Panasonic RR-XR800 Personal 4 GB IC Digital Voice Recorder (Black)

Although discontiuned, you can still find this GEM at various retailers. At the time I write this review, there are 9 left at Amazon.

When this product was first introduced a few years back it was priced at $349.95, which was arguably a bargain. At $65 bucks, it's the deal of year! I don' think of it as a "digital voice recorder" per se; it's a HIGH QUALITY AUDIO RECORDER. In the early 1980's, Panasonic was a leader in PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) recording technology used in the manufacture of CDs. Their lowest cost unit, about the size of two vcrs stacked on top of each other, was just south of TEN THOUSAND dollars. I mention this because this "tiny," lightweight unit IS a PCM recorder! The sound quality is SPECTACULAR when using the PCM mode. (There are FIVE recording modes.) You won't use PCM that often because it's overkill, and PCM uses a LOT more storage space than any of the other recording modes. I grabbed a cup of coffee a couple weeks back and walked out to my back porch. The bird feeders and ground were covered with birds; the "concert" was amazing. I got the RR-XR800, set it to PCM mode and let it record for about 5 minutes. I later connected it to my home audio system, and if you closed your eyes you'd SWEAR the birds were in the living room. It's THAT good.

In the every day world, a common use for these devices is recording meetings. The meeting room at my workplace seats 24 people that's a BIG table, and a big room. In even the lowest-quality mode it captures every sound, including one of our employees who speaks so softly that one has to lean forward at times and strain to hear her.

Although the screen is small, it's EASY TO READ. And like Tterb45 said in his review, the unit is HIGHLY intuitive. You don't need the manual to hit the ground running! (The manual is HIGHLY detailed / thorough for anyone wanting to understand every feature and believe me, there are a LOT of them!)

And one more thing... this little guy is just plain COOL. If I had a buck for every time someone said "hey... what's THAT?" I could buy dinner for four at the Dead Lobster.

If you need a digital recorder, JUMP on this one before they're gone!

The recorder is amazingly light, even with batteries in it, but it does seem to be good quality so far. Obviously lots of features that will require some reading to figure out, but basic operation is intuitive no need for a manual to get a recording.

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This device needs a larger screen with bigger fonts

Its other real weakness is that it has a very small speaker

which is a surprise being from panasonic who usually have

very good speakers on their audio recorders.

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The only reason I give this 4 stars, and not 5 is because the display is a little too small for my antiquated vision, and the onboard built-in speaker volume is limited. However, I don't consider these aspects to be design flaws, since if you want a small IC recorder, there have to be some compromises. This is an otherwise excellent product, captures the moment with speech or music, perfectly, and boasts stunning sound quality, when monitoring using decent headphones. So, if your eyesight is optimal, go for it!

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Although this unit appears to have been discontinued, you will probably find it at a lot of sellers. It's very small--much too small! I've been a huge Panasonic fan in the past for their quality, but this unit does not live up to the company's reputation. The audio, PCM, is, of course, outstanding. I only use it for voice, so that's not really even a consideration. The display is hard to read; since it's unlit, it's really hard to read! It probably would have cost Panasonic a dollar more to add a backlight. Had I known how bad the display was, I wouldn't have ordered it. The display alone is a deal breaker!

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Zmodo 16CH H.264 Video DVR Security Surveillance Camera System With 8 Night Vision IR Outdoor Surve

It works, not on my iPad but that's another story.

Do not bother to contact Zmodo itself, they will not cannot help you with set up. You need a basic knowledge of port forwarding on a router or it will not work.

The cameras are mediocre quality picture wise but you can see. I don't think they could last a month outdoors. If you need outdoor cameras, these will rot before sun up.

So, the system works with your intuitive extensive IT abilities. The cameras work but don't ask me to pick someone from a police line up-they all look alike. Stay indoors.

I guess the next option up will triple the price but they will see your face, last years outside and have trouble free viewing.

A must have for every home. if something happens then just view footage. law enforcement liked it too. easy to use

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Very good product, the cameras despite being small fully comply with its purpose, the image quality is unmatched, the DVR with 1TB hard drive is more than enough, the installation is easy, and also settings, cables electricity and video are of excellent quality, the only thing I did not like was the packaging of the cameras, very poor, should improve the packaging:

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Olympus DS-20 - Digital voice recorder - flash 128 MB - WMA

The Olympus DS-20 digital voice recorder is excellent! It was easy to begin using and the instructions were clear. I like the ability to download and upload from the computer with the very easy to use and install USB port & chord. I wish it had rechargeable batteries and an A/C adapter in the package, but it is great nevertheless.

DS-20 is super cool. It's the Olympus DS-2 just with double the memory. They work identically. The DS-20 just has double memory.

Nice unit.

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USB Cassette Deck Converter

I purchased this product and I received it earlier then it stated in the estimated delivery dates. I have converted some of my tapes already and it works great. I am using it on a laptop that has Windows 8 and have had no problems yet. I did have to download a file so I can export the files as mp3. I am very pleased with this product and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to convert cassettes to Mp3s or CDS

Got it pretty fast. It works great, would recommend it to those who want to convert cassettes. Got what I wanted. Thanks Amazon

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SVAT Electronics 8CH Smart Security DVR with 8 Ultra Hi-Res Outdoor 100' Night Vision Cameras with

Bought because our country neighborhood has some of the busiest dead end streets I've ever seen. I'm fairly handy with tools and computers, so installation was straightforward for me (attic crawling was a pain though)--if computers are scary then have your computer nerd friend help out.

PROS:

-After searching several online reviews, SVAT seems to have higher resolution cameras, which was important to me. Capable of D1 resolution (pretty close to DVD) at 7 fps. CIF resolution didn't seem very useful to identify faces unless they were really close. Night vision works but the light cone of the LEDs is smaller than the camera field of view, so center up what you really want to monitor.

-Lots of independent controls for each camera that let you specify privacy areas, record on-off times, motion record on-off times, masks to prevent motion detection, resolutions and frame rate. Check out the manual from the SVAT webste, but you can probably do anything you want.

-Email feature is nice (older SVAT reviews had problems, but mine works flawlessly with Gmail if you follow instructions). It typically picks up the UPS truck in the driveway (start of motion) and not the face of the UPS guy. Be ready to get a lot of emails in a day on a windy/rainy/partially cloudy day even on lowest sensitivity settings if you place the cameras outdoors.

-iOS app to view remotely works as advertised... recommend you get a DynDNS or similar account if you do not have a static IP address.

-Computer interface much faster and easier to use than remote/mouse off the TV -but you may need your computer nerd friend to help set it up.

CONS:

-Can only playback 4 channels at a time, but you can go 8x speed which helps make up for this minor inconvenience.

-Don't expect to do a ton of reviewing off-site through your internet connection; remember you have 8 cameras possibly recording at DVD video quality at about 1/3 the speed. Your home/business internet has to upload all that data to the remote location, and upload speeds are typically 1/10th your download speed. To put it another way, imagine you are streaming 3 Netflix movies simultaneously but your internet is 10% as fast as you have now. The good news is you can download the video segments using an button on the web interface for later viewing using software available at the SVAT website... I'll be using that a lot overnight. An when connected the the same WiFi as the DVR, speed is not an issue.

ISSUES:

-One camera did not have the rubber friction piece that secures the adjustable hood, allowing it to slide freely. A $0.35 stick-on furniture pad worked nicely, not a big deal.

-DVR hard drive failed quickly on mine (after a few days of continuous recording to test system). Dropped it from 5 to 4 stars because I had to fuss with a return. Some previous reviews had this problem also.

-Definitely call the SVAT customer support number during business hours to set up a return--I tried contacting the seller, but they needed me to return all the cameras as well (I was not going to undo all that work) just to act as the middle man. SVAT send me a new DVR and an RMA right away, when they receive old defective unit my card should be reimbursed for the new DVR. Set me back shipping, but I much prefer that to waiting weeks for someone to verify the hard drive was toast.

OVERALL:

-For the money, and compared to DVRs at the big box stores, I think I got better outdoor-recording value for my $$$ from SVAT than competitors... even with a return.

I am still in the process of installing this system...installing cameras on brick is not easy. Crawling through the attic to pull 8 power/signal cables takes time. All eight cameras (3 inside and 5 outside are physically installed and four (3 inside and 1 outside) have cables pulled to the DVD and the quality on monitor is great. I have yet to go to system and do the settings. I will use a wireless usb system to send wireless video to a hidden 2TB stand alone drive. A thief steals my exposed DVD, I still have recordings. Good luck on finding the hidden 2TB HD.

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Nokia C3 Prepaid GoPhone (AT&T) with $30 Airtime Credit

The Nokia C3 is a solid, well performing mobile device. I needed a phone that could make texting easy, and the combination of the firm QWERTY keyboard and large space-bar makes it ideal. Call quality is good. This phone is a great value if you're looking to get rid of a $50-$70 monthly plan. AT&T offers the best prepaid plan rates of all the major networks, and the $30 airtime card included with this phone gives you 300 minutes from the start.

I love this phone, it's easy to use and has all the features i need. The service was fast. I ordered this phone on March 30th and got on April 3rd. It takes nice pictures and has video. The keys are a nice size. so you fellows will find this easy to use. This is a great deal

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This was everything I expected it to be. Service was great and phone has been perfect for what I was needing.

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I recently went through quite the ordeal of upgrading my flip phone to one more text friendly. The thing was, I couldn't hear or be heard when I was using the device as a phone. So back to square one, I found this phone on-line and after reading the reviews that talked about the clear calls it made, decided to buy it. I have not been disappointed. Great reception, seamless airtime credit added to my existing account, easy to understand features, etc. only reason I didn't give it five stars is the keyboard is a bit clunky feeling and the pads are easy to "double click", so lots of mis-sppellings!

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Yamaha CD-S300-RK CD Player Single Disc Rackmount, USB Port, MP3, WMA Playback, DAC Conversion

I wanted a basic but quality CD player for a small equipment rack in my home music studio. Integrating music stored on USB devices was essential. The Yamaha CD-S300 is well made and performs as expected with one exception: you cannot play WAV files stored on USB devices. The manual explains this, but who reads the manual before purchase? Some of us prefer the higher fidelity of WAV. So aside from having to convert my WAV files to MP3/320/VBR or AAC format, this is a good player for the price. The remote control enables extra features and is easy to use. Navigation of folders and files on USB is simple; you see the name of the folder/file on the digital display. I like everything about the CD-S300 except for the lack of WAV on USB. If that doesn't matter to you, the device gets five stars.

The unit works perfectly. CD's that skipped on my old player don't skip here. The unit came with "feet" so it can be placed directly on a shelf as opposed to using a rack. That was important to me because I don't have a rack. The "ears" for rack mounting shouldn't be removed. There is a warning slip with the packaging stating that the mounting ears should not be removed. They're small enough that I don't really have a problem with that. However, if aesthetics or space are all important then consider carefully what to do. Hope this helps.

Ty

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I applaud the excellent service from Pro Acoustics. Our Yamaha CD player arrived nicely packed, in perfect condition, and several days early to boot! We will certainly purchase products from this fine company again.

It has been a pleasure to write this glowing review. Thanks, Pro Acoustics! (P.S. The Yamaha CD player is even better than we had hoped for, and no pun intended, the acoustics provided by the player's DAC lend to a very life-like performance level throughout our entire house).

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Plays nicely and never fails, except at every power-on... Then, it totally ignores all the buttons until it loads a CD -orchecks to see if a CD is loaded. This takes the unit considerable time (as it does with most brands). If you push the button to open the drawer when (or before or at the same time as) you power it on, it ignores the button, and goes through it's thing trying to load the CD. So if you turn it on intending to insert a CD, it won't let you do that until it fusses and figures out that there is already one loaded or actually loads any CD you left inside. The microcode should first interrogate the "Open Drawer" button at power-on and perform that function if the button is pressed. It's quite annoying.

WORK AROUND: Before turning it off, open the drawer and then power it down with the drawer open. The problem with this solution is that it allows dirt to enter into the unit. A partial solution to this problem is to (after it is powered down with the drawer open) gently *Almost* close the drawer -until it's about 1/4" or a little less "open". Just leave it open enough so that you can grab it with your fingers BEFORE you power it on again and insert any New CD you want to play. That way when the unit powers up it will have a CD inside that you intend to play -which is what you want the thing to do anyway. It's just a real bother to have to do this every time you power it off, and I worry that it's still not completely sealed, but that's the only fix I've been able to find. [Unless Yamaha wants to send me a microcode upgrade... ]

MY CONCERN: The engineer(s) who did this design were obviously not the swiftest guys on the block. I worry what else they did wrong. Under this heading I have found that if you load any music that isn't a standard CD -i.e. a flash drive or MP3 player or a CD with MP3 [or WAV] files -the microcode only knows how to read a "flat" directory structure. In other words, if you have something with multiple directory levels -with folders and subfolders, if you will -this CD player will not handle 'em. It's not a huge limitation -you can still play a lot of stuff -but if you tried to organize your music with multiple levels of directories/folders (as is frequently the case on an MP3 player) you are out of luck. The thing will only recognize the first directory level it encounters. One would expect more from something that costs a few hundred dollars.

BTW, my old unit did the power-on function quite nicely, thank you.

MISSING FEATURE: This is not a bug, but it IS another function that got left out of the microcode load: How about the capability to display "Remaining Time" on a CD? I can understand why this might be difficult for non-CD (non-.WAV file) media, but why not include this at Least for the Standard CD case (if it's too difficult to make work for all cases). This used to work just dandy on my old Yamaha CD player. Unfortunately that unit finally ceased to be able to synch to and read CDs, so it had to be replaced (after a number of years). I paid good money for a replacement, which sadly was shipped without a design check or review by the team that was supposed to do this. Sigh.

Yes, I'm an engineer... did super computers... and they worked.

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Great CD player. USB+iPod is plus plus. It plays whatever iPod can play and bypass iPod's DAC. That means it can play all the Apple lossless format includes ALAC and AIFF. I compared the integrated DAC with Arcam rDAC. The integrated DAC does a very close job to rDAC.

It's also one of the best responsible retailer I have encountered. They called me when they received my order from Amazon and told me I might need to wait few days. And they called me again on the date I received this item to make sure everything is OK. Seems I am not only one who cared and who's tracking my order.

I was considering to order an AMP from this retailer again. Unfortunate they do not carry the AMP I was looking for.

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Samsung LN40A750 40-Inch 1080p DLNA LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color

• Full 1080p HD Resolution with 120Hz Auto Motion Plus
• Full Wrap Touch of Color Bezel, ISP Addressable w/ 1GB internal memory
• 50,000:1 contrast ratio, 4ms response time, Super Clear Panel Technology
• 4 HDMI Iputs, 2 Component Inputs, 1 PC Input, Wide Color Ehnacer, USB 2.0, HDMI-CEC
• RSS-Infolink, Wheel Key Remote, SRS Surround Sound

... buy this model. We got it to replace a three year old, 32-inch Sony that has served us very well in our bedroom, but we wanted a bigger screen. We got the bigger screen in a better looking cabinet, and, a much better picture, much better sound, and a much better tuner.

UPDATE (8/24/08) If I could give this TV more than 5 stars, I would. When I registered my TV with SAMSUNG online (as opposed to mailing in the warranty card), they automatically extended the warranty from 12 to 18 months. Then, 2 days ago, I got a box in the mail from SAMSUNG with their USB wireless network adapter. For free! I attached it and gave myself a crash course in setting up wireless network security. At first I used automatic network setup on the TV menu. It worked well but intermittently with WPA-PSK encryption, but, flawlessly when I used manual wireless setup. The content this gives you is from USA Today. I found out what "That Darn Wheel" on the remote is really for. When you read a multipage news story, you have to use the wheel to turn the pages. There's no other way.

I ordered a cheap HDMI cable from an Amazon independent vendor (cost $6, including shipping) and hooked the TV up to a Philips 160 GB HDD/DVD recorder with a built-in digital QAM tuner. Got rid of all the other cables to neaten up the cable tangle situation. The recorder does 1080P upscaling if you use the HDMI interface and the TV automatically senses and adjusts its resolution mode to match. Makes even regular channels look almost as good as the HIDEF ones. I don't use the recorder's tuner all the time for normal TV viewing, but when I need it, its there to add a new dimension for enjoying this TV's many features.

I got almost $150 back during the 30 day grace period, and the price has fallen another $159 since, but I got it when when I needed it and don't regret not getting a better price. Every time I turn it on, I am glad I chose this model.

Back to my original review -

PLUSES -

CABINET The jet black bezel has a subtle tinge of red, and is accented with a clear rim. It's stunning.

SOUNDI chose this model for the internal subwoofer. We don't want multiple speakers in our bedroom, and the Samsung's internal speakers work fine. We loaded a Blueman Group DVD and the internal woofer was pretty powerful. I turned up the bass on the built-in equalizer and had to throttle it back to neutral so the room wouldn't shake. The factory settings are fine.

PICTURE The picture is sharp, even on analog channels. Digital channels look even better. The wideband flourescent backlight delivers the promised color performance. The factory settings make both analog and digital pictures look fantastic, but I detuned the picture to dim down the light emitted into the room and set the energy saving feature to high which also degrades the picture. Know what? It still looks great.

TUNER We don't have and don't want to use the cable company's box, but, we can get all the analog content and unscrambled digital, high def channels they offer (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and PBS). The Sony's tuner used to break up on Fox and ABC high def channels, but the Samsung's tuner locks in tight on everything. The Sony took a few seconds to lock on digital channels and the Samsung does this much faster.

MINUSES Not many.

PRELOADED CONTENT The content the factory loaded on the internal flash drive seems silly. It includes games, artwork, recipes, and entertaiment. The artwork includes high def works by Monet, Van Gogh, and Latrec. I can see that it might be nice to use the TV as a picture frame, but who needs it. The other content is OK to look at once, but after that, never again. You can't add content to the internal memory, but you can use MP3 and JPEG content on an external USB thumb drive.

THAT DARN WHEEL Overall, the remote is also great, but the wheel is twitchy and there isn't a single thing you can do with it that you can't do easier by just using it as a 4-way switch (up, down, left, right). It's more awkward to twist the wheel with your thumb than it is to push down on the wheel's edge, but if you aren't careful the slightest twist will change the function you are trying to adjust. It's not hard to master the feel, but the wheel is a totally unnecessary feature. Wonder how much it adds to the remote's production cost. The remote lights up when you touch it, which is great while you are learning where all the buttons are, but it does run the batteries down faster, so the instructions say. You can easily enable and disable the light function.

Amazon's price was right and it dropped $45 between the time I ordered and when it was delivered. Getting a refund for the difference took less than 5 minutes on the phone. The TV was delivered 5 days earlier than promised.

Directions on how to adjust the TV on/off melody sound, which is annoying, are on page 61 of the manual. Navigate to menu/setup/external settings/melody. then select "off."

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I've had this TV for about a month now, all I can say is I have no regrets about this purchase. Of course after heavy researching it came down to this TV based on what I was particularly looking for form and function. I realized there are new Samsung TVs coming out, but I didn't want to wait for them to be released and then wait yet again for it to become affordable so this was the best option for me. Having a previous Samsung SlimFit TV did sway me to stick with the brand as that TV was beautiful (but TOO heavy).

The pluses and minuses:

BEAUTIFUL

The red finish that borders around the TV is sleek and subtle (and matches the red accents in my living room, PLUS!). Please note that the red on the 650 version is only on the top and bottom, which looked a little odd for me. The 650 also has that (what I considered super ugly) oval shaped stand compared to the rectangle here.

USB INPUT and DLNA

I can watch movies I save onto a USB drive that I plug into the TV. And with DLNA, I can just attach a LAN cable to access most of my media files on my computer *from* the TV! Brilliant! Worth the extra money, by not having to pause it from my computer in another room. (Note on this, you can't rewind and fast-forward computer files after it gets past a certain file size. That means if you are watching a movie and accidentally press stop instead of pause, it's best to watch the rest on a computer. Samsung needs to work on this for future TVs).

1GB BUILT-IN "ENTERTAINMENT" CONTENT

This feature is essentially pointless--especially the games. I wish I could format the space and do other things with it, but it doesn't hurt the purchase. I'll just access it when I want to learn how to make a salmon sandwich.

VIDEO QUALITY

After calibration, HD inputs from a digital antenna and Blu-Ray look stunning. Digital air signals come through flawlessly with the same antenna I've been using for a couple of years. As for the viewing angle, I wouldn't say it's 178 degrees though. As long as you're not sitting on the floor to the side or something, you should be fine. The 50,000:1 Dynamic contrast as you know is not the real contrast ratio. That's like the "digital zoom" feature on a camera, totally a sham. However the contrast is just fine with that feature off. Blacks are deep, whites are light. Beautiful.

LIGHTWEIGHT

I have the 40" version which I can lift myself! (It also fits my TV stand perfectly. I would've opted for the 46", but that would require buying bigger everythings, and because of living in New York, you have to make most efficient use of space).

THINNESS

It's thin. Which is good and bad. Thin looks great, but now I can't put my center speaker of my surround sound system on top of the TV because it's just too thin and not a flat surface to sit on top. I've had to put it in front of the TV, which is fine. Again, this is not a flaw of the TV itself, I just have to adapt.

120hz AUTO MOTION RUBBISH

2 words, total rubbish, or utterly pointless. Sure the example they give you says it can "intelligently calculate a middle image" between 2 images (using a ball from point A to point B as a simple example), but I don't know how *any* TV could *ever* predict motion between 2 complicated set of frames. It looks stupid, it looks unnatural for movies, and I have no idea why this is even on here or a selling point for this TV. If anything, this made me *not* want to get the TV, but thankfully, you can turn this "feature" off. Hurray! Likewise DNIe and the "video enhancement modes" are rubbish for regular people that don't know how to adjust picture quality. Sorry regular people. I turned all these to "off".

BACKLIGHT

The other "complaint" is the function of backlight. I like that in the menu you can adjust backlight levels manually, but then, they give you an energy saving option that sort of counter-acts that. It makes you wonder if lowering the backlight and turning off power-saving is the same as turning up the backlight and setting power-saving to maximum. Who knows.

SOUND

It's fine. The built in woofer is a plus. The speakers are loud, I never have it above 20 (out of 100). Not so sure on the TruSurround XT, still seems gimmicky to me, but it doesn't hurt it. Depending on the content, it does sound better with it on. I usually don't care about TV speakers since I have a surround sound system I use instead.

THE REMOTE

It looks cool. I'm a bit iffy on the scroll wheel. it doesn't really work well if you swirl it around, it's best you just press in the direction you want. The back-lit buttons are a major plus!

I believe I have addressed most issues and most of the things I had concerns with before I bought it. All in all, I'm not complaining, I like the TV a lot! I don't want to say I love it because it's a material object. I'm glad that Samsung gives you the option of turning most of their features off, and being able to customize a lot. The thing that would make it super perfect would be to add an LED backlight, but that would cost an extra $1000+ or so. Oh, and if you live in New York, buy it somewhere else online where they don't charge you that extra 8% for tax. :-)

Hope this helps.

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This is my first high definition set. I chose this TV for the DLNA compatiblity. If you're not looking for networking, the 650 is probably a better choice. The extra subwoofer is of no value to me, anyway. I have the set connected to a high quality A/V receiver with speakers, and the sound quality is much better than with the TV alone with its built-in subwoofer. There is no comparison. If you're not using it through a conventional audio system, it might help some, but don't count on getting high quality audio without larger speakers. The extra $200 or so for this set over the 650 is primarily justified by its networking capability.

Picture quality is incredible. The upconversion engine seems to do an excellent job at converting low definition video. I've watched standard DVDs via component video and SD TiVo programming via the S-Video input, and both look great. I've seen older HDTV sets that have washed out video when showing SD material, and this one definitely does not have that problem.

The tuner sensitivity is very good. The analog tuner pulls in stations better than anything else I've seen. The digital sensitivity ends up being not quite as good as my HTL-HD HDTV converter box, however, which has about the best sensitivity I've seen for a digital tuner. One or two digital stations the HTL-HD receives cannot be received by the TV in a similar setup.

I already have an extensive home media system and wanted to be able to stream media from Linux PCs to the television set. There are many pitfalls in getting this set up, but with a properly operating DLNA server and a compatible video source, it is possible to stream high definition (1920x1080) video. My present setup includes a HDHomeRun networked HDTV tuner, which sends data to a Pentium III 800 MHz PC with Linux, which saves the data to disk, and then serves it using the Fuppes DLNA server program. There are no dropouts, and everything seems to work fine. One big drawback, however you can't fast forward or rewind networked material.

The TV has no problem with JPEG and MP3 files once set up properly. I had an issue with Fuppes on JPEG files, but the problem was with the program, not the TV. MP3 files must be sampled at 44.1 kHz or perhaps 48 kHz to work properly. I had some files from cassettes that were recorded at a 32 kHz sample rate, and the TV would not play them directly. Fortunately, Fuppes can transcode the files on the fly.

All in all, an excellent value if you need a TV with networking capability. Be prepared to spend a lot of time tinkering with software and settings to get the networking operating correctly.

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Samsung LN40A750 40-Inch 1080p DLNA LCD HDTV with RED Touch of Color

I bought this HDTV for my husband on Father's Day. My husband did a lot of research and decided that this was the make/model he wanted. We shopped around and found that NO ONE could beat Amazon's price, so I ordered it. It shipped the next day via CEVA and we received it within a week. CEVA called us to arrange a delivery time. The delivery man set it up and powered it on to ensure everything was working properly. The TV is beautiful, and my husband LOVES it!!

But there's more to rave about Amazon's price guarantee!! Amazon guarantees that if the price drops within 30 days of a product shipping, they will refund you the difference. The price of the TV was already well below the advertised price at popular electronic chain stores, but I ended up receiving another $225.00 in refunds after-the-fact. Such a deal!!

I'm not a videophile but I am pretty discriminating when it comes to monitors, tvs, etc. To sum up the description of this tv in one word: amazing. The picture quality using a Belkin HDMI to my DVR viewing HD movies is so good friends ask if its Blu-Ray. The 120HZ refresh rate along with the contrast ratio make everything from normal TV to HD tv sickening beautiful. So after getting over the amazing picture quality, saying the amount of inputs is great is an understatement. There are 4 HDMI's which are great, but the two goldmines are the usb and network ports. The network port allows weather info and basic stuff provided by Samsung's link, but it also connects to your home network so you can play movies, mp3s, and pictures. I have lots of ipod videos on my pc that I can play on the tv this way kind of neat feature to have. The usb port allows for software updates, playing media, etc. I also liked how the HDMI automatically determines what kind of signal is coming in, and how the audio out is always on so turning the volume down on the tv does not affect stereo input. I've been a huge Sony fan and still am, but the price/performance of the Samsungs' 120HZ line is much better and the additional features make it a no brainer.

Harman Kardon DAL 150 EzLink Computer to Home Stereo Interface (USB to Coaxial DA)

• Connect your PC to your home audio system
• Connects from Windows PC USB port to coaxial digital-audio input of an AV receiver or surround processor
• Converts MP3 to linear PCM (CD format)
• Passes native MP3 or bitstream signals to outboard decoders
• Includes USB and coaxial digital-audio interface cables

These are going cheap these days and the main reason is that many computers now ship with built-in digital sound ports. If you have an older computer you can update the sound card to provide digital output pretty easily. The benefit of these other options is that *all* audio output is then digital, not just mp3's that you play through a USB port. (Note that this device doesn't support audio formats other than mp3). Now that I have built-in digital ouput, this thing just sits in a box.

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It does not support Winamp only windows media player 7.1 :( If you lose the install cd you are SOL on getting drivers since they are not available from their website. Otherwise it is a functional product that works quite well and is easy to operate.

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Sounded like the perfect go between my computer and my HK Receiver. I LOVE the 7.1 sound I get from the system, but the DAL150 only works with WM 9.0 or earlier. My computer had 10.0 and won't support DAL150, version 9.0 is no longer available, and there are no updates for DAL150...so pretty much a bust. It's just hanging under the desk and no way to use it.

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This unit is great, but limited. If you just want to play MP3's on your stereo in your living room via Windows Media Player only. This unit is for you. Like most electronics in the past they tend to get replaced or outdated. An updated driver would have kept this unit with todays market making it very useful as just a USB to digital audio coaxial converter but the driver does not exsist.

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The maximum word limit for this review is 1,000 words, however, I think that this product deserves something short and sweet...Because that is how easy it is to hook your computer to your home stereo system! All my music is organized according to genre, artist, etc. and I love the jukebox-like functions you achieve with the windows media player, but the boston acoustic junk that came with my computer can't handle the jams...buy this product and walla! Your makin' your neighbors crabby with the style and variety of your ecclectic taste in music pounding through your good 'ole home stereo!

TASCAM DP-008 8-Track Digital Portastudio

• 8-track digital Portastudio with 2-track simultaneous recording capabilities
• Records to SD/SDHC memory cards up to 32 GB in size; comes with 2 GB SD card
• Each track has its own row of knobs for level, pan and effects
• Built-in metronome and chromatic tuner for tight-sounding tracks
• Powered by four AA batteries or optional power supply

After wanting a digital multi-track for a long time, I finally decided on this model, and I'm glad I did.

One thing that is not included in a list of specs is the usability factor. I've purchased my share of electronic devices for making and recording music over the years. Just looking at a dry list of specs has often been my method of deciding on what to buy. Well, on paper the DP-008 looks good, but it's not until you use this to cut a few tracks that you realize how well it is designed. I'm SOOOO glad I didn't buy the DP-004, as this model is clearly the results of Tascam eliminating the weaker aspects of the 4 track model just in time for the 8 track version.

I have seen a lot of digital multi-tracks that look good on paper, but to use them is a real pain. The fact that the DP-008 has all the individual track knobs means that you don't have to go flipping through pages on a menu or choosing the "hot track" in some other way. Here it's all laid out logically and makes tweaking the final stereo mix a piece of cake. Sure it would be nice if there were level sliders rather than dials, but these work just fine.

I use this model to record myself playing guitar and bass, run a Boss drum machine into it, and I record vocals with an external mic though a small mixer that has some helpful effects on it. You don't need a mixer, though, as the included mics are quite good. I am able to record several tracks, "bounce" them if I want to, and then write them to a stereo master mix. Then, I export that mix on the unit itself (sounds weird, but basically you're just creating a wav file that can be seen by a computer). The final step is connecting the DP-008 to a computer and merely dragging the song files over to the computer. I then use Audacity to convert it to an ogg file or mp3.

I use Linux and the process of transferring songs to the computer is very simple. In the past you would have received a useless cd-rom with a crappy "song transfer" program and maybe some crapware to go along with it. I'm glad that Tascam has decided to treat the customer right and state it clearly: There is no need for special software. Once you export the song, it will show up as an external storage device and you can simply transfer the files over to your computer, whether it's a PC running Windows or Linux, or a Mac.

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So just as a point of reference, I'm an audio engineer. I went to school to be one and had my own ADAT based project studio for a while afterward. I was trained on buttons and knobs. Prior to, during, and after all that I had home gear that ranged from a boombox to 4-track cassettes, to the aforementioned ADAT, to PC recording. All the while as a musician as much as engineer.

That said ... I love the 008. It's not perfect, but I love it.

Features:

Brilliant. Compact, all the input options you'd need including phantom power, excellent decisions on what to have dedicated controls for vs. being menu items (save for the EQ, but that's a space hog, so I'm willing to accept the compromise), and potentially infinite memory.

Interface:

Considering my background, I'm generally not a fan of PC recording, I prefer the tactile nature of buttons and knobs over mice and pointers. And the 008 has instantly recognizeable tape transport control buttons. And clear single function knobs. Plus an aray of buttons that are mostly all clear and simple. So the familiarity with the basic controls makes things comfortable and easy. There are still somethings you have to scroll through menu items on the LCD for. But again, if you're at all familiar with the tools and terminology of recording, for the basics, it's simple, clear, and intuitive.

Sound:

Using the built in mics on just me and my acoustic guitar, I got a practically flawless sound. Seriously. On playback in decent headphones, my guitar sounded pretty much just like it does to me acoustically. I haven't tried the built in mics for a full on band recording. But I imagine they'd do fine so long as you placed it well, and kept the levels reasonable. As a preamp for a pair of large condensers, it worked equally well. This is how I got full band recordings. With a pair of room mics (strategically placed) running into the 008 I got a solid, accurate sound. In our quieter moments, the kick drum was actually one of the better sounding I've gotten in my years recording. Louder, things got a bit mushier, but still maintained it's quality. And that type of thing is more often the room than the recorder :)

After tracking:

This is where that one star gets lost. The 008 is designed as a multitrack recorder, not a field recorder. So overall these next steps make sense. They're just not intuitive, and despite being fairly easy to learn and eventually do, it required cracking the manual, reading and rereading, and sussing out some fairly non-intuitive practices. Essentially you need to 'export' your recorded stuff, whether individual tracks or after doing an onboard mixdown (which they call mastering) to a seperate partition on the memory card itself and then you can transfer that 'exported' file to a computer for putting to CD or MP3, etc. A clunky process, but again, it's designed as a multitrack, so the expectation is that you'll need to mix it down or get the raw tracks first.

Overall, this thing is a winner and most importantly it's convenience and ease of use will inspire me to record more. The best tools a musician can have fascilitate and inspire without taking over your time and energy. The 008 falls into that catagory.

Any issues I may have with it may be rooted in my more traditional background, and someone new to the art may not experience them because they aren't set in their ways. But either way, those issues are small, and definitely aren't deal breakers.

I can think of improvements for sure, but they'd just add to either the physical size or cost of the device. And really, the 008 falls squarely in that narrow gap of everything you need for a price you can afford.

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My first Portastudio was a cassette tape Tascam 244 circa 1980/81. It was great for it's time and I used it so much the record head actually wore down. I moved on to an updated version of the cassette portastudio years later then got away from recording.

Now I'm back into music and recording so I thought I'd give Tascam another shot. I started with the 4 track DP-004 and loved it so much I immediately returned it and ordered the DP-008 which was a wise decision. This is simply an amazing unit in every way.

At first I was concerned that the menu driven system with a jog wheel would be cumbersome and slow but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's intuitive, fast and powerful. As a former portastudio user the learning curve for me was short.

The ability to easily import/export tracks and swap SD cards between DP-008s (even a DP-004 to a DP-008) is nice. The built in reverb is good and the condenser mics are excellent. Although you can mixdown and master your recordings on the DP-008 it's pretty easy to export the tracks and master them on a computer using Audacity or Soundbooth.

Best of all the price is simply amazing for all that you get. I highly recommend this for casual to semi-serious recording.

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I, too, started with the cassette-based Tascam Portastudio and there is no comparison with the difference in quality. It is so close to what I'd consider perfect for my needs that it just makes me want what it's missing even more. But I'll break down the ups and downs.

Ups

---

* The quality of the sound and ease of use. I can see how people would give it 5 stars just for these two.

* I'm very pleased with the built-in stereo condenser mics. Of course, it won't compete with pro level but these aren't toy mics either. Definitely a little better than I expected at this price point.

* Knobs! My main recording DAW is ProTools (no hardware controller) so this just reminded me how much more fun it is to mix with something physical (as opposed to the mouse).

* Reverb is pretty decent, too. More than I expected at this price point. I liked that the reverb isn't recorded during the actual recording. If you want to use its reverb, you need to mix it down with the reverb level of your liking (so exported individual tracks won't have reverb by default).

* Portability is also quite nice. I've been recording our band practices and it's nice to be able to move it around to find the best spot for the sound. I've also taken it to record another band's live performance. I've been able to run it with NiMH rechargeable batteries for 6 hours.

* XLR input and phantom power are the main selling points to me over the DP-04. The preamps in it are decent.

* When connected to USB, it shows up as a drive letter (as someone else mentioned, no need to install any software on your computer)

* You can transfer the individual tracks and/or a mixed down version.

* Last Recording Position feature is handy. This lets you easily go to where you last STARTED recording. Note, it cannot remember where you last stopped recording (which is actually a downer).

* Shuttle wheel is very handy for going to a certain spot in a long recording.

Downs

-----

* Transferring to your computer isn't intuitive. Basically, you have to export what you want to transfer on the DP-008 itself first and then you can copy it to your PC.

* The exporting isn't fast. It doesn't seem like it's realtime but more like 50%. So an hour recording will take 30 minutes to export (and then you still have to copy it to your computer but this part is usually fast). But I could be wrong because I would just set it to export and walk away and then transfer to my PC later.

* Missing compression! I appreciate that it has EQ and can be used during the recording (2 bands of it anyway) but I wish it also had built-in compression. I don't normally record with EQ but recording with compression is very necessary at times. If this had a decent compression that can be used for recording (with variable threshold, ratio and attack) then I would probably give it 5 stars. Compression could also be handy during mixdown (though personally, I do that on my PC after I've transferred the files).

* No inserts! If it had inserts (TRS) on the preamps then I could use my own outboard compressors and I would probably give this 5 stars even if it didn't have a built-in compressor. I wonder if they could make the 1/4" inputs act as both regular inputs as well as an inserts so they're not giving up real estate on the device.

* No easy way to remember where you last stopped recording. This is a problem as it becomes easy to overwrite something you recorded before. An example is when I was recording a live performance. I recorded the whole first set as one song (would not be practical to try to create a song file for each song) and turned off the device to save battery life. I should have created a new song for the second set but being in the "cassette-based" PortaStudio mode, I just powered it up and started recording. Unfortunately, the DP-008 always starts at 0:00 whenever you turn it on it does load up the last song you were using but doesn't recall where you last stopped. It took me 10 minutes to realize I was actually overwriting the beginning of the first set. So I stopped recording and fortunately, I remembered the time mark of when I last stopped recording so I was able to quickly go to that time with the shuttle wheel. Otherwise, I would've had to keep fast forwarding and listening and repeating until I got to where I last stopped recording.

* No third XLR input for 3 simultaneous tracks recording! I could ask for four which may make more logical sense but three would be enough. One reason I wanted this is to quickly record myself singing and playing an acoustic guitar. Sure, I could just use one track for each, but the fact that the built-in stereo condensers actually sound decent make me want to keep the acoustic guitar in stereo then use another track for vocals. Of course, I could overdub the vocals later but I would prefer to just record everything at once. If real estate is an issue, I wonder if they could make it so you can use both the two internal mics and the two external inputs (via XLR or 1/4") for four tracks of simultaneous recording.

If Tascam came out with a PortaStudio that had three (preferable four) XLR inputs with phantom power (or allow you to simultaneously use both the internal mics and external inputs), a decent built-in compressor that can be used during recording, and TRS inserts in all inputs, I'd seriously consider buying it (of course, depends on how much more it would be).

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Holy cow. I'm a drummer by training and picked up guitar, keyboards, and then MIDI from bandmates, ultimately combining everything into songwriting. I've had a home studio for years, running every kind of recorder from ADATs in the '80x to Cakewalk/Sonar and late-model 24-tracks. This little gem has become my go-to recorder for laying basic tracks. Why? How about bullet-proof solid state recording media? A 16GB Class 4 SDHC card delivers about 4 gig into each of 3 partions, plus 4 gig into the USB-accessible "FAT" (PC) partition. That's about 818 minutes, or 14 hours. Antique ADATS used VHS tapes(!), The big 24-trackers use hard drives (they eventually die!), and PC will give you the Windows latency, compatibility, and software update headache every time Bill G issues a new operating system. How about portability? It's the size of a decent paperback. Built-in mics? Surprisingly good, quality finally available because of noiseless solid state data storage. XLR inputs with phantom power yes! Non-destructive editing/recording with "undo" history yes! More reasons? How about digital copying (see notes below), allowing you to record hundreds of tracks of the same song? I've recorded a base of 3/4 and 4/4 drum backing tracks at various BPM, stored them, then copy them our when it's time to create a "new song" idea. Then I use the remaining available tracks to backfill with quality recordings, individual drum parts, etc. All tracks are easily exported to the unit's "FAT" (PC-based) partition (4Gig), where a PC can easily pick each track up as a .wav file. Edit away in your PC. I could go on.

I wouldn't attempt much internal editing in the DP008; it is unavoidably tedious. Use a PC-based sequencer for that. If you're on a budget, Audacity is free, and it will do the job. Also max of 2 tracks recording at a time.

The DP008 ships sans AC adapter. I highly recommend Sony PSP100 Power adapter for about $5 instead of Tascam's $30 offering, and the Yamaha FC5MM "sustain" pedal footswitch for record punch in/out. (Subsequent note: users report the PSP100 doesn't supply enough juice for phantom power mics, so consider the Tascam adapter.)

Operation is intuitive and simple, but here's my personal "cheat sheet":

TASCAM DP008 Operations

Home Screen: A & B meters inputs; 1-8 meters tracks; L & R meters stereo bus levels. Top meter bar is OverLoad (OL), and it will stay on for a while for noticeability. "Hollow" A,B,1-8, L,R frames means mute or eq has been applied to the track.

MENU > CARD > PARTITION > Select a partition.

Footswitch use: Arm tracks to record; push "PLAY". Footswitch toggles into & out of record mode as play progresses.

Record Auto-Punch: Set "IN" & "OUT" points. Press "REC+IN/OUT" to enter auto-punch mode. Arm target tracks. Press "PLAY" to rehearse. Press "PLAY+REC" to record. Nice.

Punch In / Out shortcuts = Function keys 1-4 (4 buttons under the display).

STOP+F1 = go to "In".

STOP+F2 = go to "Out".

F3 = set "In" point.

F4 = set "Out" point.

REPEAT button: repeats between "In" & "Out". Interval of quiet is adjustable.

MENU > SONG >

LOAD (loads existing song)

SAVE (note: the machine continuously auto-saves by default)

CREATE (new song)

COPY (to current or other partitions)

ERASE (allows multi-song erase)

NAME EDIT

PROTECT (on/off, allows multi-song protection)

REC MODE > MASTER RECORD. Choose in/out points. Press REC+PLAY. Master Level, Track Level, and Pan knobs control the stereo mixdown. The master mixdown is placed in the FAT partition as a stereo .wav file.

REC MODE > BOUNCE Tracks. Choose source tracks on screen. Press track REC to arm target track(s). Press PLAY+RECORD to bounce. Adjust VOL & PAN on the source tracks; adjust record volume using MASTER LEVEL. Unlike tape, you can bounce source tracks 1 thru 8 simultaneously to target tracks 1&2. Of course, the content of tracks 1&2 will be replaced, but the originals will have been included in the bounce mixdown.

To create 100's of tracks for one song: Record 8 tracks into new song "xxRhythm", for example. Then, before BOUNCE, use MENU > SONG > COPY (and NAME EDIT) to create a new copy of the song. Call the new copy "xxVocals". The original 8 tracks will remain intact in the original pre-bounce "xxRhythm" version. Then use the new "xxVocal" copy to bounce down all 8 rhythm tracks to tracks 1&2. Record new vocals into tracks 3 thru 8. Repeat copying & bouncing as needed for bass, drum, lead, strings. When finished, use EXPORT TRACKS to save all tracks of the song, from all copies, into the FAT partition, ready for transfer to a computer editor. Careful track naming is essential. Adding just 2 copies = 20 tracks; the only limit is space.

MENU > EXPORT / IMPORT > TRACKS (or MASTER) converts tracks to .wav files & puts them in the FAT partition for import / export to a computer. Hook up the USB cable; the DP008's FAT partition appears as an external storage device on the computer. Exporting MASTER is redundant, but you can import .wav files to tracks (16bit, 44.1kHz only).

MENU > INFORMATION gives record time available in current partition. A 4gb partition contains 818 minutes.

"UNDO" & "HISTORY" buttons. UNDO goes back one level. HISTORY allows you to choose one of several past levels to return to. Nice. All past recordings and operations are saved until you power down, which clears history. Keeping history eats up storage space in the current session.

MENU > TRACK EDIT > CLEAN OUT (track). All other track edits would be better done by bounce, or by record "IN" & "OUT", or in a computer editing program.

Metronome button. It's never recorded, unless picked up by a live mike.

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I bought these cables because the 50ft cables that came with my DVR camera system were just short of what i needed. They came before the scheduled delivery time. That was nice also

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Panasonic DMP-BDT500 Integrated Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player

• New Slim and Compact Design Twin HDMI Output for Video and Audio
• Premium Sound Capable 3D Blu-ray Disc Player
• 2D to 3D Conversion for VIERA Connect3 Premium Audio Player Design
• Region: Blu-ray: A,DVD: 1

The dmp-bdt500 is Panasonic's answer to the audiophile's desire to have a machine that offers superb video AND audio playback--they have succeeded. The highlights of this machine are the four Burr-Brown 192kHz/32-bit DAC's, 7.1 channel analog output, higher end capacitors and a more robust construction. I will express my opinion(s) about the design, engineering and performance. This machine is a Blu-ray player (and dvds of course), a cd player and is has built-in Wi-Fi for streaming movies, music and such. Therefore, it has the potential of being a 'one stop' solution for all of our home media needs and desires. And hopefully, it will have the ability to satiate the needs of the audiophile without sacrificing performance for the sake of convenience.

DESIGN

This machine is handsome, if not understated. It is sleek without being tiny. It is elegant--not ostentatious. It 'hits the mark' without trying too hard. Panasonic, though a quality brand, has not always had the prettiest components. For many years (of late) I found myself scratching my head at the eccentricities of some of Panasonic's designs. There were weird, translucent stripes buried within the skin(s) of their televisions and disc players. Panny's had conservative looking shapes in a market rife with "pretty" electronic sculptures, and digital displays that featured antiquated sticks rather than the more aesthetically pleasing dot matrix variety. For these reasons, I am very impressed with the design of the dmp-bdt500. The deck is a well built machine with a mirrored facade; the bottom third of the front facade fades from a mirror to a nice brushed silver finish. The "Panasonic" logo is centered onto the mirrored section of the faceplate. The top of the machine is sort of blackish, with four touch-sensitive buttons and a brushed appearance. The brushed look gives the machine a feeling of cohesion (with the faceplate) and will serve to obscure any future scratches. Another welcome design feature is the bright metal feet--they look elegant, but also serve to stabilize the deck. These circular feet are the best I've ever seen on a Panasonic disc player.

My critique of the design has to do with the look of the player once the faceplate drops down to reveal the disc tray. The look of the front panel is dull in comparison to the mirrored faceplate. It is a sort of washed out black color which does not seem to gel appropriately with the aesthetic of such a high-end machine. Keep in mind--this is Panasonic's highest end offering--her flagship deck. It is not terrible though...just nearly so. But, once the disc tray closes and the faceplate swings back into place, it is like a so-so looking wife who transforms into gorgeousity (ok...so it is not a word) once her face is painted. The player is pretty though, but not perfect because of the previously mentioned reasons. But, it will not look out of place in the company of higher end components--it's a classy deck.

Score: 9/10

ENGINEERING

I am not an engineer--or a scientist (this is why I am so charming). However, spec-wise this player is a tremendous value. In order to get Burr-Brown 192kHz/32-bit DAC's into a disc player, the consumer usually has to spend about a thousand bucks or more (do the research if you are inclined to disagree). The dmp-bdt500 also has 7.1 channel analog output, high end capacitors, gold plated terminals (a gimmick as far as I am concerned), and nice, stabilizing feet. The construction of the deck is hefty and substantial. The touch sensitive buttons are also a nice addition to this player (although many BD players have this these days). Just by looking at the spec sheet, it should be evident that this is Panasonic's best offering yet. On paper, it is the best deck Panasonic has ever built...and it is only $350 (or less). Value-wise, this player is simply untouchable, one would have to spend three times the amount to get the same "stuff".

Score: 10/10

PERFORMANCE

But how does she play? I am here to tell you...she plays like buttuh.....this deck is n-i-i-i-i-c-e. Although music is most important to me, I popped in a Blu-ray. Since I really dig classic movies on Blu-ray, I played Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief". This disc is already great looking, but I have never seen it look like this. Wow...it is evident that, although most BD players look excellent, it IS possible to bring it up a notch. This is just an arbitrary rating with no basis in objective metrics, but I have a really good eye, and I will say with confidence that this player will make your Blu-rays look about 20% better; remember, all Blu-ray players look "good", so this is really sayin' something. I then popped in "North By Northwest"----stunning. "The Ten Commandments" looks so good, it got me reading my Bible again. So, I will say that videophiles will love this machine.

I l-o-o-o-v-e music. The cd playback is the most important aspect to my satisfaction with this deck. My taste is eclectic. I love reggae/ska, classical (Bach fanatic), punk rock and have a lot of new wave cds (hey...I'm in my thirties man). This player plays everything good. With reggae the sound is tight with fast base (not too fast though); there is nice punch to the base. The sound is smooth, but dynamic. Dynamic range is very important to the audiophile...this aint no 'run of the mill' dvd player here, this deck is good...really good. All of Bach's cello suites sound fantastic--good enough for any audio snob. This player has very good punch and attack (the leading edges of notes). I have B &W speakers and a good, clean HK amp, so I am able to extract the goodness from this player. I tested the dynamic range (which rates at a respectable 105db) of this deck by playing "Seed" by Sublime, "Beverly Hills" by Weezer and "Darkness" by Black Uhuru. She is dynamic. As you may know, the biggest appeal of SACD's is the dynamic range. Although this deck does not play SACD's, she is good and dynamic. Highs are top notch, mids are tight and composed and the base is deep and punchy. The sound is neat and dynamic...not sloppy at all. Classical will sound classy, punk will sound, uh, punk-y, reggae will sound exceptionally IRIE and and you will certainly be able to 'rock out' with any hard rock stuff you choose to play--as long as you have good speakers and a good, clean amp or receiver. For a $350 (or less) deck, you will not be able to do better with movies and music--period. You will find yourself breaking out all of your favorite cds. If you are reading this, you probably know that you should use analog cables to listen to cds...just checkin'...all the kids now are listening to compressed music--I only do that on the go.

How does she stream...is the wi-fi any good? I recently upgraded from the Panasonic dmp-bdt320. This player (the 500) is better with movies and MUCH better with cds. But, she broke my heart a bit with the wi-fi. I really like to listen to Pandora. This player sounds great with Pandora, especially when you activate "high clarity sound" and have it in "digital tube" mode (number 5...you'll see). Pandora (or other digital files) will sound like nectar if you use the previously mentioned enhancements. Just make sure you use no sound enhancements when you are listening to cds via analog inputs. I always make sure sound enhancements are turned off when I listen to cds--it makes a huge difference...just let the sweet Burr-Brown DAC's do their thing.

The wi-fi on the 320 is better than the wi-fi on the 500. This player is more inconsistent with wi-fi, especially Pandora. After a few songs, I keep getting an Error message "-6". It just bugs me. I do not have the patience to dance around with some Panasonic customer service rep on the phone! The 320 streamed Pandora for hours without issues. Perhaps it has to do with the placement of the wi-fi unit inside of the component itself--I don't know. But, the fidelity of the Blu-ray and CD playback is good enough to temper my aggravation with the quirky wi-fi in the 500. I guess you cannot have it all for $350.

Video Score: 10/10

CD Playback Score: 10/10

Wi-Fi Score: 5/10

CONCLUSION

If CD playback is very important to you, this player will please you. If a top-notch Blu-ray image is what you are after, buy this deck. If you want a fantastic wi-fi streamer, and do not care about CD playback as much (some do not) then the dmp-bdt320 is all you will need. It has a fantastic Blu-ray image and is a very good wi-fi player..cd playback is just adequate--not audiophile caliber, because the dynamic range is not as good as the 500. But, if you want an audiophile caliber CD player, a videophile caliber Blu-ray player and do not care about wi-fi as much, the dmp-bdt500 will 'blow your hair back". You can always get a separate unit for wi-fi and many people have it built into their tvs. For the low price, the audiophile on a budget could do no better, especially if s/he does not have a SACD collection and does not want to start one.

Buy Panasonic DMP-BDT500 Integrated Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player Now

One simple comment: A couple of months ago I ordered the Oppo 93 & 95 and I returned them to the seller. These players got great picture but the sound quality, contrary to many hyped reviews, is not worth the money. They just sound cold to me (I already use tube amplifications). But with the Panasonic I found the picture is just as great. More importantly, it sounds better than the two Oppo. Inner details, micro-dynamics, musicality, all are there for you. I am writing as a 20 years audiophile. I use Audio Note Amp., Conrad Johnson preamp., and JBL speakers. The Panasonic is a great product for the audiophile. Buy it. It's actually cheap by comparison. The Panasonic team deserves congratulations!

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I received this from Amazon on Friday, and set it up on Friday evening. This was ordered to replaced a unit that was a couple of years old and cost $150 less. The old player was working OK but I was intrigued by the specs and hype for this player. I have a decent surround sound system (Polk top-of-the-line speakers) and a plasma TV (Samsung). The video: I have my TV set to Movie mode and with this player the video really does look like movie mode (at least more than the old player), I turned off the Chroma Process on the BDT500 because of way too much color saturation, and still had to re-adjust the plasma TV just a little lower (not much) for both color and contrast, and now the picture is great, better color than the old player and darker blacks, and great detail. The audio: I'm using the HDMI Sub feed to my receiver, and the sound took some tinkering too, I tried the sound effects but didn't really like the "tube amp" sounds, so they're turned off, I also turned off the analog sound circuit. I turned on High Clarity Sound which seemed to reduce the strength of the center channel a little, so I turned on the Dialog Enhancer, which increased the center channel a little bit too much (but more is better than not enough if you want to hear the voices). My speakers were balanced by the Audyssey feature of the reciever, and I didn't want to mess with it, but I decided to increase all the speakers by 1 db (except the center). It worked OK because this is the best sound I've gotten from my system so far. The only thing I'm having trouble with is the touch screen on the remote makes me crazy sometimes (frustration), maybe time will help. This player allows so many adjustments to the video and sound that most people should find something preferable. I'm glad I ordered it and I think it's worth the cost. My home theater is improved.

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I have this player since June 2012, updated the firmware the first time it was hooked-up, and replaced my old Sony blu-ray which is a good player. Quite happy with everything, pictures clarity, sound, playing blu-ray movies, etc. except the WIRELESS STREAMING. It will just disconnect while watching either Netflix or Amazon movies and won't reconnect again until you reboot the player. Sometimes this will happen twice before finishing one movie. I know it's not my router because I have a decent new router Linksys EA4500 with updated firmware, it is not far enough to disconnect because if it is connected it is showing 5 bars. Also my other wirelss stuff (iPhone, Ipad, laptop) are always connected without any problems on the same spot, and my old Sony Blu-ray BDP S570 did not have this kind of problem. I have read different reviews with this same problem as mine. PANASONIC SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I never write a review until now, since this is quite annoying for a defective product coming from a reputable company and nothing is being done about it inspite of so many complaints.

This review is to clarify why you would want this unit over other models. It is not entirely clear from Panasonic or some tech reviews. It is not a player for universal downloaded formats, it is a near audiofool unit at a consumer friendly electronics price.

I was shopping for 3D BD player with dual HDMI output for future use and analog surround out for immediate use. Few models caught my attention, as few are available. This model is 2-5X cheaper (based on Amzon July '12 promotions) than other well reviewed options. This unit is considered reference on BD and excellent on DVD playback by industry review, and on new VT50 TV I would agree. However this is not an accomplishment any more as models less expensive have the same rating. Infact, that is the purpose of digital media. What does spending 4-20X more money get you? Maybe less with more gimmick features.

But the real reason to get this model is this unit is equipped with four independent 192kHz/32-bit Burr-Brown DACs for 7.1 channel sound on analog outs. While inexpensive parts they are only seen on high end avrs. It also has separate sound and video HDMI options for legacy AVR without HDMI 1.4 pass through. It can easily down mix to 5.1 for older AVRs. I have legacy Marantz SR6200 (6.1). While you lose 'mostly useless' functionality of on board decoders going with analog outs on avr's, most of those features are not present on legacy systems anyway.

There is a TREMENDOUS difference between online streaming over optical out and HD playback such as VuDu HDX with 7.1 dolby digital decoded to analog ports. I got several unpromted responses. (I was not fishing for compliments.) There could be many technical reasons aside from signal source, but I am please with result. Sadly I feel like I never got much out of Marantz SR6200 until I just now bypassed preprocessor. Yes it is that good!!

A few other notes about WiFi reported drop out. Used with an amp it is VERY important to keep this player cool. Amps have much higher tolerances for heat than this or similar units. It will last much longer away from amps. I am sure this is the case with a portion on the returns, but not all.

I would not consider this if you are looking for a true universal streaming media player. WD Live might be one option. That feature does not interest me much though. Smart TV is limited and likely to stay that way. I am a fan of the new TuneIn app here though. Try it and you might be too.

Sony HT-DDW830 Home Theater System

• 550-watt AV receiver and 5.1-channel speaker system
• 3 component-video inputs accommodate component-video DVD players, satellite receivers, and gaming consoles
• 3 digital-audio inputs accommodate bitstreams from DVD players, CD players and recorders, minidisc recorders, and the like
• 5 satellite speakers and 50-watt powered subwoofer
• Includes remote control

If your goal is to get good sound for your home theater without dropping big bucks, take a look at this unit. Granted, a subwoofer of this size with only 50 watts cannot compete with a big system, but if you want deep bass, be prepared to pay a whole lot more. It sounded to me like this system put out a decent level and taughtness of bass down to about 50 Hz and could play fairly dynamically up to 90 or 95 dB. Above that level, the system sounded compressed and the smoothness of the midrange went away. But at a reasonable volume level, the mids are well reproduced and smooth. The controls have adequate sensitivity to allow you to set equalization and surround effects to match your taste for a wide variety of movie soundtracks. This is a bargain.

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As I said in the title "THIS SYSTEM ROCKS".If your room is small go with this Sony. I looked at the Kenwood, to big for my room. Now you can watch your dvds to there fullest (audio wise)when you insert a dvd that has the DTS AUDIO FUNCTION you feel like your right in the movie. Before you start watching a movie and you have this system check out the audio menu and see if there is a DTS AUDIO TRACK and if there is USE IT DON'T ABUSE. I would have like to give it 10stars but Amazon went only up to five

LG LX550 / LX-550 / LX-550 Sprint Fusic Power VisionSM Phone

When I bought this phone recently, the Sprint salesman said, "the only thing that this phone can't do is fly." He's right.

Major features on this phone (aside from good ol' features like "it makes phone calls"):

-The phone doubles as an MP3 Player, which works very well (the phone includes stero headphones along with a hands free microphone. The cool thing about the headphone/microphone setup is that the microphone is the part that plugs into the phone, and then the headphones plug into the microphone: which means you can use any headphones you want with a standard sized headphone jack like that you'd find in an iPod or similar. Not only does that allow you to hear your music clearer, but you can also hear conversations better.

-The phone has a built in FM transmitter. Ignore the reviewers who said that they're transmitter didn't work: either they got a defective phone or they have no idea what they're doing. It's worked fine for me: in fact, used on my home stereo, I can be on the opposite side of the room. I particularly enjoy this feature because I don't own a car: I'm a member of Zipcar (zipcar.com) car sharing so now I don't have to bring CDs with me as I'm changing from car to car I just have to have my phone with me, which I would anyway.

-The phone has a Micro SD card slot for memory expansion. The phone includes a 64MB card (the largest card to be included with a phone) but it'd be wise to purchase a larger card eventually. Th card can be used for MP3s, photos, videos, files, etc. Also included with the phone is an adapter so that you can fit the micro SD card into a standard memory card slot. Files from the micro SD card can easily be transferred into albums and files on the phone. The phone comes with a USB cable which enables you to either use the phone as a modem, or to use the micro SD card as a flash drive this is an awesome feature because it essentially makes the phone in a portable hard drive.

-The phone has a 1.3 megapixel camera/video camera. Not only can you take short 30 second videos to send (either to another phone, email address, etc...) but you can also shoot 'long videos' which can basically be as long as the micro SD card will allow before it's memory gets filled. There is also a flash included on the phone (the camera has many other standard features too, such as the ability to shoot black and white, sepia, negative, etc...) for being a camera on a phone, the photos that it takes are pretty sharp!

-The Phone has Sprint's PowerVision capabilities you can watch live TV, check your email, browse the internet, check the weather, news, get maps and directions, etc... The Power Vision is much faster than Sprint's standared Vision services. You can of course also send and receive video and picture mail.

-Along with those major features the phone includes a slew other more standard features such as calandar, voice memos, alarms, Bluetooth capabilities, a music composer which allows you to create your own rings, etc, and a million other things.

Overall, this is a great phone that can do pretty much anything for you. The best thing is that all these features fit in a phone that has a shell that's smaller than the popular Razor phone (as far as overall dimensions go it's not quite as thin as the Razor, but close).

You can't go wrong with this phone.

Ah, this phone is excellent. There is a wide variety of ringtones ranging from "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to simple Melodies. It is lightweight and it feels comfortable enough to hold next to your face while you talk. It is very user friendly and easy to get used to. Also, the dial buttons are very nice, unlike the Razrs. The screen quality is beautiful and the camera is very nice. Great pictures. You DO have to buy a seperate Micro SD card if you want your own music on it from your computor. Just put the SD card into your computor, drag and drop the music files, and you're good to go.

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I got this phone in early September 2006 and paid $100 more for it than it costs now. Both my husband and I got the same phone. His phone may rate as high as a 2 or 3 but I'm giving mine a 1. I'm already on my second one. I have a lot of problems with the phone "echoing." Everything I say gets repeated back to me and I can't hear the other person. Sprint told me it was a problem with the phone and gave me a different one... but now my 30-day exchange period is up and this one is even worse than the first. It doesn't happen on every call, but it happens often enough to be extremely annoying.

Other problems -BATTERY LIFE GETS A NEGATIVE 10. My battery is often completely dead after 1-2 hours of standby, non-roaming use. I've been stranded without a phone DOZENS of times. I charge it up all night, leave the house with it fully charged in the morning, maybe make one two minute phone call, and it powers off with a dead battery within 2 hours. I also have a tremendous problem with it constantly saying "Data Call in Progress." This is obviously what is running the battery down every day, but no one at Sprint can tell me what is making that happen and I'm not running any applications or making any data calls. I try dialing out, and I can't it says Data Call In Progress. I try in vain to find anything that is running or making a data call, power off, pull out the battery, start back up -and it still says Data Call in Progress. Then my phone powers off because the battery is dead. I've been trying to find a car charger and an extended life battery, but neither are available at my local Sprint store, on the Sprint website, or on Amazon as far as I can tell.

Camera -I bought this phone because I wanted a megapixel camera and this seemed like it would be a good one. Every picture, however, is horrible. Much worse than the crappy old phone I had before that had a low resolution camera. Colors are distorted and you practically need to mount the phone on a tripod to get a steady shot (not that you can actually do that).

Music -It's very annoying that the Sprint Music store launches every single time you want to play a song. Also, the Sprint music player can't play MP3s that you load from your computer. You can only play those through a separate part of the phone, and then it only works if the phone is OPEN. You also have to advance to the next song yourself because there is no play list of your own songs. It works fine for the songs you buy through the Sprint store, however.

FM Transmitter -I've tried three phones now (my first one, my current one, and my husband's Fusic) -in three different vehicles, and the FM Transmitter didn't work at all in any of them. The guy at the Sprint store told me that is common, his wife's doesn't work either. Apparently you will have better luck if your car has an antenna built into the face plate inside the car, or it would possibly work if you wanted to stick it in the back window closer to the antenna.

Vision WHAT A HUGE RIP-OFF. My previous plan, which I used with my old phone that broke in half, included Vision for free. I didn't change my plan at all, I just changed our two phones -so imagine my surprise when I found out that I was now being billed an extra $50 a month for Vision. I called them and they said my plan included regular Vision and this phone doesn't work with regular Vision so they automatically "upgraded" me to Power Vision Ultimate for $25 per line. Information that would have been useful for them to share with me before I bought this phone. There are some cool features with the Sprint On Demand, such as movie listings and Mapquest locations on your phone, but the few times I've actually needed to use those services, the Sprint network has been down and unable to connect. Plus $25 per line per month for Power Vision and that doesn't even include text messaging??

Alarm you can't change the interval of the Snooze. You could do this in my old phone and it was very handy.

Receiving Calls I'm not sure if this a problem with the Sprint network or with this phone, but half the time, these dumb phones don't ring. My husband and I have tested it (because it causes many an argument when you call someone ten times and they don't answer and then you found out the phone never rang). We have tried it out at home. Both phones turned on, both show a full signal, both have the ringer volume on... but we try calling them, either from a landline or from the other phone, and it goes straight into voicemail and never rings at all. Then the voicemail indicator goes off and you have the message, but the phone never rang and nothing shows up in the missed call log. That's happened when other people have tried to call me too, from other wireless networks. The phone just goes straight to voicemail. This doesn't happen all the time either, but I bet it's at least 30-40% of the time.

Overall, I'm extremely disappointed and not at all happy to be stuck in yet another two year contract with a crappy, useless phone that is never there when I really need it. Either the battery is dead, I can't call out because it's stuck in some mysterious data call mode, or the stupid thing just doesn't ring or register my calls. However, at least if you buy it now, you'll save $100 over what I paid for it.

Read Best Reviews of LG LX550 / LX-550 / LX-550 Sprint Fusic Power VisionSM Phone Here

the phone is awesome. if you go to newegg.com you can even get a gig of memory for just over 40 bucks. the transmitter is a little tricky at first, what with finding an empty station that will accept the incoming transmission clearly. over all a great phone. send and receives calls even when no signal bars are showing, as long as service symbol is on display. definitely worth the money they are asking for it.

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I'll qualify my remarks-the first Fusic that I purchased had to be replaced after 2 days because it wouldn't ring when the number was dialed. My local Sprint store replaced it with no problems. This review is for the 2nd phone, which functions as it should.

The call clarity is exceptional. It's hard to tell you're using a cell phone. Reception is great even in marginal areas.

The FM transmitter works well. I have a Subaru with the radio antenna built into the rear window and the FM transmitter sends signal to it with no problem as long as the phone is on the dashboard. If I try to put the phone in my pocket or below line-of-sight of the antenna it doesn't work.

The phone is fairly small and the buttons on the side are easy to press when talking on it. The case is also slick which can make it a little difficult to hold. However I always keep my cell phones in a leather case, so that problem is alleviated.

The menu system is easy to navigate. The music player takes a little getting used to, but once you figure out the controls it's simple to use.

Overall I'm very satisfied with the phone. LG has a real winner with this one.

Sony DCR-SR46 40GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

I used the camera to film parts of my cross country road trip to San Francisco. It was terrific on the road -holding battery charge, taking great, colorful pictures, and was even pretty steady on a bumpy moving truck. A great purchase.

This is a GREAT camera. I especially like the night-vision function. It is easy to learn (anybody with a facebook account can probably throw the manual away) and always has good quality. Shot HOURS of footage with this, and never a disappointment. Battery life is about 2 hrs, maybe more.

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It was my fist video camera and I got a very bad experience with it ... Not a good video quality ... I think you sold me a broken one!! ... I'm really disappointed.

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Well I was hoping to get a good camcorder to video stuff as an improvement over my Canon camera. Well this camcorder was priced well at about $180 but actually gave worst video quality than my camera! I would stay away from this camera if you want anything you are filming to look good. The camera also sucks in low and high light situations.

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