Toshiba SD-2815 5-Disc Slim Design DVD Player

• 5-DVD/CD changer with MP3 CD and DVD-R playback
• ColorStream component-video output for ultimate DVD picture quality (when connected with an HD or HD-ready TV)
• Parallel video output lets you simultaneously feed televisions in different rooms
• Coaxial and optical digital-audio outputs pass Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound (for use with compatible AV receiver)
• Offers black-level expansion, multiple picture settings, picture zoom

It was a shame that I had to return this player, I really liked it, but it had a glitch playing DVDs with seamless branching. The playback stuttered with 2 different copies of Terminator 2: UE and The Abyss: SE.

I first discovered the problem when trying to watch T2. When I called Toshiba customer service, they first insisted it was the disc, even though I told them it played fine in my other 5 year old *Toshiba* player, and my XBox. They asked if I could try a different copy of T2:UE, so I tried my father-in-law's copy of T2:UE, and it too stuttered. Then I realized these movies use seamless branching, so I tried the Abyss, and it also stuttered on playback, even froze at some points.

After reporting all this to Toshiba when I called them back, all they did was take my info and said they'd get back to me. 2 weeks later, and I still haven't heard from them. Since they didn't make me feel comfortable about getting the problem fixed under warranty, I'm glad I went ahead and just returned the player right before my 30 day return period ended.

Remanufactured Panasonic PV-D4744S Progressive Scan DVD/VCR Combo (Silver)

An uncomplicated product that works. The sound is great, and it only took a few minutes to hook it up once I realized I had the cords mixed up. I enjoy listening to cds on the DVD player. The only thing about it is that it rewinds a bit too much, and you have to press twice to stop it. Other than that, I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Considering the price and my aversion towards refurb products, I'd have to say that my first month has been satisfactory. However, I was annoyed that none of audio / video cables nor the remote batteries were included. When I contacted Amazon, they referred me to Panasonic. Rather than wait for several weeks for Panasonic to remedy the situation, I bought the items at a local Best Buy. The unit was purchased for my classroom, therefore, its durability won't be tested. So far with infrequent use it's been satisfactory.

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TDK CDRW80TWN 80-Minute Music CD-Rewritable (Single, Jewel)

Overall these are good CDRW's they are perfect for trial and run recordings. Keep in mind that the maufacturers of these type of disc says that you can get up to 1000 write/rewrite cycles but really you may get 5 or 6. no matter how well you store them for future use. so just be prepared to have more on hand

Finally ! after trying several other CD-RWs which also claimed to be "for audio" but were rejected, my picky Sony recorder likes these ! Yay !

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I have a Sony CD recorder I use to record live performances. These discs work fine on it and I have had no issues with them. These discs are specific music discs which are required to be used on this kind of recorder.

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I had been having trouble with multiple uses of my Memorex DA RW, but these work great, even with a 5+ year old unit.

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These are excellent re-writable music CD's. I use the heck out of them recording old tapes and albums but also for special radio concert broadcasts. You can use one of these and then go back and edit it for final recording, erase it and start again. Some of the other discs out there suck and this is the last of the current TDK stock. TDK was bought by Imation and their discs have generally worn out quickly. Buy these while you can!!

Naxa NDL-400 7-Inch TFT LCD Display Portable DVD Player with Digital TV TUNER, AM/FM Stereo Radio,

• Portable 7" LCD DVD Boombox
• Built in Digital ATSC TV Tuner
• Built in USB/SD/MMC Slot
• 3 Way Power: UL/ETL Approved AC Adaptor, DC Battery Power & DC 12V Car Cord

I had no idea how hard it would be to find a satisfactory boombox that also had the tv/dvd player built in. This looked the best of the three models I could find on Amazon and was the first of the three devices we tried, each with frustrating shortcomings in the design or quality. The other two were GPX BT780B 7 Inch LCD Portable TV/DVD/AM/FM Boombox and the Coby TFDVD7091 7-Inch DVD/MP3/CD Player and ATSC/NTSC TV Tuner, Black All three could be harshly described as cheapo third world junk, but for the money we were not expecting audiofile quality and manufacture. But design decisions torpedoed all three at fulfilling what we wanted from the devices. I don't like hassling with sending stuff back to Amazon, but all three were returned and we ended up settling on separate devices for the portable cd/tv/dvd functionality that we wanted. If these could have been examined in store we likely never would have bought any of them.

I had three main intended uses for this boombox and this one device appeared to have it all, plus it was the only one I could find that had battery, AC, and car adapter DC power options (a huge plus for our intended uses). It turned out to not be particularly good for any of our three main purposes.

First, we wanted it to play audio cds upstairs where we have no stereo. Though it is billed as a boombox, the dvd player does not play audio cds! This may be the unit's biggest flaw and it is hard to fathom it not playing an audio cd but playing dvd. I know cds are on their way out and digital downloads are in, but it has a disc player already installed! And it is a boombox!

Secondly, we were going to strap it to the console of our van for the 12 hour trips we take to visit family and use the dvd to keep our daughter's attention when she got road weary. The sound for FM radio music seemed okay, not great but listenable without wincing, but when playing a dvd the male voice dialogue was hard to discern. They sounded muffled and the only solution was to turn up the volume more than we wanted it. We could find no tone or EQ settings to try and boost the mid-range and figured it would be nearly impossible to understand dialogue over the road noise in our van. The screen image was also brighter and better than the other two models we tried.

The third reason we wanted this was for emergency tv/radio. While we never bothered to attempt the tv because we knew it was going back, the analog FM tuner was very touchy and difficult to dial in stations as if it was an afterthought in the design. But the battery power was a plus for emergency tv and radio if you need them for that.

Comparing the NAXA and the GPX, the build quality appeared reasonably stout on the NAXA and didn't scream cheapo electronics as badly as the GPX model, which is odd because the two models share several design elements and probably schematics for the button controls as they were nearly identical. These probably come from the same Chinese contract factory. The GPX was flimsier but to it's advantage it has a front load disc drive and the NAXA is a top loader after you flip the screen up.

If you don't care that it does not play music cds or may be hard to hear in a moving car, it might work for you. It has a lot of features for the money, but the quality will obvious challenge a long life for this device.

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For what it worths you won't be disappointed and it made a wonderful 12-yr old boy's birthday gift...guarantee to be better than sliced bread. My reason to puchase this particular item was preparation for emergency items since our last experience with San Diego's blackout and with this plug in batteries and you will be uptodate with the Jones's (radio is good and this will be better). Also a magnetized base for TV antenna is provided so it will be in place for better reception. Bad thing is the volume drop lower in tv/dvd mode but compare to the price it is okay. Hopefully the next one in the market will be better.

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this Naxa NDL-400 7-Inch TFT LCD Display Portable DVD Player with Digital TV TUNER, AM/FM Stereo Radio, USB Input and SD/MMC Card Slots is nice looking and nice sounding and work great love it!

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I'm using this in my workshop as a radio/dvd player with the occasional live football on tv thrown in. Does the job great. The plastic is a bit brittle as indicated in another review, but doesn't feel cheap. My only wish would be for a better out of the box TV antenna and maybe a digital radio tuner instead of an analog one (so I could use the remote to change radio stations). All around, not a bad little unit!

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It picks up stations pretty well in a major metro area of Southern California, but it does better in the morning than at night. I've tested the 8C battery usage for the DVD player, and the batteries 'lasted' (using DURACELL'S with a remaining shelf life of 3 years, which were bought 2 years previously), a total of 3 hours of DVD playtime. In another test on another product, using (in that test), a BRAND NEW SET of Duracell's, hot from the big box store, and never stored, I tested a Magnasonic boombox DVD player for DVD playtime (which had no TV). But in that test, I used 'super-fresh' (never stored) Duracell batteries which give me 6 hours of DVD playtime. But we're comparing apples to oranges here. The Naxa was tested with never used, but 2 year old Duracell's; the Maganasonic was tested with super-new, fresh from the big box store, Duracell's. Maybe the Naxa would have played longer if I had used super-new Duracell's like I did in the Magansonic test. (You'll have to draw your own conclusions from those above facts.) Note also: a word of caution about the remote....in 'my' Naxa, the battery does not make good contact with the lower contacts inside the 'remote'. I had to slip-in one thin sheet of aluminum foil (without putting-in the foil TOO far so as not to touch the front battery contacts as well...to prevent creating a 'short'), in order for the remote to activate each time I pressed a button. All-in-all I'll keep this unit as the digital TV stations were pulled-in so well in my area. I'll use the Magnasonic to play DVDs in a power outage. [Oh, one more thing I just found out: this unit's TV works even better with the SuperSonic Flat Digital Antenna VHF/UHF that Amazon sells for about $14. It enables the TV to pick up the lower frequency channels in my area much better than the NAXA supplied antenna. And, at least those 'lower' channels(which are CBS; NBC etc.) stations, and are broadcast in the language that 'I' speak'...while the higher frequencies/channels are mostly non-English speaking channels in my area.]

Toshiba W-528 4-Head Hi-Fi Video Cassette Recorder

The w-528 vcr by Toshiba is one there most popular vcr's they made. It comes with all the basic features as well as a few advanced ones. I like that it works quietly without any buzzing or hissing that I find in some Sony brand VCR's. One of the best things about this model is the remote control. The remote on toshiba's is fairly the same through all their models. This is because it is easily one of the best designed remotes made. The buttons are positioned well on the remote and they are not hard to read. The remote for this model also has a commerical skip button which allows for 30 advance without holding down the FF button continuously. The vcr accepts tapes in good time. I find it also plays vhs tapes at EP mode with good picture quality. You can use the auto tracking adjustment or manual picture tracking with the remote. Its a great compact mid-range vcr that easy to use and program.

TDK V513 Wireless Sound Cube

• Unique design delivers 360° of room filling
• Near lossless wireless audio streaming
• Switches from omni directional to directional sound
• Adjustable bass and treble equalization for ideal sound performance
• Remote control

The TDK Sound Cube V513 is a slightly strange niche product: it's compact but not super-portable, and it needs to be plugged into the wall, but plays audio wirelessly via Bluetooth. (It also has a mini auxiliary audio port, and a USB jack that only charges but won't play audio from iOS devices -a strange and frustrating omission.)

The unit's build quality is not impressive for the price (it's made entirely of cheap black plastic) but it gets the job done and feels solid. Setting the unit up is the most obnoxious part of using it: its control knobs are cheap, mushy-feeling and extremely unintuitive, and a complex series of turns and pushes is needed to make Bluetooth pairing work. (Windows also has some difficulty sending audio to the V513, which isn't TDK's fault, but Mac OS X and iOS set up with it pretty easily.) And it's also annoying to have to switch the unit back and forth between already-paired devices and computers, rather than it knowing enough to switch dynamically to the one streaming sound to it at the moment.

The sound quality once paired, however, is pretty good for a compact plastic device. The unit has one 5-inch driver (the other two sides of the cube that appear to contain large speakers are actually "passive radiators," i.e. fake speakers; all three are worryingly unprotected against dust or damage) and four small tweeters, one on each corner. This has the effect of making its bass (which is full but not subwoofer-caliber) and lower midrange a bit more direction-sensitive and its pleasant high end a bit more omnidirectional. In general, though, the sound quality is pretty decent, approaching the quality of a decent (but subwooferless) home theater in a much smaller package. There's obviously no stereo separation at all.

The Sound Cube is not perfect by any means, but it does produce good sound. For a buyer shopping in this specific niche -looking for a compact, semiportable Bluetooth wireless speaker -it's worth considering. But for general listening, especially if you don't care about wires, there are many vastly better choices at this price point: start with the AudioEngine A5, which delivers far superior sound and build quality.

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This is a great little speaker system for indoor or (sheltered) outdoor use, but while it has a carry-handle, I wouldn't exactly call it portable. This is the primary weird design choice by TDK on this model: while it's built for portability, it has no internal battery, so it can't BE portable. Nonetheless, it sounds quite good for a unit of this size and price range. Granted, I'm a classical musician, so I'd prefer my Klipsch towers, of course, but for something to put in a corner, this delivers good quality sound, so I do recommend it.

PROS --

*Very good quality sound generally from rock to classical, and it has BASS and TREBLE adjustments (rare on these)!!!

*Bluetooth connectivity (to Android Smartphone running ICS) is simple and has excellent range.

*Remote control is MUCH more useful than I'd expected. A welcome addition.

*LOVE the choice between directional/omnisound.

*AUX input very useful while charging phone quickly and don't really need Bluetooth.

*USB (power only) jack for charging your iPod/Smartphone.

CONS --

*Adjustment of options/settings/knobs a bit clunky and quirky.

*Corded power only -no internal battery (weird in a unit like this; one would easily fit), so it's not truly "portable." See "N.B." below.

*Aesthetics -looks like a combo of a portable/non-portable device with no protection for woofers but has a carry handle. Couldn't make up their minds?

SOUND OBSERVATIONS -There's a huge difference in sound when one switches from directional to omni-directional. I'm not exactly sure what sort of digital processing engages in "Omni" mode, but it clearly has something to do with phasing: switching to "Omni," the somewhat blurry sound from the multiple speakers all suddenly sounds harmonious in all rooms in which I've tried it. Would make a great little "surround" speaker for a small TV set in a kitchen or small room. This is the most natural (overused term in this field) sounding speaker I've heard that uses any form of phase correction or DSP. I am a purist, and this speaker sounds VERY good to me, especially considering the other models of Bluetooth "boomboxes" and "sound cubes" I've tried. I warmly recommend it.

N.B. -there is an error in Amazon's listing here....this unit does NOT take batteries. That spec refers to an earlier version of this "Sound Cube" (TDK Life on Record 77000015410 Sound Cube Audio System) and to one of their "boomboxes" (TDK Life on Record 77000015402 2-Speaker Boombox Audio System).

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This is my first foray into a wireless sound cube such as this. I've never owned and am not familiar with the wired version of it either. Be that as it may, I admit I was expecting a lot more from it for the price they're asking. I found it easy enough to set up, but like the other reviewers here I was very disappointed that it has to be tethered by an AC outlet. This thing comes with a handle on top that without knowing anything else about it suggests you can just pick it up and carry it anywhere. Not so at all, unless you like dragging an extension cord along with you. The controls on it remind me of programming an old VCR. It's ridiculous the way you have to manipulate them to identify and switch from one device to another. But mostly what I was really disappointed in with this thing was its cheap workmanship for something that is pretty expensive in my opinion. The cube itself does not give one the impression at all that it could take any kind of banging around, and everything about it and feels flimsy. But the worst of it is the speakers themselves that are totally exposed and unprotected. It's my opinion that this thing will spend a good deal amount of time on the floor, exactly where it will be susceptible to feet and other objects kicking and jostling it about. (My cat even attempted to sharpen her claws on it). This lack of speaker protection is not just a big miss in my opinion, but downright irresponsible and a rip off for something that carries such a handsome price tag. If the reviews tend to convince you that you would have a good use for, or would like this speaker and buy it, I would suggest picking up and installing speaker grills for it that can be found in a large variety here on Amazon. It will not just protect your speakers, but even make the cube look much nicer in my opinion...

In conclusion, this wireless sound cube does sound pretty good when running. But in all honestly I have heard just as good with spending a lot less. Even if its just for perhaps the wired version of the cube that carries an FM radio, (that this doesn't have) that has some pretty favorable reviews. Overall I feel this wireless version is too cheaply made, too cumbersome being that it has to be plugged in, has confusing and needlessly exasperating controls, and altogether is too expensive for what you get. Personally I cannot recommend it...

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I've been looking for a good sound in Bluetooth wireless devices like a boombox for several months. I've researched many different models, read reviews and did the listening test if they were on display. I just happen to stumble into the TDK V513 Cube at a local retailer. My first impression was the design. It looked different compared to most Bluetooth speakers. It has four tweeters on all sides, two subwoofers and the main driver in the middles below the two control knobs and adjustments for treble and bass. The carry handle on top and rubber feet on the bottom. The power cord input, USB charger and Aux input on the back of unit. It had no battery and only runs on AC power only. The bluetooth connects easily and the handy remote control is an added bonus. It has a solid feel to it and looks sturdy in the mostly plastic enclosure. The speakers are unprotected so I would assume TDK designed this for listening enjoyment for people who desire a high fidelity sound.

I read a review below about the reviewer stating he couldn't keep it near his cat because the speakers were unprotected. A CAT WILL DESTROY ALMOST ANYTHING. Another reviewer stated the Cube was made of cheap plastic. THE CONTROL KNOBS ARE A GOLD COLOR. SHOULD TDK HAVE MADE IT 14 CAROT GOLD?

The sound is what sold me on TDK Cube. It has deep rich bass and above average highs. It will easily fill a big room or hall. Adjusting the treble and bass controls will take a slight getting used to but it's not all that difficult like some reviewers have stated...It's just different.

Overall I give the TDK Cube two thumps up!

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This is probably one of my favorite things ever: I LOVE my TDK Wireless Sound Cube!

It's so easy to play from the iPod, and any bluetooth device. It looks good, is compact, and sounds amazing. People are impressed and are surprised to learn the music that sounds so rich is coming from this one little cube.

We use it all the time. I can't recommend it enough.

GE 24914 Universal Remote Control, 4-Device Infrared Silver

I purchased this remote from walmart for about $6. Should have known better. This remote stops working throughout the course of its use. I estimate that I reprogram this remote close to 20 times a day which is why I have my TV code taped to the back of the remote. Also the other functions (i.e. DVD) is a PITA! You have to press the "shift" button every time you want to maneuver through the DVD menus. Just to move up and down on a menu you press, "shift" "channel down" "shift" "channel down" "shift" "channel down"... Utterly worthless do not waste your money, would be more useful as a chew toy for my 12 month old.

I purchased this universal remote from Wal-Mart for only 4 dollars. You do get what you pay for, which is not much as far as this remote is concerned. If you just want an extra TV and/or VCR remote, this might fill the bill, as it will turn on and off a TV, adjust volume, and changes channels. However, it is the other functions that it puports to have (DVD funtionality) that are extremely limited. Again, it will turn these devices on and off (after programing the device buttons), but thereafter, and especially with the DVD functions, this remote is pretty useless. For example, the DVD function button will turn on the DVD and show the beginning menu screen, but then there are no handy buttons to navigate through the menu screen. If you press "play" the DVD will play, but any extra features, subtitles, languages, etc., are inaccessible, as there are no buttons to select these features. The remote does a better job with the VCR, but there are also less options with a VCR compared to a DVD. This remote is programable to most VCR brands, will start the VCR, play the tape, rewind, fast forward, fast reverse, and will shut off the VCR.

The remote serves as a handy duplicate TV/VCR remote in our household, but one needs a dedicated DVD remote for full functionality. Therefore, I cannot recommend this remote unless you plan to use it for a TV only. Get a more expensive multi-functional remote for optimal useage.

konedog

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Great little remote control. All the basic bells & whistles, not complicated at all. I own 2 of them. A good size for your hand, not too big.

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I got this remote at Wal-Mart to replace an old 87 Sharp box T.V. It is awesome. Works better than my newer LCD T.V. remote controller. I paid 4.98. Great value. Why pay more? If you just want something to turn on/off, channels, and volume this is your remote. For setup I just followed instructions for remote to search code for brand of T.V. voila!!! Loving it. If my other T.V. remotes go out I will buy another G.E.

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..already had one before I bought this one, it didn't do the exact same things that my previous one did, even though it was the same one, go figure..

Esky® New 4gb Mini PEN Recorder DVR Video Camera Pencam

Better than expected it is a bit bulky but all the same it appears as an "Expensive Pen" works great

Item lasted 3 days and the camera turned inside so it can not look out the hole. Got camera turned back around and then stopped working completely, no lights or anything. But it writes amazingly well.

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Bought one of these someplace else promising .jpg photos. IT WOULD NOT TAKE .JPG PHOTOS. So, I bought this one because it promised to take .jpg photos

I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO TAKE .JPG PHOTOS. It has a little slide switch to move from photo to movie (.avi)

You have to press just once when the light is blue. It then flashes yellow just for an instant then turns back to blue. You have just taken a .jpg photo.

Also, the instruction to change the date/time does not work. It has nearly driven me nuts. I wish there was someone I could talk to on the phone to help. I am going to try www.hisgadget.com for some help. The video quality is pretty good.

I have been burned twice on these spy cameras. I guess the axiom "you get what you pay for" is true because there are units just like this one that sell for over $100.00.

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DO NOT BUY THIS. Get a more expensive one of higher quality and more consistency. I was having troubles with mine not saving the video recordings, and a little later it started to malfunction. I would turn it on and it would go from standby to recording on its own without me pressing a button, and would not go back to standby. I tried resetting it, this did not help. It was taking pictures before, but no longer, it's stuck on recording video which it doesn't save anyway so it is completely useless now. I just spent over $30 on a hollow pen, do not make the same mistake as me. 90% of these you see are not going to work properly, don't waste your money.

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Sony MVC-FD73 0.3MP Mavica Digital Camera w/ 10x Optical Zoom

I have used this camera extensively for over a year. I use theMavica almost exclusively for pictures at my web site. Many are shrunkfor quick download times, but you can still see the output quality.

After using the MVC-FD73 for this long there are many pros and cons that I have come up with.

Pros:

1 easy to use

2 nice LCD viewer for scrolling through previous shots

3 floppies are a very convenient reusable medium

Cons:

1 LCD viewer gets scratched easily

2 Viewer LCD hard to see in very strong outdoor light (a better camera would have an interchangeable regular viewfinder AND an LCD viewer)

3 Flash always seems too strong a lot of red eye incidents indoors

4 Has a hard time focusing in low light

5 Floppies, while convenient, are FAR too small for high res pics. Why Sony hasn't made a Zip Drive or Super Disk drive version is beyond me.

In the future I will buy another camera that clears up the problems listed above. It probably won't be a Sony since Sony's pushing proprietary media in their future digital cameras.

If you want this camera for the long haul I'd suggest doing a little more homework and being fully aware of the 5 problems I mentioned above before buying this one.

I purchased my camera (display model) when a large chain was relocating to a new store for a very good price. I had been looking for quite some time and a friend had the FD-71 and was very happy with it. So easy to use a 4th grader could immediately use. I was not looking for the features that the FD83 had as I already had a digital video camera. I really like the idea of being able to click in a floppy and start shooting and not having to hook up anything once I get home to start printing out my shots. The only disappointment to me is the low resolution. If you want to print anything larger than a 4 x 6, you loose the clarity. On a scale of 1 10, I would rate the SOny Mavica FD-73 a 9

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I purchased this camera about a month ago and still am taking pictures galore. I have read the reviews given here and I must say, I agree and disagree with some. Personally, I love the floppy disk storage. It's not hard at all to throw a few extras in just in case you need them. I love the idea of not having to use any cables or "special" programs to download my pics. I will say though, I have gotten quite a few pics. that were of poor quality (fuzzy) and then out of the blue...picture perfect. I use a photo program I bought from Walmart for $10, EZPhoto (I used it when I scanned my "old" paper photos) and I normally reduce the size of my picture A LOT to send quicker through emails. This camera does have an email feature though. Quite a few people said that you don't get a very good quality pic. for printing, but I have to say I disagree. Maybe the printer they are using is of poor quality. I have printed hundreds of pics. and everyone has enjoyed them and are so surprised they came from a print off from the digital camera. One thing that disappointed me about this camera is...for the $ you spend, you don't get a carrying case. I bought a cheap "purse" that looks like a camera case and has many compartments to carry all the extras (battery charger etc.). I spent $6 on it and it was well worth more than that. You can't tell it's even a purse. Another thing, I checked all over..stores and internet and the price of this camera does not really vary...and if there's a substantial difference in pricing somewhere..CHECK TO BE SURE YOU'RE GETTING THE BATTERY CHARGER WITH IT! I found a few places that advertised at a cheaper price and also found that the charger did not come with it...

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I have had this camera 11 months. It is very easy to handle, zoom is excellent, using ordinary discs is great, battery system fine. But very often I have been disappointed with the quality of pictures. There is simply not enough pixels. Pictures from houses for instance are good enough, from people so and so, mostly not. Near shots from flowers look little bit waxy and stiff but I have taken lots's of them. Most disappointments I have had with nature pictures, grass looks odd, too much details for such a few pixels. If I would have known this I would have choosen more pixels. Still this has been a great joy and I am hungry for a new megapixel digital camera. Before you shop try to see pictures. For e-mail and web they are OK.

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I got a Sony MVC-FD73 Mavica Digital Camera for Christmas and have used it a lot since receiving it. It is an excellent camera and I certainly would recommend it to anyone looking to purchase a Digital Camera at a reasonable price.

However, a couple of points about the camera. First, the LCD view finder gets dirty and scratched easily. There should be a cover for it when not in use. Second, it is almost impossible to see the view finder when outside in bright sunshine, making it hard to take a picture. Cannot see what you are viewing. I think it would be nice if Sony had put a regular view finder on the camera for taking outdoor pictures.

Bren1 Record Clamp Gold Edition

I own a Michell Reference Hydraulic turntable with an acrylic platter. The Michell record clamp does not fit my turntable so had been looking for a good alternative. Now that the Bren1 clamp is available in gold it is ideal for my needs matching the platter supports. The clamp itself is very nicely engineered, and a good weight though not too heavy. Easy to fit to the spindle with its recessed edges. Soundwise it certainly impresses bass is deeper and tighter, and the top end sparkles that bit more as well. I didn't think a clamp would really make that much difference but I was wrong I would highly recommend this clamp.

DISH Network HOPPER Whole Home DVR System

I was quite reluctant to upgrade from a 2 DVR (VIP 722K)system to Dish Hopper after reading all the reviews. But finally I decided to take the risk because I wanted HD viewing in all TVs and also be able to watch any recorded show from anywhere in the house. I didn't have to pay any equipment fee with 2 year agreement. It has been a month since I switched to 1 hopper and 2 joey system and to my surprise I've no issues so far. Very happy with it. They keep on fixing the bugs as they find I guess. I also use sling adapter. And we also have external media with many recorded movies over last many years.

Only complaint so far is that we can't see shows on external media using sling anymore (that is why 4 out of 5 stars). This feature was available with VIP 722k. With hopper, you need to move your shows from external media to hopper in order to watch it via sling. Other than this, I love the new hopper !! Waiting for their wireless Joey to come in the market...

**UPDATE 12-12 I'm dropping this down to three stars from my original four stars because of some glitches that seem to be cropping up. There are issues with these units. The joeys do go black all of a sudden and have to be reset but that happens maybe once every one or two months. It is an electronic device and they are almost all prone to some glitches. While it is annoying at the time, it doesn't happen often enough for me to be really frustrated. However, Dish just did a recent software/interface update and added some nice visual benefits. I still really hate the DVR listing screen. Just tell me the name of the show and drop the show icon. I still have trouble seeing what I'm looking for. But the sort methods and color keys on the remote have become a little easier to use.

The biggest thing lately is that the DVR seems to drop recorded shows. It doesn't happen with any pattern but it will display that a show has recorded and when you to watch it, there is nothing there. Or it will show that it recorded and then it disappears from the listings the next day. Gone. And even though DISH added a 'deleted recordings' folder that holds them for a day, it is not in there. This seems to be picking up in frequency and has probably happened about 5 times in the past two weeks. Given that we recorded at least 100 things in that time period (including the prime time anytime recordings) it is a lower percentage. But if it is your show, it is frustrating. I'm not sure if this happens with other systems, perhaps it is just part of having a more complicated DVR. Overall, I'm still pleased with the system but it has a set of flaws.***

We had DirecTV for years and switched to Dish about four years ago. We just updated to the HOPPER and two Joeys. So far it's all going really well.

In the past, we had two receivers for three TVs. One was a dual DVR and the other a stand alone. So the stand alone didn't have access to anything recorded nor did it have the ability to pause live TV or record. The dual DVR had HD ability on one TV only since the other transmitted via UHF signal.

But we lived with it. But when it started to crap out, it was time to either replace it with the same unit type or change to the Hopper. It was a no brainer. With only 50 hours of high def recording available on the old receiver (350 hours standard def) it was silly not to change to the Hopper.

The Hopper has (from what I can calculate) 250 hours of high def recording it's a 2TB hard drive. The Joeys are small and allow you access to the main DVR at any time. Even though we have two Joeys, you can put up to three on the Hopper. For each Joey, you can record another program. So, we can record three programs at a time one for the DVR Hopper, and one at each Joey.

One of the things I really like is the availability of Prime Time Anytime. This acts similar to On Demand. If you chose to turn it on, it will automatically record all major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX) or whichever ones you choose, for all prime time hours (8:00 pm 11:00 pm) and store it for as long as you set. It defaults to 8 days but you can keep it for less if you want. You can also dictate which days of the week including weekends. This setting takes up one of your recording slots so now we can only record two other programs at any given time. Since I tend to record a lot of prime time network shows, this is a great feature for me. I don't have to set a timer for every one of them and because it is recording all networks, I'm not taking up two record slots if I want two shows in one night.

You have the option of selecting a program and permanently saving it as well, treating it like any other recording. If you don't want it, it will automatically disappear after 8 days.

I also like that you can create folders for recordings. I created a "kid's movies' folder, one for me, for each child and for my husband. You can set a timer to record directly to a folder so that you don't have to sort it later. You also have the option of viewing all recordings by genre, network, or by program title.

What I don't like is the lack of options. I am very used to looking through the DVR recordings as a list. On the Hopper, it shows icons. This makes it awkward to go through a list and find a show. If you're looking from across the room, the text can be small to read. The only way to get a listing is to look by show title and then open that folder. So if you record every episode of Pawn Stars and you open the Pawn Stars folder, then you can look at a listing instead of an icon. I really don't like the icons and I'd prefer to have the option to go back to all listings but there are very few ways to personalize the DVR interface.

I do like that it shows how much has been watched in a clear green bar. You can still personalize favorite channels and the interface for doing that is great since it is clear to see what the channel is that you are selecting. You have to set up favorite channels for each Joey though.

Transferring content from an external hard drive was easy and as before, you can add an external hard drive for additional recording storage. There are some apps available (which run through your internet). We connected to the internet via WiFi using the provided antenna. There are games, Pandora, Facebook, MLB Network, Photo Sharing, etc all via the internet. You can access regular On Demand via your internet as well.

If you have caller ID and hook up your phone line, you'll get a listing on the screen (if you set it on) that a call is coming in and who it is.

So overall, we definitely upgraded. I am really pleased with the quality of picture and flexibility of the Joeys not to mention the Prime Time Anytime.

We got all our equipment and installation for free since we renewed a two year agreement. And even though Dish dropped AMC (a bone of contention with my husband) overall, we are really pleased.

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I've had Dish for many years and was very satisfied with all aspects of their system. I foolishly signed up for Hopper about 3 months ago. I have four TVs (two Hoppers and two Joeys).

There are many things I like about Hopper such as;

1. Being able to record three programs at once.

2. The 2 terabyte DVR (I've been recording like crazy and haven't made a dent in it

3. The ability to attach my 2 terabyte hard drive giving me a total of 4 terabytes

4. Having HD on all my TVs

5. The many functions on the Main Menu

Things I don't like;

1. ICONs of programs I have recorded are difficult to read (do away with these or make them larger)

2. The text of all screens are too small for no reason

3. The gray text on a gray background sucks (all text should be black on white)

4. The old Dish allowed me to list 4 channels on Guide which made the text larger (restore this)

I believe the programmers were more concerned about creating a more modern format at the expense of functionality. The old Dish text was easy to read, so why fix something that wasn't broken.

I'm sorry I ever went to Hopper and am locked into a two year contract. Don't sign up until they fix the text problem (look at someone that has a TV the size of yours with Hopper installed and you will see what I mean). I guess I am fortunate, in that I have not had any of the problems others have mentioned such as black screens and lost recordings.

I would have rated Hopper five stars if it wasn't for the text problem. If you have difficulty reading what is on the screen, then what good is it?

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What a mistake. 5 seconds between each channel change. A menu system of icons and illegible titles. the same with dvr menu. On a 50" tv sitting 8 to 10 feet away impossible to read. Channel guide is even worse! Only one sickly, gray screen which is near impossible to read. When all TVs are off and I turn on one I have to read a warning that this will interupt viewing at another location and then selct from an offering of 2 choices. This thing is a piece of crap and I hate dish for beta testing me for $120 a month. I could gripe more but what's the use.

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I switched to Dish in December 2012. Direct TV wouldn't add the Pac 12 network so all of the football and basketball games were unavailable. No provider in my area other than Dish offers the Pac 12 Network. I was concerned over a number of the posts here and elsewhere regarding quality and issues with the Hopper Software and Joeys. So far, after more than 2 months, find the quality to be at least as good as DTV. The process for recording is different but equally as good. The wireless connection is a radical improvement over DTV and the menus(etc.) are different but much better and more intuitive than DTV. Also, I have the Sling Box option which is far superior to DTV's "anywhere" or whatever option they have. DTV only lets you use devices that are logged onto a network which is that same network as your TV. The remote itself is less intuitive than the DTV remote but manageable. If you are getting older like me and having issues with reading in low light or smaller print, the remote will be a little bit annoying. I know where all the buttons are now without looking so no problem.

Perhaps I am later coming to Dish than others but it is equal or better quality at a substantially better price. I also get way more content than DTV for a way lower price: as many or more HD channels than DTV for sure.

Good luck and I hope your experience is as good as mine. I recommend Dish and the Hopper wholeheartedly.

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VideoSecu Outdoor Day Night Infrared Security Camera 600TVL Built-in 1/3" Sony CCD 20 IR LEDs Vanda

I am a mid-20's tech-geek, that happens to work in private security. I do a lot of camera work, so my expectations are always high. Our neighborhood has had a lot of break ins, so this system has a purpose...to make sure I put the guy behind bars. This camera was very easy to install, and the brackets went on very secure. I also purchased an Aposonic DVR card for a dedicated PC with 500gb's of storage, so keep in mind that when I refer to video quality it is describing the video after being converted to digital. So far I have been recording 4 shots, at 640x480 @ 100% quality and in a week have only used 4% of my storage capacity.

The housing design is very slick, and is by no means an "eye sore."

The IR lights are powerful enough to view the immediate area of the camera, but the quality deteriorates at about 30 ft. The iris adjusts very quickly if any light sources enter the shot (ie: headlights). I purchased 5 of these cameras, all for outdoor use (however I only used 4...I ruined one, which I will explain later). This camera does capture a wide angle, so I probably could have covered my entire house/yard using 2-3.

Pros

-Crisp, clear shot during the day. Adequate shots in the night.

-Very solid, great quality

-Great design, which is also very functional

-Great Autofocus, Iris, and Color.

Cons

-The factory cable is built in, and cannot be replaced if ruined (that's how I ruined a camera)

-Wires are accessible when camera is positioned at certain angles.

-Very fast movement (such as wind blowing) makes the camera appear very pixelated.

Overall recommendation:

A+ This product is great for home security, or to cover large areas. If this is to catch shoplifters, you may want to go with something that gets you a closer shot.

Side Note:

This camera does not include a power supply, so make sure you purchase one. Also, be careful when loosening the enclosure as I stripped the security screw....and I had to drill it out.

The "microphone" model is just the standard camera with a seperate external microphone add-on: it looks like a 12inch siamese cable (but it's 3-way:power-in, power-out, audio-out) with a tiny mic wraped in tape. The "microphone" is just thrown in the box of their standard model.

Over the last six months I've bought 6 dome cameras from warehouserseller: two 420 line with power supply; two, of the "microphone" and two of the 480 line models (power supply extra). The manufacturer's spec sheet is the same for ALL cameras that I received. The camera housing varies a little (pull-apart or twist (or screw) off).

As to the Videosecu label and serial, most the cameras I ordered didn't not have it, but Jenny who answers the phone (and does tech support) swears everything is good.

OK, the cameras work fine.

The 480 line camera had a sticker on the outside of the box, but inside the box the manufacture's spec sheet says that its a 420 line camera.

I like the camera (all cameras I orderd appeard to have the same resolution) and warehouseseller ships quickly.

I recommend ONLY the standard model ($65.00) that comes with the power supply, because that's what you'll probably get anyway.

These dome cameras are fish-eye wide-angle: good as a front-door cam, back or front-yard cam. For a driveway get the swann Bulldog (bullit type) cam. To keep an eye on my car in the street, I use the swann.

Mike the K

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Very sharp picture day and night that smoked the two other $220 cameras I bought. I exchanged those for two more of these. Great camera.

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I own a number of cameras and this one left me a bit flat after some of the great reviews. For a "fixed" camera with "sound", I expected a bit more perhaps. While the night vision is really quite good, the color during the day is really "washed out" looking.

Image "Clarity" is acceptable but not what I would classify as "HD" quality.

The sound is pretty much useless as it is muffled and mostly unintelligible on playback. (h.264 dvr set to HD)

Cabling is decent enough and so far the unit is "reliable"

If I was just purchasing for "surveillance" use only and not needing good "facial recognition" then the camera is good enough. If you are trying to "ID" a stranger, I might suggest stepping up to a better grade camera.

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I bought this camera to replace another which I paid much more for. This camera is a Gem. Great focus and wide angle view. Night time is superb. You wont go wrong with it. Solid construction, none of the mickey mouse plastic stuff.

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Asus OPLAY_HD2/1A/NTSC/AS Digital Device - Black

Pros:

support all formats you can think of.

nice looking box with blue LED light at the bottom.

easy GUI control.

stream media files from network locations.

firmware update via internet is easy.

Cons:

can not copy files from networked resource locations.

copy files from external USB2.0 HD to installed internal HD takes very long time.

no multitasking. can't copy files and play media files at the same time. NAS features can only be turned on via GUI using remote control. imaging to FTP files to this device from your computer, you would need to turn on your Asus HD2, turn on your TV, turn on FTP service, ftp files from your computer. works for English titled files, will mess up Chinese titled files. changed file names to ???.

Web GUI is for information and status only. wish i could turn on NAS services via http.

indexing is annoying.

while navigating through GUI, resolution does not stay on 1080p. sometimes, it blows out of proportion, and it takes about 2-3 seconds to adjust it back to 1080p.

can not power off most of the time(latest fw loaded). GUI goes away, internal hard drive keeps spinning, LED light stays on. have to unplug power cord everytime.

I am happy with the purchase for $100. hoping Asus will work out the feature enhancements and bugs soon.

I have had a Patriot Box Office media player for about the last year and love it. I picked up this Asus media player mainly because it is currently 1 of the few that allows installation of a 3.5" HDD. Of the players offering that feature, I'd say the Asus one is the best I've tried. If you need 3.5" storage, this is your machine. Otherwise the Patriot Box Office (which allows 2.5" storage) is a much better option and is 1/2 the price!

Pros:

Plays everything

Allows installation of up to a 3TB hard drive!

Fairly small footprint

Good fast forward and rewind functionality

Good networking/online features

Ran it overnight copying files and it didn't have any overheating issues

Cons:

Has locked up a couple times when browsing files (latest v2 firmware is installed)

Interface just isn't as nice as the Patriot Box Office. For example, the Patriot shows you the file size and preview of the file you currently have selected (including movies). With the Asus you see none of that so if you have 2 files similarly named, you may not have any idea which is better quality or which you may want to delete unless you individually begin playing each one.

Interface is a little slower than the Patriot.

Patriot Box Office is smaller...but only allows install of 2.5" HDD so it's a trade off.

Patriot Box Office will restart a movie right where you last left off, the Asus won't. It does have a "goto" feature so you can jump to a specific time...but you will have to remember the time rather than the machine remember it.

Defaults to showing all files in 1 big list rather than a more traditional "computer-like" directory listing. That may be a pro for some...for me it's a con...and you can change it so the lists are more like individualized directories but you can't save that as a preference.

Overall it's a nice machine and I'm glad I got it...but I'll be sticking with the Patriot Box Office for my main player.

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Being a fan of Asus products I have bought many of their O'Play Media Players from Amazon. I bought the "Asus OPLAY_HD2/1A/NTSC/AS Digital Device Black" last month from ANTOnline and although I am happy that it was able to play more files than the previous version, this particular unit "resets and freezes" when I scroll the list of files. The wait for reset is very long and troublesome. Initially I wanted to return the unit and buy another but since I have read other feedbacks stating this similar issue, I don't want to go through the hassle of returning again. I am writing to you (ANTOnline) and CC'ing to Amazon to let you know I would like to return this product with a refund back. Per your statement on the Special Return Policies, "Please note that 99% of initially diagnosed "Potentially DefectiveProducts" turn out to be configuration or compatibility issues and are not "Defective Products". I am not an extreme tech savvy individual. If myself and others are having the same issue which disables us from scrolling a list, it is a defective product. Not happy with the return policy.

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The ASUS O!Play HD2 plays many formats and plays them well.

I primarily use NAS (Network Attached Storage) for my media storage. The ASUS found the NAS without any issue.

I had no problem playing .mkv, .iso and .vob files for video and .flac files for audio.

In wireless mode it had some problem playing high defintion .mkv files. There was stuttering and jittering. Switching to a wired network connection played all media smoothly.

The O!Play HD2 starts up fast from standby position.

My two issues have to do with accessing the media.

First Issue: The sort function does not seem to work. The ASUS has 4 sort options (A-Z, Z-A, Newest First, Oldest First). Depending upon which NAS drive or USB drive I used, the media files are presented in alphabetical order (A-Z) or COMPLETELY RANDOM! In either case, attempting to change the order has no effect. This is a biggie if you have hundreds of files in a folder and you are looking to play a certain one. Several people have complained about the sort order issue in the forums, but ASUS has not replied. I wrote to customer support and after several email exchanges and me pointing out that others have noted the same issue, I was told that I must have a defective unit and to return it to the retailer (not ASUS).

Second Issue: This issue has been with ASUS media player products for years. The media player does not remember the last location of media played. Every time you have to click thru the network and directory structure. In my case, because of NAS storage, it ends up being 6-7 clicks (and the several seconds pauses between the clicks) to choose the NETWORK, WORKGROUP, choose the NAS, choose the USB drive connected to the NAS and then 3 or 4 more clicks to get to the folder I want to play media from. After selecting NETWORK, there is a choice called My_Shortcuts, but it is of no use. The customer support person could not even explain what it is for. He did say that it is not for pointing to a specific folder. Since this issue has been around for years and many people have complained about it and ASUS has ignored it, I don't expect it to get fixed anytime soon.

I am debating whether to return the unit due to the above 2 issues or to live with them. I have had a Popcorn Hour A-100 and a WD TV Live. I like the ASUS better than the PCH A-100 in that it allows me to change settings while the media is simply paused and can continue from that moment once the settings have been changed. It also seems to work better in fast forwarding and rewinding video in .mkv format. Compared to the WD TV Live, the ASUS plays a lot more formats. The WD TV Live claimed to play .flac audio files, but it could not and it had trouble with many .mkv, .iso and .vob files that the ASUS just breezes through.

Compared to the Popcorn Hour, support for the ASUS product is much worse. The PCH people constantly monitor their forums and respond with answers and firmware upgrades. ASUS seems to completely ignore their forum.

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Griffin Technology RadioShark AM / FM Desktop Radio with Time-Shift Recording

I already have a couple software programs that will automatically record and save radio programming but when the Radio Shark was announced, I couldn't resist. Mac elegance, simplicity and functionality. Or so I thought. The product is solid, well made and the software is easy to use. Unfortunately, the reception is unacceptably poor in my suburban, residential area. Every radio I own from clock radios, a couple Tivoli Pal's, a built in-whole house system, mini-systems and so on receive programming easily. The Radio Shark's reception is inferior to even the lowliest of portables. I've tried everything I can think of. Coiling the USB cable, moving it to every place within reach, using a high dollar shielded usb extension cable which also allowed me to move the Shark further from the computer), using the Radio Shark's headphone input with a pair of ear buds and a minijack to rca cable (as Griffin's website suggests). Nothing seems to help. I have two other radios within 18 inches of computers and they were pretty easy to set up and receive clear, static free programming. The Radio Shark has been a huge disappointment. I should have learned my lesson after purchasing the Power Mate from this company. The Power mate (ditto for the Radio Shark) is very high quality piece of hardware from a fit and finish standpoint but the software was glitchy with a pc. Maybe it would have been better with a mac. But I digress. Perhaps if you live far from all urban and suburban interference or live on a hill with better line of site to the towers you want to receive from, the Radio Shark might be fine. For the rest of us, the Radio Shark is likely to disappoint. If you want to time shift radio programming, I can recommend two excellent pieces of software. High Criteria's Total Recorder Pro (for the pc) and Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack Pro for the Mac. I don't work for or profit from either comany. I use both on a daily basis. Both are rock solid. All you need to do is connect a radio to your pc or mac and you're set.

You have bought a Griffin Radio Shark, and you have hooked it to your Mac Computer (or your PC if you are somewhat more challenged). Now being an astute, card-carrying member of Gen X or Gen Y, you may have noticed that your Griffin Radio Shark is playing static noise, not tunes. This is bad. You are pi**** off. You are not alone. Read 90% of the customer reviews.

OK, punks, Turn off your iPods and remove the earbuds. Notice how the extreme silence causes thought, concentration, and the ability to interact with other humans to gradually intrude upon your being. Now gather around old Uncle Dave because he knows what is "wrong" with your Shark and he's got some tricks up his sleeve to get you connected. (Don't expect him to explain all your gothic ink and piercing, though).

First off, imagine an ancient, primitive time when there were no wireless connections, no hotspots, no Bluetooth, and no Real World. Life was ugly, brutish and short. People wore colors other than black and engaged in quaint interpersonal rituals (called **being polite and normal**). Attention-deficit-disorder had not been invented yet. The world was ruled by large, ugly, thundering beasts (called **radios**, now extinct). Hideous metal contraptions inhabited the rooftops of human dwellings. These Jurassic contraptions were called **antennas**. In the old days, people would buy a radio and hook a **wire** from the radio to the antenna. Humans instinctively knew that if you bought a radio, you also needed to buy and own an antenna. Separately. Sadly, this ancient wisdom has been lost. Modern day radios have cheap antennas, and few people seem to know about simple, time-honored solutions. For whatever reason, the good folks at Griffin did not inform you of this.

So.... To correct the bad reception, simply purchase a good antenna for your shark. Don't skimp here-it makes all the difference for ANY radio. For decent reception, including decent AM reception, get a portable loop antenna such as the Kiwa Pocket Loop, or pull off the loop antenna from your parents' `80s-`90s era tuner. Or go for the gold standard in cheap AM antennas-the Select-a-tenna and/or the Twin Coil Ferrite AM antenna. I use the Twin Coil Ferrite antenna, and I can make distant, weak signals sound crystal clear. The TCF requires a transistor radio battery ...errrr... I mean 9-volt battery.

You'll find that the Shark, with a proper antenna, sounds great.

There are other radios that seem to do the same things, i.e., the compact Radio Your Way LX AM/FM Radio Recorder. I don't know how the RYW LX compares to the Radio Shark, but definitely give it a look before buying Griffin's product. It is compatible with PC and Mac.

Make sure to install the most recent upgrade (currently 1.0.5)-it improves the tuning increments, among other things. Also make sure to set the EQ window (equalizer), as proper EQ settings make a huge difference. If you are listening to daytime talk radio or other drivel, set the EQ to "Voice." It will improve the sound considerably, but the fanatical talk-show host will remain incomprehensible. To further improve the sound (if you are over 30 years old), you may want to crank up your hearing aids.

The software is OK, but I imagine that there is room for improvement, as others have mentioned. The best feature of the Shark, compared to basic radios, is the time-shift feature. Sure, you can use it to use it to listen to and record broadcasts. I personally use time-shift to listen to sports broadcasts that are on TV and radio simultaneously. I'd rather listen to my local radio announcers than the national ones. But the radio broadcast is usually about 10 sec ahead of the TV, so the time shift feature allows me to synch the two broadcasts by adding a 10 sec delay to the radio broadcasts. To do this, make sure to set the preferences for time shift to allow for small rewind/forward skip increments. (I set the rewind/skip increment to 2 seconds for this purpose).

There doesn't seem to be a way to play online broadcasts through Radio Shark, and it isn't quite Tivo for radio.... That's too bad, because I'd love to use the time-shift feature with online broadcasts. There are other products that do this (Applian Technologies Replay Radio), but I'm wondering if RadioShark could be modified to do this.

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Griffin Technology should have called this unit the RadioGuppy, not radioShark. There are quite a few flaws that prevent this product from being truly great. Yes, the software is easy to use, and yes it has lights that are either blue or red in the fin. I noticed a few things wrong, though.

I installed the Mac version of the software and was listening to a strong, very clear station. I noticed the "Check for Update" menu item, and found a newer version of the RadioShark software was available. I applied the update, and suddenly that booming station was not nearly as strong and loud. In fact, I had to turn the volume up to achieve the same effect.

Next, when I tried via software to shut the LED off, a very weird, very annoying screech started coming out of my external speakers. I turned the light on, the sound went away. Light off, screech. Light on, no screech.

On the whole, I would stick with the software right out of the box. My perception is it was better than what the update will deliver. There may be features missing if you don't apply the update, however. I didn't mess around with the original software for very long to notice, so you may just want to skip right to the update. It's your call. I am just far too lazy at this point to clean out the upgrade and revert back to the original software.

The documentation is not complete, as well. For instance, there is a black port on the back of the "fin"... What it is used for? The manual is silent. Spartan may be a better word, as it is light on the actual mechanics and heavy on the usage of the time-shifting software. This is good news for the less-than-geeky, but rather lacking for the more sophisticated technology user.

But there is a plus side they do include a USB extension cable right in the box in case you need to orient the "fin" away from your computer. That is a nice touch that is frequently overlooked in other products. Plus, you can send the sound file the RadioShark generates directly to iTunes to be sent to your iPod. Very, very cool and very slick. The iPod connectivity is a great touch.

BOTTOM LINE TIME : There are just a few minor flaws like incomplete documentation that prevent this product from being five stars. The RadioShark itself is worthy of five stars. The software is easy to use, easy to install, and overall the product works as advertised. It is up to you to judge if the original or upgraded software is the one to run with as the saying goes, your mileage may vary. It excels at time-shifting recording, and integrates with the iPod for listening whenever and whereever you want. It might not be money well spent the jury is still out on that but I don't think you'll be disappointed either.

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I've had and used the RadioShark for about a month now (I make daily recordings).

Like many other users here, my RadioShark appears to suffer bad reception. I record mainly AM stations, and I'm recording a very powerful AM station in San Francisco -and I live in Oakland (10 miles away). Reception SHOULD be flawless (as it is on every other AM radio I own).

The problem I experience, however MAY not be a reception problem. To me, it sounds more like a recording level problem. It's as though the signal is overdriven, and distorts. I say this, because any "quiet" sections record relatively well. It's when loud commercials with lots of background music come on that the recording gets badly distorted.

I have not yet tried to discuss this issue with Griffin tech support -but intend to -to see what they say. (4/4/05 Update: I've explained my problems to tech support, and they're mailing me out a replacement unit -we'll see if this correects the problem...)

Otherwise it has all worked well. I did have a couple of schedule recording failures, but discovered that when I didn't plug the USB connection into a USB hub, but plugged it directly into a USB connection on the computer (this is a Win XP box), my failed recording problem went away.

I have no problem with my monitor sleeping -doesn't adversely affect anything.

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The AM / FM reception of this device is HORRID. PERIOD.

I am a radio amateur for 30 years, intimately ramiliar with the workings of all types of radios, and this one is a horror.

Even after connecting 25 feet of line into the 3.5 jack provided on this "Shark" tail, the reception was marginal at best, and still noisy.

For the money, all it provides is an option to input AM FM broadcasts and record, time shift, or schedule record shows onto your computer.

However, the only way I am able to do it is to use an FM transmitter RIGHT NEXT TO THE SHARK, and then broadcast the AM FM shows from ANOTHER radio, through the shark and into my computer. BTW, this is a good way to record streaming audio, however you will need two computers to do it, or you will get a severe echo.

Lotsa work to get the desired result, IMHO.

Griffin should worry less about the catchy "Shark" and "Rocket" hip hop Mac designs, and get down to engineering a receiver that works.

SanDisk Sansa Clip 4 GB MP3 Player (Silver)

• Tiny, ultra-portable 4 GB MP3 player
• Plays MP3, WMA, secure WMA, and Audible audio file formats
• FM tuner with 40 preset channels
• Up to 15 hours of play time with internal rechargeable battery
• Voice recording with built-in microphone

I was leaving my bulky 80 gig video iPod at home all the time because it was just too large to comfortably stick in my pocket. I wanted something small that I could use for both music and audio books (I use Audible.com).

It has achieved that and a LOT more. I never even use my iPod at home anymore! I'm actually thinking of returning it (Costco gives cash back forever) and buying four or five of these to give away as gifts!

I initially bought a shuffle and returned it the same day because it had no way of bookmarking in my audio books-a chapter is often more than an hour.

Next I bought the smallest Sony Walkman mp3 player... it was very sexy and sleek, and about twice the size of the Sansa clip... but I couldn't load my Audible.com files onto it, so that was returned the next day.

After what seemed like a full week spent in BestBuy I finally settled on the Sansa 4GB Clip and could not be happier.

It's ridiculously small, AND (unlike the iPod shuffle) it has a display. I don't know about you all, but bookmarks aside, not being able to choose a song now and then, or confirm who is performing one when I am unsure, that would drive me crazy!

It is PERFECT for my Audible content. It actually asks when you first hook it up to the PC if you want to sync with Audible Manager. You can also simply go to the Audible Manager and "add device" and follow the steps to activate the Sansa. That way you can just add the specific books you want and not attempt to sync your entire library if you have a lot. I've been a member of Audible.com for nearly ten years and getting two books a month you can imagine the size of my library by now.

I loaded five large unabridged books (average ten hours each) and then nearly 1000 songs and I still have plenty of space left to add more as the spirit hits. Transferring files to the Sansa is VERY smooth and fast. Best of all, it resumes where you left off in a book when you turn it off.

There are other nifty "extra" features, as well! The FM radio is pretty special, and I get excellent reception both in San Francisco and out in the sticks around Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. Even near the airport! Pretty impressive for such a tiny thing, huh?

It has a voice recorder that I have not really tested out properly, but i know it works, just from speaking into it. I will try to record a lecture or some other more demanding application before giving the recorder feature the same accolades I have bestowed upon the rest of the amazing little player.

A lot of people have posted excellent, detailed reviews, and I agree with almost all they have said, so I'll try not to repeat it all.

I will just say that I LOVE THIS LITTLE DEVICE!

It's tiny. Yes, it is almost twice the size of the ipod shuffle, but seriously, still small enough to put in the "key pocket" of Levi's 501s (you know, the tiny useless pocket inside the right hip pocket).

It has good sound, easily on par with my video ipod. If you replace the earphones with something better it has the potential of VERY good sound.

So, how does it compare to the iPod shuffle? For only $20 more this has:

~ four times the capacity

~ a visual display

~ a voice recorder

~ an FM receiver

~ drag and drop functionality in both PC or Mac format (no iTunes or other software needed)

~ standard USB cable, so easily replaced.

~ can be rapid charged using the same AC (wall) or 12v (car) adapters that came with my Motorola RAZR phone!

~ can be used as a regular portable drive (like a thumb drive) for any data

~ seamless Audible.com audio books loading and listening

~ clip on the back is removable, if you don't want to use it, making it even smaller

One poster complained that it was "Difficult to tell when it is fully charged I charged it for 5 hours and didn't see any indication that it was fully charged yet"

I found the same thing happening, the first time I charged it right out of the box it took several hours using the USB cable. Later, much by accident I stumbled upon this: when it is plugged in to your computer (I use a PC, not sure if this will work on a MAC), right-click on the Sansa drive icon and choose PROPERTIES, it will tell you the % of the battery charge.

I also discovered the car and wall chargers from my Motorola RAZR phone work for it, and MUCH faster than the USB cable. When charging I also found that when I unplugged it from the cable I had to power the Sansa off and back on to see the battery indicator register the "full" status.

Hope that helps.

Buy SanDisk Sansa Clip 4 GB MP3 Player (Silver) Now

The Sandisk Sansa Clip accomplishes all that I wanted in an MP3 player which I intended to use at work, to use while riding on the subway and to use while working out at the gym.

Pros:

Small, compact, light-weight, and better looking than pictured (as is the case with the 1MB, 2MB and 4MB versions). The 4MB has a very cool, beautiful mirrored finish. But I would recommend you buy a silicone case or something to protect this finish and the player itself.

Crisp, bright display but as mention in other reviews, because of the mirrored finish it can be a bit hard to see in the sunlight

The clip in the back, hence the name, which makes it easy to attach the player onto your pockets, an armband, or anywhere you want to clip this unit.

Awesome sound coming out of this little player. The better the headphones you attach the better the sound. But even with the included headphones, very nice sound.

Better value than the 4MB iPod nano that I was considering purchasing. Way more features and most importantly, it has a radio. Not sure why after all these years Apple never seemed fit to put FM tuners on their players.

I like that there's a mute button for the radio as opposed to having to turn the volume all the way down.

There's radio broadcast recording.

A voice recorder

The unit has an on-the-go playlist. You can compile all your favorite songs at an instant.

You can drop and drag songs and create playlists right onto the player itself. You don't have to use another program such as iTunes or Winamp. You will find out once you get the Sandisk Sansa Clip that Sandisk recommends that you use the Rhapsody player program, which you can download and use for free and works best for editing the songs and playlists on the unit.

Just another note about creating playlists on the Sansa Clip. I found through trial and error that it's best to first create playlists on the unit itself, meaning when the player shows up in My Computer on your desktop, double click on it and add songs to your Music folder, then select and right click on the particular songs you want to make a playlist. Click the option to "Create Playlist". By default, you will see, "New Playlist" in your Music folder. When you double click on it, you will see all your songs you made into a playlist. You can rename "New Playlist" to whatever you want ex. Playlist 1. You then cut and paste your newly created playlist to the Playlist folder. This method is preferable rather than doing it through programs such as Rhapsody, Windows Media Player, or Winamp. In my experience, when doing it with these programs the playlists either didn't display correctly or didn't show up at all. Once your playlists have been created successfully on the unit then you can go into Rhapsody(recommended) or any other MP3 player program and edit or add songs to your playlists.

Cons:

For some reason certain songs are unable to show up on the list of songs on the playlists I create even though they are on the unit. In other words, say you put, "Elvis Heartbreak Hotel" onto the player and that's in "Playlist 1", the song will be there and you will be able to play it, however when you look through the list of songs in "Playlist 1", all you see is a blank space where the artist and title should be. Even when I edit the tags and type in the artists and titles of the songs, it still doesn't display. This can be a problem when you are looking for a particular song via the list. Strangely though, when you are playing the songs within the playlist and you manually scan through the songs, the artist and title that was not being displayed before shows up. I haven't figured out why this happens. Very weird.

As far as design and function, I think it would be easier if the Power/Reset button slid down as opposed to up.

As said by other reviewers, I don't like that the volume toggle switch is under the headphone port. The headphone plug gets in the way. If the headphone port was at the top of the unit, this wouldn't be a problem. Because of the location of the headphone port, having headphones plugged in and sticking out increases the width of the player.

Overall, even with the minor gripes I have, the Sandisk Sansa Clip is a solid MP3 player and a great value for the price.

Read Best Reviews of SanDisk Sansa Clip 4 GB MP3 Player (Silver) Here

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)I'm a big fan of the Sansa Clip. I have a few of them, some I have my workout music on and one I use to take notes. At CES in January 2008, Sandisk has introduced this new 4GB version in a limited addition silver color. The Sansa Clip was a great value in 2GB; at 4GB it ROCKS! It has four times the capacity as the iPod Shuffle for about the same price. It also has a screen, FM Tuner, voice recording and more. You can get the 1GB version for $35 Sansa Clip 1 GB MP3 Player or the 2GB for about $60 SanDisk SDMX11R-2048K-A70 Sansa Clip 2 GB MP3 Player (Black). But by coming out with the first 4GB clip MP3, Sandisk has raised the bar. Now with MacWeek next week, can a bigger iPod shuffle be far behind? We'll see.

Pros -

+ good sound

+ nice capacity for a decent price

+ light-weight

+ FM tuner with 40 presets!!!

+ voice recording

+ nice design and color options

+ Nice format compatibility (MP3, DRM WMA, WMA, Audible)

+ USB 1.1 and 2.0 connectivity

+ Can be used as a USB drive / mass storage

+ Can sync music with drag & drop or via software

+ 15 hours battery life is better than Creative Zen Stone Plus or iPod Shuffle

Cons

larger body than the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod shuffles

The new Sandisk Sansa Clip has the advantages of the iPod shuffle with some of the compatibility, feature, and price benefits of other MP3 players. Unlike the Sansa Express, which you can plug in directly into your USB port, the clip uses a standard USB B cable.

The Clip is definitely a little bigger than the iPod shuffle, but not by much. It has a great feel and a nicer clip. It is also priced right. It fills the market for a starter MP3, workout unit, or gift.

The rechargable battery seems better than the Creative Zen Stone Plus and gives you a respectable 15 hours. The sound is nice. The earbuds are passable for beginners but most people will replace them. As for durability, only time will tell; so far my units are holding up nicely.

I definitely recommend the larger sizes, whether 2GB or 4GB. For those needing more space, you will have to explore the CreativeZen, Sandisk Sansa, Sansa View or new iPod Nano. All of those units have higher price tags.

SanDisk Sansa View 8 GB MP3 Player

SanDisk Sansa View 16 GB MP3 Player

Creative Zen 8 GB (Black)

Creative Zen 16 GB (Black)

SanDisk SDMX4-8192 Sansa e280 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)

Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Black (3rd Generation)

Overall, an awesome starter unit that deserves a try. Enjoy!!!

Want SanDisk Sansa Clip 4 GB MP3 Player (Silver) Discount?

Pros:

-It's tiny yet still has a display, albeit a basic one

-Holds a lot of music, especially for its size

-Clip is convenient for the gym

-Pretty eye-catching with that 2-way mirror reflective coating

-Drag and drop file transfer (no software--i.e. iTunes--needed)

-USB cord is of the same type as my Canon digital camera, in case I ever lose it

-Amazing sound quality (really--the sansa clip line has garnered accolades from audiophiles)

Cons:

-That sexy reflective coating? There's a trade off: it makes viewing the screen pretty much impossible outdoors on any but the dreariest day. There's supposedly a firmware update coming out soon to make the display brighter so as to counter this effect, but I doubt it can be remedied completely

-Poor FM reception, even in the big city

-could go a little louder (though you can tweak the EQ settings for this)

I love this little thing and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a small mp3 player with a high capacity. It does have a few shortcomings but, then again, at least it has a screen & FM Player, unlike another, very popular, more expensive small player. Also note that even though the navigation pad is round, it doesn't function as a scroll wheel; rather, its a 4-way directional with a center button (still works fine).

First off, it's really great, the sound is very good, the price very fair. I tried as best I could to compare it against my PC with a top notch audio card playing through an HK amp, and couldn't detect a difference, but that could be related to the medium. And, do you think they can make these things any smaller? Kidding, but actually I could do without the "clip". I had no problem with the FM, programmed it in less than a minute, it even picks up the college station about ten miles away. Of course, FM in Seattle isn't worth a cup of warm p**s anyway.

Okay, minor gripe number one. The earphone output is in the wrong place for offset plugs, they rotate around and cover the volume rocker. Probably not an issue for other brands, but my UE's (love 'em) cost 4 times the player, so it should be the one to conform! Very minor gripe.

Minor gripe number two is that it's a pain passing over my Winamp playlists, which I've spent years and years assembling. You can do it, but it's hardly drag and drop. Curses, but of course that could be Winamp's issue, eh? Oh well, I need to spend a few weeks with a tag editor anyway to recast the mp3's for my Samsung phone, so no biggie, it will be fun. Yeah.

Anyway, great player, very easy to use, took all of five minutes to get some songs on it and play. For 4GB, gotta be the state of the art right now, unless you want to be in the clutches of Evil Empire Jr. (Apple).

PS: Look for the dual charger/silicone case package here, great deal and the clear case works perfectly, it's on there for good.

PPS: Okay, two more minor gripes with two redacted. First, yeah, you can't read the bloody screen outside. That's more annoying than I thought it would be.

Second, 4GB turns out to be too small. Yes, I would like to have my total music collection on my fingernail, but 4GB is what I paid for and 4GB is what I got, so this gripe isn't even fair. Anyway, I'll redact this gripe because of the superior ease of moving subdirectories in and out of the "music" folder through the PC. I haven't even bothered with my Winamp playlists, so I'll redact that gripe as well. I just copy files into new directories on the PC, hit them with a tag editor, and kazaam, instant Clip playlists that can be moved in wholesale. That's just fine, applause to the Sansa software people, who got that right.

PPPS: A word of explanation regarding Clip music organization. There are three ways to access music aside from playlists, and in fact I find myself using "artist" the most often, fits my mood. If you use "artist" it will break up the songs into "albums" automatically. Therefore, in tagging a directory for the Clip, plan accordingly. For example, my goth playlist is best tagged with "goth" in both the "artist" and "album" tags, which is trivial with something like MP3tag. You could also use the useless "genre" tag as a quasi playlist via tag editor. That's not how you want your archived music tagged of course, it loses information, which is why I keep a separate set of Clip subdirectories. Additional hard disk space (so?), but you want to trim your archive anyway to save space on the player. Very rarely will you listen to all the songs archived for an artist, usually you just go with your favorites. Anyway, you can go simple or complex to please yourself freedom of choice, I like that.