Panasonic DMR-ES46VS VHS / DVD Recorder Silver

• Plays both VHS tapes and multiple disc formats - DVD-RAM, -R/RW, +R/RW, DVD Video, VCD CD-R/RW, MP3 CD
• Super multi-format recording and playback allows reading & writing to multiple disc types
• One-touch 2-way S-VHS dubbing
• Easy Quick Start for recording
• Task-oriented GUI menu for easier use and completion of DVDs

If all you want is great picture quality, get this model. The HDMI upconversion is great and it does it with the VHS also. I really liked the flex recording feature which allows you to specify any recording lenght and it will record the best quality for that disc time. I just wish it was more complete. It records DL DVD but not continuously. You have to close the 1st layer before recording to the 2nd layer, which makes it not very good in the way of a dual layer recorder. Now this might be a bit nit-picky but this unit won't display the remaining time while playing a regular DVD video or give give you the total disc time. I just like to know how late I'll be staying up. Also the ES46VS has no eject button on the remote, no direct way of turning on the subtitles without having to go through a menu series, it will only accept SD cards, and there are no component inputs for recording. I returned my unit and will wait until Panasonic offers these simple fixes in a $300 device.

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I purchased this machine refurbished from Panasonic for a total of $150, including shipping, making the imperfections quite tolerable. It does much more than my previous DVD recorder which was twice the price. I have a Sony Bravia LCD HDTV and the display from this machine is quite good. After setting up the format for my widescreen TV, it worked like a charm.

I do not intend to use it as a tuner. I rent an HD DVR from Comcast for tuning. I really did not see much difference in the video quality on playback with commercial DVDs, but for my home recorded DVDs, the improvement is significant. VHS also will play through the HDMI cable, with some improvement too. These are formated for 4:3 aspect ratio and there really is no getting around it until you can get an input that supports high resolution 16:9 through component or HDMI interface. I was able to record from my OnDemand playlist through Comcast (something you cannot do on the rented DVR).

As with other reviewers, I am puzzled by the lack of eject and open/close functions on the remote, which even the cheap sets have. However, this machine does have very easy to use buttons that are large and right next to each slot on the machine. My past machines had tiny buttons that looked like all the others for the eject and open/close functions, making the remote almost a necessity. You do have to get up and walk over to the machine to get your disk or videotape out anyway, so this was not a huge deal for me. However, it did have trouble recognizing some DVDs at first pass, and I had to open/close the tray a few times before it recognized there was a playable disc in the drawer. So, you may want to wait by the machine while it reads before you sit down to watch.

The remote is fairly intuitive, particularly if you are used to DVD-R functions.

A huge rave for me is in regard to the flexible recording option, allowing you to customize the recording time on the DVD to fill the DVD, regardless of the length of the recording. This way you have the best possible recording quality. This is quite similar to DVD recording on your PC. Finalizing is a snap and much quicker than my old Sansui recorder.

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I wish I hadn't bought this unit. I didn't do my research and now I'm paying the price. Often I must put the DVD in twice to get it to run. I've learned that if the DVD doesn't play, take it out and put it in again. I tried the tape-to-DVD burn feature (looked simple) and somehow recorded a TV station instead. So I will have to re-read the instructions and try again. One other thing to consider before buying...this piece of electronics has the loooongest startup time I have ever encountered. I could start my car and drive a block by the time this unit has turned on and is ready to accept a tape or a disc. How could electronics be so slow?

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This model (also the DMR-ES35VS which I tried before) has a terrible tuner. When viewing TV programs (I have a 42" Sony Wega High Definition TV) through the machine to record them, the picture is degraded by 40% I think, and the color is not vibrant. And this is with the HDMI connection. At first, I thought the HDMI cable that it came with was no good, so I bought a $90 HDMI Monster Cable, but there was no improvement in the picture. Also, the remote control does not have an eject button, why is that? Even my old VCRs and DVD recorder/player have that feature.

If you want to convert VHS tapes to DVD only, then buy this machine it's great for that purpose. But if you also want to record shows from your TV, then I would suggest you check out other models/brands because the picture quality on this Panasonic is unacceptable (to me anyway). I will be returning this machine and will get another Sony, my two-year old VCR/DVD recorder has a great tuner.

I ordered a DMR-ES45VS refurbished but they shipped a Dmr-ES46VS. I called

they said it was the same but came with a free HDNI cable. It was a little tough to figure out. The complaint I have is the picture quality, even when

you just use it as a tuner the picture quality is worse that when you don't.

Thats using the HDMI or S output. Called tech. dept.,waited for 45min only

to be hung up on. Called back again 45 min wait, the tech. didn't have clue.

Called again, same wait, this tech was worse. Tried to send a email twice

on their web site couldn't. Company says I can ship it back if I pay the shipping. So far bad news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1280 x 960 Hi-Res Key Chain Car Remote Hidden Camera DVR Black

What you REALLY get is:

Video resolution: 720x480

Photo resolution: 1280x1024

NO motion detection video, only sound-activated if the sound reaches over 60db! (And I can't even get the sound activation to work at all, and I'm a gadget guy).

This advertisement for this product is more false than the last one I ordered. People, you have to go on a battle path if you want to force sellers to sell what they SAY they are selling; return your items and appropriately review them when they are not what they say they are! I'll update this later after I see the quality. This will be the 2nd one in a week (my first two purchases of this type ever) that I have to return. I've never had to return anything to Amazon before these. It's ridiculous. Don't just aay, "Well, I only paid $12." They are making a fortune off of people who are too lazy to do the return while becoming rich off of selling you something you didn't buy!

Having said all that, this seller eventually ended up giving me a full refund AND let me keep the item, so how can I complain? At least now I have decent quality video and sound (I use the keychain in my motorcycle helmet to make videos and record in the event of accidents). If only they change the product to match the description or vice versa, chances are this ends up being a 4 or possibly 5-star purchase.

Thanks for listening. :)

I bought this thing for recording any traffic stops I might be involved in, etc. For that purpose this thing works great. It has a decent field of view, though it could use improvement for my needs, it is probably more suitable for the average Joe. Don't expect decent video or pictures unless this is placed on a flat surface and not moving. If you do (as you're supposed to) when you're pulled over, and stop the car, it's not difficult to place the keys on your dash (with this attached), and record the entire proceeding, just make sure you're aiming it at whichever side the officer shows up on. Most importantly (for me) this records audio quite well. It's perfect for picking up voices! The only problem I have is that the camera does have a time limitation of 2 minutes, unless it hears LOUD audio. a thump on the dash could do it, but don't count on it.

If you're one of those people who likes to record police (in case of incident), this little bugger won't get your phone taken away as evidence.

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the camera is good, but instruction is whole s***. there is not even written that it needs memory card (only TF slot is indicated on small pic). I tried to connect it to computer but without results. then I found the really good instruction manual via internet, so I understood that it needed memory card. I took card from my NOKIA phone and then computer was able to see it via cable. I took some pics and videos. there is a link of instruction manual: if you decide to buy this product you really need to read this.Good luck :)

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Have three similar cams....... this is the best one. had to find online manual to operate it tho. so yeah.

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Onkyo DV-CP706 6-Disc DVD Player (Black)

• HDMI out with 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p output
• Chain Mode for Successive Disc Playback
• Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry (VLSC)
• Optical and Coaxial Digital Out
• Slow Motion DVD Playback (1/2, 1/4, 1/8 speed)

As previously posted, this unit will NOT play rental (or even mildly scratched) DVDs. Which is a problem because a number of our DVDs are kids movies and they get scratched with repeadted use. All the problematic DVDs play perfectly fine on a cheapo ($20) DVD player but this "high-end" unit is too much of a prima donna for these DVDs.

---------See Update Below

January 2010 UPDATE:

Took the unit to an authorized repair shop and they honored the warranty (I originally purchased it from Amazon). After the repair, the unit is AMAZING! No problems whatsoever and the sound and picture quality is far superior to cheapo DVD players! Repair center said some parts with laser, etc. tend to come loose with shipping and handling from online retailers. Took them a week to get the required parts and repair... all for free and worth the wait! If you're having problems with this unit definitely try taking it to an authorized repair shop! Would give it 5 stars if it came this way out of the box!

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We've had this product just a few weeks, but are quite pleased with it. The only snag was when we hooked it up to both our receiver (with RCA analog jacks)and our new HDTV (with an HDMI cable)so that we could play our CD's through our receiver and our DVD's through the television. The problem was in hooking up the TV. We received a picture but no sound. Talking to our tv technician was of no help. We figured the problem out through trial and error, namely that the Onkyo's menu had a variety of sound options, to include some that we had no idea what they were for. One option, I believe it was the "PCM" option, did the trick when we turned it on. Apparently this option lowers the kHz frequency of the output so that it is compatible with the television (whatever all that means). Once I clicked that option on, the sound came through the TV. These instruction booklets all assume that consumers understand these technical terms, so you have to be something of a detective to finally figure it all out. Now everything (finally) works.

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Purchased for parents who are not tech-savvy (was somewhat of a worry with setting this up), and are huge movie fans. (They like movies so much, they even sleep to them...) I wanted to make sure the DVD changer supported both their new TV (HD) and their old, CRT tube TV. And this certainly fit the bill.

The setup is very easy. (I was able to help with the setup over the phone in minutes.) However, the ease of setup doesn't mean that it is lacking options; there are plenty of options that are available to tweak the sound, the picture, etc. But for just getting the machine playing DVDs (maybe not optimally, but playing nonetheless), it's simple.

When visiting, I was able to see and hear this player in action. It's mostly silent itself, and had a picture/audio quality that was adequate for how it was hooked up using the composite cables ("RCA cables" red and white for audio, yellow for video.) When using an HDMI connection, everything really came to life, stepping into the modern world.

On a side note (in regards to some negative reviews here) Amazon.com *is* an authorized seller of Onkyo products (the "refurb" version part Warehouse Deals or whatever, likely is not.) If there's a problem, I can't see how you wouldn't be covered by either Amazon or Onkyo. I had actually purchased this same unit from another online vendor, and the DVD sounded like it was going through a meat grinder when it was playing. Returned it, bought from Amazon and the new one is working great... bottom line: Onkyo is a very quality and reputable brand, but no brand is going to be perfect 100%.

Would definitely purchase again.

****************UPDATE, September 2009*********************

This unit is now receiving "Cannot Read Disc" errors pretty randomly. It may not work on a disc, but the next time you try, it works fine. We tried cleaning all the discs, but after purchasing a few brand new DVDs and having the error, it's going to head back to Onkyo. Meanwhile, the $30 backup cheapie DVD player still works... bummer.

****************UPDATE, November 7, 2009****************

We finally got around to taking this in for warranty work. The nearest authorized service center was King Audio/Video (Redmond, WA.) The service folks were very pleasant and professional... after about 10 days, they called us up to come pick it up. (Apparently, Onkyo also covers shipping charges once the item is repaired, but we decided to just pick it up.)

Now, this is back to being a fantastic player. It's quieter than it was before, and it plays ALL DVDs, even if you can see some visible damage (scratching and such) on it.

If others are experiencing the disc read errors on older/scratched DVDs, I'd recommend getting it repaired while under warranty. (The problem eventually gets worse to where it won't even read a brand new DVD.) Yes, it's unfortunate that you have to get it repaired. But on the other hand that's what the warranty is for, and now this this is working GREAT.

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Does a nice job upconverting DVDs to HD, plays data CDs and DVDs as well; it's nice to have a few dozen hours of MP3s on a DVD and an on-screen menu to navigate them all. My only complaint is that the Onkyo set-up menus are somewhat low-tech in look and feel, but they do the job. All in a all a great little machine at the price.

One thing to keep mind with my review: I've been an Onkyo owner for quite some time and am partial to the brand and in addition, I am using this component in a set-up with all Onkyo equipment (including the Onkyo 876 AV receiver), so that set-up might improve the performance I get.

Reduces the number of components you need, plays everything you thow (I've thrown) at it (DVD+/R, DVD DL+R). Interfaces with my Onkyo Receiver seamlessly. Picture quality is top notch. Just double check the spec this player is lot deeper that most components.

Sezmi DMR-1000 All-in-One Personal TV Service, Black

• Watch your favorite TV shows without longterm contracts, many available in HD
• On-Demand: Thousands of TV shows and movies - from new releases to classics
• Web Videos: What you love on the Internet right to your TV. YouTube(TM) videos and more!
• Smart DVR: Automatically records your favorite and suggested shows. Up to two recordings simultaneously
• 1TB of storage, records up to 1400 hours of SD (standard definition) and 340 hours of HD (high definition) programming

We took part in the Sezmi Beta testing program earlier this year, trying out the service and box for about 4 months before signing up for it officially. Initially the box performed rather poorly, with the operating system and DVR software obviously still going through revisions and testing, but that was to be expected we were Beta Testers after all. This improved with software updates, and the latest version performs much better, but not without some bugs still.

Tuning took some experimentation and adjustment of the antenna with repeat scans to get a decent signal. Initially we were on the first floor of our apartment building and reception was a little iffy for some stations, but after we moved up to the second floor where there were fewer obstructions the reception improved considerably. I actually found I was able to get further signal improvement by connecting an old passive single pole antenna that came with an Elgato TV unit into the coax socket at the back of the Sezmi antenna converter box. Sezmi do offer a second antenna that uses their proprietary connectors, but the coax connector allows you to use pretty much any third party antenna as well. Most local stations come in at a decent signal level.

We have been long-time Tivo subscribers we bought one of the first generation Tivo units and have pretty much evangelized Tivo ever since. However, Tivo's contractual disputes with DirecTV meant that we could no longer get the combo unit and we were forced to use DirecTV's own HD DVR, which was slow, not to mention the gross expense of the service. We had been keeping an old Tivo unit running just for loyalty, but didn't want to pay the cost of Cable TV to use it, so when we heard about Sezmi it seemed the perfect alternative.

There are obvious similarities between Tivo and Sezmi, but where Sezmi primarily differs is in allowing viewers/users to create their own customized 'zones' which learns their own viewing habits and records their own shows independent of other users. A user's own interface is customizable by setting a color scheme to differentiate it from other users, and each is accessed via a color-coded button on the remote, which all works quite well, albeit the switch between users can be rather slow (more on speed issues further on). This is a nice feature as it allows separation of content for families or multi-viewer homes, where peoples viewing tastes may differ (husband: science and sci-fi, wife: reality and home/garden, kids: cartoons and music) etc.

The choice of channels for the price is impressive. For the basic $4.99 a month you get all the local networks in HD, but for $19.99 a month you can add a good selection of "cable" networks which would normally only be available through a local Cable or Satellite provider. We found the choices available to be a good cross section of the main channels we used to watch on Satellite, such as Discovery, TLC, Science Channel, SyFy, Planet Green (one of my wife's favorites), VH1, amongst others. All of these additional channels are received via the antenna alongside the regular local networks. They're obviously encrypted so that you can't view them if you only have the basic package. The local networks are all received in HD and are picked up from the regular over the air transmissions that you would get if you just hooked up an antenna direct to your TV what you're paying the $5 a month for is the DVR, Guide, and on-demand services at that point. The higher priced package allows you to receive the other channels which are decrypted by the DVR. The downside to all the additional channels is that they're not in HD, only SD, and the quality is, at times, barely SD. Getting decent reception for these extra channels is fairly hit or miss and depends a lot on where you live and your proximity to transmitters. We are in the middle of Los Angeles and we had continual problems with picture and sound breaking up and delays in the channel changing while it found and decrypted the transmission.

One thing to note about Sezmi is that it really isn't geared towards being a "Live TV" system something that becomes obvious when you realize that there is actually no "STOP" button on the remote. In order to watch "Live TV" one must go to the Guide and select the channel and show one wants to switch to. Live is not the default state. It is really designed to be a system that is used to pre-record pretty much everything to be watched later. This is one of the reasons behind having the massive storage capability it allows the system to record a LOT of content!

The DVR software, although competent, and providing for a LOT of storage capacity, has a lot of difficulty dealing with poor/broken signals. A lot of the time, if there is any kind of signal degradation during a recording, then that show becomes unwatchable on playback. The image breaks up, the sound stutters, and probably about 75% of the time the DVR functions become unusable because the scrubber cannot determine time codes and gets completely confused as to where it is supposed to jump to. Fast forward and Rewind functions lock up, skipping ahead sometimes works, and sometimes the show will just restart right back at the beginning, but when you reach the troubled area again it just goes haywire. This is something that really needs to be fixed some kind of check in the playback functions that looks for loss of integrity in the signal and unmatched time codes and attempts to jump over the problem area rather than try and play it. The system has some other anomalies that should be dealt with sooner rather than later it has a tendency to be somewhat overzealous when deleting shows by itself. On several occasions I went to watch one of about two dozen saved episodes of a show only to find that about half of them had been deleted by the system, but they did not then appear in the Deleted Items folder for me to recover. Shows that are manually deleted by the user go there, but shows deleted by the system (I assume to free up space or because it felt they had expired) do not.

There have been a few other niggles with the system that should be noted, and while not deal-breakers, they do cause some usability issues that can make the system less than ideal. When using the Guide, it is dreadfully slow taking between 5 and 20 seconds to refresh the current channel listing EVERY time you move the channel selector up and down, which can be painfully tedious how on earth this couldn't be cached is beyond me. This is an often repeated function and the user should not have to wait repeatedly every time for the guide to refresh. It becomes incredibly annoying and makes the system cumbersome to use. Even DirecTV's dreadful on-screen Guide works faster than this. Additionally, popup message windows, show info, confirmations etc take rather too long to disappear. Another annoyance is a bug that causes paused shows to automatically start playing again when you switch back and forth between users, meaning you have to remember to hit Pause again as soon as the switch is complete. Speed of the system overall is definitely a major issue the response of the device to button presses on the remote is probably only at about 85%, seemingly a result of the system being busy doing something else to react immediately to the remote, so responses are cached, however the lack of feedback means that one tends to try pressing the same or other buttons several times and when all those cached responses are then suddenly executed you end up with undesirable results. Speed of the system appears to be related to the number of saved recordings the more shows you have saved, the slower the system gets. When you compare the speed of Sezmi to a TiVo, it's like comparing night and day. If you have used TiVo and you know how fast the on-screen guide responds to navigation and how quick it is to set up Season Passes and delete content, you will be extremely frustrated by the sluggishness of Sezmi.

Sezmi is certainly new, and it is certainly innovative it has a LOT of potential, but it also still needs a LOT of work to make it truly usable on a day to day basis without being frustrating. The DVR software, Guide and Navigation overall need to be optimized to speed them up and make the user experience less cumbersome. If you're willing to put up with some bugs and work around some of the issues, then Sezmi is a great alternative to the much higher priced cable and satellite services. It's not a full-on replacement for those... yet, but it could be. If the additional non-local "cable" channels delivered were in HD and there was a wider selection, then even an extra tier at, say, $30/month, would be cheaper than basic cable or satellite. Combine that with a better UI and DVR software that works more effectively, and Sezmi will certainly give the big names a run for their money.

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I've had Sezmi since they rolled out in Southern California in 2009. I had Verizon FIOs for few years and was so tired of paying $100 per month for TV service. Once I got Sezmi and started paying $20.00 per month for HDTV and SD cable channels, I was hooked. The customization features are great and the cable channels are all you need. The equipment was a snap to set up and the Sezmi customer service people are the best I've seen. The DVR is awesome and you can program shows months in advance. Everyone in the house can have their own set-up and record all of their favorite shows using their own home screen. The pay-per-view movies are exactly what Verizon and Amazon offer with the convenience of not having to switch boxes.

The only negative is the mostly slow response of the remote control. Also, sometimes the PPV movies take a long time before you can play the movie you order. 5 stars when those issues are fixed. Not a big deal to me, but it would be nice if the cable channels were in HD as well. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the service and price. I won't ever go back to overpriced cable again.

______________________________________________________________

UPDATE: March 27, 2011

Unfortunately, we ended up cancelling our Sezmi service for the following reasons:

1. The company did away with the SD cable channels. Although SD looks bad on an HDTV, it was nice to be able to watch shows we would not have otherwise been able to view. They lowered the price from $20.00 per month to $5.00, but we were left with channels that we could grab over the air with our rooftop antenna.

2. So, we now had a DVR and PPV services with the Sezmi box for $5 per month. Here's what lead us to finally cancel: The Sezmi DVR is painstakingly slow. The response from the remote took many, many pushes on the buttons and sometimes the DVR responded and sometimes not. We waited and waited for Sezmi to correct the problems and after many, many months...nothing. They knew their DVR's were an issue but did not fix the problem.

The recordings of the shows we wanted to watch were plagued by studders in the video and sound drops every few seconds. Sometimes the video would speed up for no reason and resume playing at normal speeds. It was terrible to have a favorite program have so many interruptions. The PPV movies took up to 15-20 minutes to download and play. I have Verizon FIOS internet so my connection is blazing fast.

We had high hopes for Sezmi and ended up being very disappointed. I can't recommend the service. I ended up buying a Tivo DVR and using my Roku box for Hulu Plus, Amazon On Demand, and Netflix streaming. My Bluray player has Vudu for instant watching of movies. So sad because Sezmi weaned me off of cable and their game plan was awesome. Their engineering and product just fell way short of the mark.

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UPDATE: 9/23/11 Sezmi emails customers at 6pm Friday saying the service will not be available come Monday. Poor customer service that didn't allow their loyal customers any time to find a tv alternative. What a cluster.

Sezmi is fantastic, HD + DVR of over-the-air network channels for $4.99/month. I opted in for the cable channels ($20/month) and most of them show up in HD-like quality. However I am considering dropping to the $4.99 plan due to my TV habits.

Pros:

-HD-DVR for over-the-air channels for $4.99/month! You pay DirecTv $7/month for the DVR, $10/month for HD plus the programming package. Cable companies, you pay $17/month for HD DVR capabilities, plus the programming rates.

-DVR acts as a media player so you get YouTube, etc. on your TV.

-Weeds was an on-demand programming option. Wasn't expecting to see a Showtime show available. Note: it is the only cable-type show available. Sezmi if you are reading this, would love to see more Showtime shows.

-HD quality is better than satellite and cable

-"Cable" channels are better quality than expected. Some come in HD-like quality, others are standard.

-Very simple on-screen menu

-Fast-forwarding of recorded shows works so much better than DTV or the cable company DVRs.

-Customer service has been fantastic when I have called and they are located in the US. No struggle to understand the technicians.

Cons:

-Remote is a little tricky at first, but as with any remote you get used to it.

-A lot of Sezmi branding on the on-screen menus.

-There is a slight delay when changing channels. Not terribly annoying.

-Setup takes about 45 minutes, so don't expect to plug it in and watch immediately as they download the latest updates the minute you plug into the Internet.

I am in love with the value of Sezmi. I was so frustrated paying DTV or the cable companies $50+/month for the lowest programming package when all I really wanted was the DVR for the network channels. Now I have it for $4.99/month. When I look at how much I was paying the other companies, it paid for itself in 3 months.

Sezmi Rocks!

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I'm surprised to still see this listed, given that it no longer functions.

Directly from their website:

Important News

We regret to inform you that Sezmi is discontinuing its consumer service. As of Monday, September 26, 2011, you will no longer be able to view or record broadcast TV programming through your Sezmi System. However, you will still be able to view movies and shows you have already saved to your Sezmi media recorder. To help ease the transition, you may also rent movies and shows if available at no charge from Sezmi's On Demand catalog through November 1, 2011.

I was with the service from the time of the pilot. When it started it offered a selection of cable channels over the air through the Sezmi Plus service, and even promised that they'd have a service that even offered more cable channels. Instead, they eliminated all cable channels earlier this year, and now announced with just three days notice that they're eliminating their service completely, making the already purchased equipment worthless.

Panasonic DMR-E55K Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/Player , Black

• Records DVD-R, DVD-RAM for best of both worlds; plays DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW, and MP3 CD
• Up to 16 hours on a double-sided 9.4 GB DVD-RAM disc; up to 8 hours on a single-sided 4.7 GB DVD-RAM or DVD-R
• Offers one-touch record, TimeSlip, chasing playback (watching a recording in progress from the beginning), on-disc video editing
• Progressive-scan video output for seamless, flicker-free picture on high-definition and HD-ready televisions
• Measures 16.9 x 3.125 x 11.2 inches (W x H x D)

Normally I don't write reviews about electronics, I'm not an electronics expert nor have I used lots of DVD recorders. I'm making an exception with this piece of equipment. I did my research (reading reviews like this one) before purchasing this machine. I'd been waiting until the price of a quality machine came down to a price I felt was reasonable. This machine has been a jewel. I needed to archive a considerable collection of VHS tapes for my personal use (over 200 tapes, most of which were in excess of 1.5 hours each.) So far I have completed over 100 transfers and made only one frisbee, not bad. The quality of the transfers is all I could have hoped for, in fact it's exceptional. For anyone who wants to move a collection from VHS technology to DVD technology I will make 3 suggestions. First, purchase the SIMA GoDVD! unit. It enhances and cleans up weak signals, you'll thank me for this suggestion. Second, get a good VHS cleaner and use it regularly. Last, don't shoot yourself in the foot using the cables that come with these units. Go out and purchase monster cables or their equivalent. Using the skinny little things that come with the unit will keep you from getting the best possible information transfer. If you're watching your dvds on the new generation of television you WILL notice the difference.

Last but not least, normally I don't believe in extended warranty contracts. With this unit I made an exception. I bought an 3rd party contract since I learned that Panasonic will keep your unit for months if you utilize their contract. The lasers in these things are pricey and in my opinion worth spending a little money on insurance. Oh, one last thing, be very careful that you DO NOT move your recorder with a DVD disc in the tray. The repair technician I spoke to regarding the contract said that this is the #1 way to screw up a DVD recorder.

As to the quality of the user interface. My wife, one of the truly great technophobes of the 21st Century was able to use this machine with a minimum of coaching. It's really pretty easy to use, but like everything it takes a little reading and time to get the hang of it.

I'm posting this review as a way to thank those of you who have posted reviews that have helped me make good purchases. What a great way for us to help each other, very empowering.

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I can't comment on the longevity of this product, as I've only had it for a few days. But I can comment on the features and ease of use which are excellent. Contrary to the reviewer who said it is extremely hard to set up, I say the opposite. For the rest of us who can easily work a microwave or an electric shaver without incident, this thing is as easy as you'd want. Here's the 'exceedingly' difficult set up routine:

1. Plug in all the cables (make sure you get them in the right holes...)

2. Turn it on. You'll get a menu asking you what language you speak. Then let it go for a while and it'll set the channels and time for you.

3. Whew..we made it past that. Now to program something to record: Press the 'funtions' button and go to the 'timer recording' mode.

4. Choose the channel, ENTER, start time, ENTER, end time, ENTER, record mode, ENTER. You're done. Wow. Hard.

5. To watch a recorded program, press the navigator button and choose a recording. ENTER.

6. To watch from the beginning while you are still recording, press the Time Slip button. Then control it as a regular recording, or press stop to go back to live TV. Easy.

For the price this seems to be a great unit. The picture quality is great and it works as advertised. I don't really see the necessity of the 'feature' of being able to use double sided DVDRam discs, because you have to flip them over anyway, so it doesn't really let you record twice as long without intervention.

One more note : It says on the box that it supports DVDAudio discs, (music CDs specially split into 5.1 channels). But it specifically says in the book that they will play on this unit on only 2 channels. That doesn't really seem like support for the standard.

Overall, it is a great replacement for my piece of junk VCR and is indeed easy to use. Can't go wrong here.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DMR-E55K Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/Player , Black Here

I needed a unit that would both record high quality video at the two hour setting as well as decent quality at the four to six hour setting. Saw the five star rating here and knew this was the one.

I am very pleased with this unit. I am recording from a DirecTV signal and it seems as if I am watching the actual broadcast. I highly recommend this Panasonic recorder.

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Bought this for my wife and in 4 days shes taped 12 movies flawlessly. The video and sound qualities are excellent. The output to the TV through the cable throughput is better than my Yamaha home theatre reciever system costing $800. The ram disks work the same as the r/w standard. I had no problems setting up the machine. I would recommend this unit to anyone with a vcr or old vhs tapes of the family. It does a great job cleaning up old tapes for archives.

This unit does everything I want it to...recording off cable tv as well as transfering my dusty and decrepit vhs collection to dvd with surprisingly good results.One of the easiest hookups I've ever experienced,super easy remote control operation and programming. You won't find a better unit for the price or a more user friendly recorder....Love It!!!

Honeywell 5853 Wireless Glass Break Detector

Most security products come with some pretty dodgy instructions, but the ones included with the glass break protector were pretty good. Installed in my partially exposed basement and enrolled in the Ademco Vista 20P in 10 minutes.

I have purchased two of these for areas in my house with glass panes not suitable for shock sensors that stick to the glass pane itself (eg sliding glass doors, opening windows, etc). I installed them as Zone Type 3, Perimeter Sensor, in my Ademco system.

I purchased a FG701 that simulates a "flex" event followed by sound of breaking glass. The flex event, which was never well-defined anywhere, is basically an object hitting glass prior to a break. Combined, this sensor looks for a flex (thud of something hitting glass), followed by a breaking glass sound. This helps eliminate false-positives. I tested the installation locations with the FG701, mounted the units, and can say they actually work. I re-confirmed it by accidentally triggering the test sound while I had the alarm armed in stay mode :P The alarm instantly went off indicating the faulted zone. Further, I brought my tester to my friend's place with an ADT system that had a similar looking sensor on his wall. Without waiting for me, he went and played with the sensor. It triggered his alarm and the monitoring company called. As a result, I'm certain these devices work quite well.

Note: if you're installing these you really should pick up a FG701. It is difficult to tell if the location of the sensor will pick up both sounds without this device. E.g. how do you know if your drapes are too heavy for the sensor to be 25' away without *really* testing it.

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These glass break sensors work great and are very sensitive. I've accidentally set them off by knocking over a heavy metal cookbook holder in the kitchen, that my wife insists be kept in the middle of the counter. The sensor is about 10 feet from where the cookbook lives.

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I've installed hundreds of these, and as long as you following the directions for positioning these are some of the best wireless glass breaks I've used. Very few I installed were defective also the ability to change the sensitivity is very handy!

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This integrates perfectly with the honeywell L5100 Alarm system. you can select snesitivity and simply mount it above the window or in the room you want to guard.

Samsung DVD-S221 DVD Player

• Component, S-video and composite-video output terminals work with most standard and advanced televisions
• Elegant titanium-finish front panel; DVD-Video, DVD-R, audio CD, and MP3 CD-R/CD-RW playback
• Phantom Surround processor delivers surround effects from any two speakers
• Advanced Navigation system simplifies viewing; motion zoom lets you magnify select portions of the screen during playback
• Measures 17 x 2.75 x 9.5 inches (W x H x D)

Despite what another reviewer says, I have experienced no trouble with either playback quality or range and angle of remote control. DVDs need to be kept clean, or data loss will cause image quality degradation.

This pretty much plays everything you'd expect a DVD player to: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, VCD, DVD, etc. It has a 1 year parts and labor warranty, which Samsung extends by 3 months if you register promptly. Considering that it is sometimes sold for [a large amount of money], I consider it an excellent value.

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I love this DVD player-no complaints! My TV doesn't have a "S" video cable input, so I used the RCA video cable that was provided with the DVD player-great picture! After plugging in the video RCA cable, I ran the 2 audio RCA cables from the DVD player to my amplifier/reciever-the stereo sound this DVD player provides sounds great on an analog stereo! It's better than being in a movie theatre, though, because you can press the "I. REPLAY" button and have the movie replay the last 10 seconds just viewed (great for a football game with a bad call-you can replay the play and zoom in or change viewing angles to decide for yourself if the referee made a good call).

This DVD player also has the subtitle option for those DVDs that have subtitles on them. The player is also capable of playing any language on the DVD. I like to play movies in other languages with English subtitles active-then I can learn other languages while being entertained!

This DVD player does have digital options if your TV is digital or you have a digital receiver. It is has an "S Video" output as well as digital out (optical and coaxial for DTS sound), however you need to have these cables because Samsung only provides RCA cables.

This is a great DVD player that's pretty inexpensive. I would (and have) definitely recommend it to a friend!

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I bought this DVD player to lighten the load off my PS2. I can happily say that it was very very worth it. I bought it for [money] and I got a good quality player. Has a very nice playback, and I bought component cables wich made it look great.

It also plays CDS, VCDS and MP3S

I recommend this to everyone who wants an affordible player

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I have a high end... DVD player that I use for serious watching (read: best quality), so my review takes into account what a dvd player should do at the very best. But, when you spend [money] on something like a dvd player, you shouldn't expect the absolute best. For the money, it works fine for me and really is valuable if you don't mind some glitches. I have found that there are some skipping issues with MP3 playback, and the remote isn't going to be you're best friend (finding a programmable one that scans for dvd players would be better), and some brand new dvds skipped (but that has also happened on my [high end] model--albiet less frequently). The reason why I can't complain too much about this dvd player is its wide range of media support. My high end model only plays true vcds and dvds, but this baby here can play dvd, vcd & mp3 format that is burned onto cd-r, cd-rw dvd-r media. That feature alone is worth the price and is invaluable for someone like me who burns vcds, mp3s and the like all the time.

Another reviewer mentioned the horizontally "squeezed" look of the picture. Indeed, when first taken out of the box, the DVD player is set to display on a 16x9 set -not what most of us have these days! All one has to do to "fix" this is to go to the settings menu and set your TV type according to what you have (I used 4x3, letterbox and the picture looks just fine).

The remote control is better laid out than many that ship with similarly-priced DVD players. A/V quality is pretty standard. There are component, RCA, S-video, and both coax and optical digital audio outputs.

I lowered the point score of my review for the following reasons:

1) The remote control sensitivity is below average. It works, but it's not nearly as sensitive as most of my other equipment;

2) There's only one set of RCA A/V outputs. Granted, it has a full complement of outputs (see above), but an additional set of RCA A/V outputs would have been helpful in my particular configuration.

JVC XV-N40BK Progressive-Scan Slim DVD Player , Black

• Ultra-slim player with standard and progressive-scan video outputs (for use with high-definition and HD-ready TVs)
• Compatible with DVD-Video, VCD, DVD-R, DVD+RW, CD, JPEG image CD-R, and MP3 CD
• 192 kHz audio digital-to-analog converters optimal for CD and higher-resolution sources
• Video Fine Processor (VFP) offers exceptional versatility in fine-tuning images to personal preferences
• Includes 13-step zoom and screen fill (which zooms in on a DVD image to eliminate letterbox "bars" on the TV screen)

This is my first DVD player. I've had it since June 2003, and it still works. It lives here with me, and there are no kids around to destroy it, and it gets played once or twice a week. Why wouldn't it work? It's extremely slim, has a cool blue light when it's on, and I've been able to play everything I've ever gotten from Netflix. So, as far as I'm concerned, this player is great!

There are a couple of things I've noticed about it, and I don't know if this is common practice with VCRs or not. But not all my reviews are for ranting or raving; I like to inform, as well! So here's what I know:

I don't have cable, and I've noticed that if I sit the machine on top of my TV, the reception on the TV gets very snowy. It took me a while to figure out why my picture got so bad, when I had a powered antenna that usually brings in a great picture for me. This problem went away when I moved the DVD player off the TV and onto its own shelf.

I think the machine is very quiet. Mind you, I live in an apartment, and I watch my TV with stereo headphones, so machine noise as I'm watching a movie is not an issue for me. So if the DVD player is making noise, it's not enough to bother either me or the neighbors.

The remote has more buttons on it than I will ever use. Six months later, I still haven't figured out what they all are. All the important buttons that actually play the DVD are in white. If you switch to TV, you can turn the sound up and down and channel surf with the blue buttons. Other than mute and video, I've never touched the gray buttons, and frankly don't understand why there are so many. On the other hand, I've bought more DVD player than I need, so it's not that surprising that the buttons are a little daunting.

I have a JVC television (which I've reviewed some years ago), and that colored my decision to buy it somewhat. It ended up being a choice between the Panasonic and JVC, but ultimately, all other things being equal, I bought it for its looks. Being JVC, I knew it would be a quality device, and a delightful result of my decision is that it is already programmed to work with my three-year-old JVC 20" TV! I didn't have to program it or anything.

I could have bought a ridiculously low-priced machine from APEX, but I'm old school and I don't like buying things figuring I'm just going to toss it later. I buy quality and I expect it to last. So far, the XV-N40BK is just what I need. If, heaven forbid, I'm ever crazy enough to spend more on a TV than I do my car, then the machine will be ready, since it is already progressive-scan. I don't know what progressive-scan is, and I cannot use that feature anyway. You don't have to use it to use the machine.

Part of me wanted to wait for DVD recorders to get real cheap, because I have a lot of videotaped TV shows I'd like to convert. Well, I figured why wait for what could be years down the road, when you can enjoy DVDs now. Tomorrow isn't promised to anybody! And I was a die-hard convert, too. I didn't jump on the DVD bandwagon; I had to be thrown! But I'm glad I made the move. I love the fact that you get extra stuff besides the movie on the DVD; audio commentaries are the best thing since movies started talking, in my opinion. And when you pause the DVD, it's perfectly still and will stay that way forever until you un-pause it. (My VCR only paused for 3 minutes, and you had some flicker with it.)

So, all in all, I think I've made a great decision on two counts: one, jumping on the DVD bandwagon (and if you rent you never really have to own any...no more bulky tapes! Imagine the storage space you save...); and two, choosing the JVC XV-N40BK, a beautiful little black machine that says hello to you when it's activated and shows every indication that it's going to be around a long time.

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I bought this unit to replace my older Sony unit, which has trouble playing home-burned CDs and some home-burned DVDs. Furthermore, I thought that with progressive scan it would be a good match to the component inputs of my JVC 56" projection set. Immediately I noticed bad video artifacts on any fast action scenes...anything moving horizontally would have streaky lines trailing it. If you then "rewind" over the same section, it would play fine! I tried every possible combination of settings and switched from the component outputs to S-Video and even composite, but the streaking remained.

The JVC is on it's way back to the store, and my Sony is back in place. Maybe I got a lemon, but I'll be looking at other brands.

Read Best Reviews of JVC XV-N40BK Progressive-Scan Slim DVD Player , Black Here

Doesn't JVC understand that they cannot afford to sell an incredible dvd player for under $90.00--especially when it out performs a $280.00 top brand name dvd player. MY family gave this baby the full test: DVD movies, Audio CDs, CD-R audio, CD-R video slide shows, CD-R jpegs, and the ultimate -An original collector's edition DVD movie that would breakup every time on our $280.00 DVD player (it played flawlessly with the JVC). Needless to say, the JVC XV-N40BK is now hooked up to our home entertainment system & the "expensive" model is headed to Ebay! Don't take my word, check what Consumer Reports says about this machine!

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I got this player new for around $100. It matches my Sony receiver just right and is awesome for music CDs and DVDs. I also read that it was the top-rated Consumer Reports DVD player.

The picture and sound quality so far have been superb with it hooked up through component. However, I have seen the stuttering problem occur on this player in panning scenes, but it only happens if I start pause the movie a lot. I can play movies from start to finish and pause a couple of times and never see it stutter. Another thing is that I have never seen the 4:3 PS mode work to stretch a widescreen movie to fit the whole screen. Isn't that what it's supposed to do on some DVDs (if any)?

It does read all kinds of discs and supports Pro Scan too. I really like how any disc will begin to play after only 2-3 seconds on this player. Coax and Optical audio outs are also a definite plus. I recommend this as an excellent DVD/CD player.

I have had this JVC unit now for about two weeks. It replaced my aging high-end, at the time, Toshiba which was having trouble playing DVD-R's CD-R's etc. I am very impressed by this unit. It plays any disc I put into it, including MP3's a big plus.

The picture and sound are outstanding. I use it soley in 480P and it is jaw dropping on my 65" HDTV.

A really happy customer.

Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD Camcorder with 10.6 MP Still and 12x Optical Zoom

It was a long wait but finally got it last week and then took it for a trip right away, its performance it's outstanding, I got this camera for a TV show we are producing, after seeing a few options we decided to get this one because of several reasons:

Size, the camera is very compact, for a camera that provides broadcast quality image the size is amazingly small.

Construction, this camera has most of its body made out with metal panels, that makes it very solid and also makes it reliable, also the set up of the buttons are easy to access.

Price, there are other models in the market that could deliver a similar quality or probably a little better but the cost is at least $1k more, if you think like I do "creativity is the main ingredient for a good production", spending the extra cash doesn't really make a difference as long as you are aware of the camera's capabilities and limitations, but there is always ways to improve performance in some conditions that could affect the correct functionality of your equipment.

Tapeless technology, we bought another AVCHD camera a little less than a year ago, we use it mostly for action shots and underwater recording, the transition was effortless, the advantages and capturing time are reduced to minimal and the quality is amazing, with this model we found that its quality is even better than older models and editing is a lot quicker, also recording cost are cut to almost nothing with new SDHC cards that can be used over and over without loosing quality... Just this fact makes it a must buy!!!

After using it for this little time I have managed to work around its many controls and get exactly what I want from it, the response to low light is not the best but it's decent, you can always add a good light for little money and resolve that problem, also the sound quality is excellent, I didn't get the optional xlr adapter piece for it but I am using a 8mm wireless mic system that combined with this little fellow deliver great results!!

In short words: "the new Panasonic AG-HCM40 is not the best camera money can buy but ,to my opinion, it's the best camera money can buy for this price!!"

I just met this camera last week, little brother to the HMC150. The HMC40 brings several welcome upgrades to market. I'm an intermediate producer in training with lots of self study and attended a few great workshops. After two years of shooting 1920 HD on the low end I have to say this camera impressed me.

PROS:

1) MPEG-4. Shoots very good quality in a tiny light weight package. Just love it. Even has time-lapse capability which sure beats roto-ing in post for a time lapse effect.

2) You can squeeze two HMC40s in the same size carryon pelican case as the 150.

3) Start editing your shots on Mac in only 2-3 minutes without waiting for rendering. No transcoding required, no $600 P2 cards either. But you should use something faster than just class 6 SDHC media if you want to bump up the quality a little, otherwise you might get some artifacts (image problems) with fast motion and striped clothing. Same problem as any media recording slower than the camera.

4) I'm cool with renting HMC150 and redrock/letus for higher end projects if necessary. This camera is fine for making DVD projects or streaming HD.

5) Great looking shots with 4:2:0 sampling.

6) We produce our own stuff, make a profit and clients keep coming back. With a $1995 retail price tag I can finally afford to own two very nice HD cameras.

CONS:

A) Manual button lovers will need to learn the softkey menus. I love the softkeys with all the same features. No different than using an iphone.

B) Two choices for sound: Seperate sound (best) or get the panasonic/beachtek adapter for on camera. I like using seperate sound on a tascam or fostex digital recorder with four seperate channels (mic 1, mic 2, wild background). This gives you plenty of room to remix in post or replace sounds. Great sound is still 50% of the production.

C) It's not the same glass lens set as 150/170 so you may need different accessories.

D) No timecode jam sync between two cameras. This camera does have its own timecoding (HH:MM:SS:FF). Oh well, I've been living without timecode sync since I started. It just adds a little to the time in post for manually lining up shots and sound tracks. It's no problem to keep using a clapper board anyway. Clappers do give a kinda nostalgic flair for the crew and spectators.

I hope this helps. Upgrade cameras every couple of years while the resale value is still a good plan. After shooting a short this weekend I think this is going to be a good two year relationship. I wish you the best.

Semper fidelis,

David Cannon

Buy Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD Camcorder with 10.6 MP Still and 12x Optical Zoom Now

This camera deserves "6 Stars" on image quality. I am a Realist when it comes to reviewing a product. First: we must consider the items price, $1995.00. In the "Professional Video Camera World", That is tantamount to saying a steal!!! I will not go into features and functions, the description of this Camera is given in detail on the product description portion of this page.

Second: Size and weight, Until very recently, a Pro Video Camera came in two sizes, large and super large. The additional problem here is that the general public became used to seeing these monstrosities at events, and broadcasts. Many Video Camera Professionals still look for these monstrosities simply to appease their clients visual expectations. This is the wrong approach, we should stop breaking our backs with our equipment, and instead educate the public of the technological advances that have benefited this industry. The video quality produced by this camera will please the most discriminating client.

Third: You have all this quality being recorded on SDHC cards (my advise is Class 10 30mbs or better). Recording on SDHC cards will be a liberating experience for people who used tape in the past. The Quality is much better. You cannot record over scenes by accident. It can be recorded on again and again, without loss of quality. It is not affected by altitude like hard drive consumer models. If you are thinking of getting this camera, Just get it.....think later!!!

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Professional AG-HMC40 AVCHD Camcorder with 10.6 MP Still and 12x Optical Zoom Here

If you are brand new to professional or pro-sumer camcorders or figure its about that time to step up from your handycam days into the world of professional audio/video, there is no better "starting gate" than the Panasonic AG-HMC40. Its smaller form factor will be a familiar "path" in terms of handling and control but will also give you some more real estate to play with the included on-camera controls. Most of this stuff are things within the menus os high-end consumer camcorders but they have been placed on the camera body for quick reach and control. This enabled a lot of on-the-fly adjusting that was simply not possible with lower end consumer camcorders of today.

Then they add manual adjusting with a focus ring, an iris dial control, three different user-controlled buttons and a wole host of other goodies that will propel your experience into the real of professional videography use.

The included battery that comes with the HMC40 is actually the MID-RANGE model that provides about 3 hours of juice at full charge. Most models of camcorders like this (including the older brother HMC150) usually come with the smallest size 1-hour battery but the fact that Panasonic decided to include the 3.5 hour battery in this kit is simply fantastic. The 8 hour extended battery is always recommended but this three hour long model is definitely a welcome addition that will help offset the cost of buying an extended battery, especially if you don't need longer than a 3 hour model (you can use the money saved for on-camera external microphones, the optional XLR adapter, or external lighting).

Speaking of extras, the optional Panasonic XLR adapter is a MUST if you wish to use a good quality XLR shotgun or omni-directional microphone. External lighting is something you DEFINITELY will need if you plan on filming in low light as this camera's low light recording capabilities are mediocre at best without a decent light.

Also, don't be fooled. This camcorder records perfectly in it's highest quality mode with a GOOD QUALITY Class 4 SDHC card. As long as the SDHC card you plan to use is a good brand such as Transcend, PNY, Lexar, SanDisk, or other quality brands, a class 4 (with MINIMUM 4MBps write speeds) records perfectly. This camcorder records at a MAXIMUM of 24Mbps (That is MEGABITS per second, which equals 3MBps -MEGABYTES PER SECOND-) and a quality Class 4 SDHC cards writes at a MINIMUM of 4MBps (MEGABYTES per second). The ONLY reason you would want a Class 6 or 10 speed SDHC card if if you wanted a higher transfer speed (which is good when offloading the data off the card onto a computer. A Class 6 or 10 card should have a minimum write speed of 6MBps and 10MBps respectively, with good quality SDHC cards even having a minimum write speed of 16MBps 30MBps (Lexar, Transcent, SanDisk being my favorites). I've heard bad things with ADATA cards and this camcorder so please be aware in case you plan on using lower quality SDHC cards as you might get distortion, pixelization, ect.

I hope this helps you in your purchase of this great professional Panasonic camcorder!

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This is the most exciting camera that I have ever owned. Not only is this an outstanding HD video camera but it is also an excellent still camera. While I am still exploring the possibilities of what this camera is capable of I have already come to appreciate the advantages that it offers in controlling the picture quality. The ability to accurately focus quickly as well as to control hot spots in the picture area with the manual f stop control is greatly appreciated. The touch tone screen control works effectively and the ability to choose any three settings for quick access is valuable. I've never seen a camera where the controls were be set up than this one. When hand holding the controls are in exactly the right spot. The ability to do Time Lapse photography is something I have always wanted in a camera and this one does a excellent job. The picture sharpness in the highest recording rate (Approx. 21 Mbps) is breathtaking. My only complaint would be that the instruction book comes only as a pdf file. I printed it off and use it all the time in teaching myself the ins and outs of the superb tool. This is a camera for the person who is serious about creating artistic works that go beyond just shooting a video record. While I'm sure that the Panasonic AG-40 would fit in well with professional TV applications I think that this camera will open up a new world for the serious non-professional who desires to create personal masterpieces. I would pick this as the video camera of the year!

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Cables To Go 29160 Velocity S-Video Cable, Blue (25 feet)

I needed an S-video cable to output video from my Powerbook to my TV, and this cable certainly did the job. I had been using a shorter RCA plug and the difference in quality was noticable, as was to be expect. S-video provided a clearer, more rich image compared to the RCA cables I was using.

This 4-pin cable is constructed well, and feels sturdy in one's hands. If you need to output video to a device 25 feet away, this cable works well. Just make sure that a 4-pin cable will fit into whatever device you're using.

Local store bought cable (generic) was noisy, with horizontal interference lines. This one works perfect and a delivers a fine HD picture.

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I bought this product in Apr'2006. I am giving the review now only.

I bought this to connect my computer / laptop to CRT TV. It worked so well for almost 2 yrs.

Will recommend.

Now I have LCD TV. So moved to DVI to HDMI.

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I bought this cable when I thought that s-video would carry both audio and video. It doesn't. As with all S-video cables, this one only carries video. I was going to use it as a temporary across-the-room cable. I ended up using Cables To Go 17916 25ft Value Series RCA-Type Audio Video Cable (Black) to temporarily run A/V across the living room.

This 25' s-video cable replaced the long video line running to my TV. Sound takes another route. The cable is of perfectly good quality and I really like the price. I can't tell if the picture is better. A dust rag to the TV screen produces more tangible results.

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As I recall, this cable cost much less than other s-video cables I have purchased. It worked as expected, although I did not use it for more than a few weeks.

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VideoSecu 700TVL Day Night Vision Outdoor Vandal Proof Security Camera Buit-in 1/3" Sony Effio CCD

I bought two of these and installed one so far. It works good for the price. If my arthritis lets up a little I will get the other one installed.

I bought two of these cameras one to watch my drive way and one in my living room and it works great in both places. This is a great camera with good color and night vision.

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2.0" Ltps TFT LCD Display Real Hd H264 5m Carcam Hd Car Video Camera Recorder DVR

I have one of these and it works fine. They don't come with TF cards, but what do you expect for the price? Buy a card and make some movies. It works great in the car and the reason these exist is because they make great proof for traffic accidents, etc. Motion detection works fine too.

won't be able to check this out until I buy a micro SD card,not sure if I was supposed to get one or not.This isn't the one I saw on youtube,this is a fake/knock off...don't buy it!!!I'll be returning this junk asap.

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TSSS Portable Carcam Car DVR

• LCD Display:1.5" TFT LCD(4:3)
• Camera Lens:120 degree wide angle, 4 fixed focus Lens, aperture 2.0,focus 3.4mm
• Sensor:5M CMOS Sensor,1/2.5" light-sensing surface area
• Video Resolution:H.264 compressed format 1920×1080,30 frame/sec; 1440×1080,30 frame/sec 1280×720,30 frame/sec;848×480,60 frame/sec848×480,30 frame/sec
• Accessories: USB cable, TV cable, HDMI cable , manual, car charger,bracket

Cameras work great. These are GS 1000 blue menu firmware. Comes complete and work great (if a little over priced, but convenient not having it shipped from China). Also works great with the Datakam player software.

Olympus Digital Voice Recorder

Works great, ultra clear recordings, plenty of space, and files easily load onto Windows XP (have not tried any Apple PC's with it). Only issue it the switch from conference and dictation is sometimes easily switched, and you will later realize you recorded in the incorrect format.

I GOT THIS VOICE RECORDER. I AM NOT SURE IF MINE IS PRE OPENED, BECAUSE I FOUND OUT THAT THE BATTERY IS MISSING(WHICH SHOULDN'T),EVEN THOUGH THE RECORDER IS STILL, OBVIOUSLY, BRAND NEW.

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Sony DVP-NS57P/S Progressive Scan DVD Player, Silver

• Precision Drive, 3 System For Flaws in DVD Discs
• Progressive Output (480p)
• Multi Brand TV Remote Control*
• Dolby® Digital Decoding Compatible
• Tunerless

I've had this DVD player a few weeks now and have watched a couple dozen DVDs. None have given me any problems, including scratched DVDs and DVDs burnt on cheap media which would freeze and skip on my old econo DVD player.

The pros: The user interface is excellent. It seems solid, quick to respond, and well made. I love the speed up/slow down feature, very cool. It's sleek and compact looking, excellent remote control response range.

The cons: The remote will not program for too many TVs, there's only about a dozen codes and none of them work for my older TV. I'm sure it's fine if you're TV is from the last 5 years or so, or a very common older one though.

This model is one of very few DVD players I looked at that wasn't made in China, definitely a plus in my book (although many other Sonys are).

I can't yet speak for long-term use, but overall, I'm very impressed.

Buy Sony DVP-NS57P/S Progressive Scan DVD Player, Silver Now

I can't believe people are writing negative reviews on this player at all. I have seen some of them, and quite frankly some of them are just plain absurd. What do you want out of a sub $60 player?

It has played every dvd i have burned flawlessly. No pixelization as you might get with some older or cheaper players. It also played a random Mp3 disk i put together with no problem...and even listed the tracks.

The picture and audio are fantastic as well. Sure it doesn't have a ton of "bells and whistles" to it, but i was just looking for a basic player that would just play my dvd's flawlessly and this player does a great job of it. If you want a dvd player without the high price tag that will deliver great picture and sound, this is the one for you!

Read Best Reviews of Sony DVP-NS57P/S Progressive Scan DVD Player, Silver Here

NOTE: This review is a copy&paste of my review for the 2005 SKU/model/version of this player ... Sony DVPNS50P. After that it became the "55" model before this year when it became the "57" model.

DECEMBER 2005: I have only had this item for about three weeks or so. I am hoping that it "holds up" over time, unlike a lot of other DVD players on the market that apparently fail so quickly they are practically disposable in nature.

The "pros" on this item (so far) are:

* sleek, slim, uncluttered look of the unit

* comes in either black or silver, so you can match it up to your other devices.

* easy set up. There's a electrical plug, trip-RCA jacks and an S-video jack. Hook-up is a snap. Hardware-wise, the device, then, is really uncluttered.

* seems to be a good deal for the price.

The "cons" (so far) are:

* as said elsewhere by other reviewers... it IS slow. Slow to boot a disc. Slow to re-start a disc that has been stopped. Just slow.

* the display readout on the front of the box. It scrolls words like "welcome," "open" "close" and "no text." The firmware engineer was apparently out to lunch on this one. There's not even a clock display. It will display the time the DVD has played, thank goodness.

*the on-screen menu is pretty lame. Must have been the same engineer. The menu choices are only displayed as cryptic graphics, and the choices for each graphic are brief and uninformative (as in "on, off, auto" or similar types of statements). You will absolutely have to work through the manual to figure it out. And you won't find a lot of useful functionality after you do. It is a pretty bare-bones box.

* The remote control could use a good bit of improvement. The text is large enough to read ... but the buttons barely protrude from the face. You have to grasp this thing firmly, get your finger right on the button and apply a good bit of pressure to score. And a lot of the buttons can't be pushed while the thing is sitting on the coffee table ... the back of the device is beveled at the top, so if you press on the buttons near the top -common usage buttons like TV on/off, box on/off and open/close -while it is sitting on a level surface, the thing just flips up in the air. And the range is horrid. It can't handle getting its signal over the edge of my coffee table three feet away from the box. You've got to pick it up and aim it directly at the device if you want the box to respond. There's no facilitation for using the remote at night (no glow in the dark, backlighting, light-through, etc.) AND the remote came in silver. Who at Sony thought that I would want a silver remote if I bought a black box? Was molding cases for the remote in two different colors too big a challenge for them ... or did it just make it easier for Sony to manage its inventory?

* The box has already told me "no disc" incorrectly a couple of times. Jogging it opened and closed resolved the issue. Either the tray is not designed to align the disc 100% when inserted ... or this is an indication the device is going to have read problems down the road. Time will tell.

Still, IF it is quality, IF it is durable, then it's worth what I paid for it.

UPDATE: September, 2006. After owning one for almost a year ... and buying two more this summer ... I can still recommend this unit. Every once in a great while, it gets confused enough so that I have to unplug it from the wall to "reboot it." It has tracked flawlessly on almost every DVD ... just a freeze here and there on some heavily used Netflix rentals. I do not see any evidence of dual-layer freezing.

UPDATE December, 2007. All three units still working fine and still recommended.

UPDATE March, 2009. No problems! Recommended!!!

NOTE: The "57" does NOT have S-video input; the "50" does. I replaced the remote with a Sony RM-VL600 'trainable' remote. $20 and well worth it. Check it out.

Want Sony DVP-NS57P/S Progressive Scan DVD Player, Silver Discount?

I am the type of person who likes to get the most value for the money I spend. This Sony definitely gives you the most value for what you get!

We have a room for the kids and they love to watch Disney DVDs and can sit for hours entertained and immersed in a good video. Superb video and audio quality makes it more enjoyable for them.

I decided to get a good versatile DVD Player that would provide the best picture and audio quality for the children. I did not want to obtain the higher end dvd players with 780p, 1080i, or 1080p high definition because the television in the childrens play room is only capable of 480p at best. Therefore, if you are looking for a DVD player to use for your 1080i, or 1080p flat screen TV...then do not read any further...this DVD player is not for you. Always remember your high definition television is limited by what you connect it to. This progressive scan DVD player provides much better quality than standard television and is considered enhanced definition, but by no means high definition.

Now check this out! For less than $60, you get a player that can play MP3s, CD, DVD, CD-R, SVCD, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL, Video CD, JPEG photo playback and now combine that with Progressive scanning for an awesome 480p Enhanced Definition Picture! WOW!!!

I found this particular player could play the childrens scratched DVDs, while my other more expensive DVD player could not. I also found this player to have produced the best sound quality on the childrens television I have heard, coming from their tv set. The money I spent for this DVD player definitely is worth every penny. I am so happy with this DVD/CD player.

The remote is very easy to use. The functions for playback, resume and scrolling through chapter scenes is effortless. The only reason I don't switch out my other more expensive DVD player is because my living room TV is a 1080i flatscreen. Otherwise, I would exclusively have this DVD player on all of my televisions.

My experience with Sony products have always been good. This time it is more than good. The quality and performance--plus the cheap price for this type of DVD/CD player, makes it the most excellent Sony product I have encountered up to this date and time. It's great to find a quality product, but to have both quality and value...now that's something to be happy about!

I purchased this dvd player for a small hd tv. I have had good experience with other sony electronics products and this experience was also good. It only took about 5-10 minutes to hook the dvd to my tv and set it up. It plays old dvds that I recorded 3-4 years ago from old vhs tapes as well as my rentals with no glitch.CD capability is good.No complaints. I am pleased.

Canon PowerShot A1300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Digital Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle

As a full time professional photographer for 15 yrs. now retired, I was dissapointed not to find a quality pocket camera with an

optical viewfinder, until now. I consider this a critical part of any camera that is not an SLR. LCD screens should not be the only

finder on a camera. I have been using the A1300 for a few weeks now. It has performed perfectly in a great variety of situations

and lighting conditions in both auto & program modes. The viewfinder tracks with the optical 5X tele. very well. Am very serprised

at how good the 20X digital zoom & stabilization are.The LCD is bright and adjustable. In the real world of point & shoot photography, not lab tests, this ultra compact took really good photos! Very happy it uses AA cells. I use Ni.Mh rechargeables &

always have extra Alkalines along.

. Batt. life has been good. This is the easiest, most fun and now my go to camera. The A1300 is a

Very well thought out and executed point & shoot camera. Thanks Canon for making something we really need at a very

affordable price!

I purchased this camera as a replacement for my Nikon Coolpix that quit working after less than two years and probably less than five-hundred pictures. I use this camera when I am backpacking as it is very lightweight and uses standard AA batteries. My first experience was this month on a fifty mile hike of the Foothill Trail in South Carolina. There are many waterfalls and beautiful views and I wanted to take some great pictures. I was extremely happy with the results. I returned home with about sixty photos and loaded them to Picassa with the idea of editing and correcting any problems before sharing them with friends and family. None of the sixty needed any retouching. They were perfect both in exposure and color rendetion. Some of the pictures were taken at night of my campfire with the camera set on the A (automatic) position. They were great.

As usual, buying through Amazon was a perfect transaction.

Buy Canon PowerShot A1300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Digital Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Now

For background: we've had a Canon A20, with a magnificent 2 Megapixels (grin), for the last 10 years. One was stolen in airport baggage (my stupidity for packing it). I was thankfully able to buy a replacement A20 on e-Bay. So we have been quite content for about 10 years. This A20 has been bulletproof, you might say. Fast Forward to 2012. My spouse wanted a smaller, lighter camera--No problem...

...But I wanted an optical viewfinder--BIG problem; hardly anyone makes them any more. Thank you Canon, for still providing this feature.

For those of you wondering what is this -an optical viewfinder? It is simply a camera that you place up against your cheek, and perhaps use the zoom buttons, to compose the picture. This is how you used to do it with film cameras, before LCD screens were even invented. Single-Lens-Reflex (SLR) cameras, that cost vastly more, use this method, although with vastly improved optics. The alternative is to hold your (non-viewfinder) camera out at arm's length. Which results in:

-Get out your glasses, cuz you can't see enough detail on the toy screen.

-Then, when you finally see your pix, you realize that your cam is unsupported--this will cause BLUR. So you have to take another...

-Then, you hit your forehead with your fist (in anguish) as you realize that the sun is shining so strongly that you cannot see anything on the little screen at all.

Then, you retire to the bar and regret not buying a camera with an optical viewfinder. Get 'em while they last. For the price of a bottle of Champagne, you could have bought this camera. Attention: you can still use the LCD screen at arm's length on this camera if you wanna.

The other reviews are great; I wanted to call out great emphasis on the viewfinder. Sports and wildlife photographers rely on such viewfinders, since they can track, zoom, and compose a shot (in a fraction of a second) which would be impossible with an LCD display.

For those of you thinking of using a cellphone or an i-Pad for photography, fuhgettaboudit. Their pix are horribly granulated (few pixels & small sensors), and as with any handheld, the blurring is atrocious. I know; I've tried. Try not to shame yourself by sharing such pictures.

This camera is magnificent. Over the years I have done darkroom film development, printed enlargements from the negatives, carried camera bags full of changeable lenses for my SLR, had slide projectors; now this is all I need. I can't imagine spending money on a more expensive camera, unless you want to move up to a nice SLR, but that will be bulky and heavy. This cam is 6oz, versus 12.5 for my beloved old A20.

I find that most of my relatives and friends take lots of pictures (be it on a cellphone or camera) and then never DO ANYTHING with them. They are not shared with anyone, and mostly just sit on chips or CDs in drawers. So it is worthwhile to point out that this camera includes Canon's album software; the chip pops out for easy unloading (or use the cable connector)--to help us get organized.

If you would like a case for this, consider the "Lowepro Tahoe 10 Digital Camera Bag (various colors)" which is a softcase. I've done trial fits at Beste Buye and it works fine. I ended up buying the Kodak "Essentials" hard case. The Case Logic units that I tried were a tad too small.

A final word on chargers and batteries. There is no charger. This cam uses two AA batteries; if you need them they are globally available from Topeka to Taipei to Tuscany. If you buy a charger camera, consider: You have one more charger to carry. You already have phone chargers, GPS chargers, Blackberry/i-Pad/PC chargers. Some have two different cables: one 12-volt for a car, and one 120-volt for the wall. Does your cam charger work on dual-voltage 120/220? If not you will need to buy a second one (220v) at great expense for overseas travel. Not to mention another prong-converter for when you finally travel overseas. Ugh. [But do see notes on rechargeables in the Comments On This Review, below]

Shopping notes: This camera does NOT come with a memory card (but does have batteries). Amazon has a good 4GB SD card for about $6. Add it to your shopping cart. When checking out, do NOT buy either of these things with 1-Click, or you will lose free shipping. Add them to the cart, then go to checkout, then change the shipping method to "free shipping", then complete.

Please comment if you have issues and I will try to address them. Cheers y'all.

xxx ooo xxx

PS. For me the image size is important for some of my software (it probably won't matter to most people) so just be aware: The A1300 can be set to take 640x480, 1600x1200, or any of 3 even larger formats. My old A20 could take 1024x768 format, but that is not available on the A1300.

Read Best Reviews of Canon PowerShot A1300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Digital Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Here

Canon A1300 Sure Shot

Pros Has an optical viewfinder !! a must have in bright sunlight

Uses two AA batteries !! can buy at almost any store

Confortable in your hand and fits nicely in shirt pocket or purse

Takes a very good still photo

Takes a very good HD Video with good single audio (non-stereo)

Can also take a fairly good standard video with single audio good for saving SD Card space

Audio sounds fairly good when having to video in gusty wind conditions as compared to some other brand cameras

Very easy to use and easy to switch back and forth from Auto to Low Light, etc and easy to switch back and forth from flash and no flash

Video button on back is separate from the still shot button on topI like that because I take mostly videos

Very good camera for the price

Cons The videos and still photos are occasionally very blurry and non-usable as though the auto focus has failed

( I just turn the camera off and start over again (reboot) and then it is fine )

The optical viewfinder does not show the zoom in/out when videoing but the the LCD does show the zoom in/out while videoing

Does not come with an SD Card Camera does not have any internal memory so you must buy an SD card

Standard AA batteries last only about one hour when videoing I recommend using the rechargeable batteries to save money

Conclusion I like this camera and I would give this camera at least a four star if it were not for the above listed cons This camera is an

inexpensive point and shoot pocket camera and I recommend this camera.

Want Canon PowerShot A1300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Digital Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Discount?

Smal portable camera east to operate even without reading a manual if you are used to digital camera, excellet picture quality, even when in moving car the stabilty is supurb. Zoom is good except the last 6x zoom which is digital once it hits the limit of the optical zoom the digital is almost worthless. However for fast snap shots on the fly it's a nice working camera and the price is about right. This was used to replace a Pentax digital camera. The pentax would not accept the 64 gig flash disk but the A1300 does. Easy to handle comfortable to hold and like that it's not just another sqware box. Night flash works good and face detecton is nice too. would buy another one.

After haveing this camera for a short time have found that the memory card and battery has issues. Buyer beware of this issue you will try to take a picture and it dies out have tried new batteris and everything sending it to factoy for repair