MAGNAVOX DV220MW9 DVD Player VCR Combo

It's a shame that a company like Magnavox, which used to put out some fine quality products, would put their nameplate on garbage like this. Bought for my 80 year old mother-in-law we found that the DVD plays and sounds fine, but the VCR is pretty much horrible. Terribly poor quality. It records only in MONO!...is ANYTHING mono anymore? And it doesn't play well with other machines. She has to blast the TV volume on any tape from another machine. That means when you turn off the player, the TV (now playing regular cable TV) is blasting. Mom-in-law jumps a foot. Many features which used to be present on VCR's are not here. No TV/VCR button to check on regular TV while watching a tape and nothing to tell you how much tape is left. No front line-in jacks for the grandchildren coming over with video games and now forced to pull out the TV to plug in their toys. And setting the timer is bewilderingly tedious...plus, mom-in-law is going crazy listening to the cacophony of noise coming from the VCR motor. Literally...whirls, squeaks and chatters...heard by her though she's going deaf. This is a 6 month old machine no less! All in all, a waste of bucks.

I understand that VCR is an archaic technology but there are a lot of older folks out there who will continue to use them...so if Magnavox doesn't mind taking their money, at least give them their moneys worth!

Just like the first reviewer said, these players are junk. Strangely, the DVD portion has excellent picture and sound, but the VCR portion audio is analog. It's taken off the linear audio track running along the edge of the tape, which is old school. So, the sound is weak and fidelity is very poor. You would think people buy a combo unit so they could still play their VHS movies. Evidently Magnavox figured people buy a combo unit because they look neat or something. The VHS portion of these players is nearly useless. Don't buy one if you plan on playing your VHS movies. Especially if they're movies with special effects or lots of music. There's no bass whatsoever, and very weak everything else. I'd rate it zero stars if I could, so that one star is way more than it deserves. I'm going to avoid any and all Magnavox products. They've shown their true colors with this unit.

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I gave this a one star because there is no way to give a negative number of stars! We bought a total of 4 of these all the exact same. Less than 6 months later EVERY one of them has bit the dust. The first one the VCR went out followed by the DVD and all the others the DVDs went out. 5 months later, 4 machines and we have 1 left that the VCR works on (and not well!). 1 year warranty is a joke. The 800 number is a recording that will tell you that for that product number you have to visit the website. The website has the model number listed and when you click on it says that information is no longer available. I have kept boxes, receipts, and owners manuals and the only thing that it seems like they are going to be good for is the recycle bin! Sad that what used to be reliable brand names have fallen by the way side!

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My parents bought this. When my father had trouble setting it up he asked me to try. Neither of us could find an input connection for the VCR. I finally found a notation in the manual about connecting a camcorder or other device to the recorder, but nothing about TV.

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I just got my Magnavox combo but I've already watched a couple of tapes and one DVD with none of the problems I'm reading here. Sound quality and volume on the tape is essentially the same as with the TV and the VCR motor is noiseless. I didn't have to adjust the volume when I switched from one mode to the other and the small speakers on my TV aren't exactly great for good bass no matter what. All I wanted was a machine to play my discs and tapes and this one fits the bill quite nicely so far.

It was really simple to hook it up and get it operating, the remote is easy to understand and read, and it looks tidy and compact. The operations buttons on the front of the unit are easy to see and read, too, unlike so many that have black buttons on a black background with charcoal gray labels to tell what they do. For right at 40 dollars including an optional one year money back warranty and free shipping, it was a super bargain. Maybe the outfit I ordered it from rejects any that are poorly refurbished. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that I haven't had it very long so I don't want to be overly enthusiastic yet.

(50) AG2 397 396 LR726 SR726 SR726SW G2 BATTERY

Ones I have used so far work fine.

Don't know if I ever will use 'em all but for the price I'm already ahead of the curve.

They seem to be quality batteries.

This was my first order from this vendor. I ordered it because of the cheap and reasonable pricing. It did not take long to arrive. I will definitely order watch batteries from this vendor again in the future.

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AVERMEDIA AVERTV HD USB DVR TV Tuners and Video Capture C874 Sleek Black

I have bought a lot of stuff, mostly electronic goods, both good and bad. After a while the bad stuff makes me wonder if it is the products or my computer setup that seems to make this stuff quirky and unreliable. I built my own setup and am not averse to trying shareware and other types of programs. I had the Hauppauge HD PVR for about a year and a half. It produced a great captured video. Problem was that it was not very reliable. It would "hang up" frequently for no decipherable reason that I could find. The scheduling software was OK, I did not have the WINTV 7.0 as that came out later, but it didn't much matter because half the time I had a program scheduled it would have locked up at some point and would not capture anyhow. Finally it got to the point where I had reloaded, formatted, my computer for this and other reasons to get a fresh start and hopefully fix the problem. I would load this first before other drivers, after the video driver, and a few other sequences. I don't mind redoing my drives as it gives me a chance to get rid of the junk that has accumulated over time. The Hauppauge never performed reliably no matter when the driver was loaded. Finally the last time I attempted this I ended up using the wrong AC adapter to plug in the Hauppauge got a burning smell from the PVR. Oh well I never cared for the thing anyhow. I did still want to capture video to the computer and did appreciate the high quality the Hauppauge put out. I did some research and finally decided on the Aver USB HD PVR. I hesitate to say this as it's only been a couple of weeks but what a godsend. It's been performing now and the only time it has locked up was once when I was doing something else with another program and must have affected it somehow. Video capture is of the same quality as the Hauppauge and it actually has a video for me when I get back on the computer and look to see if it is captured; every time so far! I've never written a review for anything that I have bought but have been so impressed with the operational difference between these two products that I just felt compelled to do so. Running AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHz (Quad Core) 45nm, AM3 6MB Cache 8 MB Ram and an AMD Radeon 5700 series video card. Mostly do a lot of video editing. Running Win 7 SP1.

C874's capture quality is great, but the bundled capture app may needlessly burden low-end machines. There's a workaround which may help somewhat, so if interested, read on...

The whole point of the USB external device is to offload encode and decode (to TV) functions from the computer. As shipped, the software requires more CPU/GPU than the USB device really needs to perform its built-in hardware functions. So they just increase the computer hardware requirements to use the product. Clever.

The C874 should include a lightweight tray-dwelling capture app with full hardware settings and NO preview function or a selectable minimal one.

It would also be useful if the device could downscale any video input and do lower framerates and bitrates. The SDK info on their site indicates the C874 can do this and more. Strange that it is not standard with the product.

An HDMI-out player that has a responsive slider navigation feature and low CPU/GPU overhead would be a main selling point of the product. Preview on the computer isn't required if the PVR is doing the decoding, but maybe subsampled keyframes could be shown with timecode for navigation. The ability to put up a still image or colorbars on the HDMI-out when a clip isn't playing, and the ability to schedule playlists would make it very good for presentations or custom TV viewing.

Standard-issue should be a keyframe-cuts stream editor for basic trimming, excerpting, and joining of the native stream format. Even looking for a compatible editor online is a nightmare. Transcoding or re-muxing shouldn't be required. Perhaps the HDMI-out player could double as the editor with the addition of a few buttons and a save-as dialog. That would make edits a snap!

Capturing:

The ArcSoft capture module that is invoked manually or called by the scheduler appears to force the machine to decode preview video/audio, even when the preview is disabled during recording. There is no option to totally shut off preview at all times. It'll eat your netbook CPU alive.

There is a hardware acceleration toggle, but that doesn't support the Broadcom video decoder that some netbooks have or can be outfitted with, which has a high-priority h.264 decoder. I guess the hardware toggle is for GPU on high-end or newer machines.

On older Atom-based netbooks under XPsp3 or Win7sp1, a 720p or 1080i input results in nearly 100% cpu utilization at all times in CaptureModule. Even sitting there waiting to capture, the preview may lock up. Any recordings may truncate at less than a minute, even with preview supposedly off. 480i on the front input is more reliable, requiring less (but still significant) CPU.

There may be ways developers can provide preview video at lower overhead by sub-sampling keyframes or otherwise not completely decoding all frames, or even sub-streaming a tiny low framerate preview from the USB device. That's for the engineers to figure out.

So in the meantime, and counter-intuitively, we have to "back-burner" CaptureModule's access to the CPU for a netbook to get 720p captures to work (and only for manually initiated caps).

Copy below as 115 character single line to a text file, and rename it with a .cmd extension (cap-low.cmd)

start /low "" "C:\Program Files\ArcSoft\TotalMedia Extreme 2\TotalMedia Studio MV\CaptureModule.exe" /@RecordVideo@

Put the file somewhere out of the way and create a shortcut to it on the desktop. Then go into the shortcut's properties and set it to run minimized and change the icon to point at CaptureModule.exe at the path shown above. Rename the shortcut something simple like CapHD.

Now you've got a much better behaving CaptureModule that may actually record clean 720p if nothing else is running. The command script sets the cpu priority to LOW, so CaptureModule's preview decoding doesn't eat-up all your cpu cycles, and the stream can be recorded to disk with what's left.

That leaves open the possibility of dramatically lower CPU overhead during recording by omitting preview entirely. [see addendum below!]

Unfortunately, there's no way YET to make AVerMedia Scheduler call CaptureModule with the /low switch, so no unattended HD captures on low-end machines unless CaptureModule is fixed or replaced someday.

1080i is still too demanding even with that workaround. 720p is preferable for most things anyway no field order issues with different decoders, for one. 720p with 8000K video, 128K audio set to level 24 seems to be fine for most TV. Cable boxes can be set for fixed format 720p, although most default to 1080i, or a pass-through mode that can switch formats on you.

So, yes, you CAN do 720p HD recording on a low-end netbook! (to some extent)

The hardware in the C874 is good, but they won't let us use it efficiently.

--------------

Addendum 11/25/12:

Sysinternals Process Explorer shows what's going on with CaptureModule.exe

Running CaptureModule with /low switch, minimized to taskbar, preview turned off during recording, CaptureModule still has _two_ HUGE threads of this running:

ASH264Vid.dll

-------------

H.264 video decoding core

ArcSoft Inc

Properties comment: "work with ASVID.ax to decode H264 bitstream"

ASVID.ax is ArcSoft Video Decoder.

So now that we know for sure what's happening, we can try stuff:

I started a capture with preview OFF, then manually suspended both threads of ASH264Vid.dll, and the capture CONTINUED right along, while CaptureModule's CPU use dropped to !!!!! 3% !!!!!! (have to resume both threads to stop capture)

Now we're getting somewhere!

Another less impressive result was simpler to try: Start a capture with preview ON, then toggle the preview checkbox OFF during the capture, and the CPU drops to around 25% and the decoder threads vanish. Not sure why the vastly different numbers vs the direct suspend method... ???

So if AverMedia and ArcSoft just release a CaptureModule that can turn off preview properly, during recording and full-time, the product would work with almost any PC. But really, they should support the Broadcom codec as well, to get full functionality.

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I've been looking for a product that will allow me to copy some of the recordings I have on my AT&T Uverse DVR to my computer without losing any picture quality and this does the trick. I have my Uverse box set to output 720P and I hooked this device up using the included component video cable. I installed the drivers and software and I was able to play one of the shows I had on my Uverse DVR and save it to my computer. Of course this is all done in real time, so it takes however long the show is. When I played it back on the TV (form the computer) it looked as good as the original from when I play it from the DVR.

Now I can free up space on my DVR without losing any shows that I want to keep.

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Amazing item, only difference between the hauppauge hd pvr and this that's the hauppauge has optical cable for audio, other than that the capture is exactly the same plus the avermedia has better look that fits any entertainment centre

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Although there are some issues with the guide and Dish Network, it's the best USB tuner I've used. The IR blaster is very handy for universal remote use, and it works well even on a weak system. The HTPC I have it connected to has an Intel D2500NH and 3GB of Ram, and it works flawlessly.

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Nikon Coolpix S5 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I recently purchased the Nikon Coolpix S5 to replace my ailing Sony Cybershot P-8. The P-8 was my 3rd Cybershot and I'd never had a Nikon before.

While browsing for new cameras, I'd settled on the Canon IXY 700 as a replacement. However, my friend motioned me over to look at the S5. I'd looked at some of the other Coolpix models and didn't like the menu setup. I figure the menu is something that is going to be used a lot, so I wasn't going to consider any cameras with hard-to-use menus. I'd disqualified a Kodak EasyShare model earlier for that very reason; wanted to buy American, but alas, the menu was horrible. First impressions make or break a sale. And my first impression upon seeing the S5's menu was that it was very easy to use. And it has been.

The camera takes fairly decent pictures. However, not much of a difference vs. my previous Sony P-8 (3.2mp). I was hoping for a bit of an improvement, but didn't really see anything that impressed me overall that was "different."

The root of my review, though, is the design flaw that I believe this camera has. I'd taken several pictures at a going-away party recently and noticed that it looked like there were water splotches on the lens as there were white stars in the pictures. I took the camera to a photo lab and they blew the lens off in the case of any dust being on it. No water marks were visible on the lens (and the white splotches/stars in the pictures were never in the same place twice). When that didn't fix the problem, a photographer friend suggested that there might be dust on the sensor; although that doesn't explain the spots being in different places in each picture. I should note that not every picture has these spots. The common element seems to be that they are all evening, low-light situations using the red-eye flash function.

I took the S5 back to the place of purchase and exchanged for an identical unit. However, the problem has not gone away. A fellow from work noticed that the majority of the spots appear on the right side of the photos. Rarely are any (or any significant number) on the left side. Also, we were speaking of distance to object regarding the different photos, but near (~3 ft.) and far (~15-20 ft.) both resulted in similar splotchy problems. At this point, I suggested that perhaps the flash was too close to the lens and the rapid multiple flashing of the red-eye flashes was causing the bursts/splotches. My co-worker also suggested the lens being small may have played a factor in that, too.

That's where I'm at now. I believe my theory about the flash being too close to the lens is pretty close to the mark. I've never had this problem with any of my previous Sony Cybershots (and their lens to flash proximity was greater than the Nikon S5's).

As a result, I believe I'm going to request a refund and go with my original choicethe Canon IXY 700.

I did have one more nitpick regarding the menuit takes a little menu jogging to turn off the photo info details on the viewer (something that was a one-button deal on the P-8). But other than that, the S5 has been very pleasant to use. I'm disappointed to have found this flaw as the Canon's a little heaver and little thicker than the S5.

So overall, it's a very nice camera. If the red-eye flash + low-light problem was fixed, I'd have no problems recommending this to anyone. As it is, I'd suggest finding a different model in the meantime as this is definitely a deal-breaker to have splotches/bursts/spots in one's photos. Simply not enough time in the day to digitally airbrush every single picture with these problems.

I've had the Nikon S5 for about three months now. I bought it because I'd been looking for a slim digital camera that had a decent resolution, good battery life and was easy to use and carry around. I also thought Nikon, being a camera and optics company would offer me a product superior to the many other digital cameras offered elsewhere. I'd be the first to admit that I'm not super-savvy when it comes to photography but I've had my fair share of cameras, both digital and film.

I would NOT recommend this camera.

1. The picture quality is substandard to say the least. My Sony DSC-P10 from 4 years ago with a 2.1 mega-pixel resolution takes better pictures. Pictures are very grainy.

2. This camera is loaded with features. However it's extremely difficult to coerce the camera to capture a decent picture. I took it on a ski trip, set the camera to the "Snow" mode and resulted in a bunch of underexposed pictures (at different times of day, with varying levels of sunlight)

3. The camera takes an excessively long time to auto-focus resulting in one missing even the simplest of opportunities.

4. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS LESS THAN ADEQUATE

My camera hung at some point during the second month. By hung I mean it wouldn't move beyond an error screen (in Nikon Customer Service rep's words... something he had never seen before). I had to mail it in to get it fixed. Nikon Service refused to pay shipping because that's their policy (even for a two month old camera that suddenly refuses to work). It took numerous phone calls to locate my camera and the status of service. They mail (snail-mail) you your service order number that is used to locate the status of your service request.

I received the camera back two weeks after I had sent it in to their NY facility. The error was gone but now each time the lens moves back and forth to focus (either auto or manual) there's a loud ticking sound. One that can be heard at an arm's length away, one that would put a grandfather clock to shame. Another call to Nikon Digital Tech Support center resulted in me being informed that since there were moving parts in the camera, noise is to be expected (even though the noise did not exist prior to sending it in for service). The clicking noise is so loud that the Nikon rep could hear it through the phone. He insisted that since he had the same camera with him and it too made the clicking sound that this was normal for a digital camera. I pointed out that this might be a design problem or a flaw with the camera which was something the rep was not willing to entertain. An argument and call transfer to a supervisor later, I was told that I would have to call Nikon Service directly and arrange for the camera to be shipped back to them (presumably, again at my cost).

Also, the many times I've tried to contact Nikon Service, their phone lines are incessantly busy. I was advised by Nikon Digital Technical Support that I could either keep trying for 20 to 30 minutes or if I could wait I could try back in a couple of hours.

Bad camera, EXTREMELY BAD customer service. I WOULD NOT recommend this camera.

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I've had the S5 about two weeks now and payed about $150 less than the S1 I bought a year and a half ago...that one went swimming with me by accident. So far, I've notice a few substantial improvemements. 1) faster time from button pushing to picture. So much so that I've been waiting for it to take the picture long after it already has and I'd missed it. 2) Considerable improvement in the movie mode (15fps before to 30fps now) and the playback no longer requires a microscope. 3) the definition has improved even more so than the 5.1mp to 6.0 megapixel bump would suggest. Lastly, the controls are far better positioned and thought out for ease of use.

OVERALL: When the D200 is too big, this S5 is pretty durn close to perfect

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Yes, I was seduced by the "Nikon" moniker. A very nice little camera with a fatal flaw. In flash mode (which it uses a lot, given the slow lens and slow ISO ratings), approximately 1/4 of all images are ruined by white blobs, white halos, white circles, white comets, or other white artifacts that cover portions of the image. They show up randomly, with little rhyme or reason. Appears to be some sort of camera design flaw that allows flash light to bounce around inside the lens system. The artifacts move around in location from photo to photo, and are not the sort of thing you can fix easily in a photo editing program, so it's a deadly flaw, particularly when they pock-mark your subject's face. I received mine new from Cameta via Amazon, and the problem was visible within the first few photos. A test of the camera over a few hours' shooting had me tossing out dozens of photos. I'm kicking myself that I believed the "professional reviewers" of the camera, who seem to have remained blissfully unaware of this basic and glaring flaw. I noticed, but wishfully ignored, other users posting to Amazon who warned of this problem--what a sap! Next time I'll put more weight on the Amazon reviewers' opinions. PS: Since writing this review, I've had a reader contact me to tell me, in all seriousness, that what are appearing in my photos are likely the souls of dead people and ghosts, who show up as white orbs, splotches, and artifacts! (Who ya gonna call? GHOST-BUS-TERS!) This has left me puzzling over why dead people only show up when the flash is turned on? And why can't my Canon Digital Rebel SLR see souls of the departed--do only Nikons have the ability to photograph ghosts? Well, who am I to say, I don't know much about the hereafter or the ultramundane--but if you want a camera for ghost hunting, the S5 is your huckleberry. You'll have more "ghosts" than you'll know what to do with!

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I just bought a Nikon S5 and it hasn't been out of my pocket since it arrived in the mail. This is my 3rd Nikon but first digital camera. I am struggling with the limitations of digital over film but I think this camera is great. It produces beautiful images and I find it easy to manipulate. The camera is small and the photographer has to be careful not to get fingers in the photo as it has limited space to keep hold of it while taking the picture. A person with big hands might not be comfortable with this camera. The LCD is huge which is fantastic, but the biggest drawback is that the LCD is difficult to see in bright sunlight. All of the features are easily accessible, and the menu is reasonably intuitive. Like most digital cameras there is a maddening delay between pressing the button to take the picture and the camera actually capturing the subject. After the 2-3 flashes for red eye reduction, many of the people in my photos have moved onto a different expression or react to the intensity of the flash. The body design and the metal case make it tough, I have smacked it around kayaking and rock climbing and it is holding up under the abuse. I gave it 4 stars because it's not perfect but it's a nice little camera.

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VuPoint Solutions Digital Video Converter - Black (DVC-ST100BZ-VP)

I recently purchased this item in order to convert a massive collection of old video tapes into digital files and to record analogue input from my PlayStation 2. All in all the device is very easy to set up. Just be sure you have a TV with composite A/V inputs to plug the device into. You will also need an SD or SDHC card (not included with the product) onto which to save your digital files, as well as a way for your computer to read said card.

Note that the cords which lead input and output to and from the converter have all male ends, so whatever your source and destination devices are you will need them to have female connectors. In my case, My PS2 outputs through a cable with male connectors. To make the connection between the PS2 and the converter, I ran the PS2 output through my VCR and then ran the VCR output into the converter. The converter output then plugs into the TV.

As another review has stated, this product converts analogue input into MPEG-4 encoded .asf video files (a Microsoft format which should be readable in Windows Media Player). The quality of these files is decent--certainly not spectacular--but far superior to some cheaper analogue to USB converters on the market. There was some noticeable artifacting and blurring in the image after converting, but it is the sound quality that I think suffers more. The sound compression removes much of the highs from the input and "muddies" up the sound. I did not, however, notice any noise in either the audio or video after conversion.

I was able to import and edit the .asf files on my PC (running Windows Vista 64 Ultimate) using Adobe Premiere Pro without any problem.

As a final note, the construction quality of the device is not the greatest. The plastic feels light and flimsy, and I wouldn't be surprised if the buttons on the top of the device eventually stopped working. All this aside, however, I am generally happy with the product for the price (I purchased it on clearance at a local store). Just don't expect exact duplication in the conversion.

If you want to convert VHS tapes to digital format, this will do it without requiring extreme technical know-how. It converts VHS tapes to digital format (Windows Media Audio/Video... ".asf"), and stores the digital files on a flash SD card (the same type of memory card that is used in most digital cameras). Instead of connecting your VCR player directly to the TV, you connect the VCR to the VuPoint video converter, and the video converter to the TV. That way, the video on the VHS tape passes through the video converter first, and is converted into digital format and stored on the SD memory card. From there, you upload the video onto your computer from the SD card, and can then do what you want with it: you can make it into a movie with Windows Movie Maker or iMovie, and then burn it to a DVD if you'd like. Or, just store it on your computer. Simple enough.

Pros:

*Easy to use

*convert analog videos to digital while you watch the video

*compatible with pretty much all VCRs/TVs

*Compatible with bot PAL and NTSC (NTSC is the North American video standard, PAL is the European standard... if you don't know what this means, don't worry about it-the instructions are clear)

Cons:

*the converted digital video is lower-quality than the original VHS tape... not sure why

*Sometimes, the audio and video get out of sync... I haven't used this product very much, so I'm not sure how big of a problem this might become

*No option to use S-Video connectors

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I had hoped to convert my VHS tapes to digital recordings to either save on my computer or burn on a DVD. I purchased this converter with hopes of keeping the quality fairly close to that on the VHS tapes. But it was not even close. I then tried copying a DVD, and the results were just as bad. I just recently converted some VHS tapes using my ditital camera with very good results, but that was a long, slow process. So I had hoped to get this product to cut the conversion time to a minimum while producing quality video. But the video is just unwatchable. I guess the great VuPoint video conversion experiment will cost me about $35 since I purchased it from a dealer who does not accept returns. And now its back to the old video camera conversion. Alas.

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To any R/C FPV hobbyists out there, this device is *great* for recording your live video feeds for reference or recovery of your model. The quality is not great, but it's also not terrible either for standard definition video. The recorded video is easily shared on YouTube without need for conversion. It can be powered by a 5V UBEC if you want to wire it into your ground station.

One of the excellent, non-obvious features of this uber-cheap recorder is the fact that it has a pass-through video output. This means you can hook it up inline to your ground station monitor or video goggles (using a couple of RCA couplers). Another benefit of the pass-through is that it will turn a weak video signal that would otherwise blue screen a cheap LCD into a usable signal. That means you can potentially have a non-blue screen LCD for less than $50 which also serves as a DVR!! Finally, using the video pass-through allows you to easily see when you are recording, and you can also play back recorded video directly to your LCD or goggles. The only downside to the pass-through is that some of the DVR's on-screen icons/text might overlap your OSD, if you're using one. However, you will not find anything better than this for FPV at this price point.

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This is a great device for converting from VHS to SD cards. I just needed something simple plug and play with no frills of editing or effects, and this device delivered. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to clean out those old VHS tapes and convert them to a digital format!

LG BD670 3D Wireless Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV

• Enjoy 3D Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p
• Smart TV enables an easy way to access limitless content, thousands of movies, customizable apps, videos all organized in a simple to use interface
• Integrated Wi-Fi Connectivity allows you take advantage of Smart TV from any available Wi-Fi connection
• Standard DVD Up-Scaling delivers exceptional image quality from standard DVDs with 1080p up scaling via HDMI output. HDMI Cable is NOT included, 1 year parts and 90 days labor
• Dolby Digital Plus lets you experience all of the enveloping surround sound that Blu-ray Disc, high-definition (HD) broadcast, and streamed and downloaded media make possible, Region (DVD: 1, Blu-ray: A)
• Smart TV enables an easy way to access limitless content, thousands of movies, customizable apps, videos and browse the web all organized in a simple to use interface

NOTE: My player is definitely NOT region-free for DVDs. The product description above appears to be wrong.

Chose this model because it had streaming, DLNA, and wireless built-in (you don't need a separate dongle). I have not been disappointed in any of its functions. Wireless connectivity was a breeze setup was straightforward and this model accepts a 32-character WPA2 security key (unlike previous LG TVs and Blu-ray player models which were limited to 18-20 characters, as I discovered when I bought a wireless dongle for our TV!). The wireless connection seems to be much more stable than with the other wireless devices we have. I occasionally have to turn off and on again to get a connection on startup, but this is unsurprising given how flaky our router is ... :-)

Blu-ray playback is really good. Our first Blu-ray disc looked grainy and I was concerned until I read various forum discussions that criticized this movie transfer. Many Blu-ray movies are apparently intentionally grainy because this duplicates the "film" experience that the director intended. You can use the movie mode on your TV to reduce graininess as this lowers the sharpness setting. Our second Blu-ray disc was really smooth and detailed, as were most of the other discs. Playback resolution is excellent, you can see every pore on someone's face and the depth of field is amazing. There were no stutters, freezes or glitches with any of the discs we have played. DVD upscaling is also good I decided it is not worth replacing any DVDs with Blu-ray discs as the upscaled playback in 1080p looks just as good as Blu-ray playback.

Wireless streaming from Netflix was absolutely painless, once I worked out that the "Netflix ESN" that the player provides in the network setup menu is NOT the code that you need to use for Netflix connection setup. You need to select the LG Premium menu icon which accesses premium streaming services, select Netflix and get the connection code from the setup menu there. Enter the code once on the Netflix website ("Activate a Netflix ready device" in your account settings) and Netflix streaming works automatically after that. Hopefully my experience will save other people hours of trying to connect with the wrong code! Netflix streaming is excellent quality, much better than broadcast TV for most shows. The player seems to stream seamlessly from Netflix with almost no stutters or degraded resolution issues, even for HD movies. The only issues I have seen are when my internet connection is congested (Comcast net access is pretty bad on Friday evenings and Saturdays in my area). I am impressed. [UPDATE: Netflix changed the registration procedure, so that you go into Netflix in the Premium menu option, then enter your login details. The player remembers this login, so you only have to enter this once. I am leaving the previous information up, as you may have to still register the device not sure as mine is already registered!]

A recent firmware update (April 2011) added Amazon Video on Demand, which also works great! It is really cool to have these services. The device also offers Vudu, Pandora, etc. but I haven't used those. Firmware updates are easy, although these do take around 5-10 minutes to load via wireless connection you need to keep your nerve and not turn off the player, thinking nothing is happening. Eventually, you get a message saying that the download has loaded and the player turns off and on again. If the download fails (which did happen once), the device is not affected (good design).

[UPDATE: there seem to be two sorts of update firmware updates seem to upgrade the disc playing features; software updates seem to upgrade the Internet access software, for premium services such as Netflix, Hulu+, or Amazon VoD. Don't blame LG for clunky interfaces on these services, as they just use the software supplied by Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. The YouTube interface is *really* annoying difficult to locate specific videos and it plays the current, teeth-grindingly irritating video-of-the-day all the time you are trying to find what you want. But that is Google's fault, not LG's.]

I was really impressed by how painless it was to set up media streaming from a PC using DLNA. A copy of Nero Home Media Server essentials was supplied on CD I installed this, the player automatically detected my PC and presented me with a list of files I could play from the media folder. This was *so* easy! DLNA file-streaming has worked brilliantly: I only experienced problems with one, huge (10 GB) home movie file that stuttered and stopped. Then I discovered the USB connection on the right-front panel of the player. I had been so taken with all of the streaming solutions that I overlooked the easiest way to play media files, which is from an external hard drive or flash drive! The BD670 played the huge file from an external hard drive with no problems. Since then, the player has played everything I have thrown at it: AVI and MKV, etc. using lots of different codecs. With 3 firmware updates in the month that I have owned it, I have a lot of confidence that it is being updated constantly to play all of the latest disc and file formats. So I am a very happy bunny indeed!

UPDATE: Had this for over a year and I still LOVE it. This is the most fun I have ever had with video services. The quality of Blu-Ray disc and DVD playback is stunning. The streaming video services are alone worth the price of the player. I don't for a minute regret purchasing the BD-670. I uploaded two photos of the Internet entertainment services that you can access from this player. See the customer photos at the top of the item page to see what services are available as of April 2012.

UPDATE2: There is a known bug with the software just occasionally, if you play a (DVD or BluRay) disc and then attempt to stream a video from Netflix, the Netflix player will return an error message "We're sorry, but we cannot play this video just now" (or words to that effect). Talking to LG support, there seems to be a fix for this, but LG have not yet released the software update. You need to unplug the player for 30 seconds, then plug it back in. The player will reboot and this will fix the problem.

Buy LG BD670 3D Wireless Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV Now

I bought this player a month ago and wanted to wait and get some ample use time with it before I left a review. The LG BD670 is my second standalone blu-ray player, where my first was the LG BD390 (2009 model). (It also really says something when in 2009 I paid $330 for the BD390, yet only 2 years later pay only $154 for the BD670.) I decided to go with LG again because of my experience with past performance and they give all the features I want. As with most blu-ray players like this one firmware updates are a must, so as soon as I got the player connected to my network (wireless) I got it updated to the latest firmware. So far I am pretty impressed with most, but not all aspects of this player. There are 3 main viewing methods I use to watch videos with this player: discs (30%), USB (30%) and streaming/wireless (40%). I'll give detailed reviews of these since they're what I use.

* DISCS: With both the ability to stream AND watch video files via the USB port (as with the 390) I don't watch as many discs as I use to. There are now of course 2 types of video discs, DVD and blu-ray. What some people don't understand is that DVD and blu-ray are 2 completely different formats, each with there own disc format. The only thing that they have in common (besides playing A/V streams) is that they both have the same SIZE disc.

Blu-rays: ** See UPDATES @ the end of my review about this! ** When I first watched a blu-ray on my BD390 paired with my (then new) Vizio 42" 1080p 120Hz HDTV I definitely saw the improvement over DVD with a much sharper, clearer picture with much more detail. In fact it sometimes sucks to have that much detail for some of the older/low budget movies that I have on blu-ray because it allows you to see just how bad some of the special effects were (wires, etc.)! I thought the picture couldn't get any better on my Vizio because I thought that what the BD390 was giving it was as good as what the TV could produce. Well, when I watched some of my blu-rays on the same TV with the BD670...it turned out I was wrong! This player gives noticeable improvement when it comes to playing blu-rays when compared to the BD390. The picture IS actually even sharper/clearer and the colors are more vibrant; not in any grand, vast improvement kind of way, but it is noticeable. I've played about a dozen or so blu-rays on it thus far, but it's been able to play them all without any problems whatsoever...say for one title (so far). "Daybreakers". I know this title plays just fine because the disc would play in the 390. When I put this disc in to play in the 670, it starts to load up the main menu with its movie icon/progress bar, but then stops about 3/4 of the way through. However the sound will continue to play for the trailers with just a small patch of the video on the screen showing beside half of the logo. I "next track" all of the trailers to try and get to the menu (pressing the "disc menu" button only gives me the "circle cross" icon telling me it can't do that), but once I'm past all the trailers and the menu is suppose to load up...nothing. It just sits there and doesn't load up anything. I called LG to make them aware of this problem and the woman I talked to said she would pass along this info to their firmware dept. and look into fixing the problem. (Who knows how long that might take though?!) Hopefully this one title is a rarity, but it makes me wonder out of the over 100 titles on blu-ray I do own and have yet to play on this machine, how many of those might encounter this same kind of problem?

DVD's: ** See UPDATES @ the end of my review about this! ** Surprisingly, this unit DOES have a slight problem when it comes to playing DVD's! You think the one thing they could get right for this player is to play DVD's with no problems whatsoever, but sadly no. The audio/video plays fine, but every chapter change there is a half-second skip in the play (more for the audio than the video). It's barely noticeable, but it IS noticeable. It's not enough to really bother me, but I can understand other people being bothered by it. If it happened more often in the play, then it would probably get on my nerves more. This is a problem that LG is already aware of and says is working to fix in a future firmware update, but still I contacted them via email about this just to add my complaint to the list. Other than that there is no other problems I've experienced. The audio/video quality is great and every single DVD loads up and plays, even some region 0/PAL DVD's I got from Australia.

* USB: This is the main reason I bought and have stuck with the LG model blu-ray players. I have plenty of USB flash drives, not to mention external HD's where I have all my media files backed up on, other things I download from various sources. I just transfer them to a flash drive and plug it into the port and start watching. This player is a bit different from the 390 in that the USB, not the disc source is the main source it defaults to. I can have a disc already loaded in the unit when I turn it on, yet if you have a USB drive plugged in, it will ask if you want to play something from that first instead of loading up the disc. So far, it has played every single video file/format (.mkv, .mpeg, .avi, .mp4, .m4v) I've thrown at it with no problems at all. I LOVE this ability.

* Streaming/Wireless: Not only does this unit have the USB port up front to play video/music/picture files off of external drives, but with the wireless it has the ability to use DLNA to stream media from your computer (which I haven't messed with yet.) This unit has dual-band wireless, meaning it uses both 2.4Ghz and 5.8Ghz bands. This is especially useful for those who have a dual-band router (such as myself), so there is less chance of a dropped connection or decrease in connection speed. Mostly all of the streaming I do with the 670 is from LG's Premium service, i.e. Netflix, Pandora, etc. This is definitely where the 670 has improved over the 390 with a lot more services and better interfaces. The interface menu for Netflix has VASTLY improved from the 390 with more choices to look up movies and easier navigation of the "instant queue". The only other Premium service I've used so far is Pandora which is nice too. I have yet to try out any of the other services, and don't plan to for the foreseeable future. I will note that when I first did the firmware update (no problems) then loaded up the Premium service, it started to do an update for the program, but said it failed and just loaded up Premium as normal. The second time I loaded it up it attempted the update again and was successful. All of the movies I've streamed have played fine with no dropped connections/rebuffering and the quality has been at least DVD or better.

Overall, for the time being, I'm satisfied with this player; but only with the understanding that the problems it has will be fixed in future firmware update(s). As these blu-ray players get more and more complex with all the different features they have, it also means there's more chance for various and unforeseen bugs like the ones this player still suffers from will pop-up, hence the need for the firmware updates. I know a number of people believe that they should be like the old DVD players and just work straight out of the box and I wish they did too. In a perfect world they would, but this is far from a perfect world isn't it? These players are becoming more and more like computers, various hardware and software meant to work together to perform certain tasks without errors or conflicts. However ANYONE with a computer knows that it's not that easy. I modify/upgrade hardware and some programs (software) on my system all the time and sometimes these changes cause conflicts. A change in hardware, even with the latest drivers can cause unforeseen problems with other hardware or software. A new update to a driver can cause the hardware it's suppose to improve to work less efficiently or program update can cause conflicts with other software. Most of the time this doesn't happen or can be easily resolved, but sometimes it does. This is the same for these new players. A firmware update meant to fix one issue can cause another. The companies that manufacture these players can only do so much beta-testing before they have to release them into the real world. That is when we, the consumer whom these devices are intended for, put them through their real world paces that the manufacturer simply can't do. There are so many variations (different DVD's, blu-rays, vidoe files, streaming, etc.) made by different studios and other companies that all use various manufacturing/specification standards that it would be virtually impossible for the manufacturers to try and test them all on these players, when they themselves have their own standards and specifications. Read reviews for any other blu-ray player out there right now and I defy you to find one single player that has no complaints against it. I'm not trying to defend this players shortcomings, I'm just saying I understand (more than some people) why they exist and at the same time am trying to make other people understand why they exist.

With this review I am trying to inform you, the consumer about this player. It is a good player and will be an even better one once these small problems it has are fixed in firmware updates. If you buy this player now, be aware of the aforementioned problems and be patient for the firmware fixes. If you are turned off by these problems I have experienced and/or problems mentioned by other reviewers which I have not experienced; either wait until these problems have been addressed to purchase or simply look into buying a different player. Once firmware for these problems have been released and fixes the player, I will update by review accordingly.

**UPDATE: 6/15/11**

After contacting LG a couple times and browsing the AVS forums, it seems that the DVD skip was introduced in the latest firmware update that was put out in late April. It should be fixed in the next update along with a few other little things. So the fault lies not in the player, but the latest firmware. (Just so people will know.)

**UPDATE: 6/20/11**

A new firmware update was released just after my last update. It didn't come up automatically, I went into the "Setup" section to check (like I do every few days, just in case). I updated to this newest version to see if any problems were fixed. For the DVD "chapter change" 1/2 second skip problem, I can say it's been fixed for the most part. I've only watched 3 or 4 DVD's so far (a couple movies and a TV series episode) and I only experienced the skip intermittently or not at all. For 1 or 2 of the movies the skip happened like once in the beginning and a few times closer towards the end, for the other movie and the TV episode I watched, I didn't experience the skip at all. For that particular blu-ray title problem "Daybreakers", this has been fixed (or maybe it was half my fault from the start)! What I discovered is that the reason "Daybreakers" wouldn't load up in the first place is because I always had a USB drive plugged into the front when I tried to load the movie! I don't know why this interferes with this particular title ONLY (so far) and not any other I've loaded up, but it does! I want to say that before this newest update I HAD already tried having the flash drive unplugged from the front to see if it made a difference, so I'm not sure if this update had anything to do with it or not. If you are having trouble with a particular blu-ray (like "Daybreakers") not loading up AND you have a USB drive plugged in, THAT could be the problem! I updated the rating for my review to 4 stars since LG is starting to release firmware updates that are making improvements and are getting the player to proper working order again.

**UPDATE: 6/25/11**

Yet another update was released on 6/21 which, it appears, COMPLETELY fixes the DVD skip problem. I watched some more DVD's and I haven't experienced it on ANY of them, so I guess that problem has been squared away. Since any of the problems I've experienced have now been fixed I'll stop doing these updates, especially since their making my review even longer than it is already! (Can I get an "Amen"?!)

Read Best Reviews of LG BD670 3D Wireless Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV Here

The only problem I've had with this unit, is that it loses it's wireless settings 50% of the time after you turn it off and then turn it on a day later.

I'm an engineer. There's nothing wrong with the wireless network in my home.

Even if there was, and say the wireless network went up and down now and then, why why why doesn't this device remember the network and password you've spent time typing in on the on-screen keyboard and automatically reconnect ?

Instead, it prompts me that it isn't connected. I then re-select the Network (which it finds first time), and re-enter the password, and then it always connects sucessfully.

If the Network is there and available, why doesn't the box re-connect on it's own !!!!!

Seriously do the engineers (and worse the QA and management team) over in China who wrote this software think it's OK for a user to have to re-enter their networking credentials everytime they want to watch TV ? Imagine if you had to do this with your PC. At least on a PC you have a keyboard: on this device you have a four-corners remote control and a onscreen keyboard.

--Update ---

Contacted LG tech support. A CSR (whose first language wasn't English) offered this:

" sincerely apologize for the inconveniences, but regretfully, we do not have a firmware for this, since the unit most keep the information at all times, I will suggest you to send us the player and have the technician correct the problem."

So I ordered a replacement from Amazon. It does the exact same thing.

LG 1) fix this stupid bug, 2) hire some decent CSRs.

--Update 2 ---

LG apparently fixed this bug in a subsequent SW release. After taking a download one day, this issue no longer happens. Upgrading my review to 3 stars. (-1 for awful customer service, -0.5 for letting this bug out in the first place, and -0.5 for a slow UI). I want to give it four stars... maybe when I get over the first awful bug.

Want LG BD670 3D Wireless Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV Discount?

Upsides: Pandora works nicely. Some other nice internet radio options.

Netflix interface decent.

The best thing here is the SAMBA, CIFs or Windows file sharing (Whatever you call it) is nice. Works fine with Linux, works fine with MediaTomb upnp server. Couldn't find right transcoding options, but didn't need it... good with mp4's ripped h.264 and does mp3. plays flip video files natively no problem. Pause, rewind, fast forward over streaming (cifs or upnp).

LCD display shows timecode when playing streams from samba or upnp.

Bought device to have single device for netflix and home media serving.

Plays mp3's nicely.

Better than ROKU for me since it does SAMBA and UPNP for home streaming, wasn't clear if Roku did that.

Wi-FI, wired.

Oh, and it plays BD's too, I tested one, but not my primary reason for purchase.

Unit stays cool, is nice and small and does what I need.

Downsides: no screensaver in pandora, fearing burn-in.

Menus kind of laggy.

No progress meter when updating firmware. LCD indicates updating but should have separate downloading and applying progress when installing firmware. Have seen samsung do this better with progress meter.

I'd like to add a special item here. LG you did this correctly --you have a sticker for support on the device. Wow. I love you. I called, human answers. No hold time. Sat, Sun, no problem. I had an issue with firmware 268.E within 3 days there was a new 270-something to correct. 268.E added Amazon VOD for me and the other nifty items. Support was very friendly, apologized and was pleasant to work with. I've never owned home electronics where they actually had a support line with humans. And the humans called you back with updates on your problem!

First LG device I own... mad props for the useful human support!

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I am having two issues with my BD670. First, when streaming Netflix, the device randomly freezes anywhere between five and 25 minutes into a movie. Second, the player randomly loses it's wireless settings. When this happens you need to shut off the player, turn it back on, reload your wireless settings, go back and find the movie you were watching, and fast forward to where it stopped.

I called LG. They had me troubleshoot the device, and download the latest software update (which I had already done). The problem happened again.

I called LG a second time. They had me download and burn the same firmware off their website, onto a DVD, and load it onto the machine via that method. The problem happened again.

I called LG a third time. They told me to call Netflix. After I explained that I was not experiencing the issue on my other LG blu ray player, Sony blu ray player, laptop, or desktop, they agreed to service the unit. They only needed a copy of the invoice, because the warranty is 90 days on labor.

I found the invoice and called LG a fourth time. They asked if I had troubleshooted with a tech over the phone. Yes. They asked if I had downloaded the most recent software. Yes, twice. They asked if I had called Netflix. No, this is not a Netflix issue. They asked if I had my invoice. Yes, I purchased the unit seven weeks ago. THEN it was explained that there is a known issue with the BD670 that is exactly what is happening to my player. They do not have an ETA for the fix, and asked me to please be patient for the next firmware update.

I asked about the warranty which expires (for labor) in six weeks. I was told not to worry, since they have all my notes it will be covered if the unit fails after the next software release. I asked the tech why, if they knew of this issue, was I put through the four phone calls of troubleshooting. He said it was standard procedure.

I am returning this, and buying another brand.

iriver H120 20GB MP3 Jukebox

• Play MP3, WMA, ASF, and WAV formats
• Includes built-in FM Tuner, voice recorder, and optical In/Out
• MP3 Encoding
• Backlit remote control with 4-line display
• 20 GB of internal storage

Dont get me wrong...the ipod is great. It is by far the best design on the market, but it does fall short in some areas and the iriver picks up that slack.

I decided to look at brands other than the Ipod because most of my files are WMA's and i did not feel like converting all of them. I did a LOT of research and got it down to two players; the Rio Karma and the iRiver iHP-120. I went with the iRiver because it had many features that i was looking for that the Rio did not.

I have had it now for about a month now and let me just put it like this: the Ipod is not the only heavy hitter anymore. If someone were to offer me either right now...free....i would take the iRiver. Here is why:

What the Ipod has over the iRiver-

-Cool design

-User friendly interface (scroll wheel)

-Firewire (although iriver does have USB2)

What the iRiver has over the Ipod-

-4-line LCD remote so that you can see what is happening

-16 Hour Lithium-poly. battery (Ipod has a 6 hour)

-WMA compatable (for windows users)

-no software needed (shows up as an external hard drive. just drag and drop onto or from ANY computer without drivers. This includes non-music files)

-recording from any source (has optical in/out and comes with an internal AND external mic.

-music is laid out the way you want it to be because you put it on there how you want it

-FM radio tuner built in

Bottom line is that it lookes great, sounds great, has a great remote and lots of features that you dont see on most players.

This is not a review to say that Apple is no good. I am just saying that too many people seem to go into the search with blinders on and not see what else is out there. In my opinion.....the iRiver iHP-120 is, becuase of all the reasons i listed, the better player for me and i am very glad that i got it instead of the Ipod. If you are a PC user you NEED to check it out before you buy.

Hope i helped.

Buy iriver H120 20GB MP3 Jukebox Now

I recently bought the iRiver iHP-120 (H120), at Best Buy. I had a 10% off coupon, so bought it for $300. At the same time my roommate had bought a 15 GB Ipod. So, I had ample chance to play with both the players. I must tell you that I love the iRiver player. This has got lot more features, quality for lesser price.

Things I liked :

1) The quality of the music is amazing.

2) It plays all the formats that I generally use.

3) The radio is very clear.

4) Feels robust.

5) Small (almost the same size as iPod).

6) Comes with all the accessories. ( My roomate had to buy leathercase and USB cable)

7) Can be used as an external harddisk. No drivers needed. No software needs to be installed. Just plug n play.

8) The recording feature. Though I havent used this feature yet, online reviews tell me that, the quality of recording is just awesome.

9) Awesome battery life.

Things I did not like:

1) The leathercase has a belt clip, through which you have to pass a belt, to keep it on your waist. In the gym , I wear gym shorts and I dont wear a belt. so, I have to hold it in my hand and run. I would have liked a clip-on type belt clip.

2) The ear-phones that come with the set are not the best.

3) The LED is kind of dim (comapred to the iPod).

iPod Vs iRiver

1) iRiver comes with radio, recording and accessories. The iPod does not.

2) In iRiver I dont have to install any software and arranage all my songs. I can just drag and drop all the folders in the player. I like this arrangement compared to the ID3 tags. In iPod you have to arrange all your songs using ID3 tags. My roomate spent the whole Memorial Day weekend arranging his songs :-)

3) Ipod can not be used as an external hard-drive. iRiver can be used as an external hard-drive, no drivers need to be installed. Just drag n drop.

4) The quality of music is about the same in both the players (best quality).

5) iRiver's battery life is double compared to iPod( 16 hrs to 8hrs)

6) The iPod looks cooler and I loved the button placement, sensitivity of the buttons of the iPod.

7) The iPod's ear buds are too cool.

Bottom line : If you want more bang for your buck, and looks dont matter that much, go with the iRiver.

Read Best Reviews of iriver H120 20GB MP3 Jukebox Here

I've been using this player and it's great! Although there are many choices out there iriver did a great job the second time around (iHP 100 was the first cut). Some of the features I like are

**Remote a must have since it's really inconvenient having to take out the main unit in order to change settings like the volume or songs

**No drivers or software needed to copy over songs it can be a big headache when you have to install software just to move files over when all you want to do is a copy. One of the reasons why I didn't go w/ Creative is due to their bloatware. Since it looks like an external (toshiba) hard drive when you plug it in it's can be used for external storage. There's 20GB and I wasn't able to fill it up with songs that *I like*. I've used up only 5GB so far. The extra space is great for use as a portable hard drive. If your computer supports USB-HDD you can boot from it too.

**Upgradeable Firmware OS The nice thing about this is that no MP3 player is perfect the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd time around. having this upgradeable firmware allows them to add/fix features. I've already submitted a few nice to haves to iriver (although I haven't received any response) such as on the fly playlists, deleting from the player directly, statistics like running time, clock feature, smaller fonts, etc. I hope they'll be able to put this into the next firmware upgrade. They're currently on version 1.17

**Many formats This can play almost every format (mp3,wma,asf,wav) available and even ogg!

**Many extras It comes with a nice leather carrying case to protect the iHP that has the holes for the buttons (although you won't use them often since everything is accessible from the remote), a very decent set of earphones, usb 2.0 cable, line-in cable, external microphone and a 2 inch headphone extension cord since the plug on the remote is recessed in a bit. It's nice that you plug your headphones into the remote as opposed to the main unit because this accomodates short headphone cords like my sony fontopia earbuds

**Solid design & construction When you first put this in your hand you know they didn't skimp on the materials. Everything feels solid (not that cheap and light plastic is a bad thing) and made from metal. Even the glass on the remote is extra thick so you don't have to worry about pressing too hard on the lcd and breaking it.

**Optical out and In I used to store MP3s on my hard drive but now I store it on the iHP. When I put it on my desk to charge I plug this into the Klipsch 5.1 system via the optical outputs and the sound is crisp and there's no distortion because it's digital. The optical outs also doubles as analog in/outputs. The leather case covers up these openings to keep them clean.

**Many configuration options (and many more to come) that can be accessed from the main unit and from the remote! You can configure the equalizer to use SRS,WOW, TruBass and even can't the presets. Even the scroll speed is configurable.

**Sounds good The sound is also very loud and crisp w/ more than enough bass. It even has a feature that will fade in the song so that you don't get a sudden loud start in the song. I've placed a request to them so hopefully in the next version they might have some sort of normalization between all songs.

**FM/AM Tuner The tuner on this unit gets great reception. Because I live in NYC I have a lot of stations. I have enough presets from all of the stations I want. You can also configure different backlight options when it's connected to an adapter and when it's connected by battery, sleep time, fade-in,

**Many repeat options Repeat or random shuffle by 1 song, 1 directory, all directories

**Crisp LCD display on main unit and remote The fonts and display are very sharp.

**Good battery life I get over 10+ hours so far on a single charge. I haven't listened to them any longer that so it might of gone longer. After 10+ hours I still got 1 out of 4 bars left.

**Search by genre, artists, album, song title This feature is really nice when you have songs scattered throughout different folders. I can say I want to hear all songs from even if they're in different directories. This features requires you to build a ScanDB from the computer but it's easy. You'll just need to right click from the computer the iHP drive that shows up and select generate DB. This is the only feature that requires a driver installation. Note: your songs need an ID3 tag for this to work



**Song queuing you can queue a song while another one is playing. This is a minor feature but extremely useful.



**USB 2.0 This is really important when you're transferring over hundreds of songs. Using USB 1.1 (12Mbps) it would take over several minutes to transfer ten 5 MB songs while it takes USB 2.0 (480Mbps) 10-20 seconds.



**Displays non-english ID3 tags This can display chinese ID3 tags.

**Playlist support It can use up to 200+ playlists (.m3u) so you can create a playlist of your favorite songs from winamp and use it on the iHP.

Some cons although minor

** Can't play music while plugged into the USB port. This might not be too bad since you can play it off w/ winamp when it's plugged in.

** Using the search by genre/artist slows the boot up time by 5 -10 seconds. If you don't need this feature you can turn it off.

**No docking station not a big deal since remote can stand upright by itself on the table.

** 20 GB drive I'm sure there's a way to replace the drive with a bigger one but this size is more than sufficient

** More expensive than most other 20GB players.



You can see all the time and effort they've put into this mp3 player. Although some of the features are minor it is the time they've put into details that make this a great player. If you want the "BMW of mp3 players" you gotta pay "BMW prices". Overall, the feature set and quality (sound and hardware-wise)are perfect. Most of the minor issues and features can be fixed with future firmware upgrades. You can't go wrong w/ this! :)

Want iriver H120 20GB MP3 Jukebox Discount?

Like virtually all of you, I considered this & the 20 GB iPod. Those iPod commercials look so cool & it's so hard to see something about iRiver. But I first decided on the iRiver iHP 120 because the battery life is awesome. Li-polymer is MUCH better than Li-ion (iPod). It comes with all these cables and attachments you wouldn't expect. I was afraid I'd have to buy additional accessories, but there's nothing else I'd want, except maybe a cradle (which they don't make). BTW, the case is awesome; there's nothing I'd change about it. The sound quality is awesome, especially if you adjust the settings to your liking and upgrade your headphones. (My personal recommendation & favorites: Grado SR-80. Awesome bass. Not cheap headphones, but an outstanding value for audiophiles & I love the retro look. Read about them. You'll be amazed how much better your music sounds with good headphones/speakers.) It's tough to try out the unit since it's not carried in many stores, so let me mention the only things that I don't like about it. Read someone else's review for the positive aspects; there are SO many.

1) It's database-tagging system only recognizes .mp3 format files (I like using WMA), but since it's firmware and database software upgradeable, I'm "hoping" iRiver will come up with a newer version that will address this. Regardless, I like leaving my music on random shuffle, so it's not a huge problem for me.

2) iPod has cute little side features & games. iRiver is for music only & file transferring (but it does these two main things better than the iPod does). iRiver's "drag & drop" functionality is awesome.

3) iPod's slide-wheel interface is cooler than iRiver's joystick.

4) It doesn't play protected audio files downloaded from pay services like MusicMatch. Of course, you could use the iRiver's in-line ripping to output your protected file from your computer's music card to the iRiver to rip directly (which it does). This will (SHH!!) bypass the protection on your music by doing this, but I don't know what changes in music quality this may result in. I only listen to music from my CD collection that I ripped legally; you should too. I'm pretty sure you can even use an optical line to do ripping of protected music files, though I haven't tried yet.

5) It ain't cheap. Then again, iPod = iRiver + 10% cost battery life extra-detailed audio features.

Anyway, I've got tons of positives, but I thought I'd give you the major negatives on it, because those are so hard to figure out until you try the unit yourself. It doesn't get the publicity the iPod does, but it keeps a really picky electro/audiophile like me happy.

This is by far the best jukebox player/portable hard drive out there. I got it last week, and i'm very impressed with features, quality of contstruction, and fantastic sound. The first thing you notice and really appreciate is that all you need to do is open the box, plug it into your computer, and it's recognized as an external drive immediately. No need to mess with complicated software to updoad-download stuff. Also, doesnt' have the propietary thing that Ipods have that you can only upload stuff into three designated computers. So, just using your Windows Explorer you do all the uploading-downloading-deleting tasks with great ease.

It works very well as a portable hard drive, so I don't need to burn disks with data anymore, to carry stuff from work to home. I just put whatever files I need in my IHP, whether it's just a text file, or a huge amount of digital images and videos, the 20 Gig is a lot of space.

Talking about space, I put about 70 CDs in there, and only used 1.5 GIG as of now, so no worry about running out of space anytime soon.

You can use this device to record from external sources, and you have an internal and external microphone option. This is great to record all those great songs that we still have on cassette tapes, and convert them to MP3s.

I was very impressed with the sound quality of the internal microphone. You can use this as a mini recorder to record memos to yourself, meetings, classes, etc, and the sound is excelent.

For listening to music, sound quality is excellent too, and you can adjust the equalizer to your liking, for a really great listening experience.

The radio tuner is nice, and for stations that you get good reception, works well. I like classical music, and recorded a full concert from my classical music station, and on playback, it sounds very decent.

After doing a lot of reading and research about which device to get, I decided on this one, and I'm happy I did.

Overall, an excellent product.

Sony DCR-HC62 1MP MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom

A big part of the reason I bought this camera was for its smooth interval recording (time-lapse) feature. Strangely, Sony's higher end high definition camera HDR-SR5 does not have this feature. I have been quite satisfied with this feature's flexibility and user-friendliness. For some reason, the smooth interval recording has a 12 hour time limit, so if you want to do time lapses longer than 12 hours you have to stop the recording a couple times a day and re-start it and it will go for another 12 hours.

For regular video usage it's a good camera. The 2000x digital zoom, if you haven't guessed, is comically useless (not that I expected anything more). The tele-macro capabilities are pretty impressive.

As others have mentioned, it does not come with a firewire (IEEE 1394) cable that is required if you want to download video to your computer. I knew that before buying it and picked up a standard 4-Pin/6-Pin FireWire cable from Amazon through a third party seller (Phoenixgold) for under $ plus shipping, so not a big deal. I could see how that would have been annoying had I been unaware that this cable was not included.

P.S.

The "audio sample in an outdoor environment" clip was shot with an Opteka .43x fisheye converter not included with the camera. Also, the audio was significanly compressed after I uploaded the video so it's not quite what you would hear straight out of the camera.

Edit:

I added a low-light performance test video to youtube (search for "Sony DCR-HC62 low light test"). There is also a higher quality version of that video at http:// albums.phanfare.com/4434655/2011492#imageID=43138119.

Although this is my first camcorder, i am very impressed with this model. For $300, you get a lot, night shot plus, image stabilize, 25x zoom, many available accessories that will make your productions profession looking. The video quality is really good, along with audio, the colors are true and the camcorder focuses well. The battery they give you lasts a while, but i would recommend the FH70, it lasts a lot longer. Overall i am pleased with my purchase, it got here on standard shipping in 2 days, thanks amazon!

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We wanted a compact, easy to use camera with a reasonable optical zoom and this camera is just that. No bells and whistles (no audio inputs, no manual controls) but easy, nice pictures, and most important it's small. You must get a longer-life battery.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DCR-HC62 1MP MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom Here

The video quality is great as is the audio. I use this camcorder for blogging and drum videos and it has not disappointed. Importing footage via firewire (sold separately for 10 bucks on Amazon) is seamless via Windows Vista.

Other than a minimal battery life that comes with the camcorder, it's great.

Cheers

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Great value! If you want great picture quality just less than HD, miniDV is the format. Think again about your priorities before buying a non-HD DVD or HDD camcorder as MPEG formats are lesser than miniDV in pic qty besides their other limitations.

*** The dcr hc-52 is widely available in stores. But look at hc-62 specs(much better resolution) and spend $50 more to get a much better product.

Put a filter over, yr lens will benefit a lot.

Samsung YP-R1 8GB MP3 Player (Silver)

• Compatible formats: MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, AAC, FLAC, JPEG, Bitmap, PNG, GIF, SWF, WMV, H.264, DivX, XviD, MPEG4
• DNSe 3.0 support
• FM Tuner and Recorder
• 25 hours of audio playback
• Available in Black, Silver and Pink

I think this is the best player I have had. I am so glad that I have it and highly recommend it to others! The main thing I like about it is that you dont have to sync everything you can just download and go!

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Very nice touchscreen interface easy to use with a nice lock feature, that still lets you turn the volume up and down. No bloatware software to install, oh that's right, no software worked with Windows 7 right out of the box. Has played every file I have dragged on to it. And the flac format sounds incredible. I like everything about this mp3 player and this is about the eighth mp3 player I have owned. But the first one I have really liked!

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This product has some fun features that are for those who like to play around with the mp3, such as Beat DJ or a gingerbread man that when tapped cracks. But, other than the fun little gimmics, there is a lot of problems to be aware of. The mp3 does not always support the video formats that are said to be supported. At multiple times it froze when changing the volume. And most recently after an upload onto the mp3, it froze at the start up screen and resetting the mp3 did not help. After searching about the issue online, I found other people who were experiencing the same problem. My last Samsung mp3 lasted 2 years, I was hoping this one would be similar, but it did not even last 6 Months. This product was a disappointment.

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I love it, easy drag and drop, nice screen, well built, easy to use. It is looks amzing and sounds amazing but the only bad thing is it took 2 weeks to ship.

(update 10-9-11)

pros:

-Good battery life (10 hours of music)

-Nice design

-Good iterface thats customizable

-Good quality sound

-You can change the sound with DNSE

cons:

-Games are bad

-Freezes from time to time

-Small screen

-Touch screen is ok

At first the battery was only 5 hours, after a few charges it was 10-15. I don't like how the scrolling for bands or songs is only horizontal. It was a $100 when I got it and it was worth it.

I bought this MP3 player specifically for a cross-country road trip. I was told by a Samsung rep that it gives 25 hours of audio listening. Mine got 6 at most. On two different occasions, after a full charge, it lost 10% of it's battery and it wasn't even turned on. I sent it back to Samsung and they refused to replace it. They claim that they played it "for several hours" and it was fine. Don't buy a Samsung product and expect them to stand behind it!!!

LG 620G Prepaid Phone with 300 Minutes (Net10)

I was having trouble with my previous phone (LG 600G). I could hear OK but those I was talking to could not hear me clearly. I found this phone to be an upgrade and about the same price as I would be paying for my minutes for the next 2 months. It seemed like a no-brainer and it turned out to be a very good deal. I do not use my phone very much so I don't need all of the other stuff, a button to change the ring volume would be nice but this one suits me fine. The problem with people being able to hear me is gone.

Net 10 was also very helpful on the setup. I was hoping that I would be able to do things online myself but had trouble with getting my entire minute balance to transfer. I called Net 10 and they were able to resolve the problem quickly and I was on my way.

All and all I'm very happy with my purchase thanks.

This LG620G has the Tracfone logo on it, so when I try to transfer my number and minutes from my Net10 Samsung to the LG, I'm having a terrible time getting it done. Still after 2 weeks, I cannot get my number transferred. Maybe if I get someone who understands English better and stay on with Net10 customer service for hours, it might get done. But what will happen when I get a new Net 10 phone and want to transfer stuff from the LG620G (tracfone)?

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Samsung BD-E6500 3D WiFi Blu-ray Disc Player (Black)

• 3D playback
• 2 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI output
• Samsung Smart Hub enabled
• Built-in WiFi,Web browser
• Region: Blu-ray: A,DVD: 1

On the same day I received this bluray player, I was informed by Samsung that neither this BD-player nor any of this year's bluray players (announced so far) will support 2D to 3D conversion. I was really let down by this, as my previous bluray player (the 2011 BD-D6700) was a sleeper hit as one of the BEST 2D-3D converters out there! Some have even said the 2011 Samsung 3D BD players were as good, or better than a 3D Bee stand-alone converter

One comparison that showed how good it was, is that I could pop in a 2D bluray and take turns converting it on both my 2011 D8000 Samsung 3DTV, and on my 2011 bluray player. The bluray player would always win hands down and the 2D to 3D conversion process was done 10x better by the D6700 than by the TV. If the result on both were supposed to be "near 3D results" I'd say the conversion on the TV was almost 2.5D while the BD player converted to a stunning 2.9D

So Samsung confirmed my fears that this player (the BD-E6500) would not convert 2D material, and I later found that this is also stated somewhere within the first few pages of the manual. I was very, very much looking forward to seeing how Samsung could have further refined the 2D-3D conversion process, and now I find out that my most beloved feature got the ax! If you're not a 3D junkie, you may not care, but why spend 200+ on a 3D! blu ray player unless you actually care about the 3D features! Apparently Samsung never considered that!

So here's what you do get with the E6500:

You are getting 1 gb of memory on board (pretty standard these days)

More way to connect with your other devices (Soft AP etc)

Disc to Digital feature (supposed to be the big feature $this year$)

2 HDMI INPUTS and 1 out (instead of 2 HDMI OUT as I loved having last year)

Functional Web Browser

3D playback from a 3D bluray

Up to 7.1 HD Audio

So when I first opened the box, I noticed that the BD player's black/grey design was nice as expected. But unfortunately the remote looks small and cheap now. They changed it and made it a lot more compact, but even my wife thought it just looked cheaper

Ok, so here are some notes I made when I first got it, and added to later on. They cover pretty much everything you would like to know:

Product updates upon setup

Smart Hub updates upon setup

Several/almost all Apps update upon selection of an app (when you first use that app)

Feels like a step down from last year's models, for being the highest model released this year

The BD player's menu is a little faster/smoother to navigate than last year

The menu system has been overhauled and is now identical to last year's Samsung HDTV's menus

I was not impressed by the Web Browser. In fact I couldnt' stand it after about 1 minute of use with the directional pad of the remote as my "mouse". There is an option to use a wireless keyboard or mouse with this player and I did and went back and found the browser quite usable. It even lets you move the mouse around within the Smart Hub itself which is nice. I'd say the browser speed and functionality are comparable to the browser's on last year's higher end Samsung Tv's. Browser could be and should be faster for the price point. If they added a dual core processor to these bluray players (like they are doing with the 2012 high end TV's and like even most smart phone's these days include) it might make their web browsers worth using everyday. As is, it's not

The Youtube function seemed to work well enough

When entereing text with the remote, an onscreen keyboard pops up instead of the horrendous numerical pad of pre2012

The Family Story and other "BIG" primary features seem lost in translation. Give this thing some more processor power and speed and maybe then your whole family might consider making it the "hub" of their network

I see a lot of people getting excited about the Disc to Digital feature. I'm not and never have been impressed. Could it be handy to have digital copies available on the go? Yes. But isn't that why most blu ray combo packs already come with "digital copies?" If you already have those, why the need to pay around $1 for each movie that you want to use the disc to digital feature for? It's no coincidence that it's not free, and that it's this year's big feature

2 HDMI in. Why? For those who don't have a sound receiver? Why would you want to spend $200 or more on a blu ray player that puts out 7.1 sound if you don't even have a sound receiver as your "hub" with hdmi inputs anyway? Dual HDMI OUT would have been more useful, both for those whose receivers aren't 3D capable and for those who just want to send a separate hdmi out for their video pristine and untouched directly to the TV

I could not find an HBO Go app (but it is an available app on my Samsung tv for some reason)

There is still no Amazon video app (Come on already!)

So there it is. I hope this helps you make a better informed decision than I did. I had no reviews to help me decide, and there was very little detail on the features of this player. But so goes the fate of the early adopter

In conclustion let me say this: This is a good 3D blu ray disc player. The areas where it fails, are where a lot of bluray players fail. But I shouldn't expect to get the processor speed and features of a PS3 at this price point...or should I? (bit of sarcasm there) This newly released bluray player and me just don't get along because I know that it is a step down (even with the new features) from my 2011 Samsung bluray player and at times it just seems cheap (the remote for instance)

Why couldn't they have kept ALL of the previous features AND added the new features on top of that. That's all I was asking of Samsung. That's all I AM asking. Of the announced list of Samsung BD Players, this one (E6500) is top of the line. There has been no mention as of yet of a E6700, E7000, or E7500 to match those higher end models of last year, and there may never be. I'm hoping they will be announced and address some of these issues mentioned and create the PERFECT blu ray player (It may not be perfect but it would be pretty close :) Until then, I'll keep on dreaming that next time they won't take two steps forward and three steps back

Buy Samsung BD-E6500 3D WiFi Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) Now

WARNING!!! If you buy this product or ANY Samsung Blu-Ray player and make the mistake of selecting "yes" when it asks you if you want to update the software, there is a GREAT chance you will be left with a completely worthless piece of JUNK. Do a quick google search for "SAMSUNG BLU RAY STUCK ON LOAD" if you don't believe me. Once you're stuck on LOAD, there is NO factory reset. They say unplug it, hold the FF key, hold power. I finally got got a hold of a tech support guy who said there's nothing you can do once you're stuck there. You can send it in and pay for shipping and repair, or throw it away I guess. I'm electing to just throw it away.

Samsung takes zero responsibility for this. It is THEIR patch, THEIR defect and it DESTROYS your player. I just want to know WHY they have been letting this go on since 2011. Why aren't they fixing this? I honestly would rather have flushed $200 down the toilet. Then I would just have myself to blame.

Please save yourself the time, the money and the headache and buy a different Blu-Ray player.

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I just bought this Samsung e6500 and I gotta say it is far and away the best Sammy BD player I've had, so far. I bought this unit with great trepidation having tried two Sammy d6500s and being unable to connect to the Net. This one took a brief time to set up and has performed every task admirably.

I read all the reviews of this BD player on Amazon and I can't think of one thing I don't like about it. The person who wrote the review that stated it only puts out 720P when either upscaling a DVD or watching streaming content from NetFlix (can't remember which it was) is wrong. My Panasonic plasmas all tell me they are receiving 1080p (1080p/60 of course) when upscaling standard DVDs or streaming NetFlix. I have three Sammy BD c5500s and I was able to set up the new e6500 without even opening the manual.

So far, I'm very pleased with the e6500, if something happens to change my mind I won't hesitate to come back and put in another review.

I've tried Panasonic and Sony BD players and, while they do work well, neither upscales NetFlix streaming content as well as the e6500, or my c5500s.

Rich

Want Samsung BD-E6500 3D WiFi Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) Discount?

I have three of these in my house and after months of wrangling with Samsung customer service over a fix for the non-working smart hub in my 6 month old player. I finally received the shipping instructions to return the device and decided to try Apple TV while waiting for the Samsung player to be returned. Apple TV rocks and I installed it in about 10 minutes. It has all the features of the Samsung and more, lower price and much better designed. I just ordered two more Apple TV units to replace those horrible Samsung devices and be free of the poor customer service offered by the Samsung call center.

Does not even deserve a star. This is my fifth Blu-ray player from Samsung. They are great on building TV's but they do not know how to build a Blu-ray player. I bought this and it was not even 5 months old before it stopped playing blu-rays. I spent 3 times on the phone with Samsung Customer service and now I have to send it in for repairs. And I have to pay for the shipping. This Blu-Ray works with Samsung HDTV Sony BDPS790 3D Blu-ray Player with Wi-Fi