Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player

• 7-inch-diagonal, 16:9 LCD screen plays widescreen and standard DVDs
• Rechargeable lithium battery pack with built-in recharger and AC/DC adapter
• Built-in Dolby Digital and DTS decoders with virtual surround sound mode
• Miniature full-function remote control with lithium battery included
• 2 built-in speakers and headphone jack with volume control

Took the kids on vacation. Great player to keep the kids occupied on a long flight. When I arrived I connected the DVD-LV75 to the TV where I was staying. With 25 movies in a CD case, it required practically no room at all. Great for the kids! (I only got one complaint on the plane from someone who didn't like the sound --with more than one viewer, we didn't use headphones) I waited for a 7" display DVD player and figured that while most other players were first generation, the Panasonic DVD-LV75 was the best bet as it is a second generation product and most of the bugs were worked out. I was right! I have had no problems. The battery lasts for at least two movies (4 hours).

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Wow is the key word here! The Panasonic DVD-LV75 is not only the smallest portable DVD player on the market but probably has the most feature offerings as well! I get 3-4 hours play back on a single battery charge, the screen is crystal sharp, sound is awesome, and plays musical CD's as well.

After looking at several other brands ie: Sharp, Aiwa, this unit beats them hands down. The one thing the Panasonic DVD-LV75 has over the others is size!

The only way to truly appreciate this player is to buy one!

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player Here

Overall, this is a great product. I won't list the reasons why this is a great product because I would be repeating what everyone else in here has done. However, I will list the two flaws of the LV75.

1) The picture quality. I have to admit I traded in the Panasonic L50 for the LV75 because of the larger screen, no doubt about that. While the LV75 has the bigger screen, it loses the sharpness of what the L50 had. There's a slight pixelation per frame when solid colors of objects are displayed (like a wall or the sky).

2) Dual sided DVDs cannont be played. When a DVD offer a widescreen version on one side and fullscreen version on the other, the LV75 will not recognize the format and will not play (movies like Dogma, Austin Powers, 8mm, etc.). This is my major gripe because I cannot play some movies on the LV75.

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This is a great product. The picture is great both on the unit as well as on the TV. Highlights:

1). Unlike some reviewers here, I have had NO PROBLEMS playing double sided DVDs. People should verify their claims before they whine generally about something that may be a specific problem with their unit. 2). The unit is very small and doesn't seem to get nearly as hot as the L-50. 3). My only concern is that the manual warns against using a car power source (cigarette lighter) for powering the unit. I don't know if Panasonic will come out with a car adaptor kit or not, but until then, I'll just have to use the battery.

The Panasonic DVD-LV75 offers great features in a small footprint. I searched the Internet, and the Panasonic came out ahead in most professional, and anecdotal, reviews of these types of products. I've used it in the mini-van for the kids, on planes, and on vacation. The screen delivers crisp, clear visuals, and the video and audio outputs allow you to hook it up to a TV for viewing at home (or in a vacation rental in Maine).

The only problems I have had are: 1. My 2-year old son was able to rip the cursor button off the unit and chew on it. Luckily, the button was not destroyed, and I could re-attach it. 2. I get interrupted on airline flights while viewing because people are VERY impressed and want to know all about it.

GREAT PRODUCT, and I have recommended it to a friend who purchased and is enjoying it as much as I have.

Denon DBP-1611UD Universal Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Player, Black

• Exclusive Denon technology provides universal playback of popular audio and video disc formats, including Blu-ray, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD and music CD
• 3D-Ready via firmware solution (planned for Fall 2010) BD Profile 2.0, BD-Live enabled via Ethernet with 1GB on-board memory, expandable via USB port
• DLNA 1.5 Certified for audio/video/photo streaming over the home network. Netflix* and YouTube streaming (*subscription required)
• Wide range of picture adjustments for optimum player/HDTV matching
• 12 bit video D/A conversion. 24 bit/192 kHz Burr-Brown PCM-1781 premium audiophile D/A converters. Dedicated 2 channel output with multi-channel mix down

Without a doubt, Denon rasied the bar with this product, but it is readily apparent they rushed production without proper Quality Assurance. The player suffers from a persistent bug that is quite enfuriating it simply will not turn on once powered off. Multiple owners have reported this issue on AVSForums. Long story short, the player can be revived with a hard reset (via disconnecting the power for five minutes), which is a bit absurd considering the price and its the third generation of blu ray player released by Denon.

Additionally, as of January 2011, the player does not have 3D playback capability despite its promised release via a firmware update in the fall of 2010. This is a big disappointment considering it is actually well-advertised on denon's website as a key feature.

Lastly, the power-up or initial ready times have nearly doubled from its predecessor (the 1610) from 14 seconds to 26 seconds. In layman's terms, the player now takes nearly half a minute to open the disc drive when powered off. This is the longest time I can remember in a modern blu ray player.

Outside of these two complaints, Denon has made strides in more compotent DVD playback; the 1611 excels with deinterlacing and cadence recognition, although most cadences require a momentarily lock-on. Video deinterlacing is still mediocre and aliasing does occur, but it's head and shoulders over the 1610. The player's source direct function is ideal for mating with an AVR with a proper video processing chipset (like the Denon AVR-2311ci and above models).

That said, after a week of ownership with this player it is clear Denon rushed production and did not "work all the bugs out." Bit disappointing considering many lower-priced players offer 3D playback, more streaming options, wifi connectivity, and do not require unplugging for five minutes when you want to turn it on.

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I bought this unit because of Denon's reputation and because I have a Denon receiver that I like. It's convenient to be able to control the player on the single receiver remote. The player is simple and handsome in appearance. The picture seemed really good on my 54" Panasonic plasma TV.

There were a couple of annoying things about its behavior, though. First, the disc drawer is very slow to open and close. I realize that there might be a lot of thinking that the electronics has to do, but it's exasperating to have to stand there with the disc in your hand for so long ( almost 10 secs sometimes). Second, this player has a noisy transport. You can hear the thing clunking from across the room. Finally, it had a strong smell of burning plastic when operating. I thought sure it was burning up, but nothing happened--for four months of light usage--until finally it died and would not power up. I guess it was burning up -slowly.

Then when I went to get service repairs, I found out that Denon contracts its warranty service to a TV repair shop across town that was only open on weekdays. The shop said it would be one month minimum to even find out what was wrong with it. They said that Denon does not support "board level" swap repairs which as a result requires that the faulty components on the circuit boards be identified and replaced with... whatever components the shop can find that will work--Denon does not provide their warranty shops with factory component parts for repairs. Overall, this unit was not worth the headache and I would not buy it--or any other Denon product again.

I think that the quality is generally good for the money, but I would suggest that if one wanted to buy it, it would be wise to call the local Denon warranty repair shop and find out what kind of repair support Denon is providing to them--and to you the buyer, just in case.

Read Best Reviews of Denon DBP-1611UD Universal Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Player, Black Here

Pros: A Netflix-streaming 3D-ready Blu-Ray player that also plays Super Audio CD's and DVD-Audio disks, plus a USB port to play MP3 files from external storage. Great sound and picture. Great value for the money.

Cons: Does not decode playlist files, FLACs, WMA lossless or Apple lossless codecs. Youtube not yet working (but firmware upgrade expected). Outputs limited to HDMI, Coax, and stereo analog (as opposed to discrete outputs for each channel).

I have been waiting for the release of the 1611UD for several months, having missed my shot at the Oppo. Denon is a great brand, and this unit replaced my older (and much heavier) Denon SACD/DVD-A/DVD player because we needed Blu-Ray and Netflix in the living room. The new player had to be compatible with an existing library of SACDs and DVD-Audio disks. (I download high-rez music tracks from HDTracks.com and Bowers & Wilkins' Society of Sound, then burn those tracks to DVD-Audio disks.)

The unit was easy to set up, and my first action was to test the surround sound with some favorite movie scenes, including the lobby gunfight in "The Matrix" and the truck chase in "Terminator 3." Though these were just regular DVD's, the sound and picture were terrific. The only Blu-Ray discs around were "Amadeus", "Fool's Gold" (stupid movie, but beautiful scenes), and "A Single Man." All played flawlessly. Sound and picture were terrific and I quickly forgot about the system and just got into the movies without further adjustments. I did test the picture quality of the HDMI cable against a full set of HD component cables, and saw no difference. That was great because I was able to pull all of those component cables out from behind the system. This unit is making me a believer in the sound and picture quality capable with just an HDMI cable.

For SACD's, the 1611UD lets you choose between multi-channel output (through the HDMI or Coax), or stereo output through two analog jacks. If the disc is multi-channel (like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" 5.1), the Denon will step it down to stereo if you want, or you can listen to it in multi-channel surround. (If you just want a pure 2-channel analog experience, there is a "Pure Direct" button on the front panel that shuts off all digital and video output, and will even shut off the display, so that the Denon is working solely to produce the clearest 2 channel signal.) My home-burned DVD-A's also worked without a problem and sounded great.

While playing stereo music, I jumped back and forth from the HDMI output to the analog outputs, and the analog signal was louder, though not necessarily any clearer.

We don't have a 3D television, so no comment about that.

The network hook-up was truly plug-and-play. I use a Linksys Powerline system (using the house's internal power wiring). All I had to do was plug an ethernet cable into the back of the Denon and it took care of the rest. I activated the unit for Netflix and was streaming a movie inside 5 minutes of set up. I do not yet have a home network set up, so have not tested the Denon for playing files directly from my PC.

My only real gripes are with the functionality of the USB jack. The jack is on the front panel, which makes it very accessible. I plugged in several thumbdrives and even a 250GB external hard drive that were loaded with music files. While the Denon takes a few seconds to analyze each folder when you open it, 320kps MP3 files were played without a problem. In fact, they sounded really good. The Denon would not play FLACs, WMA lossless files, Apple lossless files, and would not play high-rez m4a files, even though WMA and m4a are listed as supported codecs. (Denon is not alone here. Other devices that claim to support WMA always fail when I try the WMA lossless. Glad I spent a whole week ripping my CD library to WMA lossless.)

Also, if you create a playlist on your computer and put it on the external drive, the Denon will not recognize it. (I tried both WinAmp and Windows Media Player to make playlists.) You can create a playlist on the Denon, but as far as I can tell there is no way to save it. Once you unplug the USB storage device, your playlist disappears.

Come on, Denon! Let's fix these things with a firmware upgrade, especially if we could use these great processors to play high-resolution FLAC files. If Denon fixes that, then this unit coupled with a 250GB external hard drive would be the perfect media server. Sit back and call up 600 CD's worth of music from the remote control.

Still, as it is now, if you're having a party and know the songs you want to hear, just load a bunch of MP3's in the same folder on a thumb drive, plug it into the Denon, set it to random, and you're good for hours of music with no CD's to fuss about.

For and free shipping, this unit is a great value.

Edited to add: the HDMI signal is actually louder when listening in 2 channel. I've discovered the one main advantage to putting out 2 channel music through the HDMI cable (rather than just the analog cables) is that it includes the subwoofer in the mix (so it's really 2.1 channel). So, you have all the versatility you could want for your own particular system.

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I had an opportunity to pick up one of these as an open box at Best Buy for a great price, so I decided to replace my Sony BDP-S580 in my AV system. I wasn't wild about the SQ from the Sony model and I have a collection of both SACD and DVD-A discs the Denon is a universal disc spinner (i.e. it plays everything).

As it was an open box model, I had to 'reset' the system to erase the Best Buy demo account settings, but the System menu has a nice feature to 'reinitialize' the unit, as well as to de-authorize the Netflix account. Right away, I was asked to upgrade the unit. That went smoothly, but a second upgrade was required, which I have to manually check for (I suspect that eventually, I would have been prompted after the first update).

The updates make all the difference for this review if you read the reviews on Amazon and/or any of the AV forums (I am active on AVS), you will know about the horrendous issues with this device, prior to the updates. For example, not powering back on after switching to standby. Anyway, I had no problems using this unit over the weekend to play discs of all types (DVD, BD, SACD, DVD-A everything worked fine). Update and you can ignore the previous reviews about quality issues.

Blu-ray Playback I was pleased with the video quality with both BD and DVD playback. The BD playback looks as good as anything I've seen (from my experience, all of the current generation BD players play Blu-ray discs with similar and stunning picture quality). I watched the new Blu-ray release of Alien and was really impressed with the image (nice transfer, BTW, for that film).

DVD Playback I was satisfied, if not impressed. I have looked at a number of spinners and this unit has pretty good DVD upscaling. I don't have a large panel a 32" Samsung LED/LCD) that I sit about five feet away from so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. However, I have a critical eye and I haven't seen *any* DVD upscaling that I was really impressed with there is just too much missing information on a standard definition video and there is no pixie dust that will correct for that, IMHO.

I will say this: the Denon DVD upscaling was noticeably "better" than what I was used to watching on my Sony BDP-S580 fewer artifacts, less fuzzy but not really sharp either. There are controls to adjust the image (BNR, MNR, et al.) but I never felt the need to play with these. I watched "Underworld" on SD DVD and after a few minutes forgot I was watching a DVD something that never happened with my Sony unit. I also watched "Fish Tank" on SD DVD (a newer release in 4:3) and loved the look of the image.

DVD-A Playback wow... this is where this device earned its pay. I have a small collection of DVD Audio discs and I've never heard the high-resolution layer on these discs. I have a Yamaha RX-V667 with Klipsch Reference speakers (RB 61 II/RC 62 II) and I cranked Metallica's Black Album to reference volume. Yeah... this spinner does a nice job of transporting bitstreamed audio for high-res music via LPCM.

SACD Playback again, the Denon was able to read and transport DSD to my AVR and it sounded wonderful. My SACD collection is almost all classical, however, and my listening system upstairs does a much nicer job the Klipsch speakers are incredible for movies and Metallica; not great for Hillary Hahn (you can read my review of the RB 61 II for more details).

Device Build and Noise Issues well, I guess you get what you pay for (and I didn't pay much for this box). The box looks nice, like a real AV component and the display and buttons are easy to see/use (unlike my previous Sony). However, the box is surprisingly light when you pick it up. And, all of that empty cabinet space resonates / amplifies internal mechanical sounds. On the positive side, the spinning disc sounds are minimal less than my Sony, which had been driving my crazy. On the negative side, the fan noise and the sound of the laser tracking is louder than I've ever heard on a Blu-ray player. It's infrequent and acceptable, I guess, but something that could have been corrected with some internal buffering material.

Usability Issues OK, some negatives here: activating 1080p/24 play back took some time to figure out (not on by default), in addition to the 'Auto' HDMI setting (which was also not on by default). These are settings that should be enabled by default and I had to read manual to turn these features on. My Sony, on the other hand, had an 'Auto' setting for just about everything. Lastly, the 'Media Player' is almost unusable, due to lack of responsiveness.

Don't buy this player for external (USB or DLNA playback); buy this player because it is a great universal disc spinner at an attractive price.

Bought this Blu-Ray player as an upgrade (Sony BDP-S500) hoping for faster load times on Blu-Ray's,I did get what I wanted,

but was missing optical and 5.1/7.1 analog outputs. Loading time is faster than my 3 year old Sony,Picture/Audio quality is just about the same as well,

the CD tray is nothing like it used to be on DENON,it's super thin and and bends crazy (would not recommended if you have toddlers who can reach it).

It will play DVD Video in no time but when it comes to Blu-Ray it will load fast but with one very annoying feature,

the player is giving out a high pitched buzz that messes up all the quiet scenes in the movie. Remote controller is nothing like Sony wish it was,

Denon has one of the worst remote controller of any high end machine.

DENON 2 Decades ago was something else,they were not cheap like today for a purpose, you could not buy cheap made DENON like today.

I still own old Denon components that sill work today like out of box from dates when DVD's did not exist.

The old Japanese Godzilla machines with gold plated connectors were just about bulletproof,something you can't expect today.

Compaq iPAQ 3650 Color Pocket PC

I've had my IPAQ for several months now and am extremely satisfied with it. Over that time I've learned a few things that might be helpful to to other users, so rather than write another general review, I thought I would post a few suggestions on this, especially for those that may be making the transition from the Palm platform to the iPAQ, (as I did).

The iPAQ saves individual Notes that you make in the sub-directory where you create them in the Notes app area. This results in them initially having a name such as "Work1, Work2, etc. (i.e., if you have a Note directory called Work). This is not very helpful so you have to rename them by doing a "tap and hold" on the file name, and giving it the new name. Otherwise you end of with lots of Notes with non-descript names with numbers at the end. Not too helpful.

For better power management, watch the screen brightness setting which you set from the Settings menu. You can also hit the "Q" button and pop up the Q menu and get to it from there. A lot of times you can reduce the backlight setting and save power and extend battery life. Otherwise running it at the highest intensity you'll only have about 3 hours. Also, in direct sunlight, where the iPAQ works great but the Palm and Casio units wash out totally, you can set it on "power save" mode

If you use the digital recorder function, be careful what you have the settings here. The iPAQ will record anywhere from 8,000 Hz, Mono, 2KB/sec, to 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, stereo, 172 KB/sec. You'll find that even the 22,050 Hz, stereo settings will cause even short notes to take up 300K of space. After a few of these you're out of memory and you'll wonder why. The default setting of 8-bit mono is okay so I just leave it there.

This setting is also hard to find and can be found under Settings\Personal\Input\Options.

I've found my iPAQ to be the best of the Pocket PCs out there. Hope these suggestions help.

You have heard by now that a new class of handhelds the PocketPCs have hit the market and selling like hotcakes. You have probably even decided that you would rather go with a PocketPC than a Palm because you use Windows at work and home and feel happy with MSWord, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and the whole kit-n-kaboodle. What you cannot decide is which one of these to buy they all rate so high! Well, for good reason. Faster processors and simpler WindowsCE system are making these eminently powerful and useful.

Price: Cassiopeia E-115 and Jornada 548 are both ~ $600 (if you go for the 16 M RAM, the price drops, but I don't recommend it). iPAQs are cheaper at ~ $500.

Processors: Cassiopeia (MIPS) and Jornada (SH3) processors are about the same speed (131 MHz) but Cassiopeia is a 64 bit processor. iPAQ has a StrongArm processor running at 206 MHz and noticeably faster.

Expandability: Cassiopeia comes with a Type II Compact Flash slot. This means you can put any compact flash cards out there, including the snazzy 1 inch IBM-microdrives that store upto 340 MB of data. Jornada comes with a Type I slot which means it cannot accomodate type II cards or the IBM-drive. iPAQ needs to add an expansion "jacket" to allow any cards. It is an innovative design that allows the main unit to be smaller but you have to carry more components if you want to lug around more data or music.

Display: Only Cassiopeia has a true 16 bit display (65000 colors). iPAQ and Jornada are both 12 bit (1000 colors). Can you make out the difference mostly not, unless you are looking at photographs.

Size: Cassiopeia is bulky and comes in at 9 oz. It does not have a hard top so it needs to be carried in a soft case that comes along. Jornada unit is about as bulky as Cassiopeia, but it comes with a hard top so the total package (unit and case) is definitely less bulky. iPAQ wins hands down with a Palm like form factor.

Bottom Line: If you need dislay, multimedia capabilities and expandability buy a Cassiopeia. Looking for a sleeker option with decent built-in expansion options buy a Jornada. You need speed and sleek look not farther than an iPAQ (remeber you need a separate jacket at times).

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For those of you are trying to find this very hard to get PDA, Keep in mind that the H3650 and H3630 are the same device. The H3630 model is sent to direct re-salers (i.e. Best Buy, Circuit City, Comp USA, etc), and the H3650 is sent to the online retailers. However, I've noticed on-line that you will see both. I've called compaq to confirm this. Good luck, and good shopping! I've been sold!

Read Best Reviews of Compaq iPAQ 3650 Color Pocket PC Here

NOTICE: The IPAQ does not support "Open Host Control" USB.

To check this out right click mycomputer->properties->Device Manager, then look under the USB icon.

If you have that kind of USB you will not be able to sync with the IPAQ through usb. I have been syncing with a serial since and it is terrible. It takes approximately 30 min. to sync an mp3, and at least 20 min. to sync avantgo. If you have an open host controller USB I would not advise getting the IPAQ.

Overall, I have to say that I am very happy with my IPAQ since I can sync at work with a USB.

I have owned the palm IIIc and the Handspring Prism. First the Prism, simply, not worth the money. The only advantage of the prism over the IIIc is the expansion port but the components are so expensive that it isn't worth it. So given the choice I would choose the IIIc over the prism. The screens for all intents and purposes are equal and you will not be able to tell the difference most of the time. My primary reason for getting the IPAQ over any palm type device would be the unit's speaker. I purchased all of my pda's to make sure that I am on schedule but the palm type devices don't have a loud enough speaker to warn me of a meeting. The IPAQ is loud, extremely loud. I also found the palm type devices to be somewhat limiting. In approximately one day you will know the entire machine and you will also know that, that is about all you can do with it. However, on the other had the IPAQ is way more complicated to use and to set up but I feel that if there is something unique that I need to do it will be able to do it.

Before buying the IPAQ I read many reviews and many of them said that Compaq's service was terrible. I must say that I do not agree. As a matter of fact I found there service to be A++ and the operators to be extremely polite and patient.

Also DO NOT buy this unit to play mp3's. It will be maxed out in about 4 standard mp3's because the IPAQ allocates part of it's memory for running programs so in reality you only have about 14 mgs of space to work with for your files. Also don't plan on upgrading the memory for the ipaq since the 64 meg cards cost $310 + $50 (prices from Compaq) for the expansion jacket.

One more note about the available software. There is not as much available software for the IPAQ (or any other PocketPc) as for the Palm devices. So if you want to do something highly specialized plan on spending more money after you get your pocketpc.

I know that I gave alot of cons and little if any pros, eventhough I said I was happy with my unit. I did this primarly because when you are spending [this much] on anything, the cons are way more important.

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I've had the Palm V for about a year before I was able to buy this Ipaq 3650. The Ipaq is really awesome! Compared to the Palm V, here are some of the positive and negative sides:

Positive:

-This beats the Palm in almost every way possible. Clear and bright screen that is perfectly viewable in sunlight. Not to mention that it's also crisp color as well. The brightness is totally adjustable and there's even a sensor that you can set so it will automatically adjust the brightness accordingly. Very cool.

-The hotsync speed blows away the Palm. What's also very nice is that it can dynamically sync with your Outlook mail, contacts, calendar, notes, etc. If you have the Ipaq already connected in the cradle and you're sorting and deleting your email on your desktop, the Ipaq will instaneously synchronize every delete/add that you make on your desktop. With the Palm, you have to press the hotsync button everytime or schedule a hotsync. With the Ipaq, you just plug it in and forget about it.

-The integrated Windows Media Player is awesome. It's basically an integrated Mp3 player that can play any mp3. You now have music on the go and plus you can plug in headphones to your Ipaq, and listen to your music at work.

-You can also record with the built-in microphone your voice or voice reminders

-Everything with Outlook Contacts, Emails, Calendar appears the exact same way as it does on your Ipaq.

-Very accurate Handwriting recognition. One of the best selling points for the Apple PDA is now available for the Ipaq. Same technology and accuracy that the Newtons run on.

-With the Palm V, you're limited to the amount of memory you can store of only 2MB or 8MB if you have the Vx. With the Compact Flash Card, you can store up to whatever your compact flash can hold. Currently, it's at 1GB. That's a lot of mp3s.

-Overall, it looks very cool (Matrix silver) and it's the fastest and most top of the line PocketPC you can buy out there on the market. And because it's so hard to get, it just raises the cool factor even higher. =)



Some of the negative sides

-Doesn't come with a serial cable. So people running NT have to purchase this cable separately.

-Size. It is a little bulkier than the sleek Palm V, but it still fits in my pocket and I can carry it in my bag.

-Accessories are hard to find and anything related to this item (including the Ipaq itself) is hard to find. Too bad a hard cover case isn't available yet for this. I'm still looking btw.

-Software. There's much more third party software out there available for Palm than there is for PocketPC. Go figure...Palm owns 70% marketshare for PDAs. This will slowly change.



Overall...the Ipaq is very nice. If you can afford one and find one available, I really suggest this as a very good strong buy.

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Vivitar VT328P 12.1MP HD Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Black)

The touch screen is a tease. There are only four touch buttons on the side of the screen you can press. Along with two other hard buttons it makes for a cumbersome navigation of the settings and zoom. It's also hard to take self pics as a finger or part of your hand will enevitably hit one of the touch buttons.

It's also not very click and shootable. You have to hold down the shutter at least until it's done focusing which can take from two to five seconds otherwise it will not take a picture. When it does take a picture there is no quick preview.

There is no way to turn off the "squeek" for each button press. There is no sound in movie mode. The flash setting ALWAYS resets back to no flash which isn't a bad thing as using the flash somehow makes everything either darker or extremely washed out.

I purchased this camera for my daughter for x-mas and she ended up hating this camera for the below average quality of the pictures and the main reason, there is NO SOUND when recording video! I thought there was something wrong with it until I called the manufacturer and they confirmed it has no mic. The description on amazon and on vivtars website does not state this.(very misleading) It confuses me why someone would make a camera with video but no sound..? Thankfully J&R Electronics let me exchange it for another camera since it was within 30 days of purchase. Very disappointed by Vivitar. Whos big idea was it to put this thing in stores without a sound feature... WOW

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I got this camera as a Christmas present as my Fujifilm digital camera was becoming outdated and wasn't functioning properly. The hubby thought he was doing well, getting a good deal on a nice camera. Well, I don't think it will be long before we upgrade. My first issue is that there is NO internal memory, you have to have a SD card before you can even start taking photos. The pictures I took on Christmas were in a home with basic incandescent lighting, and they turned out either incredibly dark or crazy neon bright when I changed the flash settings. There are a ton of settings, however, I have not used many of them with much success. I had several pictures turn out quite blurry, even though the camera boasts an anti-shake setting. It takes AAA batteries, and uses them up QUICKLY, no possibility of recharging. I did take a video that turned out OK. I do like that it has a multi-pic setting that allows you to take 7 photos in quick succession as the action is going on in front of you. I also like that it has the potential to link to your favorite social networking websites, Myspace, Facebook, photobucket etc. However, I have yet to see this work, the disc that came with the camera does not register my internet connection therefore I have not successful saved the software onto my computer (yep, you can't even set up the software without the internet connection, super). Hopefully as I experiment and learn more about the camera's settings and potential, it will work better for me. But, I will not be holding my breath....

Read Best Reviews of Vivitar VT328P 12.1MP HD Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Black) Here

From the very beginning this camera was VERY disappointing-Don't waste your money..it may look like it has good features, but it's a very short lasting, cheap camera.

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The touch screen feature is very user friendly and sleek. The anti-shake feature does not always perform up to part and facial recognition doesn't seem to work very often. Overall it is a good value.

VXI-Voice It VT90 Personal Note Digital Voice Recorder

My husband and I own three of these. They are great for those of us who are "memory challenged." My husband is a real estate broker and he keeps one in his car to record property listing phone numbers and addresses (for lease/sale signs). I keep mine on the visor to remind myself of the things I think of while I am sitting in traffic! I also use it for my grocery/shopping lists.

I also taped the instructions on the back of mine (a previous reviewer did the same). My only dissatisfaction with mine is that the cover for the battery case kept popping off so I taped it closed. This recorder is thin and lightweight and is very easy to use.

With a life on the run, and a mind that runs away, I find myself always in need of a scrap of paper and a pen to jot down fleeing thoughts. "Voice It" has helped simplified my beleaguered world by giving me the quick ability to capture my retreating memories. Now, when I have a `brain burp', and need to remember that which I will undoubtable forget, I just grab this little black device, punch record, and retain that brilliant thought that will bring forth the next great invention for our generation like "buy T.P.."

The VT90 is a solid performer, and the battery life has improved significantly over the first models. The sound quality is adequate, its playback volume (though not adjustable) is sufficient and the microphone sensitivity is appropriate. I like the layout of the buttons. They are tactical and easily felt when driving or in the dark of night. I often leave my VT90 by my bed side where I can reach pick it up and capture my last thought before sleep. I also found the "Voice It" to be a great device for recording your dreams in the middle of the night.

In the earlier models of "Voice It" the batteries were difficult to find (AAAA), expensive and last only a few weeks; now ""Voice It"" has been designed to use four lithium batteries (included) and they can last for a month or two.

I commend "Voice It" for all those with porous memories, those looking for a very small, easy to use pocket record. Recommended

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I used to have a different model by Voice It that used AAAA batteries (yes, that's 4 A's), but I finally stopped using it because they were too hard to find. One day my neighbor, a steel construction foreman, and I were talking about how great they are, and told him that I don't use mine anymore. He gave me an old one of his, a VT90, whose battery door kept falling off. I went down and picked up some new ones and taped the door shut with packing tape. That was over 6 months ago, and it's still doing pretty well.

I find the 90 second total record time pretty short, but this is still OK for helping you to remember those fleeting ideas as you're driving along and just can't jot it down. It fills up fast for me, so I keep my messages brief, just enough to remind myself of them later.

The sound quality is decent, but not great. After a couple of times spending 10 minutes or more struggling to decipher earlier reminders, I replay messages right after recording them to make sure they're intelligible. Sometimes I have to re-record them, but that whole operation still only takes a few seconds.

The mike pickup is good. You don't have to hold it close to your mouth. You can use it without taking your hands off the steering wheel or your eyes the road. It's simple to use, and with just a little practice you're an expert. I never needed to read any instructions.

If you want to use this to ramble on about screenplays, or keep a personal journal, don't get this. But for the price, it's a good little tool to give yourself quick reminders, and it's very easy to use.

PS: The batteries cost me about $... total at K-Mart. I recommend a little tape on the door -if it slips out of your pocket, the door comes off, and the batteries pop out, all your voice notes gone forever.

Read Best Reviews of VXI-Voice It VT90 Personal Note Digital Voice Recorder Here

This is a great little voice recorder to have! It is handy in situations where it would be impractical or impossible to jot down notes. The voice recorder is quite small and lightweight. It is quite user friendly. The sound quality is excellent. This is the nicest voice recorder I ever had!

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I have carried the VT-90 for over 6 years and only needed to change the batteries (the lithium type) twice. I recently misplaced the unit and have been LOST without my quick and easy note taker. I use it while on the hands-free cell phone while driving to repeat numbers or important phrases given to me in conversation. At meetings or receptions I use it to record contact names and/or numbers. I use it to record phone numbers, www.addresses or other information from radio or billboard ads. It is very easy to carry with me all the time to jot down those momentary thoughts, ideas or "oh my gosh-things I need to do stuff". As a quick verbal note pad it can't be beat. I generally capture my notes later on my To-do list....it was easy to find a replacement on Amazon!

Megapixel HD Wireless Spy Camera Hidden Pinhole LENS In RADIO ALARM CLOCK @ Night Vision @ Wi-Fi IP

Bought this Camera Clock after doing a search on variety of products offered on the web, and I'm really impressed with the performance so far.

Got it today in the mail and installed it really quickly (the company provided a very user friendly installation guide, took me about 5 minutes).

The hole for the pinhole camera is basically invisible, and the clock looks like another clock radio on the market.

Once I got the product I gave a call to the company and asked a tech question unrelated to this particular product but in the field of video cameras and they helped out very rare to see a service team help out when it's not their product they're talking about. The tech person was super helpful.

American Recorder DSCK-120 Digital Sensor Cleaning Kit for Kodak DCS, Fuji S1/S2 and Canon 1D

I tried this sensor cleaner only to leave streaks all over my sensor, and lens. Maybe I used it wrong, but I don't think so.

It is supposed to be streak free, but my results were not, and it was not due to a super dirty sensor/filter.

I just don't think this product works.

I own a Nikon D50. I have had this camera for about one year and it has got dust on the sensor over time. I tried to use a Q-tip to clean it and this made worse. Then I found this product. I was suspicious at first. When I received it, I tried it on my camera immediately. I followed the instructions and gave it a few tries. It worked. Now the sensor is clean.

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I bought a Canon 30D and love it. After a couple months I started adding lenses to my equipment list which meant changing lenses occasionaly. Even though I am very careful I found that I was getting some debris built up on my sensor. I noticed it mostly when I was taking pictures outdoors with a fair amount of blue sky in the field of view. I was freaked out at first thinking that I'd have to send in the camera for service. After some google searching I found that this is very common for DSLRs and came across this dital sensor cleaning kit. It's extremely easy to use and the provided swabs fit the sensor on my Canon 30D perfectly. I highly recommend the kit to anyone using a DSLR.

Read Best Reviews of American Recorder DSCK-120 Digital Sensor Cleaning Kit for Kodak DCS, Fuji S1/S2 and Canon 1D Here

Sony CDP-CX300 MegaStorage 300-CD Changer

• Internal storage for 300 discs
• CD Text automatically displays disc and track names (with compatible CDs)
• Delete Bank remembers tracks you'd rather skip
• Advanced MegaStorage control for a second CD changer
• Disc Memo display shows titles for 600 CDs

I just got one of these from Amazon. It arrived on-time and undamaged. Thanks Amazon! So far it is amazing, though I have my work cut out for me typing in all the titles to 300 CDs, good thing I can use a keyboard. One misleading thing about the above description is that this unit does not come with a remote which has an LCD display. I am a little disappointed about this since I was looking forward to that feature. Amazon please correct the description. Other than that I love it. Great price too!

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I needed a CD changer, and was deliberating between a 5 disc changer and one of the newer 300 disc changers. In the end I decided to go with the Sony CX-300 as it's a great bargain, and since it was a Sony like my receiver (STR DB-930) I could use my receiver's remote to view the disc titles. (just like the remote that comes with the more expensive CX-350)

The unit isn't as tall as I expected, maybe twice the height of a normal CD player, though it is very deep (~18"). It feels sturdy and solid, and looks like it ought to last a while. Loading CD's and entering their titles (as others have said, CD-Text does not seem widely adopted at all, so don't count on this to save you time) was painless, provided you hook up your PC keyboard to do so. I loaded about 60 CD's in 20 minutes without any problems.

The controls on the player are nice, it uses two main knobs to control what disc and track is playing. You also use these knobs to enter in titles for CD's if not using a keyboard, which works relatively well if you're just adding one CD at a time.

You can assign each CD to a group, and name that group. For example, I have a group containing all my Sting and Police albums. You can then have the player shuffle all the discs in that group seperately, or just play through them all. Like all the other jukeboxes I've seen, the CX-300 allows CD's to belong to only one group, which is somewhat annoying. However, it's easy to move discs to different groups, so if you want to arrange a group of CD's for a dinner party or whatnot, you can do so in a couple minutes.

The remote is plain but functional, it appears that it will control 3 of these units daisy chained together. (I need a lot more CD's to make this worthwhile however)

One caveat for those planning on using this player with an A1 compatible receiver as I am. My receiver (Sony STR-DB930) automatically switches to the CD RCA input when it get's the 'play' signal from the CD changer. Unfortunatly, this leads to somewhat lower quality than the digital input, but if you plan on being able to view the titles of CD's, you need to allow for this. I've gotten around it by connecting both the optical digital input and RCA jacks. Once I get the player going on the music I want (and once you get it going you don't need to touch it for hours at a time) I switch the input on my receiver to the optical cable for the best sound. This is an inconvenience, and I'm not sure why Sony designed things this way, but it's a relatively minor one for the gadget factor of being able to see the CD titles on my remote.

I would highly recommend one of the newer jukebox players like the CX300. You'll end up listening to music you had long forgotten about, without any repetition, and with less wear and tear on the discs themselves. I just press play and go about my business these days, and the player chugs along feeding me good tunes... that's how it should be.

Read Best Reviews of Sony CDP-CX300 MegaStorage 300-CD Changer Here

This is an excellent addition to my stereo system. Despite being a large unit, this 300 CD changer has saved me SO much space--I have said goodbye to jewel boxes forever. I love the grouping and 'hit list' features that allow you to arrange your discs in easily accessible and discernable categories. My one complaint--don't be fooled by the "CD Text" feature which claims to automatically enter data from 'equipped' discs. In fact, only about 5 of my 275+ CDs are so equipped. Be prepared to type those titles in yourself. But that's a small complaint. As the other reviewer said, this unit does NOT come with the remote with LCD display. It is the Sony CDP-CX-350 that does, for $ more.

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I have had the same CD player (Denon, single disc)since 1988. It was a great player, but doesn't even play in the random mode. It has been repaired once or twice and is in need again. It was time for new equipment. After researching online and in person, I stayed within my budget and purchased the Sony CDP CX300. I love this machine! I have about 260 CD's of many types of music. All CDs are now loaded and labeled in the player, arranged in groups and ready to program or play in random/shuffle mode. I love doing that! All those years of music, randomly playing a tune from here and there. As one reviewer above said, you hear tunes you forgot you had. I can't say enough. Is it a perfect player with every option I want? No...but I don't think that one is available yet...and if it was, It would be at a steep price. I paid $289 for mine and feel I got quite a piece of equipment for the price. It will certainly change the way you listen to your collection. I highly recommend this player. I also suggest going to the Sony website to find out more about the specs. There is a link to Sony on this page. Have fun and happy tunage!

I got one of these about 2 years ago. I chucked all my jewel cases and got my shelf space back. I love the random play and being able to ban disliked tracks. It survived a move and spending 8 months in storage (by the way, it remembered all the disc information that I had typed in.) Recommeded -keep a computer listing of all your cds with title, artist, group, and slot number just in case. It also makes it easy to print out differently organized directories.

I've read in other reviews of newer models that people have had problems with the unit scratching their CDs. I've had most of my CDs in this unit since I bought it in the late 1990's, and none of my CDs have become scratched.

Bad news:

I had problems typing the cd information in -I had to type super-slow or the "MegaStorage" wouldn't register the chars. (Update: I think the difficulty in entering information with a keyboard was due to the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard. I used a cheapo keyboard to enter some new CDs and had no problems except an occasional CAPS LOCK toggle.)

Also, be very careful in moving it around -all my cds fell over inside the unit during my move.

And could the remote control have any more buttons???

Olympus VN-480 Digital Voice Recorder

I pick up my VN-480PC by OLYMPUS and I begin to record. It's just that simple.

WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT IT: Great Benefits!

The record quality at HQ is far more superior then what I had.

I can download it to my PC, send it via email or upload it to my website.

The Display screen is bigger, clear and easy to read.

The construct of the recorder is sturdy with a strong plexi-glass overlay on the front to offer good protection for the screen.

The batteries are locked in tight and don't move around like my old RS digital recorder. Moving batteries can blow your recording especially when you're trying to record a motivational presentation and that really smarts.

One more great thing I like about the VN-480PC is the fact that it won't allow you to erase so easily. After you press the erase button you actually have to press YES or No to erase and you even use separate buttons to do so (YESSSssss). You might think this is more cumbersome but I'll explain why this is a great feature to have below.

Why is this important...I'll give you two reasons

1. My other digital recorder did not have a separate button for erase and I think having a separate button makes it easier for you to avoid erasing on accident.

2. Because pressing one button by accident is so unforgiving. As a result of only having one button on my old digital recorder to press (I'd press it for one second to erase my current recording or I'd press it for 3 seconds to erase a whole folder worth of recordings). Well you guessed it I erased a whole 89 separate recordings of songs it took me 6 months to record because I pressed it too long.

With my new OLYMPUS VN-480PC this just can't happen. Now this erase mode allows me to walk away with peace of mind I could not ever develop with my old digital recorder. I like my VN-480PC and if you get one I hope you like yours too.

WHY DIDN'T I GIVE IT 5 STARS...One reason I did not give it 5 stars is because although the record quality on High is great (and I really mean that) the record quality on low has much to be desired. So I recommend you either record High or Medium unless you want a sound quality like old radio.

Bought this recorder over a year ago and use it for an average of 15 hours per week to record school lectures. I love the fact that I can down load it to my computer nightly and have it ready to record again the next day. I can put each of my classes into a separate folder and each lecture is stamped with the date and time. The only problem I have had is in a classroom where the air conditioner has been on and I have been closer to it then the instructor this makes the recording very unclear. I would suggest to sit as close to the speaker as possible or at least not sitting where there is a lot of background noise.

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I'm sure that Olympus VN-480PC is great voice recorder, but this is usual Olympus VN-480 (don't understand why people put here reviews about PC, but ok).

I got this recorder from my dad, who never knows what he buys main it was cheap. First i was very glad with this recorder. In box was instruction, recorder itself and a cable (!). I made some records and wanted to transfer it to my comp. Well, doesn't matter what i wanted, but it don't works.

I searched for all possible and impossible information about this recorder in all 5 languages i know, but all i found was also forums where people had the same problem that me. Why the hell they put cable then? So i just gave up and sold this recorder.

Sound was ok, but also not perfect.

So, if you wanna connect recorder to comp you need PC version, if you

not gonna use comp then this is your voice recorder.

Read Best Reviews of Olympus VN-480 Digital Voice Recorder Here

SD5300 Toshiba SD5300 DVD Player SD5300

• 1080p Upconversion via HDMI
• Progressive Scan
• Plays DVD, DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, SVCD, DivX
• 3D Virtual Surround Sound
• DivX Home Theater Certified

Recently moved to another state and wanted a DVD player in my spare room, which I use as an office. This Toshiba DVD player was ideal, lightweight, thin, functional and so easy to operate, even for those of us who were not born in the electronic age. Forgot to mention, the price was RIGHT.

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WORKS FINE. REMOTE BUTTONS ARE A LITTLE SMALL FOR OLDER EYES .

ON SCREEN MENUS ARE GOOD. SEEMS LIKE A QUALITY UNIT, TIME WILL TELL

Sony DCR-DVD305 1MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom

Just received my Sony DVD305 a few days ago and am extremely satisfied. I have put this camera through the ringers, from Black and White, to Sepia, to Still Images, to Super Night Shots and I firmly believe this is the best camcorder I've ever owned! I was particularly impressed with the small size, yet the image stablizer really controls any shaking. The still images are fantastic for a 1 Mega Pixel camera.

You cannot go wrong with this camera, not to mention it was over $150.00 cheaper on Amazon than getting it from Best Buy, Circuity City, or Ultimate Electronics!

I bought the DCR-DVD305 after using a Hi8 Camcorder for a few years and a VHS Camcorder for many years before that. I would consider myself an "occassional" user and typically only pull out the camcorder to capture vacations, holidays, family events, sporting events, and trips to the local theater to watch friends and family perform. I spent countless hours researching camcorders online and in the stores before I purchased this and flipped back and forth between Hard Drive (bad), MiniDV and DVD models before I finally settled on DVD. That said here's some insight that I think would help other camcorder purchasers:

(1) DVD305 vs the competition: If you've been doing online research, you've probably found that most reviewers give the highest marks to two competing models: the Elura 100 and the Sony DCR-HC96. Both of those use the older MiniDV format and are said to have more bells and whistles, better low light filming conditions, and longer filming times on one cassette, and better ability to edit films on the PC. I managed to borrow both of those models from friends and try them out before I bought the DVD305 and truthfully I didn't see much difference. Maybe a serious filmmaker can tell the difference, but an occassional home user won't be able to.

(2) Edit on a PC I've seen some other reviews here where the reviewer said they couldn't edit their movies on their PC. I have Windows 2000 and a USB2.0 port and didn't have any issues. I used the included sony software to download the movie to my PC, used 3rd party software to edit, then burned my edited movie back to a new DVD using the camcorder (yes...you can use this camcorder as a DVD burner when it's attached to the PC with the included USB cable). I'm guessing the other reviewer didn't read the help files that come with the software.

(3) DVD vs MiniDV I've heard that MiniDV is a better quality medium and can record for longer than a DVD. As far as quality goes, I couldn't tell any difference in the quality between the two. The MiniDV does record longer, but they also cost about twice as much as the DVDs and they're much bulkier to carry. So for me, I prefered the low cost of the DVDs the ability to put about 10 of them in a tiny little case in the front pouch of my camcorder bag (imagine putting 10 MiniDV tapes in a bag it would fill the whole bag up!!!). Also, if you want to share your movies with friends, you'll need to transfer MiniDVs to DVD anyway. Going straight to DVD removes the need to purchase a DVD recorder.

(4) Size All of the models were about the same size. If you're trying to figure out how big this camcorder is, imagine a US dollar bill. The 305 is about as long as dollar bill and an inch or so taller. The 305 does feel a little awkward to hold, but the same is true for all of the small camcorders.

(5) Low light Seriously, I'm not sure what all the fuss is around low-light. I filmed in lowlight conditions with the 305 just fine. The viewfinder does appear a little grainy in really low light, but the film looked just fine. And think of it...how often are you filming in the dark?

Overall...my advice is this. If you're an occassional user, stop reading the reviews and buy this camcorder. You'll be VERY happy you did!

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I wasn't planning on buying it already, but I had a few margarita's for lunch. Came home with it, and was quite pleased. It worked out of the box!

When my kids came home, we played with it. Low light, full light, it was set for the widescreen, which looks funny on the tv, so I have to set it for the smaller screen I have. That's ok. The widescreen may look better on my computer monitor, so I will withhold judgement here.

I do wish the batter could work longer. You will have to buy an extra battery if you plan on doing any filming away from a power source for any amount of time.

I also wish it came with a disk, like my sony camera did. But that's minor.

So far I'm pleased with my purchase. It's intuitive to use, and I love the touch screen controls. I used it, played with it, changed settings before I read the manual.

I will be back again later to update if anything comes up!

Read Best Reviews of Sony DCR-DVD305 1MP DVD Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom Here

Purchased this product in August and three days later got on a plane for a family vacation in Mexico.

The thing that became apparent straight out the box is the ease of use of this camera..despite the rather daunting manual that comes with the machine. We wanted a DVD based machine for the ease of shooting and straight into the PC without the use of cables and this machine couldn't be easier to use.

The menus are intuitive and rational making first movies very simple. Formatting the disc is a simple and pain free operation as is finalizing prior to viewing on a PC then it's straight into the computer for any editing or simple viewing pleasure.

Colors are great as is the detail at least in daytime, beach and sunny locations as we haven't had the desire to take night video.

The camera also does still shots but since this isn't why I bought it I won't critique their quality which is obviously not as good as the 7MP pocket still camera we throw in our bag.

All in all very happy with the purchase and at a great price!

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This is a very good DVD Camcorder. I have decided to go for DVD-305 instead of 205 just because it has USB connectivity where you can transfer your recordings to a PC/Laptop for editing. You can also use your camcorder as a DVD writer by connecting to USB port. This camcorder is really great if you are looking for mid budget camcorder.

DIRECTV Plus DWO2-10021 HD DVR (Lease)

I agree with most of the posts here about the garbage that is the HR20, but it has improved greatly since October. Nevertheless, it si so unreliable that I had to get DirecTV to re-connect my 5 year old TiVo (for free) to catch all the programs this thing misses. They have sent out numerous updates, but it seems that they are spending more time enabling features to make the thing appear to be better than TiVo rather than addressing basic recording (that's what a DVR is for right?). It is like a high end car with an awesome stereo, and brakes that don't work. I nearly left DirecTV over this thing, and I've been with them since 1995!

Being a long-term TiVo user (including 2 D* HD TiVos) I kept my expectations low and I actually figured I could adjust to this DVR, given some positive aspects. I don't think the interface is as good as TiVo's, but it is adequate.

I've had it two months, and things keep getting worse. Sometimes recordings don't record, for no reason. About 3 weeks ago our HD locals started dropping out for a few days at a time. The first technician sent out was incapable of debugging this problem. We learned later that the satellite dish wasn't set up right to begin with and it took numerous calls, emails, and two tech visits before they did a simple 2-minute alignment to get us signals in the 90's on the HD locals, which got rid of the pixelation and frequent non-availability.

Another BIG problem is the reliability of the unit. Lots of lockups requiring unplugging or a red-button restart, both of which take perhaps 8-10 minutes to recover from.

1-800 Tech Support has been poor. If you can get through to a "specialist", they aren't bad. But the advice just seems to be "do a full reset" (i.e., a total reset including removing all of your series links & existing recordings). When we tell D* that this is unsat, they offer a replacement REFURBISHED unit! With no additional warranty that is, I've already had my unit two months, so they would only give me one month on a refurbished unit. Who's to say that the replacement unit abused by someone else is any better than what I already have?

If you luck out and get a dependable unit, it's really not that bad. But the poor quality and customer support warrant only one star maybe less, but I can't do less than 1 star.

*** Update June 16, 2007 *** Thankfully, this DVR is functioning much better now. I've only had to reset it once in the last month. While I prefer the TiVo interface, this has some different capabilities when it works properly, I can live with it just fine. It's a bit ironic that the problems seemed to stop as soon as I started to pay $6 a month for the service plan. :-) If I were to rate it now, I might give it 3 stars.

*** Update Nov 27, 2008 *** With time, software updates with new features have made this a much better & more dependable unit. I STILL miss some of TiVo's features but I'm happy enough as long as I don't need to contact DIRECTV for any help. Most interactions, whether via email or phone, are quite frustrating. I'd give it a solid 3 stars now.

*** Update April 2010 *** A few weeks ago, my ENTIRE series manager was deleted, right after a software upgrade. UGH.

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Don't waste your time and money with this unit or Direct TV go with what ever cable company is in your area. They lied to me and stole my money and time. I had to send the DVR back to them 4 times, 4 and it still doesn't work. I have to reset it daily, the HD picture is not that great, and the record function doesn't work most of the time. So I called Direct TV and ask them if they were coming out with a better version anytime soon and they said they were still trying to fix the problems with the current one. I told them I had returned mine 4 times and had been very patiant but was tired of wasting all my time calling them up and returning DVR only to have to do it over and over. Please give me my money back and let me out of my contract, they said no. They told me if I didn't want my DVR I should return it to who ever sold it to me 2 months earlier. This product should not be on the market.

Read Best Reviews of DIRECTV Plus DWO2-10021 HD DVR (Lease) Here

I have used Directtv for over 10 years and have been satisfied for the most part. But with this new HR-20 HD DVR Receiver, I find that I have a piece of JUNK. I am on my third receiver and I still have the same problems of LOCK UP and have to push the red button. This causes a complete reboot and then have to wait for all the programming to download again. JUNK!

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I have had no picture problems... but a buggy, buggy, incomplete piece of equipment so far:

freezing with the FWD/RWD/Pause while switching back and forth from the 2nd tuner to a recording program on the first tuner

Unit needs regular reboots (weekly, I'm thinking) to function at its best (which is still flaky)

I am definitely experiencing a "cutting in-and-out" of digital sound on (some) recorded HD programs (like the Orange Bowl recorded earlier tonight)

I've come back to my 'List' to watch an HD recording of an NFL game that NEVER would display to the screen... 3.5 hours of HD recording... all black screen (used 9% of the drive, so was using HD-type disk space)

"Pluses":

setup menu and product manual encourages me to think that connection to the unit from home network possible/easy

the Disk Space bar with '% full' didn't exist on my prior Series 2 TiVo (also through DirecTV) but I would have rated that (non-HD) box manufactured by Hughes at least 4 stars

Maybe firmware upgrades will make this non-BETA in the not-to-distant future and provide (promised) support for recording off-air local HD programming, not from the satellite, to the DVR... but I won't be holding my breath (this hope for firmware upgrades is the only reason for 2 stars over 1 stars).

NOTE: This is not TiVo like some of the older/prior non-DirecTV brand units available in past years (Series 2 TiVos)... losing TiVo ratings/suggestions/functionality does suck.

Frustrated and stuck with the only provider of the NFL Sunday Ticket... there is NO other reason I'm still with DirecTV (even though I have little/no complaints with customer service I've received from them).

2007-01-02

Update #1 (definitely upgraded to (at least) 3 stars):

There are a number of firmware upgrades that have been showing up on this DVR Plus in the past month... most importantly to me are stability enhancements and the ATSC tuners were activated (ability to record over-the-air HD programming via an HD antennae). The over-the-air channels (i.e., 3-1, 3-2) integrate right into to the Guide very nicely... HD PBS DVR recordings! Woo-hoo!!

To track these firmware upgrades I'd like to point out a great forum which discusses each update and when they have been made available to the techie geeks (forcible downloading firmware updates) as well as to the everyman via nation-wide, automatic downloading and installation of these updates. Amazon discourages links... but there is an incredibly helpful dot-com forum called dbstalk, with a forum specifically about the HR20 (#112):

DirecTV(tm) HR20 Q&A

And another about DirecTV software updates (#110) that is currently HEAVY with information about HR20 software updates:

DirecTV(tm) Software Release Notes Forum

2007-01-12

Samsung t239 Prepaid Phone, Charcoal (T-Mobile)

I'm looking at the Samsung T239 manual right now (pg. 60) and it certainly DOES vibrate. The other reviewer is referring only to the alarm. And while dedicated web and mail keys may seem unnecessary on a prepaid phone, where you wouldn't expect a lot of Internet access, this phone is also used with other types of T-Mobile plans.

One other thing. The product description has an error. While text messages on T-Moble's monthly plans are $0.20 to send and receive, on the prepaid plans they are $.10 to send and $.05 to receive. Go figure.

It's better and has more future then the older model sidekicks *The only smart phone I've ever owned* Battery life is great, looks good, plays games, you could use your own music for ringtones *Take that Sidekick* camera is great *and it could Zoom unlike another phone I used* You could change the plan on this phone at any time, free web browser *only could look at some random stuff, sports, and news* the list goes on and on... GREAT PRE-PAID PHONE!!

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I had bought this phone a few months ago to replace my old nokia phone. I wasn't looking for something extravagant, just something basic. This phone pretty much suited my needs.

Video and camera are all pretty much standard; nothing over the top. Some of the photos I shot came out a bit fuzzy but as I mentioned, I only wanted a basic phone. I didn't mind if the photos were not crystal-clear. However, the photos were not so blurry where you couldn't make out what was in the photo.

Volume is my only complaint I have about this phone. If I'm in a very noisy place, a restaurant, city, or wherever, and I'm trying to listen to someone, even when I have the volume on the highest setting, sometimes it's still very hard to hear what the other person says. This gets very frustrating.

All in all, I'm content with this samsung phone. People who are looking for a phone with a lot of extra features that some of the newer phones come with will not find much with this phone. Nevertheless, if you're looking for only a basic phone, this one will do the trick.

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I wanted a phone--not an alarm clock or a camera or anything fancy--just a phone and it certainly fits the bill. It is easy to use, has a long battery life, and is easily one of the best cell phones I have ever purchased. Plus, the T-Mobile prepaid cell phone plan is saving me a fortune. I should have done this years ago.

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This phone is actually decent to be inexpensive. The battery life is long. I think I just charged it once a week and that was it.

I have dropped it countless times and it has been alright. What makes it nice is that it is still kinda in style with the slider thing going on.

The only thing that I found sort of puzzling was the alarm system. With the older Samsung I had onced owned, I was able to set my alarm and actually turn off the phone. It would then turn itself on when the alarm would go off. That was really cool because I wasn't wasting the battery power while I slept. But with the SGH-T239, the feature for self alarm startup is not present. So when I set the alarm the phone has to be on all night wasting my battery life. Good thing it holds a good charge. I give it 3 stars for it's appearance, solid capabilities, and price.

JVC DRMV99B DVD Video Recorder & VHS Combo with Built-In ATSC Tuner

• Playable Formats: VHS Hi-Fi, DVD-Video, DVD-RW, DVD-R, +RW, +R, +R (Dual), CD, SVCD/VCD, CD-R/RW, WMA/MP3/JPEG Digital Still/DivX(R) (CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, +R/+RW)
• Recordable Formats: VHS Hi-Fi, DVD-RW, DVD-R, +RW, +R
• ATSC (Digital) Tuner: 8 VSB (2-69), Clear QAM (1-135)
• HDMI Output with 1080i/720p Up-Conversion (DVD/VHS)
• Progressive Scan Output

I don't love it, but I do like this recorder. I think if you bear in mind the purpose of a combination DVD/VCR, it's close to as good as one can expect.

I bought the combo recorder because there are times I still need VCR recordings from TV signal, and don't want to pollute my AV system with set-top boxes and added connections that degrade signals. The ATSC/QAM tuner solved that issue. While there's no way to make a VHS tape look great, at least I am now recording digital broadcsts and maximizing the benefit with upconversion (to Samsung LN-T4661F). There clearly is a significant improvement. Original VHS recordings are noticeably better. I think upscaling is best when I set the recorder's output to 720p and let my TV upscale from there. I'm not sure if it's because of the JVC's upscaling, or if it's a basic limitation of the unit, which simply isn't meant to be 'high end'. Live HDTV viewed via the JVC tuner isn't quite on a par with HDTV viewed directly through my TV tuner. It's good; it's close; but not quite as sharp for HD broadcasts. DVD recordings of HD broadcasts are also a bit less crisp than the live, but it's not an HD recorder. Store-bought DVDs look great.

It's user-freindly simple, intuitive menus; options to make the most of a combo recorder. Other than changing the output (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i), everything is accessible from the remote. You can watch a disc while recording to the VCR, and vice versa. Timer recording and labeling is a breeze. There is no EPG, but I have no problem with that. More and more recorders are eliminating it due to compatibility issues with various cable and satellite services. Discs, tapes and TV can be output at 4:3 or 16:9. DVDs can be formatted for VR or DVD-Video. It has all the choices of both analog and digital inputs and outputs needed to connect to any home theater system, old or new.

On the downside, it doesn't record to DL discs. This isn't an issue for me; I will leave that to my computer when needed. Also, there is no code currently available for universal remotes. According to JVC, all the manufacturers update and share their new codes annually, so in theory there will be a code available shortly after January '08. I hope so.

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I bought this item because I wanted to have an ATSC/NTSC tuner and it has both a VHS and DVD recorders. After that, it lacks alot. Because I have a JVC system and this is such a new product, I assumed that it would have a compulink cable, so I could control it with my system. It does not, this dropped my rating 1 star. The other problem is that all the connections are very loose, so if you move the DVD player, your optical cable will come out and your electrical cable will come out. This dropped my rating another star. It does have an HDMI cable which is what I want for my Panasonic Plasma TV and this is nice. But the IR Blaster cable I have from my Panasonic, does not have a code for the JVC DVD Recorder that works. When I called Panasonic, they said if it is not in their list of codes, they do not have it. This is frustrating me with Panasonic for not having a way to update their TV, but I will check with JVC to find out what the code should be. This allows me to run the TV guide from my Plasma TV so it will turn on the DVD or VCR Recorder. Fortunately, I can just have the VCR or DVD record by using the Timer function. It would be easier with my TV Guide.

One last hing that is just slightly irritating. When you go through the channels, it first goes through your ATSC channels, then through your NTSC channels. Unlike my Plasma TV that can go through them in order. So on the Panasonic, I go to 4-1, 6-1, 10-1, 28-1, 51-0, 51-1, 53-0, 53-1. On the JVC, I go to 4-1, 61-, 10-1, 28-1, 51-1, 53-1, 51-0, 53-0. I just have to get used to it.

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I recommend buyers look at the Amazon reviews for defunct JVC VHS/DVD

dual deck products before they purchase any current dual deck model.

They have a proven history of extremely poor build quality. JVC keeps

rapidly changing model numbers, which makes this more difficult for

the consumer to discover. However they all look very similar with

only slight cosmetic differences.

Search on these item numbers and see for yourself:

JVC SR-MV40US

* Built Defective, I bought and returned three of these units (12/2007)

* Faulty DVD Drive is a known inevitable problem on every unit (11/2007)

* Worked well while it worked (10/2007)

* Disk Error on most discs after 5 months of owning the unit (08/2007)

* No luck with this (06/2007)

* Problem unit (05/2007)

JVC HRXVC27U (5 1-stars out of 8)

* 1yr and 1/2 and it died (02/2005)

* Worst home electronic device I've ever owned (03/2006)

* Barely outlived the warranty (10/2005)

* the J must stand for Junk (05/2005)

JVC DRMV5S (8 1-stars out of 16)

* Do Not Buy The JVC DRMV5S DVD ... (09.2007)

* JVC DRMV5S is defective! (03/2007)

* Total Junk and they Know it ! (12/2006)

* There's got to be something better (03/2006)

* JVC should be ashamed! (01/2006)

* Died after two weeks (10/2005)

A search on "Jvc Hi-fi Vcr/DVD Combo" search yields the following models:

JVC HRXVC29S

* I had the unit for under a year, and one day ... it just froze (04/2006)

* What a disapointment after only 2 years (03/2006)

JVC HRXVC15S (1 1-star, 1 2-star out of 2 reviews)

* Factory Defect....Look Elsewhere (09/2007)

Here are some model numbers that WILL NOT come up on a search but CAN be

accessed by working through "see all of my reviews"

JVC DRMV1S (>>> FIFTY-TWO

Phonex Broadband PX 442 Modem Jack Extension unit

Works great!!! I have a flat roof that does not allow me to add a phone line and the only way to use my satilite system is with a long phone cord accross my room. This jack extension helped me eliminate the long ugly cord

Don't waste your money on this product.

I simply wanted to extend my phone jack upstairs to my DirecTV box less than 20 Feet away. The pair I bought at Best Buy were able to make a link but when you test the sound "quality" the noise is so loud you can barely even hear the dial tone. No wonder it didn't work with my Direct TV.

Bottom line if you want to "extend" your phone jack more than 6 feet I would look elsewhere.

Cheers,

Tom

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It's a good concept, but they don't work reliably in the same room, let alone in different rooms. From what I have seen that is the case with the technology in general, it's a failure.

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I got this since I thought the one I had was not working and that it would help me get my TiVo started again but unfortunately it did not. I don't know what to do now?

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This product does what it is supposed to do. I only have 2 working phone jacks in my house so I couldn't hook up my phone line to my satellite box. I plugged in the units and they started working right away. Now I can order movies right from my box and get my caller ID to show up on my TV.

HD 720P 20 Meters Waterproof Video Action Camera Sports Action Camera Helmet mini DV Bike DVR Camer

I bought this exact camera from "sports vue" look them up they were advertising there camera as the wave. The first one lasted less then a week before it stuck its self in the standby postion unable to turn off or operate. After 3 emails and 4 phone messeges to there support line and 3 weeks of waiting I called my credit card company and put it into question . Only after retracting the funds did they return my messege and offered to send me a new one right away and allowing me to keep my current defective camera.. gee .. thanks..well another 2 week's later no camera. Ah yes they forgot to send it out ..so another week I get my new camera took it for a hike test run works great made a really cool movie which I thought had excellent video quality and despite the terrible custumer service I am happy till 2 weeks later I'm preping for a caving trip and couple check my equipment to find now both my cameras have the same problem . So ..looking for a new camera I see this and even though its a.diffrent company name I feel the need to warn others incase its the same product under a diffrent company name.. best of luck

I got the camera this weekend and i went to try it in my pool, in my bike, and in my car, and for the price it was a very good buy!

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RCA Lyra RD2312 256 MB Personal Digital Audio Player with Voice, Line-in and FM Recording

• 256MB built in memory, stores up to 8 hours of WMA music or 160 songs encoded @ 64 kbps.
• Multiple recording option; Voice Record, Line in Record and FM Record
• Digital FM Tuner with FM Record.
• Full Dot Matrix backlit display for navigating through this product's different features and for navigating through your music selections.
• Dual orientaion LCD screen

I just bought my first MP3 player, the RCA Lyra RD2312. This one has an FM tuner, takes an SD card, records and plays WMA and some other sound formats

I spent most of the first day reading the manual and trying to figure out the quirky user interface. There is a lot of text on the little screen. Once you get used to it, the extensive functions are pretty intuitive to navigate.

I think this is a good quality item. The music sound is excellent. The radio reception is really good too. The volume goes a lot higher than I will ever listen to it. The battery life is incredible. The Battery-Low indicator is on but the same single alkaline AAA battery is still going strong after playing for almost three days solid. The clip-on ear buds sound fine but I think I will try to replace them with something more comfortable.

Being able to add in SD cards means you can take along as much music as you want. It's a small consolation that this model only supports up to 512MB cards. A plastic insert comes in the card slot. There is nothing but friction holding in the card. The card hangs downward when you wear the player on the neck strap and I'm a bit worried that the card could shake out but it hasn't happened yet.

Altogether, I am very happy with my choice and I would certainly recommend it to anyone else. The user interface and the card position are not major weaknesses. For this price, it's hard to find an MP3 player with all the features, sound quality and battery life this one has. For the most part, I think this is a top-notch item.

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The size and weight of this device make it desirable for joggers or walkers. The FM reception is not as good as my old arm band FM radio. The head phone jack had a small short in it straight out of the package. Have to position the plug perfectly to prevent signal cutout. The display is very detailed and has alot of features. I'm sure they would be nice if the lettering was large enough to read!!

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I bought one of these needing one for working out, and now everyone in the house has to have one!

Two teens in the house fighting over mine just isn't going to get it. They've already worked out that they just have to put in their memory cards, and they can ignore the music I have loaded on it.

I like the ease of loading it, just drag music from the pc to the folders that come up when you plug in the usb cable, and it's set. The type is small on it the display, but I figured that with as small as the player is.

The earphones that came with it could be better ( too big for my ears), but switching with ones I already had was an easy fix.

Clear sound is great, even of the recording that it does.

Love that it has an f.m. tuner as well.

Like I said great little player!

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I bought this off Woot for about $30 a year ago. It works well for music and jogging since I don't care if it ever breaks. Not so great for long mp3 files or books in mp3 format since it never remembers the place you stopped it. It is difficult to fast forward too.

I purchased my player of woot.com for $45. That price included shipping. It's a nice player overall. I seen a previous review that says you can't use over a 512 meg SD card. But I have been using a 1 gig SD card with no problems. It just takes it longer to load when you turn it on. The batter life is incredible also. I used the device for like 3 days straight on one battery. The sound quality is incredible also. Mine came with a an radio transmitter you plug into your car light outlet and the quality off sound on you radio is awesome. No hums or static nothing. Good deal for the money/