Waterproof ACQUA WP6800 ( Black ) UnderWater Digital Camera Video recorder 18MP Max.

When I first got the camera I was thinking that it was a little flimsy. However, when I took it snorkeling and got some great pics of my boys swimming with the turtles, I was very impressed! It takes very clear photos and is small and lightweight! I would highly recommend this product to anyone wanting an underwater camera for a trip that is inexpensive!

The camera seemed more substantial than I expected...but I could NOT get the compartment open for the battery/memory stick. I think the latch was defective but unusable so returned it immediately.

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Waterproof camera works great. Took picture of koi swimming. 13 year old took it on school trip. It work great

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it is very cool and i like the way it is working with it is so simple and Good many thanks

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Everything is ok, Camera in excellent conditions. It camera can be use by everyone people, it came in perfect conditions.

Philips DVP3345VB DVD Player -Black

• DVD Player (not recorder) and VCR Combination
• Plays MP3 and JPEG digital camera photos
• Plays CD, (S)VCD, DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R DL, VHS
• Hi-Fi stereo VHS enhances audio playback
• Progressive Scan component video for optimized image quality
• Combination
• DVD
• Direct Dubbing
• Hi-Fi stereo VHS
• VHS

My order was shipped in a very timely manner and I am very pleased with the product. I bought a refurbished Philips DVD/VHS player and it's worked perfectly! I was unsure about buying refurbished but now I'm really glad I did because not only was it a lot cheaper, but I got the same quality as if it was brand new! Great buy!

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I did purchased the Phillips DVP3345VB/F7 DVD/VCR combo brand new from a retailer not Amazon. Two major issues I discovered: (1) no built-in TV tuner (I can't receive TV signals from my cable company), and (2) the DVD player did not work. I tried several different types of DVD's, but they all failed to play. However, the VCR worked perfectly. I needed a VCR/DVD combo to replace an older VCR VHS player/recorder with built-in tuner that kicked the bucket, but this unit lacked the main item I needed, and the built-in DVD player would not even work. How sad. Will be returning this unit and will look elsewhere -However, I found two promising DVD/VCR combo units at Amazon that look very promising with built-in TV tuners -Toshiba DVR670 and the Magnavox ZV457MG9 Dual Deck DVD/VCR Recorders. Can't decide which one to get, but I'll keep reading.

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Philips DVP3345VB/F7 DVD Player and VHS Combo

I purchased this item from Amazon.com. I had a little problem getting it connected properly, but with some expert help from a freind, and some excelent help from philips, it was connected properly. It seemjs to work well with good picture and sound. we are very pleased with it for the price.

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2 for 2.

Bought this in Sept. and when hooked up the tracking on the VCR side wouldn't work. Returned to Philips for a replacement. Guess what? The DVD player on the replacement wouldn't load a DVD, VCR worked fine on the second one.

Philips blamed it on UPS and rough handling in shipping. Both boxes were in perfect condition so doubtful the shipper was the issue.

So, now stuck with a DVD/VCR combo which only works on the VCR side.

No more Philips products.

Oh and customer service with them is highly suspect as far as being able to handle the return issues.

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Right from the start the VHS playback quality was very poor. The picture would drop out intermittently. That is to say, the picture would go black momentarily as the tape played. At first, I assumed that the problem was in the prerecorded VHS tapes, however; the problem got worse with time and tapes recorded from broadcast television would experience the same problem. Also note, the fast wind is rather slow and does not slow the tape near the end of the tape as do better VHS tape players.

The DVD side worked very well both video and audio.

Philips LFH9399/27 Professional Digital Dictation & Transcription Starter Kit - LFH9399/00

• 9399 Digital Dictation Starter Kit

I am a one person-professional business that keeps two typists busy all week, transcribing. It was finally time to give up my micro-cassette dictation/transcribing system. The typists kept having to ask me what I had said because the quality was not clear, I was going through batteries at a high rate, and then we couldn't find any more micro-cassettes because the factory temporarily closed. I bought two sets of this Phililps digital system so each of my typists could have a foot pedal for their PC, and I have two dictating handsets. In an hour I had the whole thing set up, and now I e-mail the dictations to the typists. We have had no complaints. It was easy, and better than what we had before. I think this is a great, not expensive, system.

Nokia C5-04 Unlocked GSM Phone with 5 MP Camera and Ovi Maps Navigation Optimized for T-Mobile--U.S

This is not having a 5 MP camera instead it's only have a 2 MP camera. Features are all same as Nokia C5-03 with only difference in Camera resolution and Wi-Fi. There is no Wi-Fi in this version which is absurd. There is no point of buying Nokia C5-04 instead of Nokia C5-03.

Amazon listed this product with wrong details of 5 MP camera which is actually confusing. I am returning this product due to this.

No 5MP camera & no Wi-Fi on this phone !!!! So DON'T buy this phone based on the specs given here ! What is Amazon coming to ??!!!!

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Yeah boo! This item is listed wrong. Only 2 MP camera and no WiFi for the C5-04. Battery life is good though, plus 3G for Tmo, and the latest Symbian^1 is nice.

Read Best Reviews of Nokia C5-04 Unlocked GSM Phone with 5 MP Camera and Ovi Maps Navigation Optimized for T-Mobile--U.S Here

To clear things up, here's a link to another review on the C5-04:

I've just bought this phone from Wind Mobile in Canada. It looks like their entire product line is being replaced so I am guessing that this phone has reached the end of its marketing cycle.

First, the good stuff about this phone. It's decent-looking in design, with decent construction quality. The screen colours are not lacking, and the interface looks quite pleasant. Despite have a resistive touchscreen, the "buttons" on this phone do not require too much pressure to press, which reduces fatigue. Typing on the screen number pad and QWERTY keyboard is relatively easy. The OVI Maps is an excellent application for GPS navigation on foot and vehicle, thus I recommend that if you do want this phone to consider purchasing the 3G data plan if the rates are not too high. The themes and wallpapers can also be customized. The Symbian OS seems to be pretty easy to use, with an intuitively-designed interface. As microSD cards up to 16GB can be inserted into the phone, users can prevent clogging up their phone memory with apps. Speakerphone volume can get very loud, but may be a little distorted when set to max. As for the call quality itself, it's great, as that's what Nokia phones are renowned for.

Now the bad stuff, which stacks up against this phone. The lack of a Wifi adapter on this phone is infuriating, as 3G speeds are not as fast as promised by my cellphone provider. Opening any webpage, downloading anything, or simply transmitting and receiving data over the internet takes minutes to accomplish. I believe that this is also because the phone only has 128MB of RAM. When connecting to the computer by the provided USB cable, the phone tends to freeze several times. Thus I've given up on the OVI suite and have resorted to copying files directly from my computer to the microSD card itself. The web browser itself is showing its age, which is true of the Symbian S60 OS itself. Also, without a capacitive touchscreen, performing any tasks in the web browser is tedious and slow. The shortcuts on the home screen cannot be changed, so accessing installed apps can be tedious and discouraging. The phone memory is a paltry 75 MB. After installing the updates from OVI suite it's already almost full and I have to start deleting stuff. The OVI store itself has a relatively limited selection of apps, which is a positive indicator for its demise (after all Nokia is switching to Windows Mobile based smartphones). The camera isn't bad because it's 2MP (on the contrary, many cellphones with 2MP do take more than acceptable pictures), it's because it's fixed focus, which means the lens can't adjust at all when taking photos. Thus the pictures are downright terrible. Same thing for the video. Another thing for music fans the phone doesn't support East Asian characters (or any characters other than the Latin alphabet AFAIK), so be prepared to deal with long lists of box characters when searching for music on your phone.

As a smartphone, this is an outright failure. By restricting the S60 OS features, memory size, and RAM capacity, and taking away Wifi, Nokia took away potentially great qualities from a phone that could have been MUCH better (it's a shame that a 600MHz processor was paired with such lacklustre hardware). The lack of the decent camera scares away the one last potential demographic for this phone the teenager on a budget. In fact, they should have just gotten rid of the camera itself and focused on improving the hardware specs. Remember the saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none?" Well, this phone is not even a jack of all trades. It nearly fails to perform any of its smartphone functions adequately.

The redeeming features of this phone are it's call quality, loud speakerphone and excellent GPS navigation app. However, if one wants to use the GPS, they need 3G internet access. That doesn't seem to be worth it when you consider that the web browser is annoying to use, and access to the OVI store is terribly slow. As Nokia makes plenty of phones with good call quality and loud speakerphones, one might as well just buy a normal Nokia cellphone at half the price. Stay away from this phone. In fact, when my parents get new phones from Wind's new lineup in December, I'll probably switch with one of them. For the meantime, I'll be using this thing as a phone, messaging device, GPS, and music player all of which are functions provided by the typical cellphone today.

Edit (September 13, 2011): I realize that I may have been a little too critical of this phone, so here's an update.

The Swype program comes standard with this phone, so typing has been made much easier. As you use the Swype function more, it gets better at guessing the word that you want to input. I find texting others and answering emails easy now that I have started using Swype. Also, once you install the Opera mobile web browser, browsing and loading pages becomes much faster. However, it does not support Flash so you'll have to resort to your default web browser for that. The OVI Apps store may be lacking in apps, but the OVI suite itself is well-designed and pretty easy to use. Transferring contacts, music, and photos is a breeze.

Again, while this phone has a resistive touchscreen, I just can't help but notice how well it is programmed. It's not too sensitive to be pressed accidentally but you only have to press down with a little pressure to press a button. When scrolling through songs in the music player, I found almost as easy as with the iPod's interface. Speaking of which, there is also a custom equalizer with much more settings than the average portable music player's.

I do have mores gripe about the S60 OS, however. To change profiles I always have to go to Menu -> Settings -> Personal -> Profiles, and then change my profile. This does become tedious after awhile, and one does wonder why Nokia didn't make it accessible from the home screen to begin with as many other manufacturers have. Sadly, the on-screen keyboard is simply too small, and with thick fingers like mine I can't really see what I'm typing sometimes, which makes it hard to use the Swype function.

One suggestion I have for potential buyers of this phone is to get a microSD card of at least 8GB and make sure that all downloaded apps are installed onto that instead of the phone memory. Even then, when I only have the Opera browser open the phone still runs out of memory.

My verdict is that this phone would be fine for those who usually text, talk, and listen to music a lot, but are also interested in accessing the internet from an ultraportable device. I am also raising my rating of this phone from 2 stars to 3 stars, as I've realized that my previous verdict was partly due to my unfamiliarity with the S60 OS, which has proven itself to be quite easy to use with a few exceptions.

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Lamentablemente espere mucho por el envio a mi pais, para darme cuenta que el telefono que me vendieron no es el que ofrecieron, no tiene camara de 5 Mp sino de 2 Mp, no tiene WIFI, no acceso modificar o ver documentos de Office, no se conecta a Ovi Nokia Suite o a pc Siute, muestra la pantalla como si estuviese desbloqueado y realmente si lo esta atrasando las llamadas entrantes, si realmete hay una posibilidad de cambiar este equipo y me hagan una devolucion por favor devuelvamen mi dinero o me cambien el producto por otro que sea reamente lo que ofrezcan

Hewlett Packard - HP Pavilion dv7t dv7tqe Quad Edition, 2nd Gen. Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2 GHz

When I purchased this laptop it was advertised as having bluetooth. That was not the case. The seller definitely did right by me by refunding the cost of the internal bluetooth kit and cable.

I should note that installing a bluetooth kit yourself is not for the faint of heart as you will have to disassemble the laptop to install it. The module goes just underneath the two mouse buttons on the touchpad.

The previous laptop I had was a DV6 quad which just ran too hot and loud. I'm pleased to say that this is quieter.

The fingerprint reader is a nice addition as well, but it doesn't work with digital persona, so you'll have to do with hp simplepass 2011.

The sound out of this laptop is surprisingly good. Beats audio is basically a built in 2.1 speaker system. (there is a sub underneath the laptop, two stereo speakers at the screen's base plus two tweeters at the front corners). I never cared about sound though as I always use headphones with laptops.

There are a total of 4 USB ports, two on each side. on the left side, the two USB ports are 3.0.

Video: There is 1 HDMI and 1 VGA port.

There is a 10/100/1000 ethernet jack.

two RCA audio jacks as well as 1 microphone jack.

the webcam is "hp trueVision HD" which is basically a webcam that records up to 1024x768 resolution.

The built in microphone is a stereo mic.

The screen is bright as heck, and darkens enough. Even at its darkest level, it's too bright at night though.

Battery life is what you expect from a quad core, 2 hours average.

There is a slot for a second SATA hard drive that can be configured to support RAID 1.

Performance according to windows performance index:

The video card has two modes: high performance or long battery life with an auto switching feature whenever an A/C adapter is connected.

What happens when the mode is switched is that the drivers are swapped between ATI's drivers and Intel HD video drivers.

When on ATI's driver set, the video card performance is rated at 7.4, when on Intel's set, video is at 6.2.

I've upgraded the RAM, but if I remember correctly, the 6gb configuration rated at 7.4

The processor shows 7.0.

Hard drive is highly subject as well. Unless you upgrade to a SSD, expect to acheive a 5.9.

It does support hardware virtualization just note that USB3.0 does not virtualize so you won't have access to 2 of the USB ports in a virtual machine.

The card reader faces the front and only accepts cards half way, so an inserted card does not fit flush with the front of the laptop. A huge annoyance in my opinion as I like to leave an SD card inserted for readyboost and can no longer do so.

No real opinion on the optical drive, but it runs quietly at least.

There is no remote control as with previous hp laptops.

The connector for an HP docking station has been removed so you can't use an HP dock on this sucker. (CRAP!!!!)

There is 1 media key and it opens a web browser.

there is an air intake vent in the upper left corner that you've got to keep clear. so it's another example of a laptop that you can't keep on your lap.

I hope I've covered anything, but comment if you have any questions.

[Update] I was actually asked about installing the internal bluetooth module, so here's a bit more on the subject:

The internal bluetooth is a very small chip with a built-in antennae. It's about the size of a house key without the head. The cable itself has tips that at one end, insert into a specially shaped recepticle on the bluetooth chip and a different tip for another recepticle on the motherboard. I had to pull the keyboard and top plate off of the laptop to insert the bluetooth module. It fits in a small groove that sits underneath the mouse buttons on the touchpad. I really like its position as it gives great bluetooth reception, the best I've seen on any laptop. [/Update]

This item was returned because it was advertised as having bluetooth, however it didn't. In my search for the bluetooth the laptop performed wonderfully. I thought the laptop was great. It was fast, and had tons of room. The speakers sounded really loud and clear. Blu-ray player was incredible. It just didn't have bluetooth and that's one feature I wanted in my laptop. Other than that it was a great laptop.

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Tivax HiRez7-DS Docking Station for HiRez7 Widescreen 7-Inch Digital LCD TV (Black)

• With boosted speakers
• Recharges the TV when plugged in
• Can fit 8 AA batteries to provide up to 2-hour playtime when no power source is available
• 0.45 lbs weight without the batteries

Does what it's supposed to do to power the little TV when you don't have any other power source other then AA batteries. Also, the sound is enhanced.

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So far this product works as advertised. It is unique in that you can use rechargeable or non-rechargeable AA batteries. This feature makes the Tivax HiRez7 a "must have" during power outage or other emergency situation. The docking station provides a sturdy platform for the TV and improves audio output. I have not tried with AA batteries yet, but would give 5-star rating if it works as advertised. I would most definitely recommend this TV and the shipper (5 stars).

Read Best Reviews of Tivax HiRez7-DS Docking Station for HiRez7 Widescreen 7-Inch Digital LCD TV (Black) Here

The ability to use AA batteries is nice, and the extra speakers are ok as well. Calling this a docking station is a bit of a stretch, though. It is more a "setting the TV on the top of it and manually connecting the power and sound cords" station. A little disappointing at the $28 price, but at least it didn't cost more.

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Recently purchased the TiVax HiRez7 Portable TV, the optional Antenna, Docking Station (herein), and even the TiVax Carrying Case to protect the TV while using it away from home. This review is about the Docking Station only, I have other things to say regarding the TV itself for another Review. This Docking Station is a "must have" item. Primarily because it is the ONLY way you can Power Your TiVax TV from a source OTHER than the TV's internal Batteries, external AC120/12vdc adapter, or a Vehicle 12vdc adapter. This Docking Station holds (8) eight AA Batteries to provide that extra source of power if all your other means of power are either gone, or not available. This Docking Station unit also "charges" the large squared NiMh Batteries that come with the TiVax TV when plugged into an AC adapter, or 12vdc Vehicle outlet.

So, now you have (8) AA Batteries, the (2) NiMh TV Batteries, and an Audio Cable that goes from the TV to the Docking Station which incorporates two (2) small Speakers on the front face L/R sides for an additional Stereo effect. When the TV is placed in the Docking Station, and you are getting power from the (8) AA Bateries, or the charging Squared NiMH Batteries inside the Docking Station, power is sent to the TV via another small cable that comes out of the Docking Station, and into the TV itself. All in all it is very versatile. Only one drawback... it is made rather cheaply. The "tabs/flanges" that lock the covers/doors for both types of Battery compartments are "paper thin". They do not allow the covers/doors to fit very tight, and they are so cheap that I ultimately expect them to break at some point. BOTTOM LINE this device has many positive features of utilization however, the quality of the Plastic Materials used, and their fitting is so poor that even the Chinese must be embarassed. Also hope that the (2) LiIon Batteries that come with, and power, the TiVax TV can hold their CHARGE. These Batteries are made of POOR quality even though they physically appear substantial.

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I bought this to have the options of running the TV on AA batteries during a power outage. It works great and I checked it out, by taking out the batteries in the TV and then running on just the batteries, great results.

Olympus KA-333 Compaticord, Connects Earphone or Headphone Jack Output to Mic Input Jack

I bought this to transfer my phone recordings from my Olympus VN-7000 digital recorder to my WD external hard drive.

My Steps:

1. I just connect one end of the cable to the microphone of my digital recorder and the other end to the speaker of my laptop.

2. I use the free software version of Audacity to transfer my recording (press the record button on the digital recorder & click the record icon in Audacity menu--and voila!)

3. Once my recording is complete, I just choose from the Audacity software to save it as a ".wav" file, and I save it to my external hard drive.

I have an Olympus LS-7, a hand-held digital recorder capable of recording two channels in high quality audio formats. It has built-in stereo mics, but I wanted to record a direct feed from my performance mixer and the only external input jack takes microphone-level signals.

This cable allowed me to directly connect the line-level outputs from my mixer to the microphone-leve inputs on my digital recorder.

The only problem is that, being black like all my other cables, it's hard to pick out from the crowd. I'm going to have to figure out a good way to label it as a special cable so I don't lose it among all my others.

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I own an Olympus DM 420 digital voice recorder. Before buying this KA 333 connection cord I wanted to be sure that it would do the job of recording files to and from the voice recorder. Olympus tech support says that it will. I will now buy the cord and give it a try. After I use the cord, I plan to review for you how the product actually preforms in real life.

I've written below the information that I got from . I found this information in the FAQ section for their DS-2 model. I called the company and clarified that the KA 333 cord would accomplish the same function for the DM-420 and DM-520 models. Tech support said yes it would.

FAQ Is it possible to transfer recordings from other electronic audio devices using a connecting cord?

Audio recordings can be transferred to and from the DS-2, (DM-420, DM 520 and possibly other models,) by connecting to the other device with the KA333 Connecting Cord. The cord has 3.5mm male plugs at each end. To export from the voice recorder, plug one end of the cord into the voice recorder EAR jack and the other end into the receiving devices MIC jack. To import into the voice recorder, plug one end of the cord into the MIC jack, and the other end into the sending devices' earphone jack.

Read Best Reviews of Olympus KA-333 Compaticord, Connects Earphone or Headphone Jack Output to Mic Input Jack Here

I needed the cord right away, within a day or so. It came a day before I needed it and yet I was sure it would arrive much later. Fast, Excellent service. I will use them again as needed.

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Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Brushed Metal, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation)

Update: Since my review the Flip Mino has been greatly improved. It now works and plugs in perfectly to my Mac and has stereo sound. For it's small size, that's a good thing.

Now, on to the original review:

If I'm going to spend more than a hundred bucks on an item or somewhere around there, I do extensive research first to know I got the best bang-for-the-buck and, consequently, dodge any potential future buyer's remorse.

I've realized that the time I spend doing my product comparisons is often time that others don't have so I may as well share what I can.

I'll start by saying that you'll see my "Verified Amazon Purchase" on the Flip HD Ultra Camcorder review because, obviously, that's the one I wound up buying and I'll share with you why. But what I like in a camcorder may not suit your own needs so I'll break it down and let you decide what's best for you via what I found out:

Here are the pocket camcorders I compared:

*Flip UltraHD (will be referred to as "F")

*Flip Mino HD 2nd generation (Will be referred to as "M")

*Creative Labs Vado HD 8 GB 2nd generation (Will be referred to as "CL")

*Kodak Zi6 Pocket HD (Will be referred to as "K")

*There are notes on the RCA Small Wonder at the bottom. Because that's not an HD camera, I didn't include it.

Why HD cameras only? Brighter colors and better images, wider images

HD SHOOTING TIME:

F: 120 minutes.

M: 120 minutes

CL:120 minutes

K: 25 minutes with batteries they included, 120 minutes if you buy an SD card

HOW CNET's editors rated the cameras:

F Excellent

M Excellent

CL Very Good

K Very Good

MEMORY:

F: 8 GB

M:8 GB

CL: 8 GB

K: internally only 30 MB recording space but it has 32 GB expandable SD/SDHC card slot. Because it comes with such small recording space you really need to buy an SD or SDHC card to maximize its potential, but the potential is really good and this will increase your ability to shoot longer.

SW 8GB

RESOLUTION:

All are 720p which is excellent, just one step below the top 1080p format.

MICROPHONE:

F: Stereo

M: Mono*

CL: Mono

K: Mono

SOUND:

F:Premier AAC audio. Best sound quality but still not great in winds

M:Good sound quality, not good in winds

CL:Poor sound quality; had issues with sound and picture not being in sync.

K:Poor sound quality

ZOOM:

F: 2x

M:2x

CL:2x

K: poor quality zoom on the one I tried but I still think it's 2x. It has a great macro focus for very close-up objects if, for example, you see a bumble bee and want to shoot it on a leaf a few inches away! Kinda cool.

CAMERA SIZE AND WEIGHT:

F: 4.3x2.2x1.2 4 oz

M: 3.9x2x0.6 3. 3 oz

CL: 3.9x3x0.6 3.5 oz

K: 5.5x2.5.0.9 5.6 oz

SHIPPING SIZE AND WEIGHT:

F: 6.2 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches ; 11.2 ounces

M: 2 x 0.7 x 3.9 inches ; 1 pound

CL: 3.3 x 7.9 x 6.3 inches ; 11.2 ounces

K: 4x 5x 2.5" 2.4 lbs

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

F: USB cable pops out of the back so you don't need to keep up with a separate cable. Comes with Flip Video rechargeable AA battery pack (recharges when connected to USB); also supported by standard AA batteries. Note: Some sets come with the HDMi mini included and others come with the rechargeable battery pack on Amazon. Looks like one or the other but of course if you need both you can buy the other.

M: USB cable pops out of the back on this one as well. Has child safe button to prevent accidental deletion of videos. Internal lithium ion battery recharges through built-in USB arm

CL: USB in camcorder. Included in box are HDMI cable (nice), USB extension cable,(nice)silicon skin (cool) & rechargeable battery.

K: Included in box are HD and AV cables and wrist strap and rechargeable batteries and battery charger. Has built in USB arm.

SPEED:

F: 30 frames per second.

M: 30 frames per second

CL: 30 frames per second

K: choice of 30 frames per second or 60 frames per second.

VIEWING SCREEN: All 2" except the Kodak was the largest at 2.4"

IMPORTANT NOTES:

F: Best low-light performance for the mini cameras (though not perfect at all) and least amount of blurring and dropped frames in my opinion. Best color. Only one with stereo sound. You can get an underwater case for this one! Though that may sound crazy for a Texan, we use the camera non-stop on vacations and even when we aren't IN the water, we are around the water...on boats, in the sand with sea mist, etc. Then we can dive in and record the fish. Comes preloaded with flipshare software...just plug in to computer and it pops up.

M: Colors don't appear as good on the Mino as the other cameras. Thinnest camera. Make sure you get the one that only comes in the color aluminum or brushed metal. If it comes in any other colors it is the 1st generation MinoHD and they improved upon that one in the newer models. Great audio. Better shooting in low light than most mini cameras. Camera comes preloaded with FlipShare software. Can get still images through flipshare software.

CL: Decent filming in low light but not nearly as good as the Ultra or Mino; Software is preloaded in camcorder.

K: This is the only camera that I compared without the built in image stabilizatin which corrects for shaky images. What appears to be metal in picture is actually a chrome colored plastic. That said, this had the largest viewing screen of all of them. 2.4" Very poor in low light and seemed to have far more shaking and blurring. It also takes still pictures but they are really really poor quality...same as a lesser-quality cell phone pictures but good in a pinch if you want a still shot and have no cell or camera I s'pose. Heaviest for a pocket camera. Software is not preloaded in camcorder but a cd comes with it.

And, finally, the reviews of the Flip from experts swayed me quite a bit:

Fast Company: "Flip Ultra HD is Pure Digital's "Best Pocket Camcorder Yet." 6-09

USA Today: "New Flip Ultra Video Cameras Might Flip Your Switch" 4-09

Business Week: How do you Invigorate a Recession? Look to i-phone, Flip, Kindle, and Zip Car For Answers

There were lootttts more I came across when researching the Flip Ultra HD but those are some of my favorites.

CONCLUSION: Clearest picture and sound was important to me, expert reviews that pointed to the Flip UltraHD as well and I liked the built in software and the case I can get to shoot underwater. It is the number one selling camcorder as well. So that was my personal decision-making process. However, keep in mind that if you need reading glasses none of that will matter if the 2" screen is too small for your viewing the shots easily for playback in which case you may wish to get the Kodak if that's important to you..

Also: No matter which one you get, you will probably want a mini tripod if you ever want to be in the shot yourself do don't forget those.

Also note: It's confusing because when these manufacturers make changes in the camcorders, they do not change the names on the new versions, nor do they change the names if it's an HD version or a non-HD version so be sure you look for the "HD" after the brand name and look for "2nd generation" or "newer version" on the Mino and Vado if you like one of those better so you don't get the older models.

Hope my obsessive comparing and contrasting for my own purchasing assistance helped you as well even if what you wanted in a camera was different from me. :-)

Note on the:

*RCA Small Wonder: Because some have asked about the RCA Small Wonder, It never made the final cut...it should be noted that the EZ201 Small Wonder IS NOT HIGH DEF, which, like a tv means the colors aren't as bright or as sharp (yes, it is noticeable which is why people want the HD camcorders.) The zoom lens is optical rather than digital and, on the Small Wonder you'll notice that for whatever reason this means it goes out of focus when you zoom. Even the experts rating this camera suggested walking foreward and backwards when wanting to zoom rather than using the Small Wonder's zoom because of the out-of-focus experience it causes, unfortunately. It is the same quality as a phone video: very grainy & pixelated and only meant for small screen format. It also doesn't have a pop-out usb port unlike the other cameras so you'll need to keep up with a usb cord to use it. And it only has a 90 day warranty. It also only has a mono mic rather than stereo. It is FAR below these cameras in its graininess and pixilation (it's not even a close race) but I thought it should be noted. It's just not of the same class in any way. BUT it's a great price if you don't want HD or want it for fun rather than quality; would be great for a teen or for maybe someone who wants it for documentaion...so it's noted.

*Update: According to Mino, the 2010s now have stereo mics on the Minos. However, a retest of the color and clarity has not improved.

This Flip MinoHD camcorder is amazing-the ideal thing for any family hoping to videotape the kids, friends, events, etc. First of all, it's completely idiot proof: when you get the box, there is absolutely no assembly required. Your first guess about which buttons are the power switch, record button, and USB connector release will be correct; great intuitive design. The device looks and feels great (as other reviewers have mentioned) and easily fits in your hand comfortably for long periods of time (unlike my blackberry). It turns on and off instantly (unlike my home computer or cell phone) so you don't have to wait long to start recording that precious, fleeting moment.

The screen is a bit larger than the previous Flip Mino, but that's not a big deal. Image quality is better than ever, and not too shaky/bouncy. The USB connector is about the same-still very convenient, easy to connect, and you don't have to go running to find any special USB connector cable (like my old digital camera). The audio is surprisingly good, picking up faint background sounds that I hadn't even noticed at the time of recording and picking up simultaneous music and voices, near and far, with great quality. The 2-hour battery life is more than I ever use, so it's great, but I figure people who are videotaping entire concerts or watching grass grow might complain. Honestly I haven't made use of the HD resolution, but I'm sure that will be fantastic when I start making my own rainforest nature shows. In the meantime, the HD quality is better than anything I'll ever need. By the way, I know other reviewers have said they can make the camcorder freeze up by zooming in or out during recording, but mine works fine even when I do that. (I purposely tried to freeze it, but couldn't.)

I saved the best for last: the Flip Video software. That's what made it even more impressive! It is ridiculously easy to setup, automatically starts when I plug in the camcorder, and makes it completely obvious how to download the videos, play back, freeze frames to make photos, and share. And it's fast-not much waiting for videos to load up (like other video players). It's all in an easy-to-use, well-organized (by video date) layout very similar to the iPod control panel (a common comparison, it seems). I wish all software was this easy to use.

I highly recommend this device-it's a winner!

Buy Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Brushed Metal, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) Now

We bought this camera because we lost our first generation Flip MinoHD, which we loved. I'm sad to report that the USB issues mentioned by countless others are real, and I decided it was worth posting a video that clearly shows the extent of the issue so as to help convince others not to waste their money. This simply doesn't work with Macs, and as you can see from this video it also doesn't work with an Acer Aspire One netbook (~20% of all netbooks currently being shipped). This is a fundamental flaw with the product and is completely inexcusable.

UPDATE 4/19/2010

It seems likely that Cisco has attempted to resolve this issue in the lots now leaving their manufacturing facility. Indeed, there was for a few days a carefully worded "we know this is an issue, but don't want to get in too much trouble, so we'll only partially acknowledge the problem" notice at the top of this page informing consumers of USB connectivity problems "in a small percentage of cases." That Amazon.com has removed this notice is, I suppose, heartening and suggests that it may have been corrected. That being said, there still appears to be a number of recent reviews complaining of USB connectivity issues. These may be from older lots/the sale of existing inventory, or items that are acquired from sellers other than Amazon.com. It seems there is a good chance that you will NOT have USB connectivity issues if you are receiving a recently-manufactured device. However, if you get one that was made prior to the correction of this issue, know that you may have connectivity problem. You might also want to inquire as to whether or not you would be required to pay return shipping charges if it doesn't connect. I may even go out and buy another one of these devices to see if the issue has, in fact, been resolved. If I do this, I'll post an updated video.

Read Best Reviews of Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Brushed Metal, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) Here

I've enjoyed every Flip since the first Mino and this 2nd Gen MinoHD exceeds all my expectations. It's still easy-to-use and easy-to-share video; but, the package is slicker than ever. No fingerprints on the brushed metal front, the 2" screen is shows detail in any light, and the controls are much more responsive than previous Minos and MinoHDs. The audio is so good, my son's Reggae band won't give it back.

PROS:

*2" screen is big and clear

*Great HD video in normal to bright light

*Better sound than a personal voice recorder

*One thumb video shooting

*Easy uploads and edits no format worries and YouTube friendly

*HDMI output directly to HD panels

*Brushed metal shrugs off fingerprints and nose prints (don't ask)

*Storage pouch doubles as lens cleaner

*Lickable packaging

CONS:

*Low light shots are grainy (easily solved at price points $1,000 higher)

*USB plug is a little tight

*The wrist strap was hard to mount because of the brushed metal-solved with a toothpick

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In May, 2009, I wrote a review comparing the Flip Ultra HD with the 1st generation Mino HD, and although at the time I thought the Ultra HD was a step forward, I missed the more diminutive size of the Flip Mino HD. Since then, I've been waiting patiently for Cisco to release a pocket camcorder that combined the same new features found in the Flip Ultra HD in the smaller and more compact form factor of the Mino HD. Well, they've finally done it!

The Flip Mino HD (2nd generation) is now the 3rd Flip series camcorder I've owned, and in my opinion this is clearly the best one yet! Basically, the Flip Mino HD (2nd generation) has all of the same convenient features found in the Ultra HD such as a larger 2" display, HDMI out, Stereo mic, and 2 hour HD recording capacity, in a in a sleek and newly designed Mino HD form factor. I've read many complaints about the Flip's lack of integrated image stabilizer, and I'm sure they will add that functionality in future products. However, whatever the Flip Mino HD camcorder lacks in features, it more than makes up for it in a simple, user-friendly, and ultra sleek design. There are a lot of choices available in the pocket sized video camcorder space, so if you're looking for something with perhaps a little more functionality (e.g. 1080p, replaceable battery, larger zoom, etc.) than you will need to look elsewhere.

Although the Flip Ultra HD is arguably a better value, if you're looking for a top notch pocket sized camcorder that you can take with you anywhere, I highly recommend this product. When it comes to ease-of-use, and convenience, the Flip Mino HD is a clear leader.

Sony CFD-G55 CD/Cassette Boombox (Black)

• Power Drive Woofer pumps out rich, dynamic bass, using its own separate 12-watt amplifier
• Full function remote control on power on/off, compact disc, tuner, and volume
• Auxiliary line-in with stereo mini-jack allows connection of external components
• Digital AM/FM stereo tuner provides accurate, drift-free tuning of AM & FM stations
• CD-R/RW playback compatiblity

hey people

if you want a product which was cheap, reliable and LOUD!!

then this is a great boom box , the only thing i didn't like about it was when you had the boom box on its max volume with the twin amps on , the sound kinda became racked.. but otherwise its great!!

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I love the sound from this box especially because the base has three levels. That round section in the middle of the front is a subwoofer. I had expected it to be the CD player. The CD player is on the top which makes this a rather deep boom box. You're not going to heft this one on your shoulder and strut down the lane. I wanted to put it on a shelf but it turned out to be too deep. Otherwise it is great. And it has great FM reception, which has been a problem for me with other boomboxes.

Read Best Reviews of Sony CFD-G55 CD/Cassette Boombox (Black) Here

I ve bought many boomboxes over the years but none sounds as good as this one.The woofer and the sound equalizer does the trick. I ve bought a few Aiwas with their Q sound and surround, but all were lacking in that great bass. This unit seems to have a built in surround sound. I just bought it the other day and I ve encountered no problems. It is a bit on the cumbersome side and like most cassette recorders does not record wellon High bias tapes.Unfortunatly thats all I have,The line in feature is great. I ve been using it to play my portable DVD player. The sound is awesome. If only it wasnt so heavy..and thats notincluding the 8 D batteries to power it. Allin all for $100 its a great machine. I would imagine only the Bose radio is more powerful, but with a CD player and cassette recorder builtin to this unit...its a great buy.

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I tested boomboxes extensively before choosing this one. For the size and price, the sound is rich and clear.

The subwoofer is so powerful that I have to put a cushion under the box when it's sitting on a hard surface to keep it from rattling against the floor.

It sounds as if other reviewers have had malfunctions concerning skipping cds and background hums, but I cannot report any problems with mine. I've taken it apart, painted it metallic green and gold, put it back together, and then taken it to a construction site where it has taken hideous abuse for nearly two years. Everything still works fine.

The line-in is great, I use it to attach an mp3 player. This is the only way to get a new boombox w/cassette player that can also handle mp3s!

I like the big clunky buttons on the cassette player.. . soft-touch buttons always get mushy.

Overall, it's a deep and heavy boombox, but the sound is good and the functionality is just fine. I recommend it!

This was the only boom box I could find with a line-in. (I want to be able to plug in my iPod). The line-in feature has a hum/buzz that will not go away. It even hums/buzzes when nothing is plugged in.

Also, there are not enough clear, crisp highs on any of the settings. The bass is muddy. This one's going back. Wouldn't recommend.

The Mini Wilson Compact Digital Recorder

I purchased this product to replace a VXI Voice-It recorder that has served me well for many years. I'm sorely disappointed as the product is most inferior. Its buttons function intermittently which renders it virtually useless.

This product was a gift for a friend that's visually impaired. I got this because of it's simplicity. Sooo easy to operate. I wish the recording was a little louder. but it works great for recording quick notes or phone numbers

Buy The Mini Wilson Compact Digital Recorder Now

DBTech Audio USB Portable Cassette Tape-to-MP3 Player Adapter with USB Cable and Software Cd Also F

• USB tape player turns music on cassette tapes into MP3s on Your PC
• Portable design fits in virtually any bag and enables you to play and transfer anywhere
• Comes with Tape Converter software to guide you through transfer
• Plays Chrome or Normal cassette tapes and Features Auto Reverse
• MAC users: Please Note that you are buying this product at your own risk we cannot guaranty that it will work for MAC

Great, low-cost method of converting those old tapes to mp3. I found all my old tapes when cleaning out my basement. Immediately, I had to listen to them but all I had was an old, dead walkman, no tape player in my car and not a boombox to speak of. I immediately went to Amazon to find a solution. This was it only $25 and works with my PC.

The unit itself isn't rock solid. It's made of plastic and will break if you drop it or mistreat it in any way. But left in good hands, this should last a while and I only need it to convert my tapes once. I followed the little instruction booklet to install the driver (I'm running Windows 7 Pro on a Dell XPS machine). Just plug in the device to a USB port with the included cable and the driver installs automagically. It uses a generic audio driver and then is recognized by your machine as an audio input device, basically a microphone. Now, just install Audacity from the small disk that's included. You can download Audacity for free and install it that way if you prefer, but the disk does come with the mp3 codec needed to convert the raw audio to mp3. Anyway, I installed from disk and followed set my preferences as instructed and had no issues with mp3 conversion. When I first fired up the tape device and pressed play and record in Audacity... NOTHING!?!?!

Well, I'm an idiot I guess. I had the volume on the unit all the way down so no audio was coming through. The instructions don't mention anything about setting the volume all the way up, and frankly I thought the volume was strictly for the headphone jack, but you'll want to do that to get the strongest audio signal as possible. As soon as I did that BAM! worked like a charm. I then recorded my tapes and saved each side as audacity projects so that I could go back later and cut up the tracks so I could save each track as an mp3 with all details. This way, iTunes will look at it as the actual album and download the artwork, etc.

The entire process is a bit time-consuming and it does require some basic knowledge of audio editing, especially if you're going to separate the tracks as I did. If you've used Audacity, Garageband, or any other audio editing tool then you'll have no problems. If you've never used one, then download Audacity for free and play around a bit before you try converting all your cassettes.

Finished mp3 files are lower fidelity than original digital files, and there is some tape noise that comes through, but all in all if you want to keep your treasures with you forever, especially those that you can't buy or reproduce anymore, then I would recommend picking this unit up and giving it a try.

Buy DBTech Audio USB Portable Cassette Tape-to-MP3 Player Adapter with USB Cable and Software Cd Also F Now

This little box works as advertised, but I'm not sure how long it will last. To start at the beginning, the instructions for Audacity software installation are written in micro print by someone who didn't speak english as a first language, but they work and *are* understandable. However, the instructions tell you in the Audacity Preferences to set recording device to "USB PnP Audio Device" from a drop down menu. I did not have that option, so selected SigmaTel audio, and that works.

The first night I was using it, the fast foward button quit working. The player has 'auto reverse' (automatically changes direction at the end of a tape), but Reverse is always in the same direction, so depending what side of the tape is playing/being recorded, it could be reverse or fast forward, so it takes a bit to figure out where you are on the tape.

BUTthe program works, and will save out to mp3 or wav files. I bought this unit because I do not have an ipod and didn't want to buy other units I saw that require the use of itunes. While the included instructions talk about installing Audacity, they do not do much for explaining how to use the programhow to separate the tracks, how to set levels, no details, and the Help section isn't much help. It's not too hard to figure out after a while of trial and error and clicking around how to make things work, but a little more explanation on the basic separating and labeling of tracks would be helpful. Another major point that should have been explained is that the recording level is actually set by the volume wheel on the cassette player, which leaves me wondering what's the point of the gain feature in the Audacity program itself.

Overall, it works to do what it's supposed to dosave my dusty old tapes of collected music to digital formatbut the unit seems cheaply made, the door could snap off easily, and I question how long it'll keep going before the reverse or play button also quits. But for about $20, I shouldn't complain.

Read Best Reviews of DBTech Audio USB Portable Cassette Tape-to-MP3 Player Adapter with USB Cable and Software Cd Also F Here

I bought this via Amazon. Used it for a few days copying old tapes of language lessons. Seemed OK. Then, when I copied music, I began to notice the notes were badly off pitch. Sour notes. Tried different tapes. No difference. Should note that these were classical and traditional vocal, not rock music. Assuming this was the result of crud on the heads, I cleaned the heads. No improvement. Put the tapes in the player in my car. Pitch was right. So it was not a problem with the tapes. Tried a different PC. Off pitch. Swapped USB cables. Off pitch.

It was clear that the tape drive was out of adjustment. No way for user to adjust. Do these people know about 440 A? There must be a tape somewhere that puts out 440 A. We can buy inexpensive guitar, etc. tuners so it is not asking a lot for these drives to be adjusted before being shipped.

Only reasonable solution was to toss this into the trash. At this price, it would cost far too much to return it or to have a technician repair it. Will try to find another brand. This time I will triple check that there is an adjustment screw which is user accessible without having to disassemble the device. A hole in the back cover with a rubber plug would work. Not exactly brain surgery.

If you look at the other cassette USB to CD listings, you will see that this same device is sold with a number of brands and sometimes cheaper. Read the one-star reviews of these. Some of them cite the same problems I had. No way to correct slow turning of the capstan.

Horrible. Simply horrible piece of junk.

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This seems nice in concept, however the software comes only on a mini-disc. The slot on my laptop cannot accommodate a mini disc. I emailed the manufacturer asking if I can get the software in full size CD or a download and they never even replied. Since I cannot access the software, I returned the unit as unusable. I also did not appreciate the lack of reply and non-existing customer service. BUYER BEWARE.

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Reasonable price for a product that pulls power from USB port. Disappointed with tape handling not enough power to move tape without some wavering. If you have good tapes that need to be transferred to MP3 format, this is a good tool. However, if the tapes are at all marginal (like mine played a whole lot) you may want to look elsewhere.

Sony CCDTRV328 Hi8 Analog Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

I owned this camera for a long time and I absolutely loved it. I Don't know what that other guy with the bad review is talking about, saying this camera has grainy pictures. It is analog so the video is not as clear as digital, but for an analog camera the video is great. I would recommend this camera to any one who wants a nice analog camera with great features and who is not ready to delve into the digital world.

I am happy with this camcorder. Why have they done away with the Hi8 camcorder I don't know. My old one died on me, however, there is not a better camcorder then the Sony Hi8.

Buy Sony CCDTRV328 Hi8 Analog Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Now

helped me to transfer my 8mm tapes to dvd. am very pleased with this purchase,and lucky to have found it after a whole year of searching for one,and the price was great...thanks so much.i will most definitely go back to amazon.com for future purchases

Read Best Reviews of Sony CCDTRV328 Hi8 Analog Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Here

This camcorder is great. It is both easy to use, and records beautifully. A great camcorder in this price range. I bought mine used, and love it.

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Bought this tested for a day, the picture quality is awful. Recorded video had lots of grains in medium lights (even in a small room with 100 watts bulb), more yellowish even in bright (sun) light. Hoped the one I got might be bad, and exchanged for a new one. That was also the same quality. Had for a good deal (abt $200), and it is not worth for that money. Returned within hours.

Already own few Sony products (including 4 yrs old camcorder Hi8 TRV68), which are good in quality, made me think all the Sony products are awesome.

Video quality is the main thing needed in a camcorder, so rated 1.

Livescribe Paper Tablet Smartpen Application (PAP-00004-AMZ)

This is a neat application that allows me to use my Livescribe Echo Smartpen to mark up documents online. I have used this app specifically in MS Word.

Once I redeemed the code and downloaded the app to the Echo pen, I then wrote a line in my notebook, and above it I wrote tablet. Or I could have the navigation within my notebook to locate the Tablet app. I then turned the notebook to the orientation portrait or landscape of my choosing (I tested the app using both), then I drew a line in the direction I wanted to the app to recognize. I then opened MS Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

This is where it got a little tricky for me. On the MS Word ribbon, under Review, there should be a tab that says "START INKING"...on my Word version I didn't see it. I had to do some additional research. The Tablet app only works with versions of MS Office on Windows Vista/7 I had to do a search on Google, I had to enable inking through Windows. It's a process of going through my control panel and turning on the tablet properties. Once this was done and I rebooted my computer, and the "start inking" tab appeared.

Although it wasn't easy, I could also use the pen as a mouse. I tested in Word and I was able to sign my name to the document with ease. There is also a nice vid on YouTube I watched that explained how to use the tablet app.

Pros: no extra hardware required, works as described

Cons: wastes note paper, low accuracy, difficult to write with USB cable plugged in

I have mentioned this application in my review of the Livescribe Echo pen, but I will repeat it here. The application does do what it claims to do it lets you control the mouse pointer with your Livescribe pen, as if it was a computer stylus. There are, however, a number of drawbacks, which I will describe below. One more thing to mention before I get to that, is that this is also available as a digital download on Livescribe Store, which is where I got my copy.

One it is very difficult to make notepad dimensions match the screen, the notepad will inevitably be smaller, resulting in much larger "strokes" being reflected on the screen. It's fine for some crude sketching, but I was trying to use this to "train" Windows to recognize my handwriting and it was very challenging to write within the provided input window.

Another big issue is that the pen still writes on the Livescribe paper making a mess of scribbles and wasting the costly notepad space (it's impossible to stay within lines and keep drawings pretty on the page too, because of the issue described above). This one, however, has workaround you can either purchase a special "stylus cartridge" for your Livescribe pen, or use a spent, empty cartridge instead. I've done the latter and it worked like a charm.

Another small but annoying caveat, and I'm not sure if this is addressed with the new WiFi pens, is in the fact that this requires a USB cable to be connected to your pen, and most of them are rather thick and heavy, making it hard to handle the pen while it's attached to the computer.

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I recently had a mild stroke and was left with difficulty writing with my right hand. This pen came into my life at just the right time. I can go to a meeting or training and make notes during the meeting without worrying that the speaker is getting ahead of me. Sometimes I just draw a symbol to mark the recording so I can find the exact part of the meeting. I wish I had had one in my college days. It would have made studying a lot easier.

Read Best Reviews of Livescribe Paper Tablet Smartpen Application (PAP-00004-AMZ) Here

No matter what I did, I could not get it to work. HUGE waste of time. And no customer service.

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My daughter struggles with some subjects in school and i found out about this pen from another friend. We both ordered them for our kids. It is so neat and I sure wish they had things like this when i was in school.

Sony BDPS790 3D Blu-ray Player with Wi-Fi

• 4K Upscaling provides up to four times higher resolution than Full HD1080p
• 3D Blu-ray Disc Full HD 1080p playback
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• Skype capability with optional camera
• Power Requirements (frequency) : 60Hz ; Power Requirements (voltage) : 120V ; Power Consumption (in Operation): 22W

I received my player a short time ago, and so far I'm very pleased with the device. Setup wasn't totally painless, however.

I currently own four optical-disk-playing devices (not counting computer drives). I have a five-disk Sony DVD carousel, a Samsung BD player(with wireless but with minimal features, mainly Pandora, Netflix, Blockbuster, and some news headlines), a slightly older Sony BD player(BDP-570) which has, up until now, been the main unit in my entertainment center, and now this.

I'm reasonably pleased that the user interface is essentially unaltered from my earlier Sony BD device. The interface is still very easy to use, and very intuitive. It DOES, however, have the annoyance of lacking some configurability (I'd sure like to be able to remove the "Michael Jackson channel" from my list of video channels, for example, as I'll never... EVER... watch that.)

It does have a few new features accessed from that media-resources screen... the Opera web browser, a pretty decent Skype client, and a few other items. But if you've owned a Sony BD device before, the UI will be totally familiar to you, as will most of the main configuration options.

The remote control is also very similar to the older Sony remote, except that some of the special functions are now in a secondary, concentric ring around the nav-select pad... which is actually a BAD thing as far as I'm concerned, as I have found myself frequently accidentally hitting the outside ring when I'm trying to hit the inside ring, or vice-versa. Fortunately for me, I seldom use the provided remote, instead using my Logitech Harmony programmable remote... so this is not really an issue. But if you plan to use this remote as your primary control, I suspect you'll experience the same thing from time to time. Sony could have done better in this regard.

Picture quality is gorgeous, of course, as played on my 240hz Samsung 3D LEDTV. I wasn't sure that there would be any visible difference, but the image quality is notable improved, especially on upscaled DVD images. It seems that the two fast processor cores in the machine are getting a pretty robust workout... they're not being wasted! 3D is impressive, too... though I suspect this is more related to the TV than the player. (Samsung's 3D TVs are the best on the market IMHO, right now, though Sony's BD players are the best, I think!) That said, the machine never so much as "hesitates a frame" in even the most action-packed 3D scenes... which is something you'll occasionally note on lower-end 3D units, as the data streaming through them can briefly get backed up in fast, moving scenes, being rendered twice-over for each frame (once per eye, in other words).

I do not have access to a 4K display, so I have no idea if that's good or not. I suspect that 4K will tax the resources of this machine... then again, so few people have 4K displays right now, it's not worth quibbling about.

Now... if you buy one of the first units (ie, the current batch, I think!), you'll likely have a few issues when you first obtain it. The machine is designed to be network-connected, and wants to be connected. But, at least in my case, and in the case of many others, the network functionality seems somewhat hobbled under the "release firmware." You need to update the machine's firmware... after which, my machine has worked perfectly. But the device, by default, will try to "web update" itself anytime connected. Which means that you need to manually update the device, using either downloaded media (from the vendor's website), media obtained from the vendor (for a fee), or at the very least, a hard-wired network connection, in order to do your first update.

Prior to the first update, I had significant difficulties maintaining a connection... which could lead to an improper update, and a "bricked" device. Lots of other folks had the same problem. Post-update, my device works perfectly. Also pre-update, I couldn't manually enter my wireless networking info (the UI was there, but it didn't allow me to finish my setup). Post-update, that's no longer an issue.

The receiver in this device isn't tremendously powerful, and a better antenna/receiver set would be a major boon. It's basically on-par with devices built into laptops and so forth, and (post-update) works about the same as any of those. But it would be well-served by having some improved reception, since it's going to be tasked with streaming a lot of data. The reception is better than you'll get with a Roku or the like, but not as good as it ought to be for the price, and if you're not near your router, you may have some connectivity issues from time to time. It does seem to be on-par with my prior Sony device, or the built-in wireless in any of my TVs.

That's about all I can say about it right now. It's a terrific device, plays back flawlessly for any media I have access to, and just generally is the best device of its type out there right now, as far as I'm concerned. Just be careful about updating the device when you first receive it. I recommend downloading the update files and installing them without the network at all (see Sony's support site). After doing this, my network has worked flawlessly so far, and the device is separated from my router by a floor and four walls, and about fifty feet... and we have power lines nearby.

I'm very satisfied with the device so far. If that ever changes, I'll be sure to update this review, though.

*************

Edit: Well, I've had this for a while now and have fully put it through its paces. There's one thing I thought I ought to mention.

This has the best DLNA interface I've yet to see on a consumer device. It's easy to use, functions well... but there's a problem. It only recognizes a tiny subset of my media, including very, very few of my video files... very few. And while it will recognize any MP3 file, most of my media is in WMA format, which the player won't recognize, either. So, the DLNA functionality is pretty hobbled, as far as I'm concerned. I'd love to hear the experiences of others in this regard.

No support for windows media audio and video? No support for MKV containers? These are things that really should be present in ANY contemporary media-streaming solution. Hopefully Sony can implement something (it's not a hardware issue so it MUST be a legal-rights issue!) to manage file types better in the future.

Right now, the only device I have which can make full use of my media server, with the exception of actual PCs, is my little Archos portable media player. I sure wish my Sony BD player had support for as many file times as my Archos does...

*************

Another edit:

I've now had two more firmware updates since posting the above. And yesterday, I decided to play around with the network DLNA mode again. I don't know which firmware fixed this, but as of yesterday, I can now play WMA audio files with no problems.

I still can't see any of my WMV, DIVX, MOV, or other video files. The only things I CAN see, really, are the transport stream files taken directly from DVD rips, and I only have a handful of those, created off of disks I own, so that I could put those files onto my portable player (Archos 5IT, 500GB).

So... it does seem that Sony is "fixing" the DLNA issues, but a step at a time. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of my stuff... video files, etc... someday soon.

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I'm on my second one now. The first one arrived with the bd-rom drive broken. Before I discovered it, I worked on the wireless side of the player and successfully registered with Vudu, Hulu+, Amazon, Netflix. I sent the player back for exchange. The new one arrived and I must say, the picture quality playing blu ray discs is outstanding, better than my previous 2d player. However, I cannot register this machine with Netflix. The screen goes black and the machine locks up when I access Netflix. Called Netflix first: must be your player. Called Sony and was escalated to level 3 after numerous resettings and testings. Final result: your isp is too slow to access Netflix. This in spite of the fact that the previous 790 had no problems with Netflix. I am also streaming movies just fine on my laptop from Netflix. Today, my isp was running at 3mbps, so I tried again: locked up. No problems registering Vudu, Hulu+, Amazon. Another example of finger pointing. They make a fine art of blaming every piece of equipment you have except theirs. I'll keep the player, because it's otherwise ok, and I can stream Netflix on my laptop, but I'm not happy with Sony's tech support (and they are aware of it.)

Update 3/1/13. I've had the player about 8 months now. Shortly after I wrote the above review, the player notified me of a firmware update, downloaded it and installed it. Everything has worked perfectly since then. The player is doing an outstanding job and I am completely happy with it. Therefore, I'm changing my rating to 5 stars.

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Ok. I rated this item 3 stars which is comprised of 5 stars for picture/audio performance (and other things, more in a bit) but 1 star for extremely flakey and down-right dangerous firmware (more on that in a bit).

For for what gets 5 or 4-5 star ratings: The 'good'

The image and picture quality of this Sony is the best to-date and rivals the best of blu-ray players at nearly any price. The available adjustments make for great enhancements and tweaks for any kind of display (plasma, lcd, led, projector (dlp or lcd or ...). The streaming options are fantastic with Amazon Video, Netflix, YouTube, and a host of other streaming services (including music/radio streaming services). The Sony Entertainment Network is also available and that adds a host of additional options for viewing/listening (however, I'm not a fan so I've not explored it too much). Netflix on this unit (at least after performing latest firmware upgrade ... more on that in the 'ugly' section of this review) give you truer HD performance with 1080p streaming and DD+ 5.1 surround capabilities. Watching Killer Elite on video was actually fantastic.

For what gets a 1 or 2 star rating: The 'bad'

I've updated to the latest firmware and when I put in a disc and then turn on my whole entertainment setup, the blu-ray players either turns off (which is ok) or worse freezes at the menu for some reason. When it appears to not freeze and simply hit play to start the blu-ray disc, the machine freezes and will not shut off and the soft-buttons keep flashing ... I have to unplug it to reset the unit. I may have a bad unit and I will probably replace it, but this should never happen. I've had so many dvd and blu-ray players and this is the worst behaving one I've ever had. I've had the unit less than 24 hours and had to unplug it 3 times .... ouch. As bad as this is, the worst is yet to come.

The 'ugly'

When attempting to setup the networking setting out of the box ... the unit would not connect when everthing else in my house was connecting fine. The wired connection would not work. So I tried wireless ... this is where the extreme ugly comes in to play. I used the automatic WPS networking setting where you go and push a button on your router and it auto-negotiates with the device and setup the blu-ray player's network settings. Well, instead of setting the player, the player when working with my router UNBELIEVABLY changed my routers SSID to gibberish and also change my passphrase to gibberish ... and then nothing in my house, including the Sony blu-ray player would connect to my home network ... UGGH.... so not being a techno-phobe noobie, I logged into my router withl admin rights and changed my SSID and settings back, but my router decided that I could not apparently just change it all back and all would be good ... Nooo ... I had to re-choose and rekey in the passphrase on every wireless device in our house .... which we have a ton, a few in nearly every room .... arghhh.... way to go Sony. Not only is this bad, it is ugly and down right dangerours ....

Now I decided with such craziness going on that I had to update the firmware and perhaps that would take care of the wireless issue ... but because I could not get it to connect to my network nor trusted the darn thing to not screw up my network, I downloaded the firmware (396 or something...) and burned the files to CDR and then updated the players, which went ok. However, the player after ejecting the disc and my turning it back on, it strangely rebooted itself at least 20 times which made me think that I had a complete lemon on my hands. Eventually it stopped after about 15 minutes and now work fine except for the behavior in the 'bad' part of this review.

I'd say to wait and see if Sony works out the firmware issues or quality issues or whatever the issue is with this player. I'm going to see about replacing the player as it is flakey. However, the audio/video and streaming options are outstanding.

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PROS:

*Streaming media content is excellent. Nearly as good as a Roku. It's best feature.

*Remote is excellent, well-laid out and easy to navigate.

*Very easy to set-up/follow the well laid out prompts.

*Built-in Wi-Fi is excellent/strong signal/glitch-free streaming.

*USB ports will take on photos and 1080p AVCHD files with ease. Second best feature!

CONS:

*For $250.00, it is cheaply built.

*Design is very poor in functionality.

*Must use a remote for EVERYTHING. Everything, every function.

*Front display requires superior vision and close-up viewing only.

*Loading time is still slow despite the claims not to be.

*No on-screen initial start-up information when inserting a disc.

So I am impressed but I also dislike so much about Sony's 2012 BDPS790 Blu-Ray player. I'd still suggest against it as a purchase unless you were looking to spend $100 on a Media Streaming Device but instead wanted to add a DVD player.

I also have a 2012 Denon 1611UD Blu-Ray player deck which runs circles around the Sony. Yes, in fairness, it's $400 vs. $250 but the quality is extreme and the claims about Denon picture quality are 100% accurate. Plus it loads at least 2-3 times faster than the Sony.

As said, what makes the Sony still attractive is the fantastic Wi-Fi signal strength, the wonderful and ample streaming selections (includes Amazon PRIME and Amazon Instant) and the front and rear ports for USB that can take on just about anything you toss at it. Even those massive 1080P AVCHD files play with ease using a portable hard drive or USB stick instead of a DVD.

I need a second pair of reading glasses to read the front panel of the deck and how about a ON/OFF button, Play button, etc, etc? What Sony has provided are UNMARKED (they are only unmarked when the power is off) braile-like places on the top of the deck that you can 'FEEL' for to power up/down the unit. But you have to actually feel for it and then wait for your finger to touch the correct area. Remotes do get misplaced Sony.

So, Sony did a great job at releasing a high-end player and placing the contents/parts of that deck into the plastic case they'd use on their entry level player. There's nothing professional about this professional player.

Take a look at other decks as well before you decide/purchase the Sony (such as Panasonic or Denon instead).

This player has a design flaw: If it fails during an update, as mine did, it is likely to become useless. I thought it a great machine, but it displayed a message saying I should update the firmware. I did so, but it hung after step 1/9 and would not reset or finish no matter what. Sony said 2012 models have no way to get out of the update process except that Sony can send an update disc -which takes 10 days and will only work if the tray eject works despite the system hanging. Sony needs to fix this!!

Samsung BD-D7000 3D Blu-ray Disc Player (Silver)

• 3D
• Wi-Fi Built-in
• Samsung Smart TV
• Enhanced Picture Qaulity
• Cube Design

Pro's: Looks great, Small, Quiet, Fast, Remote very responsive, Syncs perfectly using DLNA, Netflix and Vudu are easy to use and look great. Neflix looks much better than on the Roku XD/S

Con's: Remote not backlit and needs to be in line of sight with player to work, Nearly impossible to use Samsung Apps (including Netflix) if there is a disk in, Dust magnet, Nothing can be placed on top of device (because it opens up)

Apps: Most notable are Netflix, Vudu, Hulu Plus. All work well and Netflix has it's own button on the remote. Most notable absences: Ted Talks and Amazon Prime instant videos.

This is a fantastic little blu-ray player. Just a few years ago, blu-ray players were huge, slow, and ran hot. This latest model is tiny and stylish. It is a dust magnet and needs to be gently wiped off every few days. The remote is not back lit but it is intuitive with very responsive controls. Integration with a Panasonic TV was seamless. I love DLNA.

I experienced cross talk once with this device. I was really shocked because I had never seen it before in my system. Prior to this I have only had Sony players. Fortunately it resolved when I restarted the player. My HDMI cables are all the latest 1.4a spec.

There was one update right out of the box. It was fast an easy to do. I have not tested the wifi because my device is connected to the internet by the ethernet.

The Smart TV and Samsung Apps are colorful and nicely laid out. There is a separate Netflix button on the remote which is a great feature. The picture quality of the Netflix movies are noticeably superior to the Roku XD/S in my opinion.

Load times are fast. I was a little suspicious at first but I think my perception problem was because I was using discs loaded with alot of previews and other material that can't be easily skipped. I compared it with other players with several different movies and found the bd-d7000 it was surprisingly faster. I don't know what the fastest player on the market is and i'm sure it will change as new chips and processors keep improving things, but load times are fine.

The machine is very quiet and you can only hear some sound if you stick your ear next to the device.

All in all, a good purchase

Addendum: 22Dec2011

After 6 months of use it will not read discs. The device has the latest firmware and it still plays apps perfectly. Samsung suggested I reset the device. I will try this but I do not think it will work. More to follow...

25January2012. At this point, unless a purchase is necessary, I think it best to avoid the 2011 models and wait until April for the 2012 models hit the market. I would think the new models announced at CES for several companies will be better. Samsung seems to have an improved version of this player, Panasonic has some slick and intriguing players, and the new Sony Blu-ray will be running google tv.

So, in the end, this player is nice, small, and high quality. It is satisfying when it works (but that may not be that long). Wait until April 2012 and buy a better player or get one really cheap and upgrade quickly.

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I have had two of these units. The first did not play regular DVD's and Samsung asked me to return it to them and they would send me anew one. I returned it to the store where I bought it. I purchased a second one and it played regular DVD's however every Blue Ray DVD played froze at some point. I have uptated the firmware with no positive results. This product needs work, do not buy one at this point. Yes,it is pretty and when it works it works well but it is totally unreliable. This dog can't hunt.

I did not by these units at Amazon as they did not have them in stock.

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This would be a great stylish player with a good set of features if only it provided the most basic one any sort of actual BluRay or DVD playback. The unit wasn't able to load any disc whatsoever, even after the latest firmware update. Given the number of people who experience similar problems, I wouldn't be surprised if Samsung discontinued the product. In a way it's a shame but in this case I have to say shame on Samsung for rushing things.

UPDATE: I have obtained a second unit for exchange with a false hope that this time things might be different. Indeed, it did play one DVD and one BluRay movie. After that it refused to play any BluRay titles (which allegedly didn't meet specifications), even the one that previously worked. This product is a total disgrace. Save your time and money.

NOTE: I didn't buy it from Amazon but from another retailer. The reason I write this is to help save other people headaches.

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Great design, poor performance, service on this product is abysmal . Sent my 2 month old unit back to factory for a fix, they returned a unit that was not mine, but scratched and worn. Repair staff obviously has no pride in their work, no desire to service the customer. This s a huge disapointment.

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Unfortunately I did not read the reviews here before purchasing the BDD7000. All of the issues appeared on my unit and then some. My unit will not play any standard DVDs, which is a real drawback for a DVD PLAYER!!!

I purchased at BB (which was also a mistake). The store could care less (not serious about home theater even in their specialty store avoid them for any real purchases). Samsung was moderately helpful on the phone but ultimately they could not fix the problem. So now I have a cool $200 paperweight. Hard to believe they can sell this product. It borders on fraud.

EzCap170 Video Capture Device

I bought this looking for a real EZcap. This is NOT a real EZcap, but it does work. The audio works fine with the program given to you, any other program I haven't been able to get it to identify. I simply use a RCA to 3.5mm adapter to plug into my computer's microphone spot and record via that. I haven't tested the quality at S-video yet, but the composite cables quality shows up worse than on your TV's. It's about 240p-360p, even if you were to setup at 480p. This does not get recognized as a "USB" such as the real EZcap's do, it gets identified as an "SMI GRABBER DEVICE" founded by Somagic (a company that makes fake EZcaps). This DOES an audio chip on it though. Do NOT use a USB extension cable on this device. It will cause your video to lag horrendously. Plugged into the computer directly to your main USB port it works fine for me on Windows 7 though. Drivers were easy to install, but i use virtualdub now to render and edit. (Many tutorials to obtain HD quality online).

ALL IN ALL:

The device works, although it's not a legit EZcap.

Would i recommend? Yes, if you're looking for any video/audio grabber. If you're looking for a real EZcap, then NO. The EZcap 116 is the newest one available.

I could not be more pleased with this device. I purchased it to capture some old family videos from a circa 1995 compact vhs camcorder that still works, to connect it via RCA jacks into USB to convert the analog video to digital. The .MPG files created by the capture software were great quality, both audio and video. It is nice to have these old tapes preserved now, and it is nice to get a product that just works right out of the box exactly like it is supposed to.

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Bought this to try and copy old home movies to my computer for burning to discs later. It is easy enough to hook up, and the disc comes with the drivers and software for capturing and editing video. However, recording the video is where things were very disappointing. All the video recorded came out staggered, choppy and some parts of it were entirely cut out by random flickering. The audio was also distorted to barely resemble the original. The quality of the captured video was worse than some of my 15 year old VHS tapes.

I tried multiple different sources of video to capture, and checked them before I tried to use the EzCap. They all looked just fine in their original state. Once it was captured with the EzCap, the footage taken was garbled and useless. It will also slow down the speed of home movies.

Needless to say, I returned this quick after trying it and getting awful results. I recommend skipping past this device, and finding a higher quality one that will actually be worth the money and effort.

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This is a poor Chinese counterfeit, not a real EzCap. It comes in a ziplock bag instead of the box pictured on the product page, includes poorly translated instructions, and most importantly it doesn't work.

I was able to get sound in Arcsoft, but neither s-video nor RCA was able to put a video signal through. The problem existed on two different computers running different versions of Windows, so I assume it's a problem with the device itself.

This fake isn't worth the savings. Find a real EzCap and pay the extra.

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Device did not work (no video).

Software was sent with a product key that it would not accept.

Total junk, waste of time and money.

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