Panasonic DMP-BD10 - Blu-ray Disc player - upscaling

• Plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution
• Plays DVD-Video, DVD-R & DVD-RW, DVD+R & DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM
• plays DVD-Audio, CD, audio CD-R & CD-RW, and MP3 CDs
• Plays digital photo CDs (JPEG)
• Selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for DVD (upconverted video available through HDMI output only)

I have recently purchased the Panasonic Blu-Ray Player, and have been blown away by its picture and sound. Right off the bat, I downloaded and upgraded the firmware, carefully following the instructions, and it greatly improved the boot up and load speeds for discs. Aside from an poorly-designed cheap-feeling remote, Panasonic has really produced a stand out product here.

My journey into the world of Blu-Ray began with a PS3. I purchased a 60GB PS3 initially to play games and movies, thinking that it was a great bargain $600 for a fully featured Blu-Ray player and game system. The PS3 locked up three times during playback of "The Guardian". The add-on remote for the PS3 is Bluetooth, which otherwise would be great, but could not be programmed into my Universal Remote, and was extremely counterintuitive to use. There was no upconversion of my existing DVDs (I have a lot, so this was really a downer). The game on the PS3 that I was interested in purchasing (Resistance: Fall of Man) was a 720p title, and so it downconverted to 480p on my 2 year old 73" CRT HDTV.

The online service for PS3 was woefully inadequate compared to the XBOX 360 very little of interest to download in movies or games.

So I returned the PS3 and bought the Panasonic. I didn't feel that sinking in my stomach at having to return something cool it was much more like a relief to unload this turkey.

I fretted a little at the cost of the Panasonic, but elected to purchase it after seeing a demo, and knowing that I had a 30 day return window. I hooked it up in less than an hour, and fired it up. A big smile attached to my face when I started watching "Blackhawk Down" on the Panasonic. The image and sound were stellar. Same with "Flyboys". Same with "Stealth". Popped in the "Fifth Element" and expected a crappy picture, but except for some very early shots having lots of dirt, the rest of the film's picture quality handily blew away my Superbit version of the film. I also have the HD-DVD add on to the XBOX 360, and I can not see any appreciable difference between a well mastered HD-DVD (I would cite "Superman Returns" as an example) and a well mastered Blu-Ray.

Have not looked back on the decision with regret only joy.

Pros:

Astounding Picture and Sound Quality

Great Upconversion of Regular DVDs

True Theater Experience

After upgrading the firmware (1.4), much quicker boot up and load times

Worth twice the price of the PS3

Cons:

Remote should be lighted for this many $$$

Jog wheel TOO sensitive

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Forget about what others say about Blu-ray not having a great picture. There were some problems with the early Blu-ray titles released by Sony/Lion's Gate as they were poor transfers that used old Mpeg2 encodings. In some cases they even used dirty prints (The Fifth Element). They were simply rushed out the doors to make it to market the same time as HD DVD.It was a bad decision on the part of the BDA. Since then studios such as Disney, Paramount, and Fox have moved to encoding in Mpeg4/AVC and VC-1, the new advanced video codecs. Also, the first Blu-ray releases were on lower-capacity single-layer 25GB discs, which meant the video quality suffered. Fortunately, those days are over, and over quickly they were.

Now the dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray discs have finally arrived, and the 'BD-50' releases are beginning to pour out. 'Click' was the first, and there are more coming or out already from Fox, Warner, Paramount, and Sony. This higher capacity (HD DVD tops out at 30GB for a dual layer disc) will allow for higher quality video encodings, and more advanced interactive features and bonus features, also helped out by the higher bandwidth allowed on Blu-ray (48Mbps) as opposed to HD DVD (~ 32Mbps).

Now, on to the player itself:

This Panasonic player is not only far superior in picture and sound quality than the Samsung Blu-ray player which was also rushed to market, but it suffers from far fewer bugs and glitches than any high-def player on the market, and that includes the two Toshiba first generation models, which required a whole slew of firmware updates to run properly and they still have problems. This Panasonic when playing back Blu-ray titles that use the same encodings as the HD DVD release (speaking of the few titles that actually appear on both formats) looks identical, not almost as good. In some cases, it looks slightly better. This is most likely something to do with the hardware, and not a software issue. The blacks are black as coal, colours pop off the screen. Great Blu-ray titles look almost three-dimensional. The copy of Eight Below included in the box looks stunning!

The standard DVD upscaling also works quite well, making the DVDs look very good though not as good as HD.

The sound is superb . The player can playback 192/24 uncompressed PCM audio in 7.1 channels, but it also supports new audio formats like Dolby Digital+ and, soon as the registration card inside the box states -through a future free firmware upgrade (some say around January) the player will decode the new, lossless audio codecs Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, both up to a resolution of 192/24 at 7.1. This will allow for true high resolution sound well beyond Dolby Digital and DTS, and equal to uncompressed PCM, but utilising less space and less bandwidth than PCM, once again making more room for better video transfers and more bonus features.

Also for the audiophiles out there, it is worth noting that the Panasonic also plays DVD-As (and CDs), and the video circuitry can be turned off for pure audio listening delight.

This is a great player, with perfect picture quality when playing back well done Blu-ray titles. Don't blame the player for a bad title, just like you can't blame a DVD player for a bad DVD transfer. This player is well worth the price.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DMP-BD10 - Blu-ray Disc player - upscaling Here

Due to be replaced late summer with DMP-BD10A. Next gen player at $600.

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This is indeed a very fine Blu-ray player. The machine has the stability/reliability of a regular DVD player, and it also loads pretty quick compared to other hi def players. Excellent picture quality too.

The previously review mentions that new 10a model makes this one obsolete, but the 10a is the exact same machine as the 10 it just comes with the new 2.0 firmware, 5 free movies, and and MSRP of $599.

I purchased this Blu-ray player because I am a movie fan and I have a fairly large collection of DVD-audio CD's that this player will handle. The picture quality when playing a well mastered Blu-ray disc on this player is awesome! It also does a great job when up-converting standard DVD's. The sound quality is outstanding when playing movies or just listening to music. It has individual user adjustments for picture quality or you can just use any of the preset modes such as cinema, normal, fine, etc. for viewing. In other words you can tweak it as much as you like or just use the easy setup mode for your viewing and listening pleasure. It seems to be well built and plays everything it is designed to play without any problems. It is expensive but if you shop around you can occasionally find it discounted. In this case the old saying "you get what you pay for" is true.

Samsung UN46B7000 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV

• Ultra-slim 46-inch LED HDTV with full HD 1080p resolution for the sharpest picture possible
• LED technology enables a true-to-life range of picture brightness; uses 40 percent less energy than conventional LCD TVs
• Internet@TV online content service from Yahoo!, Flickr, YouTube via your broadband connection
• Inputs: 4 HDMI, 1 component, 2 USB, 1 Ethernet, 1 PC, 1 optical digital audio output
• Includes detachable swivel table stand; measures 44.4 x 30.2 x 10.8 inches (WxHxD) with stand

My requirement for a television is quite simple: plug it in to the cable box and have it work the first time; then turn on the sports event of the day, e.g. Mets or Yankees, Jets or Giants, etc. The Samsung 46 inch LED TV does that very well. You plug it in, it works.

This TV does more with less. It weighs only about 40 pounds plus another 10 pounds for the stand. Compare that with the older Samsung 950 model of the same size which weighs 70 pounds. The elegant stand allows for easy rotation. The TV is only a little over one inch thick! Power consumption has been measured by reviewers at about 105 watts. The 950 model comes in at 180 watts.

The picture is great. The contrast ratio, rated at 3,000,000 to 1, exceeds that of older LCD TVs. The black areas are dark and the picture has an almost 3D quality. There are four preset picture options. I chose the "normal" setting. The next higher setting, "standard", makes infield grass look almost dayglow. I do not think that there is a need to have any further adjustment done on the picture. However, there is an automatic dimming of the overall brightness for dark scenes. For instance, when the credits of a movie run against a black background the lettering becomes dimmer. This has no effect on sports, but does effect dark movie scenes.

The screen surface does reduce reflections but does not eliminate them entirely. The black frame is shiny and does also reflect some light. Rotating the screen to the best angle helps.

The remote provides choices for four picture size variations. I use "16:9" for the HD format or "wide" to make the non-HD, 4:3, video fill the screen. That loses some of the 4:3 picture at the top and bottom edges, but the picture quality is still good.

The sound also has four preset choices. Although, the internal speakers are not bad, I decided to use my sound system for the audio. The TV has an audio output connection, but the TV remote volume control only allows variation in the sound level for the internal speakers. The audio output stays at a constant level. I got around this by taking the audio from my cable box directly to my sound system and controlling the level with the cable remote. This works.

Although Samsung provides a version of the instruction manual on a USB drive with the TV, I found it easy to download and print a pdf of the manual from the Samsung support center. Having the printed manual is helpful. See my comment for the web address of the support center.

After one month, I still really like this TV. It is great for sports. An added bonus is that my electric bill has actually gone down.

Note: This review was written for the 6000 model. The 7000 model differs from the 6000 model in its I/O capabilities. Recently some people have reported that the 7000 has a better picture. If you do not need the extras, go with the 6000 and save a few dollars.

Buy Samsung UN46B7000 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV Now

I won't go into as much detail as some others, but I do want to say that I've had this TV for 3 weeks and I absolutely love it. One thing I noticed on all TV's my friends have is when the scene goes dark, you can see the entire screen glow and most LCDs will only go so dark. Due to LED technology, which does not disappoint, this TV will go pitch black on dark scenes and very bright on light scenes.

One thing I do want to mention is that Samsung's Auto Motion Plus (AMP) is something that takes time to get used to, if you choose to use it. The funnies thing I've read about this TV is a person who paid over $2k and then sent the TV back because they said TV made everything they watched "look cheap, like a soap opera", so they rated TV one star, shipped it back to the store and bought a different brand. As soon as I got the TV hooked up, I popped in Matrix II into the DVD player and I did notice what that person was talking about. Entire movie didn't feel quite like a movie, but more like someone was holding a video camera and was following all the car chases and everything else. It did remind me of those "cheap" TV programs, but is also looked kind of like you are actually there. I read more about it and realized that if I turn off AMP, the TV will show everything "normally" and there is absolutely no reason to send it back if AMP is not your thing.

However, I read more about AMP and from what I can tell, it is the imperfections in normal movies and motion blur that we are all used to. What AMP does is figure out where all moving objects are, "unblurs" them and actually plays back the scene at 120fps instead of 24fps. Extra frames are extrapolated based on object motion in the scene. The result is that everything is extremely sharp and clear and motion blur is almost entirely gone. I've seen Matrix II about 8 times and when I watched it with AMP turned on, I noticed extra cool, little details which I've never even noticed before when watching it on a regular TV.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung UN46B7000 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV Here

This TV has produced a lot of controversy. After having spent a lot of time wading through it, passively and actively (debating it in threads), I came to the conclusion that I would get this set for a number of reasons:

1. I was not convinced by the people who were claiming that there were serious issues with this TV. One reviewer claimed to have seen trails in large dark objects. I went to the store and found NO ability to see it, and it was right next to the 750 (and a lot of other sets). As to the LED being edge and thus the lighting being inconsistent, ditto. I am not saying that it's all lies and local dimming is useless. I am saying that it's not something I can see right now (and that's really all I care about).

2. This set is INSANELY thin. I have a space for mine where this actually makes a big difference.

3. I like to vote with my dollars. This is the lowest consuming television ever made. The CNET list of sets showed that the range was 8:1, which is pretty phenomenal if you think about it; in cars, mileage is not even that spread out. This is a REMARKABLE achievement and it's a drag to hear people whining about dumb little imperfections that 99% of people would never see while they are buying from the other end of the spectrum. Of course, the amount of energy less you are going to use is not going to make a revolution, but a tiny percentage of all TVs using this amount would make a huge difference (game theory 101).

The biggest difference from my prior set (Westinghouse LCD) is this one actually has blacks.

The controls, menus, remote, etc., are all fine (I use a universal remote). Having a bunch of HDMI ports is great. I plugged in the connection to the web and looked at the Yahoo Widgets. Calling them useless at this point is an understatement. Should be interesting to see what is coming from that direction.

The argument that if the 750 looks just as good, save the money and get that is a compelling one. In terms of value overall, I paid ~$1500 for my 42" Westinghouse 3 years ago. I just replaced it because it had developed background noise (patterns you could see). If this set lasts 2 more years, it will have exceeded the prior value in size and savings of energy.

Again, this is a remarkable achievement in an industry that had told us we'd all be using power sipping OLED by now, this is a hybrid strategy, here today.

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I bought this TV about a week ago and have been fairly impressed. There is a lot to like about this TV, but there are also a few problems.

The Good:

The picture is great; very clear with both HDTV and BluRays. The black levels and contrast are very good. The sound isn't terrible (with some tweaking), but it isn't anything to write home about. The settings are very intuitive and easy to work with.

The Bad:

I've already mentioned the sound, but it bears repeating: the sounds levels are just okay. You will not be able to turn the bass up to what I would call an acceptable level without making the speaker housings vibrate which can be very annoying. This wasn't a deal killer for me as I paired it with a surround sound system, so I barely hear the TV speakers.

This TV is terrible for gaming. I should qualify this: This TV is terrible for playing music type games. There is considerable input lag using a Wii, even with the game mode turned on. I attempted to play Guitar Hero: World Tour after connecting the Wii to the TV using the new composite cables I had to buy (more on that in a minute), and found it to be unplayable. Because there is considerable lag, the strum does not register until just after the notes have passed, resulting in a missed note... many, many missed notes actually. This is not acceptable for me.

There are not enough inputs for gaming devices and there are only inputs for HD devices. While this may seem like a stupid complaint, remember that neither the Wii, nor the PS2 (outdated I know, but bare with me) have an HDMI output. I had to go buy HD Composite cables for both and a switch box because there is only 1 composite input on the TV. These cables aren't really cheap, so that was another $60 I had to shell out. Also, there are only 4 HDMI inputs total, so if you have multiple gaming systems, a BluRay player and a cable/satellite box, you may need to buy an HDMI switch to get everything to work.

The Ugly:

You will need to take quite a bit of time to calibrate this TV to make everything look the way it should. Here is a quick tip though: if you don't want everything you watch to have the quality of a commercial, turn off the 120Hz options (located in Picture Options > Auto Motion Plus 120Hz). Some people may like the ultra crisp effect that this adds to movies and programs, but I just feel it makes everything look very plastic and without depth.

All-in-all, this is a decent TV, that could be great for some... but terrible for others. If nothing I listed will bother you, this is a great TV for the money and will not disappoint.

I was eyeing this tv the day it was introduced and had to put it off for a while because of my upcoming wedding.

After that was over though, I was right back to salivating over this set. I was ready to pay retail for this at a certain blue big-box store. Never even thinking to check Amazon for it. Long story short I did and I am in LOVE with this set! It has been worth every penny so far.

I have been drawn to Samsung LCD's ever since they came out with the Touch of Color. We ended getting this one in the red because it brought a really good balance of color to our living room. This tv is also available in TOC gray at the aforementioned big-box store. But why get something this beautiful in a color that won't make it stand out?! Of course the profile only being a little over 1" makes this look incredible mounted with Samsung's slim wall mount kit. With the kit it only stands off of the wall about two inches and is easy enough to install. I love when people first come over and see it. I get comments on how nice this tv is every time. And that's before I even turn it on!

Hit the power button and WOW, the colors are just incredible and the blacks are actually black. No issues have been seen that have been mentioned in other reviews(ie: inconsistent backlighting). I was afraid I was going to have to adjust the settings like crazy to get the screen as good as it looked in the store. Boy was I wrong. I changed maybe two sliders slightly in the menu. Speaking of which.... the menu's are very easy to use and are laid out thoughtfully. Everything seems to be customizable too, including the standby light and little jingle when you power on and off(Nice touch, Samsung! I cannot say the same for the Vizio in our bedroom.). Tons of connections in the back too.

I also cannot get around the fact that this tv just flat out saves us money too!! It's power consumption is insanely low. We use the DLNA Technology in this to access our home server directly and watch movies, listen to music and view photos we have saved. So it is on almost all the time in our home. I was intending to do this with whatever tv I purchased so this one is essentially paying for itself over a standard LCD. And of saving money makes my wife happy! :)

Two things that bug me though:

The internet features that seperate this model from the 6000 series seem to be of limited function though. I check it occasionally to see the new content that is available, but nothing has really seemed to interest me yet. I will keep watching though, I have heard of some promising things on the horizon for this.

The glossy finish on bezel is EXTREMELY SCRATCH PRONE!! I knew this, my wife did not. With luck though, I realized that Zaino show car wax fixes the bezel back to better than new. Much better actually! It almost looks liquid now! I have yet to take a good picture but look at the Nissan 350Z on their home page and you'll get the idea.

I would say that covers all of the major stuff with the Samsung UN46B7000. I have owned this tv for about four months now and would say that if any other annoyance would be popping up, it would have happened by now. Thanks for reading and hope I helped you decide to pick up this amazing television! Please rate!!

ZMODO PKD-DK0865-500GB-Pro Complete 8 Channel H.264 DVR Kit with 8 Weatherproof Cameras 500GB Hard

For the price this is a decent system. The day time color is a little off and the nightime views are ok in the center of the pictures. For 8 channels and 8 cameras this is really nice little package to keep an eye on your property. Again for the price impressed on the setup and the fact that you receive everything you need to setup the system. The multiple outlet power set is really nice, only two power outlets needed. With a two story house the cable lengths actually made it to all the points except two so not a bad deal. Overall again the price is the key here so to see if anything is going on and be able to capture at least enough to get a basic description of the individual or vehicle that might be causing issues it works good.

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Philips DVD711AT DVD Player

• Dolby Digital and DTS output
• Component, composite, and S-video outputs
• Onscreen bit-rate meter
• Perfect still-picture frame advance
• DVD-video, Video CD, audio CD, CD-R, and CD-RW playback

I don't have a need for a very expensive DVD player right now. To be honest, I don't think the performance features are worth the price jump. I own some pretty serious audiophile equipment; however, I don't have a high-definition TV, so I can't comment on digital imagery. I've purchased many DVD cheapo units before, and to be honest, linear branching seems to be the most problematic trouble symptom for many players. Philips didn't necessarily outshine the competition, but it is a much more solid performer in general. You get tiny pauses between linear branches (dual layer switches), which are hardly noticeable and compared to the other DVD players that require firmware upgrades to fix the lockups, the Philips is champion. I owned the GE 1105P and 1106P and they were nightmares. They would skip over chapters and lock up, so I was very close to buying a very expensive unit.

I happened upon the 711 and boy am I glad I did. It isn't that it is a flawless machine, but what a lot of people don't realize is that it is upgradeable. This means, that if it can't run a DVD (which I haven't noticed and I've played all of the trouble makers) or a technology like VCDs, Philips can mail you a disc to pop in the unit and it will flash the BIOS and fix the problem. This should be a standard feature in all DVD players. What I'm hoping for is for an upgrade that will allow this unit to become MP3 compatible. I don't know if they will, but it certainly is possible, notice "Feature Upgradeable" on the box. Even salesmen don't have a clue as to what that means. People who are complaining about the unit struggling with CD-R/W and VCDs, most likely have a legit concern, but the good news is that it can be fixed without having to ship it to Philips or having to take it to a repair shop. In the long run, being able to download a patch off the Internet, burn it to CD and pop it into your DVD player will be much more convenient than having to ship the unit out. It is a brand new product, and with most brand new products, there will be a few bugs, but in this case they can be user-patched which is a big plus. Philips doesn't have any Web site up for this unit yet, but I'll be thrilled when they do. The thought of being able to upgrade to a new technology, format, or being able to troubleshoot discs that won't play, far outweighs the minor performance issues. I'm basing my review on DVD performance and CD performance. I don't care if it can play VCDs or CD-R/W flawlessly, because most DVD players in this price range can't play CD-R/Ws and VCDs at all. Philips gave us a dual-laser setup, so playing CDs is just as fast as an ordinary CD player. Taking into consideration that you can get this unit for sub $200, it is a bargain. My opinion is is as follows:

Who the heck buys a DVD player to play CD-R/Ws or VCDs in this price range anyway? It is just an extra bonus that it can play these formats as well as it does. Both of these issues could be addressed if people report it to Philips. Perhaps the person who said Philips responded by saying that these performance issues weren't problems, didn't give Philips a chance to explain why they weren't problems. All I can say, after dealing with Thomson Electronics (GE, RCA) products, is that Philips tech-support seemed real honest to me. Thomson Electronics wouldn't even admit that their players had performance issues. Philips seemed to acknowledge the possibility that future problems could arise. That's why this disc upgradeable DVD player is revolutionary. No problem is a problem when you can flash your own BIOS. Don't hesitate to at least check it out. You can spend $500 if you want, but think about what you really need. If you already have a CD-Player, you're not going to have any problems. If you do, call Philips for a patch or download one yourself.

Buy Philips DVD711AT DVD Player Now

I bought this player to replace my DVD-ROM drive, which was hopelessly fickle about playing DVDs. The good thing about the Philips DVD711 is that it has yet to reject one of my DVDs. It is an inexpensive player with great audio and a lot of options for a player of its cost. That said, the system does have its flaws, though minor ones. It shows no indication of being able to support DVD-R, a format which it is said to be compatible with in the technical specification on Amazon, but not mentioned once in the manual. Additionally, the player seems chained to its remote control. If you lose the remote or it gets broken, you lose all access to the on screen menu and navigation capability, as there are no navigation or menu buttons on the player itself. Don't let what appears to be a fast-forward/rewind jog-dial on the front fool you either. Accessing the frame advance, zoom, and other advanced features means dealing with the sometimes cryptic hierarchical on-screen menu system. If a track has multiple angles, an on screen display in the form of a semitransparent box shows you which angle you're currently viewing. The only problem with this is that there is no way to disable it, and it invades the picture space like a Borg cube ready to assimilate your movie. That's a little harsh of course, but one would think the main purpose of a DVD player is to provide quality DVD playback at all times. This is not user error, the manual specifically states, "The angle icon remains displayed until multiple angles are no longer available." However, these are relatively small issues. Few DVD titles include multiple-angle tracks, DVD-R has yet to become popular, and most of us try to keep our remote controls where they can be found. If you're looking for a cheap DVD player that gets the job done, this is a good buy.

Read Best Reviews of Philips DVD711AT DVD Player Here

I bought this unit after I had a problem with some other brands while trying to play foreign language (specifically Indian) DVDs. This unit had no problems playing all of the 'problem' DVDs. I do not like the remote control though. It needs too many keystrokes to access most of the features, and you have to coordinate between pressing different keys on the remote and looking at the on screen display to see where it is in the menu system. I also like the 'upgradeable' feature, where the firmware can be updated onsite by running a special CD from Phillips. I have not tried it yet.

However, overall a great unit. I would buy it again, if I had to.

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I am writing this review based on a person who owns a two-speaker system with an amlifier (didn't really use rears) and a twenty-seven inch TV with S-Video input.

Let's really face it here. It doesn't really matter how many more lines of resolution a Toshiba sd1600(540) has over a Philips DVD711(500). If you have a regular television, it doesn't even hold 500 anyway. I mean, unless you are the small percentage of people that have really keen eyesight and a great HDTV or better television, as far as the picture quality goes, if its a DVD player, its good enough. What I want to focus on here is the features and the sound performance of this thing.

As for its features, there is a heavy rumor that it plays DVD-Rs as well as CD-Rs and RWs. Lots of you would think that those are great features. But its not really a feature to look for. Some people here say that the menus aren't very good. To my viewpoint, that isn't true at all. Although it takes more than just one keystroke, they aren't taking over your life. It creates an on-screen menu of options on the top of the screen. To my opinion, the Video Black Level controls didn't really help in any of the viewing quality as well. Neither did the zoom because it--not like other dvd players with zoom--pauses after zooming. I guess it is to examine artifacts or bullets that are flying. To my opinion, zoom is supposed to let one be able to watch their movie as a full screen perspective for the people that have smaller TV sets. Its sound seems pretty crisp and clearer than other dvd players I have tried such as the Aiwa XV-DV370 by a little(highly recommended and costs the same and has this professional remote control, great quality virtual surround sound and sound in general with comparison to others at its price range--A definite five star in my book) and the Apex AD-660 by a lot(Highly don't recommend because of lack of sound quality although has good 2x zoom in options). With the TruSurround 3d, one would notice that you must also place the speakers an average of 6 to 8 feet apart in order to produce the effect. The effect of this feature is not so good either. The most it did was create a center channel, and not the other side ones. Spatializer N-2-2 seems to do a better job. The remote control seems as small as a regular cell phone--easy to lose. I didn't like how toy-like it looked and felt. It also has no missing connections as well. I mean that it has S-video, Component, two analog, optical, and coaxial outputs.

As for cons, the DVD711 has skipped once and placed me in different areas of a movie--which really sucks big time if you're watching something like the Sixth Sense. And as I said, it doesn't make a good 3D effect on sound.

Why do I give it four stars you ask? It is because its wonderful crisp sound(no matter what mode), its DVD-R capability, and the fact that its feature upgradable. Another thing to keep in mind is that when they say its feature upgradable, its just saying that it only upgrades when the player has problems with playing new DVDs. If you don't really like the control, just get another one. If one was to spend this much money on a DVD player, I would certainly suggest you guys go out and buy an Aiwa XV-DV370 (plays mp3s CD-Rs and RW), Panasonic RV-30 ($50 rebate makes $130 with Digital Cinema Mode which just changes the picture mood, 2+subwoofer output along with Dialog Enhancer, smooth scanning, but missing a coaxial output.), Sony SD360 (With Active Tilt control which helps read messed up DVDs and Smoothscan modes to help less jerkiness in fast-forwarding and slowing down and great looking remote control. Many different modes of cinema sound. Best rated out in the market with $50 rebate makes $200), Toshiba SD1600 (only one of these with zoom feature to fit screen. No optical output. Top seller here on Amazon, but I heard it skips and destroys DVDs sometimes if you got one in a hundred.), or the Philips DVD711 (Not really bad at all). I just hope that all of this was helpful. And by the way, the DVD711AT and the DVD711 are one in the same models.

I bought this system today and I am very impressed with what I got for under $200. The picture quality and sound are amazing. I tested out my only 2 DVDs (Jaws and The Sixth Sense) and they run great. So if you want a good, but affordable machine, buy this one now!

Samsung DVD-1080P8 1080p Upconverting DVD Player

• 1080p Upconversion
• Includes HDMI CDC
• Progressive Scan
• 14 bit video DAC

I had bought a Samsung 32" 1080p TV and decided to get the Samsung upscaling 1080p dvd player, thinking they would talk nice to each other. Boy, was I wrong! Every time I played a dvd, every few minutes the video and audio would cut out, saying that it lost the signal and was searching for it. This happened continually.

First thing I tried switching HDMI cables. I tried 3 different cables, no luck. Next, I sent the dvd player back to Amazon for a different model, same behavior. Finally, since I had a 30-day return, no questions asked, from Best Buy, I had them come get my Samsung TV and exchange it for another of the same model. Still the same behavior.

A sales person at Video Only told me he had a customer who experienced the same abnormality that I did -Samsung dvd player cutting out when playing through a Samsung TV. He brought back the Samsung and bought a Sony dvd player instead. Perfect picture and no signal problems.

I finally did the same. Bought a Sony DVP-NS700H/S and hooked it up. Worked perfectly with my original HDMI cable. Now I have a Samsung dvd that I may give to my daughter to see if she can get it to work. I love my Samsung TV but I will never buy another Samsung dvd or other component again.

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Despite some viewer's claims, this player definitely will not provide an HD-quality, Blu-Ray image, though if you plan to use it with a screen smaller than 40", it should be close enough to satisfy most viewers' requirements (including this one). Adding to the potential confusion is Amazon's current listing of this as the most popular "upconverting DVD player." I was ready to purchase the Samsung (my 2nd) until I entered "upscaling DVD player" into Amazon's search box, and discovered that the favorite player in this price range was the Sony DVP-NS700, which didn't even appear among the "upconverting" players. (Or simply try entering "DVD player.") The Sony is a slightly newer model with marginally shallower dimensions than the Samsung. If you have a Samsung TV set, you may wish to go with the Samsung player for the sake of compatibility; if your set is a Sony, the Sony player's remote will control most new Sony television sets' significant functions without the requirement of entering code numbers.

As for "upconverting" vs. "upscaling," I have yet to discover any difference other than a semantic one. If "upconversion" is as much a function of your HD set's processor as of the DVD player's engineering, "upscaling" may be a more accurate even if less "techno-dazzling" term. Of primary importance is an HDMI connection on the player to assure optimal scanning of the disc by your HD set.

However, the Samsung does offer a feature that, while increasingly rare, is important to some computer users: the capability of playing DivX-encoded discs--which is lacking on the Sony player. If you have such discs or prefer to download and record video files with DivX encoding and then screen them on monitors other than your computer's, then the Samsung is definitely the better bet, whether you call it an upconverter or an upscaler.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung DVD-1080P8 1080p Upconverting DVD Player Here

Bought this DVD player to go with a new Sammy 58" Plasma and take advantage of the "Anynet" feature. Almost from the beginning the player made more noise than my garage door opener.

Without exception at some point in every DVD I put in it the player would stop. I would have to wait for it to begin playing again. There were some DVD's that it would not even load. Not the DVD's as I would put them in another player and they would load and play without problems. I have returned it to Amazon and now await my refund.

In addition to the mechanical failures I found the player to be extremely slow not only with loading but in responding to commands sent from the remote. In some instances the delay was so lengthly that I thought the command had not been recieved by the player but finally it would react.

The Sammy "Anynet" is not as effective as I thought it would be and required that you keep the DVD remote handy for certain commands.

Have since I sent it back, I purchased another DVD upconverting player. It is much faster to load and react to remote commands. It has not failed to load any DVD's nor has it stopped during play back even once. The remote on the new player gives me as many options as the "Anynet" feature on the Sammy so I lost nothing there.

I would not recommend this player however must note that it may just have been a lemon.

Disappointed for sure,

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Hooked this up to a Samsung HL61A750 using HDMI and the 1080p resolution setting. Ran fiber optic to the amp.----The video and sound are fabulous, looks as good to me as Blu-Ray that I have seen in the stores. It appears to me that the problems that have been encountered are due to not taking the time to set up the player correctly. Have played several of my older DVDs, the picture never looked this good. I'm not sure how much the HDMI and the up-conversion contribute to this big improvement to picture quality, but it certainly is big over my older player. Was considering Blu-Ray, but I have a large collection of DVDs and just did not want to start all over again. The Anynet feature will turn on the TV and select the correct input for playing a disc, making an easy switch from TV to dvd or cd. So much for my experience.

Got this DVD player through the deal along with my 56" DLP. Hooked up the player with component cable first and it'll allow you to force output up to 1080i. After switching back and forth between 480p, 720, and 1080i, I can only tell the difference between 480p and 720p, but not 720p and 1080i. Then I replaced the component cable with HDMI, forced the output to 1080p, color seems to have more depth but resolution looks the same as using component cable. Remote control reaction is pretty slow compares to the other 7 year old Toshiba DVD player I have. Load time is a little bit longer I guess it's because the player supports more format than just regular DVD.

Overall it does ok job on "upscaling" but don't expect magic.

RPS 3.5 Mini to Male PC, 16" Straight Flash Sync Cord #RS-8518 - (Equivalent of Pocket Wizard PC1 C

unless you want to tape the pc end to your flash and camera do not buy. there is not a solid connection that actually stays connected. got them and used on a shoot and was glad i had a back up plan!

I have used this short cord between a Radio slave and my Alienbee about ten times without a single issue. I like using this over the original 20' cord.

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Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder

COLOR:

The camcorder does a good job in the color department, most of the time you get Accurate & Natural colors but other times it tends to vivid the blues & reds. The same happens with the Canon HF-S21, while Panasonic HDC-TM350 & HDC-TM700 looks more natural "most of the time".

LCD:

The touch responsiveness is simply amazing, comparing it to the Very Difficult to handle of the Canon HF-S21 and the just OK of the Panasonic family. The resolution is the best of his class by far. Also you can organize it in a very custom way; "You can use the menu items easily by registering the menu items you use most often on MY MENU. You can register 6 menus items on each MY MENUS of the MOVIE, PHOTOS and PAYBACK. That's a total of 18 pre-determent Custom Menus.

LENS:

The HDR-CX550V has larger lens than last year's model. The new G-Lens is capable of capturing videos at enormously wide angles, Close to 20 degrees more than Canons & JVC are capable of. It's also a much wider angle than you'll get from the Panasonic HDC-TM700.

Low Light:

In this area the clear winner is the HDC-TM350 or HDC-TM700, Sony has the Night Shot which allows to record in almost 0 LUX but you get a graining and unacceptable quality. Using the LOW LUX feature improves the image quality but some light is needed to be able to record.

RECORDING MODES:

Format Resolution Bitrate Codec

HD FX 1920 x 1080 24Mbps H.264AVC (AVCHD)

HD FH 1920 x 1080 17Mbps H.264AVC (AVCHD)

HD HQ 1920 x 1080 9Mbps H.264AVC (AVCHD)

HD LP 1920 x 1080 5Mbps H.264AVC (AVCHD)

STD 720 x 480 9Mbps MPEG-2

ZOOM & STEADYSHOT:

For some reason the SteadyShot has an impact on the zoom of the camera, when you have the SteadyShot set to Active the zoom goes up to 14X (this has been a complain for some reviewers because they have said it only goes up to 10X) but if you have the SteadyShot in Standard or OFF it does only go to 10X. Based on this, it seems like a good idea to consider that setting depending on the scene and recording conditions, example; if you are going to use the camcorder on a tripod to film landscapes, sunsets or any other scenography in which you want a wider angle it will be very helpful to turn OFF or put in Active the SteadyShot, but if the situation is the other way around, you want to record a far away object and want them to looks closer then the SteadyShot should be in Active mode even when using a tripod.

Comparing the HDC-TM700 (12X) to the HDR-CX550 (10X) in Optical Zoom and TM700 (18X I. Zoom) vs. CX550 (14X Without been named or pointed out by anybody else). At Digital Zoom the TM700 goes up to 30X or 700X (complementing its name) while CX550 MAX is 120X, either of them display very bad and distorted images when the Digital Zoom is used.

The Stabilization produced by the STEADYSHOT is one of the best I have ever seen, it works great in all situations while keeping very sharp image quality.

STILL PICTURE:

In the still picture nobody can beat the JVC GZ-HM1 as far as quality-sharpness-colors; the Sony does a descent job just like any other camcorder in this price range. The Smile Shutter is one of the FUN features of this Camcorder, this allows to take a picture every time the cam detects someone smiling, Smile shutter can be set so that it is always on, to work during video recording only, or it can be turned off completely but unfortunately this is NOT available when recording at the MAX Quality Setting of 24Mbps HD FX Mode.

FUN Features:

Smooth Slow Record: A slow motion setting that records 3 seconds of footage and turns it into 12 seconds of Very Slow Video. This setting shoots at a very high Frame Rate of 240fps in order to create the slow motion effect. You have the option to select that the Camcorder record those 3 seconds after you press the START button or be recording at all time (like a Pre-Record Mode) so when you press the START button the last 3 seconds will be converted into the 12 seconds of Very Slow Video. The quality of this Smooth Slow Record is NOT quite close to HD, it may be SD quality at 16x9 aspect ratio.

Golf Shot: Takes two quick seconds of video and divides it into frames that are recorded as a movie and photos in a 16x9 aspect ratio.

GPS: The built-in GPS allows you to keep track of your videos & photos by the location in which they were shot. By having the GPS on, the battery life decreases by 2-3 %.

CONCLUSIONS:

This is a good camcorder with lots of Manuals and Fun features, very portable, with a good overall performance; it looks like a very good choice for a Family-Vacation's Camcorder.

Okay, so I'm about to be a dad due April 12th, and while I was looking for a camcorder wide enough for the delivery room, I was struggling with the Canon VIXIA HF-S21 that is due to be released on April 15th. However, let me state the highlights of the Sony HDR-CX550V which swayed my decision why I went for the Sony to suit my own preference:

Compact and Lightweight (something my wife wants over holding my Canon 5D2 and lenses)

Wide Angle 26.3mm Photo

Wide Angle 29.8 mm Video to 298mm (On the Canon it is 35mm equivalent 43.5-435mm which is longer)

12 Mega Pixels still images

10x Optical Zoom

Stabilization which works really well

Takes both SD-HC (this is great) and Sony memory sticks (I don't use them)

Built-in 64GB Flash memory.

Excellent low light shooting

Includes GPS geotagging (which I haven't used yet, I keep it turned off for now)

3.5" LCD (921K)

Dolby Digital 5.1ch recording with Built-in Zoom Mic, which I haven't really tested to say how good the results really are, but off-the-bat the results are very acceptable.

It is also very easy to set up and operate, not a lot of digging for menus to get it recording right! You simply either swing open the LCD or pull out the viewfinder (having one is plus for me) and it turns on and after a few second, you can hit the record button. Vice-versa to turn-off.

Shoots in HD and records in 1080/60i and this equates to it being 24p or 30p via software when editing, this is argued extensively on forums, but the HDR-CX550V does not let you specify, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your own preferences. Having said that don't let the 1080/60i put you off, since this is the same with all other camcorders I have seen including professional camcorders. The 24p or 30p on the Canon HF-S21 also records at 60i.

I think ultimately making a choice on either the Sony or the Canon, you won't be disappointed, however, to me the main highlights are that this is a very compact camcorder with excellent touch screen (this one works!) and shoots wide to long instead of normal to long, and has excellent low light results as well as support for SD-HC flash media and a wonderfully sized LCD display.

I ended up buying the BC-TRV Travel charger and the NP-FV100 battery, although is larger than the supplied battery it is still small enough that it shouldn't bother you when you require the extra juice for extended shooting which is about 15 hours at High-quality HD mode.

Image results are great for such a small system, very satisfied.

Update: April 12, 2011.

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

Okay first off, apologies to all those that asked questions in the comments. Unfortunately I don't have the time to go over each question, but here is a short feedback after a year of use towards my personal usage and preferences. I don't shoot in extreme circumstances, such as a heavy metal rock concert or middle of a field with no lighting what-so-ever! I have shot in noisy market streets, and noisy restaurants to dimly lit rooms with no extra accessories.

Okay, this time I was able to shoot my son's first birthday party a couple of days ago. A month or so ago, a couple of weddings. A short trip to Asia. So here are the highlights:

Menu continues to be simple to use.

The camera stability feature still works extremely well hand held. Just don't expect miracles if your hands happen to be the exact opposite!

A whole day and evening banquet(Not continuous) for a wedding shoot, the extra battery and internal memory provided enough juice and storage needs.

HD quality is above average at best and that's good enough for me, now do understand this, I don't believe any home camcorder can perform beyond much past this point to date. So do understand the satisfaction level this will provide you. Yes it is short of a prime lens mounted on a DSLR like the 5D Mark II shooting video, and is costing so much less and much easier to operate as well.

The camera continues to be so simple to use, that you flip open the screen to turn it on, press the record button to start recording (duh!) and press again to stop, and flip close the screen to turn it off. This alone can give both me confidence and whoever I pass the camcorder to that they will do a satisfactory job (no experience needed)! With the exception, do tell them not to shoot portrait orientation :P Camcorders don't work that way!

Color Saturation level could be a little more vivid and the backlighting response with regards to white balancing are the only improvements I can think of for video quality. Neither of which are bad, just feels average. Physically, the size is small and lightweight. Only other thing is the top hot-shoe (I don't own any accessories), but did try to mount a 3rd party LED light, but couldn't, because the hot shoe is recessed into it's own slide-away compartment, it was too small to slide my LED light.

I continue to shoot stills with my DSLRs, so I cannot comment on the stills from this camcorder.

My original rating stands, the camcorder has been reliable but well looked after (It still looks like new for the amount of times I have used it), I have used it often, lent it out, played back and recorded. I love what this camcorder gives me for the money in both video quality and sound. I hope this helps that little bit more.

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After comparing many camcorders and recording technologies I picked this camcorder for the following reasons:

1. I decided on flash memory because you do not have the sound of a tape drive or a hard drive and the camera is more compact. 64GB gives you hours of recording time without the need to change miniDV tapes or buying extra memory cards. Copying the highly compressed video files to a MAC or PC takes minutes for hours of video. Compare this to miniDV tapes hour for hour.

2. Quality low light performance is great on this model and far exceeds my old Sony HC-1.

3. This camcorder has a wider angle lens than most camcorders which to me is more desirable. The drawback is that such a 10x lens cannot zoom in as close which is fine unless you go on a safari.

4. The image stabilization is phenomenal. You could have a tremor and the picture is rock solid. You can walk with the camera and the picture is smooth. If you make a sudden movement you can see the picture lag and move less abruptly.

5. The touch screen menus take some exploring. You can customize "My settings" with buttons you wish to have at your finger tips. The only wish I have would be another recording button for one handed operation when you do not use the wrist strap.

Best accessory: the under water housing

7. Finally, this camcorder works great with MACs. Image Capture and iMovie recognize the camcorder and you can work with these applications as usual. Final Cut Pro works equally well, but instead of Log and Capture you have to use Log and Transfer (Shift Cmd 8)

Read Best Reviews of Sony HDR-CX550V 64GB High Definition Handycam Camcorder Here

I had a Canon HFS200. I returned it. Great overal camcorder, but one deal killer. No wide angle lens. I was constantly backing up, and telling my kids to back up, so I could get them in the frame, and I still missed a bunch of shots. With the Canon, a wide angle adapter would have been an essential tool, and I just wasn't willing to incur the extra expense and weight.

I looked at the Panasonic TM700 as an alternative. I was intrigued, but right or wrong, the fan noise issue scared me off (see reviews), as well as the fact that the files are apparently difficult to edit (also see reviews). I know that there are many people that swear the fan noise is no big deal, and swear that you can work with the files, and swear that the Panasonic is the best camcorder on the market, but.....

I opted to go with the Sony primarily because of the wide angle lens. The Sony has the equivalent of a 29mm wide angle, the Panasonic was 35mm, and the Canon was 43mm. Since alot of the video I shoot is of the family, inside my house, I wanted the widest angle possible. Right now, the Sony is it.

Things that I like about the Sony:

-Wide angle lens....probably the #1 reason to buy this camcorder

-Excellent picture quality

-Excellent low light capability in general, with 2 additional low light modes (night mode and low lux mode)

-Excellent stabilization....nice for shooting walk around videos

-Large (3.5"), bright, high image quality LCD

-EVF (not the best, but at least there is one, which is important if you are shooting outdoors in bright sun)

-Nice menu system....like the look and feel much better than the Canon HFS200. (This is probably more of a personal preference)

-Nice ergonomics....feels good in your hands (at least for me and I have large hands)

-64gb flash memory.....unless you shoot several hours of video a day, and shoot for days on end without downloading to your computer, you should be able to get by without ever having to use SD cards (unless of course you want to).

-Easy to get files out of the camcorder and into your computer for editing with the supplied Sony software.

Things I don't like about the Sony:

-Only 10x zoom.....15x would have been nice. Heck, even 12x would have been better than 10x.

-The wide angle is a blessing and a curse. Wide open it is excellent in virtually all lighting situations. Zoomed in, in even moderately low light situations, you lose ALOT of light, and the zoom becomes essentially unuseable since the images become VERY dark. For me, this is a minor tradeoff. I just know not to zoom in very much in low light situations. Not a big deal for me, but it might be for you.

No wind screen. Outdoor videos in moderate wind produce a noticeable sound. I'm planning to buy an aftermarket wind guard myself for about $20, so I'm not anticipating that this will be a major problem for me.

-Supplied Sony software is great for getting the video out of the camcorder and into the computer, but that's about it. Strongly suggest you use a separate editing program. I use Cyberlink PowerDirector and am having good results with the video that I've shot with the Sony. There are many other editing programs, but that is for another review.

-Price.....prices flucuate dramatically, but generally The Sony doesn't stray from around $1000-$1050 anywhere. I've seen the Panasonic and the Canon pop into the mid to high $700's here on Amazon, so on any give day the Sony can be about $200-$250 more than either of them. That's a pretty substantial price premium (around 20%), so if you're on a budget, or if you don't really care about the wide angle lens of the Sony, this may not be the camcorder for you.

-I would say the Photo quality is good to very good, but not excellent. In my opinion, the photos that came out of the Canon were noticably better. If you are looking to carry only one piece of equipment for videos and photos, just something to consider. Personally, I don't plan on taking very many photos with my camcorder. The ones I did shoot with the Sony, with a little editing in Photshop Elements, were fine.

Overall, I am really liking my new camcorder. I didn't give it a 5 star rating for the negatives noted above, but definitely a solid 4 star. Again, Canon and Panasonic produce some excellent camcorders, so the main reason to buy the Sony in my opinion is the wide angle lens. That is by far the most distinguishing characterstic. To me, it has made a HUGE difference. Coupled with the fact that overall video quality is excellent in all lighting conditions, excellent stabilization, and the files are easy to edit on your computer, I would highly recommend this camcorder.

Note: In other reviews, you may see people mentioning confusion because 3 files are generated when you download the video to your computer (.m2ts, .modd, .moff). I was confused myself until I researched it. I can safely tell you to ignore the confusion. The m2ts is the file that contains the video and the audio, and is easily handled by any of the current crop of video editing software. The other 2 files are nothing but marker files used by the Sony software to keep track of the video clips in the organizer, and store data about the clips. If you re not planning on using the Sony software to organize and edit your videos, then you do not need to concern yourself at all with these files. Even if you are, they have absolutely nothing to do with the video and audio itself, and thus you will never need to do anything with them.

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I'll save the long winded review since so much has been said. It came down to two cameras for me the Panasonic 770 and the Sony 550. I had a chance to compare the two and the Sony won out because:

1. Wider Angle Lens the Panasonic was going to require a wide angle addition ($25 $75),

2. Storage the Panasonic was going to require a 32Gb card to match the Sony storage ($35 $75),

3. Fan Noise I found the Panasonic was picking up too much fan noise for my taste using gain control in manual I was able to reduce the fan noise to nearly inaudible, but it was going to require I use the camera in manual all the time...not an option.

4. Underwater Housing I had a housing from a past Sony camcorder, which despite the housing kit stating it was for an earlier version, it works just fine. Its not a frequently used accessory, but boy does it make for some cool shots. The reason it works is becuase the new camcorders still use the Sony "half moon" shaped connector which allows the housing to control the camera in this case.

5. Smart Doors the 550 doors (the things that cover the charge port, mic port, etc.) slide neatly out of the way most other camcorders have doors that dandle on a plastic hinge. Its not a huge thing, but its nice to have the camera look and feel tidy when plugging in accessories.

Add all this up, and I think you get something close to your moneys worth for the more expensive Sony.

I will give slightly better marks to Panasonic for color the colors seemed more vivid on the Panasonic. Sony's colors seem real, but maybe a touch muted not enough to really matter for me though.

Low light performance In darker settings I liked the Sony...using just two CF bulbs in lamps, I can easily film, producing a picture that looks natural and well lit. White balance has been perfect so far.

Quick Update (12/22/2010) Camera is still going strong and I am loving it. Its been one of the most satisfying electronic purchases in a while. I have been using it with Final Cut Express on my Mac, and editing has been pretty easy -would help if I knew Final Cut a bit better, but I am learning fast now that video is SOOOOO much easier to import without having to transfer from a tape.

K6000 Vehicle DVR Car Recorder DVR Road Dash Video Camera Recorder Traffic Dashboard with 2.7 Inch

• High-definition, high -definition video
• HOLD function
• Supports high capacity TF card
• Motion Detection
• support auto ignition boot, turn off shutdown

[Edit: Warning. Other uses report getting either a perfect unit or a scratched, used one. You might need to roll the dice and do an Amazon exchange if you get a bad one. IMO it's worth it for the low price.]

Pros:

Very low price.

Has just the right set of features. Auto-power starts it recording, does automatic file rotation, visible timestamp, etc.

Reliably records without driver needing to worry about it. (Using it for a week now.)

Power cord is thin and long enough to make installation easy. The cord is 150 inches long. Thin is also important so it slides under car's interior trim. I installed without needing to remove any trim.

Fits *securely* behind mirror on my Mini Cooper using included suction cup. Driving a Mini in SF can be very jarring because of the roads and firm mini suspension; however, it hasn't fallen off.

"Low profile" device. Meaning it doesn't attract attention so your car gets broken into.

Customization is fairly easy and manual is close enough to native English to figure out. (First test is setting the day/time.)

Decent field-of-view without too much fisheye. See my posted video stills.

Can easily swap out microsd card without removing unit.

Timer to turn off LED screen so video doesn't show while driving.

No GPS nonsense. Why is this a feature? GPS isn't reliable without antenna AND consume more power.

Supports large, 32gb MicroSD card.

Cons:

Power plug only fits into cigarette lighter.

Power plug is very large. This is the biggest issue for me. (See product photos)

Product Improvement: I'd like it better if it was a standard USB plug and included a low profile cigarette lighter adaptor!

Slight buzz (bizt-bitz-bitz) in audio as it writes to internal memory. Not huge deal, might be related to MicroSD Card speed.

It doesn't perform great at night, but it isn't an IR camera. With HiDef video, you can still make out what's happening.

It has bright-white LED lighting option and I have no idea why. Seems useless. Just increases cost of unit.

It needs a plastic polarizing filter on the front of lens that can be rotated to remove window glare.

Recommendations:

Buy a fast 32gb micro usb drive with this unit. Files are 1.25GB per 10min of HD footage. I purchased this one and it works:

SanDisk Ultra 32 GB microSDHC Class 10

User should increase clip size in settings so it saves 14 minutes at a time.

Pictures showing "HD" quality:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B00ABW6L5K/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_dav

[See replies to this post for more questions answered.]

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Firstly; this is not an HD dashcam! It's native resolution is 640x480, and it's interpolated (up-scaled) to HD.

Which means, if you look at the resulting video in a 640x480 frame, it looks great! If you look at it in full-screen (1080p), it looks quite poor.

If you want a good, basic dashcam to record everyday driving, this is it. But if you want something that can read license plates and produce true HD, then the DOD LS400 at about $150 is what you want.

Read Best Reviews of K6000 Vehicle DVR Car Recorder DVR Road Dash Video Camera Recorder Traffic Dashboard with 2.7 Inch Here

I got this because there seems to be NO app for Android (even the one I paid for) that can give me good video, cycle over on top of the files and basically work right.

So I bought this, and it does seem to be good. Now it does not have GPS (which is good because it can stay on and not consume a lot of power when I have left it plugged in and parked and left my truck).

It does save in either 1 min, 2 min or 3 min or continuous video. They are all .AVI, so I have a mac and just select them all and open with VLC, which will keep playing them in the order of the file name. It does seem good.

There is only like .25 of a second when it goes to the next file name.

This is a lot for the little bit of money. Now don't EVER thing that a dash cam, with "infrared" LED lights could EVER show the outside in a good picture. It is impossible. You would need to have the IR LED's outside and way more than 2 or 4 or even 10 of them. Inside they would reflect of the windshield anyway.

This is a good deal for the money. Now at night, it will do so-so, not nearly as much resolution and very limited to what's in front of your vehicle by the head lights (say 20-30 feet), but on lighted streets the picture is ok. NOT crystal clear, as I could not make out my face when I got out of my truck and left it recording and it was night time. Think VGA 1M pixel resolution.

Daytime, as you can see, was ok. It is just as a 3rd party witness if anything (accident) was to happen.

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I'm not happy with this purchase, a first bad charger USB header communicates, the second does not work night mode. I don't know maybe I had gotten defective recorder or could all of this quality. I havent been able to send the product back.

The item sent to me was clearly used, even though I bought the product "new". Most importantly, it does not work. The camera keeps telling me memory error and would not record. I tried two different memory card, and both of the memory cards were functional ones I was using in other electronic devices. Had to return the camera the next day.

4 Channel Super USB DVR Video & Audio Real-time Network CCTV Capture Card 120FPS

This product even includes audio inputs, Works great with Analog security cameras with BNC connectors. Easy setup with my W7 64 bit computer. Gives individual settings (brightness, contrast, etc.) for each camera. Well worth the cost.

This was incredibly easy to setup. It's exactly what I was looking for as far as hardware went. The software that comes with it looks like it was made in the mid 90s. It is still functional, but it's not pretty or very easy to use. It does get the job done though so for the price it is still a great deal.

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Item worked better than I had thought it would. Read a lot of bad reviews about a lot of bad USB DVR being sold, and software issues and what not. This one loaded easily, tied into my camera system without a hitch, and software was no issue what soever.

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i use this product to protect my family and property though i only have two cameras at the moment the device has yet to show any issues not directly related to my unreliable computer. Five stars is a shameful insult to the shocking quality and features of this product the software is flawless the hardware all but bullet proof i would and have repeatedly recommended this product to others. I would definitely buy this product again.

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Esky® Mini Clothes Hook Hidden Camera DVR With 8GB Micro Sdhc Card (Tf Card)

It is exactly what I wanted. I just got done testing it and even in low light the picture is pretty good. It will get the job done. You will be able to see who is in the video. You can't beat this for the price. I have tried to leave it plugged into the computer and it doesn't record while plug in. I also tried it with a wall charger bummer it will not record. I wanted to us it with a steady power supply. other then that it works great!!!

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Wide Angle Lens 230 Degree 2.7" LCD Full Hd 1080p CAR DVR Camera Vehicle Hdmi F9

• 100% brand new and high quality .
• Wide Angel Lens 230°
• G-Sensor Function
• Display:2.7" LTPS TFT LCD
• Port: USB 2.0/HDMI/TV OUT

Description was correct: it has 230 degree observation. When play back on PC it looks like a wide screen movie. Night time record is pretty good too. The only function should be added is ON/OFF for the microphone... it's ON at all time-that's why only 4 stars.

Car DVR

• Color Video,
• Color display
• Time and Date
• Format: AVI,
• Speed: 30fps

Saying it's not HD is an understatement. Selecting HD (1280x720) actually lowers the resolution to 640x360 which is lower resolution than the standard 640x480 mode. How so? In 640x480 mode, the dash cam records full frame 4:3 video. The resolution is 640x480. The video quality is OK, but well below mid grade analog or digital video recorders from a decade ago. When you select HD, the video is recorded as letterbox cutting off the top 60 and bottom 60 lines for a total horizontal resolution of 360. The video resolution in HD mode is actually 640x360. The pixels are quadrupled to 1280x720 (640*2 x 360*2). You can clearly see the line doubling in the video playback. Even worse, the HD selection which records in lower resolution takes more file space than the 640x480 mode. What this means is this is just a 640x480 standard def recorder with not such great video quality.

The difference between 640x480 and a true low resolution HD of 1280x720 is the difference between reading a license plate or not.

I'm giving this 1 star because this is blatant false advertising and the price is too high for a cheap standard def dash cam. This thing is going back today. It is not the product advertised.

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Definitely, this is not an HD. Quality of the recordings is poor. You will not be able to see license numbers of cars and/or faces of people who pass by your car; But, considering current limitations of the US market for this type of equipment, it may not be the worst alternative to expensive items of this kind. It does record clips and it is possible to understand what is happening. In other words, .... it is just a poor quality video.

Seller, please correct your description. This is not an HD cam; and we are not in a 99 cent Chineese store.

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This DVR is not intended to use as a "black box". The video quality is not real 1280x720 but interpolated from like 240x135. It is not possible to recognize the car licence plate numbers even if staying right behind the car.

The card slot has also poor quality. The flash card jumps out of the slot when passing the bump.

Could not recommend...

PS. The Polaroid SD card reader was not included in the parcel.

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The right size, the right idea. Unfortunately wrong gizmo.

This product is kind of quirky and can let you down when needed.

Product does not re record over SD card as advertised. Instead freezes up and depletes battery losing all settings including date and time.

Resetting device and manual deletion of SD files is required each time it freezes up. Guess thats why the give you the card reader.

For the asking price for this product, one would be better off paying a little more for a Flip type device with a windshield suction mount.

Overall unreliable product.

This device from its appearance in the photograph is a clone of a device I regrettably purchased from Dealextreme (it shipped out of Hong Kong and now I can't find a way to return it). Design-wise the description is not accurate as one of the other reviewers noted: it is not HD. In fact, if you try to switch it to the higher resolution mode, it will crash the device. I used mine in low-res for 6 weeks, after which it started bricking. After a few days of constantly pushing the reset button because of the bricking, it seized for good, and now won't power on at all.

Those are the bad points the device fails outright in just a few weeks. However, this device also has some GOOD points and if they could just fix the obvious firmware problems, it would probably be a really good purchase for the money. What's neat about it is that it comes on automatically when the car starts, and records convenient video segments. When you turn your car off, it writes the final segment to its SD card and shuts itself off automatically you don't have to mess with it. Video segments are easy to retrieve from the SD card. In these respects, it's very well designed as a plug-and-play-and-forget-about-it device for users of lower technical skill.

Except for the fatal firmware flaws, that is. Watch additional reviews of dash cams on Amazon to see if / when the firmware issues are resolved. And for goodness sake, don't buy one of these unless you're sure the problems have been addressed.

Cred-Deal Steel 4gb Digital Voice Recorder 650hr Dictaphone Mp3 Player Rechargeable

I can live with the fact that the up and down buttons are reversed. I can live with the fact that there is no manufacturer to provide troubleshooting support.

I cannot live with the fact that when I hit Record, the device pauses until I speak. Then, if I take a breath, it pauses again. I understand the concept here, but the practice is all wrong.

The pause cuts out a second of what I am saying, so I only get the last part of the sentence. Allow me to demonstrate:

"...fact that the up and down buttons are reversed...fact that there is no manufacturer to provide troubleshooting."

If I was interviewing a politician or witness, how on earth would it be useful to only get the second half of everything they say?

If someone knows how to make the device record continuously without going into standby mode, please leave a reply and let me know. Otherwise, I'm stuck with a worthless $20 MP3 recorder.

For $15 it does an ok job of recording. You won't be getting amazing recordings out of it though. It does not record wav format like it says on the page. It only records in mp3. The functionality of the device is a little confusing and annoying once you figure it out. Basically, you get what you pay for with this device. If you just want to record a lecture(at close range) or take personal notes it will be just fine. Otherwise, go somewhere else.

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Great recorder the size of a pack of gum. Great recording and playing sound, super compact, well and hooks to your PC. I could not ask for anything more especially for this price.

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I absolutely love this recorder! Small but loud and clear on playback. I even bought another one for a friend.

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Instructions written in ChinEnglish weren't bad enough so they made the guide prompts on the device even worse. The buttons don't correspond to traditional Rec Play Fw Rw, etc. Should have spend more money to get something I can use.

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Uhost 2 Dual Core Android TV Box Mini PC RK3066 Cortex-A9 1.6GHZ 1GB RAM 4G ROM with WIFI/Skype/XBMC

• Android 4.0.4 Dual core Mini PC
• Built-in 3D Accelerator. Support 3D gaming; Support Android Market Google Play
• Support Adobe Flash 11; Gmail, POP3/SMTP/IMAP4
• Bluetooth Built in, WiFi 802.11b/g/n 10/100Mbps With internal Antenna
• Support/Mobile phones, computer and mini PC connection, pictures, video, music sharing

the device can replace your laptop if you only use the computer watch the video, playing the mini game or chatting with your friend.

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Very poor WiFi performance and signal strength. Manufacturer website doesn't have firmware upgrades--you have to get them from a 3rd party. Charger not UL listed/ other safety certifications.

Otherwise, it's an Android stick that works for anything not web enabled...

Complete Professional 4 Channel Real Time (500GB HD) DVR Surveillance Security Camera CCTV System P

I do not know where to begin. I searched high and low at every camera system out there and still not sure if I understand all the options but decided on this system as it seemed the best bang for the buck.

1) The picture quality is exceptional compared to my old cameras. The daytime color is perfect and the night time black and white is very clear. Can make out individuals during the night time. There is no way you could positively ID someone as far as the camera states in the dark but I would guess 30 to 40 feet for a positive identification is possible.

2) The recorder is much quieter than my old one and I can hardly tell it is running unless everything else in the room is off.

3) The setup was difficult but the GW Security technical support was excellent. I called and left a message and they called back within 30 minutes. Took control of the system and had me up and running on Internet Explorer in about 10 minutes. I still have to call back with some router numbers to have it set up on my smartphone. I have not done this yet but will update just as soon as I do.

I will give further updates in the future after they have run for awhile. I am still in the process of trying to get them set up for optimum coverage around my house.

The size is big enough so that others will know that they are there and the red glare from the infrared is noticeable from the street.

Overall, seems to be worth the money spent.

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B-Bop: Personal Digital Recorder

This was not what my daughter had in mind for my little granddaughter. She returned it to the company after receiving it. I understood that I would get a refund or at least credit on my credit card if the toy was returned.

Since my daughter had returned it US Postal Service, the company would not refund my money because there was no tracking number. This is rude and I will not do business with the company again. I contacted them a few times to try to get them to make it right, but no luck. I bought it in good faith and had to pay shipping too. Now I am out all the money with nothing. Not a good experience.

I bought this product at KB Toys for $6.99. Someone should do a price check. My 6 year old daughter loves it, and for the price it was a nice alternative to the MP3 player she really wanted.

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2.5-inch Full HD 1080p Dashboard Car Camera DVR Blackbox F900LH

• 2.5" TFT LCD Display
• Records in Native 1920*1080 Progressive (1080P), Supports recording in 1920*1080@25fps, 1440@1080@30fps, 1280*720@30fps, 640*480@30fps
• 180 Degree swivel lens, 130 Degree Field-of-View
• Supports up to 32GB SD card (not included), HDMI Port, MiniUSB Port
• Loop recording

The only thing this camera does; is produce good quality videos. The instruction manual was lost in translation and is more of a set-up guide then a owners manual.There was no detail instructions of the features on the settings. But with some hit and miss' you can figure it out.

Pros:

Takes good quality videos. It uses about 1.7 GB memory for a 10 minute loop.

Loop recording works; allowing you different loop time options and overwriting older videos when the card becomes full

The suction cup window mounts is very secure and allows for several adjustments; allowing you in conjunction with the monitor able to rotate 270 degrees, and the lens rotating 180 degrees; multiple options in mounting your camera to the windshield.

The camera does stops recording when you turn off the car; and turns on and starts recording when you start the car.

Cons:

The motion sensor does not work. One time it worked; another time it recorded one minute loops; and while going 60 MPH it would stop recording and the the camera would shut off.

Auto shut-off does not work. I have the auto shut-off set for five minutes; but every time when I shut off the car; the camera records for thirty seconds and then shuts off.

Tripod is useless.

Had trouble inserting the memory card. Had to use a pen to install and latch the card in place.

I tried updating my Garmin Nuvi with the USB cable that came with camera. The Garmin had a fit (threw the cable away).

The HDMI did not work. I use the cable that was supplied and my own. The Sony Bravia showed that is was hooked up to the camera but no video or audio played on the TV.

Has digital zoom instead of a optical zoom.

Has a one year warranty; but did not include any warranty information.

Can use as a PC camera; I don't think so. No matter what I did I could not get out of mass storage mode when the camera is connected to the computer with a USB cable.

I have included three driving situations in the video. First part is driving on a sunny day with some shadows. The next part is driving at night, driving into a small town. The third part is driving about thirty minutes before sunrise. This was recorded in 1080P onto a class 10 SDHC 32 GB card.

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The user manual doesn't make sense, written in poor english and with poorly drawn (and labeled) images. There is no indication of the amount of recording time (based on memory card size) or a complete list of options selectable from the menu items. The material is cheaply made.

The camera DOES however produce clear images (moving and still) and through testing I found the avi fies are limited to ten minutes each, when run overnight it will fill up the disk (memory module) and delete the older material in order to write new data (the main purpose) but that limited a 32gbyte module to two hours of actual avi files.

There is a socket to attach a tripod to (like normal cameras) but a strap holder prevents its use, two tripods that work for other cameras were unable to attach to the screw socket.

Battery life is extremely poor, after charging overnight it could not run more that 30 minutes on a full charge. An external power source will be required for anything over 20 minutes (car charger was supplied)

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Excellent little Camera. The Picture is really great! The motion detection also works great. The battery was a big surprise, it last really a long time for such a small battery. It last about 2 hours or more. You have to charge the battery three times,and completely exhaust it three times to get the full benefit. I can tell you this is a great

little camera. Well worth the money. THANK YOU AMAZON!!!!!!!

Philips DVD621AT DVD Player

• DVD player with DVD-Video and audio CD playback
• Component-, composite-, and S-video outputs accommodate a range of TVs
• 96 kHz/24-bit audio DAC for high-quality audio output
• High-speed scan and slow motion with smooth scan
• Graphical user interface for easy operation

Well, I have now bought 4 DVD players for separate locations about the house and by far, the Philips DVD621has been the biggest disappointment yet. Load time is frustratingly long, about 45 seconds to even recognize that a disc is in the drawer, then, you guessed it, more load time. The player does not offer any display for what chapter you are on and in more DVD plays than not, the movies begin skipping around an hour and a half in. I have also experienced "freezes" if a movie has been paused for more than about an hour. When I say "freezes," I mean the entire player locks up (including the power button) and the only way to reclaim your DVD is to unplug the unit. Avoid at all cost and buy a fast, reliable and features aplenty Sony.

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After reading the other reviews here, I was hesitant to buy this model, but it was advertised locally at an unbeatable price, so I took the plunge. Unfortunately, my gamble didn't pay off because the unit has the same problem described in another review. It gets half way through a disc and then freezes. This happened on both a rental disc and a brand new one. Once the unit froze, none of the controls worked, including the power button and the only way to turn off the machine was to unplug it. While some units may not be defective, clearly enough of them are that you should consider something else. Mine's going back to the store to be traded for another brand.

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I received this about 2 weeks ago and have had nothing but problems. It freezes on movies then will go blank and say insert playable disk. It does this on every single DVD put in the machine. I called philips about the problem and was told by them that this is an internal manufacturing problem with this particular model. ALL of them are like this. I waited 4 weeks after I ordered this to receive it. Now I have to wait for the RMA letter from Philips, ship it back at MY cost, then they will ship me a replacement. If you are in the market for a DVD player, stay away from this one.

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This is not what I expected out of a reputable company, but with so many DVD players to choose from stay away from this unit. Freezes up or skips on most discs. Load time is excessive and remote is not very intuitive. Got taken on this unit plain and simple.

This is the first DVD player that I bought, and that was almost a year ago. Today, it still works as good as the day I bought it.

It was easy to get set up, the remote fits in your hand well and it's got great features for a great price.

I watch DVD's ALL the time, and alot of them contain alot of extras. I have NEVER had a problem with the DVD not playing, stopping in the middle of a movie, not ejecting, or not taking a command. Mine has worked flawlessly.

The ONLY thing about this player is that it does take a few extra seconds for DVD's to load, and it will not play CD-R's. If you are looking for a great beginner player then this is for you. But if you are wanting a player that plays CD-R's, and has tons of features, then pay more and get a better player. This isn't the best player out there, but it's the best player for the money.