Showing posts with label digital 4 track recorder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label digital 4 track recorder. Show all posts

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Pctv HD Mini Stick

Pctv HD Mini StickWhen I first heard anout this product, I was a bit skeptical, because of some of the bad reviews that this product had recived over the internet.

However, I said what the heck, I can always send it back if it doesn't work out.

Save to say, this little wonder works great on my Vostro 1500, despite the bad reviews. I live in a podunk little town, and I got six very strong Digital and HD signals, and that was even without the use of the external antenna included, wich I would not use anyhow, due to it's magnetic base.

All my Digital and HD stations come in great, with very little or no breakup. If it does this well in a small town like Palm Springs, I am dying to check out what it can do in a major metro area.

However, it is not without some minor flaws; the bundled software it uses is slow, and to be honest , it sort of sucks. I would reccomend using something else, if possible, such as Windows Media Player, or Dell MediaDirect for the best results.

I would highly reccomend this to any college student who doesn't want to fight over waat they want to watch either in thier dayroom, or spending needless money for a tv set for thier dorm room. I would also reccomend it to travelers waiting on a connecting flight with nothing to do, and it would be great for campers who don't want to sink thousands of dollars into a sattelite system for thier rig. All you need is this little wonder, a decent laptop PC, and a few minutes of setup time, and you can have a truly portable entertainment system that rivals any HD Home Theater system out there, at roughly one tenth the cost.

It's also very handy when the local power goes out, as some of the newer PC's have up to 16 hours of battery life, even on full power settings.

So I strongly reccomend this product, despite it's small faults.

If you have Windows 7, do NOT install the horrible software from PCTV. Just install the driver only. This stick works absolutely perfectly with Media Center. Grab a $20 Media Center remote from Amazon and surprise!: you just beat the cable subscription system.

Buy Pctv HD Mini Stick Now

I saw this item for sale (almost 1/2 price) during Black Friday last year and didn't see great reviews on it so decided against purchasing it since I didn't need another gadget. My brother had one and loved it so he ran out and bought another one and gave it to me, so why not use it since it's a gift? Well, I'm pretty amazed that I was able to get about 50 channels in Southern California and it comes in great, I've tried it at home and in the office on the second floor (with no windows). I also have recorded a couple of shows for playback. This tuner picks up better than the indoor antenna I have hooked up to my tv in my bedroom, I get the stations consistently whereas the Philips indoor antenna in my bedroom goes in and out and I have to readjust it all the time. The software is a bit clunky, I can't run it very well without having my laptop plugged in, on battery it doesn't seem to get enough power (so you're better off using this on a computer that has processing power, mine is a little Asus netbook that I'm using it on). I think if you're a big TV watcher then this product is worth the purchase. I'm not a TV person but it's definitely a fun item to have during long rides or lunch hour at work.

Read Best Reviews of Pctv HD Mini Stick Here

This is without a doubt the worst and most buggy piece of hardware I have ever owned. 1/2 the time it just doesnt work, it will rarely scan for channels, often freezes when changing channels, is mostly completely useless. If youre thinking of using your laptop as a portable TV, even if it has a fast processor and plenty of ram this is NOT the device to try. You will end up angry and frustrated just as I have.

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Don't let the technically challenged detur you from purchasing this great product. First do not install the the included software. Simply download the native driver from the manufacturer website for the operating system that you are using and then run Windows Media Center tv setup and you are good to go. I have used both the included antenna and my local cable feed and I get flawless HDTV. The timeshifting abilities built into Windows Media Center are a perfect match for this tuner. One cavaet and this applies to all HDTV tuners you have to have a fast enough processor, enough memory and a decent video card to get acceptable results.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

NHJ MPM-201 MPEG4 Personal Video Recorder

NHJ MPM-201 MPEG4 Personal Video Recorder
  • Record your favorite TV shows by hitting a button while it's in the docking cradle; Recorded movies are played back in MPEG4 format
  • Recorded movies are stored and managed by folders at the My Movie' menu
  • You can transfer your favorite music form your PC and play back with MP3 format. MPM-201 lets you store and manage a lot of your favorite songs, and directly play songs that you want to listen / USB 2.0 port
  • Pictures taken by digital camera can be seen with slide show, and it is effective for business presentation or showing your travel memories and so on. You can also select the length of slide show playback. (3sec., 5sec., 10sec., 30sec., 60sec.)
  • 3.5 color monitor for clear display of menu and pictures

After purchasing this product almost three weeks ago I can say I am less than impressed. Build quality is cheap. The on board controls are sub par. The record quality is only servicable on VGA mode or better. Even on the small screen, QVGA is way too jerky. Don't buy this unit for the sole purpose of recording copy protected (MacroVision) material. Get a better product and put a Time Based Corrector (TBC) between source and recorder.

They market this thing as a PVR. It is not. First of all, I don't believe you can set up mulltiple recording sessions (you can set the one recording session to repeat daily or weekly). Second, and this may seem picky, but it really annoys me, is the lack of ability to schedule record time for the AV input. Why would you need this? When when the conversion utilities work slower than real time it is easier to just hook the unit to a dvd player and record the movies you want to take along. Unfortunately, you have to be there to shut the recorder off or you'll wind up recording hours of the DVD menu which you can't edit out on the device.

But to me the most critical shortcomings lie in the unit as an MP3 jukebox. Yes, with a line like: "MPM-201 lets you store and manage a lot of your favorite songs" , it is being marketed as an MP3 jukebox as well. As such, I bought it to have access to my music collection on my boat. Unfortunately, not only is the unit devoid of any playlist or ID3 support, but what others have failed to mention is that the MPM201 cannot even continue playing an MP3 track while browsing the music collection. Cheap CD-R, and flash players are capable of this level of multitasking. Hell, even my last two cell phones would let me browse my music files while they played music. Imagine hosting a party when somone asks you to play a sepcific song. After two minutes of silence browsing throguh 30GB of music, wham! There it is!

It's a great idea, good price point, and a rich feature set. Unfortunately the marketing executives probably listened to what the public wanted, generalized the feature set, then left it to the R&D department to design the unit in a vaccuum. Then perhaps the unit was then rushed to market with glaring faults that should have been noticed by the first group of beta testers (if there were any). These faults IMHO make the device not worth the $400 (unit, tax, and shipping) I paid. I would have sent it back if Target.com didn't charge a 15% restocking fee and shipping charges. Right now I'm dealing with NHJ's less than stellar support in an effor to get these problems addressed or at least find out whether they even have interested in doing so.

My advice: If you still feel you want this player, only buy from a vendor with a liberal return policy. Or at the very least, get your hands on one before you buy. And yes, my unit is for sale.

I will update this post should HNJ release an update before I have to return the item to Target.com. Should the likely happen an an update is not forthcomming, I will return the item, take the $70 hit and hold to a vow never to buy another prokduct from NHJ or Target.com again.

Buy NHJ MPM-201 MPEG4 Personal Video Recorder Now

I purchased this item a couple of months ago and I am astounded at the feature set. I got it for entertainment and mass storage for digital photos when I travel. The music features aren't important to me as I have a small iPod for that and I was aware upfront that the MPM 201 did not support playlists and is too bulky for that use. However it is really easy to record TV shows and DVDs to take on the road. My only problem has been trying to find spare batteries. The battery only lasts three hours and I can't find a US distributor to buy additional batteries. It is a well-designed piece of equipment at a really good price.

Read Best Reviews of NHJ MPM-201 MPEG4 Personal Video Recorder Here

I found this product to be an excellent alternative to the other more expensive MPM player recorders on the market. I found the hardware durable and the on board controls easy to understand. The QVGA settings produce a good picture but take up a lot of hard drive space. I prefer to use the DIVIX format and I use the DIVIX software that came with the player to encode all my movies. The key to getting as many movies on this player as possible is to rip the DVD first then encode only the movie VOB files. This way you will avoid the menu items. When I want something from the T.V., I capture it with a capture card and record it as a DVD file set then I handle it the same way as I do the DVD's. As for the mp3 play back feature you cannot play a song and browse the play list. However, anyone using this product for a party source is stretching the usability of the portable device. Remeber, this is a personal player not a home player. For 216 dollars, this player is a steal

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This is an awesome media center has everything you need. Movies are great on it, has a good amount of space on it for music. Also, it works great for recording TV and I use it also for viewing pictures and the screen is a nice size!!!

This is the best Player on the market. It records shows wonderfully. Has built in speakers so can listen back. Batteries last long time(4hr video mode). Can update the hard drive with a laptop hard drive to whatever size you want.The remote works wonderfully. Transcodes into Divx for wonderfull playback. This a item to buy!! I'm glad I got it.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Sony Hi8 Camcorder 8mm Cassettes 120 Minute (4-Pack)

Sony Hi8 Camcorder 8mm Cassettes 120 MinuteI have used other Hi8 tapes but from my expreience nothing beats the quality of a Sony. I am an active member of a muscial band and we perform about every week. I set my camera (Sony TRV340) on a tripod and let it record on all our venues. As a result I consume quite a number of tapes per month. Because of this I need a reliable, high-quality brand that I can trust; the Sony Hi8. Video quality is superior, even after several re-recordings (taping over footage). The same goes for the sound; crisp and clear (especially when you have an auxilary mic). I found the outer tape housing surprisingly strong. At one time I dropped a box of these tapes from a high shelf and on to a hard-tile floor but they remained intact and safe. These tapes are pretty much versitle in any kind of filming situation, and for that I give Sony praise.

Highlights:

Sharp, High quality video

Crisp and clear sound reproduction

Strong plastic tape housing

Unbeatable value

I highly recommend this product for all your recording needs! Now if you excuse me, I think I have another gig to film.

I've been using the Sony Hi8 tapes since my daughter was born in 2003. I've never had a problem. Amazon has th ebest price consistently and they are getting hard to find at offline stores now.

Buy Sony Hi8 Camcorder 8mm Cassettes 120 Minute (4-Pack) Now

I have tried other brand names and this is the only one that keeps the quality over decades. I strongly recommend it.

Read Best Reviews of Sony Hi8 Camcorder 8mm Cassettes 120 Minute (4-Pack) Here

I've used Sony Hi-8 tapes for years and although tape is now considered somewhat archaic, if you have a camcorder that uses Hi-8 or Digital, you can't go wrong with these. I've never had a problem with them when shooting in some rather extreme situations. The camera hasn't always performed like I want, but the tape itself has never been the source of a problem. Shop around for the best price.

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arrived in excellant shape have not taken any new video yet but will in the near future I will share these tapes with other family members who have Sony 360 video camcorders since everything has now gone digital and it is hard to find 8mm tapes

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

KJB Security Products DVR90 Prograde Minicam Camcorder

KJB Security Products DVR90 Prograde Minicam CamcorderOur department now has 6 of these and we love them. Great video and Audio. Only problem we have is the date constantly changes on it and the lip sync is off with the video. Those are minor issues for us though.

To be fair, only used camera a little, but found some flaws.

Liked:

-Small size

-Micro SD slot upgradeable

-Voice feature option (bud did not use it)

Disliked:

-Poor sound quality

-Camera too heavy to hang on breast pocket; clipped here in pocket with the weight makes it point to your feet.

Buy KJB Security Products DVR90 Prograde Minicam Camcorder Now

I just received my replacment MD90 DVR mini camera. The original unit could not be read by my computer, so I had to return it. Nonetheless, the vendor was great in following up with me to have the issue resolved, as well as send a new replacement camera. I charged the new camera and did a couple of short recordings (aprrox. 30 seconds). The camera worked great and the images were great as well! Would recommend for anyone that is interested in a mini camera. Great customer service and quick resolution!!

Read Best Reviews of KJB Security Products DVR90 Prograde Minicam Camcorder Here

Sunday, September 21, 2014

TIVO HD, HD XL & Series 2, Series 3 AC Power Adapter Cord

TIVO HD, HD XL & Series 2, Series 3 AC Power Adapter CordItem does not look like picture. While the end that plugs into the TiVo itself is polarized, the outlet end is not. Not only that, the prongs on the plug end are thin and easily FALL OUT of the outlet almost by gravity alone! I am seriously torn as to which cable is safer, this one or the original one that was chewed by mice down to the bare wires (then repaired with electrical tape).

Do NOT BUY THIS. LOOK ELSEWHERE!

This is the best power cord ever! Why did I wait so long to get one! And the fact that it comes in black, black or black..... Well, lets just say I was overwhelmed ...

Buy TIVO HD, HD XL & Series 2, Series 3 AC Power Adapter Cord Now

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Opteka Gold Plated high speed HDMI to mini-HDMI 6' Cable For Canon EOS 5D Mark III, II, 1D Mark IV,

Opteka Gold Plated high speed HDMI to mini-HDMI 6' Cable For Canon EOS 5D Mark III, II, 1D Mark IV, 7D, 50D, 60Da, 60D, T1i, T2i, T3, T3i, T4i and T5i Digital SLR CamerasI like this product! It was exactly like i thought it would be. I would definitely recommend this to others!

Well, there isn't really that much to say about a cable. It does it's job and compared to the Norwegian prices it's extremely cheap. Good product!

Buy Opteka Gold Plated high speed HDMI to mini-HDMI 6' Cable For Canon EOS 5D Mark III, II, 1D Mark IV, Now

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Ativa Mini HD Digital Video Camera

Ativa Mini HD Digital Video CameraI have had the unit for about 6 months. Uses SD cards and Internal (70MB).

It does a great job. I use it to shoot soccer games. I do find that in-doors can get grainy unless you set it for in-door use (They call it Digital Light), but then it works great. The built in light is kind of cool, but it only works out to about 6 ft. but what do you expect for an LED light.

It has many movie resolution settings (5) VGA, WVGA, QVGA(60fps, all other 30) 720P and can you believe 1080P!!). The steady shot is must for shooting action because the unit is so small you just can't hold it still enough. The movies look great, but you can't zoom in 1080P HD. It also has a motion triggered setting so you can use it to monitor for activity.

It downloads directly via USB or you can watch via TV, (composite and HDMI) movies are AVI, pics. are JPEG. And... by the way to does PAL and NTSC. The still camera function works well and the images and movies a piece of cake to transfer via USB since it treats the camera as a USB drive.

The camera and video allow for white balance and ISO 800,1600) changes, 3 still resolutions (high-12MPixel, med-5MPixel, low-3MPixel) and does MACRO and has a timer. The microphone pretty much only picks up close subjects (20Ft).also has a slideshow function for showing pictures. It also loads directly to YouTube.

The camera has special effects..

You can select the mode according to the scene condition.

* Auto: Shoot without any special effect on the image.

* Skin: Shoot with an effect that makea skin tones more natural

* Night: Use Night mode for night scenes or low light conditions.

* Backlight: You can take shots when bright light is behind the subject.

* B/W: The image is converted to black-and-white.

* Classic: The image is converted to sepia look is applied to the image.

* Negative: The image is converted as the negative of the normal

Haven't used these......

COMPLETE SPECS.......

Image Sensor 5 Mega Pixel CMOS Sensor

Operation Modes Movie Record, Picture Record

Lens F3.2 (f = 7.2mm)

Focus Range 200cm~infinite (Normal Mode)

Center: 20 cm (Macro Mode)

Digital Zoom 1080p:1X

Other video resolution:4X

Shutter Electronic

LCD monitor 2.5"LCD

Storage Media 128MB Nand Flash Memory (Usable storage : around 70 MB);

SD/SDHC Card Slot support

Image Resolution High 4000x3000 (12M Pixels)

Std 2592x1944 (5M Pixels)

Low 2048x1536 (3M Pixels)

Movie Resolution HD(1080p) 1920X1080(30fps)

HD(720p) 1280X720(30fps)

WVGA 848X480(60fps)

VGA 640X480(30fps)

QVGA 320X240(30fps)

Light Digital light On/Light On/Off

White Balance Auto/Manual (Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten)

ISO Auto/800/1600

Self timer 10 second delay

File Format Picture: JPG

Movie: AVI

Image play Single Image/Slideshow

PC Interface Mini USB 2.0 Port

TV out NTSC/PAL Selectable, HDMI

Battery Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery

Dimension 100(H) * 57(W) * 17.9(T) mm

Weight 87g (without battery)

The battery lasts for just short of 2 hours on 1080P HD. One of the best features is it tells you how much recording time is left as you change resolutions. It also comes with movie making software (decent). I really couldn't be much happier for the money! What do you expect for this kind of change...

I bought this to use with my students but after trying it out for a few days, I knew it would not be good enough for what I planned using it for.

The camera shoots horrible pictures! Unless the people or scene is absolutely still, you will get a blurry image. The HD recording is good but nothing to rave about. The light does help out a bit in low light situations, but if there is not enough light in general the video looks very grainy.

My other big con against this camcorder is that the video it shoots in HD is a file that unless you install the codec on the cd-rom disc, you will be unable to view the video and/or hear the audio...stupid proprietary file format or something. I lost my disc and now I am having to try to find the codec online. WMP, VLC, Nero and PowerDVD cannot play the audio on the HD videos I have shot with this camcorder now that I need to reinstall the codec. :(

If you don't expect much from this camcorder you wont be disappointed but I was so I wish I had saved more money for a better camcorder/camera.

Buy Ativa Mini HD Digital Video Camera Now

The sale from office depot was $99 for camera $20 service plan $20 16GB card. Awesome deal.

Big 3" inch screen, 4hr video, flip view so you can take "myspace pose" pic of yourself or a serious movie.

Audio for the video is loud and picture is so clear. 16x zoom is handy and actually true to its promise just depends on the scape. Touch screen should come with a stylus though. I love this camera. Such a good purchase.

I do not regret buying this at all.

Read Best Reviews of Ativa Mini HD Digital Video Camera Here

This a a great little camcorder! It has many of the features of the more expensive camcorders. Color and sound I thought was very good! I carry this little camcorder on a strap around my neck. It's so light you forget it's there after a while. Just remember, this is a small hand held camera and takes a little time to master it's use. A couple of days practice and you will be fine! I have other camcorders,but this is the one I use most. I think the 1080p color was great! When you order this Ativa, you might notice a simularity to the Toshiba Camelio.

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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Energy SistemTM Libro Electrónico Energy Color eReader C8+ Touch Titanium Grey (8", 8GB, HD, 4:3)

Energy SistemTM Libro Electrónico Energy Color eReader C8+ Touch Titanium Greyit was a gift for my sister

it is not just a colored e-book reader.. she enjoys watching movies.. listening to music , viewing photos..

what is so Great is that she can easily transfer photos, mp3, movies and pdf books from the laptop..

not having wireless connection feature is helpful to let you finish the book you are reading with the curiosity to browse internet on a sudden.. and it lets you keep reading without being interrupted social apps notifications..

Thursday, June 26, 2014

3.5 Inch LCD Screen Rearview Mirror DVR Car black box with Dual Swivel Camera, TV OUT, Night Vision

3.5 Inch LCD Screen Rearview Mirror DVR Car black box with Dual Swivel Camera, TV OUT, Night Vision
  • Dual lens, surveillance the outside and inside together.
  • 3. 5 inch TFT LCD monitor.
  • Support 32GB card.
  • Cycle recording.
  • Night Vision Function.

I have had the dash cam a few days now. The picture is good during the day but not very good at night. I live in a more rule area with not many street lights, so it would most likely be better in town. But I wish that the camera was better at low light.

Buy 3.5 Inch LCD Screen Rearview Mirror DVR Car black box with Dual Swivel Camera, TV OUT, Night Vision Now

Pros:

Does what it says

Cheap

Cons:

Does not record while charging

Instruction manual is worthless

I don't understand why this product will not record while plugged in charging. What is the point of cycle recording with a huge 32GB SD card if you are limited by the battery that does not charge while in use? Perhaps I am doing something wrong, but the instruction manual offers no help.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Rearview Mirror DVR with Dual Swivel car Camera video recorder with 3.5'' LCD screen DVR35C2

Rearview Mirror DVR with Dual Swivel car Camera video recorder with 3.5'' LCD screen DVR35C2
  • How do you prove to the traffic police what really happened, in case a road accident occurs? No lawyer can help you more effectively than an in-car DVR does. And no DVR is more useful than this one.
  • Combining a Rearview Mirror with a powerful DVR, this product allows you to get a glimpse of what's behind you, and records the road situations both inside and outside the car, at the same time. The two cameras are both 180 degree rotatable so you can record at the best angle you want. You can also switch between single or dual camera display/record. Better yet, the two cameras even come with nightvision for you to record videos at night!
  • Installing this Rearview Mirror DVR couldn't be simpler, as it is designed to easily clip onto your pre-installed rear view mirror. It will start recording from the moment the device is turned on. You can record in two Different Modes, normal continuous recording, or cycled recording for saving data space. With this great little gadget, now everyone from general drivers, police officers, journalists, detectives, lawyers, taxi drivers can have the evidence they need that will hold up in court.

The description for this item says it can handle SD cards up to 32GB and so I was was expecting a product with plenty of recording capacity.

Well it turns out that what you actually get is something can only record up to a maximum of 5 minutes at which point it starts recording again over writing the previous recording.

Now you have an additional source of stress at an incident did my camera capture the incident and is it just about to to delete the recording?

Whilst most incidents are over in just seconds it is entirely unreasonable to market a product that has such a short recording time with no option to save old recordings in the unit itself. If it was making 5 minutes recordings until the card was full that would be OK but as it stands although you can use a 32GB card you can only ever make about about 0.5GB worth of recordings. In the heat of the moment would any of us be sufficiently alert enough to immediately check the camera and press stop before it hits the 5 minute mark or would we be focusing on the more important aspects of any incident?

Customer support were polite but failed to come back with any reply to these concerns even though I asked on 2 separate occasions and they promised to look into it.

I was going to get one of these for my partner but will now be looking elsewhere.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Harman Kardon CDR 26 CD Recorder

Harman Kardon CDR 26 CD Recorder
  • Dual-tray CD-R/RW recorder/player with 4x dubbing speed
  • Create custom CDs or copy an entire disc using inexpensive CD-R blanks
  • Synchronized recording from external sources (digital or analog)
  • Continuous two-disc or one-time/one-disc playback; headphone jack with level control
  • Full-featured ergonomic remote control

I highly recommend avoiding this product. The first unit I had would not play properly, and when I exchanged it for another unit, that unit would also not play properly! I had never purchased a Harmon Kardon product before, but I knew of their good reputation, and I actually did some research on CD recorders before buying this unit and thought it to be the best choice for the money. But I am extremely disappointed, both with this unit and with Harmon Kardon. I returned the second unit and got my money back. Read on...

From the moment I took the first unit out of the box, the lefthand CD player would not work correctly. When a track began playing, the player would skip ahead twenty seconds or so.

This happened on a regular basis, with a wide variety of CDs, from old to brand new. To further rule out that it wasn't the condition of any of my CDs--all of which played fine in my old Sony player--I played the CDs in the rightside player, and they always played fine.

I was especially troubled by the fact that it was the lefthand player, since this is the one that only plays and does not record, so there didn't seem to be much excuse for it not working.

But wait, it gets worse. I actually returned this unit and received another unit. I really liked the sound of the player, and for the most part I liked the functionality of the CD recorder and the quality of the recorded CDs.

So, I got the new unit, and...I immediately had problems with the lefthand player! This one malfunctioned even more than the last one, frequently skipping ahead a few seconds on different songs, and occassionally skipping back to the end of the previous track, while still displaying the current track!

I will say this: the sound was fantastic, and I had no problems recording. The fit and finish was not really first rate, but I would have readily overlooked this if the thing would just play correctly.

I'm not too pleased with the company's response, either. When I called, a rep told me that the store I dealt with had obviously gotten a bad batch of players. A bad batch? We're not talking tomatoes here! Some people might say three strikes you're out, but for me, two was plenty.

Two brand new units, and both would not work properly, right out of the box. Shame on you, Harmon Kardon. By the way, I asked to speak to a higher-up manager at the company, and someone did call me, a week later, and he left a message. I called him back and left a message, twice, but he has yet to get back to me.

Twice bitten, forever shy. No more Harmon Kardon for me!

Buy Harman Kardon CDR 26 CD Recorder Now

I bought the CDR26 mainly to back-up my DAT library from the last 15 years of work. I own a recording studio and my DAT recorder (Tascam DA-30 ) started to fail, so I needed the ability to interface digitally through coaxial input which the CDR-26 has two, one on the front and another on the rear besides the optical interfaces. I also needed the capacity to convert the sample rate on the fly because some DATs where recorded at 48 Khz instead of the CD 44.1 K standard.

I have been working with it for the last 3 months and it has done its job flawlessly. No problems at all.

It is handsome, easy to operate, the manual is well written and easy to follow. With its two trays you can make digital copies of your favorite CDs and with the ability to make dubs at 4X,, dubbing is a breeze.

And the sound quality ? well, it is outstanding and I dare to say that some burned CDs, sound better than the original DATs, with more warmth and less of a harsh sound.

The only drawback at least for my purpose is dealing with the SCMS copy protection, because some older DATs that were recorded on a non-pro DAT machine, were coded with the SCMS and therefore, making DIGITAL copies from those DATs was impossible, but the CDR-26 automatically turns on the ANALOG copying and so far, I have NOT been able to distiguish from the original.

The trays seem a little flimsy, so I prefer to close them with the front pannel buttom or the remote one instead of pushing them.

It lacks separate outs, one for each tray, so you can not listen to each one separately or make DJ's type work, but you can play continuosly the two discs and it has all the repeat and programability functions anyone expects from a machine like this.

There are no fancy functions like title writing, but I really dont use those, and besides there are fewer functions that can go wrong.

The display has all the needed information and it is legible despite having small characters and the remote is all you need to work, you wont miss anything from it.

When making ANALOG recordings, you have to be carefull with the Level Settings as it is quite easy to get digital distortion, so it is better to be somehow conservative and not run frequently on the overload mark !

The Phones jack is only good for location reference, because the sound quality is not acceptable.

I have recorded CD-Rs and CD-RW from diferent brands and lengths (74 & 80 Min.) and have never had any problems with any disc, besides you can erase and re-write a CD-RW for 99 times ( a limitation on the CD-RW format and NOT on the CDR-26 ) without any sound degradation.

All in all a terrific buy so far.

Read Best Reviews of Harman Kardon CDR 26 CD Recorder Here

Aprroximately 1 1/2 years ago I bought a new Harmon Kardon CDR 26 (CD recorder). It worked well for the first year, recently though it has been skipping during recording and playback. This skipping problem occurs frequently and is especially annoying during the recording process. In the middle of a recording the laser will skip, basically ruining the recording.

The malfunction only occurs on the right side (record side) of the player. The only reason I bought this unit was to record. It has been a huge disappointment and not worth the hassle or the money ($150-$200) to repair.

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Right side laser (record side) skips frequently during recording and playback. This problem occurred about 1 year after purchase ($400). Still skipped after cleaning laser. I am very disappointed with this unit and would not recommend it.

The CDR26 replaced a defective CDR20, which I rated very poorly. I saw the promise in the ease of operation and the Harman Kardon name and was willing to give the CDR26 a chance. I'm so glad that I did. I use the unit primarily to make compilation recordings and the difference between it and the CDR20 has been like night and day. I really do not see how I could find another CD recorder that sounded any better or was easier to operate for the money. The CDR20 was a mistake. The CDR26 is a winner!

Motorola KRZR K1m (Sprint)

Motorola KRZR K1m
  • Elegantly Engineered With Distinctive Metallic Gloss Finish and Precision Touch Keypad
  • Experience Streaming Sprint TV or Sprint Music Store With Power Vision Add-on Plan Feature
  • Bluetooth Wireless Technology
  • Built-in MP3 Music Player With Touch-sensitive External Controls
  • 1.3 Megapixel Camera Takes Print Quality Photos and Short Video Clips

The less than perfect rating reflects my disappointment with the Sprint software, not the phone. This is a spectacular phone, and I cannot find anything that is even remotely disappointing about the phone itself.

Sprint, on the other hand, needs several months to be ready for the release of this phone. I should note that I bought my phone directly from Sprint, not from Amazon. The software on the phone made in conjunction with Sprint is idiotic at best. On the side of the phone is a USB connector, which is the only port on the phone. A logical outcome of this (Verizon did this with their software) is to use this USB port to allow direct connection to your computer. After several hours with Tech Support at Sprint I finally learned that this was a feature missing in the Sprint version of this phone. As such, in order to transfer data between the phone and your PC, you must have a card reader and remove the Micro SD card (you must remove the battery cover to do this).

Additionally, when I called to activate the phone I had to speak with 3 Sprint reps before I found one that had any idea how to activate the phone. The first two I spoke with did not believe me that Sprint had service for this phone. Keep in mind I ordered this phone from Sprint directly.

Yet another gripe about Sprint is the (lack) of what comes in the box. With the Verizon version a small adaptor comes in the box so that you can directly connect a 2.5mm headset to the phone. This is handy considering how much the phone is touted for its MP3 capability. The Sprint version does not come with this. At first Sprint reps told me it was an accessory, so I asked to purchase it and then found out that it is not available and they do not plan to stock it anytime soon. I called Verizon and they only have the adaptor with new phones. The result is that you can ONLY use bluetooth headsets with this phone until an adaptor becomes available.

My last gripe about Sprint. When I went to my local Sprint store to have the phone numbers from my old phone transfered to my new KRZR, they told me they could not do it. Apparently Sprint has not sent out the cables needed to do so yet, and the manager told me they expected to get it in a few weeks to over a month. A few weeks? A month? I have settled with the painstaking task of manually transfering my 250+ contacts to the new phone.

My advice is to switch to Verizon if you plan to get this phone. I have had Sprint for 7 years and have been happy until now. They are completely unprepared for the release of this phone and I forsee a less than stellar effort to correct these problems. Verizon also offers the phone at a lower price for anyone willing to sign a contract. Why deal with the hassle of searching out several accessories that should come standard with a phone?

Buy Motorola KRZR K1m (Sprint) Now

The Motorola RAZR got an extreme makeover in order to reveal this must have mobile phone/fashion gadget.

This phone is perefected in such a way that all the little things that I didn't like about RAZR where taken care of.

PROS:

1. Of course it is the most stylistic phone that I have seen so far.

2. Call quality is very good.

3. Broswer is very practical and usable.

4. Playing music using the touch controls on the flip is very practical and serves like an mp3 player.

5. What I like very much is that I accidentally dropped this phone two times and to my surprise it with stood the fall both the times. I actually was very surprised that it only made very minor scratches which are barely visible. This actually proved that the material is of very good quality.

CONS:

1. The games provided (demo version) times out almost immediately. This defeats the whole purpose of experiencing the game before actually purchasing the full version.

2. The front plate requires cleaning on daily basis as it catches finger prints very easily.

Read Best Reviews of Motorola KRZR K1m (Sprint) Here

I just got my first plan, being on a Pre-paid plan with Boost Mobile before this. Paying 20 bucks every 3 weeks was starting to bug me, and I was beyond paranoid about my minutes. So I decided to get the lowest plan at 30 bucks and get a new phone as well. I looked around and first decided on the Samsung M500, but it wasn't available in the store(I didn't want to put my SSN over the internet). So I went to Best Buy and saw that the KRZR was on sale for half price at 40 bucks. I heard about the lag etc, but decided to give this a try since I heard it was pretty popular. I am really glad that I did buy this phone!

Alright, on to the phone itself. Most importantly, the reception is really good on this phone. I almost always have a clear signal and always have a good quality receiving of calls. Listening to someone talk is always clear, but sometimes I do break up to others when I have 0 bars but still have connection. Overall reception is excellent (4.5 stars).

This phone doesn't look just hot, it is downright SEXY. Put this next to a RAZR and it definitely shows that it's made better, with the glass on the front and chrome body. The back is actually rubber, making the phone really comfortable in your hand. I didn't know this until I actually got the phone. I have never gotten so many compliments about my phone, a lot of people already know it by name yet it isn't very popular yet. The displays are amazing, with full color, and the blue touch screen music icons are pretty cool when you are using the mp3 function. More on that later.(5 Stars+)

The actual firmware on the phone is really cool. I love the way the menus are set up with the transparancy so that you see part of your wallpaper, it makes the menus look more modern. Like people have said, there is lag on this phone, but if you already have a Motorola then you should be used to it, as all of them have lag. NO its not like 2 seconds of lag, its a few milliseconds. The most lag I have is with pictures and the tab menu, but the tab menu can be changed to a list or grid, making it faster.

Construction wise the phone is very well made. The only complaint I have is the cheap usb door on it, since mine broke off on the first day. I can still put it back on, but I'm afraid I'll lose it. Other than that its very well made.(4.5 Stars)

The Mp3 Player and ringtones on this phone are awesome. This is probably going to replace my Toshiba Gigabeat since it's so easy to carry around. I ordered a 3.5mm adapter for the phone, but so far the speaker is really good quality for listening to ringtones, mp3's etc. It get's really loud and is better quality than the RAZR, which is really cool. You can do what I did and get a 1 gb Micro SD card(up to 2) for like 10 bucks and store a little more than 16.5 hrs of music on it, close to 500 songs at 64 bitrate. Also, you can get a data cable for a small fee and Motorola Phone Tools to get free Ringtones and convert video for your phone.(5 Stars)

The camera is pretty cool for the KRZR. The quality isn't amazing, but it is really good for the small lense it has. I took a pic of myself and edited it a little with Paint Shop Pro Photo and it looks like it was taken from a camera. Overall verry good (4 Stars)

I love the BlueTooth capability of this phone. It was nice and easy to set up my headset. All I did was click and hold my Jabra headset until the light turned solid blue, then searched for handsfree on the device. Voila! The headset works! This is an exceptional feature and I highly recommend it for anyone that needs handsfree while driving.(5 Stars+)

I don't have Sprint PowerVision so I don't know how good those features are. The game demo's are sub par, as you get like 2 minutes with each of them, and I don't want to spend the money on buying a new game. Same goes for texting, since I didn't sign up for that either.

Overall, I love this phone! I really can't keep my hands off of it, with its sexy styling, good reception, and good features such as camera and mp3 player with touch screen. The lag doesn't bother me too much, and I bet you'll get used to it, and with the right software this phone is really customizable. Buy a Blue Tooth headset and a memory card and you've got the ultimate phone, complete with mp3 and handsfree communication. Lets recap shall we?

Pros

-Downright SEXY styling-will most definitely grab others' attention

-Very good reception, except for areas of no bars (which seldom occurs)

-Comfortable to use with the rubber on the back

-Mp3 Function will probably replace my 10 GB Gigabeat

-Camera convenient unless you need perfect quality prints

-Good firmware, love the functions

-MicroSD and BlueTooth a good addition to an already amazing phone

-Amazing display, looks sharp

-Good quality construction, looks better made than current RAZR

Cons

-Little bit of lag, but easy to get used to

-Flimsy USB door, gotta watch out not to break it off

-Wierd place for MicroSD, under battery door, hard to open etc.

-Game demos a joke-only 2 min. of trial. Games too expensive

-Waste of money to pay for ringtones etc. from Sprint.

As you can see, my Pro's most definitely outweigh my cons, and my cons are not substantial. A few firmware upgrades can probably solve some of the lag, and the other things aren't too much of a pain. I would recommend this phone to ANYBODY that wants more than just a plain phone and is looking for something exciting and cool. If you don't like it, you do have 30 days to cancel without penalty, according to Sprint. So give it a try! What's there to lose?

*EDIT* I just got my headphone adapter and the Audio quality is amazing! It is as good if not better than my Toshiba Gigabeat, which is really saying something since its from a phone. I strongly suggest you pay the extra 5-10 bucks to buy this add-on.

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First of all I didn't buy this phone from Amazon.

I bought it at Christmas and have had nothing but problems with it. Sprint has been NO help. I have wasted hours on the phone with customer service and have been to three Sprint Repair Centers. One was going to charge me $35.00 just to look at the phone. This phone is 2 1/2 months old and it was an expensive purchase.

There is a serious problem with lag with this phone. You don't see any numbers on the screen until what seems like seconds after you press each number key. It is so frustrating.

Text messaging is a joke. I used to have fun txt messaging. Not anymore. The default of multi-tap will switch to something else after 2 or three entered messages and there is no switching it back to multi-tap. I have to shut down the phone and restart to get it to switch to multi-tap.

I can't wait to get rid of it. I am so thoroughly disappointed with Sprint but I'm stuck in a 2 yr plan now. I wish I had bought the Treo.

Don't make the same mistake I made.

The only thing that this phone has going for it is the looks...it is VERY stylish and i get complimented on it every time i use it.

I bought this phone directly from sprint and it has been a complete nightmare!

First of all the phone is rediulously slow as far as when i dial numbers i am on the fourth or fifth one before they come across the screen. Also, when i press any button the response is maybe three or four seconds and i am talking 1-one thousand 2one thousand...

Second, i was playing a game on the phone and the circular plastic piece in the enter of the navigational keypad came off on my thumb as if it was glued on with elmer's...

and i am not rough with phones. i don't know if it was the sprint version or motorola, but i am ready to throw this phone against the wall, but since i am so vain i give it 2 stars just for the looks. but i am getting rid of it because looks ain't everything.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Blue Iris Full Version Supports Up to 64 IP Cameras

Blue Iris Full Version Supports Up to 64 IP CamerasI have used Blue Iris for the past 3 years in my business with good results. I performed extensive research and the consensus was that this is a top piece of camera software at any price. Huge library of supported cameras, frequent updates and good configuration flexibility. Not sure why the negative reviewer was blaming Blue Iris for crashing his wireless network need to make sure you have sufficient wireless bandwidth if running multiple wireless cameras. I run 15 POE cameras and two wireless cameras through Blue Iris and have for quite a while with no network problems. It works great.

I bought this to use with my Foscam home camera system and it works flawlessly...It really includes some nice features like auto recording when motion is detected, great audio, and it all is so all easy to use!!

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One of the reviews on a Pan tilt zoom camera mentioned using it with Blue Iris. I had much trouble with what I was using, said it can't be any worse. Holy gosh, I thought I was buying a gold coin and got a whole gold bar instead. Fantastic, I have it playing all 23 of my security cameras without a hitch, even recording 24/7 and it works with that PTZ camera mentioned before. Love this program. I wrote code for 40 years and the thought that went into this is beyond belief. Good job.

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I have been using Blue Iris software for about 3 years now. I used it without incindent and was very happy with it until I bought another camera of a different type and was not able to get it working with Blue Iris. I contacted the developer, Ken Pletzer and he worked patiently with me and eventually was able to get the camera working with Blue Iris. This camera didn't even have a brand name that I could find on it, having bought it online. Until Ken helped me out, I was only able to get it working with the software that came with the camera (which was severely lacking in comparison to Blue Iris). Ken updates Blue Iris very frequently and continues to make a good product better and if you have a question or a problem, he works very hard to get the answer you need. The next best software that I have seen that has anywhere near the capability of Blue Iris is many times the price of Blue Iris.

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I bought this product on the recommendation of a friend. I like the product and will recommend it to my friends as well.

What I like most is the rich function of the software that gave me exactly what I was looking for in a security cam software.

What I liked least was the lack of a good installation manual written for the casual user instead of a tech guy. I was able to setup the basic function of my cams myself, but I had to pay a tech guy to set up the internet access via my computer and smart phone.

Bottom line is that I am happy with the ability that blue iris provides me to go online from my phone and view the interior of my home and the peace of mind I have that if an intruder enters my home, Blue Iris will send me a text msg saying it was triggered.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

SVAT PI1000 Covert MPEG4 DVR - Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hid

SVAT PI1000 Covert MPEG4 DVR - Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hidden in a Motion SensorCovert MPEG4 DVR Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hidden in a Motion Sensor

This is a supper covert motion sensor little camera. Lots of modes, qualities and sensitivity to choose from in the menu. Stand alone with batteries or use supplied 12v adapter. I called Support to ask a couple of questions and the guy was unrushed and pleasant. You can paint or camouflage all but the lens, so concealment will be easy. The motion sensor is through the pinhole lens at the bottom. Plays on your TV or load to computer with card reader. The picture quality is very acceptable and in color. I'm tempted to spring for another one. Keep an eye on your vehicle or campsite while your off having fun.

Rob

This video recording does not work well when I put it in continuous mode.

I wanted it to record over the beginning when memory is filled.

What happened is it will record and play back properly untill the memory is filled up. After that the screen goes blank (black) every other second. This makes it very hard to view the video. It may miss some action when you need it. It is ashamed such a good product with a bad bug.

Buy SVAT PI1000 Covert MPEG4 DVR - Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hid Now

At first I debated this product due to mixed reviews, but knew I had to at least try it. The installation is not difficult at all. If you're hands on and like tinkering with things then this is for you. The instruction book will make it seem harder to operate than it really is. One you plug it in and get it going you can easily navigate the menu screen and figure out how to get it working, but it works! As for lighting you will need to place this in a well lit area, so don't put it facing sunlight or bright light or it's pointless. At night time there is nothing but darkness because this is not a night vision ready camera. I love that it comes with an SD storage card that you can also view from your laptop computer and the quality is also clear. I tried it on Media Player on Windows Vistas and it worked, but you don't need a computer to playback. The video will play back on a t.v. if you have the audio video plug-ins, can be hooked up to the ones on a VCR, DVD, or DVR. As for batteries it's still working pretty well with standard energizer batteries that aren't lithium, but there is also an AC adapter included it can run off of. If you want to use that you need to mount the camera (mounting bracket included) close to a wall plug. The mounting bracket is not difficult to install, it has a a small circular mounting plate with three screws, plus and extended arm, which I left off and just used the swivel bracket which will tighten once you know the direction you want the camera pointing. I like the product it is on the pricey side, but well worth catching shady people, especially if you live in an apartment building where too many people from management to maintenance have keys to your place and you can't always know when they come. If the price ever goes down I would be quick to buy another one.

Read Best Reviews of SVAT PI1000 Covert MPEG4 DVR - Recording System with Built-in Color Pinhole Surveillance Camera Hid Here

SVAT Electronics Covert MPEG4 DVR With Built-In Color Pinhole Camera in PIR Sensor This Camera was easy to set up and takes just seconds however but you need a TV with digital hold in order to set it up. Which is easy if you have a TV less than 10 yrs old. I bought an old TV to try to monitor and set up several SVAT systems but it didn't work. As soon as I hooked it up to a newer TV it worked perfectly an was set up in seconds.

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Bought this because someone was taking the bulbs out of garage light. Thought I knew... this proved it .. every bit from entering yard to taking bulb. Clear video, gets only the action when in motion mode. Small card holds days of video clips. Setting on next to least sensitive... it got a grasshopper who flew in front of it.. Can't say enough about the qualitiy of this camera. It also greatly impressed the deputy who saw it before suggesting the bulb stealer stay out of my yard. I had it plugged in electricity. The videos are extremely clear for at least 60 feet... and that is from inside building looking out. Can't say enough about the amazing quality.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Sony CFD-S350 CD/Cassette Portable Boombox (Silver)

Sony CFD-S350 CD/Cassette Portable Boombox
  • Portable boombox with CD player, cassette deck, and digital AM/FM tuner
  • Compatible with audio CD, CD-R, and CD-RW formats
  • Wide Stage convex speakers provide rich bass and crisp highs
  • 20-track programming, shuffle and repeat modes, and synchro CD/cassette dubbing
  • Includes slim 10-key remote control; measures 16.3 x 6.45 x 10.12 inches (W x H x D)

My oldest son is autistic and insists on listening to the same CD on repeat-mode every night as he drifts off to sleep. He has one of these players in his room. Usually we turn it off after he goes to sleep but sometimes it playes all night.

We are well into our second year of this routine and this CD player has performed flawlessly. We don't let him have original CDs but rather burn the two tracks he listens to over and over to a special CD and let him have it. He has worn out several CDs through scratching and smudging but this CD player keeps going and going.

And, that's another plus, this player will play a CD that is very smudged and scratched.

We were so impressed with this unit that we bought a second one. It has been used extensively and still works like new.

I've occasionally used the radio function and have found that it pulls in stations very well.

My only complaint is that I found the controls confusing. I wish the symbols on the buttons were actually a contrasting color, not just impressions molded into plastic which are very difficult if not impossible to see in low light. Of course, if you use yours every day you'll probably get all your favorite functions down my memory before long.

It only has two speakers that are about 4 inches, so don't expect rumbling bass. In fact, you could probably easily find a CD boombox that sounds better, but probably not at this price point, and when it comes to sheer durability I don't know how this unit can be beat.

Buy Sony CFD-S350 CD/Cassette Portable Boombox (Silver) Now

I had my old Sony Boombox for 11 years & it finally gave out. I saw this one; it looked nice and had all the same basics as my old one. I needed a simple player & this one fit the bill. Many others look too "space age" to me.

When I got it, I put in a CD and it didn't sound like it had much bass. I turned on the Mega Bass & it didn't sound any different. At least with my old Sony you could tell when the Mega Bass was on. Because of the lack of bass I think it's an OK player.

I took my children to a local play gym/arcade, and they had the Sony CFD-F10 there. It sounded great! Sad to say, it makes me wish I did a little more comparing, the extra $10-$15 dollars seems worth it.

Read Best Reviews of Sony CFD-S350 CD/Cassette Portable Boombox (Silver) Here

I've owned several multi format players over the years and this one sounds the best of all of them. It delivers sharp, crisp sounds without sounding tinny or like it's in a barrel. The bass boost works fine on my unit. If you can't tell a difference you might want to get your ears checked.

I like it because it's small enough to fit on my desk comfortably and it can be carried easily. The handle lays down flat when you don't need it. The antenna folds away nicely under the handle when the radio isn't in use. The earphone jack is placed nicely on top and you don't have to go hunting for it. The power and the sleep buttons are conveniently placed side by side by themselves so you don't accidentally hit them and turn the player/radio off. All in all I like the placement of the buttons, someone put a lot of thought into the placement and use of the buttons when designing this nice little machine.

The LCD display is easy to read, it has larger than average letters and numbers. If you didn't have instructions for this unit you can almost figure it out without them. It's very intuitive and user friendly.

The remote is not too small or too large, and the buttons are a good size, not too small to press easily and not too close together. They're also very clearly labeled so you know which buttons control which functions.

I still have plenty of cassette tapes left and they all sound very good on this unit. It doesn't hiss when playing them. CD's sound clear without any extraneous noises and the high/low range sounds good to my ears. If you want some piece of an audiophiles dream then go pay the price for it. I like listening to all kinds of music from Irish drinking songs to trance and it all sounds great to me on this little box.

I haven't used any batteries yet, I bought mine for indoor use, to listen to my CD's and tapes.

I give this unit five stars for:

Good design set up

Size

Ease of use and functions

Sound quality

Price

Follow up: December 23, 2006

I'm still really enjoying my little machine. I really really like the repeat function. It also has a repeat shuffle function that shuffles the order of tracks around while it repeats and that's kinda neat. There's another function that's really great and that's the programmable track repeat. You can program it to repeat a particular track however many times you want. I tried several CD's on 'repeat all' and it kept playing the CD over and over again til I stopped it. Out of curiosity mostly I let the same CD run, all day long and half the night, just to see if it would do it. It did. I am still very pleased with this unit and its' performance and would buy it again.

October 12, 2007

My little machine is still going strong. I've had no problems with it whatsoever. All in all if it bit the dust today, I will have gotten my money's worth from it. I've used it to death. I've played CDs, and tapes, and listened to the radio, LOL. It's been going nonstop since I took it out of the box;)

Edit August 15, 2008

This little box is still going strong. There are those who said there's no repeat function.My little box is still going strong. if it bit the dust tomorrow, I've gotten my money's worth, LOL. I've played this little box a countless number of hours. I'm still very pleased with the performance.

Update December 16, 2009

This box is still going strong:) Still plays CDs and the readio works great. The tape player still plays tapes as good as it did when I bought it. This little box has been one of the best investments I've made for playing music:)

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Well, up until recently I was really pretty high on Sony products. But no longer. We bought this unit just under a year ago and the "PLAY" button broke with moderate use. After disassembling the unit, I found that the buttons (especially PLAY, FF, and REW) are all cantilevered away from the cassette handling mechanism. When you combine that with the very thin piece of plastic connecting the button to the mechanism, you have something that's designed to fail. Very poor design, and Sony could easily have done a better job by simply using more plastic in that area. So, since the unit was still under warranty for parts, I called and asked for a new button. No deal! They said that they could only sell me an entire unit, refurbished, or I would have to pay them to put in a new button "for safety reasons". Oh, maybe I could PURCHASE a new button, but they weren't sure.

Let me see the warranty says: "... Sony will supply, at no charge, new or rebuilt replacements in exchange for defective parts for a period of one (1) year. After 90 days from the date of purchase, labor for removal and installation is available from Sony authorized service facilities or a Sony Service Center at your expense." Available? More like "mandatory". They simply would NOT send me a new button, under the terms of their warranty. All they could do was refer me to the "Executive Resolution Committee" c'mon for a button???

What is Sony thinking? We are talking about a little plastic button here! Well, the story is not yet over. I FedEx'd the Committee a copy of my purchase reciept, Sony's warranty, and the details of the problem.

We'll see if Sony stands behind their warranty promises or not. Stay tuned ...

1/7/07 update Sony phoned me directly after receiving the FedEx documentation and offered to replace the box if I paid to ship the old one to them. So at least I wouldn't have to pay about $30 for the refurbished unit (although the FedEx to the Executive Committee cost me about $12). Cost another $12 via FedEx ground to ship back the broken unit (repair facility is about 100 miles from here). Got a refurbished unit back in about a week total cost of about $25. Pretty good service but still disappointing to learn that their own service representative agreed with my assessment of the situation. Too bad their warranty statements aren't representative of the actual warranty policy you can either pay them to fix it, or you can pay for a whole new (refurbished) unit. But to actually get a replacement part that fails under warranty replaced? Forget it!

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I had the previous model and like this one better. It works very well sounds great and has a very easy to use remote. I am not familiar with all the different bells and whistles higher models have. But can tell you this one works well and I am very satisfied with it more so than the previous model.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Zmodo 16 Channel H.264 DVR + 8 x 480TVL CMOS 6mm Weatherproof Camera + 1TB HDD Surveillance Kit KDF

Zmodo 16 Channel H.264 DVR + 8 x 480TVL CMOS 6mm Weatherproof Camera + 1TB HDD Surveillance Kit KDF6-SARAZ8ZN-1TBNot Impressed by any means, keeps rebooting every other day after six months of operation. Purchased this item to keep an "eye" on things when I'm away. Worked great at first but does not help much now. Save your money and look for another brand. The color displayed from the cameras are way off and cannot be adjusted to anything close to the right color. Have used two different monitors and a HD T.V. to view and adjust color to no avail. It was a simple set up on the positive side.

Mine keeps saying "no hdd" only after 6 months of use. I hope everyone else has better luck.

excelent product, good quality and is really aLL the specifications, i recomended this product, i love it and is to usefull, is excelent

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The Web interface software crashes constantly and is not secure at all. You setup users and passwords and any user name or password permits direct access to the cameras on line. I called tech support and they offered programs I could download and install. The 1st one crashed within 20 minutes. The 2nd one looses contact with the DVD on my Lan every day. The Infrared Cameras they supply work great Indoors at night. Outdoors, they are worthless after dark.

I Highly recommend you spend a couple hundred more dollars and purchase something you will be happy with. I'm stuck with it (For Now)

Read Best Reviews of Zmodo 16 Channel H.264 DVR + 8 x 480TVL CMOS 6mm Weatherproof Camera + 1TB HDD Surveillance Kit KDF Here

If quality matters, avoid these. Menu's are a pain to work with, software installed on the PC constantly has problems and glitches.

Bought several and already having units failing after 3 months. If you try to RMA the unit to Zmodo, make sure you have 100% of what came with the units including the original packaging / CD / cables or they won't accept the unit back.

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I've given this product a week after doing an install

there are no in depth instructions or manual, just a quick guide to get you going. Also if I wasn't already very familiar with Cameras, Networking, port Forwarding etc, this would have probably caused a heart attack for anyone else.

the Color of the cameras are a bit off because of no IR cut filter (it pretty much accepts IR light all day long too, distorting blacks and greens) I got over that, it seemed to get better after 2 days. Also, the cameras come with 6mm lenses which isn't exactly wide angle, I ordered 2.8mm lenses for them today. with 6mm lenes, I get a picture about 20 wide 60 feet away. Not suitable for indoor use.

The interface of the DVR is difficult to navigate on the Playback side.

As for the remote viewing, it works well with the Web interface on a computer, but you can only view 4 cameras at a time, and playback searching is terrible. if you're looking for a client to install directly to the computer you'll have to find another one for another Zmodo brand, the CD that came with my package was blank.

on the Mobile phone I can get up to 4 cameras at once, but it often freezes the DVR and requires a reboot. that's no good if you're not at home to reboot it.

If you're looking for a system that will just record and view cameras this will do it, but now that I got this, I'm going to start upgrading each camera and eventually the DVR and switch the whole system over..

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Sunday, January 26, 2014

GEOVISION DVR card, GV-600 8CH, 30 FPS live display and record playback

GEOVISION DVR card, GV-600 8CH, 30 FPS live display and record playbackGreat product. Works perfect. I took off a star for lack of support in Linux and OSX. The updated software has the benefit of a phone-browser website feature. It will show images right on the web browser of your phone. There is also an app, but you don't really need it.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 2013

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 2013
  • It's never been easier to turn your video footage into breathtaking works of art complete with impressive special effects, background music, and interactive menus.
  • Support of new video standard AVCHD Progressive (50p); accelerated export of AVCHD videos with automatic graphics card recognition; fast and direct GPU calculation of all essential video effects
  • New chromakey engine allows anyone to create impressive video effects in movie quality.
  • Extensive audio dubbing: manual and automatic; professional menu design for DVDs and Blu-ray discs
  • Full HD support for HDV and AVCHD camcorders

Loaded well and the tutorial is helping a lot. Looking forward to using it as I shoot my first film in June.

Buy MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 2013 Now

I wanted video editing software to edit the movies from my new Panasonic HC-V700 HD video camera. I was not satisfied with the limited editing software that came with the camera. After reading the reviews on editing software, there was no product that stood out as perfect. I decided to take a chance on Magix Movie Edit Pro 2013 since I am a satisfied user of their audio cleaning software. I downloaded a free 30 day trial (limits a movie to 3 minutes in length) to make sure it would work on my machine prior to purchase . I had no problem with installation or use on my Windows 7 system.

Since this is my first editing software I cannot compare it with others. However, it seems to do what I need and the price at the time was only $37. In the month I have owned the software I have successfully added titles, made cuts, added music, made video DVD's (no AVCHD blue rays yet), and uploaded directly to YouTube. After my purchased disc arrived it was a simple matter to put in the serial code to the trial version (which I thought was more up to date than the CD may have been) to make it permanent.

The software is not as intuitive to use as it could be. I usually don't read manuals first but just dig in and try things. I did peruse the 338 page PDF manual first this time. When something doesn't work like you expect, the manual does a decent job of helping you out.

I would recommend this software to someone looking for basic editing software that has the capability to meet your expectations as your needs grow. Definitely download the trial version first from Magix.com. Since I haven't used enough of the features and the software is not intuitive, I am giving it 4 stars this time.

Read Best Reviews of MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 2013 Here

I found this program to be very difficult to use. The documentation does not address how to begin very clearly. I was able to load a file, but I could not add a title card. When I would type any text it would superimpose the text on the first frame. None of the help screens address this problem. On their support site the questions answered seemed to be geared toward experienced users familiar with the software to some extent. This is the second program I bought from them. I did not have a good experience with their music program, but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was a compatibility problem with Windows 7. I gave them another chance, but I have not been able to use Movie Editor Pro. I will stick with Windows Live Movie Maker, which I have used several times successfully. It is much more intuitive, and for me easier to use.

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I am using the trial of this for about 2 weeks. I have used other Movie editors from Magix for years so am not a novice to their products.

This one is next to useless, it's a problem saving 3 minute files, although at the bottom it goes thru the motions, sometimes it takes 3 attempts before successful..

The black/grey interface is almost unreadable causing serious eyestrain.

I could go on & on but don't wish to waste any more time.

My system:

Case Cooler Master Elite 360 Mini tower ATX CPU CPU

CPU Intel Core i7 2600K / 3.4 GHz LGA1155 Socket L3 8 MB

Motherboard Asrock Z68 PRO3-M Micro-ATX Motherboard

Memory Corsair CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 Memory DDR3 1333 8 GB

Graphics Card None ................ i7 3000, I tried a GT520 Slower than the integrated Intel, sent back!

Hard Drive Western Digital Caviar Black Internal Hard Drive 3.5 "1 TB SATA III

INet Wireless TP-Link TL-WN851N Wireless N PCI Card 300Mbps MiMo 2 antennas

Power Supply Be Quiet BQT L7-530W PC Power Supply ATX 530 W. Not so QUIET not good, buy another. DVD R / Writer Liteon iHAS324

Internal multi card reader LECT-MUL-CAR -C109 Multi-card Reader Internal 3.5 "

Friday, December 13, 2013

C2G / Cables to Go 29745 SonicWave SVideo Cable (150 Feet, Charcoal)

C2G / Cables to Go 29745 SonicWave SVideo CableI joined two 150 feet cables for a church event recording, stiil have high quality signal. The cable is very consistent. This is a great product, I would recomend to anybody.

Save 83% Off

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Samsung VKKF011NUS SDE-5002 16 Channel DVR 1 TB HDD 4 Box Camera and 4 Dome Camera

Samsung VKKF011NUS SDE-5002 16 Channel DVR 1 TB HDD 4 Box Camera and 4 Dome CameraI own a couple of retail businesses and use these Samsung Camera systems. There is a little secret though. The other model which is SDE-5001 is much better and it is also a 16 channel with 1 TB all specifications are the same. It's hard to find the difference between the 2 unless you buy both. The SDE-5001 has metal Body Camera's which are much better and more durable, while this SDE-5002 model has plastic body camera's. The model of the metal body camera is SEB-1005R which comes with the SDE-5001, while the new camera SEB-1007R is included with the SDE-5002 system.

This is odd because one would think that the larger model number is better when infact it's just the opposite.

Also another secretthe refurbished models are the same as new. I've used 4-5 refurbished ones and all worked great; no issue. They are always much cheaper. GOOD LUCK

Samsung Security System SDE-5001 16 Channel DVR 1 TB HDD 4 Box Camera and 4 Dome Camera

I purchased this system to use for my home. I was leaning to get the 8 channel version, but the cost difference from the 8-16 was minimal...If I could do it again, i would have gone with the 8. I cant imagine anyone putting up 16 camera in and around a residence. What makes this system really easy to setup is that it only takes 1 Ethernet cable per camera. Other security system require a BNC cable and a Power cable. This kit uses POE (power over Ethernet) This also makes getting a 100 foot cable or more a cheap upgrade (check amazon for cables) I need to get 2 100 footers since the included cables are only 60-70 foot. The night vision is not that good. What I understand is this is more of an issue with the availability of reflected light. I have motion activated flood lights near these security camera, but that seems to wash our the picture at night. Day time recording is great. Setup on the internet is easy, the gui screen and menus are easy to follow.

The Iphone app is really good too. If the night vision was better I would give this 5 stars.

Free advise: get a good nylon fish tape to pull the Ethernet cables through the attic. Get a buddy to help.

Buy Samsung VKKF011NUS SDE-5002 16 Channel DVR 1 TB HDD 4 Box Camera and 4 Dome Camera Now

Decided to pick this up after looking over many reviews for wired and wireless models. Looked like a decent product by a well known company. Install was not difficult except for pulling the cable to hook up the monitors. Everything hooked up fine and the software was easy to use. Main issue was poor video quality even on the live display. Called tech support and they said that is what is setup in the system and you cannot modify live viewing, only recorded viewing. Video now a days is cheap and easy. My throw away cell phone can record better video than this unit can. I could understand the recorded video being lower quality but just pulling up one screen and watching live you better hope you don't need any of it for the police to review. At least I didn't hook up all the cameras if I decide to return it.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung VKKF011NUS SDE-5002 16 Channel DVR 1 TB HDD 4 Box Camera and 4 Dome Camera Here

Everything is plug and play, making installation easy. Samsung has excellent tech support for their products too. I love the ability to watch my house from anywhere in the world

Want Samsung VKKF011NUS SDE-5002 16 Channel DVR 1 TB HDD 4 Box Camera and 4 Dome Camera Discount?

Pros: The system does the job and has an easy to use interface. Was easy to set up. The fact that it is mouse and remote driven is a big plus. Cameras have decent enough resolution. POE is great. At least all of this is better than the 7 year old system it replaced.

Cons: The cameras themselves feel cheap with the plastic housing, and the DVR is not very rugged with flimsy housing feeling like it is made by COBY or one of those 3rd tier electronic manufacturers. Port 4 on the back was on the fritz on arrival and was flickering. I was already well into the install and had run CAT6 throughout the building, so I figured I would address this issue later instead of sending it back immediately. Port4 completely died soon after. About a month later one of the bullet cameras died. This was an outdoor camera under a ledge which was under an awning not in direct contact with the elements. When removed, I discovered it was full of water. I contacted Samsung for warranty service and my only option is to ship the 45 day old system at my own expense to a repair facility where I can expect a minimum turn around time of 2 weeks.

If I could send this back, I surely would. Not off to a good start with this pile of junk.