5.0MP Cmos 7-IN-1 Multi-functional Camera with 2.0" Swivel LCD

I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw the very favorable images from this inexpensive video camera. Granted, it is quite small and sometimes it is difficult for senior hands and fingers like mine to manipulate. On the plus side the small size makes it so easy to tuck in a pocket and have it ready to use on a moment's notice. Another plus is the camera uses SD memory cards rather than tapes; you can run over an hour of video, or several hundred still images, on a 2 gig card. There's only a built-in mic, so the audio is so-so; you need to be quite near the audio source for decent results.

This product was good for the amount of money i paid, except it did't contain the protection bag or earphones like it said it included. This is big problem bicause the earphones that i already have don't fit the hole for the earphones. So now i can't listen to the mp3 player with out disturbing my peers. (also the mp3 player was the main reason i bought this camera). The down side is going to be trying to find earphones that fit. The upside is that the mp3 and the rest of the camera is easy to mannage after the first two days, with help from the manuel (which is pretty helpful :) Also the pictures come out pretty good and the flash works as well. This product, in my opinion, is best to get if your looking for a camera rather then a video camera because the sound on the video camera is pretty hard to hear, though i haven't tried hooking it up to the tv, where the volume may be louder, i don't know yet.

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7-in-1 Multi-Functional Camera: Digital Still Camera, Digital Video Camera, Voice Recorder, MP3 Player, MPEG-4 Player, PC Cam, Mass Storage.

64MB Flash Memory

Memory Card

Package Contents:

*DV520T Digital Camcorder

*Power Adapter

*USB Cable

*Audio / Video Cable

*Strap

*Rechargeable Li-ion Battery

*Protection Bag

*Installation Guide

*Getting Started User Guide

*Earphones

*Built-In IGBT Flash

*Built Microphone & Speaker

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Video is grainy, sound is just ok, even in light conditions the camera is not very good... I returned it got the kodak Zi8.

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I got my 5.0mp cmos 7-in 1 Multi-functional camera and I am not real pleased with it unless you get a extra memory card you can't take but 2 pictures with it and 2 videos with it. And the mp3 is very hard to use on it I haven't figured it out yet. And it don't work real good on Windows 7. Will not purchase another like this one. Will get me a new one that is better and easier to work.

2 Sony Blu-Ray Disc Smart Player With Internet Streaming Capable, Front USB Slot, Full HD 1080p Vie

• Blu-ray Disc Full HD 1080p Playback
• DVD Upscaling to Near-HD Quality
• Online Connectivity via LAN
• Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Hulu & More
• Region:Blu-ray: A,DVD: 1

This unit works fine. It needs a display, however. I find I use the remote rather blindly, as I can not see (on the unit itself) the results of any buttons I push; I have to wait to see what comes up on the screen. Also, after purchasing it, I realized it uses only an ethernet connection to my router. I would have rather had the wireless version, and could have bought it for a few dollars more, but will make do with this one. Should have researched a little more thoroughly.

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GREAT PLAYER WITH GREAT EXTRAS AND A GREAT PRICE. ONLY REASON I GAVE 4 STARS WAS IT TOOK ALMOST 2 WEEKS YOU ARRIVE.

Coby TFDVD7008 7-Inch Portable DVD/CD/MP3 Player (Black)

• 7-Inch widescreen TFT LCD color display
• DVD, DVD±R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, JPEG, and MP3 compatible, Compact portable design with anti-skip circuitry
• Dolby Digital decoding, AV outputs for use with home theater systems
• Integrated stereo speakers, Headphone jack for private listening
• Multiple language, subtitle, and camera angle support,Parental lock controls

The price is right on this little unit. The picture is a little better than my previous two portable units. The sound is a little worse (if I could increase the volume just a little bit more it would be perfect). It's very lightweight. Like most cheap units, I expect to get 1-2 years of play out of this unit before I'll need to look for another.

Unusually, this unit comes with a little remote control. This remote gives you a lot more control over functions than most portable DVD players; you can for example skip directly to a specified point on the disk. And you can do things like set a chapter to endlessly looped play, or pick two points on the disk and have it endlessly loop between those two points. The "zoom" feature the remote gives you is great and is the reason why I gave this unit a fourth star rather than the three stars a cheap unit normally deserves.

Now the bad thing about that remote is that (1) it's small, and (2) there is no way of attaching the remote to or within the player so that I can already see that it is easy to misplace the remote. (I'm already considering using velcro to solve this problem).

The manual is not so great. It gets points for actually using the English language well, but loses lots of points on what it doesn't bother to tell you. You have to experiment a bit to discover undocumented features and functions. For example, the forward and reverse buttons work differently when you are currently zoomed in; they become instead pan right and pan left buttons.

And the manual won't tell you what you have to do to shut the unit down so that so that it restarts at the point on the disk where you left off. (If you just try stopping or pausing it reloads the disk and starts from the beginning). I've had success two ways: (1) pausing the picture and letting the unit go into (the undocumented) power saver mode. If you then turned the unit off and immediately back on, it seemed to remember where it left off. An even easier way: (2) use the remote to turn the unit off. If you then use the remote to turn it back on, it picks back up where it left off.

Here's another little undocumented feature. Like most units manufactured for multiple markets, there is a programming sequence you can use to change what region this player can play. Here's how to set up this player to play other region-codes using the remote:

1. Open DVD tray

2. Press the "Menu" button (ignore message "Not allowed at this moment")

3. Press 8888

4. Press the "Display" button

5. Region Code Number shows up. Use the numeric keypad to select your

region code number (0 6).

6. Press the Enter button.

I've verified my unit plays both region 1 and region 2 disks.

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We needed an inexpensive player to be used as a second player in a spare room and for road trips. The first glaring omission is the lack of included video/audio cable. This was solved by a quick trip to Radio Shack to get the correct cable. With that solved, the remaining issues are quality related.

As far as the player drive, works great. Sound is above average too. The unit itself is very light, but you quickly realize when it is open, the weight of the screen almost makes the unit topple over backward. If you are careful with it, this might not be a problem for you. The last thing is the clarity (or resolution) of the screen. It is what I like to call "adequate". I have seen better screens, but those units were twice the price.

The bottom line is this. It is a cheap player, but it works ... so far. We are taking a trip soon and I am sure we will put it in the car and it will really get a workout. If anything happens with the player along the way, I will try to report back.

UPDATE: Aug 27, 2009

Since I bought this in May, we have had good luck with this unit. It seems pretty tough, but we have not dropped it or have been rough with it. Through normal handling and use it has held up well.

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This little DVD player works really well for my 2.5 year old on long car trips.

Pro: works fine, satisfactory picture even at an angle, no bulky external battery, plays for 4 hours on battery, it can read CDs that my previous, more expensive portable DVD player could not read for some reasons.

Cons: does not come with a plug for the car, does not have a menu button! (I turn it on/off to go back to menu or keep fast-forwarding), it's very slow to start. It doesn't work with the toddler headsets I have.

I am satisfied with it just because it works fine and was a great value, the previous more expensive model I had kept stopping and I had to hit it for it to restart every few minutes, I don't remember the brand/model, so as long as my toddler can watch her cartoons uninterrupted while I'm driving, I'm satisfied.

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I wanted to have a unit that would play every format I could possibly run into as this was going to used to demo music and music videos in presentations. I was quite surprised that this is the only unit I found that would play all formats and was the lowest priced as well. I received the player, and it did not function at all, COBY techs said to return it, which I did. Amazon broke their neck making it right, shipped a new unit at no cost and paid for the return shipping of the bad unit! The replacement is working perfectly, longevity is always a question, but for the $ replacements are a serious option if and when needed! Internal speakers are OK for what they are, but add-on speakers make a world of improvement!

I've only used this acouple of times but so far it's working great. Good battery life, it's really light weight and the picture is good. I took it with on a plane ride and it was perfect.

Tascam GB-10 Guitar Trainer/Recorder

• Instrument trainer / recorder1/4" guitar/bass inputGuitar/bass effects including amp modelling, delay, reverb, chorus and moreRecords 44.1kHz/16-bit WAV filesPlayback 16 or 24-bit WAV files or MP3 filesSD/SDHC card media slot with included 2GB cardOverdub recording allows sound-on-sound build up of an arrangementLoop playback using dedicated buttonsVariable Speed Audition speeds up or slows down playback without changing the pitchChromatic Tuner and MetronomeUSB 2.0 jack for high-speed music tra

I received this last week. The GB-10 Guitar & Bass Trainer/Recorder comes packaged very securely and seems very unlikely to be damaged in transit.

It comes with a 100 page owner's manual (in English), a registration card, an errata sheet for the manual, a USB cable, a 2GB SD card and two AA batteries. Except for the plastic sleeves, everything can be recycled. The batteries are intended to power up the unit to show that it works. The set that came with mine lasted about two hours. Other reviews on the web say that they're getting eight to ten hours out of quality batteries, so you will want to either get batteries by the case, use the supplied USB cable for power or get the power supply (PS-P520). I got the power supply and it works very well.

As I said, the owner's manual is 100 pages and is in English, except for one page. Page 5 contains "IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS" in Chinese. My best guess is that is is displaying recycling information since it mentions lead, mercury, cadmium and some other compounds.

The manual has an easy to read font. There is a "Quick Start" section that explains the major features. You'll likely be able to use the unit after going through these. The rest of the manual explain what the various buttons on the unit do. It reads like a technical specifications document press A and B happens. There's not much effort into explaining why you would want to use an effect or how various options interact. In short, it is a manual and not a user's guide. Also, there is no index.

The unit only accepts a Tascam RC-3F footswitch. That model has not yet been released. I contacted Tascam about it. They responded pretty quickly saying that it would be available at some time in the future. I am disappointed that they couldn't time the release of both together.

I used the supplied USB cable to hook the unit up to both a Mac and Windows computer. The unit is USB 2.0 compatible, but doesn't require it. Practically speaking, that means that it is a USB 1 interface.

When connected, the unit prompts you to use the connection as a power supply or for data. If you select power, then the unit will draw power from the computer, not from the batteries. Select data and the unit mounts as a drive, allowing you to transfer data from the computer. You can only use one mode or the other. I didn't find that to be inconvenient since I only transferred files a few times. If you're running off of batteries, though, make sure that you have plenty of power when copying files or you could lose data.

I had no problems with file transfers on the Mac. On the Windows XP box, the drive was very, very slow. I was not able to try it on another Windows computer so I do not know if it is the unit or maybe something like an overly-agressive virus scanner on the computer. I did find it funny that the manual states that it is compatible with "Widnows" (yep, that is their typo).

The unit will play either MP3 (32-320kbps, 44.1kHz) and WAV (16/24-bit, 44.1kHz) files. I used files that I had downloaded from iTunes (in MP3 format) or ripped from a CD (MP3 and WAV). I had no problems with either format. Tascam does point out that if you are using an MP3 file then you may not be able to specify an exact location for the start and end points looping. WAV files do not have that problem.

The files that I copied over sounded very good when playing back. There were no issues with clipping or stuttering. I used the unit as an MP3 player at work one day. The interface is not as streamlined as my iPod, but it worked. I had a little fun showing off the unit as an MP3 player. My co-workers laughed at how big it was. I let a few try it out and none of them preferred it to a dedicated MP3 player. I want to point out that the volume on this unit is unbelievable. I had to put the output to the lowest level possible in order to listen to most music comfortably with the buds from my iPod.

When copying audio files, you can create folders to organize your content. You must do that from your computer since the unit does not have that capability. The advantage of grouping files by folder is seen when playing back files. The interface is streamlined when the songs are in a common folder.

I used the GB-10's features to slow down, speed up and change key on several songs and I was fairly underwhelmed. The unit will change the playback speed by up to 50% while maintaining pitch. When I slowed down "Tom Sawyer", I found that the pitch was preserved but it was still difficult to pick up the notes. To my ears, the effect of the speed change was like having a slow vibrato played on the note. The effect on drums (which are prominent in the song) is actually horrible. It sounds like dropping a marble in a steel bucket. This is a guitar and bass trainer so it is only an issue because it is kind of distracting. Since "Tom Sawyer" has some reverb added to begin with, I had a problem picking out the bass line.

When I tried a simpler song, the results were much better. I listened to a violin piece at half speed and was able to follow along very easily. To confirm, I went through a lot of music from the 80's and 90's. For the majority of the songs, I was able to follow the guitar. The bass was a different story it came across as very muddy. Switching to a better set of headphones helped and connecting to my stereo proved that it wasn't the unit. It seems that the target audience for the GB-10 will be using headphones most of the time, so this could be a serious issue if you are a bass player. A built in EQ would be welcome.

After trying out these features, I plugged my Fender Jazz bass into the unit. I normally play using the bridge pickup set to 80% and the neck to 20%, so keep that in mind. I'd already tuned using a Korg TM-40 tuner. The GB-10 tuner disagreed, so I tuned to it. The tuner is not hard to use but is not as user-friendly as the Korg. After getting tuned on the GB-10, I went back to the Korg and found that the GB-10 was consistently a few cents higher. No big deal.

Once through with the tuning, I tried playing a bit to get an idea of the tone. I found out that I could not hear myself. I turned up the input to ten and could see on the display that signal was getting through, but couldn't hear a thing. I was puzzled until I remembered that I had turned the output level to the minimum to listen to the MP3s. Turning up the output about halfway allowed me to hear the bass. The tone was pretty neutral, so I recorded a bit and played it back. The volume on the playback was okay. When I transferred the WAV file to my computer and played them back, the volume was much better. And the tone was exactly what I was expecting. It sounded great.

I should point out that the GB-10 will put the recording into the current folder. The manual says that they will go the root folder if you don't specify a location but it turns out that changing to another folder makes the GB-10 dump the recordings there.

When I tried playing along with a music file, I remembered to set the balance first. This is not the "left to right" balance that you would expect but the balance between the input level and the volume of the music file. Setting it from the default of 20 to 8 provided a nice balance between the bass and the music file. You should be careful with this, though. When you unplug the guitar, the balance goes back to that default of 20. In my case, that means that it suddenly gets much, much louder. Painfully louder.

I was worried that recording while having the unit set to 50% speed would impact the recording. It did but not in a terrible way. The GB-10 compressed the notes' duration so that when played back at 100% speed, my part didn't sound slow. When I listened to it on playback, I realized that the balance of 8 was too low since the bass overwhelmed the music. You will have to play with that setting to get a good balance.

I have to say that for training purposes, it works as well as can be expected and I do recommend the product. I would give it five stars if there was a built in equalizer and a better way of dealing with the differences in volume between the guitar input and the music file being played.

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This is my third Tascam guitar trainer,the first two being the CD-GT1 and CD-GT2 cd based units. This unit has a major flaw. When in "loop" mode, you cannot fast forward, rewind, or use the 2 second "flash" mode. They simply do not work. Also, if you "pause" while in "loop" mode, and then push play, you automatically go back to the beginning of the loop. There is no way around this. You loop off a 30 second solo, pause at the 25 second point to practice that last 3 second lick, push play, and you have to go over the entire 25 seconds again just to get back to that 3 second lick.

A minor gripe is the "speed" portion of the unit. You can only adjust in 10% increments. 100,90,80,70,60,50. With the GB-10, you will find 60% may be too slow while 70% may be slightly too fast. The GT-2 is adjustable in 1% increments: 100,99,98,97 etc. This gives you much more flexability when slowing down those fast licks. The previous units GT1 and GT2 performed all of these functions perfectly. I bought the GB-10 expecting advances in features, not reductions, and for that I'm slightly disappointed. I still have the GT2 and will go back to using that for the majority of the more complicated licks. I do like the SD card storage and usb transfer from computer to GB-10. It makes accessing songs near instantanious and I'll probably use the GB-10 to store songs I've already learned and play against.

Tascam has just released a firmware update on 12/22, which I installed, but it does not address any of these issues. If Tascam could fix the "looping" area and restore the features that the GT-2 had, this would be an excellant product.

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Well , I am no stranger to the tascam trainers (bass trainers) this is my third and each time Tascam has come out with a new model i have gotten it.Needless to say , i love this product and am very excited for new developements.BUT Each time they take away certain features, leave others and add new ones ...some times i'm left scratching my head. Just to bottom line it

Some minuses

---long gone are the days that u can cancel either left or right channel and have the remaining channel come thru both ears .... wonderful for play a longs that had stereo separation; This on the fly feature went away on the "2ND" CD player version and i misss it so that i had to start out by mentioning it ( I now use Roxio to edit the music and although less convenient i can add sprinkle in some effects to make the mono output sound more stereo); would have been nice to bring this feature back.

---What, no backlight ; ok ok that might be fine to save batteries but unless you are in the most well lit conditions ( and i am usually not )the screen is kinda hard to see.

---no footswitch...available , despite there being instructions regarding them.

Some plusses

----WOW . the most intuitive buttons ....much time was spent on this as it is a good bit of revamping

----The recording aspect is slick , great for play a longs

----sd card storage ...nice

----playist mode can hold up to 4 loops per song.....nice again

----solid construction even though very lightweight

All in all it's a nice product and has proven to be an essential piece of equipment so even though they left out some features (backlight would have been nice) I am still an will pretty much always be an advocate of this device.

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I am a beginner at guitar and this thing was a big help to me from the first day I got it. At my current stage in learning I am just trying to learn entire songs and device is great for slowing things enough for me to follow along as well as easily create loops for the sections that I am having difficulty with. As for all the other nifty features, I have not got around to using them yet but I'm sure I will eventually.

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Tascam GB-10, not ready for prime time yet. Has potential.

As a long time (6+ years) CD-BT1 Bass Trainer user, I looked forward to ditching stacks of CD's to make the move to mp3's. When Tascam's GB-10 Guitar/Bass Trainer hit just above $100 I pulled the trigger and purchased one.

These negatives made me return it for a refund:

1. Small, low resolution display packed with a bit too much information. Even with reading glasses the viewing angle needs to be spot on as it lacks back lighting. I don't need a color display but would be willing to pay more for higher resolution (more pixels) and backlighting.

2. Small size is both a plus and a minus. Small makes it portable but it also makes it prone to getting pulled onto the floor by the guitar chord.

3. $25 AC power supply (wall wart). OK this is how Tascam keeps the price point for the trainer. But jeez. Paying ¼ the cost of the trainer for a $10 wall wart is a bit too much.

4. No way to `normalize' mp3 files in order to provide a constant sound level from song to song. With songs that vary in volume you need to continually adjust the bass level and overall volume. While the user interface makes this easy it is time consuming and more importantly the volume settings are a bit coarse. I was never able to keep a consistent bass level and overall volume from song to song.

5. No simple mp3 tone or bass tone controls. While there are several cabinet modeling settings for a variety of 8" to 12" speakers I found none suitable for bass guitar. I wound up wishing for simple "Low" "Mid" "High" tone controls for both the bass input and mp3 outputs.

6. Lastly and most importantly poor bass/guitar sound quality. The mp3 files sounded find, however, there is way too much hiss even with bass volume all the way up. I have passive bass guitars maybe active guitars with a bit hotter signal might not be so hissy.

I will be keeping my eye out for a firmware upgrade or the Mark II version to hopefully correct some of these issues. If Tascam does make some corrections/improvements I would be willing to try again.

Xtreamer ULTRA Mini-ITX SFF HTPC (1.8 GHZ Intel Atom Dual-Core D525, nVidia ION 2, 4GB DDR3, HDMI 1

I've had this for about 2 weeks now and absolutly love it. It comes with everything pictured (although I had to get a euro to us power adaptor 2$). The machine boots from the USB stick and out of the box runs XBMC, Boxee and their ubuntu linux OS (you can install a HDD and install windows). There is a slot in the machine for a 2.5 HDD and through the xtreamer forums you can find instructions to install all of those and a version of windows to the internal hard drive pretty easily. I think the xbmc is faster from the HDD than the usb stick, but that's just my observation. Both ways, there is no lag or slowdown and the machine plays all kinds of movies with ease. I own about 250 DVDs that I converted to .ISO files and have on an external 3T drive works great, I never have to search for a dvd or worry about it being scratched.

The only cons the included keyboard remote is not the greatest, I would reccomend getting a wireless keyboard/trackball combo. The machine does get hot, but mine constantly runs and has had NO problems at all.

Would definately reccommend to anyone looking for a digital media server / HTPC.

I have bought quite a few media streamers (Popcorn hour, Dvico Tvix and Mede8er) in the past. Now, it appears I will be going back to XBMC (bringing back memories of XBMC on the xbox and on my old noisy htpc) on this really truly awesome device. I really love this thing. I will admit that you better have a 2.5 hdd available, since running on the usb thumb drive is very slow. After putting an old laptop hdd in this thing, my god (and loading the ultra os, which can be downloaded from xtreamer.net)... this thing is AWESOME!

If you are not the type of person who can put a 2.5 drive in a pc, then you should not buy this. If the menu appearance is not too important... and you want simplicity, then go buy a Tvix or Popcorn hour. However, if you are comfortable with computers, then for the price, this really is a great product.

Pro: Very quiet, Can play around with loads of options (Boxee, XBMC, load windows, etc.), can customize like a pc to load Tversity to stream your media collection to your portable devices.

Cons: running the device with the usb thumb drive should only be a workaround until you can get a 2.5 hdd. If you are cheap, buy a $10 hdd drive. The xtreamer ultra might not be a good fit for someone who is not comfortable with computers.

This is hands down...the best packaged HTPC in the market. There is not many products that make me act crazy like Droopy Dog...

... I'm happy.

Buy Xtreamer ULTRA Mini-ITX SFF HTPC (1.8 GHZ Intel Atom Dual-Core D525, nVidia ION 2, 4GB DDR3, HDMI 1 Now

The XTreamer Ultra is a nice little machine hardware-wise, but running the included OS from USB is WAY too slow. I bought a 120GB SSD drive and installed Windows 7 Home on it, and now it works great! I'm considering installing the Linux OS that comes with it onto the hard-drive and dual booting from there instead of the USB. That should make it less frustrating to use XBMC and Boxee.

The main reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that the included mini-keyboard would simply not pair with the USB stub. I tried it on existing Windows 7 machines as well, and it just would not work. I went to the Xtreamer web site and used their contact us form to inform them, but never got anything at all back from them. Apparently since this was sold to me via a 3rd-party vendor (Xtreamer US Distributor), I needed to inform the 3rd-party, but I just didn't feel like dealing with it anymore, so I simply bought an equivalent mini-keyboard via Amazon, and this one works great. I love not having to have a large keyboard sitting next to me on the coach.

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I upgraded from the sidewinder 2 which for the money still is one of the best media players out there, had it since they came out and never had any issues with it. The Ultra rocks, it is faster, it can be expanded, you can stream just about to any other device in the network and it performs superbly. I just got a NAS and consolidated all task to it, now I can stream, transfer and share from it. The Ultra is running Windows 7 on a 128 GB SSD, it is fast, quiet and it allows me to run any application I desire. It does have a fan on the side but it is quiet very quiet and efficient.The connection to the network is made using the Rosewill RPLC-500KIT Powerline AV Wall-Plug Gigabit Adapter, it will never do the advertised speed but it is faster than wireless and is steady again streaming to and from is not an issue in my case. I have it hooked up to an inexpensive Onkio 5.1 system and again works and sounds great. My experience with customer service was outstanding, I had an issue and they took care of it very efficiently, communications, and great attention to detail. I"m just a regular customer here, but if I had to do this all over again I would without hesitation. I hope this info will help someone, please if you got any questions send them to me.

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The HW is good, but the OS it's a headache. It does not even recognize the 4MB it comes with, so many adaptations are required. I ended up removing this useless OS and putting plane Ubuntu on the box. The HW is nice and has good interfaces, but the OS and the Tech-Support are terrible..

Samsung Digimax i85 8.2MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Red)

I purchased this camera after doing some lengthy research. I looked at Casio Exilim EX-V7(suffers from mediocre image quality) or EX-v8 (probably much more comparble to this camera) and Konica Minolta Dimage X1 (also medicore picture quality) models as well, with the criteria being a small, portable camera, with a non-protruding lens. In addition, I wanted video at least similar or better than the Flip Video Camcorders, which can do an hour of low quality video in a small package.

I've owned this camera for two weeks now and used it for still images, video cam, and mp3 player purposes. I have not tested it's ability to play videos (PMP mode) downloaded from the web.

It is compatible with Windows XP (tested), Mac OS X10.5.1 (tested), and Ubuntu Linux (tested). Windows requires the install disc which is included. Mac and Linux auto open their respective photo viewing software for import with no additional drivers and the camera shows up as a removable hard drive on your desktop. The included extra software only works in windows, but it is not essential except if you want to view videos downloaded from the web in your camera. It stores images in jpg format, videos in avi format, and music up to 320kb quality as mp3 format.

The image quality is excellent, with crisp, sharp pictures, and good, accurate colors. Of course it has a million override settings which also allow you more control if desired.

It's best two features are the ASR (Anti Shake Reduction) and Face Recognition capabilities. My hands are not as steady as they used to be and the ASR produces quality shots every time.

The camera is quick to shoot and there is no noticeable shutter lag (at least compared to my previous camera, a Sony DSC-S85, which is now retired). Those other reviewers who complain of camera lag or bad photos in dark are not using the appropriate settings. The camera has different settings, such as night, "cafe", fireworks, and other settings they may be what they need and they may not fully understand settings such as "ISO 1600", and so forth. I encourage them to read the very clear manual and try it again...

This camera uses standard SD cards and I use both a Dane-Elec 4GB 133x SD card and a 2 GB SanDisk Ultra II SD card. I have easily recorded one hour videos with these with room to spare. It has several settings for frames per minute and it can do 30fps at 640 x 480. This format is easily converted into a DVD with your favorite computer software.

The mp3 player produces great quality sound and has an equalizer which will adjust your music according to your preference, such as Rock, Jazz, Classical, etc. The only drawback is that the earphones included are not up to hi fi standards and if you want to upgrade the earbuds, the earphone socket is 2.5mm in size (a smaller size which is usually used by cell phones). If you want to plug in your Grado headphones you will need an adaptor (which is not included).

In summary, I highly recommend this camera/multi-device. If you are looking for an easy to use camera which will produce very satisfying results, this is it.

Pros:

Super compact, fits in your jeans pocket.

Nice size LCD screen for easy viewing.

Very fast start-up.

ASR and Face Recognition modes are a huge help.

Fast focus in most all conditions.

Movie mode is incredible.

Sharpness, colors, all are very pleasing.

Nice build quality, polished metal casing.

Cons:

2.5mm earphone jack is not directly compatible with most hi fi earbuds.

No carrying case included.

As another person has mentioned this camera has one big "con" when taking indoor pictures, especially of darker rooms or items, it can take an EXCESSIVE time after the flash goes off before you are able to take another picture. Either the green standby LED keeps flashing, and /or the word "Processing!" comes across the screen sometimes for up to 12 seconds, before the camera "comes back" and is ready to take another shot.

Another weird annoyance when the camera finally does recover from the last picture, there is a bug that sometimes happens with the shutter button it acts "dead" until you try pressing it 2 , sometimes 3, attempts, at which point it seems to "wake back up". Weird. You'd be really screwed at an indoor wedding if you were trying to take pictures of couples making their entrance, dances, etc.

10 seconds is how long cameras took in the early 90's to recover for "next shot" . Inexcusable today, with 4gig SDHD cards, huge internal memory, fast processors, etc.

Finally after charging the the (very unique) battery it went from 3(full) bars, right down to 2 bars really quickly (doing a mix of stills & video tests) and subsequently dying very quickly.

I used it about a half hour, and the battery was dead?!

Yes this camera has a combination of features and image quality, thats hard if not impossible to match (next closest thing is the rather poor-pictured Casio EXV8).... but there is definitely something funky going on with the i85 that really is a fatal flaw for indoor shooting.

I called tech support, and in typical corporate-speak, they "never heard" that complaint, said they would email the product team to get back to methat was only 2 business days ago. Maybe the next revision if the otherwise great i85 will fix these problems.

Buy Samsung Digimax i85 8.2MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Red) Now

I bought this for my wife for Christmas. She loves it. I researched several cameras and found this to be the best one I reviewed without paying over $300. The picture quality is top notch. I have read many reviews for many cameras about how quality is "grainy, blurred, blah, blah, blah". One review summed it up well. Most cameras will perform very well, you just need to get to know your camera. That is just it! If you don't know much about the manual side of cameras, then use the auto feature. Otherwise, learn about it and use your camera's full potential. This camera has it all. The sound is great, understanding that it is a small speaker in a digital camera. Don't expect to be on a train or a busy sidewalk and be able to hear very well. It does come with ear buds, so use them. Most people don't walk around with a loud boombox up to their ear anymore. You can watch movies on this thing, just make sure you buy a bigger sd card. I bought a 4GB one and it holds a ton of pics, mp3's and vid's. The quality of video is better than most Portable media players and don't forget the 3" screen size. The included software works great for converting movies to watch. And the biggest reason I went with this camera was its video recording capabilities. Awesome!!!! You can zoom in and out while you record, it picks up sound very well, and does a good job indoors and outdoors. I was just at a wrestling tournament for my boys and it recorded video very well. Over an hour and a half of recording with plenty of memory and battery left. Great buy, you can't go wrong!

Read Best Reviews of Samsung Digimax i85 8.2MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Red) Here

I really wanted to keep this, but, after a few days of missed pictures, it is going back.

Why?

The flash in low light is blinding! My kids are running away from me!

Sometimes when you push the button to take the picture, nothing happens!

(I have had to push it 3-4 times)

There isn't a way to adjust the red-eye manually

The lag time is unbelievably slow from the time you push the button until the camera actual takes the picture, 1/2 the time my subject has looked away or I have taken a picture of the floor!

Processing flashes across the screen after taking pictures, so if you are at a sporting event, forget iteven on the childrens mode which is supposed to catch them.

So, if you want an mp3 player that takes pictures, go for it. If you want a camera that takes a picture when you push the shutter button, look at Sony or Cannon.

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This samsung camera is awesome. The picture quality is gorgeous colors are beautiful crisp and clear. The camcorder feature is a plus takes great movies sound quality is excellant. Tour guide, mp3 and text are also great. For a point and shoot camera you couldn't ask for more. I highly recommend this camera, easy to operate priced right. You will not find a camera with so many features at such a great price 5 stars and more

Roku 2 XS Streaming Player Bundle

This little gadget has saved me from the traps of contracts for my TV entertainment, I have all that I desire all in this little box. I love, love, love Roku! I also suggest Paperthin Leaf Indoor HDTV Antenna, and with Roku, you get a nice little package of entertainment!!! A nice alternative for TV entertainment.

Fast shipping, good product and the best part of the bundle is you have everything in hand to start plugging the system without have to worry about or run to a near by electronic store.

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It was very easy to set up; Menus are easy to follow and intuitive; great to have access to lots more content via streaming.

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Very easy to set up and use. User interface is straightforward. Great content, especially Amazon Instant videos. We don't always get HD quality over Wi-Fi, but resolution very good nonetheless. Overall, very pleased with the purchase.

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The device wasn't packed very well but arrived on time undamaged. It was easy to hook up and easy to link and use.

Sony CFD-G700CP Xplod CD Radio Cassette Recorder Boombox

• CFD-G700CP Xplod CD Radio Cassette Recorder featur
• stereo-receivers
• Networked Audio System
• S-52

I love to go camping and one of the biggest must haves is having music playing in the background. I love my jazz and rock and when I purchased the Sony Xplod CD Radio Cassette Recorder I was expecting something GREAT! and after taking it to a few locations, it has exceeded my expectations. The clarity of the music is awesome. The look is really cool and when it comes to overall quality, the BEST! I'm really happy with this purchase.

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I've had this boom box for several months. It's awesome. I have it in my garage on a high shelf. I keep it plugged in so I cannot comment on battery usage.

It blasts music from the radio or CD very clear. Radio signals come in clear. Just make sure you have the antenna fully extended. I haven't tried the cassette player yet or AM radio. The remote works well it's small and simple. The large carry handle is convenient and makes the system very portable.

The instructions are on a large fold out sheet. It's easy reading and only needed to learn how to program favorite radio channels; plus to find out what the little, hard to see icons mean on the display.

I only wish the LCD display pane was much larger and backlit. The boom box is ugly, but a great, solidly built system.

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Item exceeded expectations. Antenna adjustment allows for clearer radio signals, while controls for both cd and cassette were easy to use both on the unit as well as on the remote. Bass adjustment is quite good. All in all a fine unit.

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I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sound and the range of the radio reception. The remote is an extra bonus.

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This is a great boombox, hands down. The sound is clear and full, the bass is rich, and each of the functions (radio, CD player, cassette player, etc.) work quite well, with no complaints. I ordered this primarily because it will play a CD full of MP3 files. It took me a bit of playing with the "Mode" button to figure out how to make the "shuffle" feature work, but it does work, and that makes it really nice... turn it on and listen to fabulous music all day. I also wanted the ability to plug something into it, and they make it sweet because they provide a male 3.5mm plug as well as a female 3.5mm jack to plug something in... very nice. However, external devices that plug into it don't seem as loud as the boombox is capable of pushing out.

Even though the other reviewers gave it 5-stars, they still had complaints. So, I'm giving it 4-stars only because there are ways to make a great boombox even better:

* larger LCD display (a bonus is if it were tiltable)

* backlight the display

* the male 3.5mm plug could be longer

* the buttons have indented indicators of what they do, but it's just an indention so it's very hard to see them... it would be nice if the buttons all had some constrasting control sign on them

* granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but they could make it more handsome

* my biggest complaint is that, when plugging in an external device, I can't "crank it up" and make the boombox loud enough for a big room. What comes out is pure, and rich, and smooth... so no complaints about the quality of the sound, just the quantity. That's not to say it isn't loud... in a small room. But in a large room, at full volume, using an external device, it just doesn't seem to be as loud as when I play a CD on it.

But, as we all know, it's easier to complain than it is to praise. I've not seen another quality boombox for this price, so my complaints are minor. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

VideoSecu 2 Pack 66 Feet Video Power CCTV Security Camera Cables with BNC RCA Connectors CBH

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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Digital Concepts Digital Video Camcorder

We purchased this item (one similar) to this last Christmas. Shortly after the first use, we were unable to watch the recordings on a tv screen. After being transfered to numerous people at Sakar customer service, we were told the problem was with the AV cable and they would "happily" send us a new one.

It has now been 7 months, 7 phonecalls, and 7 more promises that they would send a new cable, and they still have not followed through. I have talked to several managers, but when I call back to speak to that particular manager they are somehow never "available". I think they have a phantom employee named Andrew and he is the scapegoat for any troubles. When you call to speak to him, he doesn't exist . . . yet he was the manager that made all of the promises.

I would NEVER buy anything from this company ever again. The camera itself was okay, but if you encounter any kind of warranty issue, dealing with this company is a nightmare!!!!

BUYER BEWARE.

I bought this for my 10 year old nephew who loves videotaping!! I found this in the toy electronic section at Target. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. If you are looking for a high quality video camcorder then this isn't what you want! But if you are looking for something a 10 year old can be creative with and have some fun with, this would be a good purchase for you.

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Incompatible with ... everything we had. Could not get it to work on Mac or PC. (And I'm reasonably tech savvy) It took hours to get an answer on the phone from tech support, who promised to email the patch we need to make it work. No email. No follow up at all. Never answered the phone again. Beware if you do this, you are on your own. It does record images that you can play back directly onto TV. Sound is very poor.

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Bushnell Instant Replay 8x30 Binocular with 5MP Camera

Due to the reviews ripping this product apart, my expectations were tempered. Having reviewed camera binoculars on and off for a year I knew most were toys or garbage. However, I really needed a pair this time and it was either these or go for the $1400 Sony. I had decided the $1200 difference would be better in my pocket. Though I really needed them, they would not be used frequently. Further the Sony looks more like a digital recorder than binoculars, and for my purpose (taking to a ballet) I needed them to look like binoculars so as not to attract attention.

So, bottom line, I snuck these in to the ballet at Lincoln Center and I was snapping away totally unnoticed. Taking pictures with the viewfinder closed works fine, you just don't have a good idea of when the picture is actually snapped and save completed. I just kept snapping away. I rattled off over 100 pictures in a 10 or 15 minute time span. Most came out good, some slightly blurred action photos in low light, but the vast majority were very acceptable and at max resolution.

Now, some pointers and notes:

1. Use good batteries. If you use standard alkalines, you may get 20 shots before the meter shows the batteries less than fully charged. I bought a 4 pack of extra good lithiums for $9 and they were still at full charge after 150 shots. Bushnell might try to fit AAs in there somehow in the next version. Obviously it's a heavy load for AAAs.

2. Depending how close you are to your subject, the lowest setting for zoom may be zoomed more than you like. This actually happened to us at the ballet. We had pretty decent seats, and with the lowest zoom, pictures were still closeups.

3. Understand the camera and binoculars are totally independent of each other. When you adjust the focus on the binoculars it isn't adjusting the camera. Camera zoom is adjusted with the menu buttons and LCD. LCD is very small, but the display is very crisp. About the size of thumbnails but the pictures at that size all look excellent.

4. Color quality in the pictures were very deep/rich in low light (theater stage) on whatever the setting was that I had (might have been the fluorescent). My daughter had taken a picture of their custumes with a point and shoot up close in a well lit room and the colors were washed out and faded. Mine from a distance with the binoculars had much more depth and looked great.

5. When snapping pictures with the LCD closed, you need to be sure the camera is on. Power on, close the LCD and then shoot away. Remember, if you're inactive for a while it will auto power off.

6. Above it says 2GB is the max SD card size. That is incorrect. Packaging and instructions indicate 32GB. I tried with 4GB and 16GB cards and they were both fine. For my pictures at the ballet I used the 4GB class 6 card and it was saving quickly enough to take relatively rapid multiple shooting. With the 4GB card at high resolution setting it indicated it could hold a bit over 2000 pictures.

Bottom line, for me, for my specific need, these performed as well as could be expected. I had numerous concerns why the pictures might not come out, or come out good every last one of those reasons proved unfounded. For the price, these are likely best in the category. You probably couldn't do better without stepping up to the $1400 Sony.

Unfortunately I had to return 2 different tries at this product. Could not get a working pair. Finally found new 8MP Barska's.

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We were very excited to get this binocular camera for our bird watching. What a disappointment and waste of money. It has terrible focus and the ability to locate the picture frame is almost random and not even close to what is viewed in the binoculars. Even with the high capacity batteries, it is a energy hog. Go elsewhere and try a different binocular camera so you won't be disappointed as we were.

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Camera distorted pictures and color .When I called for support from Bushnell it was ajoke !! Sent them back for a refund . Sometimes its best to buy in a store so you can get hands on help. I called seller to replace them and paid 8.00 shiping expecting to get another pair sent but got a refund instead !Just cant win.

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IT IS OK FOR UP CLOSE PICTURES AS LONG AS YOU ARE NOT GETTING OLDER LIKE MYSELF. I HAD SOME TROUBLE

HOLDING IN MY HAND AND TRYING TO TAKE A PICTURE. IF YOU SET THE CAMERA ON HIGH BE PREPARED TO USE

ALOT OF BATTERIES, BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT ON HIGH YOU MIGHT NOT GET A VERY GOOD PICTURE. I GAVE THIS

CAMERA AWAY TO A FRIEND WHO IS YOUNGER THAN I AM AND HE TOOK SOME PRETTY GOOD PICTURES WITH IT, AND SAID HE WAS SATISFIED. GOOD FOR BIRD WATCHING AND TAKEING PICTURES LIKE THAT. I WISH THEY WOULD COME OUT WITH A CAMERA LIKE THIS AND HAVE STABALIZATION ON IT AND I WOULD BUY ONE.

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Panasonic DVD-RP56 Progressive-Scan DVD Player

• Plays DVD-video, Video CD, CD, CD-R, and CD-RW media
• Progressive-scan output (renders flicker-free, film-like image on HD and HD-ready TVs)
• Advanced Virtual Surround Sound (2-channel simulated surround) and Bass Plus audio enhancement features
• 5-speed smooth-motion scan (lets you cue forward or backward at varying speeds while maintaining clear images)
• Optical digital-audio output for optimum connection with your multi-channel digital surround receiver

I upgraded from the previous 310 model Panasonic DVD player and am absolutely amazed by the performance of this little machine. While the actual box is a bit smaller and lighter than the previous Panasonic I owned, the machine itself is much better. The progressive-scan output on component video is truly the best I've ever seen. I am currently using it on the new 34" Sony wide-screen HDTV and I can't imagine a better picture. The colors are clear and crisp, the optical sound output is bright and lively. The menus are clear and attractive and seem to be programmed better for 16:9 tvs. The previous model had some distortion in the menus because it did not seem to output them in amamorphic wide-screen. While I'm not sure if the menus on the new model are anamorphic, they certainly look much better on a wide-screen tv.

The manual warns that there may be compatibility issues with progressive-scan output, but even on my non-Panasonic TV, I did not have to do the adjusting solution. It worked like a charm from the very first try. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon blew my socks off!

While the previous version did not have too much trouble with layer changes, it still had trouble with a few disks. This new model, on the other hand, handles the most problematic disks I had with great success. Fear and Loathing in Las Vagas, for example, used to pause almost 3 seconds (and sometimes froze). Now it switched layers with lightning speed.

Another great feature is the MP3 playback capability. With this feature, I can play mp3 disks which can hold around 600+ minutes of cd-quality music. Very useful for parties or entertaining, where I can stick in a CDR of my own make and not worry about changing the cds during the evening.

My only complaint, and it is a very small one, is that the remote is not as nice as the previous models. All the buttons are visible from the get-go, whereas the previous model's had a nice little flap that covered the lesser used buttons. Also, the buttons must be pressed a bit harder than the previous model's. Nevertheless, this is a very small complaint considering the great performance of the component.

All in all, for the money, this is a fantastic progressive-scan dvd. Given how expensive similar models were a year ago, it is clear that this technology is evolving to a cheaper production method with great success.

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I have tried at least 5 DVD players from Sony, Philips, APEX, and others, before finally settling on this great DVD player. It is simply the best. I am using this with a 61" HD Sony TV.

The panasonic DVDs in General have proved to provide the best picture and sound quality. But this model, with progressive scan, takes the picture to a far better dimension. The picture is truly unbelievable. the best you can find out there.

The mp3 playback is also excellent. it hasnt failed me on a single file yet. Even files i failed to run on systems like the APEX DVD player, and even some speciality mp3 players.

If you are out shopping for a DVD player, you wont find anything better than this one

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DVD-RP56 Progressive-Scan DVD Player Here

I did *alot* .. no I did *TONS* of research on a DVD player for my 1998 Sony KV-32S40 32", trinitron television. It's a fantastic TV and I needed a fantastic DVD player to match it. After perusing the internet for about a month I came to the following conclusion as the most important feature:

Video RAM DAC

What is Video RAM DAC? A standard (interlaced is the technical term) DVD player has a Video RAM DAC of 27 MHz/10-bit. 27MHz is 2x oversampling for interlaced video and no oversampling for progressive. By going to 54 MHz, you now have 2x oversampling for progressive. (4x for interlaced). The difference is somewhat minimal in video quality but for (dollar amount) (...) you get the *best* DVD video quality for an interlaced player and a great start when you uprade to HDTV with the progressive side of the player.

You can't go wrong!

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With the Farouja decoder chip, the RP56 displays the best picture in this price category. It's just smooth and film-like, however the remote buttons are not lighted, small, and mushy so a stiff push is needed. Ergonomics is Panasonic's downfall the eject button is just above the play button and all are small. You cannot change between progressive and interlace modes from the remote need to hit button on the player.

If your 16x9 HDTV locks in FULL mode with a progressive output, the RP56 cannot zoom or change aspect ratios and a 4x3 or non-anamorphic (not enhanced for 16x9) picture will look squashed. You turn progressive output off to view it properly but you lose the progressive quality.

The useless jog dial is only on the player FF and review require several button pushes. Also my 4 year old Sony S3000 would pick up playing from the same spot if you hit STOP. With this unit, you hit a button on the remote and then you need to power it off. When you turn on later, it will resume.

Picture is gourgeous, price is right, design of the remote is absolutely terrible. I tested some MP3s and they play really well. Despite my complaints, I've kept mine. It has not skipped or missed a beat with everything thrown at it.

On the plus side, the next-lowest price player that will give you progressive scan video decoding this good costs twice as much as this one.

On the negative side, this is one cheaply built player don't expect it to last long. There's a reason why Panasonic only has a 90 day labor warranty they don't expect it to last much longer than that. A scan through the reviews will reveal that dead players is a common customer experience. My experience was much the same purchased in October, dead in May.

So, should you get this player? You should, if you want really good progressive scan video and if you are OK with a player that you expect to replace in six to twelve months. By then, better players may be available, and the money you spend now may prove to be a long-term bargain you get great video right away, and when your player dies, you can look for a better (and better-made) one, which may well be available then even if it isn't now.

As for me, I'm buying a second one. The cheapest player I've been able to find that I'm sure does a substantially better job costs about fifteen times as much (the Camelot Round Table), and for that, I can buy and throw away a lot of RP-56's.

Canon ZR600 MiniDV Camcorder with 25x Optical Zoom

This camera will satisfy most folks that read Amazon reviews! DV-ing can be an uphill climb for newbies, but with the proper expectations, you can be happy with your purchase and your future use.

I have used this camera for 4 months, and here are my observations:

A few assumptions:

1. Firewire BABY! With almost ALL DV camcorders you will need a 1394 Firewire port on your computer, and a cable (about 10-20 dollars online)

Workaround: none, this is DV! USB is too slow. The SR600 has two ports...make sure you use the port labeled DV. If you want to shell out $200-300 more, go with DVDcamcorder.

2. For Transfer or Editing, Look in your Windows! If you have Windows XP, use the FREE Windows Movie Maker program which copies your movie footage from camera to PC, and allows a little editing. Vista has even more you can do, like copy to a DVD!

3. Don't expect long shoot times... My battery that the camera came with lasts only about 35 minutes, even when I'm not using the LCD screen.

Workaround: buy a $15 dollar 1700mWh battery(larger) on EBAY to have as your main battery, and use the stock one as a backup.

4. Don't get left in the Dark. Reviews state that the camera shoots poorly in poorly lit rooms. This is common with DV cameras.

Workaround: Move camera into P mode, from EASY on the switch near the zoom, and choose NIGHT as option on the LCD (using easy to use Joystick) when you are shooting in lowlight scenes.

AS long as you know the 4 assumptions, this camera is perfect for newbies in DV, right on the money with price, and with good features, like 16:9 WS, Toggle button, and excellent OPTICAL zoom. Wish my sony digital camera had this zoom. IF they had a better battery and included the Firewire cable, I'd give it 5 stars.

I would buy it again, but would opt for the ZR500 for price, or the ZR700 if I wanted to use it to bridge the copying from my VCR to the computer for moviemaker.

OS: Windows XP sp2

PC: 4 yr old DELL Dimension, with Creative lab card with Firewire

Software:

Windows Movie Maker to pull clips from camera, and to Edit movies

DVDFlick (opensource and free) to copy my edited movies to DVD for playing on my home DVD player or computer (moviemaker only copies the .WMV file on a CD or DVD)

Panasonic AY-DVM63PQ Professional DV tapes

This Review is from a previous owner of this Camera

I purchased the Canon ZR600 from Best buy back in late 2006 early 2007 originally looking for a camera to do video notes for class then ended up having this camera be my first personal camera used for television broadcast training and practice at home.

A bit of Background:

I am a legally blind individual I don't have full vision loss, I have more like half the vision of a fully sighted person. E.g. distance and the ability to read small print etc are the greatest challenges for me, however I have had a natural ability to get good results from cameras, even if it's taken extra practice to build skills.

The basics:

The canon ZR600 is a consumer level miniDV camcorder which means the camera has a VTR built in that records to a miniDV Cassette. Many consumer level camcorders are a single CCD e.g. many pro cameras or prosumer cameras are 3 CCDS. This simply affects how they deal with color and lighting. (but no camera) will ever be as good as the human eye, This brings me to my usage with the product.

The zr800 has a wide range of manual settings and automatic settings such as: manual focus manual white balance the option to shoot in 4:3 or 16:9 wide or in this case (anamorphic widescreen)

I strongly recommend any camera operator to learn how to manually white balance and light your set and adjust manual focus etc. Many reviewers who give cameras one star because they say picture sucks is more then likely due to the fact they have no concept of how to professionally set up a shoot, and yes, even for a non professional, knowing the basics a professional would use still apply to getting the best results, remember, the camera's auto settings take a best guess which is usually wrong, and is intended for people who lack camera skills to manually set up the camera. Manual is in most cases the best Especially on lower end cameras. With this in Mind:

The ZR600 does an excellent Job for it's price. Unfortunately, mine met it's death when the tripod fell over. So really i was just learning the manual settings on this camera right when it died. I now have the sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV which has newer technology and does in many aspects produce a closer to professional quality picture if set up correctly. I will review that product as well.

In closing MiniDV is a safe non HD format that is still very reliable to use and get great results.

For those who complain about firewire Most professional video editors have a mac around for that purpose, firewire has been and will be an apple standard though PCs adopted it as well by the name IEEEE1394. If you don't understand the technical requirements for MiniDV don't use it as your format for video. You won't be happy and will unnecessarily be giving a good product bad reviews If you are stuck with usb I'd personally recommend a solid state camcorder that takes flash memory.

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I recieved this camera for christmas, and overall it's a very good camera. I really enjoy filming and editing, and this is the perfect camera for filming. I use it with iMovie, and when I import it [which happens with ease] iMovie makes the picture even better. GREAT PRODUCT!

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Great camera but it is a bit grainy but to be expected from a lower end camera. Performs poorly in low light but once again is to be expected because of its small lens. I would recommend this camera to anybody looking for a good solid DV camera, but as for the picture quality it is not quite at the pro level but it is an mid level camera. If you want a camera to use around the house this is the one. This is also a great camera for entry level film classes because the color quality is good which is needed for green screen. Though if you want to start your own production studio I would recommend a more expensive camera like the Cannon GL1 or GL2.

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First off, I have ALWAYS loved Canon products and this camcorder is no exception. The documentation regarding transferring video to your computer is a little lacking but if you have a firewire card (or if you don't, you can get one from ebay for less than $20), it is Windows that does the actual transferring so it's pretty automatic. The camcorder is very intuative and it takes no time at all to start shooting like a pro (ok, maybe not a pro, but plenty good enough for the home user). Originally I was disappointed with the indoor shots but switching to night mode definitely cleaned up the image alot. I look forward to bringing this camcorder to Canada and Nigara Falls next month to record my honeymoon (well, not ALL of my honeymoon ;) )

Sony Professional Digital 2GB MP3 Voice Recorder with Memory Card Slot, Noise Cut Technology Reduci

unit works well, microphone a bit bulky. battery life shorter than expected and when ever you change the battery the time and date must be reset if you take too long to change the battery. other than that the recording quality is good

VideoSecu 4 Channel Audio Video H.264 Network DVR Stand Alone Real Time Digital Video Recorder Secu

we got this system for our home. The installation is easy enough if you dont mind taking lots of time running the cords so you dont run them over with a lawnmower or weed eater lol. Make sure you have long enough cords. And if you have to buy extra, you need to buy the adapters that connect them together. I suggest getting a wireless system if you dont have a lot of time or no one else to run the cords for you. The set up is easy to understand however. The picture quality is ok. Not the best but it works good enough. The night vision is ok too. Does the job. The dvr is hard to learn how to use. Now that I looked around I think I could have gotten it a little cheaper somewhere else. Oh well, we needed it asap.

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Digital Video - Avatar

• Product #: NVCAVA1
• Manufacturer: Memorex
• Manufacturer Item #: 01176
• UPC: 749720011766

These clips are great. We used them initially on my daughter's Spongebob Npower fusion player and now on her Mix Max Plus. She really enjoys this particular Avatar card. When she lost her first one, I bought a second one as she liked it so much. For this price, you can't go wrong.

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Pioneer DVR-X162Q Qflix External DVD/CD Writer

Had the product for about a month. It's flawless! Burned movies without a hitch. In this day and age, I'm loaded for bear when a product doesn't perform as advertized. But I highly recommend the Pioneer Qflix! Did alot of homework, as I usually do for electronics. So far so good. Haven't used the Qflix feature. The freakin' movies are TOO expensive and the Qflix DVDs are at a premium price. But who needs it! Nonetheless, it's a great value for under $100.

At first I thought the price of the burner was too much and waited until the price dropped. There is a competing product from Dell and more to come so maybe that's why the price dropped. It looks like a regular disk writer and for the most part it is. I use it like my old dvd writer except this one has dual layer and Qflix features. It gives me an extra burner to make disk copies. I don't use the Qflix mode that much since I've only bought a few titles. I do expect to get a few more for Xmas. I have children visiting who like watching movies over and over. Movies on the pc doesn't hold their interest as well since the monitor is smaller. The movies come from CinemaNow in the special Qflix format. They download in about the same amount of time as other services 1-2 hours. Of course bandwidth speed will affect the time. With or without the Qflix format it is a solid burner.

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THE PRODUCT WAS IN VERY POOR CONDITION, ALL SCRATCHED AND VERY OLD LOOKING.I HAVE USE THIS SAME ITEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS BUT THE ONES I BOUGHT BEFORE WERE IN REAL LIKE NEW CONDITION.

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I have found this external DVD writer to be an excellent add-on to my older laptop. It is easy to use and interfaces quite well for making CDs and DVDs.

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Here's the review, with minor editing.

Look at review of Western Digital Caviar Green in http://www.amazon.com/review/R2HHAJZSXNT4MT

/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R2HHAJZSXNT4MT to see other comment on how badly Amazon packs drives.

I ordered the Pioneer drive in Oct 2009. There was packing material on only 2 sides of the cartom. Drive

box was flush against the other 2 sides of the box as it was against an unprotected corner. Drive was

DOA, not to mention that Amazon shipped the drive via USPS, I've not seen any other vemdor ship

delicate products USPS, even when shipping is free. I'm not about to pay to upgrade shipping, indeed,

Amazon might pack just as badly with other shipping methods.

Well, I got my refund on 25 Nov 2009, so, on 26 Nov 2009, I re-ordered from Amazon, because the price

had dropped further.

I then called Amazon and requested that the drive be better packed.

On 3 Dec 2009, I got the drive, again via USPS, this time it had packing material on 3 sides, gee, that's an

improvement! But 1 side of the drive's box was unprotected and was flush against the side of the packing

box.

I likely will not get a chance to test the drive for a few days, so I do not yet know if drive will

work.

Qflix Ext DVD/cd Writer

COP USA SDR35 Functional Smoke Detector Covert Color Camera, SONY CCD 470TVL 0.1Lux 3.7mm Pinhole L

I had bought another brand that was cheaper and I was unhappy. The other one was priced under $50 but did not have audio, was black and white, and was not a functioning smoke detector. If you looked at it, you can even spot the camera as it is not totally concealed.

So, I decided to purchase this one because of the pic (yes I know that can be dangerous). Well, it looks exactly like the pic. The actually picture quality is really good and in color. The audio works perfectly. And it is a functioning fire alarm. There is no way anyone can tell it is a camera device.

The only problem I had was that I gave it a little power to test the video, which activated it. So, when I take the power away, it beeps like it has a low battery. Very annoying when you are setting it up.

I am buying a second one.

We have a dozen or so cameras (all exterior) located around the house and property, but due to how the front porch and door is recessed, it would have been nearly impossible to mount a dome or bullet camera to cover the front entrance without it sticking out like a sore thumb. I decided to mount an indoor camera to cover the front door and I installed this camera approximately 2 months ago. I wanted to try a concealed/covert style to avoid mounting an obvious dome or bullet, but must admit I fully expected the quality to be crappy because of the low price. I was wrong. This little camera not only blends in perfectly on the ceiling, the resolution is indistinguishable from 750 tvl cameras mounted outside. This camera does require more light to operate than our outdoor domes and bullets (when they are in color mode), but I don't need it to, nor would I really expect it to. I am extremely impressed with the quality of this camera and am amazed at the price. I strongly recommend this camera to anyone who needs an interior day only camera, but doesn't want to install an obvious camera. I should probably point out that I did not hook up the microphone, since I only needed the camera. Therefore I can't comment on how the audio works, but have no reason to think it wouldn't impress me just as the video has.

Amended review on 9-2-2012:

I have just installed a second one of these cameras in the office and experienced the same results. Once again, I'm very pleased. This is a very nice camera at a remarkable price.

Buy COP USA SDR35 Functional Smoke Detector Covert Color Camera, SONY CCD 470TVL 0.1Lux 3.7mm Pinhole L Now

I install business/home security cameras and I admit I was worried when I first saw the tiny pinhole. Most 1/3" lens Sony cameras I install have a much larger lens. I thought there is NO way this is going to give the area of view my customer was looking for. I plugged the thing up to our "in house" DVR and wow was I surprised!! I held it high above my head as close to the ceiling as I could get and after seeing the viewing area, color quality and brightness, I could not wait to get it installed.

We installed this in the customer's house and after getting everything plugged in I was AGAIN amazed. Not only did it cover everything they wanted to see, the AUDIO reception (which I did not test before) was OUTSTANDING. We could hear their small dog drinking from its water dish from across the room as well as watch him doing it. ALSO, it really is a smoke alarm. It has a rechargeable battery that is recharged from the power supply. This is NOT a night vision camera. There has to be some light in the room. We installed two of these in the customer's house; one in the kitchen where lighting was outstanding, this resulted in OUTSTANDING color and clarity. The second was in the living room where the lighting was dim (table lamp and television) and on a scale of 1 10 I would still give it a 5 or 6 simply because even though it has no infrared emitters it still produced a picture good enough you could tell what was going on in the room even in the dark corners.

** NOTE ** This is a camera/smoke alarm that MUST be plugged in to a 12v power supply (not included) and either a DVR or something with video INPUTS. You will need to cut a nickel/quarter size hole in your ceiling to run the (not included) cables to a power supply and your video source.

Pros:

1.) Tiny pinhole that if you did not know it was there you would NEVER notice it.

2.) 1/3" SONY CCD Wide Angle Color lens which in my opinion for the size and money you can't beat.

3.) REAL WORKING smoke alarm!!! The smoke detector has a rechargeable battery and really detects smoke! There is even a test button on it that when depressed emits a loud alarm

Cons:

1.) This is in NO WAY a complaint. I'm just mentioning it so you know. NOT A NIGHT VISION CAMERA. For it to be "Night Vision" it would have to have infrared LED's and then (to some people) it would be obvious that it's a hidden camera. You defeat the purpose of "hidden camera" then. This camera needs a least a small lamp in the room to see.

** NOTE ** This is a camera/smoke alarm that MUST be plugged in to a 12v power supply (not included) and either a DVR or something with video INPUTS. You will need to cut a nickel/quarter size hole in your ceiling to run the (not included) cables to a power supply and your video source.

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Great item, gives a good, slightly fish eyed view. I needed it for a narrow entry and wanted to also cover a side door without setting the unit in the corner of the room. It worked perfect, giving view to both doors and most of the entry.

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This thing is awesome. It works really well, is easy to setup. It looks real (and is a functioning smoke detector). It even has audio. The video and audio quality are both very good. Sometimes the little red light flashes on it, not sure what that is about. It also beeps when the power is disconnected (or during a power outage) which is annoying. But overall this was an excellent buy.

Canon DC220 DVD Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom

After researching and reading reviews, I purchased this camcorder from BrandsMart at what seems to be a good price at $278. I had to test it and make a decision to keep or return within 5 days because of their return policy and ended up returning it.

Outdoor videos looked great, even on my 50" HD Plasma TV, however, when I recorded indoors in my living room, the quality was horrible. My old VHS camcorder did better than this thing. Although it was night time, I was shooting in a fairly well artifically lit area, hardly dark, and what I'd consider even more than 'low lighting'. The picture came out extremely 'grainy', certainly not what I'd expect from today's technology. On other small non HD tv's it was still very grainy and bad quality.

I would have loved for this camcorder to live up to my expectations, as it was fairly simple to use, although the manual is not very well written, eventually I figured it all out. Things are laid out pretty nicely and it fits well in the palm, even with a small hand.

Now I'll have to read another manual and learn another and different camcorder. Right now I'm looking at a Sony dcrdvd308 and the associate at BrandsMart now informed me that Sony's night recording feature is much higher quality than this one from Canon. Wish they had told me that before I wasted my time on this one.

Unless you're planning on filming outdoors or inside only during daytime with the blinds open, I wouldn't recommend the Canon dc220. I think there are better options out there for nearly the same or little more money.

The camcorder was received rather quickly and we really do like it. For a non-techy the camcorder was very easy to understand immediately. The only two drawbacks are the quality of picture isn't top notch and recording in not so bright of a setting is not too good. However, overall I think this is a great camera for the price.

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This is a great inexpensive camcorder. MUCH easier than our VHSc camcorder that has been sitting in its bag for 5 years now and also better than the short videos we can record on our digital camera. After you are done you can just "finalize" the DVD, put in in your DVD player and watch the movie.

I blank miniDVD-R are inexpensive (I got 50 for $20) and very easy to store.

One minor complaint. The "finalize" option is only available if the camcorder is plugged into wall power. This is no problem but there is no way to know that unless you read the small comment burried in the manual somewhere that mentions that. Having that comment on the camcorder "finalize" menu would have been a lot more stright-forward.

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Purchased as a gift. REcipient likes that it records on a DVD. Wants an extra battery pack as the battery lasts about an hour and a half.

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I have had a DC220 for a couple months and I am growing to dislike it more and more although some of this is due to frustrations with the mini-DVD format.

The DC220 records on mini-DVDs. These cannot be viewed on a DVD player or transfered to a computer until they are "finalized". Once finalized you cannot record any else on a mini-DVD. I have been using the included DVD-Rs and have been forced to finalize a couple with only a few minutes of video so others could watch them. Kinda wasteful.

You can use DVD-RWs, which can be un-finalized, but in my experience these have only 30 mins of recording time while a DVD-R will record 60 mins.

The finalization process seems very touchy. The camera will not even allow you to select this option unless it is connected to the power cord, not the battery. The process can run for a long time (6 min for the disks I did, which had 5 min of video) and there are warnings all over the manual to not touch the camera while it is finalizing or permanent data loss may result. Also you are warned to only attempt the finalization when the camera is at room temp.

I tried to play un-finalized movies back on a external TV. Eventually I was able to but the process is not straight-forward.

The manual is 100 pages of extremely small, dense text, small pictures and references pointing to other areas of the manual. It lacks any kind quick start guide and I am unwilling to read the whole thing through.

The controls are located in three areas: A circle on the side, a push button on the back and buttons along the bottom of the view screen. It is not clear when each control should be used so each time I want to do a function I need to flip the camera around pushing buttons trying to find the appropriate control, finally having to dig out the manual and reading glasses.

The viewfinder looks into the camera at a slight down angle instead of the more normal (for me at least) straight through. This proved very awkward when I was trying to film from from a deck looking down.