotgun mic. In the videos you can clearly hear my wife and the interviewee. I would say that the improvement over actually being there is maybe 3x better. Other than an erupting volcano or a battle I'm not aware of a bigger audio recording challenge.

I was shooting with the camcorder and Rode on a handheld stabilization rig with the Rode about 6" from the camera and mounted on a cold shoe on the DV Multirig. I had a Japanese camcorder on an Israeli stabilization rig with an Aussie mic at a California event :-)

We will soon be posting these interviews on WineQuesters.com. You can compare them with the older SD videos of tasting events in the Videos section. Use the search feature to find wineries we interviewed using the Rode such as Clos Pepe, Cornerstone, Delectus, or B Cellars. I could probably make some improvements to the audio in post processing but there is no time for that with these short clips. We shoot run and gun and achieved the quality we need under the circumstances.

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Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, and MicroSD Slot--International

I bought the Gold colored one for my wife and she loves it. But don't drop the phone. My wife had her phone in her purse and dropped the purse. The outside front panel of the flip-cover is made of glass and it shattered. I have a friend that dropped his cosmic blue K-1 and the same thing happened. As far as the features go everything works fine. Too bad the front face is so delicate.

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JVC GRH-D1 High Definition MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

I bought this camcorder on September 28, 2003 when it was still fairly new on the market and more expensive than it is now. By July 2004 both the LCD screen and the viewfinder just went black. No image but I was still able to record audio. I reported it to JVC. They told me I had to send it in for repair, which I did. It seems that this was a common problem. They didn't ask too many questions. The warranty had already expired so I had to pay a couple hundred dollars. Six months later, the same problem again. I called JVC again and told them the problem. The technician who attended to me suggested that I turn it off and disconnect all power for about an hour and then try again because "that usually works." Now what kind of advice is that? I need this camera to shoot footage of events. What am I supposed to do each time this happens? Turn it off for an hour and ask the event organisers to postpone their events for an hour? Anyway, even that super solution didn't work, so I called again and they said I had to send it in for repair again. So I asked, would I have to be sending this camera in to you every six months? "No," she responded but "thank you for calling JVC."

The words I would like to use to describe this camera and JVC cannot be expressed here but do not buy this camera!!! For the short period of time that it did work, it was great, but I will never buy this or any other JVC product ever again.

I thought about fixing it and then selling it used but then my conscience wouldn't let me pass this problem on to someone else. So I decided to write this review.

At first I loved this mini HDV cam but, after it broke the first time it was the main button. Now the CCD is F-ed up. When I bought this unit I was offered the 5 year Mac cam warrinty. This is saving me the cost of a new one.

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The JVC GRH-D1 was released two years ago as the world's first hi-def camcorder (at least the world's under-$5000 HD camcorder). It utilizes the new HDV format, developed by JVC and enhanced by Sony, JVC, Sharp and Canon. The GRH-D1 is by now the "granddaddy" of HDV camcorders but it's great for those aspiring to shoot HD video. It has a comfortable grip, great image quality, and loads of pro features. The iamge quality is definitely excellent. Shop around to find this for around $2000.

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I got the JVC GR-HD1 on 2003. The camcorder still work OK. My only complaint is the camcorder is capable of recording in HD only on the tape but not on the memory card! Why?

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Samsung DVD-R130 DVD Recorder

• Ultra-slim DVD player/recorder; measures 17 x 2.3 x 9.6 inches (WxHxD)
• Records to DVD-R/RW discs; plays CD-R/RW discs and MP3, JPEG files
• 1-touch recording, timer recording, auto chapter creation, front-panel DV (IEEE 1394) input for direct camcorder hookup
• Connections: 1 component out, 1 composite out, 1 S-Video out, 1 RF in, 1 RF out
• Digital optical and digital coaxial audio output for home theater surround sound

I was attracted to the Samsung R130 by the price and sold on the name. It's a name-brand machine that's being sold at the price of a no-name import, and I think the Samsung name gives it the promise of being reliable for as long as I want to keep it. I have a three-year-old JVC DVD player which I love, but it doesn't record. (Why not a JVC recorder? I would have in a heartbeat, but JVC doesn't make one in this price range.) Also, I absolutely love the slim line and the color. The Samsung's finish is classy and is either black or very dark gray depending on how the light hits it. I love it because it matches the rest of my simple set up, a JVC TV with rabbit ears, my DVD player, and a Panasonic VHS recorder, all of which are black. Most DVD recorders I've seen are very bulky, but the Samsung is only a hair taller than my JVC NBK50 player and an inch less deep. I do think its interface isn't as "friendly" as the JVC's, meaning there's no "hello" when you turn it on, and there's no comforting and adjustable blue light, but the starkness of it isn't something I can't live with.

It must be told that the Samsung has a HORRIBLE remote control that cannot control your television set. I found myself juggling remotes, which I hate passionately. Recording isn't that difficult once you figure out where all the damn buttons are, in fact the chapter selection is really neat. When you use DVD-R discs, you cannot edit so much. You can rename the disc and delete chapters, that's it. Therefore, I'm now looking for a good universal unit to control all my devices with.

Setting up was fairly easy, although I found out that there is an important difference between how a VCR connects to TV and how the Samsung connects. My VCR had only the two antenna connections and could transmit sound and picture to the TV. The Samsung won't do that; in fact the manual says audio and video output must be used. I wondered why this has to be, given both DVD recorder and VCR have tuners. At any rate, because of the need for an audio/video cable, the picture is as beautiful as that from my JVC player, and the sound is actually richer. I've lost my connection to my dvd player, though, because I had to transfer the Monster cable from the JVC to the Samsung.

Cable users should note that the manual has the cable box between the recorder and the TV if there are few scrambled channels, and between the cable box and the TV if there are many scrambled channels. In either case, it says you can't watch something else while recording through the cable box. Since I don't have cable, I don't have that problem.

Making recordings, at least, is very similar to working a VCR, but with a few quirks even so. It takes 15 seconds to load the disc, which is not interminable, but definitely must be planned for especially when doing timed recordings. I also noticed that sometimes if you delete a title or chapter, it doesn't register unless you first open the drawer and close it again so it can update the information. It also doesn't like for you to name a DVD before you've recorded on it, and if you use DVD-R like I do sometimes it doesn't understand that even after erasing everything on the disc, there's nothing on it anymore, and it tells you there's no more free space. So, if you've never done DVD recording before, be prepared to sacrifice a few DVDs in the process of learning. Buy a spindle of quality discs; I use Taiyo-Yuden.

Dubbing my non-commercial VHS tapes has been fairly straightforward. I find the two-hour setting, SP, the cleanest. I found the sound and picture transferred reasonably well, with no out-of-synch issues that I noticed so far. For off-the-air recording, say, 4 days worth of Oprah, LP is the best setting, although you lose some clarity in the picture. I would not record anything above LP unless it's the news or something where picture quality isn't that important.

Feature-wise, the R130 is really neat! After recording a couple snippets from the TV channels you go to menu, and there it plays a little preview of each chapter. You can set it to commercial skip, and set how much you want to skip, and I set mine to 30 seconds. I found the Samsung tends to run hot, so I put coasters between it and my VCR so that it can get plenty of ventilation.

I've only had the machine three weeks as of this writing, so I can't speak to longevity or reputation. I'm not one of those people who buys a lot of things, burns some stuff, then takes it back to the dealer or sells it, so I can't say there's anything better out there for my purposes. I don't see myself completely doing without my VCR, but I do see myself buying less tape than normal, and since I'm decluttering, that's a good thing.

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Confirming other customer reviews, finalized DVD-R discs recorded on this unit will not play on other DVD players. I recorded and finalized several DVD-R discs on this unit. Although I was successful in getting them to play on my PC, I has no success playing them on any other DVD player. Check the customer reviews on the Circuit City web site for this unit. Per one review dated 6/12/06, "Recordings will not play properly on other DVD players. Confirmed this is the case (and no fix) with Samsung tech support."

I also experienced a problem with the timer recording feature. If you set up several programs to record, the unit will record the first one and then power off. Even though the manual states that "When the start time is reached while the unit is powered off, the unit will automatically power on and start recording" my unit never woke up again to record the other programs. So if you plan on scheduling multiple programs to record, either plan on sticking around to power up the unit after each recording, or avoid this unit!

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I have had this machine for several months now and I have to say that I'm fairly satisfied. It performs pretty much as expected and the quality of recordings is very good both from TV and VHS. The only negatives (and reason for 4/5 rating) I have with the product is the fact that it doesn't play VCDs and it sometimes hangs if you press a number of buttons in succession or touch a button while it is initially trying to read a disk. The remote is not much worse than any others I have used just have to get used to the button placements and functions. I have always used DVD-R/RW disks since they have historically been the most compatible so that was not an issue.

All the negative comments about players not recognizing the disks might be due to three things:

1. Make sure the disk is finalized properly in the Setup Menu, this allows other players to understand the information written on the disk.

2. Most new DVD Recorders seem to format disks as DVD-VR by default. This is great if you're planning to do some minor editing of the footage on the DVD Recorder. If you want the disks to be more universal, reformat the disk to the DVD-V mode BEFORE YOU START RECORDING (if you do it after it wipes whatever you already have), but you loose the ability to edit the shows (eg. take out commercials) unless you transfer the footage onto an editing program on your PC.

3. DVD-VR disks are hard to read on older DVD players (both standalone and PC). I had to buy a new Samsung Double Layer DVD-Burner for my computer so that I can transfer multiple recordings from DVD-VR disks. I could not do it with an older NEC Single Layer DVD-Burner, I could only import the first recorded show, and WinDVD would only play the last recorded show! The newer DVD-Burners should state in the specification that that they read multi-session disks which is what DVD-VR allows you to do.

So before giving up on this machine, try formating disks in the DVD-V mode, and make sure you finalize the disk using the Setup menu before playing it on other machines.

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I tried four separate recordings to the Samsung-specified DVD-R media, and each yielded the same result: the DVD plays fine ont he Samsung unit, but will not play properly on any other player if you try to fast forward, skip chapters, etc. The playback skips frames and the audio drops out entirely.

I tried to play my Samsung-recorded DVDs on a 5-year-old Panasonic player, a 1-year-old Toshiba player, and my 2-year-old Mac G4 laptop. Same problem each time.

I made several calls to Samsung tech support, but they were dumbfounded, and only suggested I replace the unit. I did. The replacement unit had the same trouble.

I'd been thinking about buying a DVD recorder for a while but almost all recorders had bad reviews until I saw this one. The reviews looked good so I decided to give it a try. And I was, and still am, definitely happy about my choice.

It took me only a few minutes to set up this recorder (the usual cables and set the clock). I was able to immediately record a TV show without a problem. The images were DVD quality if you set it to SP (2 hours of recording per DVD). With LP (4 hours per DVD), the quantity suffered to slightly better than VHS but still quite good. It also has a feature that will set the speed automatically based on the amount of space left in the DVD. The interface to set up timed recording was quite easy and intuitive.

I also transferred over 20 hours of 8mm home movies to DVD. Again I encountered no problem at all. In fact I have yet had a bad CD or recording or timer not working. Everything is working just as it should. I couldn't be happier.

I do have a few gripes about the remote and the caption. Remote is not universal and the buttons are many, though no more than others. It seems to have problem record the captions in each show. If you try to use TV caption (not the caption feature on DVD player) on the recorded shows, the caption will only show sporadically. The finalized DVD from the recorder also does not show the chapters correctly in my JVC DVD player. It's not a big deal for me but might be for some of you.

Brickhouse HD Spy Hidden Camera DVR Pen and 8GB Recorder - 720i - 1280x720 30 FPS Video

• Battery for up to 75 Minutes of Continuous HD Video
• Record important moments in clear, color-realistic High-Definition 720/30p (1280 x 720 HD) Video with less grain
• Built-in USB plug and 8GB internal flash memory for up to 40 hours of storage.
• Built-in Rechargeable High Performance Lithium-Ion
• Ran out of ink? Not a problem. Your digital pen camera has a standard replaceable ink cartridge that you can find at your favorite office supply store.

Some of the reviews had complained that the pen was difficult to get the correct date and time. I thought it was easy enough and it only took a second to do. The pen works well but would like to have the option to stop the light from flashing on the pen. Other than that it works well. Audio is a little poor but from something like this pen, the audio is actually better than what one should expect.

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I purchased this after i saw it on TV.

1. The pen runs out of ink within a month.

2. The pen has trouble hooking to a usb.

3. It will not hold a charge.

4. Trying to view the information is no fun.

5. I ask for a refund or replace and I have been told it is out of warranty.

This is the kind of product Amazon needs to get off their site.

Read Best Reviews of Brickhouse HD Spy Hidden Camera DVR Pen and 8GB Recorder - 720i - 1280x720 30 FPS Video Here

It works pretty good at times, but it's difficult to operate. The on/off button doesn't work smoothly if you have the cap screwed on too tight. Battery drains pretty fast, faster than it states. Instructions are not that clear.

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There are many different look a like versions of this Pencam; you'd be better off buying one directly from Brickhouse. I bought mine from MC Sales, and returned it 5 star service.

Pros:

-Unlike other Pencams, camera lens is high up on the Pen, so it can be tucked further down into your pocket, or wherever you choose to put it.

-8 gig memory card.

-Records at 30 frames per second which means no motion blur.

-Fast transfers of videos to your PC especially if you have a 3.0 USB port.

Cons:

-Video cam is zoomed in for some reason, and cannot be adjusted.

-At 5 feet away, the recording area of the Pencam is only 3 feet wide (and since the lens is zoomed in, the effective recording width is about 2 feet wide).

-EXTREMELY grainy video even in the best lighting.

-Dark areas of the recorded area are seen as big black splotches.

I couldn't return this cam fast enough. It is so bad it is laughable.

Zero stars.

You would be a lot happier with the Esky® Pencam.

Broken after 2 days of usage :( computer does not recognize pen as USB flash.

The picture from cam is really noisy.

Streaming Networks iRecord PRO Personal Media Recorder

The device would automatically shut down without warning. Does not notify wether or not the recording has stopped. Cannot copy copyrighted DVD's. But easy to use and performs as advertised.

Great item, great service! Thanks for a great item and the speedy turnaround. Really appreciate the great item and service!

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I've used the iRecord Pro for several years. It's an extremely handy device. Need to digitize old family videos from cameras with different formats (8 mm, VHS-C, etc.)? Then the iRecord is your tool. It works with pretty much any device with either RCA or S Video outputs. It can also record TV shows from a DVR directly on to a phone or iPod. The recordings are decent quality (depending on the source) MP4 or MP3 (audio) files.

The iRecord Pro weaknesses are it's lack of 1080pi HDvideo and no HDMI input. It works great for older devices, converting non digital media into digital files. But it lacks the ability to connect to modern devices through HDMI. I suspect a future iRecord product will bring both 1080pi HD output and HDMI to the table.

Read Best Reviews of Streaming Networks iRecord PRO Personal Media Recorder Here

Wanna digitalize your old LPs?

Wanna digitalize your old VHS tapes?

If you have an iPod, would you like to preprogram recording from a TV or set-top box wherever you happen to stay while traveling?

iRecord Pro is an answer for each of those purposes and, afaik, the only answer for all three. Works perfectly for me for all three purposes. Needless to say that anything you digitalize onto your ipod or usb stick (or smartphone) with the irecord pro is easy to burn as a cd (audio or video) or dvd afterwards.

I should mention that this is not (yet) an HD device. Audio, by the way, I reocmmend recording onto a stick at full/lossless/wave; Let itunes or whatever you use on the computer do the compression to whatever you prefer (I choose 256kb VBR) before you transfer the music to an ipod or a CD or whatever.

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I have been purchasing both professional and consumer grade video encoders for many years and the iRecord Pro is probably the best that I have come across for s-Video/composite input capture. It does a great job of turning even poor quality input into acceptable digitized media and is quite outstanding with good quality input. The de-interlacing capabilities are unparalleled in my experience, even with products costing 10-20 times the price. The MP4 video is a snap to trim with Apple's Quicktime Pro software and it can be imported via iTunes into the iPad easily. The resulting video is rather bulky at approx 1.1 GB per hour and so is more appropriate for local viewing rather than using as is on the Internet. The reports about the unit having a noise fan when in use are correct and that probably should be corrected by the manufacturer. I could imagine that being very inconvenient for some uses of this encoder but I can live with it for my purposes. Since the audio is captured directly, the noise does not get onto the final product. I have not tried transcoding from the media yet but expect that to work fine.

Belkin Voice Recorder for iPod (White)

• Compatibility: iPod nano 2G; iPod 4G
• Records personal memos, notes, and interviews easily, on the go, with high-quality, omni-directional microphone
• Attaches securely to your iPod through remote/headphone connector; comes with a lifetime warranty
• Features 16mm speaker for quick playback
• Requires no software installation, with Plug-and-Play technology

I haven't had nearly as much trouble with this recorder as some of the other reviewers, but I can corroborate stories of some of its flaws. It's designed to be quite sensitive but that often leads to distorted recordings, especially if you have to try to record someone over speakerphone. If you don't press record within a few seconds of plugging in the unit, the iPod goes to sleep and you've got to do the two-finger reboot, which is inconvenient and might cost you the beginning of your interview. And I, too, have heard some hard disk access noise on some of my recordings. (I haven't had issues where it failed to record at all--not yet, anyway.)

However, those issues have been minor compared to the hassle this little unit has saved me. As a journalist, I've used this for a year to record interviews on my 3G iPod and found it to be a lifesaver--it's much more convenient than using a tape recorder, and I can record for well over an hour without worrying about running out of tape (just this past week, I recorded four hours of interviews almost non-stop, then recharged my iPod that night and did it again the next day). The microphone works well if you're in a room full of people and you cannot place the recorder in front of any one person--just stick it in the middle of the table and you'll get everybody, as long as they don't scream or mumble (same issue as tape, really). And since the recordings save as 8-bit, 8K WAV files, they're easily burned to disc for archiving and/or handing off for transcription.

This is not designed to record music or anything with great dynamic range. It is, as its title states, a voice recorder, so if you're looking for something with high fidelity, don't buy it. For dictating notes to yourself or recording conversations like I do, it works quite well.

I guess my experience has been fortunate, because I can't complain as much as many other users--but I'd also be interested in an improved model with the features others have mentioned they'd like. A jack for an external microphone, some sort of attenuation control...an on-screen meter to monitor the input level would be extremely helpful. Flaws and all, I'd buy it again if it got lost or stolen; I'm not going back to tape.

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I give the Belkin voice recorder a 3 star -middling -rating. But, I would give the commenters who have made unfair complaints about this device zero stars, if possible. There is a pattern here. People who used the voice recorder for its intended purpose -recording memos or conversations -usually like it. Those who used it for a purpose not recommended -usually recording music -dislike it. A voice recorder is not a cheap way to make recordings of music or other delicate sounds, folks. If that is what you intend to use the Belkin voice recorder for, do not buy it.

The Belkin voice recorder is superior to the software and hardware voice recorder on my Tungsten C PDA. That software retails for about $100. But, the recordings from the Belkin device sound better. And, I can listen to them with dual earphones instead of the monos PDA voice recorders require. So, if you are a person looking to step up from that situation, as I was, the Belkin voice recorder is a solution.

There is another alternative. Buy yourself a stand-alone voice recorder. However, they run between $150 and $300 for the good ones (usually by Sony). So, I doubt that the cheapskates who are complaining about this iPod peripheral will go there.

In summary, if you need an add-on that will allow you to do voice recording on your iPod, this no frills device is adequate. If you are looking for something more, like the singers, preachers and would-be record producers on this thread, this is not the item for you.

Read Best Reviews of Belkin Voice Recorder for iPod (White) Here

"Voice Memos" are saved in mono WAV files which means it will fill up your iPod much faster than if it had the capability to be saved in MP3. In mono WAV format, I find that 1 minute of recording is equivalent to a 1MB file.

I like the recorder for what I need to do-which is simply to hear meeting/lecture conversations again but not to reproduce or publish them. I've used it in one on one conversations and in an auditorium. It did excellent in the auditorium. But if you record voices too closely to the mic, it doesn't regulate the peaks well. There is no gain control so if you are recording someone who speaks loudly, you will get a bit of this ..zzzzz. vibration due to high peaks. I could imagine this could be a problem for those who are going to use it for reproduction. It's still a genius addition to the iPod. I got what I needed.

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I love this item, it's exactly what I was needed. All I wanted was something easy to record my lectures on and this is perfect. I actually bought one of those cheap-o digital voice recorders first from a big office supply store. My money was wasted on that piece of junk, which I couldn't return.

Positives:

--The ipod was completely audible (my professors use microphones, by the way). I couldn't even understand the speaker on the cheap-o recorder.

--Using the Ipod, I don't have to worry about not having enough space to record the entire 3 hour lecture (I have 3 of them on my 10gb ipod already, although my ipod was pretty full to start with).

--I don't have to worry about replacing and dealing with batteries. Plus I can transfer the files to my computer and listen to them or share them with classmates and don't have to deal with additional cables/cords, etc.

--The software was already loaded on my 3g ipod, it was just invisible in the past. Super easy.

Negatives:

--sometimes you can hear the whirring of the ipod thinking in the background on the recording...but I'm only listening for a clear voice; I'm not really looking for sound quality. I bet if you were recording a concert, you wouldn't be able to hear the whirring. It doesn't bother me at all, it just demonstrates how sensitive the recording device is.

--Sometimes it does take a few seconds to load up and start. But it's just a few seconds. It doesn't bother me.

--I can't lend out the recorder for classmates when I travel, since I need my ipod. (They promised to email me the lectures though, on their way-more-expensive digital voice recorders.)

I paid $5 less for this than the cheapest plain digital voice recorder I could find, which was a piece of junk. I haven't had any of the major technical problems other people had--I'm still raving to my friends about it a month later. Definitely 2 thumbs up.

I bought this to use for recordings of my chorus rehearsal.

It froze the iPod.

It lacks the most basic automatic gain control, and clip-distorts anything above a quiet speaking voice.

Alas, I had it longer than 30 days to before I could fully test it.

Some useful lore, if you're one of the unfortunate souls stuck with this device:

Put a piece of cellophane tape over the condenser mike hole (not the speaker holes, the microphone hole.) That attenuates the sound so it's actually useful.

While you're using the device, keep poking at the menus so the iPod NEVER goes to sleep. That seems to prevent the hangups.

Belkin, if you're listening, this device is crap.

Magnavox MRV660 Progressive-Scan DVD +R/+RW Recorder

I have owned two of these recorders, both were refurbished.

The first one failed (DVD+R would not come out) in about 4 weeks.

I returned it to philips and they sent me a higher

quality, brand new, DVD Recorder in about three weeks.

However, I did not like the menus or the record choices on the

new recorder (DVDR3390) so....

I bought a second MRV660 refurb. recorder from Philips.

I have made more than 100 DVD copies of old VHS tapes

as well as DVDs. They are all quite good. I really

like the recorder's capabilities and menu.

The major adavantage is a M2x speed which allows you to make a

2.5 hour recording which is geat for movies.

This unit cost me $140 and was in my budget to get a 4 year plan and it's one of the best component products I've bought. This has everything for the price. More speed modes than the more expensive models. 1, 2, 2 1/2, 3, 4, 6 and 8. Try to top that? You won't. This unit does way more than my old off brand model that crapped out after a year. I've had this around a year and a half and have only had minor problems which is due to a defective disc on rare occasions so the unit in and of itself is a great bargain for the price. Some of the menu functions can be complicated but after awhile you get the hang of that. But I'd rather have many menu choices for various actions than minimal.

I feel this is the number 1 machine for DVD recorders at the price and believe it could challenge some of the higher price ones since it has all the inputs and outputs you'd want.

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"BLOCKED" DEFECTIVE DVD Recorder shuts down soon after purchase. MAGNAVOX seems to have programed it to shut down and not open. Turns off for no reason while watching and other remotes would cause it to react. Lost hours of recordings because of shut downs. Ruined many discs and now it won't open at all. Readout says "BLOCKED" and calling for help does nothing! Not even able to unscrew to open manually. AVOID MAGNAVOX. Read other reviews to see that the DVD-Recorder shuts down within days of warranty expiration. I got the idea that they expect this to happen when I called the help line and was told "the warranties should all be expired. We get a lot of calls about the MRV640 & MRV660 models saying BLOCKED" No help, and this over priced product can't be fixed.

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This was my expensive upgrade from the cheap DVD recorders I had been buying. Although it worked a few times, it worked poorly (slowly) every time. Then it stopped working altogether with it saying "BLOCKED" on the screen.

I got it open and got my blank DVD out. Wish I could diagnose or replace the

drive with another. Instead I will have to wait and purchase another one.

Does any manufacturer make a decent DVD recorder ?

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We bought this machine new. We used it less than 30 times. When I try to insert a DVD a message comes up stating "blocked". Buy another machine, this one is junk.

Sony HDR-XR100 80 GB HDD High Definition Camcorder (Silver)

I have been using a previous generation Sony HDR-SR7 high def 60GB hard drive camcorder and been overall happy with that model.

I then waited patiently for Sony's new "XR" series of camcorders and am very pleased with the Sony HDR-XR100. This newer camcorder is the lowest end model of the four new XR series models, which include the HDR-XR100, XR200, XR500, and XR520.

SONY HDR-XR100 PROS:

1. Feels significantly smaller than the previous generation Sony SR models. The dimensions are 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 x 5 1/8 inch (69 x 68 x 129mm). The numbers may seem only slightly smaller than the previous generation SR models, but in the hand it feels noticably smaller.

2. This camera without battery weighs 11oz (330g) or with battery 14.5oz (410g). The numbers again may seem like only a small difference with the older SR series, but in the hand it feels significantly lighter.

3. Extraordinary convenience of having an 80GB hard drive versus using tape. Just as with the SR series, the use of a hard drive continues to be amazing. I cannot imagine ever going back to using tape. One simply uses the camcorder and everything is instantly saved on its hard drive. Whenever one is ready to export their video files, you just connect it with a USB cable and the computer will automatically download your video files. 80GB allows for 9 hours and 40 minutes of recording at the highest "FH" mode. At the lowest quality mode LP, 80GB will allow for 33 hours and 30 minutes of recording time.

4. Wonderfully easy to use LCD touch screen with intuitive menu options. Even without reading the manual, one can quickly understand how to use their camcorder.

5. Nice indexing of your recorded videos that allow for easy selection of playback through the camcorder LCD. Faces can also be indexed so that you may select your videos by a person's face in an index.

6. Very detailed image quality of the video

7. Allows for capturing still photos at 4.0 megapixels. There also appears to be a "smile shutter" feature that allows the camera to detect when your subject smiles, and then capture a photo. I have not tried that feature yet.

8. Supports same rechargeable lithium batteries used in previous generation Sony SR series, e.g. model no. NP-FH60 or NP-FH70.

9. Can also record on Memory Stick PRO Duo instead of hard drive

WHAT IS NOT AVAILABLE ON THE XR100 (BUT AVAILABLE ON XR200):

1. GPS

2. Flash for photography

3. Larger 120GB hard drive

4. Active interface shoe to power accessories that can mount on top of camera

5. 15x optical zoom (the XR100 has less at 10x optical zoom)

SONY HDR-XR100 CONS:

1. The video has a jittery quality to it when the camcorder is not on a tripod. The more drastically you move the camcorder during recording, the greater the effect. It seems less pronounced when on a tripod, but this jittery quality still remains. It is for this reason that I suspect the jittery quality is not entirely related to the image stabilization feature.

2. There is no optical viewfinder on the XR-100. I do have one on my older SR7.

3. There is no docking station, which I did have on my older SR7. A docking station made it even more convenient to upload videos than having to fiddle with a USB cable.

4. Noisy low-light video quality is still present. I cannot detect any improvement over my older SR7 for low-light video as it remains quite noisy. Please note that the higher end Sony HDR-XR500 and XR520 have some type of special "backlit CMOS" sensor that Sony reports has improved low-light with low noise capability.

5. As is usual for Sony, you will have to use Sony's proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo format if you want to record onto flash memory instead of the hard drive.

6. My previous generation Sony HDR-SR7 had the lens cover open automatically, but in my XR100, I have to manually flip a small lever near the lens to open it.

CONCLUSION:

Overall I'm very happy with the Sony HDR-XR100 because it is significantly smaller and lighter than the previous generation HDR-SR7 I own, with all of the great convenience that comes from using a built-in hard drive coupled with a wonderfully easy touchscreen LCD. I did not think there were enough differences for me to purchase the more expensive XR200, but you may want to consider the even more expensive XR500 for its possibly improved low-light video capability with the "backlit CMOS" sensor technology that only the Sony HDR-XR500 and XR520 have.

ADDENDUM 5/24/2010:

I recently bought a Canon HF-S100 camcorder, which is considerably more expensive than this Sony, but I nevertheless needed to amend my review of the Sony XR100. I initially thought the Canon HF-S100 had less of a jittery quality, but after more use realized that both the Sony HDR-XR100 and the more expensive Canon HF-S100 suffer from a jittery quality. I have not yet tried to reduce the picture quality of the recording to see if that will smooth the abrupt transitions between frames. I reduced the rating from a 5/5 for the Sony to a 4/5, but am not certain if there are any prosumer high-definition cameras that can produce a smooth, jittery-free image.

When I purchased an HD camcorder I expected an HD quality picture. Not the case with this camcorder in normal evening indoor lighting the video is extremely noisy, it was so bad that I burned a disc and took it to the Sony Style store to compare -I must have received a defective unit? Nope, it seems to be a common problem with this model....the rep in the Sony Style store even admitted that the video quality was really bad. The white balance was also a bit off. The other problem is that the picture is jittery even with the "Steady Shot" turned on and trying to hold the camera as steady as possible. It performed OK in brighter lighting but you shouldn't have to use an old fashioned video floodlight to get a decent indoor image!!!

Back it went for a refund. .If you're interested in purchasing this model check it out in a store first and take it into the lower light home theater room and shoot a sample video before you buy!

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The high definition video quality in daylight is excellent. That being said, this camcorder has some serious drawbacks:

1. The PMB (Picture Motion Browser) software does not work on Windows Vista 64-Bit

2. The image stabilization is terrible (it will literally give you motion sickness watching video if you walk with this camera).

3. The low-light video quality is very poor.

4. There is no view finder.

Read Best Reviews of Sony HDR-XR100 80 GB HDD High Definition Camcorder (Silver) Here

If you are looking for a camera that shoots great HD outside, then you have found the camera. The quality of shooting outdoors is very good. But when you go indoors and you do not have a lot of light coming in from the windows then the camera will start picking up noise. What I did is pick up a headband flash light and took the band around the camera to attach the light. Adding that extra light has help. You can change some gain and aperture settings. But it isn't enough like pro camera can do. I do love the small size of the camera.

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This is certainly a good buy for the price and the quality. Since every item is not perfect, even this has few drawbacks. Its doing ok in low light as compared to others, but in day light quality is the best. Creating a HD DVD is easy but to convert to a regualar DVD is realy pain. It takes for ever almost 4 hours for writing a regular DVD. The quality of conversion is bad. The other one When viewed connecting directly to TV, you get the best results. Regarding zoom, its just 10X optical which limits the coverage range. Well I bought this to for personnel home recording, so I scarificed range to quality.

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iriver T7 Volcano 2 GB USB MP3 Player (Sky Blue)

• Supports most popular audio formats including: MP3, WMA, ASF, and OGG Q10-lossless file format
• Compact USB 2.0 Flash Memory 2GB MP3 Player for ease of use and portability with up to 11-Hours continuous playback time
• Convenient built-in voice recorder for recording personal memos and important messages
• Crisp and soothing blue letters OLED display screen for easy navigation and simple control
• Listen and record your favorite radio stations with built-in radio and radio recorder

The T7 Volcano is not a bad little pen drive like mp3 player it plays ogg mp3 and i think even flac has firmware upgradability but not very recently updated last time i checked their website

If you are a geek this is a great device lots of features but kind of hard to learn all the buttons.

Very nice and bright screen a shame that it doesn't do more but still excellent oled tech and even controls for display time/brightness.

FM Radio excellent as well as Recording Radio not very intuitive interface for either but both work well.

Browser feature is very nice for looking for files on the device and very fast.

Sound is excellent as all iriver products.

Very smooth design is super sleek but not super user friendly buttons sometimes require extra dexterity to use.

Great Battery life approximately 4 hours loud music or 12 hours radio/talk mp3 podcasts.

I feel for the price this product delivers.

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Even with the wrlitten directions and a cd, this player can't compare to the simplicity of a Sandisk player.

Franklin Electronics DRP-5100 AnyBook Reader with 200 Hours of Reading Time and AnyBook Case (DRP-5

This is a good concept, yet the instructions and help that accompany the product and you find online are not complete. It is pretty straightforward in telling you how to record on the device, but they fail to tell you that you cannot move the recording from the device to the computer/bookcase unless the device is connected by the USB cable to the computer. You have to have access to the computer to be able to "share" the book you recorded with others.

Recording a book on the device takes about 8 to 10 steps: Get the book, get the magnetic stickers, put the stickers in order on the pages, turn on the device, go into the record mode, touch the magnetic sticker, press the record button, wait until it beeps 4 times, record directly into the microphone about 3 inches from your mouth, read the page/add your comments/sing a song, release the record button. Then you touch the next magnetic sticker on the next page, press the record button, wait for 4 beeps, record your reading the page/etc., and then release the button.

However, if you want to record the book into the computer for sharing and retrieval later, there are several preparatory steps you have to take. You must connect the USB cable to your computer, connect your device to the cable, (first time... install the Anybook Case software), register you device, register a login to the Anybook Case Server (to share, have an offsite retrieval place, etc.), select a "New Book", do all the info about it, decide if you want automatic numbering of the labels or put in the range you place (the labels have numbers on them),.... then you do the recording steps. This means that you have to do this sitting at your computer... if you want to archive them as "books" and share/access them at a later time.

I bought this so that I could buy my grandchildren who live overseas books here, record my reading them, ship the books and one device to them, have the parents install the Anybook Case software, login to my account, and download new books that I recorded and sent them. Then at a later date, record with my device, save them to my server account, ship the stickered books that I recorded, and let them download the recordings to their device overseas and let my grandkids hear me read the books/making funny comments/ making conversation.

Sounded like a good idea until I tried putting into practice this idea. Perhaps when I get into the "groove" and do it a few times it will be easier. The thoughts of recording in my recliner and then downloading the books have vanished however.

To tell the truth, I am a network/computer advanced person and there is nothing "intuitive" about this reader and setup. I called Franklin's help line and the guy that is familiar with this product was not in that day. I'll have to wait over the weekend to get a callback from Mr. Applebee. I am guessing that this is so new that very few have experience with.it.

The quality of the recording as heard from the tiny speaker is typical of tiny speaker quality.... not very good. But your voice is recognizable and understandable if you record loud and close enough.

Let me hand this to my 2 year old and see how easy it is for him to learn it... wait a minute.Okay, after a few times to show him how to touch the stickers and not touch all the pictures, he did pretty good. Turned the pages and touched the stickers. Liked the prerecorded thunder and chickens.

It is not the same as being there, but they get to hear their PawPaw reading and commenting!! I could sing a song if I wanted to... Ha!

I take one star away because the directions and software either are not up to date or malfunctioning.

I will probably still try what I intended with my overseas grandkids.

Our purchase of this reading pen was for several reasons. The first is for our family who speaks German to record stories for our children in order that they might be exposed to our heritage even when family is far away. The second is for our use with learning Mandarin Chinese, our older son & I are in Mandarin classes with dvd's for home practice, transferring the phrases from the dvd to stickers in the work book makes the language more concrete for both of us. The third is for family to record story books for the kids after they return home.

We tried out recording with the computer first. This method involved the Anybook Case software and Windows XP's recorder. I recorded each page & saved them in a folder. Then I opened up the software and brought in the recordings & added the sticker numbers manually. This was my favorite way to get the recordings to the pen.

Next we tried recording on the pen before bringing it into AnybookCase to back it up. Books cannot be transferred into the AnybookCase or the Reader without deleting the instance of the book which you want replaced. Before I could put our copy of the book from the Reader into the AnybookCase I had to delete its backup in the AnybookCase. We could bring in the individual stickers without deleting the backup, but I am not sure all of the recordings transferred this way worked as we have one sticker I thought I had transferred the recording of which is now blank. The command stickers make this method palatable but it was still tedious. I also prefer to have easily identified wav files hanging out in sorted folders on my computer and did not figure out how to get them out of the AnybookCase.

For the family far away, I think it will be best if they send me audio files & books and I setup the stickers in the books. This way they only have to deal with one software, their email and the post office.

The AnybookCase software is great in that you can back up your books now, it does work, but like any bookcase it takes a bit of organizing to get it ordered the way you want; no Dewey decimal system here. We chose to keep our sticker numbers in order with our pages but you could easily swap them around and forget which pages you recorded. I will have to tinker a bit and see if AnybookCase lets you label the pages with a name.

Overall a great product and we look forward to using it with all of our language books and a few in English. One last thought is that for books with less words per page we are using one sticker and saying turn the page now, rather than putting stickers on every page. Happy reading for multilingual family & friends near and far.

Buy Franklin Electronics DRP-5100 AnyBook Reader with 200 Hours of Reading Time and AnyBook Case (DRP-5 Now

With this model of the Any Book Reader, Franklin Electronics has heard what its customers wanted, and they have delivered.

This product can be used for more than reading books. Since I don't have any children, I have decided to use this as a voice labeler for CD's. I have some Shakespeare plays, and most have a good deal of supporting material. With the help of competent voice talents, I used the Any Book Reader to gain access to this material, so I could use it whether I was listening to one of the recordings or viewing a play live.

This shows that you can use this unit even if you don't have kids. If you need to make notes to yourself, take down a phone number, or just fool around, this unit really helps you do that.

One thing I like about this model is the command stickers that allow you to record long narrations without you having to hold down the recording button. Franklin must have heard enough customers say their thumb hurt from recording all those books. When I was working with my voice talents, those labels really came in handy.

I also like the headset connector; it makes this product great on the road.

This model also has much better sound than the earlier models in the series. I evaluated the DRP3000, which records 15 hours, and the sound was not all that great. With this model, I felt the sound was quite good. I had no trouble hearing the narrations delivered by my voice talents.

Another thing I like about this technology is that it really celebrates the human voice. Franklin acknowledges that in their description of this product, and I believe it. Face it, I like technology, but I think that in this age of high tech, we should not forget high touch. This pen brings that out.

Finally, I am pleased that you can back up the recordings to your PC. If your unit goes bad, you can still get the recordings back.

Bottom Line: Franklin is to be commended for releasing this model of the Any Book Reader.

Read Best Reviews of Franklin Electronics DRP-5100 AnyBook Reader with 200 Hours of Reading Time and AnyBook Case (DRP-5 Here

New Arrival! Zmodo 16 Channel All D1 High Profile HDMI SDVR(Super Digital Vidoe Recorder) Security

You normally get what you pay for in CCTV. In this case you get more than what you pay for. The cameras are ok, the DVR takes a while to boot but shows the same quality picture on playback as when live. Great value for the quality.

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Panasonic DMP-BD655 networked Blu-Ray Disc Player

• Full HD 1080/60pHigh Precision 4:4:4
• DVD upscaling to 1080pSignal System NTSC
• Digital Noise ReductionDolby TrueHD Decode and Bitstream output
• Diagonal Processing
• Precise Pixel Generation

Just got this today at CostCo (special for 119.00). My 18y/o daughter had this up and running in 30 minutes. We're watching a NetFlix movie as I write this. I'm not a techie so can't go into detail like some reviews... But it's great to have a nice Blue Ray DVD player that we can get streaming video from online. We own a 50" Panasonic plasma TV with a Panasonic home theater. Everything works together perfectly.

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I recently got this blu ray player to replace a dvd player and was happy with the outcome. This is a fantastic blu ray player it's sleek and slim and produces great quality from both dvds and blu rays. Now why this is rated so low is because people didn't do their research. Yes this is netflix ready and a networking player but it requires a $70 dollar add on in order to do it. If you have the cash it's fantastic and a great home theater addition. I highly recommend this product don't let the low star rating discourage you the reason it's low is because of the add on not coming with the player.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DMP-BD655 networked Blu-Ray Disc Player Here

I was somewhat hesitant to buy this player due to some negative reviews but found it at a great price and have not regretted it. What I love best about this player is how it works with my TV. I wanted to buy a Panasonic Blu-ray player because we have a Panasonic 42" 720p television and the Viera Link works great. What is so awesome for us is that the TV remote operates the main functions you need and works through the television set so we don't need to have the cabinet open in order to see the player which is awesome since our 1 1/2 year old son loves to mess with it. Blu-rays and DVDs look spectacular and I did not buy it for internet applications although it is convenient that firmware can be downloaded directly to the player and we will get Netflix eventually. Bottom line, great blu-ray player!

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(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)If you want an inexpensive Blu-ray DVD player that plays just about any format, this is for you. It is also Wireless System Ready, which means that with the proper router and setup you can stream Netflix. The quality of sound and vision is just as good as any other Blu-ray player I have owned (Samsung and Sony), but I would warn that the DVD takes much longer to load than the other players I have used. This can be a bit frustrating, as you are not really sure if it is loading or is stalled (it is loading). As the adage goes, you get what you pay for, but for the price, you really can't complain too much. It's not high performance technology, but it gets the job done and its inexpensive. Personally I would go for the Samsung BD-D5700 Blu-ray Disc Player with Built-in WiFi (BD-D5700/ZA).

I purchased this unit to give maximum video source flexibility for a minimal price. I primarily use Netflix streaming, so I considered an Apple TV for $99. However, I occasional play DVD or BlueRay discs, so having that capability is helpful. This device gives me both for the same price as the Apple TV. Plus it has numerous other streaming services, like Vudu, YouTube, etc.

Device operates well. One reason I bought the Panasonic unit was because I also bought a Panasonic TV. That enables some nice integration through their "Viera Link" functionality. It allows you to control both TV and disc player through either remote, causes devices to switch on and off or change input source in response to each other, and other convenience features--as long as you connect the devices with an HDMI cable. I find it convenient and intuitive.

The unit boots fairly quickly and the streaming functionality (NetFlix, at least) works quite well (in fact it looks identical to the implementation of NetFlix on my older LG player).

SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Silver)

• Listen, watch, and play all day with 24 hours of battery life and room for up to 2,000 songs
• Watch your favorite video clips or share your photos on the 1.9-inch color screen
• Digital FM radio with 40 preset stations
• Voice recording with built-in microphone
• Expand your existing 8 GB memory with the microSD/microSDHC slot

What I really like about it is the size, capacity, and most of all price.

The codec support is about average, not great but it satisfies my needs as 99% of my music is encoded in mp3 format.

One of my dislikes is common among all sandisk mp3 players(and most other players) is that the charging/syncing port is proprietary. Not a big issue, mini-usb would have been nice though.

Video playback was smooth(used a mp4 350MB recorded tv show) no sync problems between the audio/video and no stuttering. Too small to really be considered for video playback though.

Picture viewing is about the same as video and by that I mean it works great and the pictures look ok but the screen is so small it is not practical to show off pics with it.

Voice recording works well, don't have to hold it directly to my face to clearly record sounds...although I'm not sure what this can be used for but it is there and works well.

The radio works great, easy station browsing, easy to add stations to presets, and reception is very clear.

The sound is very accurately produced at all ranges. The included headphones fit well and sound good. The volume goes up much higher than I could ever think I would need it. For those of you who are runners, I use the earphones that come with it and they direct the sound very well into my ears so I do not have to make it too loud and can still hear some of the environmental sounds: wind noise is hardly noticeable.

The screen is easy to see in all light conditions, bright, and easy to read.

The build quality feels great. It has generous weight to it, light enough to take running and not really notice it but heavy enough to give it a solid feel. The front of the device is a bit shiny and does tend to attract fingerprints easily but not scratches so far.

Expansion port works great, currently using a 4GB microsdhc to shuttle podcasts/audiobooks between it my pc.

Navigation is a breeze and the menus are very intuitive, the scroll wheel/buttons are easy to find and press even with the player not in sight.

Syncing I very easy to do without the need for bloated software. You can add media to it via a file explorer(drag & drop) or one of several media players like WMP, winamp, and a variety of others. The datbase is auto-updating and works flawlessly. I have seen a few reviews that say the database refresh takes a while. With a completely full internal memory and half full 4gb card my refreshes only take 15-30 seconds.

A few final notes. The boot-up is about 3-5 seconds from off to playing music after pressing the power button. It will resume the music exactly where you left it when turning it off. Actual usable memory is about 7.8 GB. 4 1/2 out of 5 stars, best on the market right now but not perfect of course.

UPDATE: 2 new "cons" I have come across. Technically the device is performing as intended but I am hoping for a firmware update to "resolve" these.

1. When scrolling, the speed of scrolling does not increase. Basically takes forever if the song you want is in the second half of the alphabet. This will probably be changed in the next firmware update though.

2. The podcasts are sorted by most recent first. This kind of makes since so you dont have to scroll to the bottom to listen to the newest one but it also causes a problem if you are trying to listen to a series in order and it starts playing through them backwards. :( Probably no "fix" for this issue although being able to choose how it is sorted would be great.

Buy SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Silver) Now

The price, capacity and design of the Fuze 8GB are great, however I have had some issues with my Fuze since picking it up a couple months ago:

1) The screen is easily scratched: I have been carrying it in the front pocket of my jeans with nothing else, and the display screen has lots of little scratches on it (they showed up the first day even). Not at all scratch resistant, if you get one make sure you get a shield for the screen. Strangely enough the finish on the rest of the front of the Fuze is much more scratch resistant (though not completely so either).

2) Proprietary connector: The Fuze uses a proprietary connector to connect to your computer's USB port rather than a standard USB Mini-B plug. This means if you lose it you can't just use a standard cable, you'll have to buy a new proprietary cable you can't use anywhere else. Additionally if you want to use a wall adapter to charge your device you'll need to purchase another cable.

3) It takes too long to refresh: Each time you unplug it from your computer or plug in a MicroSD card, the Fuze goes through a process of "Refreshing your media", presumably scanning the internal and/or external memory for music. This takes about five minutes on mine, with a nearly full (7GB) internal memory and no external memory. Even if no changes are made to your music (i.e. you were just plugging it in to charge the battery), it will go through this process each time you unplug the device from your computer.

4) Playback issues: This may be an issue with my particular Fuze, but on occassion it will refuse to play particular tracks. After cycling the power it will then usually play the tracks fine.

5) Playlist problems: I have been unable to utilize playlists with much success. The Fuze recognizes standard M3U playlists, however accessing and scrolling through them on the Fuze is painfully slow (I just looked into one of my playlist, it took 15 seconds for the list to show up, and maybe 2/3 second to scroll down to each song off the bottom of the screen). Additionally, the tracks in the playlist show up with the artist's name in front, so for long artist names you can't see the song name at all, unless you wait for the name to (slowly) scroll to the right revaling the rest of the information.

6) Scrolling issues: In general, scrolling is pretty rapid (unless you're looking at a playlist). Unlike the iPod however, the speed is fixed; continuously scrolling through your music will not 'accelerate' the scroll speed after several seconds. I scrolled through my artists from A-Z, it took 39 complete rotations of the scroll wheel to reach the bottom, and again to go back, taking maybe 20 seconds. With a full 16 GB of music, or fewer songs each from more artists, this could easily double.

With the exception of the easily scratched screen and proprietary connector, I would think these issues could be resolved via a firmware update. Hopefully as the Fuze becomes more mature these issues will go away, as they mar an otherwise great device.

Read Best Reviews of SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Silver) Here

I use Rhapsody subscription music; my Sansa e260R is frustrating too heavy, confusing controls, sluggish UI, no support for audiobooks or podcasts so I use it less often than I thought I would. I use my iPod Nano heavily, but iTunes doesn't support music subscriptions, so I've been looking for a decent replacement for the Sansa. I bought a Sansa Fuze (4Gb) for my wife last month, and liked what I saw, so I took the plunge with the silver 8Gb model.

I've been pleased with the Sansa Fuze so far. It retains the e260R's strengths FM play/record, voice record, subscription music support, expandability via microSD/SDHC while improving or completely fixing my issues with the older device.

Here are my personal pros and cons of the device. (I don't mention battery life, proprietary connectors, etc., because they aren't issues to me. Battery life is fine, and I'm glad the connector is the same as the E260.)

PROS:

* The software is much more responsive than the E200. Most actions are immediate.

* The physical controls are vastly simplified and more iPod-like. The front controls have been trimmed to an iPod-like click and scroll wheel, and a separate Home button. The power control has moved to the side of the device, merged with the Hold control a good improvement.

* Support for subscription music, Rhapsody Channels, Audible (format 4), Protected WMA, WMA, MP3 and WAV files, and new support (with the October 2008 update) for OGG Vorbis and lossless FLAC.

* the October firmware update has some other bug fixes and eye candy (startup/shutdown animations) that are less useful than an indication that Sansa is very committed to this device. (The View has some expanded functionality including a larger video screen, but the Fuze seems to be their flagship.)

* The form factor of the Fuze echoes, and improves on, the iPod Nano 3G. Taller, thinner, deeper, softer curves, more (but not too much) heft. It can be one-hand controlled like the Nano, but feels better in the hand than the 3G.

* Retains the E200 series extras like FM play (20 presets), FM record, and voice record/playback that the iPod Nano lacks. (note: 4G Nano does support voice record, but it requires an optional headphone cable.)

* Support for micro SD (up to 2Gb) and micro SDHC (up to 8Gb, for now) expansion cards. (note: the expansion cards seriously drain battery life. given the choice between a 4Gb Fuze with a 4Gb expansion, and an 8Gb Fuze, get the latter.)

* The headphone jack has been moved to the bottom-right of the device, as on the Nano. I prefer this location to the top-right jack location on the E200.

* a unique addition is the ability to delete files (songs, podcasts, etc.) directly from the device. I REALLY like this feature. (you can also format the Fuze without a computer. Given the number of times I had to reformat the E200, I can see why they added that.)

* the Fuze appears to be popular enough to have a good selection of accessories, such as protective cases, armbands, etc. Why should the iPod get all the attention?

CONS:

* software limit of around 4000 songs. That may be fixed in firmware update eventually.

* integration of device content and expansion card content is not seamless. Results can be unpredictable, especially with Audible content.

* Bookmarked podcast/audiobook fails to resume after playing other music content.

* No support for (un)protected AAC files; people who used iTunes defaults for ripping/converting music will have to reconvert back to MP3 or WMA. Also, some podcasts and iTunes-friendly audiobooks are in AAC format, and cannot be played on the Fuze.

* Unlike the iPod and the Sansa E200 series, there is no "scan through song" option. This is especially aggravating for audiobooks, podcasts, and lengthy FM/voice recordings, but I even use it on songs on the iPod.

* also a step back from the E200 series, no dedicated side "record" button. And the microphone has been moved from the top to the left side, by the SD slot. my voice recordings aren't as sharp as on the E200.

* The Fuze apparently doesn't have a user-replaceable battery. This may matter more to others than to me. I've never been away from a recharge for so long that I've run out of juice.

* The screen is easily scratched. Get a screen protector or case ASAP. (the rest of the device has been less susceptible to scratching)

* the scroll wheel is a moving part, which has caused some users problems. So far, my wife's Fuze has held up fine.

* the physical wheel sticks out a little, and even minor jostling in a pocket can trigger a command. The Hold button is more needed than it was on the E200. A clear case that recesses the wheel should help.

* Audible content must be managed through Audible Manager, rather than the integrated method offered by iTunes. And with the new firmware, support for older formats (2 and 3) are being dropped, so you'll need to redownload your books in the highest quality (and largest) format. I prefer format 4, so this isn't a problem for me, but it took me a while to update my collection of 200 titles.

* The bright silver device in the picture isn't what I got. It's more of a gray titanium color. I actually prefer the color, but if you like the bright shiny silver device in the picture, be warned.

* podcasts are separated by show, but each episode within a show is treated like a song (next track begins automatically) rather than an episode (returns to menu after episode completes). The iPod Nano 3G has been inconsistent in this respect, so perhaps there's a setting that could address this on the Fuze.

* audiobooks and podcasts can be set to play at normal speed, or faster or slower. This is good, but unlike the iPod which skips past "white space" and plays voices at normal pitch, the fast/slow modes alter the voice to a distracting degree (Chipmunk mode, or Concussion Mode)

* screen size is the same as the Nano 3G/4G, but the resolution is lower. This is noticeable on videos.

* most of the videos I've tried have had to be converted. For episode-length content, this is a pain. I'd love direct support for XVID, DIVX, AVI, WMV, H.264, MP4. Granted, I won't watch a lot of video on the thing (I have watched enough video on the Nano 3G to far prefer the iPod Touch) but since it's there, it should be simpler.

Despite my laundry list of Cons, I really like this device. It's not going to replace my iPod Nano, but it's a solid complement. I'm using it more often than the E260R, so in that sense alone it's worth the upgrade to me. I confess that if Apple ever offers subscription music on iTunes/iPod, I'll likely move to 100% iPod, but until/unless that happens, the Sansa is a valuable companion.

I don't think anyone except Microsoft is likely to compete with Apple on the video side of things, where Sansa doesn't seem interested in competing; they're a device company, whereas Apple and Microsoft have their own content stores. If Sansa were getting a cut of video sales, they might give more thought to their players' video capabilities. For now, the Sansa focus is on music, and they do that very well.

Want SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Silver) Discount?

Hands down, this is the best digital media player I have purchased. After three failed attempts at buying an updated media player (Insignia Pilot 8GB terrible sound quality, Creative ZEN 8GB terrible interface software with the computer) I finally found the Sansa Fuze.

This player had everything I was looking for: low price point, large memory capacity (8GB), an exandable memory port (microSDHC), FM radio capability, and small size.

The unit itself looks and feels of quality construction, the interface with the computer is simple (just drag & drop to either internal or external memory) and it has amazing battery life. I've had no problems charging the unit on my laptop or via a USB A/C adapter. The manual clearly states that some USB ports are not powerful enough to charge the unit, particularly those on the front of the computer, and in that case to try the back USB ports.

As for video quality, I can't speak to it. The Fuze has only a 1.9" screen, so if you bought it to watch videos you must have microscopes for eyes.

Overall, the Sansa Fuze is the best bang for the buck in terms of sound quality, construction, ease of use, and functionality. If you're looking for an excellent digital media player, you've found it!

I have had my share of ipods and other MP3 players, but since making the switch to Ubuntu its been difficult to find a real OS independent MP3 player. I thought this was it.

It works, and the battery life is unbelievable. The major downfall is the flimsy ipod type dial for selecting and navigating your music! I work out with this everyday and over a month the dial became non-responsive and very difficult to change volume. Its more like a raised button that is suspended on a knob, which is delicate. If you are using this in an environment where it will not have contact with much around it, this will be a great purchase. If you plan on bringing it to the gym and putting it in your pocket all day, be warned. A bit of dirt or bumps on that dial and your done.

Linux support = great

Battery life = great

Proprietary USB connection = crappy

Sound = great

Design of the knob for navigation = horrible.

My conclusion = Go to the store and see this in your hand before purchasing. If you are OK with the knob, then I would recommend it.