Showing posts with label digital audio recording. Show all posts
Showing posts with label digital audio recording. Show all posts

Monday, November 3, 2014

JVC Everio GZMG27 20GB HDD Digital Media Camcorder with 32x Optical Zoom

JVC Everio GZMG27 20GB HDD Digital Media Camcorder with 32x Optical ZoomI have been using this camera for about 2 months, taking it on a cruise as well as filming a couple college choir concerts. All went well, exceeded my expectations, based on other reviews I read. The only problem I have seen is with lowlight indoor filming, however the fix I came across supposedly works, but I have not had a chance to try it yet (see fix at end of review). The 20gb drive was plentry for me, cpaturing several hours of HD quality film, still with plenty of drive space remaining. I have had very few problems with the software, the ones I did have are more around lack of a manual, but have figured out thru trial and error. Overall, I would highly recommend this product to anyone interested in a new camera. Plus you can stop buying tapes.

Lowlight Fix (note I do not take credit for this, found it on the web but do not remember where). Here is the text exactly as I found it, including the comments at the end.

How I get good low-light/indoors video (do the following steps indoors with the camera in capture mode):

1) Disable the "Gain Up" feature (major contributor to the grainy low-light video)

2) Turn on "Manual" mode (via AUTO button)

3) Go to the manual control menu (down on the 'stick')

4) Set AE to '+2'

5) Highlight 'MWB' in the WB menu, point the camera at a sheet of paper (position the camera so the sheet of paper fills the view of the camera) and press and hold the middle of the 'stick' until 'MWB' stops blinking (about 5-10 seconds).

6) Set S.sp. to 1/60

7) Press down on the 'stick' to exit the manual control menu

After doing this, my indoors video quality is MUCH better (no more noise/grainy video). The settings will be saved, even if the battery is removed or depleted; they will return even if you switch to AUTO mode then back to MANUAL.

The Everio GZMG27 HDD Camcorder is a wonderful camcorder with lots of handy features at a value price. Although the battery that comes with the camcorder has a limited life, I didn't feel that this was a huge drawback since I always like to buy a spare anyway. The 20 GB capacity seems to be more than adequate and it is easy to transfer to other storage media. The zoom feature is powerful enough to bring out the flaws on the face of a Hollywood star and the Automatic shooting mode allows you to start taking good videos straight from the box.

Buy JVC Everio GZMG27 20GB HDD Digital Media Camcorder with 32x Optical Zoom Now

Pro's:

no recording media to change, long record time. Small and lightweight.

Con's:

for the price, I can't think of any.

I think some people seem to forget that this model is considered a budget HDD camcorder. You ARE NOT going to get "brodcast quality" video out of it. You ARE NOT going to get good low light performance. What you get is an affordable, compact, decent HDD camcorder for a shoe-string budget. Nothing more. You are paying for the convenience of not having to change tapes or dvds, bottom line.

I've had mine now for about 9 hours and so far I've only done test shooting with it in low-light conditions. On Auto the results were less than exceptable. If you take a little time and learn the manual controls then you will get satisfactory results. There will be some "noise" (grainy picture) but again, this is a "bottom of the barrel" camcorder.

I've read many reviews on this device (and the other Everio G models around this price range) and people all complain about the poor picture quality and I just want to say for the last time... It's a budget HDD camcorder. Yes, I know I'm repeating myself but I want to put this issue to bed. If you want really nice picture quality, pick up one of Sony's new Hi-Def HD camcorders. Mmmmmm...might set you back about $1200.

People have complained about the mod file. Idiots. Thats all I got to say. The included software converts it to Mpeg2 for you. Duh!?! In no time I had my 'test video' shot, downloaded, converted, and edited using windows movie maker. Please keeep in mind that this is the FIRST CAMCORDER I'VE EVER BOUGHT. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EDITED VIDEO ON MY COMPUTER!

Also, Format the hard drive before you begin to record. Some people complained that picture quality was worse than that of a web cam. Through my countless hours of searching for the "truth", I came to the conclusion that this may be why. They don't even mention that until page 39 of the manual.

One of the most frustating things I've done in my life was research and read reviews for camcorders. Geez, what a can of worm that was. I'm trying to make this as blunt as possible for the next guy who reads this shopping for a camcorder so he doesn't get stuck on the internet every night for a week and a half trying to find out the truth about this thing. "Don't listen to the complainers. They didn't know what they were doing". IT'S A BUDGET HDD CAMCORDER!

So far I'm very pleased with this product and The quality thus far is more than exceptable for my needs.

For the record I'm a Lighting Technician/Designer for an Audio/Visual Company with some knowledge of video technology, but have limited hands-on camera experience.

Read Best Reviews of JVC Everio GZMG27 20GB HDD Digital Media Camcorder with 32x Optical Zoom Here

I recently purchsased the JVC Everio GZMG27 after much research and thought about which platform to get....hard drive vs. mini DV tapes vs. mini DVD discs. I tested the cam yesterday and it was easy to use, very user friendly (don't really need to read the manual to get it working) and took a nice video. Overall a very good purchase over the Sony which generally costs about $100 more. However, what I do not like about the camera and will be the reason why I am going to return it and purchase the DVD mini disc format is the time it takes to create a DVD. Last night I copied the test video from the Cam to my hard drive and I discovered the following. The files are some weird MOI type which cannot be opened using any standard video software. You must use the disc that comes with the camcorder. The software does allow you to convert to AVI which would then have to be converted to DVD format. This of course is in real time, so if your video is 2 hours, you must play back the video for 2 hours and then wait for the computer to first convert to AVI. After that I could rip it to disc in about 45 more minutes. Although there is an option of directly ripping to DVD, I do not like this option since I would like to have a back up (in DVD file format) on my harddrive along with a copy of the DVD.

With the mini DVD camcorders, it is so easy to make a copy and keep a copy on your computer's harddrive for future editing/copies. Much less time consuming for sure. The drawback is of course that the discs are only good for about 30 minutes of footage, but that is fine with me.

Hope this saves you some time.

Want JVC Everio GZMG27 20GB HDD Digital Media Camcorder with 32x Optical Zoom Discount?

Since I really only have a few small gripes, I'll list them first! The indoor quality isn't great-even with the 'fix' listed below-the colors are mostly washed out so the picture looks nearly black and white, and depending on how much light is available when you adjust the white balance, it can almost take on a sepia tone appearance. Also, in low-light situations, the camera seems to 'search' for something to focus on, causing the subject to blur in and out over and over. Other than that, I've been very happy with my purchase. I did a lot of online searching thru models here at Amazon, and read tons of reviews for many different cameras, and this one seemed to have the MOST positive feedback.

The pros:

Excellent outdoor and daytime (well lit) indoor shooting.

Amazingly smooth zoom! Even at 32X the detail is amazing!

Very easy to use out of the box, easy to understand menu!

Excellent design, great attention to detail!

Very small and light!

Love the 20 Gigabyte HDD memory!

Very easy PC interface, quick transfer of files.

Cyberlink's Products are very user-friendly.

Packed with features I haven't even discovered yet!

Needless to say, I really am not disappointed with my purchase. Anyone who thinks they should be able to get feature-film quality from a small, compact camcorder for less than $500 is pretty naive.

*EDITI have upgraded the bundled Cyberlink products to the full versions and find them to be capable of creating great professional-looking films in 1080p HD without being as cumbersome and difficult to use as Adobe Premiere. It also costs about half the price. A review of them is here ...

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Bell+Howell DNV900HD Night Vision 1080p High Definition Digital Video Camcorder with 3.0 Inch Touch

Bell+Howell DNV900HD Night Vision 1080p High Definition Digital Video Camcorder with 3.0 Inch Touchscreen LCDI really hate to give such a bad review, but this item has earned it. If I could I would have given it a negative 5 star rating! Remember making a pinhole camera in grade school? Well now you know the abilities of this camcorder. In daylight shooting, everything has a purple tint. In night vision mode, if you're more that about 18 inches from your subject, just shut off the camera because you won't see anything anyway. I even bought the Phantom Lite external IR light, which has capabilities to almost 60 feet and I still only got images from about 3 feet, then total darkness. The battery lasts about 20 minutes, after cycling it through about five full charges and discharges. No website for support, supplied driver to use this for a webcam does not work with Windows 7, after three uses, the HDMI out port stopped functioning! Needless to say it's on it's way back to Amazon for a full refund.

DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA.

JUNK JUNK JUNK.

I really like this unit. It's a little on the small size for someone with big hands. Easy to use. The camera is really 5mp, interpolated to 12mp. The zoom only works for stills, not video. The IR source is a little weak for outdoors use, but is as advertised. That being said, the unit is easy to use and produces good images. It comes with all cables needed. I was surprised with the image quaility when played back on a large LCD TV. I would recomend this, The extra SD slot and dual power option are cool, as is the IR mode. If you have teenagers in the house you might need two of them, Really big hit with them. Is it my turn yet?

Buy Bell+Howell DNV900HD Night Vision 1080p High Definition Digital Video Camcorder with 3.0 Inch Touch Now

The main issue is that under any light except florescent light, the image on video and still camera turns everything purple or blue. Simple example: In my kitchen with florescent light, Blacks come out black and browns come out brown. In the living room under normal incandescent light bulbs my Dark Brown couch is bright purple. I took some video of my friends band and they looked like blue Smurfs on stage. I reset the camera to defaults and still same issue. I really think mine came with a defective ambient light sensor or something. Also, not all the commands or buttons work plugged into my TV with the HDMI cable. I have to start the video I want from the LCD then plug it into the TV and if I even try and fast forward or pause with the buttons it does all kinds of crazy things. There was no instructions on how to playback even when plugged into HDMI. The good side is that the video is not bad in 720p. You cannot use the zoom if in 1080p, I'm guessing it's all digital zoom and no optical? It is very small and lightweight, which is nice. I really haven't seen any issue with the battery as of yet. The infrared is cool, and if you're complaining about the distance for night vision, then you need to invest in a bigger IR light to connect. You can't expect much from that little IR light. Every ghost hunter knows to have a powerful IR light if you want to see all the way down a hallway. I called support and am sending it in. They were very helpful at 1 -800-647-2290 and have promised to rush me back a new camera and reimburse me for my shipping to them. If I get a replacement camera and all is well then I'd say you get a pretty good product for the price. The dual 32GB SD card slots are nice, just don't let stores upsale you on SD10 cards, because the SD4 card I used worked just fine.

Read Best Reviews of Bell+Howell DNV900HD Night Vision 1080p High Definition Digital Video Camcorder with 3.0 Inch Touch Here

Phenomenal 1080p Camcorder. Works in total darkness with the IR (infrared) mode. Takes either the supplied NP-40 lithium rechargeable batteries, or standard AA batteries. Also has 2 SD card slots = 64gb maximum total removable memory. The touchscreen is also a breeze to use. Very clear picture. Nice, sturdy, and firm build quality. Very impressed.

Want Bell+Howell DNV900HD Night Vision 1080p High Definition Digital Video Camcorder with 3.0 Inch Touch Discount?

It is a nice little camera with night shot, but even with extra IR illumination the battery's life is very short. Is it worth it for the money no it doesn't even have a lens cover.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Mini Digital Video Recorder MD 80 - 2GB

Mini Digital Video Recorder MD 80 - 2GBThis thing is awesome. I have used it on several occasions and it has not disappointed me yet. As long as you keep in mind the size of the product and not to expect movie quality sound and graphics you will love it. The video and audio quality is just what I was looking for. If something ever happens to this one I will be buying another one.

The user's manual that comes on the mini-CD is written in a Chinese-English that may be confusing. There is no diagram of the switch location, however they are labeled. There is a better description at have a switch labeled "MODE" and the diagram in the recommended site calls it "sound trigger switch"

Buy Mini Digital Video Recorder MD 80 - 2GB Now

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Sony CCD-TRV65

Sony CCD-TRV65the product was as stated and more than i expected or needed it is working fine for the purpose i intended and i may even extend it to other uses i can't attest to the market the value but for me it was worth the money

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

COBY DVD218 DVD Player

COBY DVD218 DVD Player
  • Delivers over 500 horizontal lines of crystal clear video imagery
  • Plays DVD / MP3 / CD / CD-R / CD-RW formats
  • Compatible with NTSC & PAL formats
  • Multiple Subtitles / Viewing Angles
  • Compact Midsize Chassis

The dvd player never worked not from the moment it was unpacked. And it wasn't one thing either it was a whole bunch. The door wouldn't open to insert a disc. Then it said there was no disc (when there was). Next it got stuck playing and refused to respond to the remote or the buttons on the player itself....final straw, the door won't open to get the dvd back out.

I didn't expect a lot just a basic player that worked. Apparently that was too much to expect. I never even watched a single movie.

Still going back and forth with Coby to resolve. Will update.

Buy COBY DVD218 DVD Player Now

I got this player as a Christmas present lately, and I AM THRILLED WITH IT! It's amazingly sleek, stylish and (as I gather)affordable. I hooked it up to my TV and this player worked wonders!

I'm not really a huge fan of Coby, since my CD Player (which was Coby) conked out last week, but this DVD Player makes up for that!

So go ahead! If you're looking for and affordable DVD Player for a bedroom, this is the right one!

Read Best Reviews of COBY DVD218 DVD Player Here

This is a piece of junk

The owner of Coby should be ashamed. Coby don't know no quality

They make products bad, then sell them for cheap prices.

Then people buy them just because they're cheap, just like me, and the products never work!

I got this DVD player today and it won't even let me insert DVD into it.

How bad is that? You tell me!

I ain't never gonna buy another Coby product in my life

Buy something decent for more money and be happy

Don't ever buy no Coby product cuz they're not worth it

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Canon ZR40 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, & Digital Still Mode

Canon ZR40 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5' LCD, & Digital Still ModeI'm always been fond of the Canon line of consumer DV cams. They always have great optics, electronics, and durability. But what really sets them apart is thier menu systems! It's totally disgusting that on most any other brand, including ones as prestegious as Sony, that they lump all the menu options into a hoard of small, finger nail sized, buttons for most of thier consumer models. For Canon's you simply press the menu button then scoll and press a togele wheel. This way, once you get the hang of the wheel, you now understand how to use the whole menu system for any function. This is a great improvement over those that require the manual to find that "secret button combination". This is a consumer camera but I use it for many large applications. It has been sized down from it's Optura and Ultura ancestors but pretty well all the functionality and then some. It has other sister cams such as the ZR45MC and ZR50MC. These pack the all-in-one memory card digital camera and mini Dv. I have friends who love these models dearly. Personally I go for a seperate camera with larger resolution. Whatever your needs are ...

I've noticed a large number of reviews that say something to the affect of "I pulled it out of the box, plugged it up, and the image was grainy" or "I turned on steady shot and nothing happend".

This might be old news for most but to explain for those of you that might be concerned by this ...

Video cameras these days still thrive on ample lighting! This and other cameras have a sort of slow motion low light mode (accessible from the menu) that works by slowing down the frame rate and sucking every bit of image data off the CCD. THis is ok for an emergancey but if you want good image, turn on an extra light or two. Human eyes are so adaptable that you might not even notice if the lighting is more subdued than usal but it will make a mile of diffence for the camera. Secondly, get to know the manual menu and exposure system. The auto functions can't always guess what your trying to do.

About steady shot... this only takes of the headache inducing shock that occurs when you jar the camera. It's extremely useful in it's own right but it won't keep you from waving the camera around.

This is a great cam that I fully recommend. THere is one issue that doesn't dampen my five star rating but is noteworthy. To size this camera down to an even more portable size, the engineers made it with the DV cassette loading from the bottom instead of the top. THis is fine except that if you are a true believer in tripods, as I am, then you have to take the camera off the tipod or tripod plate every time you need to swap tapes. Just a minor concern...

Expecting a baby, I did research for about three weeks before I ended up with this Canon ZR40. Couple of features that I wanted to have were external mic input, analog input, no still images since I already own a nice digital camera, and most of all, affordable price tag. Amazingly, ZR40 had this all! 18x zoom is nice and its compact size is pretty neat. Still, I have minor complaints after extensive tests.

1. As pointed out by many people previously, the picture is somewhat grainy specially indoors. Because this is my first digital camcorder, I don't know if this happens for other high-end models, but I suspect it may stand out somewhat more for ZR40 with only 480K CCD pixels.

2. What has also been noted was the motor noise, which is my primary concern for now. Maybe, I would not been able to tell if I had not read those reviews, but I could certainly hear the noise when recorded in a quiet environment. I tried to use an external microphone to remove the noise, in which case the noise is gone, but the external microphone does not match the internal microphone in sensitivity. (I used a low-end microphone for the test with the sensitivity of -75 dBm, though.)

3. This is a really minor point, but the camcorder automatically shuts down if I don't start recording within 5 minutes.

Overall, I think ZR40 has great features at such a price and is certainly worth owning if you are looking for one in the price range.

Buy Canon ZR40 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, & Digital Still Mode Now

This is really the ideal entry-level camcorder for someone just getting into digital video editing. The optical image stabilization is far better than the electronic kind, and the picture quality is pretty good. It has a tendency to overexpose in bright sunlight, but you can easily adjust the exposure down half an f-stop. It's small and light, the viewfinder and flip-out screen are both color, battery life is pretty good with an add-on high capacity battery. Best of all, you can connect your old analog camcorder to it and import all your old videos to DV! Works great with Apple iMovie.

The one downside to this camcorder is the audio. It's a problem with most tiny cameras, and this is no exception: motor whine. DV requires a high speed rotating head, which means fast motors--and because of the small body, they're too close to the built-in microphones.

My solution was to spend an extra $99 on a Sony WCS-999 Wireless Microphone kit. It's a clip-on belt pack with a "tie clip" style mic, operating via 900MHz wireless. Just like professional TV presenters use, but at a fraction of the price. After that investment, I got great sound.

Read Best Reviews of Canon ZR40 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, & Digital Still Mode Here

Unfortunately I had a very bad consumer experience buying this camera. I had borrowed a ZR20 from a friend the year before and liked it, so when the ZR40 came out I wanted to buy it. I read online that some people were complaining about motor noise with this camera, but I figured I try it anyways. I bought it at Best Buy (should be called Worst Buy), and when trying it out found that it does have super bad motor noise. You can't hear it while recording it's when you are watching a tape you recorded playback on your TV etc that you hear it. The motor noise is recorded in with your audio, so you hear a loud hummmm in the background. It was too loud for me to live with. If I was recording something with no background noise (like my baby playing), then it was as loud as his voice! ... I have now ordered the Panasonic PVDC152 which is supposed to have good sound. We'll see...

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I did extensive research on this model (the whole ZR series) and I must say, a lot of things are positive for this little camera.

* light weight, * small, * bright outdoor pictures, * PRICE.

And some negative points raised by many so far, which of course I have not been able to test as I have not bought this item, is the motor noise being recorded and the night shots being grainy.

I will not discuss anything about it as they have been beaten to death by now.

What I want to talk about is the smaller CCD resolution on the ZR series camcorders.

As we know, the US spec ZR series have the 460K pixels, out of which only 290K pixels are used for video (effective pixels). We need about 420K effective pixels to get a 500 line video resolution on the TV. Most of us know that, the VHS format (video tapes) allow upto 240lines of horizontal resolution. The S-VHS tapes allow upto 400 lines and the Digital Video format goes to 525 lines (really crisp and sharp pictures) on the TV/visual media.

So now, with mere 290K effective pixels of video resolution being recorded on the ZR40/45/50, the best lines of resolution would be around 300. Now, not everything is bad. If you intend to transfer your videos into VHS tapes for storage and future viewing, you will not have any complaints as VHS tapes store at 240 lines of resolution. But someone like me, who wants to store the video digitally, by burning them into DVDs or storing them in DV tapes, I would like to get the best resolution that I can, right?

In simple words, I want 500 lines of resolution for my video, full stop! Even though ZR40 is a DV camera, its resolution is very poor for real digital quality video.

By the way, the resolution has got everything to do with what we call SHARP, crisp and colorful pictures. It is the same difference you see between the movies played from the VHS tape and movies played from the DVD.

Oh by the way, if your TV doesn't have a 500 line horizontal resolution capability, you are not getting the money's worth by renting DVDs. The TV I bought about 4 yrs ago, a proscan 32 inch, has 700 lines of horizontal resolution. So I can assume most TVs in our houses have capable enough TVs. Going slightly off topic, do you know why the picture quality of HDTVs are so sharp? Bcoz their resolutions are almost double than the 500 lines I am talking about.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Polaroid IP200B Wireless Network Surveillance Camera with High Quality Audio & Video Recording, Rem

Polaroid IP200B wireless IP Network Security Camera, Pan and Tilt, BlackI recently bought 2 cameras and I am very happy with them. Setup was pretty simple and it works well with my email account, it's a decent camera with a decent web interface that does what it's supposed to do and works reliably, supports modern features and multiple users can be configured with different access levels.

The pen and tilt moves almost silently, and are quick and precise. The LEDs on the rear panels can be disabled to be less conspicuous, in a nice touch.

I really love these cameras so far. They are good budget priced cameras and other cameras with an image that's no better and software that's much worse are priced much higher. It's a great balance of modern features and decent quality.

I bought 2 IP200's and an IP300 and only 1 IP200 still works. These are junk don't waste your time

Buy Polaroid IP200B Wireless Network Surveillance Camera with High Quality Audio & Video Recording, Rem Now

Absolutely the worst set up instructions I have ever seen. I own a mac and work with macs professionally on a daily basis. The software comes on a CD which won't play on your mac...and there are no drivers to download from their website. I tried doing this manually but the booklet of instructions that's included doesn't address this on a mac...only on windows machines. Oh wait, it does say, if you own a mac, "it's pretty much plug and play". Btw, the manual reads like a 5 year old wrote them, spelling errors in every paragraph which really makes you feel confident about the product. This will be going back.

*Update. Just got of the phone with their tech support. After 45 minutes of waiting, they realized that they haven't tested the product on the TWO most recent Mac OS systems...thus they have no idea if it actually works on Macs. They asked me to call back in two weeks to see if they would have an update. Impressive, isn't it?

Update 2. Stay away from this seller. Extremely unpleasant to deal with...will charge you shipping and restocking fee regardless of reason for return.

Read Best Reviews of Polaroid IP200B Wireless Network Surveillance Camera with High Quality Audio & Video Recording, Rem Here

Purchased this camera for an experiment, for the money and features it had to offer it seemed like a no brainer, after comparing it to similar

cameras in its price range and reading several reviews it has proven to be a wise choice, the camera is very easy to set up, and provides a very

clear picture, the user interface leaves a little to be desired, and the audio will not work for some reason, but audio is illegal to use in security

surveilance in many states anyhow, dollar for dollar , I would recomend this camera , it moves very smooth and almost silently, would be nice if they

improve the interface so that you can choose limits on auto scan movement, but I have yet to find a low end IP camera that does, and zoom again would

be a valued upgrade to it's performance, but is only available in more expensive cameras as well, try one, you should be pleased with it's performance

and appearance,

Want Polaroid IP200B Wireless Network Surveillance Camera with High Quality Audio & Video Recording, Rem Discount?

The camera may be OK, I'm not sure as I never got it working. The software is terrible. The web server on the camera repeatedly prompts for a userid for any operation, but will not accept the default userid provided in the instructions unless it is typed in three times in a row. It looks like you can provide any old userid three times in a row and it will let you in to the site. Clicking on any page within the site prompts for userid once again. Looks like you can also hit "cancel" when prompted for a userid and still get in! Once in though, I couldn't get a video feed with either VLC on IE or Google Chrome or the Server Push Mode. That makes this thing pretty much useless to me. I'm sending it back.

Update: I skipped using IE and went to a Chrome browser, using the userid "admin" rather than the specified "Admin". It worked! Setting it up for wireless access was a snap. Next hurdle is setting up DDNS.

Monday, August 4, 2014

RFSPACE SDR-IQ

RFSPACE SDR-IQDoes everything claimed for it and does it well. The supplied program, SpectraVue is quite complex and takes a while to learn to use

properly.

RFSpace designed and built the SDR-IQ. The device is connected via the IF-out on my K3 and , thus, isolated from any xmit power which, in other situations, may damage the input of the SDR-IQ. This issue though is not new as it's the same issue as with mast mounted Gaasfets for EME, etc. Just make sure you use some sort of T/R if using an external antenna directly into the box, as the antenna.

Well built; extremely great, and easily accessed, Internet support with near-instant responses.

What can I do with it? Well, briefly, when into the K3, I use CWSkimmer to watch/scout for/decode CW signals on whatever band the K3 is on. If I change bands on the K3, I can have the program 'cwskimmer' change the SDR-IQ band, or leave it where it was.

If I put an external long-wire into the input of the SDR-IQ, I can see down around 20kHz all the way up through the HF bands. It is fun to scout for the VLF signals, then turn-on Demod and hear the signals too.

Now I find myself noticing band activity and clear spaces .... far too many possible uses for this extremely sensitive device to mention here. ..._._ ..

Buy RFSPACE SDR-IQ Now

Friday, July 18, 2014

eSecure ES92T060 Surveillance 60feet Siamese Cable BNC/Power Connectors White

eSecure ES92T060 Surveillance 60feet Siamese Cable BNC/Power Connectors WhiteE-Secure is best 4 the money

I had a Zmoto DVR and it just sucked compaired to this brand.

This cable is average quality and will work on most DVR systems

Save 22% Off

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Teac AD-RW900 CD Recorder and Auto Reverse Cassette Deck with USB

Teac AD-RW900 CD Recorder and Auto Reverse Cassette Deck with USB
  • CD Recording from Cassette, USB, Digital-In, AUX
  • Supports CD, CD-R/RW and MP3 Disc
  • USB Audio Output from CD, Cassette, Digital-In, AUX, USB to PC
  • MP3 Playback from USB Memory
  • Auto Reverse Cassette Deck

I've owned a number of TEAC units over the years, my last one being a high-end reel-to-reel, which tells you how long that has been. At the time TEAC was always among the best you could get and I was very happy with their gear. In terms of features this unit has a lot to like about it and seems to be well built. But it has a few quirks you should be aware of.

I have not tried the CD recorder because -it requires blank music or "digital audio" CD media! Do you have lots of spindles of 'regular' blank data CDs? Too bad. This unit will refuse to record on them. Keep in mind that this is not a 'technical' problem but a licensing one. With Digital Audio blank media, you are paying a kind of tax because it is assumed that you will be recording copyrighted music onto the disk. Digital Audio disks are just like computer data disks except for a digital signature written to the Digital Audio disk. If this unit doesn't see that signature, it will refuse to record on it. I had originally planned on copying all my cassettes to CD first and then later rip the CDs on my computer to iTunes. But with a drawer full of perfectly good blank data CDs (which work just fine as music media when written from a computer), I refuse to be forced to go out and buy a whole bunch of new blank media. Fortunately you can copy directly from a cassette to a USB thumb drive, saving as an MP3 file, but...

The cassette --> CD recording method has a feature where the unit will try to determine track breaks on its own, automatically breaking the cassette up into separate tracks on the CD. But for cassette --> USB recording there is no such automatic feature. You can, if you want to, manually mark the tracks. But I wanted unattended copying from my cassettes, so this does me little good. The unit does have a auto-reverse cassette deck, so you can do both sides at a go. But I prefer to do each side of the tape as a separate session to keep the MP3 file sizes a bit more manageable. Remember that if you recorded most of your own tapes, a cassette is typically 30 or 45 minutes a side, so your MP3 files will be that long. That's a good sized file. And recording a side of a tape that is empty creates the same size file as one full of music.

The USB recorder doesn't always start and stop when you press the front panel buttons, or when the cassette player stops. I don't believe this is a defect in this particular unit, but rather some sort of artifact of how the built-in computer is polling for 'events'. To record from cassette --> USB, you select the output (tape), load the tape, and press the RECORD USB button. Usually this works, but sometimes it ignores the button press. Sometimes 2-3 times in a row. An annoyance. But more annoying is that the USB recording is suppose to automatically stop when the tape ends. It usually does, but like the button presses, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, the USB continues to record dead air. This can make for a pretty darn big MP3 file by the time you notice that the tape has stopped but the USB recorder hasn't. Again, not ideal for unattended recording. Ignored button presses can be seen in all the controls I've used so far -for example sometimes it takes pressing the stop or rewind button a couple of times for the unit to pay attention to you.

Sometimes when loading a cassette, the take-up reel does not engage the hub. You have to eject and reload the cassette. Over the years I have owned literally dozens of cassette desks, both cheap and expensive, and I don't believe I've ever had one with this quirk.

There is no light behind the cassette window, so you can see the tape packs. A common feature on any good cassette deck.

The head stays in contact with the tape during fast forward and rewind. This is a common feature for decks that allow you to automatically scan for the blanks between songs. But this unit doesn't have that feature, so this just adds a bit of unneeded wear to the heads.

There is no choice on the sampling rate from cassette --> USB. It is preset to 128K. That seems adequate for most cassettes, but for important original recordings it would be nice to be able to opt for higher settings.

Out of about 60 tapes transcribed so far, I had one session where two tapes were copied at 'double speed' to USB. The tape playback speed control, which I never touch, was set to normal. About 10 tapes later it has yet to repeat this little quirk.

The rewind and fast forward seem slow compared to other decks I've had. A minor issue. I have had two snapped leaders so far, but I blame that on the age of the tape, not the unit, given how non-aggressive its fast wind speeds are.

The Good News....

The transcriptions sound good. On casual listening with my old ears, the MP3s sound as good as the original tape.

Even though the deck is an auto-reverse unit, it has an intelligent auto-stop which will prevent this unit from eating your tapes. But you need to be alert. If the unit suddenly stops in the middle of a tape. Rewind the tape for a second or two, then pop it out, rap it on the table a few times, then make sure both hubs are turning freely. You can do this with your pinky finger or a pencil. If you forget to rewind the tape before ejecting, you'll find a loop of tape extending out of the cassette. Usually it should not be so much that there will be any damage. If this happens, just put a pencil in the take-up hub and wind in the loose tape. Then rap the sucker (the cassette, not the tape deck!) on the table a few times to free it up and try again. Whatever you do -don't just keep hitting play if the unit stops in the middle of the tape. You're just forcing the unit to eat the tape.

Sorry I can't report on any of the other features -I'm using this unit as a convenient way to copy all my cassettes to MP3 so I can cull them later with computer music editing software. I could have used an A-to-D converter with one of my current top-end cassette decks, connected to a computer, but I got this unit because I wanted to be able to just load a tape, press a button, and walk away. Except for the quirks described above, that approach is working pretty well so far.

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I wanted to make CDs from my old mixed tapes so I bought this and it works great. I just needed to buy an amp, speakers and some blank CD-Rs and I'm making CDs (15 so far). I love it easy to use, the CDs sound great and I'm updating them to my current tastes vs. what I liked way back when I made these tapes. I'm not a computer fan so I wasn't willing to buy something that hooks up to my computer. This is so much easier. I wish I bought this 10 years ago!

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Great review. I purchased this unit from JR for the primary reason of converting analog tapes anr LPs to USB mp3. I experienced much of the same 'quirks' as you, but also experienced the problem where the mp3 created from the cassette => usb function had 'skips'; where data was actually missing. After some sleuthing it appears as if the issue is compatibility with different thumb drives. I had been using newer Corsair 3.0 and HP 2.0 (mini because its low profile fit better in my enclosed audio cabinet). The skips (missing data) was heard on both when played through the AD-RW900 or through a computer. When I used an older SANDISK thumbdrive, the mp3 was created correctly. After hours on the phone and emails between myself and TEAC CUSTOMER SUPPORT, I was told to exchange the AD-RW900. The replacement I received had the same problem. Subsequent calls and requests to TEAC in which I requested a list of compatible USB drives resulted in a response that indicated one does not exist.

It is funny you ask if this is the SAME TEAC. I also have been a loyal TEAC customer for many years (3300sx reel-reel, Tascam multi-track porta studios, etc), and have been asking the same question. I told TEAC management that the quality and support of this machine is nowhere near that of machines purchased in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Quite frustrating.

For anyone who wants to spend top dollar for a poorly engineered product, and experience customer support on par with DELL at its worst, then this is the machine for you.

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You got to use MUSIC CDRs, which are becoming rare and more expensive.

But I found some and it definitely turns your tapes into CDs pretty easily.

Otherwise it does what it says it is supposed to do, including playing music out of your USB stick.

Decent CD player, you know, consumer grade.

Lowdowns:

tape sound quality: sure, I compared to a relatively good UHER tape player that I was in the process of repairing (but not sure I could). After I repaired it, I could appreciate the difference in sound quality. I was not expecting such a difference coming form a teac product.

rewind/forward: cheap mechanism: the reading head don't retract and thus rewing/forward is slow and the tape rubs all the time

no separate read / write heads: you know, low end tape player.

So, if you need a CD player AND also have some tapes laying around, I would recommend.

If you are looking for audiophyle quality both for tape and CD, and also MP3, this is not it.

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This machine has some temperments but overall works very well and automatically. It's complicated to operate and takes some concentration and learning curve. The sound quality is very good. Need to get the proper CD-R discs for it. Will not accept data discs. But so far it's been a great player/recorder.

VideoSecu Day Night Built-in 1/3" Sony CCD IR Outdoor Dome Security Camera 540TVL Vandal Proof 3.5-

VideoSecu Day Night Built-in 1/3' Sony CCD IR Outdoor Dome Security Camera 540TVL Vandal Proof 3.5-8mm Zoom Focus Lens for CCTV Home Surveillance DVR System with bonus Security Warning Decal VD49HW 1ZAThis camera was not as good as I had hoped, I have installed systems for over 30 years, and this was the first time I had tried this product. The zoom/focus is a joke and even at its best resolution it is not that great. Stay with a 600tvl if you need to make out who is in front of the camera. The color shows browns as a baby blue and gets worse from there.

Enough said about this product.

It's a great camera and I've been using it for sometime now at the front of my house. The only thing I would say to would be purchasers is consider the area in front of the camera you wish to place this. The IR lights are sooo bright there is actually a halo at night visible in a clear circle. So it lights up the bushes as bright white approximately ten feet in front of it. Best to use this camera where objects will not get close to it at all as it will wash out with no detail at night due to this. When I get around to buying another camera I'm going to replace this one with one that has less IR's and move this to the back yard.

All in all I would recommend this, just consider the area you will use it in as there is no way to dial down the power of this light. They aren't joking when they say out to 50 feet at night as you can clearly see how powerful they are in situations less than that. I considered creating a light diffuser to go over the IR's but just haven't gotten around to it. So I could correct the issue I have but it would be far nicer if you could control the power of these IR's to begin with.

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Saturday, June 21, 2014

DVB-S Satellite TV Tuner Card - DigiStar

DVB-S Satellite TV Tuner Card - DigiStarnot too thrilled w/this --they don't tell you that you cant use your motor drive and this card at the same time until after ya buy it and even then that info is hard to retrieve --put up another (stationary) dish for it or don't buy this guy if you have a motor drive dish ....

Friday, May 23, 2014

Panasonic Digital Power AA Alkaline Batteries - 4 Pack

Panasonic Digital Power AA Alkaline Batteries - 4 PackThese are good batteries at a reasonable price. As I write, they are powering my wireless mouse. They also provide the power for my TV remote control, my LED flashlight, and even the remote control for my ceiling fan.

It is possible to give batteries an objective rating in milliampere-hours (mAh), an indication of how much charge they store. Unfortunately, the manufacturers rarely provide us with that information. All that I can say is that these batteries seem to work at least as well as any others.

the only real way to compare batteries would be to place 2 different brand batteries in 2 same devices & see how long they last. i didn't do that. simply these are batteries & they work. my only other way is to compare on price & at about $1. a battery here on Amazon, they're not as cheap as 50 cents a battery when on sale at CVS. other than that, good batteries.

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These alkaline batteries have been powering my digital camera, and since first installing them, I've taken about 70 photos. Panasonic products are usually reliable, which is the case here. They cost a bit more than others, especially off brands, but do seem to last longer. I'd buy these again for my camera.

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Based on test results using digital cameras published in Consumer Reports, Panasonic Digital Power batteries performed essentially the same as their nearest competitors, Eveready Gold and Rayovac. That's the good news. The problem for Panasonic, however, is that Eveready Gold AA alkaline batteries cost only half as much and Rayovac just 60% as much. While Duracell CopperTop batteries cost the same as Panasonic, they outperformed them 223 camera shots to 195. Based on either cost or performance, Eveready Gold, Rayovac, and Duracell CopperTop were found to be better buys than Panasonic Digital Power.

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I didn't know Panasonic made batteries! I often shop locally for batteries and have never seen Panasonic, just the typical EveryReady, Duracell, and Rayovac. I don't remember purchasing batteries from Amazon ever before although I make almost daily purchases from Amazon (316 so far in 2012, 324 in 2011, 193 in 2010, 206 in 2009...) and have never noticed them as customers also bought this. The Amazon listing says they have been available on Amazon since March 16, 2003; who knew?

I was very pleased to be offered these on the Amazon Vine program (lucky me!) and tested them to work wonderfully in every electronic device I tested them in. I really like the Panasonic name and don't recall ever having a problem with anything manufactured by Panasonic; it is a brand I trust as higher quality and lower defective rate.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Apex AD-5131 3-Disc DVD Player

Apex AD-5131 3-Disc DVD Player
  • Triple-disc DVD player with play exchange, karaoke ability, and 2 microphone inputs
  • MP3 and Kodak Picture CD playback
  • Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel digital output (for immersive surround sound when used with a compatible AV receiver)
  • Component-, composite-, and S-video outputs accommodate a wide range of TVs
  • Includes Apex Full-screen Function for viewing widescreen movies in full-screen on 4:3 TVs

I got this unit after buying a Daewoo DVG-5000 and finding it dead on arrival and having no success with Daewoo's pathetic customer service.

At first I didn't expect much out of this APEX machine but after getting it home I connected it to my older TV and VCR, powered the unit on, figured out which combo of buttons to punch on my myriad of remote controls and there it was ... a nice DVD movie playing on my TV and great sound coming from my stereo speakers.

The unit is able to play my DVDs, audio CDs, and CD-R/RW without a problem and the 3-disc changer is a pleasure to have for us couch potatoes. The remote has too many buttons for my taste but they all work as they're supposed to so I can't complain.

Have yet to try the MP3 and jpeg reader but I expect these functions to work as advertised and after my recent electronic experiences, it'll just be icing on the cake.

Having this kind of functionality available in such a low-cost unit is terrific!

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I was stunned on how well this DVD Changer works. I bought mine at Circuit City and was prepared to return it if anything went wrong. The reason I purchased this APEX product to begin with was because of some research I did on-line about the best DVD changers. I own a Sony DVD player which has all kinds of problems playing CD-Rs and just forget about DVD-Rs.

This APEX AD5131 supports every type of CD-R I've tried: SVCD, VCD, MP3, DVD+R, Kodak Photo CD, etc. The Karaoke feature is kinda cool too.

My only complaint is that you have to point the remote control on the exact same level as the front of the DVD player. Besides that I'm very pleased.

The price is awesome almost $100 cheaper than a Sony 3-disc changer that has less features and less Media type support.

Overall, I'm very happy about this purchase.

Read Best Reviews of Apex AD-5131 3-Disc DVD Player Here

We bought one of these in late 2001 or early 2002. For the price, it couldn't be beat. It supported just about everything, and it's 3-disc. Here are the drawbacks

Complex remote you have to look at it most of the time to use it.

Power button unit is a hard power off only, so if you power it off from the unit, you can't use the remote to power it on.

Will not automatically recurse subdirectories in MP3 play mode.

MP3s are displayed 13 characters max.

The tray jerks rather quickly. Early on, the 3" cd's would skip out of the tray and get jammed/scored on top. After a few months, full-sized CDs and DVDs skip out of the tray. Not always, but enough to be annoying.

If the player is on, the spindle is running. Always. There is no power-save mode, so if you are prone to leaving things on, expect the spindle to wear faster, and the whole unit to stay warm.

Now, at 1-1.5 years, we find that the unit locks up periodically, requiring a power reset to use. It won't play through an entire dvd before crashing.

This unit is no longer listed on apexdigitalinc 's website.

The firmware available for update is ONLY hacked / unofficial firmware.

That being said, there's alot of good support out there for these units...Just be sure to get extended warranty.

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This little guy is a diamond in the rough. I was looking at units from JVC and Panasonic for nearly twice the price. I sent back the $300 JVC since its 7 disk carrosel wouldn't shuffle disks or MP3 files.

The 5131 will not shuffle its 3 three disks but it will shuffle all music tracks, MP3's, or Jpeg images on the disk it is playing. Its pretty slick, you can create your own family album of Jpeg files and this unit will play it back in a slide show mode. I can pop in a disk with 150 MP3's and start it playing without even turning on the TV.

It does play DVD movies as expected and as mentioned in other reviews, the remote and user interface could be improved.

...

I've had two...first one was a dud. Gobbled up the first DVD I was watching about 15 minutes into the movie. Wouldn't rotate to let it go (I believe it may have been fried by a power fluctuation in my house, though).

Second one, (on a new ISOBar surge protector), flawless. The presentation for MP3 CDs is great presents in folder/file fashion like Windows Explorer. Can change two while third is playing, remote needs a little work, but other than that, you can't beat it for the price!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Toshiba SDP95S Portable DVD Player - 9 Inches Display - Black, White

Toshiba SDP95S Portable DVD Player - 9 Inches Display - Black, White
  • Technical Information--Media Formats--DVD-RW, CD-RW::Display & Graphics--Screen Size--9"::Video--Video Signal Format--NTSC::Video--Video Formats--DVD Video, Video CD::Video--Picture Control--Brightness, Color, Contrast, Zoom::Video--Aspect Ratio--16:9::Vi
  • deo--Digital to Analog Video Converter--14-bit - 108 MHz::Audio--Sound System--Dolby Digital, Virtual Surround::Audio--Audio Decoding--Stereo::Audio--Number of Speakers--2::Audio--Audio Formats--CD-DA, MP3::Audio--Digital to Analog Audio Converter--24-bit
  • - 192 kHz::Image--Image Formats--JPEG::Memory--Memory Card Supported--Secure Digital (SD), Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC)::Interfaces/Ports--Number of Headphone Ports--2::Controls/Indicators--Language Supported--English, French, Spanish, German, Italy

I purchased the Toshiba portable player for my elderly mother who is temporarily residing in an assisted living rehab center. She's always had difficulty using the standard DVD player, so when I suggested a portable one, she was hesitant. She absolutely loves it! She has severe arthritis in her hands and (until now) has been "techno-resistant." The Toshiba LCD portable player has given her confidence and the ability to watch classic movies at will. It's user friendly with a crisp picture.

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Coincidence but this product was purchased by my 82 yr old mother in order to watch DVDs when she could not get out of bed. She has standard dvd players in other rooms of the house. This unit works fine except for one major malfunction: it will not recognize any commercial dvd. Obviously the discs can be viewed without problem on her other dvd players, but not the Toshiba SDP95SWN. Toshiba offers no support for this problem beyond "make sure the discs are clean....". So the product is useless and Toshiba is not interested in replacing it ("we never have heard of this..."). Stick with a company that stands behind their products (Sony, Panasonic..). I ran into a similar reaction with a "stuck" Toshiba LCD TV display column that shows permanent blue when the TV is on.

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Its a great product I won't lie. But I had to return it when I realized I couldn't play my home made videos or pirated/ bootleg DVDs.

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Model: SDP95SWN Most of the descriptions I've read online mention that the unit has a "Switchable A/V input and output"... But in fact, there is no way to get a signal IN to the unit. One of the reasons I purchased this unit was for this feature; which apparently it can't even provide. I called Toshiba support and after a 32 minute phone call, they indeed verified that the SDP95SWN Toshiba Portable DVD player does NOT accept any input signals! The support guy insisted that they could no do anything and that the online descriptions were not coming from them and that the resellers write their own descriptions! Very Disappointed with the support I received by Toshiba!

I came to Amazon to find a second one of these because my first is so good! I was surprised to see people have trouble with them. But read those reviews: My kids broke it, doesn't play bootleg cds. Really? C'mon. I have two boys that tear into everything and they've used the Toshiba every day for the last 2 years. 2 years for a portable dvd player with a 3 year old and a 1 year old. I needed another (for me, the first is working but the boys use it constantly) so I went to Best Buy but they didn't have a Toshiba, they had Sony's. Fine, I bought a 9 inch screen Sony. Garbage. Not nearly the same as the Toshiba, so I took it back after a week and am trying to find another Toshiba. Easier to use than the Sony and better looking, too. I never write reviews, but this little DVD player is amazing.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Coby CXR190-4G Digital Voice Recorder with Integrated Speaker

Coby CXR190-4G Digital Voice Recorder with Integrated SpeakerEasy to use, reasonable price, internal memory hols a lot.

USB doesn't work with Mac/Apply computer...if you were wondering.

Hoping the microSD card will work or do the job of transferring records to computer and sharing with family.

Blaming a product for one's own stupidity seems to rampant on Amazon reviews lately. This unit is perfect for the application for which I bought it recording class lectures in school (the same as WOW-MOM's). The microphones pick up the teacher's voice perfectly. You can set different recording resolutions depending on how clearly you need to replay the material. As far as I can tell, this little unit would be perfect for clandestinely recording live band events. It's a quality unit at a great price. Only downfall is that although it's compatible with MicroSD cards, I haven't been able to find what the max size card I can use. I'll update this if/when I find out.

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I just used this for the first time to record a lecture. I would have rated this 4 stars as I feel it is a great value except for one thing...when I played back my hour and a half long recording, there were many periods of massive distortion where the audio is absolutely unreadable. I haven't done much to figure out why this could be at this point, if I find out I will update with the cause and solution. If there is none I am likely going to return and buy a Sony. I hope this can be fixed, the features and quality seem like an awesome value (comparably Sony recorder is about 17 dollars or nearly 50% more this what I paid for this coby). Very dissapointed to hear the distortion which could come as much as every 5 minutes for about 20 seconds or it may not be distorted for a longer period, but it was there consistently thought my 1.5 hour recording.

UPDATE:

I called coby's customer service and their service was good as far as I was not on hold for very long. After explaining the problem with the device, I was told the unit has a defective mic, and directed to return it through Amazon.

Summation...the unit would have been a great buy if it had actually been fully functional. I could try to get a replacement but rather than have another distorted recording I will buy the more expensive sony comparable.

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Bought for my kid for her A & P college lectures, but could not get it to work. Told her to read the manual and use it. After reading the manual, she couldn't get it to work either. After a week of trying, I decided to take the batteries out. The inside of the recorder had dried battery acid all over, those were brand new batteries I placed a week earlier.

The recorder did feel too light and cheaply made. The casing was thin and flimsy.

I will never buy another Coby product again.

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Sunday, April 6, 2014

Zmodo PKD-DK4001-500 GB Packaged 4 -Channel DVR Kit with 500 GB Hard Drive

Zmodo PKD-DK4001-500 GB Packaged 4 -Channel DVR Kit with 500 GB Hard DriveZmodo staff,

I have to say, I've never been so disappointed in a product as I am with your 4 channel dvr surveillance system. I have 3 cameras rigged up so far. The monitor displays one of them twice and another not at all. Yes, all connections are done correctly it's not my error. I switched from quad view to view one of the cameras on full screen. Now it won't switch back to quad mode with either the remote, the buttons on the dvr, or by way of screaming at it or jumping up and down so I can only view one of the cameras now.

The manual is for the most part a book of screenshots of what I can see anyway just poking around the system settings and very little explanation on how to use various features. I found it amusing that the back of the manual declares intellectual property rights. Who'd want to claim rights to the intellectual property of something so little actual intellect went into? It is just a useless waste of paper.

I will be looking everywhere for this camera being sold online and leave this review. You really should go out of business as you have no idea what you are doing. Or maybe you do and you just don't care?

Thanx but no thanx,

Re

the Dome cameras work fine .. the other worked a single day ... then the image was white. and how to take them to Colombia, I might not use the warranty ...

for next time, you better spend a little more for better quality.

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Monday, March 24, 2014

Pyle Home PTCDS2UI AM/FM Radio/CD/Cassette/USB Classic Turntable with iPod Dock

Pyle Home PTCDS2UI AM/FM Radio/CD/Cassette/USB Classic Turntable with iPod Dock
  • The USB is not included in the box.
  • Phono/Radio/CD player/USB record/CassetteAM/FM Radio - Ceramic stereo cartridge - 2 speaker
  • Front loading,single CD, drawer type - Auto return - AC Power
  • CD/MP3/CD-R/CD-RW discs compatible - Audio output power: 2.5W(max) - Dimensions: 20.08"X13.39"X8.86"
  • USB record - iPod player
  • 3 speed turntable 33-1/3, 45, 78 RPM - Remote control for CD/USB

I've been so stoked since I got this, it looks vintage, sounds modern, has every way of playing music that I need. Check out the video if you want to hear itit sounds really clear and full, no distorting or vibrating from the cabinet. It's an old-school lookin' set up with all the perks of modern featuresit's awesome, and I could not be happier with how good it sounds.

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I purchased this for Christmas this year since I own quite a few records. While not overwhelming, the sound is good from all forms of media (tape, cd, record, and mp3). I have yet to try and pull data onto mp3s on my computer through the USB connection, but I was a bit surprised that there was no software provided with the system in order to do so. All in all, I feel it has been worth the price paid so far.

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I purchased this a month ago, mostly for the purpose of converting my large collection of cassette tapes to digital. Unfortunately, the weakest part of this system is the tape player. It has a puny motor that won't turn anything but the newest of tapes and there is no reverse button. Also, there is no way to regulate the input level, so some tapes won't make good copies. I found a workaround (using a different tape player plugged into auxillary) but that doesn't speak well for this system.

Also, the record feature does not give a good indication when the recording is actually starting. It took me numerous attempts to get a good recording that didn't cut off the first few seconds of the song.

Sound is pretty good though and recording directly to flash drive is a big help.

The instruction manual is about five pages long with no index. Very difficult to use.

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I ordered this in hopes that it would make my LPs sound great, and it does. My only complaint is that it is very cheap-looking for something so expensive. Even though it works just fine, I get the feeling that the tape player will stop working at any minute and I dislike how the lid on top of the phonograph player doesn't lift very high. This makes it hard to see the speed settings for your records. I had to shine my cell phone light in there just to read it! Overall, the CD player works great, I love the little remote control, and the speakers sound fine, and I have yet to use the USB/iPod features, but I'm sure they're well worth the price of the product.

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Bought this for my wife and her collection of albums from back-in-the-day. Playback is outstanding and was expected from such a tech vendor like Pyle. They are known for great sound. The ability to dock an MP3 player, play/burn CDs and pop in the dusty cassette tapes are also a major plus.Setup is plugging in the power... Easy to use, beautiful finish which is real wood(not particle board like some others) and exceeds my initial expectations. If you are on the fence about which brand, I will tell you that our family and guests have been enjoying loving it. Enjoy!!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

MyGica Capit USB Video Capture

MyGica Capit USB Video CaptureNothing but problems & support, excuse me, what support? More negative reviews than positive over all of its products. Please do not support this lousy company by buying their products!

I have had this device for about 3 months. I couldn't get it to work initially because the default settings were wrong for N. America. I sent an email to the company with detailed description of what was happening. Their "fix" was to go to the device settings. They didn't tell me what to change. Luckily, my boyfriend figured it out. Once it was up and running it worked great...until it started reading my home videos like they had copyright protection. My home videos were bought as blank tapes. I emailed the company again and they suggested that I try another software. So their software is insufficient and I am supposed to go buy another software because the one that came with this product stopped working. I would not reccommend this product due to technical problems and very poor product support.

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Monday, March 17, 2014

Hands Free Action Video Camera - Extreme Sports High Def Digital Camera

Hands Free Action Video Camera - Extreme Sports High Def Digital CameraThis isn't an awesome camera, but for the price, it is a good camera. I use it on my bike and and boat. The quality of the video is ok and it is easy to operate.

My main complaints are:

The battery last less than 2 hours and the only option is to charge it with a cable. The batteries can't be changed.

The memory card can become unseated easily when installing and removing the waterproof cap.

The instructions for setting up the camera are poorly written and the interface is unintuitive.

Still, I gave the camera 4 stars because it works as advertised and it is so inexpensive.

I got this as I wanted a pov camera with ir/night vision for ghost hunting..... I got this and tried it out only to be very disappointed

1) there is no way to swap battery so after the battery would die it had to charge instead of being able to put in another battery like some cameras

2) the night vision mode is not truly ir/ night vision. Yes it does have a couple ir lights but it still leaves a few white led lights on as well. Thus it would actually light up the room ..... Not what I need and not truly night vision

Needless to say I shipped this back within a day

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