TDK Life on Record 77000015410 Sound Cube Audio System

• Two powerful 5 1/4-inch coaxial drivers deliver full range sound
• Play your iPod/iPhone music while charging using the USB to 30 pin Apple cable
• Using the rotary dial and front facing screen, play and control music directly from storage devices including USB flash and external hard drives
• Compact design and handle let you take your music anywhere
• Input options let you connect most audio devices and mix with an instrument

I thought it was very cool that TDK was releasing modernized portable radios, built with a high level of quality that generally hasn't been seen in radios for a good 20-30 years.

When I first plugged it in, I listened to FM (FM mind you, not a digital source), and after a short time said to myself... "this sounds as good as my Proton 300/301". For those of you who know about, or are lucky enough to own an old Proton, that's some fine company to keep. Is it as good? I don't have the equipment to test and prove so, but it's mighty close if it isn't.

I wished that on occasion, when going camping, to a picnic, etc... that I could take the Proton (and it's fantastic sound quality) with me. Well, now with a 12-pack of D-Batteries and a Sound Cube, you can do just that. The battery door is on the bottom, and screws securely into brass sockets mounted in the radio (you can use a nickel as a screwdriver). It doesn't have those typical flimsy plastic door clips you find on most radios; so you can put away that roll of electrical tape you use to patch the battery doors on your old radios. You also won't need to paste any foam on the door to keep the batteries from rattling, as the Cube already has a piece of well secured good quality foam (that won't rot from age). Nice touch!

How about features? The drivers are on the left/right sides of the Cube. The passive radiators are on the front/back. Granted, you lose some volume if you're in front of the control side (as the drivers fire sideways), but for stereo separation, that makes sense. Need more volume? Hey, it "goes to 11". Yes, it really does. There are two markings for the volume knob... "Off", and "11". Bonus point to the folks at TDK for having a sense of humor!

I definitely like the touch-screen control panel. Source selections are: 1)FM; 2)USB for flash drives and such; 3)AUX-1 for either the 1/8" Mini-Stereo jack for portable CD/MP3 players or the 1/4" Instrument jack; 4)AUX-2 to use standard RCA L/R jacks; and 5)MIX INST will let you mix a guitar in with a piece of music you're playing.

The EQ adjusts Bass/Treble. It would be nice if there were settings to tweak a wider range, but it does the job just fine; many modern radios don't have any tone controls, so I can't complain.

There are 5 presets on the touch-screen panel to save favorite FM stations, and of course the controls for playing MP3s (back/forward/play/pause).

The screen (OLED... nice!) shows what input you have selected, displays RDS info if the FM station you're listening too carries that (a nice touch, I didn't expect that to be a feature); and has a graphic equalizer that's thankfully subtle. Some equalizer displays are too bright/hyper; they're entertaining for a few minutes, but shortly become annoying. Someone at TDK had the sense to build in a graphic equalizer that won't become an irritation shortly after buying the radio (Thank You!).

OK... how is navigating a bunch of MP3s on a USB stick? Smooth sailing. I sort my music by band/album/song. The display shows icons for folders and lists the name of the folder, and displays the song titles when it recognizes songs. If you're scrolling through the list of songs, it shows a speaker icon next to the one it's playing. So navigating USB sticks is fast, easy... and 320k MP3s/VBRs work just fine (but it won't decode FLAC directly off a USB stick).

The top is rubberized, so your portable players won't get scratched up, and it helps keep them from sliding around. The FM antenna is easy to grab with your fingernails, and if you pull it out far enough, it will pivot. The carrying handle is sturdy, which is good as the Cube is a wee bit heavy when you fill it up with batteries.

The majority of the case is a flat/textured black (Hooray!). I'm tired of the smooth/glossy/fingerprint magnet cases that are so popular with electronics makers (but don't seem to be so popular with their customers).

The control knobs, speaker dust caps, and display are a subtle dark yellow/gold; the power-on light (on the volume knob) and currently active controls (such as play) are a "non-eye melting" white, which gives it a touch of class while still looking modern. I used to work in the art business so I couldn't help notice that the person who did the graphic design did a nice job. Usually products like this look "slapped together", so the effort put into its appearance is appreciated.

I like it much more than I expected; TDK has a sleeper hit here. For those of you scouring the "Bay" in desperation to find an old Proton radio in decent condition (and for a reasonable price), you might be happier with the Cube, which is also more capable.

Bonus: Looking for a carrying case to put it in to protect the drivers, and to keep it dry/clean when transporting it? Stop by your local "Mega-Mart", and look for the

cube-shaped, soft-sided, 36-can soda cooler (with the removable/washable hard plastic liner). The Cube fits -perfectlyin it, and the price is right.

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We purchased this cube for our 15 year old daughter, after reading a product-placement review at Wired. It is ergonomically far simpler than a full amp/speakers/subwoofer stereo system, easily moved room-to-room or used as a footrest, and it provides inputs for all of her music sources.

Note that there are actually two 5 1/4-inch coaxial drivers; the other two speaker-like ports are passive reflectors. So while this cube presents the illusion of being a subwoofer, two speakers, and a crossover circuit, it actually consists of two full-range speakers. There are physical limits to the subwoofer effect one can achieve with any 17 lb, 20 Watts RMS, 10" cube; this wouldn't be the right choice for a high school dance. There's little risk of the bass loosening one's deck screws, and anyone who knows the sound of a 200 Watts RMS 12" powered subwoofer could write a scathing review if they chose to be so clever. Given the physical limits here, I'm surprised how good this cube sounds.

In a 10' by 10' room the sound is remarkable. The 17 lb heft delivers. The bass is extraordinarily clean; the highs are quite clear but not the cleanest I've ever heard. With an inferior-sounding bass, a teen's natural reaction is to crank it up to compensate, and parents hears loud bass through the walls, of an embarrassing and disturbing sound quality. With this extraordinarily clean bass, there is no compensation reaction, and parents hear a tight, quieter bass through the walls that is far more pleasing. This is a nice bonus, and an argument to proceed for parents hesitating to so equip their teens.

With twice the budget, and a willingness to give up the ergonomic advantages of a single, portable cube, I'd go self-powered components from Audioengine, with extraordinarily clear highs to match the more powerful, actual subwoofer bass:

Audioengine A5 Powered Multimedia Speaker System (Black)

Audioengine AS8 Subwoofer 125 Watt black

Nevertheless, this cube fills its niche perfectly, and is a great value at its price point.

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TDK's Sound Cube feels very well made and sounds better than I'd imagined. The bass it pumps out is excellent given the woofer size. For the price, it's far and away the best portable speaker system I've heard.

Note: portability comes at a small price. If you take this on a plane flight, you will have your luggage searched every time. As a TSA agent said, "Man, that thing looks SINISTER on the x-ray."

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An excellent device with great sound, nice features and good looks.

But...Take batteries out after use. I spoke with TDK after experiencing the complete draining of my batteries twice (thankfully I use rechargeables). They acknowledged the problem and explained when you turn off the the Sound Cube it is actually going into standby mode and still drawing some power. There is no work around to this issue. Not a handy feature when running on batteries. If planning to bring on an extended trip without easy access to power from the plug. My recommendation is bring something else.

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Well, I have many portable sound systems in my larger home. I have bought a different one for every room to match the audio characteristics of the room (size and shape), and I found this approach to be a better alternative to re-wiring the house for built-in speakers or using a WiFi networked system (e.g., the Logitech Squeezebox family, which I also own three pieces of). From a sound quality perspective the TDK Cube is BETTER than all of them very clear, distortion free, and balanced. The Cube sounds just as good (if not fuller) than its sibling TDK 3-Speaker Boombox, it's only true rival. The 3-Speaker box is not portable but The Cube is easily portable.

How does it sound? Lemme tell you about the bass WOW!! It is so full and rich that you would be hard-pressed to tell it's not your home audio system with extra sub-woofer connected! But the big bass does not drown out the beautiful mids and highs. I don't know how TDK has made such a wonder for such a price (and why the others couldn't do it for more?) It plays louder than the TEAC SR-100i (2x50 Watts) and the B&W Zeppelin even though the TDK has "only" 20 Watts of RMS power (certainly the result of more efficient speakers). Even at max volume I cannot hear any distortion but it is hard to bear that volume in any room short of a dance hall.

Highly recommended you will not be disappointed with any aspect of this sound system.

Sony CFDS05 CD Radio Cassette Recorder Boombox

• Cassette/Radio/CD Features: Cassette Player, CD Player, Digital Volume Control, Built-In Speakers, AM/FM Radio, Digital Display
• Electronic Functions: CD Player, Built-in Speakers, Digital Tuner, AM/FM Radio, Cassette Player, Cassette Recorder
• CD, DVD, Cassette Compatibility: CD, CD-R/RW
• Includes: Power Cord.
• Dimensions: Length: 9.38 "; Width: 14.25 "; Depth: 5.38 "

Yes, it's a corny title, I know; what's not corny is this sweet little boombox from Sony. It was little difficult to find a unit like this with all of the features I was in the market for, since boomboxes seem to be on the way out -at least in their old configurations.

Pretty much gone are days of tape, but I guess that there are some folks out there who still like cassettes; these are the people who will be happy with the CFDS05's built-in tape deck I will probably never use it. The other features, such as digital AM/FM tuner with numerous presets, CD-R/RW capable compact-disc player, and AUX-in jack for portable music players, are just what I was looking for!

+ The sound, while not audiophile quality, is pleasantly full and crisp; the longstanding Sony Mega Bass feature helps the lower end a little, but don't expect miracles. All in all, it's a very nice sound from a not-too-huge footprint.

+ The digital tuner works well, picking up the new somewhat-hard-to-lock-onto local public music radio station with no difficulties at all. The presets take a little practice -I actually had to break down and look at the instructions.

+ The CD player seems to have no problems reading my CD-R discs (I always play copies, never original discs); my previous RCA stereo clock radio would conk out in the middle of a CD-R playback.

+ The aux-in feature also works very well with my MP3 player, though it's necessary to crank the volume up a bit in relation to the radio or CD player don't forget to turn it back down before switching sources!

About the only minus I can come up with, and it's a minor one, is a lack of some "snazzy" features; there's no remote, no "sleep" feature, and the CD doesn't play back mp3 discs. I'm sure Sony could have included some of these features, but likely not at this price point.

The CFDS05's construction is pretty solid, though perhaps not quite as heavy-duty as the three other Sony boomboxes we own (that are all 3-6 years old, and we haven't had a lick of trouble from any of them). I am hopeful this one will be just as reliable as its predecessors.

Overall, I would say that if you're in the market for what I think is becoming a scarce product offering, pick one of these up while you can! I am very pleased that I found yet another quality Sony boombox to meet my listening needs I've tried many, many others, and I always end up coming back to Sony.

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PROS:

1. buttons (except cassette) are located right on the front in one place, and are clearly labeled and easy to use

2. sound can be turned up WAY WAY louder than I would probably use it with no distortion

3. CD player features these modes: program, shuffle, repeat disc, repeat track

4. plays both cd-R AND cd-RW (copies you made and professionally made ones)

5. very light weight

6. big handle for carrying

7. audio line in for iPod or other device is located right on the front

8. headphone jack

9. GOOD RELIABLE BRAND

10. cassette recorder and DIGITAL radio too, with memory presets for radio

CONS:

1. SHORT power cord (about 5 feet long at the most) which cannot be replaced with my generic longer ones because of the shape of the opening for it

2. so-called "BASS BOOST" makes so little difference that you can't tell it's on except by looking at the display!!!! NEEDS EQUALIZER!!!

3. can't see through cassette door so have to open it to see how much tape you have left to play

4. doesn't play MP3 discs, but I don't have those anyway

5. NO REMOTE CONTROL when Sony's website says it has one

It does what I need it to do. The sound is not that great compared to my computer's or car stereo's sound, but it's ok for the size of the unit, and sounds way way way better than the cd clock radio that I WAS using as my cd player! I haven't used the radio or cassette yet and likely won't. I just got it to put by my bed, for playing my iPod through the audio in jack and playing cd's. For me, the cassette deck is just a bonus and nice to have if I need it sometime, since I already threw away or gave away most of my cassettes.

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Initially I ordered another CD Player that was somewhat smaller and lighter than the Sony. Unfortunately, that player was defective (not created during shipping) as it was unable to play the last track of any CD! Also, the other unit had volume issues. I returned that initial purchase and went with the Sony.....great choice too.

The Sony, while a bit larger and heavier, is still pretty compact. Best of all the sound quality (at least to my ear) is that of a much more expensive player! Really sounds top notch.

Finally, there is the various kind of media it can play from.

I have a vast collection of CDs, but my sons are always trying to interest me in using MP3 technology, and with my new Sony, I may just branch-out and explore these "new music frontiers".

Great buy!

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I purchased one of these for my 10x6 kitchenette. It's great for listening to the news, or popping in a cd/cassette, or even feeding in my mp3 player. Don't expect super high quality sound from speakers this size (in general). The speakers are brignt with lots of treble, which sounds better listening to classical or jazz music because the strings/horns are very clear. Plus older recordings from the 1950's/60's/70's (such as the classic jazz of the Miles Davis Quintet) were made with small transistor radios in mind. The Mega-Bass feature mainly helps you shore up the low end when you have headphones on, but can't overcome the small, low-wattage speaker system.

This unit is full of great features, with perfect dimensions for a kitchen counter-top, office desktop, workbench or dresser. The sound is appropriate for a small room-but sounds better with headphones on. The audio-in feature means that this unit can be used with any number of mp3 players, rather than just the Apple iPod. Many audio books at the library are still (and always will be) on cassette, so having the cassette option is nice. I'm buying a 2nd unit for my 8-year-old daughter who has a small bedroom, a limited budget and reasonable sound expectations.

I bought this because I didn't have good all-around (radio and CD) sound source while working in the garden. I was surprised to find I could set it inside my patio door and clearly hear music and commentary about 50 feet away at three quarters volume. The sound does not suffer much when you crank it up all the way. The sound is strong on battery power too.

My wife is already planning to use it inside the house and on trips when she exercises, to provide audible, good quality workout music.

The front controls are logical and easy to use, and look like they would hold up to outdoor/casual use. This boombox is a very handy size and weight, considering the features and good sound. The antenna is effective, sturdy, and tucks away under the flush handle for some protection. (The handle does have a squared off edge, and might not be comfortable for carrying for miles.) A very well thought out design overall.

I chose the Sony brand because other manufacturer's boomboxes and undercabinet systems we tried earlier had poor reception or reliability. One of those even ruined any disk you put in it. No problems with our Sony kitchen unit, and we are hoping for the same with this boombox.

I shop by price, and paid $50, about $20 more than some other brands. Those had poor reviews for sound or reliability, or lacked features like audio input. Mostly, I was put off by the bulky designs and strange protruberances. I would have liked this Sony better if it came in a more attractive color than matte gray for the case (the front is more attractive, but still basic). It's already showing fingerprints on top (the cassette and CD compartment covers). I also don't care for the markings on the cassette buttons, which are mono-color stampings, nearly impossible to see in dim light. My final gripe is the lack of storage for the power cord, which must be removed to run on battery power. I found a small drawstring mesh bag around the house, and looped the cord over the boombox handle. Otherwise someone in this household would lose that cord in a heartbeat. It would have been nice if the audio-in cable was supplied, instead of just a jack, but I suppose they had to economize somewhere.

I'm hoping for many years of clear music and radio entertainment from this player.

Pacific Digital U-30182 4X Internal Dual Format DVD Burner

I was skeptical when I chose this one, since it was milti-format, and could get for only 100 bones, but it works great! I have had mine for a couple of months now, and I have burned a LOT of DVD's with it. Works great, I would recomend this to all who need a reliable DVD burner, that doesn't degrade the post burn picture.

Have had issues from the start. Only a 4x, very picky about using DVD-, prefers DVD+. Now after 2 years it has quit reading discs at all. Maybe I got a bad one, but go with better brand and you will be better served.

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I have no idea why everyone's all mean to this Pacific Digital product. I mean, it's a pretty cheap price, but a good product for what ur paying. I refurbished a desktop, and added this DVD Burner, and it's been working fine ever since. I have no complaints whatsoever. I think the people who are whining about it should've paid more money for a better name-brand product. But, as I said, for the price, it's a good burner.

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Buyer beware must be Pacific Digital's mantra. The USB 2.0 dvd burner I bought from them died in under six months. The burner, a lite-on, was fine it was their enclosure that failed. Their customer service was horrendous as was the shipping that I was forced to pay to receive replacement parts, which still have not arrived. If you are looking for a product that will give you reliable service and lasting performance STAY AWAY from pacific digital!!!!

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EasyCAP USB 2.0 Audio/Video Capture/Surveillance Dongle

With all the negative comments about this product I wanted to give it a fair chance. I am writing this review because as a fellow online purchaser, product feedback is very important in making your purchase decisions. I almost did not buy this product because of the negative reviews but for $15 I figured it would be worth the risk and now I am glad I bought it. I have made a couple DVDs so far and it has been trial and error but I am getting better each time. This product works and so far is working great. The hardest part is learning to use the software that comes in the package with the Easycap. Just a few steps to get you going... Put the disc in prior to inserting the easy cap. When it autoruns then click on the install driver option. (There are more in depth directions that come with the product but they were in broken English so I'm trying to help with that.) The directions say to tell it not to search the internet then continue on and eventually you will get to a screen that says it has not passed windows logo testing. The directions say to click "continue anyway". Once the drivers are installed then plug in the device. Complete the install new hardware wizard and then it will probably show another device which is the sound and it should install itself. After everything is finished, then on the disc menu click install video studio. Install that and you are ready to go. Plug in your other device (VCR, gaming system, camcorder etc.)Start up the program and click on videostudio editor, it will load up and then click on the capture tab. Then click on the video capture button. (Be patient here this might take a little bit to load stuff in but it won't show it loading it also might mute your system while the sound is integrating.) There is a format line. The default is AVI, I believe, but you will want to set it to MPEG for DVDs and also so you don't take up all of your hard drive (since AVI files are about 1 Gigabyte per minute of video one hour of video would take up a huge chunk of your hard drive. I know this because I used up my entire hard drive on a couple of videos :-) PLEASE NOTE: there is a little gear that says options. Click it then click "video and audio capture property settings..." MAKE SURE: that under the source tab the TV system says NTSC instead of the default PAL that comes up. IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS YOU MAY NOT SEE ANYTHING COME UP ON THE SCREEN AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CAPTURE OR BURN VIDEO ONTO DVD. Also under capture tab I clicked the customize button and put 720 X 480 frame size because if you don't when it burns to DVD it will have to convert it anyways. I also put the speed/quality slider bar all the way over to quality because I'm burning family videos and I could care less how long it takes as long as the quality is best. (Adjust this as you see fit). Next step is to click on capture video and when done click stop capture. You will notice the video is displayed in a little square in the top right corner. You can click this and view it. When you are done recording and ready to make a disc click the share button at the top and add media as you see fit. You can also edit menus and backgrounds later on. Also notice there are tabs at the bottom left that allow you to change the TV ratio (I use 16:9) and tabs for settings. There is much more to be said about the program but I have not used all the features and this is only to help you get going so you can enjoy your product. I hope this review has been useful and as I said this is a great product for the price. I have had the product for about a week and I have been working on transferring my family videos to DVD and so far it has been great!

This product is great but not perfect it has better quality then a DAzzle but only after i change some settings in the capture area heres how i did it

1. click capture video but don't capture.

2. click video type.

3. click mpeg.

4. click options, then click the 'SECOND' option.

5. click capture up in the tabs of the options.

6. move the quality meter all the way up to 100%.

7. then click advance.

8. make the quality DVD then scroll to the bottom then click 720 by 620 NTSC or the PAL option right below it if your in Europe.

9. the click display area and make it 16.9 then make the bit rate constant bit rate.

10. keep the audio were it is expect if the bit rate is under or above 224kbps then make it 224kbps to remove static.

11. now download a media encoder because MPEG isn't compatible with alot of programs.

13. Now record i bet the quality will be 999999999X better!

14. now click this review was helpful.

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I recently bought one of these and I think I may know why so many people are having issues with getting theirs working. Many of the EasyCAP DC60s being distributed are cheap, poor-quality (and often broken) fakes. I purchased one of these video adapters as a belated birthday present for my son. The item I bought was listed as "new", but when he opened the package, he found that the CD that contained the software for the installation and operation of the adapter was a Mitsubishi brand blank disk with said software burned onto it. My son assumed that I had simply bought him a used EasyCAP, that the previous owner had lost the original CD and that he had burned a replacement CD before selling it back. After installing the software and plugging in the video adapter, my son found that his computer did not recognize that any drivers for the device had been installed. After researching drivers and fixes to the problem, my son eventually found the website of Shenzhen Forward Video, the supposed official manufacturer of the EasyCAP DC60+. Shenzhen Forward Video has given a statement () claiming that someone has been poorly reproducing and distributing EasyCAP products. In addition to that, it appears as though Shenzhen Forward Video never made an EasyCAP DC60 in the first place; the only model listed on their website with "DC60" in the name is their DC60+, of which production has been discontinued.

I am not the only person to have come to the conclusion that they were sold an imitation. During his search for a solution to the drivers problem, my son found a website () where someone else who had unwittingly bought two broken EasyCAPs and managed to get his hands on a third, working model posted photos comparing the real thing to the reproductions.

If you're looking to buy a video adapter, I would suggest that you stay clear of the "EasyCAP" brand altogether because you may not get what you paid for.

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Great on Xbox 360 just make sure you have all your formats correct and it gets the job done. i dont know why it has so many poor reviews i believe you have to know somewhat about computers before you jump to video editing and capturing this device isnt hard to use at all but you have to know more about computers then sending emails and going on youtube to use it at your full desire.

Check Quality Modern Warfare 2

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Hello All:

I have a security DVR which gives me direct AVI extracts out of its USB port, but without audio. So my project was to find a way to video capture extracts from the DVR. I bought this EasyCap. Had to make several passes with the WinXP driver install routines until all of EasyCap's drivers installed. Then I installed their video capture software. I was able to get sound but only got fuzz in the video display panel. Then tried Win XPs Movie Maker. Same thing albeit more frustrating. Movie Maker would lock up after each attempt. Next, I went out on a video capture software hunt and tried several other products which had trial downloads. No luck and I was almost at my wits end. My last stop happened to be nchsoftware, who offer the Debut video capture software. And the basic version is free.

Unbelieveably, after a little bit of fudging, the video feed from my dvr showed up in the Debut display on my pc. This amazing software lets you record in any of multiple formats: vcd, avi, mp4, etc. There are a couple of quirks, not so huge though. One is that in the 'tools' options to adjust the device I have to keep changing the video input format to NTSC_M each time I launch Debut. Culprit is EasyCap which keeps defaulting to PAL_B. Not sure why PAL_B was chosen as default while marketing to the US. Secondly, while recording I can see the green audio bar moving in the Debut display panel but cannot hear the audio.

After I 'stop' the recording session and replay the newly created file from 'recordings' on the menu I have both video and sound in the file.

Hope this information will help you too. Saved my day. And I recommend a robust donation to nch software for the free version of Debut. Alternately, buy the Debut Plus to support the company. They have a huge line of other video related products.

Hope this info helps you and good luck.

Ahmed

USA

Zoom H4n Handy Mobile 4-Track Recorder and MP3 Player + 8GB Accessory Kit

I purchased this for recording autio during board meetings with 35+ in attendance. The sound is great! The only problems I see with it is that the microphones I purchased didn't work with the recorder. I could use the extra microphones but then the microphones on the recorder did not work. I thought needed to purchase the more expensive microphones but I tested it out without any extra microphones and it worked great! The battery life on the recargable batteries was ok. If you wanna use the power cord the recorder doesn't stand up... big bummer. But all in all I love it!

Love my Zoom!!! So many features... Sound is great, almost too good. The mics are very sensitive and pick up a bit more of the room than I would like sometimes. Other times it sounds just right. But don't let me confuse you, This is a great piece!! Recommend using the wind guard pretty much all the time. I was really surprised once I got a file into my computer and touched it up a bit. It sounded incredibly clean and true. Live percussion with a little reverb added, sounds amazing. The effects are cool too. Well worth the price. Incredibly handy to keep in your bag and a whole lotta fun!!! It's simple.... Buy one!

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SanDisk SDCFH-004G-A11 4GB 30MB/s ULTRA CF Card (US Retail Package)

This card can hold up to about 1500 8 megapixel jpgs (give or take) which is usually more than I need in a single day. I also have three 1 gig Ultra II's and have noticed that they seem to be faster than the 4 gig version...but I usually don't need more than 9 pictures of an event in less than 5 seconds anyway, so this has not caused too much trouble. I have taken about 5,000-6,000 pictures on this card so far without any problems, other than running low on hard drive space because I end up taking more pictures due to this cards large size. So if speed is your main concern I recommend buying a few 1 gig cards or even moving up to an Extreme III, but other than that this card is a very good size for the cost and gets the job done.

I bought this in April for my new Canon 30D and it worked great until several months ago. When I would go back to scroll through the recently taken pictures on my camera it would start saying "Data Corrupted". It started out slowly then it would lose every third picture. I tried to reformat the card and got an error message. Now my camera does not recognize it nor does the camera software on my computer. It was a wonderful card while it lasted but I too am hesitate to get another one. Hopefully mine was a lemon too.....but then again.

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I love the quality and speed of SanDisk cards. Nevertheless I must confess, after having an Extreme card, you do feel the difference, while browsing through the pics in the camera... I believe it's worth to pay the difference for an Extreme one. In all other matters, great product, reasonable speed (while taking / processing pictures) and good speed for transfering photos to the computer.

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This seemed like a great card at a great price. Unfortunately after 4 months, during the middle of a paid shoot, all of the images instantly dissappeared. I stopped using the card, put it aside until I got home. I tried to use software to recover the images. Only a few could be recovered, the rest were gone. I've not been able to re-format the card in either a canon eos 5d, digital rebel, or using software on my computer. The card is now completely un-usable.

All of my older cards continue to work just fine. Hopefully this is just a lemon, although I need to replace it, and am obviously apprehensive about purchasing another one from Sandisk.

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Normally I really like Sandisk CF cards. I have an Ultra II 1 gig that has performed flawlessly for over a year. I just recently purchased 2 of the 4 gig cards for an upcoming trip.

To preface I've had digital cameras for years. As far as digital SLR's I've had the orginal DRebel, 2 20D's and 2 30D's.. as well as a Nikon D50. I'm not a novice when it comes to these and to the cards they take.

Upon arrival of the 4 gig cards I put them in to check them. Both produced Err 99 on the Canon 30D's... as well as the Canon 20 D's. The only way around that Err 99 was to format BOTH CF cards on my computer .. and only then did they work in the cameras.

I have NEVER had to format an card before first time use in any of my cameras (including the other 2 4 gig cards that I own).

The cards are being sent back to where I got them, and I'm purchasing cards from a different vendor (and the Ultra III). It's my belief that it could be a batch problem .. as I am hearing others complain of this issue over the last month.

If you experience this problem, return them IMMEDIATELY to the vendor that you purchased it from. While reformatting them on your computer will work, there's a fairly good chance that the card could fail down the road.

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GSI Quality 2.4 GHz Digital Wireless Baby Monitor Color Camera With Video Receiver, SD Card Recordi

I recieved this item and it looks great. I was exited to set it up and charged my units and tried to plug the usb cord up and set up my software. well it seems there was nothing on my Digital Wireless Baby Monitor Drive CD REV:837.1 and it will not find driver by not having it so I am wondering how to find the software if anyone knows please post

First, the ad on Amazon leaves TONS to wonder. First-I will answer all the questions I personally had prior to ordering this... only to be answered upon arrival.

1. It has a rechargeable battery. The battery lasts about 4 hours in the handset.

2. The camera has a rechargeable battery as well-in case of a power outage it will run about an hour.

3. It has automatic night vision

4. It does NOT zoom in or out or pan left to right or up or down.

5. It does have a slot for an SD card for recording.

6. It does not monitor room tempature

7. It does not have a night light or play lullabies.

8. Its sound does NOT have an option to turn off auto mute.

9. The sound is not very sensitive and only comes on when baby is really crying loud or coughing. (Its not quite sensitive enough for me, so I will be returning it)

10. No mounting hardware for camera.

This is a decent camera for the money. The sound is just not sensitive enough for me and it doesn't have a button to adjust sensitivity.

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We have been using baby video monitors for our kids for 3 years now. This is our 3rd brand, I just wanted to try it. Bad decision. This thing broke after a week of use (the other 2 brands broke after a year of use)! The on/off switch is funky (does not turn off when you want it off), and makes static noises at night when we are sleeping. The sound output is not great on these, and the picture quality is really bad when the camera is in a dark room (which is what happens at night when the lights are off in our daughter's room). It's great that there is a 2-way talk option, but this product lags in the basics such as picture and sound qualities.

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I bought this monitor not knowing what to expect because of it not having any reviews on the functionality of the unit itself. And I am so glad I did!! I LOVE THIS MONITOR! I didn't expect a lot because it was a lot less than all of the other monitors but this monitor works better than the one I paid $150 for..Never Take Your Eyes Off Your Baby or in my case my puppies, I can monitor them at daytime or even in a dark room at night. I set it to a position to see them better .The camera and the receiver Will Find Each Other From A Distance Of Up To 600 Ft .I have nothing bad to say about this monitor, picture is great, sound is great and battery life is great!

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3FT Optical audio Toslink CABLE DV CD DVD Dolby Digital

Bought this to link my vizio sound bar to my new lcd t.v., the sound quality is amazing.

Sure you dont need a fancy cable for toslink but it would be nice if it stayed plugged in. The connection is loose and falls out easily. I would not buy this brand again.

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so i got this cable for my 7.1 headset and great to save money with out having to spend $10+ for a simple cable. also got one for my buddy who also has a 7.1 headset

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So far so good. It made an 'ok' sound system a great one and eliminates lots of wires. two more words required

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I swap my Turtle Beach Gaming headset to the multiple Optical cables I have connected to my devices and I never have an issue with the cables. I've dropped them, stepped on them (on carpet), and my daughter has yanked on them a few times and they still work. Great buy and I highly recommend them.

Samsung HMX-U20 Ultra-Compact Full-HD Camcorder (Black)

I purchased this May 28th, on sale for $170. I did not purchase a memory card as I had a 2 gig SD card at home and wasn't sure that I would be keeping this camera. I charged the battery, put in my memory card and went out in the yard and shot some video and some still photos. It was a bright sunny day. I hooked up the camera to my 50 inch plasma TV with the included composite video cable and looked at the photos, which were really great quality and detail. I was pleasantly surprised that they were the equal of my Olympus 10 mega pixel digital still camera. Next I looked at the video that I shot at 1080P and heard this clicking noise throughout the video. My commentary was recorded just fine but the clicking was a deal breaker. The video quality was also not what I expected for the 1080 P setting. I loaded the CD into my PC and started to read the manual. As another reviewer noted you must us HC SD memory or data will be lost while the memory is trying to keep up with the high data rate of this camera. That night I bought a recommended SDHC card and put it in the camera. The next day I went to a WWII era air show and brought the camera. I shot about 40 minutes of video at 720P 60 frames per second and about 24 photos at the 10 mega pixel setting. There were lots of action videos as the old fighters streaked overhead as well as some newer jets. I hooked up the camera to the plasma TV and viewed the photos, which were really sharp and clear with great detail. You could read the serial number and min/max blade pitch on one of the props. This is using a low quality composite video cable between the camera and TV. The videos were terrific and no clicking noise. The use of the correct memory card improved all the quality levels of the photos and videos. My family was impressed that this small package could do so much. I next loaded the software on my PC and transferring the videos and photos was simple and the while not a high end package there is more than enough functionality to edit the videos, convert them to other formats and upload them to different online services. The only thing missing is the ability to burn them to a DVD, which I can do with Nero. On Memorial Day I went to the Daytona Prototype races at Lime Rock Park and shot a lot more video and photos. All came out terrific. I will purchase a monopod as it is difficult to hold this small camera steady for a long period of time. I will also be purchasing the optional HDMI cable to further improve the quality of the image when watching on my 50 inch plasma. This camera is a keeper and the quality is outstanding. I've shown the results to others with Flips or RCA and they rated the quality of the Samsung output to be superior.

I am surprised by the early negative reviews. I never owned a pocket HD cam before (like the Flip Mino, Creative Vado, or Kodak Zi6) though I've seen them compared online (Tekzilla), so when I pre-ordered this camera I had a good idea of what I would be getting. I've had it for 3 days now and it is exactly what I expected it to be for the price and size. It is not a replacement for larger, heavier higher-end digital SLRs or camcorders with better lenses and imaging chips. It's a convenient, cell phone sized FunCam. The smaller size and lighter weight means it's harder to keep steady, a reported problem with all the pocket HD cams. Another known problem is they don't do low light well. This camera is no exception.

Pros:

I found the 1080/30p video quite good outdoors in daylight, again considering the size of the chip and the quality of the lens you can expect at this price.

The Smart Auto feature does a surprisingly good job of detecting what you're shooting and adjusting accordingly. Hold the camera close to an object and it automatically goes into macro mode. Shoot a back-lit subject and it automatically goes into Backlight mode. It does have an Action mode for fast moving subjects but I haven't had it activated yet so I'm not sure how well it works to smooth out camera shake, if that's even what it's supposed to do. (There is no camera shake correction feature in the included software as another reviewed suggested.) I suspect Action mode may just increase shutter speed to minimize subject blur and not be an image stabilization feature. At any rate, this is a consumer point and shoot camera. These modes are not manually adjustable.

I've tried the time-lapse feature (the main reason I bought this camera) and it works very well, though I'd prefer more choices like 2 and 3 frames per second.

The 3x optical zoom works better than digital zooming though it does dim the image on the LCD screen when you zoom in.

It has a user replaceable rechargeable battery.

It uses SD cards you can swap out for more recording time.

The included video and picture editing software is basic but works and the fact it's included on the camera is very convenient. You can also install it onto your PC if you like. I have higher end programs so I won't be using it but it's always there if you need it away from home.

My cons would be:

1 The lens does not have a cover and I have already smudged it a couple of times. A sliding door or even lens cap seems like a no-brainer but there isn't one. To be clear, the actual lens is deep inside the camera and there is a protective piece of glass (or plastic) over it. I did clean the smudges off the glass with a photo lens cloth with no problem. The other pocket HD cams don't seem to have lens covers either.

2 The still photos are not great. Much better than what my 2 megapixel Razr phone can do but obviously far below what my 8 megapixel Canon Rebel XT can deliver. It's not just the pixels; it's the lens and chip that make a quality image. This cam is not good for important photos and, again, the pictures are much better with a lot of light. With moving video images the grain is not as apparent.

3 I'm not crazy about the USB dongle all these pocket cams have but I understand its convenience. An additional USB port would have been nice.

Other than that I am pleased with the purchase. My camera does not exhibit any of the mechanical noises during recording others mentioned. The only noise is when you use the zoom, as with every camera. You can even set it to mute audio recording during zooming if you like.

Of note, this camera will not take a Compact Flash card and if you're buying an SDHC card for this camera Samsung recommends only three brands: Panasonic, SanDisc, and Toshiba. Other cards are not guaranteed to work. They also recommend a card with a transfer speed of at least 5MB/sec for video recording. It can take up to a 32GB capacity card. That's approximately 225 minutes of 1080/30P recording.

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I suffered from the flip's limited storage (8GB) and short battery life.. So, I switched to the Samsung HMX-20 for the following reasons:

1) SDHC support: I have a couple of 16GB cards that I take with me when traveling; a computer is not needed.

2) Full HD.

3) Can be charged with bundled electric charger or when plugged to USB.

Cons:

1) Poor low-light performance

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I would say.. not bad...Here is the pictures I took under different kind of condition-. All are shut in SMART/AUTO mode and there is not much night view cause it doesn't work well without enough lighting. I don't expect 170USD could have a professional sharp quality. But this one is compact and light, easy to carry on.

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Yes, you need a steady hand for all video recording. Just because you stink at taking video doesn't mean it's the camera's fault. Videographers all over spend lots of money on stabilizing equipment for the already skilled hands and already top of the line cameras. This camcorder takes great video, especially in proper lighting. Outside video has amazing rich detail and the TIME LAPSE feature is incredible. A+ product.

mobiBLU Cube DAH-1500i 1 GB Digital Audio Player Black

• World's smallest digital audio player, at 0.63 ounces and 0.94 inches square
• 1 GB memory holds 16 hours of MP3 and 32 hours of WMA audio
• Plays MP3, WMA, and secure WMA (compatible with online stores and subscription services)
• Integrated FM radio with 20 presets and record function; built-in microphone and voice recorder
• Unique OLED display; internal lithium-polymer battery charged via USB connection or AC adapter

A few months ago I saw the MobiBLU Cube on some weekend morning news show. At the time I did not have an MP3 player, which is kind of strange since I am what you call an "early adopter." I liked the looks of the MobiBLU Cube. It's a small (approx. 1") cube that fits in the palm of your hand. A couple of weeks later I went to Wal*Mart and bought the black one. I wanted the pink one but that is only available online and I didn't feel like waiting. I purchased the 1 GB player and it was $129.00.

The MobiBLU Cube comes with the mp3 player, a pair of necklace headphones that double as antennae for the FM receiver, an ac adapter, USB cable, instruction manual, software and a rubbery protective thingy.

I should say right off that I am not a music person. I like music, of course, but I don't obsess about it. I can't really tell the difference between good sound quality and great sound quality. I can tell bad quality, though, and the MobiBLU Cube does not have bad sound quality. It may not be great quality but it is at least good quality--and, it may be great quality, as far as I know. All I can really say is that the sound quality is sufficient for me and would probably be sufficient for most people.

The MobiBLU Cube has some neat features. It can tune in FM radio stations, although in my area this feature doesn't really work. It has a microphone and can be used to take memos. You can also record from the FM receiver and add the recordings to your playlist.

I find that the included earbuds get really uncomfortable overtime. They came with spongy cover things but by the time I realized they had come with it one had already fallen out of the package so I don't know if that would help with the discomfort. My guess is that it would not help much because the discomfort is a result of the somewhat large size and slightly odd shape. I'll probably eventually pick up new earbuds one of these days.

The Self Emitting Blue OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) Display is ultra bright. Sometimes I use it in the middle of the night to find things when I don't feel like turning on the light, it is that bright. I also haven't had any problems reading the screen outside and I don't exactly have the best eyes in the world.

The random play feature needs some work. I currently have 66 songs on my unit (and yes, I paid for every one of them--I don't steal music), 26 of those songs are Big & Rich (two full albums). That's just over 1/3rd of them so at that rate B&R should be player approximately every 3rd song but typically it plays about 5-6 B&R songs in a row and then will play 1 of my other songs and a lot of the songs almost never come up on random play. Interestingly the B&R songs that are playing are almost always from the Coming to your City album. So, I have songs from one album playing repeatedly while other songs aren't playing at all. Now, obviously I like Big & Rich but come on, there's a limit to how many times I can listen to Jalapeno in one sitting! I frequently skip several songs in a row when I am listening in random play.

The product manual claims that with the screen off and the volume under 20 the MobiBLU Cube can play for up to 10 hours. I don't have the patience to wait out 10 hours to test it but I do know that I have never had it stop playing while I was listening to it. The most time I am likely to spend listening is maybe 2 or 3 hours. The one thing that really bothers me about this MP3 player is that the battery doesn't hold a charge when it is off. Every time I want to listen to it I have to recharge it even if I haven't been playing it and the battery was full a couple days ago. This may be the case with all MP3 players, I'm not sure.

I had trouble using the included software. I would drop the files to the player and the files would come up on the player as zero length files. Then I reformatted it and tried using the WMP sync function and it worked perfectly. When I got my new laptop I didn't even bother to install the MobiBLU software, I just use WMP and everything works just fine.

As far as durability goes I have had no problem. I have been using it for a few months without any problems. I have definitely dropped it once or twice and my cat is certain it is actually a cat toy. If I look away for just a second he will pick it up and run off with it and bat it around for a while. It still works despite a bit of abuse and that's a good thing. The iPod we got my nephew for Christmas stopped working before the New Year and he was treating it like vial of nitroglycerin! Apparently those things break if you look at them wrong.

The MobiBLU Cube is not without its flaws, but it's a cute little device. It's lightweight and really simple to use. The 1 GB capacity holds up to 32 hours of music (in WMA format). For the price it is probably the best deal on the market. It used to only be available from Wal*Mart but now you can find it all over the web including at TigerDirect, Target and Amazon.com.

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No need to repeat all the features, but the FM tuner functionality and recording capability is invaluable to me. The microphone is very high quality for its type -I've used it to record lectures, public announcements, and live music, and it's performed admirably in all cases. FM reception isn't too strong, but some is better than none!

One other note about the device's design: the dime's width screen makes for a surprisingly effective user interface, but don't expect to see track information while your files are playing -it just scrolls the filename. If you have 2gB of music loaded, that can be an annoyance.

Some people have complained about the service and quality of the device. I just got my 8-month-old unit back from the service center, so I can comment accurately on both issues.

The quality of the device's physical construction is very impressive. It comes with an impact guard, but it seems fairly indestructible. In 2/3 of a year of active use, there's not a scratch on the unit.

The one weak point is the OLED screen -blue, beautiful, and bright, but extremely weak to burn-in. That is, if the screen is active and displaying the charging screen -as it is when you connect it to your computer -the pixels that are on will noticeably weaken and fade. It doesn't make it unusable, but it's a flaw in the software. Using a wall or car charger does not cause this problem, so I recommend you do.

My unit's problem was corruption of the firmware. I don't know whether it was the player's fault or my computer's (I've had weird USB problems for a long time). In any case, the device would -every twenty syncs or so -get a bit corrupted, so that the options screen no longer worked. I had to reflash each time (though contrary to what another user complained about, you're not forced to delete all your audio files to do so). After months of this, a reflash failed, rendering the player unusable.

I emailed MobiBLU support about it and got no response. After a week, I called their customer support line. I talked to a very courteous representative who told me to resend the email. I did and got a response the next day. (I can only guess they have a zealous spam filter.) I sent the unit in, they replaced the firmware, and sent it back express. I got it within a three days of them receiving it.

Here's the best part: the new firmware performs a self-check on startup, which probably would have prevented my problem for occurring. The new firmware also improves navigation in the file structure and features a new "Favorites List" functionality that seems very useful. It doesn't appear to be up on their site yet, but it probably will be soon.

So: the firmware seems a little bit buggy and susceptible to corruption. Customer support requires a bit of effort to work with. Despite these problems, it's been a quality piece of equipment and the company has acquitted themselves well in our interactions.

If you want a tiny, light, convenient, inexpensive player, you can't do better than this one. It's not perfect, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else on the market.

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If you are introverted, don't buy a MobiBlu cube, people see it and want to know what it is without fail wherever I go. They will try to engage you in conversation and want to touch the cube. Once they find out it's an MP3 player, they shake their head in disbelief. It's roughly one inch square. They could probably make these even smaller but why, they'd be less usable and harder to manipulate.

In the gym I see people struggle with their oversized iPods (iPaid2much is a better name!) latched onto their arms like some plastic, electronic leech. The Mobiblu cube hangs neatly below your neckline via the supplied ear phone cord and is so light, you don't even notice it after a short while. If I am doing some very strenuous or exercising with lots of movement, just a quick tuck of the Mobiblu inside the shirt keeps it neatly and safely stowed for about anything you can think of.

Things I really like about the cube is that it recharges quickly. I can take 100's of songs with me to the gym, more than I can even listen to in the two hours I'm there. The sound is easily shaped to anyone's tastes and the construction is very sturdy, I was quite impressed by that when I first pulled it out of the box. The buttons have a nice tactile feel with sure clicks. The OLED blue screen is extremely bright and can be adjusted to further conserve battery life.

All in all, I think this is the best MP3 for the active person. This is the MP3 player that Apple wishes they were building.

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I have had the mobliBLU 1GB for about 6 months and I use it for Mp3 music only. Although it can play WMA files, I believe the battery may last longer with Mp3 files recorded @128kbps. I set the LED display to ALWAYS ON only when charging for long periods of time (ie. overnight) so that it does not overcharge the battery. I had to reinstall the latest firmware once about six months ago, but it has worked reliably ever since. Seeing the display in *bright* sunlight is a problem. Selecting the music to play is fairly easy, and I have never had a problem with "random" mode. I really like the equalizer which has presets, but allows you to configure it anyway you want. The earbuds are a tad larger than I would like, but they seem to have excellent sound quality.

The FM radio only works for strong local stations. The 1GB is too small-I am sure the 2GB is a better value. Copying music and deleting th music is a piece of cake using My Computer or Windows File Explorer. The iPOD Nano is nice, but it does not come with the necklace earbuds which are $39.99 from Apple the last time I checked. You must also use iTunes to load and remove music, which I found cumbersome. I recommend the mobiBLU for those who want to try something diferent and easy to use.

I've had my little mobiblu 1 gb player for a year now so i know a lot about it. In the begining i was so excited to have it. the easy copy paste music feature is a nice touch.the size is obviously small and convienient. but that is also its down fall. It may be to small for it's own good. small buttons, small screen, small, small, small... you get the picture? The sound quality is alright but you really need to turn it up to hear it (not to say the volume is bad). the blue screen is nice and bright easy to see in the dark, and the unit is light and not even a bit heavy...It has a radio but the reception is bad. th clock and voice recording features are a nice touch as well. plus the same cable that you connect to the computer can be plugged into a wall outlit to power it as well. plus it also can get it power from the computer

now for the problems i've had with mine.

From all the reviews on amazon i've read. all of the other people who have this little system have different unique problems...Mine are as follows

The system after a long period of time would not turn on when i press the play/on button and the system had 3 bars full power and i had to constantly press the reset button on the bottom of the unit to get it working. When that did not work i went to my computer, and had to delete everything on the system to get rid of any file corruption that might be making the unit malfunction and reinstall the firmware that came from the disc that comes with the unit. I've had to do this twice over the course of me having the unit.

Well that my scoop on the mobiblu dah 1500i

It nice for novelty and having people stare at it ask "what is it?" to you. But you would be better off spending your money on another better mp3 player like the creative labs or the ipod players

Pros: It's small, Lightweight, easy to put files on it, easy to manage.

Cons: It's Small, you might experience a problem or two.

JVC RX-6000VBK Dolby Digital/DTS Audio/Video Receiver

• Dolby Digital and DTS decoding
• 100 watts per channel x 5
• S-video switching
• 6 DSP (digital signal processing) modes
• AM/FM radio with 45 presets

This JVC A/V receiver delivers most of what it advertises and, for most home theater users, that is more than enough. The case is a bit bulky, but very sturdy. Front controls are easy to follow, and the remote is very user friendly.

The receiver is generous in the number of inputs allotted, so that a user can connect VCR/DVD/CD/Television/Tape smoothly, quickly and with little or no confusion. The 6000VBK also gives the user a choice of digital or analog input. All of the connections are both logically and conveniently placed, making set-up a relatively painfree process.

Up to six speakers can be connected, four front and two rear, plus a sub-woofer. At 100 watts per channel, that's enough power to knock the walls down with anything approaching a decent speaker. I run my system with 15-inch woofers, and the base response is so powerful that a sub-woofer in unnecessary.

There are two minor weaknesses in the 6000, and they are just that, minor. First, the instructions stress that trying to connect a graphic equalizer in-line with any other component will cause distortion in the sound, particular on the low end or at high volume. The receiver features bass-boost and adjustable bass and treble levels, in effect providing an internal low-end equalizer, so this becomes a non-issue. Second, although the JVC 6000VBK claims to automatically switch the required video feed signals on the attached television/monitor, I have been unable to make that feature function properly. However, since this is easily accomplished at the television itself, it has no adverse effect on the performance of the receiver or any attached components.

Overall, this receiver is an exceptional value, delivering top-end performance at a budget price. Highly recommended.

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This receiver is an amazing deal for the price... I purchased it for my new apartment in MD. My family owns a high-end receiver, and the JVC is much better in my opinion... it is really easy to use and interface, and serves an entire home audio/video theatre... The sound it produces with the digital connections is unbelievable, and if you can hook up multiple speakers to enjoy the amazing surround sound, it is well worth it... I have 2 floorstanding 350 WATT KLHs as well as 2 100 WATT Aiwas and a KLH sub... the power this system can produce with its 5 100 watt channels is amazing, and i never knew that my aiwa speakers(which I use as rear surround speakers) could ever sound this good. BUY THIS PRODUCT

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The center channel sound from this machine is plainly bad. And just try to get support!

It's off the market by now, but don't bother spending the money.

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This is almost an ideal receiver. I have 2 problems with it. First, there are not enough video inputs. I had to plug my PS2 in through my VCR since the only video in are VCR and DVD. That knocks off one star. The other star goes because my display window slowly stopped working. At first I could tap it and the display would work again, but finally it just quit, and this happened in less than a year. I'm sure it's a fluke everyone gets a bad egg once in a while.

This receiver is old tech, heavy, and gets hot quickly. I bought it as a replacement receiver for a similar year and model JVC which I accidentally blew out during a move--wrong voltage was selected when I plugged it in. The replacement is now serving admirably ....

VisionTek TV Wonder HD 650 USB TV Dual Tuner/Recorder

I was able to get this tuner during a 24 sale the weekend after Thanksgiving at a VERY good price (over 50% off) and I have been very happy that I did. To be honest, this model was on my short list to start with but the price made it a no brainer. I've been using this tuner daily since the first week of December when I first installed it and have had very few issues with it.

For the record, I have used this on two different software installs: Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit and the Windows 7 32-bit Beta.

Pros:

Easy integration with Media Center both under Vista and Windows 7. In fact, it's been better under the Windows 7 Beta Media Center than under Vista!

Easy hardware set up. Plug it into your computer, install drivers, and plug in a TV and radio antenna and you're set. No needs to worry about the hardware aspect (minus turning the antenna in some cases).

Onboard MPEG-2 decoding that takes some of the pressure off of your CPU and other components.

Not very steep hardware requirements for your PC.

Can be used with other Media PC DVR software suites.

Great HD picture!

Cons:

The included Catalyst Media software is very buggy.

Cannot get the included remote to work.

As alluded to under cons the Catalyst Media software is more than a little buggy, both under Vista and Windows 7. It will work, most of the time. However, if you're like me "most of the time" just won't cut it if you're counting on it to record shows when you're away from your PC. Further, the Catalyst software does not seem to be able to display on a 16:10 ration display such as my LG LCD 22 incher. The upside is that if you play the recorded content back in another application such as Windows Media Player the aspect ratios are correct. It's just very distracting, to me at least, when watching live TV.

After two days of trying to get used to Catalyst I decided to seek out alternatives and settled on two. The first was Beyond TV and then Windows Media Center (Vista). Beyond TV works much better than the included software, produces a better picture quality, and has the correct aspect ratios. Windows Media Center under Vista has just a tad under the quality of Beyond TV. To me it was worth it to rely on Media Center after the trial period of Beyond TV was over as I wasn't ready to pay $40 more than I paid for the tuner for a software package.

My only complaint using under Media Center with Vista was the lack of the digital sub channels that many station simulcast. This is a problem with Vista and not the tuner so I do not ding the tuner for it.

The tuner really started to shine though under Windows 7 Beta, of all things! Media Center under 7 is more feature complete than it is under Vista and displays all the digital sub-channels and records in better quality (max quality under settings) than under any of the previously used software packages. In fact, even though the Catalyst software is installed under Windows 7 I have only used it once in the last month and rely totally on Media Center for my TV recording.

Now on to some of the issues some may have with this tuner.

I do not have cable so I rely on over-the-air broadcasts for my TV viewing. At first I was using my old trusty rabbit ear antenna figuring that I live less than 8 miles from the three main broadcast antennas for my television market. This was a mixed bag of results. The three main stations came in fine but I had "issues" picking up others such as the local PBS station. A quick run to the store to pick up an amplified antenna (RCA ANT1450B Multi-Directional Digital Flat Amplified Home Theater Antenna (Black)) and I was in business on all my local stations.

One other issues is my inability to get the included remote control to work. The poor documentation that comes with the tuner offers no help in this regard and I've given up. I don't really listen to FM radio so other than testing it to make sure it works once I've not used that feature.

Overall, this is an excellent choice for someone looking to setup HDTV recording on their computer in either a home media center setup or on their desktop machine for casual watching.

There are numerous complaints in various forums about the ATI HD 650 Combo loosing signal, hanging or panicking the system while trying to handle/switch between digital and analog signals. I'm on my second pair from Visiontek and have had nothing but problems with them under Vista and Windows 7. Avoid this product.

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I am running Windows 7 RC1 and with media center, when you plug-in this to the USB port, the drivers will automatically download from Windows Update and you are ready to go! The video quality is excellent and the remote control make it a pleasure to use. Highly recommended.

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This would have been a good USB digital TV tuner if the included software and drivers weren't so unusably horrible!

(1) The included TV tuner software is unusably buggy. The system often crashes and loses audio/video sync when changing channels. The recorded video stutters. No closed captioning or other advanced features.

(2) Due to the buggy Windows Vista drivers, you cannot use any 3rd-party PVR software to watch digital TV. (Only the analog DirectShow drivers are installed correctly!)

(3) 3rd-party PVR software does work with Windows XP, but even when everything is working, the drivers are crash-prone. I would often get a bluescreen when connecting or disconnecting the device when the computer is on. Rarely, the driver will go into an infinite loop while recording, causing the SYSTEM process to consume 100% CPU until reboot.

(4) The device does not have proper power management support, and the tv tuner consumes a lot of electricity and feels hot to the touch, even when the computer is turned off.

I do not recommend this product to anyone, unless it's on sale and you have a high threshold for frustration.

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My system is a 1.83 Mac Mini Core Duo with 1 GB RAM.

First...the picture that is shown for this product is NOT what you get. There isn't a remote that is included with the tuner. As a matter of fact, if you plan on controlling this device, get yourself a wireless mouse because that is the ONLY way you will change channels. Universal remote? Nope. Apple Remote? Forget it!

Okay, plug it all up...CATV, check. Digital antenna, check, Power supply, check. USB, check. That wasn't so bad. Let's put the CD in.

Now, lets talk about the installation. Plugged it in, slipped in the disc and start the installation. Step 1, select your destination for recorded shows. Check. Step 2, select destination for exports. Umm...not sure what that is, but okay. Step 3, download guide...okay. Wait, did it? Not sure since there isn't any confirmation. Step 4, scan for channels...go to lunch. 20 minutes later...I think it scanned...again, no confirmation. Step 5, finish installation and...WHAT THE??? "Unexpected error. Your system needs to reboot. Hold down the power button to restart." This is the ONLY installation that has EVER crashed my system.

After the reboot, I finally tested the software. The guide could never download. The menu is clunky. Changing channels is a tedious activity. You scroll through the channels, then push the select button (I think that is what is called) to finally change the channel. Want to surf through the channels? I didn't think so. Want Dolby Digital sound? Nah, I think you will prefer the choppy sounding audio that it does put out. HD, sure...looks like garbage. I didn't even bother to record anything.

In closing, this thing is a huge pile of junk. If I could give it negative stars I would . Stick to EyeTV. The only reason I got this is because I can only do either CATV of ATSC OTA with the EyeTV. That is a small price to pay. EyeTV is much more polished solution for the Mac, regardless of the number of RF inputs.

I will say it again...AVOID the TV Wonder 650!

IRP-4 Dual Frequency IRI,CFL,ESI,EMI,LCD and Plasma Proof IR Repeater Kit for all CATV, IPTV,CCTV,

Intent of product: I purchased a 65" tv and then a nice tv stand with dark tinted glass. Moved DVR/Blu-ray player inside the glass and tada...the remotes didn't work through the glass. Purchased this to solve the issue.

Pros:

---It worked (sounds simple but you never know [Service Electric CableVision = cable provider box])

---No giant adapter block (thank god because I really didn't have anywhere to put it)

---Has 4 total IR's in groups of 2 (each string of 2 is separated back far enough to run only 1 to your appliance and run the other half to a completely different section (below/above is ideal).)-To my surprise my DVR and Cable box combo has 2 different IR's! grhh...but this product was easy to group them cause they run 2 together :)

---Simple install (almost to simple to even mention this...its obvious and I didn't even think to look at instructions until I was throwing the plastic wrap away haha).

---Blue blinking light on receiver is very small, does not light up a room or draw attention to itself.

---Sticky stuff ont he flashers seemed to be very sticky (versus what other people said-maybe don't touch the sticky stuff before install?-overall good experience with it)

---Wife approved (in fact when I asked what do you think she didn't even notice I wired it lol).

---I imagine that you could extend its length very easily with a 3.5mm extension (common size)for all you (hide my crap in another room) kind of people. -And if your going through walls...no adapter block...you will love it.

Cons:

---You have to perfectly match up the flashers to the IR receiver sensor, so much so, that I needed to put 2 on my DVR/Cable box combo unit even with the sensors right next to each other.

---Unsure about how many times you can split the line for more IR's to accommodate additional appliances...because this doesn't have an adapter block, with like 16 ports, you would have to split off a splitter!?! Doable I'm sure for more that 4 items but who has 5 items? You need to condense if so, its 2012. (almost 2013)

---Does not come with a robot to install itself while i sit on the sofa and watch football

AKA: Perfect for what i needed.

Was using another IR repeater which would stop working as soon as the incandescent lighting in the room was turned off. After a bit of experimenting I discovered it was the CCFL backlight in the TV that was causing the interference. I replaced the IR repeater with this one, and problem solved.

It is sensitive, fast, works under all lighting conditions I have tried it under (daylight, incandescent, CFL). There is a blue LED light on the receiver which flashes in a non obnoxious manner (not to bright) when an IR command is sensed to give a visual confirmation that the IR command has been passed. I found this light to be a comforting confirmation both that the unit was working and also that I was no longer getting any interference from the CFLs in the room like the previous unit I tried.

I have extended this unit, basically using a 25' headphone extension cable, to run through the wall to reach a distance closet with no issue. I am using it on a Sony Blu-Ray player, a Roku 3, and DirecTV HR-24, all responding to remote commands flawlessly.

I only wish I bought this one first.

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Package arrived, and when I got around to finally installing it, I was happy at how easy it was to put together. Each part had pictures showing how to connect (worth 1000 words haha) and it was very simple. The wires are more than long enough to do the job. At first I was not placing the sensors in the exact spot to work, so instead of trying from a distance, I placed the remote right up to the IR receiver (so the individual components could not pick up the signal from the remote), and then moved the sensor location till it worked. Did that on my first unit, then the next three and all 4 units worked like a charm from far away. My cable remote is programmed to turn on cable box, tv, and then receiver and the signal goes directly to the IR receiver and all three units turn on just like they are supposed to. My hats off to them for a very good product at a very reasonable price. Every day we use this I say I wish we had ordered it sooner.

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After I ordered the IRP-4 I was notified the dual emittrrs were out of stock and the triple embitters would be substituted at no additional charge. Thank you. Easy set up. Controls all my devices. Simple configuration. Highly recommended!

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I wanted a repeater to hide all of my electronic components in a cabinet below my wall mounted TV. I read the reviews for several other repeaters that indicated that they would not work with AT&T U-Verse. This unit claimed to be able to work with U-Verse so I decided to try it. I was so happy to find out that it not only worked with U-Verse but also with my Apple TV, DVD and Stereo equipment. It was easy to set up and has an ample length of cables to allow for separation of equipment. Definitely recommend this product!

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New 4 Channel Embedded Linux US411ZS D1 H.264 Network DVR With 2000GB (2TB) Hard Drive, Real time T

UPDATE 9-8-12: After a couple of months of use, I can say this product works exceptionally well and have upgraded my review from 4 to 5 stars there is a learning curve but if you take the time to learn the "tools" on your screen, this DVR is an exceptional device and works flawlessly Customer service has been awesome as well responding to emails within hours if not minutes.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

I purchased this DVR for my vacation home security system to upgrade my storage capacity and get my recordings off my PC and onto a separate hard drive. It does have some limitations however, overall I would rate it a 4+ especially for the technical support: you call the support number and there is no recording, no que a human actually answers (and this is especially nice) THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING and in literally a minute or two I'm understanding and correcting the problem and/or getting a short tutorial on how this DVR system works. And they don't even ask you when you purchased the DVR or even what model it is (I presume the OS for these, regardless of model, is all the same?)

The only reason I'm not giving this DVR a 5 star rating is due to the quality of the operational manual. It's okay, but could be better laid out and explain terminology better but given the fact you can just call the vendor and they answer the phone, even on a Saturday afternoon, that alone almost makes up for the manual's less than detailed explanations. Don't get me wrong, the manual is better than most security manuals that are worthless, just not up to speed for what it could be.

The DVR has many nice features, most of them fairly straight forward however I wish the masking feature could be more easily adjusted for motion events its sort of an all or nothing process: once you demask a section, there seems to be no way to remask it without starting over a pain. Also, when you hover over some controls they identify their function, others do not (such as the PTZ controls) but once you learn what does what (no thanks to the manual) it all becomes second nature if you use the system fairly often (I use mine daily.)

I am still trying to figure out two things and have emailed the vendor for help: 1) how to locate an RCA style microphone, or an adapter for a 9mm mic, so I can use the audio feature (this is a limited audio, for only channel 1, so that is a limitation that they really need to improve on but for me, it doesn't matter) and 2) I get a much more vivid picture when I connect the VGA monitor directly to the DVR (for local viewing) perhaps the server reduces the quality of the video for compression purposes, but I would appreciate being able to set up the quality over the Internet to my specs... and not be dumbed down.

For the capacity and features, and given I picked this up on a $189 sale price, I feel like I got exactly or perhaps a bit more (great tech support) than I paid for. For that I am thankful and feel like, after having dealt with other companies that offer little or no support, this is a refreshing company to deal with and highly recommend them. I cannot stress how important it is, when you are 350 miles away from a property you are monitoring, to be able to rely on a system AND get support when you need it. PLUS, this system can be FULLY controlled remotely, just as if you were there doesn't matter. Most DVR systems offer remote control but have limitations to what you can do remotely this one is the same, here or there. Nice!

I would not hesitate to purchase anything from this vendor they are reasonably priced, pleasant to deal with, responsive (both on line and telephone), available 6 days a week and above all, KNOWLEDGEABLE!

Purchased to connect to my four new hi rez ir cameras. I did the install. The level of detail to opperate in manual was very limited and cryptic. This is another example of non elglish natives translating directions. Now for the good news; dvr has been running 24 / 7all summer w/ no problems. I have learned how to make complete use of functions. I plan to add a second set up for internal cameras. I will purchase the same model a second time.

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Crosley Songwriter CD Recorder Turntable

I purchased the Crosley LP-to-CD from Brookstone and after I got it home I was astonished to discover how cheap a product costing several hundred dollars could be. The turntable is awful. If you bought a turntable for $25 you would expect it to be better than this. The tone arm is not properly balanced and worst of all the speed is not consistent and is not adjustbale. This product is virtually worthless for converting LP's to CD's if you have any senstivity to sound quality. Stay away from this!

I just received this item yesterday, and already found it does not work. The sound is poor, and when I tried to record a cd from a vinyl album, I found it did not work AT ALL! It records the first few seconds of the song, then skips all over the place. Very expensive piece of junk which will cost you an arm and a leg to return to whomever you buy it from!!!!!!!! (If they even take it back)

I bought it because I have a lot of vinyl that I want to put onto cd and into iTunes, but it's worthless for that. A BIG WASTE OF MONEY!!!!!!!!!!

Does not even deserve one star.

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We bought this because we wanted to be able to put our old records onto discs. It does this very well. It also will put cassettes onto discs, but we haven't tried that yet. It plays records, cassettes, discs, and radio also. It's a good machine with one exception: the sound quality of its speakers is quite poor. However, by turning off its sound and routing it through our own speakers, it sounds fine. Only other quibble is that the remote isn't so easy or intuitive to use, takes some learning to figure out. Overall, we are really glad we bought this item and it is doing just what we needed.

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It played okay. Definitely not going to stand up to the new stereo systems. The recording part of it didn't work at all. We are sending it back. A big disappointment

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We bought the Crosley Songwriter in October of last year at Linens 'n Things.The remote didn't work, but Customer Service at Crosley sent a new one, which worked fine.

As a fourth-grade teacher, I have many cassettes that I want to record onto CDs (stories from the reading series, old books-on-tape), so I used it to copy these over. All seven of the CDs I made worked wonderfully. Transferring albums was equally easy, although I only did one. In both cases, the most difficult part was being present to press the button that manually splits tracks.

After a month of use, however, the CD player would only play part of a CD--three songs--and then it would quit, locking up the unit. Powering off and back on freed up the unit, but didn't solve the problem. We have since returned the Songwriter to Linens 'n Things for a full refund. This is a great idea in an attractive package that just doesn't work.