Sony HDR-FX1 3-CCD HDV High Definition Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom

Indie Filmmaker here, always looking out for a better camera!

The Sony HDV series is an astonishing technology

Don't let people tell you that the footage is "too compressed" ---technically, it is, but once it gets on screen, it looks stunning!

I haven't done much filming with this camera ---but I have seen its footage and edited its footage

Both on television and the computer monitor, I was impressed with its 'look' ---very detailed and extremely clear

Editing was a BREEEEEZE with this footage! I edited on Final Cut Pro and could composite 5 layers all above each other, each with a different opacity, and FCP's real time engine kept up without having to render! Thus, the compressed footage makes editing EASY but Sony has managed to make a beautiful picture out of this stuff too

For the Indie Filmmakers out there ---test one out before purchasing..... I find the Sony HDV to be the most clear look out there --emulating a beautifully shot NFL game on HD..... but for cinematic looks, I still may stick with the Panasonic DVX100, as there is a more cinema feel to that one

hope that helps

HAPPY BUYING!!!!

I am a student filmmaker and I just bought this camera from sonystyle.com. Its a great consumer camcorder. It does not offer true HD picture quality but it does offer true HD resolution. If you want a HD camera that rivals film cameras expect to spend 50 to 100 thousand dollars.

The best thing about the camera is its resolution and true 16:9 aspect ratio. If you hate the 16:9 squeeze mode on other camcorders this is the camcorder for you. some people are disappointed about the camcorder lacking a progressive scan mode, 720p. its debated if 720p is true HD. the HDR-FX1 shoots 1080i which is true HD resolution. If 1080i shot progressive scan it would go outside the bandwidth limit. So if you plan to transfer it to film one should get software with de-interlacing capabilities.

Over all the minor flaws will piss off professionals, but they have to realize at the moment true HD is only 1080i not 1080p. The lack of XLR inputs will also hurt the camcorder but there are ways around that to. One big worry is the amount of compression that occurs while shoot HDV on a MiniDV tape. From what I have experience the compression is not a major factor to worry about yet until I do more testing. Over all this is a superior camcorder compared to regular DV camcorders. 24p is not the only thing that give the film look. Aspect ratio and detail are very important as well. The resolution and detail is far superior to any other consumer camcorder. If detail and resolution are top of your list, than this is the camcorder for you, once the editing software comes out for it.

Buy Sony HDR-FX1 3-CCD HDV High Definition Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom Now

Addendum 3/30: To correct the guy correcting me 2 reviews above. In regular mini-dv mode with widescreen, there is definitely a wider picture. Focus on one item and switch modes, you will see the picture get wider. HD mode is anamorphic 4:3 stretched to fit 16x9, but keeps the aspect ratio so everything doesn't look stretched. I've run tests and know what I am saying. Do you?

Recently shot my Uncle's wedding in Widescreen, and played the video back on his widescreen TV. The aspect ratio of the image is accurate and not stretched. Yes, this shoots in widescreen, but not in hi-def at the same time.

Original review:

My first "prosumer" camcorder I ever owned and I love it. The color reproduction is phenomenal and has great features. A few caveats may scare away people looking for something more, but this is more of a VERY HIGH END consumer item. Not for the novice, but someone with more shooting talent than the average person. If you want a TRUE HD professional camera, spend 15+ grand and stop knocking this one.

A bother to me was that regular mini-dv can record in true 16:9 mode. While the HD mode is anamorphic 4:3. (Stretched to fit 16:9) The wide-angle lens can fix that for about $500 more.

But if you are transferring to regular DVD's, you can still shoot mini DV widescreen because DVD doesn't record in HD.

So, unless you are transferring to HD DVD, like blu-ray, you have the BEST consumer/prosumer widescreen camcorder available.

Rated at about 3lux, low light doesn't harm this baby much. I find the accessories can be pricey too, but that is the cost you pay when you go prosumer. Everything else is for beginners and amateurs.

Tip: Get a long life battery. Sony 970 is recommended for longest life, but the 960 served me well for a days shooting/standby with plenty time left over. Get the light too!

Did I mention women love men with big camcorders? {:-p

NP-970 Battery:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006G3BHW/ref=cm_aya_asin.title/002-0715528-1432846?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance

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Hello, I bought my Sony HDR-FX1 about a month ago from amazon.com and let me just say that this camera is amazing. The resolution, when on a computer is 1920x1080. That right there is enough to sell the camera! Its great for me because i work with CG and CMI, the higher the resolution, the more accurate you can be. This is also great for blue/greenscreening as the high resolution, and the amazing color. There are several different modes to shoot in (all are customizable) you will mostly want to make sure you shoot in Cinemaframe30 or Cinemaframe24 because it will look just like film. You can also adjust how much color is allowed in, standard it is at "0" but you can up the color so much that its more vibrant then most movies. The new willy wonka movie has broad, powerful colors and this camera can easily achieve that. I would talk more about this camera but im out of time (great DOF). So dont get stuck in the Canon Xl2 fad where you pay 3,000 more dollars for a crappier camera.

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Sony HDR-FX1 3-CCD HDV High Definition Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom

Just one word of warning, the camera can get heavy, especially if you use the standard battery it makes the camera very front heavy, but oh well.

This camera is totally customizable in which it is either all auto, manual or some of both. It has 5 presets that are customizable. The cool features about these presets are that you can get a 24p, 30p (cineframe and cinetone), and 60i modes. The 24p and 30p refers to the "film" setting. You can record in true 16:9 widescreen or standard 4:3 letterbox. The high def mode will only do 16:9. I wouldn't listen to anyone who says the widescreen is a stretched 4:3, because its not. You can also hook in headphones, and an XLR adapter. This comes with a 2-hr battery. There are just 3 things I have beef with about this camera. One is the fact that it doesn't have XLR inputs you'd think that after spending 3K on a camera you'd get some. 2nd: It records in 1080i. Not exactly terrible. 1080i is not true HD, but nor is 720p. True HD is 1920x1080p. But, recording at this high of resolution means spending more money. 3rd: This thing can't record in 24p.

I'm a video production major and I love this camera. It not really just a consumer camera, but a professional consumer camera. I highly recommend it, its well worth your money. Yeah it has come cons, but I think every camera will. This is by far one of the best on the market.

Q-See 8-channel Surveillence System 8 CCD Cameras w/ 40 Ft. Night Vision H.264 DVR w/ 500GB HDD Rem

I bought the QT4 from Costco to be used as home video surveillance. Depending on how many features you want to use, it will take you hours if not days to setup it up. The manual leaves some important information out regarding port forwarding. The dvr address (i.e. 192.168.0.100) does not always show up in your router listing so you must remember to enter it manually. The manual leaves that important step out. Also, port 80 is usually blocked by most ISPs such as Charter so I used 82.

Technical support is some of the worst I have ever experienced. They don't they even know how their product works. You will never be able to talk to them. Your only hope is to chat and even then, the technical support person will try to pawn you off on someone else when he or she does not know the answer.

If you want to access your dvr from your Blackberry, you can only do it if you leave the default passoword at 123456. It took three days before I finally got a tech guy to tell me that. The guy before him told me there must be something wrong with my Blackberry. Supposedly there is a fix due in 2011.

Now I am able to access dvr from anywhere on the Internet including my Blackberry plus it emails me pics when the motion is detected. The system is finally somewhat usable.

Samsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

• Internet@TV
• Wireless LAN built-in (Wireless LAN adaptor not included)
• AllShare?
• BD-Live (Profile 2.0), 1GB local storage
• 1GB built-in memory
• Advanced Connectivity With AllShare

This is my first Blue Ray player and I love it.

Took a chance on this Samsung and ordered it without a lot of information availabe because it is so new but glad I did.

Just got it out of the box today and everything works great. Easily set up the wireless to my home network (and it saved the IP address and encryption key info so I do not need to sign on each time).

There are few units (if any) with all the features this unit offers at this price.

This unit offers solid access to You Tube, various videos on demand services, Pandora (love Pandora!), and it sees all my videos and photos on my computer in multiple ways (with their Samsung PC Share Manager and direct acess) all through the network. The pics load a little slow, but the files are big. Pretty sure if I reduce them down access will speed up.

Decent You Tube search feature (for a TV remote as a typing device). Easily found my own You Tube videos.

In any case, all locked in solid with minimal hassle.

I would give it 5 stars except there is still a learning curve on managing my PC folders and I am still getting the hang of some Samsungs apps, but I am confident it will all work out. I initially entered the encyption key incorrectly and did not get a password error but instead it just said the IP address was wrong. A restart with the right key resolved all.

The first HD video I played was a home video made on my Canon HD Vixia HF200 consumer video camera and it looked absolutely great. For a first view, this player is excellent. Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom

I already have a Samsung 40 inch LCD HD TV so I also figured they would compliment each other.

Oh, by the way, I had a customer service issue that was not the fault of Amazon and they resolved it in grand fashion. Absolutely superb customer serivce. Superb.

Yep, I am a happy camper with the whole deal

============================================================

March 17 update

I continue to enjoy this player. I had one blue-ray disc that did not work right a rental, subsequent discs worked fine. I also see services being added. A few free games (nothing great, but there), Blockbuster on Demand is now installed, weather, USA today, and more is coming. Still, my favorite feature by far is being able to view shared files on the TV from my laptop computer through a wireless connection via the home network.

Viewing seemed a bit slow at first, but once I began compressing the JPEG's to a more "uploadable" size, they snapped through slideshows with ease. Camcorder videos formatted to WMV are easily played from my laptop and watched on the TV and they are smooth. It is just so cool to create it on my laptop and watch it on my TV. Just amazing stuff. Love it.

Had to re-enter my encyption key once right after a software update but other than that one time, have not had to enter a password again. One other software update had no effect.

I upped the rating to 5 star. It is excellent. I am already beginning to take it for granted like a good chair that always just works. Not sure what else I can possibly expect at this price.

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I plan on keeping this review up to date, so as things change I will keep adding to it. I will also try to answer any questions in comments.

April 2, 2010

I received this player from Amazon today. Within the first hour I had it hooked up to my home theater system, connected to my wi-fi network, updated the firmware over the web, connected to Netflix, and connected to Pandora. At that point I was ready to log in to Amazon and post a 5 star review. I am glad that I held off because there have been a few problems, but not enough to make me want to return the player.

Even though I have the latest firmware, 1009.1, Vudu does not work for me. I get an error message when I try to start it (I will post the error here tomorrow; right now I am watching a movie!). I was able to set my location in Accuweather and change it from Celsius to Fahrenheit. However, when I went back into Accuweather the location was correct but it reverted back to Celsius. I went in and out of it several times and set it back to Fahrenheit but each time it would go back to Celsius.

I went to the Vudu site and did some searches on Samsung, but could not find anything helpful. I also did some Google searches without much luck. The most useful information always pointed back to the Amazon reviews for this product.

I played a regular DVD and it did an OK job although it seemed a little over-exposed. I will update my comments as I play more DVDs. I haven't played a blu-ray DVD yet because I don't own one but will pick one up tomorrow.

Pandora radio sounds excellent! I have a Pioneer VSX-9040TXH receiver (which I love -highly recommended) with some quality 5.1 speakers and the sound is amazing.

At this point I am irritated that Vudu shows up as an app on my player, but it doesn't work and I can't find any useful information about why. I am also irritated that Accuweather, in spite of reports from previous reviewers here, doesn't work. It seems like someone is dropping the ball. It would be nice if the blu-ray player would provide some kind of status about whether an app is functional or not so that I as a user do not have to waste my time trying to fix something if it's unfixable by me.

Right now I am keeping things in perspective. As a DVD player, blu-ray player, Netflix player, and Pandora player it is still worth the money. I am certainly glad that I didn't get just a standalone blu-ray player because Netflix and Pandora both add a lot of value.

April 3rd 2010

I was showing my friend the Internet features of this player today (Day 2) and was surprised that when I went into Vudu, the error message that I had been getting went away, and I was able to start my Vudu service! Setup was very easy. Accuweather, however, still would not keep the temperature in Fahrenheit. More later ...

April 4th 2010

I watched two Vudu movies yesterday. Things worked very well. The HDX quality is very good, as is the 5.1 audio. I don't like the Vudu interface as much as Apple TV's, but the quality is as good or better. There is also a very good selection of movies on Vudu. So, if you want HD-quality streaming videos with great audio, this blu-ray player can do that through the Vudu service. Very nice feature.

I tried a few more things:

Rovi TV listings. You set it up on the blu-ray player. It shows what is on TV over a 2 hour period. It doesn't appear to let someone browse through shows more than 2 hours out unless I haven't figured that out yet.

I added another location in Accuweather. I set both locations to Fahrenheit, exited, went back in and again it reverted to Celsius. Why do they even bother to put out software if they can't do it right? They have had time to fix it and haven't. It gives Accuweather a bad name.

The Blockbuster app appears to be working, but I didn't watch anything because I am a Netflix subsriber rather than Blockbuster.

USA Today news is something I may use. What I like is that I can get titles of news stories by category, and quickly bring up the article. It's a very fast way to get the news compared to a web browser for example.

YouTube appears to be working. There is a log in options so it should be able to access your account if you set one up. I don't have a YouTube account so didn't try that.

At this point I have tested all the apps and the only one not working correctly is Accuweather.

I will try some of the other features this week, including playing a blu-ray. Any suggestions for my first blu-ray movie?

April 13, 2010

I was able to set up Blockbuster on Demand. Even though my main computer is a Mac and Blockbuster on Demand doesn't run on a Mac, I was able to register a new Blockbuster on Demand account on my Mac and confirm it just by entering a 5 digit code on the Samsung player.

At this point I have rented movies using the Samsung's Netflix streaming, Blockbuster on Demand, and Vudu apps, and have been able to listen to music on Pandora. In addition, I have watched many blu-ray movies (about 20 to date) without any problems.

April 18, 2010

I have played more blu-ray and regular DVDs and have not had any problems. Everything played fine.

Tonight I checked for a software update and one was available. I like that I could check right from the player, and not have to download separately. There is an option to use a USB drive, but it's not necessary if the player is hooked up to the network.

A MAJOR ANNOYANCE: AccuWeather is STILL not working. When I go in and change it to Fahrenheit, go out, and come back in, the temperatures are all in Celsius. Who is dropping the ball -Samsung, it's your player, and obviously you should know about this problem, so WHY aren't you fixing the problem or getting AccuWeather to fix it? Do you care about your product -well if so, then FIX THE PROBLEM.

Fortunately, the major services work fine: Netflix insta-queue streaming, Vudu, Blockbuster on Demand, and Pandora.

June 4, 2010

AccuWeather now works. The Fahrenheit setting sticks.

This will be the last entry of this review.

I would buy this player again. The Internet features are very nice. Netflix streaming, Blockbuster on Demand, Pandora, and Vudu being the main ones.

I have not had any problems playing normal DVD's or blue-ray DVDs. They don't rewind or fast forward as smoothly as I would like, but it does what it needs to do.

It's not an expensive player, and it does a lot. So, I recommend this player.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Here

First, my rating is based on three parameters:

1. Is the picture of high quality?

2. Does the player load quickly? (This is the main reason I purchased the Samsung.)

3. Wireless internet

In regards to picture quality, I've tested a few DVDs and the picture quality seems first rate. Second, this player does live up to its marketing. From the time I close the player to the first menu is 25 seconds or less. That works for me!. And last, the wireless worked pretty much straight forwardly.

So for me, the player delivered on the parameters I care about and that's why I gave it 5 stars.

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I currently own the previous model Samsung Blu-ray player, the BD-P3600. I can say that the BD-C6500 is a huge improvement in all areas. The remote is leaps and bounds better. Faster load times. PC streaming works with far less hassle. Improved on-screen GUI. Physically smaller and MUCH more stylish appearance.

In my opinion, this is the most feature-packed Blu ray player on the market in this price range. Sony has no PC streaming until July. Panasonic has little on VCast until later in the year. LG has no 7.1 analog audio output. This Samsung unit is the one model that truly had everything that I was looking for including 1GB onboard memory. All for under $250.00.

The only question is ... why do manufacturers insist on making the power cord as short as possible??

**PLEASE NOTE: I do not work for Samsung, nor do I have any stake in the company in any way (outside of wanting their stuff to work properly because I own it)**

After looking at blu-ray players for a LONG time, I was finally glad to learn the new generation of Samsung players had been released. I purchased mine from a local big box retailer only because I couldn't be patient to wait for the delivery from Amazon. I'm sorry Amazon; please forgive me.

So far, I've really enjoyed the player. I own two Samsung flat screen HDTVs, and I trusted their ability to produce a player that generated a great image with great sound decoding. Therefore, I primarily purchased this model because of the built in wireless networking (to stream Netflix) and the ability to interface with my home PC. Networking setup was very easy. I had some problems in the beginning, but this was a router setting issue, not the player's fault.

I have yet to thoroughly test the "Samsung Apps," but I have been streaming "Lost" from Netflix. The image is great, albeit the connection and streaming queue time is slower than my ROKU player. Once it loads and buffers, it is fine.

Disc loading times are fine for both blu-ray and regular dvds. I don't understand why people have problems or complaints here because I've never owned a dvd player that loads discs "immediately."

Upconversion video is great--except on Warner Bros. dvds, but that's not the player's fault. I experienced the same problem with my old Sony player. It has been rumored that Warner purposefully has poorly encoded their recently released, regular dvds to push people toward their new blu-ray stock. I plan to purchase the Harry Potter series on blu-ray soon, so I'll report back on whether the image quality is better.

Finally, the sound is awesome. As an audiophile, this is most important to me, and finally I have a player that puts my amplifier to work. The 7.1 Dolby and DTS HD decoding is better than the theater, in my opinion. This is only true for blu-rays; with standard dvds, the sound is the same as my previous player--which is still good. It just doesn't use each speaker channel as much. Also, Netflix streaming does not seem to support Dobly Digital or DTS decoding at this time.

My only complaint is the remote control. Unfortunately, Samsung can design great electronics, but they must have the local elementary school design their remotes. Actually, I think an elementary student could do a better job. This complaint is across all Samsung products, though, not just this one. I was hoping after a number of consumer complaints that they would have changed their "motif" to a more intuitive design.

For my first blu-ray player, I highly recommend this one to others. I'll update this review if anything changes either way.

============================

Updated: March 8, 2011

It's been a year since I purchased this bluray player, and even though Amazon is not directly selling it any longer, I think it's important to report a significant problem I've been having with the player. This problem started at the end of 2010. Audio for other applications (e.g., Netflix, Vudu, etc.) does not work when there's a disc in the player. As soon as I take the disc out, it starts working again. Samsung support has been extremely unhelpful, and I think they may have stopped supporting this player altogether. A quick Google search shows that other people are experiencing the same issue without any help. The most recent interaction with support indicated that the player wasn't designed to "play a disc and play streaming video at the same time." I stopped trying to get help after this answer. Hopefully, they decide to do the right thing and release a software update to address the problem. I've lowered my rating to 3 stars, and it's subject to change depending on Samsung's willingness to update.

Cmple - TOSLink Optical Digital Audio Cable SPDIF Dolby Digital DTS -25 ft

Although this optic cable has a thin jacket it should be suitable for most applications where the cable is not subjected to repeated motion or physical abuse. In addition, the end connectors are the best size for situations where two Toslink I/O ports side-by-side are being used. I have "premium" optical cables and the end connectors are so large they physically interfere with each other on some equipment (e.g. PC sound card with Toslink I/O)if used in the situation described. The smaller end connectors do require a firmer grip to disengage and can be a little less convenient where you have to reach into a equipment bay and past other cables to plug or unplug the cable. Technically, there is no practical difference in the optical performance of a budget cable like this one and much more expensive cables where you are paying extra for a heavy jacket and connectors.

The deal with toslink cables are they either work or don't work. The sound quality all depends on the source it is coming from. So, with longer cables the signal drops on all cables, & if the signal is to low it won't work. You would need to boost your signal, it's digital remember. These cables are only 25', they work!!!

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I bought this to connect the sound card of my computer to a Digi Rack. Works perfect, sounds very good. 25 foot, I got mine through bluebargain inc, very fast shipping. $1.82 plus $2.98 for shipping. Can't go wrong.

Don't forget to take off the plastic protectors on the cable ends before use.

Remember that the SPDIF ports on a computer or music device are as follows: Black is the input, Gray is the output (usually). You might have to enable SPDIF on a particular device as well before it will function, this is usually done through software. Enjoy!

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Can't speak for it's longevity but it appears to be working fine. Prompt delivery and just as described. Possibly too light weight for heavily trafficed areas but that's not my situation.

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Sharp BDHP210U Blu-ray Disc Player

• Sharp BDHP210U Blu-ray Disc Player
• Full HD 1080p/24 fps video output
• HDMI Up-scaling - BD Live 2.0 Profile
• 7.1 Ch digital audio output
• Quick Start Mode: enjoy content quickly without delay

Other reviewers warn to stay away from this player, so I thought I'd balance things out with somewhat more positive comments. The trouble I had in the past with the BD-HP21U consisted of:

1) Inability to play certain discs

2) Slow to very slow loading times

3) Poor performance by the remote controlhad to be very close to the unit to operate

Each time that I encountered a disc that wouldn't play I upgraded the firmware (have done so 3 times over 15 monthsright after purchase and 2 other times), which took care of the playback glitch. However problems 2 and 3 remained. About 2 weeks ago the movie "Ponyo" wouldn't play, so I upgraded the firmware for a third time and voila! All 3 problems solved! Movie played, loading is now MUCH faster, and the remote works at the same distance as other remotes. I went from being at best lukewarm on the unit to quite pleased.

The most recent firmware is available at . Hopefully that link will displayif not just go to sharpusa and navigate to the customer support/product downloads section. You'll have to manually enter the model number in the appropriate box since this model isn't listed in the drop down, but after you do this the correct firmware download is displayed (which is Version PN9110600).

Are there better/less bulky players out there for the money? Perhaps. But if you can find this at an attractive price, I think that you'll be more than satisfied after you upgrade your firmware.

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Thought i was getting a good deal on a bluray player. This product is very bulky and obviously a model several years old.

Right out of the box the player has issues about 50% of the time, displaying a flickering image. Also loads times are exteremly slow, and some discs will not play. I would recommend spending the extra $30 to get a current model player.

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I received this as a gift...personally I would not have purchase a sharp product. I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Initially compared to my PS3 is was very slow to load...I could let that slide if everything else worked...but it didn't. Right out of the box about 1 out of 5 Blu-Rays did not play "Cannot Read Disc". All of these discs played just fine on my laptop and PS3. I don't know about DVDs. I tried to update the firmware but Sharp had the wrong firmware posted for my equipment. I finally found the correct one under a different model number. That did not help and was definitely not a user friendly process. I am currently in the process of getting help directly from Sharp since the store I purchased from will not let me exchange or return. We will see how it goes, but I am very skeptical.

Bottom line...Stay away

Sharp BDHP210U Blu-ray Disc Player

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My first experience w/ a Blu Ray Player was not a good one. The first few times I used it, it worked fine. My only issue was an incredibly slow loading time. I understand Blu Ray takes longer to download than MPEG-2 DVD, but I'm talking 1-2 full minutes to read the disc and produce the menu screen. Then one day, it would not play a brand new Blu Ray movie. It would load, but then do nothing. It would not respond to anything, other than turning the device off.

I was learning to live w/ my diappointment, until I started to buy and rent more blu-rays, and this was happening to nearly half the discs. With some discs, the device would completely freeze. The only action it would respond to was actually unplugging the machine. The coup-de-gras come one day when the machine froze as it was acustomed to, so I unplugged the device, and when powered back up, I got the error message "rear panel fan not working", or something along those lines. It completely stopped working at that point. Cleaned the fan and everything. Fortunately, Sharp had great customer service and sent me the next model up from this one free of charge. I believe they discountinued this model. Amen.

Stay away from this pice o' junk!

I bought this in Jan 10 and to date it has performed well. I read the manual and found one of the settings that speed up the start up and gets the dvd to play the movie within 10 sec. I am not sure what is the problem others are experiencing, but you have to consider the technical demands on a technology that requires a lot more of bandwidth and processing power. I will try upgrading the firmware later on. Just today connected it to a HDTV (Sharp LC-46SE94U) and the Aquos link used on sharp products automatically recognized the BD input and labelled it with the unit's model number. Later when I placed a dvd on the unit the TV turned on automatically and switched to the dvd input, saving me a few seconds on the process.

Pro Tools 10- Professional audio recording and music creation software

• Unleash your creativity with the award-winning toolset
• Get unrivaled sound quality, now with even higher resolution
• Work the way you want-with an interface or without
• create bigger mixes, with up to 96 audio tracks
• Compose with virtual instruments and MIDI and Score Editors

The software is great. However, I believe that giving PAYING customers the best experience possible is the first and foremost responsibility of any company. By first and foremost, of course I mean even before protecting your software from theft.

I had zero problems getting my product key registered on the AVID site, but iLok company is worthless. I haven't been able to get my iLok registered, and after poking around their website, I have come to find that not only does their website does not support Chrome, which was the only browser I had installed when I purchased this program, but the versions of FireFox and Internet Explorer that it does support are AT LEAST 2 versions behind. I am not talking small updates, but the major updates. Internet Explorer 5 is the most recent version of internet explorer that is officially supported, but the version that installed itself on my computer when I re-enabled it in windows services is 9. They are 4 versions behind on Internet Explorer support? Really? What does this company DO?

Because of this version issue, I believe, I have been unable to add my iLok to my iLok account, and can therefore not use the software even though I have a perfectly legitimate, PURCHASED serial registered without problem on the AVID site.

Ditch iLok, or at least make it optional. They are going to cost you paying customers.

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I'm not a fan of bad reviews but I couldn't get this to work on my iMac 27inch with Mountain Lion. It took my computer overnight to upload the entire program which I thought was odd but it did take that long (about 6 hours). You get a little usb flash card that must be in your computer for the thing to work. So after the installation I go to register and I'm asked for a RELEASE number that they show is supposed to be located on my card and it wasn't and the screen wouldn't go away until it was entered. I wrote tech support and got a fast reply "You're already registered" hmmm??

Oh well, next I discover that there is an update available and it is recommended that I upgrade before using. So I download the upgrade (and it was so unclear what program I was to download and I'm not a tech genius but no slouch and it baffled me). I called tech support to make sure I Downloaded the file (getting tech support means having the right code to enter when you call or else you have to go buy it). Finally, confirmed I had the right file and after two hours of download time, it says "upgrade failed."

I tried this a gazillion times (yes slight exaggeration) but I did spend hours researching and others were having the same problem. I sent in a ticket and by the time I got a response for no apparent reason the upgrade took!

Wow. Okay, I go to start my first project and I get an error: could not create a new document because Assertion in "/Volumes/Developement/ws.protools_10.3.2/AlturaPorts/DFW/Macbuild?..?Views/Umenu.MacOS.mm", line 1351" WTF!! I call back Tech Support and they ask if they could remote control my computer...after and HourNADA! Tech support says, " you need to call APPLE to see if they have a fix!! REALLY! You're willing to send me on THAT! I agreed, hung up and wrote Amazon for a refund. Everyone I talked to Loves Protools and I'm SURE it's an awesome product but do a little research first and see if you see the kind of complaints I had.

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I love the fact that you can now use Pro Tools with your own interface hardware, instead of having to buy Avid's stuff. I'm sure Avid's Pro Tools HD system is awesome, but I've been using MOTU gear for years, and didn't want to have to invest in another set of hardware just to use their software... And by the way, it's working great!! So thanks Avid!

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I am a pretty standard home studio operator. I have had a home studio for years, so i am comfortable with many programs, but i don't know near as much about the intricacies of the software programs as my friends in professional recording do. I recently made some serious upgrades to my studio and decided to pick up ProTools based on the recommendation of a friend who is successful in the "industry". I don't regret my purchase, I got a great deal on Amazon and ProTools preforms every bit as good as I had hoped it would. This software is a GIANT like others have mentioned, but it is not near as intuitive as other modern DAW's, which means the newbie is going to need to expect to take more time to learn how to navigate and operate the program. Luckily Avid's customer support seems pretty awesome, and after some minor complications (tip, Window's users, be sure to update your Quicktime) I was able to get everything working great. The ilok system will be confusing to those who have never used it before, but once you get it set up, you pretty much forget about it. Other than the initial setup and the learning curve, this program is incredible and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade their home studio.

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I have experience with a few different DAW's (Sonar, Reaper, and even Ableton although that's a bit of a different system) and Pro Tools outshines them all as far as mixing and editing capabilities. The new features in Pro Tools 10, notably clip gain and 32-bit float are great for anyone upgrading from Pro Tools 9. For these two features alone, I'd say it's worth the cross grade especially if you're working in a professional studio. Be forewarned though, Pro Tools is not without its flaws. It is well known to those that use the software that errors occur frequently; both during recording and playback even when running the program on a Mac (recommended) and with more than double the recommended RAM. These errors freeze the system, and if recording, you will likely lose the track.

The bottom line is, while Pro Tools 10 is probably the highest quality system out there, there are others that operate more smoothly and with less errors. I will not endorse these, as I am and have been a faithful Pro Tools user for many years now, mainly because I'm comfortable with the interface. The aforementioned errors have lessened in Pro Tools 10, but Avid should've provided a solid fix via update(s). by now.

XBLUE X7 USB Call Recorder, Cocoa (2499-01)

Item arrived, looked nice. No driver discs. Only a download web address on the instruction sheet. Link was broken, had to look around website to find drivers and software. Installed software, hooked it up. Terrible outgoing sound quality. tried gain adjustment in software. Mostly it just made the hum get louder. Yes it had a hum. Sending it back. Shame, I needed it, and really wanted to like this product.

Purchased this device and am very pleased with the quality and the level of recording capability...it worked as advertised and is simple to use, we record calls in our office and am going to purchase more units for the other branches...

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very cool thing to have in your office to record both sides of the conversation, then it auto saves it and you can email your conversation.

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Hi; Got it and I was needing it to work as discribed. Just was a big disapointment,from there tech personel said. I must be totaly unable to opperated even the most basic software program. That's really nice of they to say to me. Still have this piece of... and can't use it. Bought another brand that is a phone recorder using a sd card black opps by spygadgets. Check for there positive feed back. This sd phone recorder works and a big thanks to spygadgets. AJ

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Downloaded the software and thought this should be easy to install, NOPE I was wrong. Maybe this doesn't work with Windows 7. I wasn't able to get any of the buttons to start recording I plug it in and the green light comes on and a red light next to the gren buttons light up. Nothing happens when I press a button. Sending it back. This was a waste of time.

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PTC 10 ft High Speed HDMI 1.3 Category 2 Certified Cable w/Ferrite Cores (Gold Plated Connectors) -

This is a very cheap cable. It is a thin cable that is not up to the quality you would get if you paid a few dollars more for a better cable. Don't waste your money. Buy another cable.

Livescribe Sticky Notes

I have had both a 1 gb Pulse and an 8 gb echo (which is great!). For notebooks, I have 2 3-subjects, 4 1-subjects, 1 journal size, and 1 Moroccan mini wrap. I have had dozens of pen refills. I now have these "Sticky" notes. Up until these "sticky" notes, I thought everything made by Livescribe was primo, top-of-the line. But, these "sticky" notes, while seemingly a great idea, are not sticky enough to stay where you put them. Seriously, they stick on for maybe 3 seconds before flopping off like a dead leaf in a cold spell. It's comical.

Sticky notes of this size are great for two reasons their size and their ability to "stick" onto things. Post-Its didn't get huge just because people needed a little piece of paper. Post-Its got popular because people needed a little piece of paper they could stick on stuff: books, monitors, medicine cabinets, etc. Sticky notes that are not sticky (and I would barely call these sticky, at all), are really only small sheets of notepaper. Still useful, (and admittedly even more useful with the genius that is the livescribe format); however, they should not be sold as a sticky note. The insert warns that the "adhesive may mark some surfaces or lift inks" I highly doubt these sticky notes have any adhesive on them, whatsoever. It seems as if they stick to each other through friction more than due to any adhesive. When you hold the back of them up to a light, there is no visible line where the sticky would be. When you run your finger on the back of them, all you feel is smooth paper and a small patch that feels like the grippy iphone cases. If you tape your iphone to the front of these, and sit it on your dashboard, it might not slip around as much. But, don't try to stick them to things as you would a typical post-it note. They can't hold their own weight. I have no-name sticky notes that I got as marketing fluff, and at tradeshows, that stick quite well (and, have for years). There is no excuse for such a reputable company like Livescribe to sell such a far inferior version of an otherwise great idea.

For what the other reviewers are needing, it seems as if this product fits the bill. I am curious if others are having this same experience. If the employees are just using these as note papers, or, if the pages are tagged and the book is immediately closed, thus, gravity and mass would be holding these notes in the book.

As little Livescribe note papers, they seem to be great. If you only need them for that purpose, or have anther plan for adhesion (thumbtacks, staples, paperclips, tape, those 3m command photo clips, etc.), then I think you would be very pleased with the functionality they deliver. If their adhesion, unassisted, is part of your planned use, you may be unhappy with their quality and function.

I rely on reviews here at Amazon to help me make informed buying choices. I hope this review has helped you in the same manner. If you voted this as helpful, I Thank You! :)

Nice, neat little sticky notes. Sticky notes alone are precious and helpful, even in the digital age.

But when you blend them with a Livescribe pen, Livescribe Connect, and (perhaps)Evernote?

It just does not get any better. By writing on one of these, the writing is stored in my pen, then it is uploaded on to my computer. I can then email the sticky note, sync into Evernote, or just store it in my computer. Evernote syncs between the different computers I use, so I now have a copy of the sticky note on every computer. Plus, I leave the note where it needs to be. As a student, that's often inside a book for a research project.

Here's how that works for me: while reading a book or journal for research, I jot notes on these stickies with my Livescribe pen. I put the sticky notes in the text. Then, I sync the pen. Now, if I have taken good enough notes, I can do the bulk of my writing without having to keep a stack of books with me the whole time. I can write at home or at Starbucks or at the office or at the student center---you get the idea. But, I've left the note in the book in case I need further reference.

I can jot down a to-do list that then syncs into my computer. I use these for short grocery lists (email the note to my Blackberry or store in Evernote). It helps me generate a note that's available in two places (at least) at the same time. This is a great thing.

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I really like the pen, and had bought a few journals to go with it. But until now I had not considered the pen an essential part of of my business practice. Having these post it note pads had been incredible. Now I can write down what I need done, hand it off, and later email the note to everyone in the meeting. With so many meetings and projects to juggle I've often been told I had not given any direction. These post it notes has resolved that completely. Now if I thinks somethings important and should be noted I can write it down hand it off and know direction was given.

Max

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I use a lot of stickynotes for various purposes. They get attached to something, and eventually disappear or get thrown away. But wouldn't it be cool to still have a record of them? Perhaps even with some audio information?

I go back and forth between my office and the lab, frequently carrying some configuration details on a stickynote, that I then place on a surface to review as I work. And I may take additional notes down as I work. If the note is lost, or I want to review the details two weeks later, I can, thanks to my magic pen.

I also use these to annotate non-Livescribe documents, in a manner to create a rich amount of detail and long term memory of that detail.

In a training environment you can insert these into textbooks and add contextual notes to the book that can be removed later. There are a large number of ways this can be used.

So while stickynotes are a great invention on their own, as is the Livescribe system itself, the combination of the two technologies exceeds the sum of the parts. The applications possible with this combination are well beyond note taking.

I should note, I removed a previous review where I gave these only two stars, due to defects in the glue used. I purchased my original supply shortly after they were introduced as a new product. The original version had some challenges with the quality and performance of the glue. I've upgraded my review and removed my complaints after Livescribe corrected the defect and replaced my supply of bad notepads. There is another review (with comments from me) that calls out this issue. At this time the problem has been corrected, resulting in a 5-star review.

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I use my sticky for quick adds instead of pulling out a whole notebook. The different sizes and colors are not a bad thing either! And I can throw them away to prevent clutter as they are always backed up to Evernote! So exciting having this type of organization that can be searched through from now and into the future. Great buy especially if you already use the notebooks.

CAR CAMERA SYSTEM

Bought this unit from Costco. Installation was fairly easy on my 2001 Pathfinder. The camera is unbelievable, so much detail! I can see anything behind my truck from tail light to tail light, about 1 foot to 50 feet night or day. The problem I have is that the screen is evidently defective. It started out with about 5 veritcal lines of various colors on the far right side of the screen. Each time I use it it gains new lines, now about 25 vertical and about 5 horizontal. Needless to to say the image field is becoming more and more difficult to use. It's too bad because it's all I expected when it worked but if it keeps going I soon will have nothing but colored lines. I'll talk to the manufacturer and if they don't replace it Costco will refund it.CAR CAMERA SYSTEM

Nice product, relatively inexpensive, fairly easy to install. My only complaint is the field of view (listed at 120 degrees) could be a bit wider.

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I have been in the security and investigations business for over 15 years. I routinely install pinhole cameras and such in businesses and private homes. I have to stay up on technology because of this. When I saw the cheap price on these I was skeptical. After receiving the camera, the installation was a breeze. My wife even put one on her vehicle herself, and had no problem with the install. I am impressed by the image clarity at night, as well as how far you can really see. I got mine for more of a personal safety thing, but it's great to prevent accidents from backing up as well. I have already recommended the camera to several clients.

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Installed on 2003 Dodge Ram Quad Cab with short bed.

Good:

This camera works well and produces a clear picture.

Bad:

If you want to have a clean installation, be ready to cut and fabricate.

Video wire is not long enough for my pickup. Had to buy extension. Should be just fine for cars.

Even with adjustment rings, I could not get enough of an angle downward for my installation. The bottom of garage door is still about a foot away from the truck (see pic)

I installed this camera because it is difficult to see through 3 layers (back of cab, front and rear of cap) of tint though the rearview mirror. Wanting to install it similar to the new factory trucks, I first tried the handle but it would not fit. Though about the top of the cap but did not want to fabricate a enclosure. Did not want to install to low on the truck due to glare from other cars headlights. I installed it so that the camera can come on while vehicle is in drive, not just reverse. Since I wanted the camera to be concealed, I was ready to drill a hole in the back of the tailgate (not for the faint of heart).

Tip: When drilling, dont forget to prime and silicon the cut opening to prevent rust. I forgot and surface rust developed quickly.

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SMARTY BX1500 PLUS 120 HD Smart Black Box Car Drive Recorder

• HD MINI CAR AUTO VIDEO AND AUDIO DATA RECORDER
• 3G SENSOR, AUTO OR MANUAL (continuous) RECORDING
• INTEGRATED GPS, TRACK AND VIEW EXACT VEHICLE LOCATION WITH GOOGLE MAPS
• 120 DEGREE LENS (much better picture/video quality than 170), with 4GB SD CARD, RCA
• HIGH QUALITY. 1 YEAR WARRANTY

This device works exactly as indicated. The installation was easy with the provided 3M tape and power routing through the headliner and down to the fuse box was simple in my 2005 Honda Civic. Rather than buy the separate installation cable, I just snipped the cigarette lighter adapter off to expose the wires and connected it directly to 12v and ground (make sure it's to a lead or fuse that only operates when the car is running). The image quality is as good as any product like this needs to be, but is definitely not HD. The 1280x960 resolution is obviously interpolated from a smaller resolution, probably 640x480. For this reason, I just run my camera at 640x480 @ 15FPS to get maximum card usage. Also, if you are at all worried about 15FPS, don't be. It's smoother than you might think.

The missing feature: The software will only allow you to export one small 40-60 second snippet at a time. For accident/incident purposes, that's fine, but how cool would it be to record a full roadtrip and maybe speed up the video.

Anyway, it gets 3 out of five stars because there's no 3.5 option. The inability to export longer time frames or a the very least bulk export multiple events is a bummer.

**The attached video was recorded at the full 1280x960 resolution and features a voicemail and partial conversation with my sister-in-law. Enjoy.**

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I have two of the original civilian dashboard cameras. I swapped out this newest version into the same frame as my previous front facing one. It fit without any issues. My original is 170 degree wide while this one is only 120 degrees. I would have kept it the same, but I was too slow in ordering it and it went out of stock. However, I am pleased because now license plates in front of me are legable.

Version one let me down just a bit. My rear facing camera wasn't recording (although the light indicated it was functional) when I got rear-ended. Couldn't show if they were on the smart phone or not. But the forward facing camera showed the person in the crosswalk and my reason for being stopped at a green light.

The software has changed a little bit and isn't compatable with the first version but that's okay. Both work well independantly. With the audio recording capability, it should require a password to hear, IMO.

Not sure if the 170 degree wide angle would still have the same legiblabilty with license plates, but that is the only thing I would have done differently.

NOTE: Not all SD cards work with either model. Not sure if the Eye-Fi cards work with this one yet (it would be nice for an automatic upload once I drive into the garage but that's just guilding the lilly).

Easy to install the hardware, the software, and to transfer the video. Not Mac compatable w/o virtual machine software (i.e. Parallels or Fusion). Well worth the peace of mind.

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Of all the black boxes I've tried, this one is by far the best. The unit is solid, very easy to set up and for the past month has worked flawlessly. The GPS is very accurate. The video is not what you can call HD but it does catch enough detail to do it's job. I can easily read license plates at red lights, but on the move will depend on lighting and speed your traveling. The one downside I have is night time recording and this is why I can only give it 4 out of 5 stars. Recording at night is not very good and is very grainy. It will still capture what you need if your ever in an accident but it's not as good as daytime recording. I've tried the Black Vue 400 and liked the quality of the video but the software was an absolute nightmare to deal with compared to the Smarty software, which is very solid. Believe me, I've done a lot of research on these things and can safely recommend the Smarty. You won't be disappointed.

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I got this after moving from the Northwest to the South. Stories of police corruption ran rampant, least of all, recording speeds on tickets 15-20 MPH over what you were doing. So, it would do well for me in that respect. The video is ok, but even on the highest settings, I can't really read liscense plates at 70 MPH on the freeway. It would catch any accidents or movements clearly, though, just not the fine details, I think. The gps, travel log, and MPH recorder would all be useful for me in court, should anything happen. Audio is ok. Software takes getting used to, and the manual seems to be translated from Korean. Both my wife and I think it's a good piece of insurance.

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This is one of those reviews that could go on and on if I'm not careful, so I'm just going to highlight some bullet points. For a true sense of what the camera is like in action go to video sites and search for videos recorded using this camera.

I've been using it steadily for a month now and here are my thoughts:

-solid build quality

-easy to install (will have to see how well the tape holds up in 100 degree weather)

-manual in English

-software in English and easy to use

-for me the video is only okay

-15 fps is a bit choppy

-license plates are legible only when close and lighting makes a big difference

-nighttime resolution is weak; if it's not in the headlights, there's no detail

-4GB card is adequate for my needs and previous files are overwritten flawlessly

-card can be a bit difficult to remove as the finger depression is shallow and narrow

All-in-all, it is a solid unit that will do the job, I just wish the image quality was better and so I rate it, well, adequate.

Olympus VN-801PC Digital Voice Recorder

I use these digital voice recorders on a regular basis, having started with the 4200, then the 6200 and now this model. I bought this one after comparing it with the 8100, and didn't see how they differed except the 8100 comes with a cover. I haven't explored the extra features with the 801, but am impressed with it's recording capability, and the option to use either wma or mp3 formats. Some changes I like are: the speaker being on the front, the improved visibility on the screen, the wider body, controls, especially choosing what to erase and the additional memory, and adding the word 'power' to the hold control. It's a nice machine and well priced. We use it for basic language data recording.

Jim

The way I evaluate how easy to use a product is by looking (or in this case not looking at the manual, this product is sufficiently easy to use, I do not need to open its manual to start to use it right away.

First, the good points:

1. I find the microphone came with the recorder is very senstive and can pick up volume quite nicely from a distance, this is good for me as I bought this for recording my conference minutes.

2. It appears to be well made, I drop it once (already!) from 6 ft, and it did not appear to damage it.

Now, the not so good point:

The play back volume and speaker is not very good, in a quite room you certainly can hear it, but if you are in an outdoor environment or driving, forget it, the playback is not very good. you can crank up the volume but distortion will set in, I was thinking first, this may be the recording volume issue, but after I upload to my PC with better play back device, I know this is not the case, it is the recorder itself.

Update 3-5-2012

After several month use, I can tell you another not so good point about the recorder, it will eat battery (2x AAA) quickly, with a new set of battery, no recording but just playback, it will last 3 weeks in daily use for 40 minute a day, I consider this is not very efficient.

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Pros:

The sound of recordings is exceptionally clear. This unit replaced a Sony and the battery life of this unit is FAR FAR superior. This unit powers down after a few minutes of no use. It can also power down manually. That saves battery life. The Sony has no way to shut it off other than removing a battery. I use this to record hour long lectures and the batteries in the Sony would last four lectures over four days before really needing to be recharged. The initial alkaline batteries in the Olympus have recorded well over a dozen lectures and the batteries are still strong.

Cons:

To record in MP3, which I do since I am sending the recordings to others (and some want to play on devices that don't play WMA files and those recipients are not technologically astute), means large file sizes for a one hour lecture. The file size at the worst recording level is about 16 MB for almost one hour. That is too large for some email recipients. Drop Box is an easy workaround.

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I purchased this so that i could keep track of my random ideas throughout my day, and have now been using it to practice my interviewing skills. very easy to use, love that it records in chapters, impressed with how much it can store, and that I can save my digital files.

only thing that would improve this would be if it was rechargeable.

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I've been using this for about 1.5 years now, and I like it. The battery has yet to die and I've been able to intuit the instructions easily without needing to consult the manual constantly.

Actually, I went to turn it on while I was typing up this review and it's dead. So there you go. About 1.5 years from 2 AAA batteries.

It has a port for microphones, a port for earphones, and a usb port for downloading the audio files.

I've been using it to record myself instructing new hires with a throat mic and it has worked quite well.

My only complaints are:

The USB port is not covered and gets dirt and lint in it quite easily.

The "on" switch is a toggle, and it can get activated by accident if you aren't careful. I haven't had too much problem with this though.

Steren 516-503BK STEREN 3FT FLAT HDMIHD 1080P 1.3 GOLDPLT 1080P 1.3 GOLDPLTD (Cable Zone / HDMI Cab

You can't go wrong with this hi-speed HDMI cable. It delivered great video and audio for a fraction of the price of well-known brands. Do yourself a favor, spend less and be surprised. The playing field is now level and this Steren cable is well made and durable.

Panasonic DVD-S53K Up-Converting 1080p DVD Player Black

• 720p output
• Up-conversion to 1080i
• Supports DVD Audio (5.1)
• Dolby Digital and DTS decoders
• Plays DVD-R, CD-R & CD-RW; MP3, WMA, JPEG & MPEG4 playback with on-screen navigator

This Panasonic player replaced another Panasonic DVD player that was lost to an electrical storm and although I could have still found the older model, reviews led me to select this unit. Not only is it 1/2 the height of the older unit, but eliminated many of the front mounted controls that were rarely used and cluttered the face of the player. In the month of use very heavy use it performs flawlessly. The same features such as quick replay and variable scan (forward and back) that I had on the other unit were one reason to stay with this Panasonic series. In addition, this newer unit supports 90% of the types of CD's and DVD's you will encounter whether commercial or user created. I would recommend the unit to anyone.

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I have both an S53 and a Philips 5982 running to a 1080P Philips 42" 7422.

The S53 is inferior in picture quality. It is blurrier, loses detail, loses color accuracy, and loses grey shadows. The Philips 5982 outperformed it in every regard to the picture quality.

Audiowise, the Panny has more options for audio with Dialogue Enhancer, but those filters seems to lose some of the fine details. You are better off messing with your TV audio or Stereo audio than using any Panny filters.

Colorwise, I could not really change any settings with the S53. The Philips allowed for RGB values to be altered which I was really hoping for on the S53. I could alter the screen settings like Cinema1, Cinema2, Multimedia, etc and that was it. There is an HD enchancer that makes the image sharper...it made it too sharp to my eyes and I leave it off.

The only thing I liked was the remote and menu. Much better than Philips and more functions.

It's sitting in my bedroom with my 26" bedroom 720P HDTV, so I can't complain too much about it. My set accepts the 1080i signal and it looks good on a small screen. I would not recommend it for a large screen in the living room.

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I ordered this unit based on Panasonic's reliability and quality.

Indeed it has come up to a very high standard. Great picture with DVD's using HDMI connection. Very simple hook up. Outstanding sound from CD's.

Reasonably priced. Doesn't come with HDMI cable.

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I just purchased this player about a week ago, and it is great. It is quiet, sturdy, starts up quick and looks cool. I have it hooked up with an HDMI cable to an okay 32 in. 720p LCD Visio TV that accepts 1080i input. I can tell you this..... the movies have never looked and sounded better. I popped in a DVD and played with the player's settings to get it just right. This DVD player has many Sound enhancement options and many Video enhancement features to help get a better picture. Read the manual, its good with helping you set it up to your likings. Very Satisfied with my purchase, thank you very much. 5 stars *****

Just bought it several days ago, player shuts down completely after about 30 min of playing time. Won't turn on until about 20 minutes later.

Also, when viewing JPG files on DVD-R, can only see the files in first 6 9 folders, in alphabetical order. Don't see any files in folders beyond those first 6 9 folders.

Pinnacle PCTV USB2 ( 210100387 ) TV Tuner and Video Capture Device

i purchased this product, it worked great for 2 days and now suddenly no longer responds (reinstalled, rebooted etc no help). i looked for help by posting problem on pinnacle support forums and have received no answer for 2 days and counting... i have now been on hold with the non toll-free tech support for 55 minutes and still no answer... avoid my mistakes and look elsewhere...

I own a top of the line PC: Athlon 64 3500+, Nvidia 6800, WinXP Pro card, etc. etc.

Pinnacle PCTV crashed the WinXP Pro during the install phase and freezes the Windows XP ever since. Both Pinnacle Tech Support and Forums Suport do not read the questions and send irrelevant answers. They also suggested replacing my PC What a joke! Don't buy it unless you are SURE that you can get reimbursed in full if it does not work for you! Don't even dream on counting on Pinnacle's support.

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After reading a couple of negative reviews, I tempered my enthusiasm for buying one of these but did so anyway since the price was right (I received a $20 rebate). In short, the device has far exceeded my expectations. My intended use for it is on the road with my Dell 700m laptop (with XP SP2), which has a 1280x800 display resolution. Given some of the reported driver problems, I was a bit concerned that the laptop's rather unique screen size might pose a problem with the PCTV, but was wrong. Install was trivial. On system reboot after the install, the software runs a comprehensive diagnostic to make sure everything is in order. For me, everything worked as advertised. I also installed the software on my desktop just to see the comparison, especially since my desktop is a two monitor system. If anything, it works even better there, although I can't drag the TV window over to the 2nd monitor.

The image is far superior to the 7" LCD TV I have for use during power outages we may get in Florida courtesy of hurricanes, and at about 1/3rd the cost, not to mention at a tiny fraction of both the weight and the size. In fact, at full screen it is at least as good as any TV set at a comparable distance. This was a pleasant surprise, although I personally would consider it a waste to use my desktop as a full size TV. The fact that you can record using it is gravy. The (measured) power draw on my laptop's battery is nominal, almost no worse than running without it.

I would have rated this product a 5, except for the following annoyances, none of which is fatal:

a) as I'm sure Pinnacle is aware, the driver needs more work. In messing with the "fine tuning" controls, I blue-screened my laptop's system. While I have not experienced any spontaneous failures of this sort from the software (unlike my experience with products from larger companies ... hear that Sony?), it is something that shouldn't happen and indicates some elements of the driver are not quite right. I have now run the product for a number of hours with no other failures, and that includes bringing it up and down, plus competing with other processes for system resources.

b) you can manually set most channels, but the interface does not show Channels 2,5, and 7, one of which is used by one of our local stations (however, it does pick it up under auto-scan). It's a mystery as to why these channels are not present for manual setting. Perhaps more annoying, there does not seem to be any way to retain two sets of channel settings, say one for cable and another for antenna.

c) the system comes with a remote control, which I won't use, but does not come with an antenna. I would suggest to Pinnacle that it makes more sense to provide an appropriate travel antenna and skip the remote. I now have to locate a suitable antenna to replace the length of coax I've been using for tests (the coax actually provides a startingly clear picture on some channels).

Since my install was problem free, I can't say anything pro or con regarding Pinnacle's support for the product as I have no pressing reason to contact them.

All in all, I think this is a superior device, so long as you plan to use it with an appropriate machine (USB2 is a must, and your hardware probably should be of relatively recent vintage, for example). The device is very light and compact and so makes a nice addition to my travel machine, not to mention provide me with an exceptional emergency TV.

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If I could give it NO stars I would. IT'S A RIP-OFF!!

Those reviewers who found this product OK are only using it as a TV device, not for external video capture. Sure, it works adequately as a TV device (so the one star is probably justified after all) but it is emphatically NOT a video capture port as supplied. Pinnacle's own bundled software does NOT support video input (neither for live display nor for capture) via the temptingly-annotated Composite or S-Video ports. It only 'sees' inputs on the UHF (TV) antenna input. Pinnacle have been promising to include this functionality for over 6 months but, so far, NADA!! Of course, the only way you can get to see the deluge of negative feedback this generates is to purchase the product to gain access to the support forums. The public aren't allowed in...

Here's kicker #1 if you're prepared to spend the same money again Pinnacle will sell you their Studio 9 application which (I THINK) supports these external (non-TV) video inputs.

Now for kicker #2 alternatively you can buy (again for a comparable ADDITIONAL cost) a third-party app called ShowShifter which has absolutely no problem seeing, displaying and capturing the extra inputs in this Pinnacle-branded product but somehow Pinnacle don't know how to do it (or maybe they do but they prefer to force you to pay twice for the same horse).

If you're looking for video capture as opposed to just watching or recording off-air TV then DON'T BUY THIS DEVICE.

One final point (Amazon, are YOU listening?!) Pinnacle manages to get around potential accusations of criminal deception by cleverly avoiding any claimed Composite or S-Video functionality on the packaging IT'S STILL A RIP-OFF, the inputs are clearly shown on the box . What's worse Amazon are close to being duplicitous in this rip-off by clearly labelling the two offending non-functional inputs thus implying that they actually DO something. They don't, not out of the box, but they will if you're prepared to purchase additional software (if you must buy this product I'd recommend ShowShifter I know it works and besdies, I'd resent playing into deceitful Pinnacle's hands by paying them twice).

BUYER BEWARE !!

David Harte

United Kingdom

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It didn't work! The support people at Pinnacle is useless. My question number is 041007-000056 and since 10 days ago I am still waiting for some help from Paul (the guy at the support line).

Avoid this product, it has serious engineering problems.

SIIG CB-000022-S1 PremiumHD Cable - 5-Meters

I use this cable to connect a PS3 to a Sony LCD and I have to say the image is amazing @ 1080p.

I chose this cable because of the price/quality/length ratio which allowed me to hide it inside of the wall.

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TRIPPLITE Computer Home Theater Battery Backup LCD Screen Display G1010USB

I replaced an APS UPS with this one to power my Mac Pro with five hard drives and a 24" LCD monitor. I like the fact that it accurately displays line voltage, provides a regulated power supply to the computer without tapping the battery unless input voltage drops below 87 volts, and has an informative LCD display with battery status, line status, and so on.

Works great has saved me alot of headaches our electric seems to go out alot this saves your electronics from interruptions

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The back up battery last no more than 3 minutes after the power shut off. It didn't even give me enough time to shut down the server that plugged into it. Don't expect this product will provide backup power for your computer!

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I have been looking for a reasonably cheap way to protect my Audio/Video equipment ever since a lightning strike blew my existing A/V Amp. It hit my outdoor FM Antenna, and followed the cable to the Amplifier. Scratch one A/V Amp. Worth $529.95

I was looking around Amazon.com and found the tripplite Computer Home Theater Backup Unit. Looked just like what I was looking for. Price was only $49.00, very reasonable! Therefore, I bought it.

Wow, was I surprised at the Qualitu of this unit. There are eight protected outlets, four having battery back-up as well. The display shows the electric current being treated and can be dimmed if you want.

Right after purchase, we had a thunder & Lightning storm. I was listening to my Stereo at the time when all power went out. I never knew it. My Wife came in and wanted to know what happened to the power? I then shut off the Amp. & CD Player. Wow the system never missed a beat. Power was out for five and one half hours. The Tripplite worked perfectly. Still showed almost a full battery left when the power came back on. It answered with a long loud beeeeep! when power came on too.

I love my Tripplite G1010USB Surge & Battery Back-up.

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This POS was DOA out of the box. The LCD display would show zero volts when plugged in, and not pass through power. Returned, and bought a CyberPower.

Rode VideoMic Pro Microphone with Sennheiser HD201 Headphones

All DSLRs have a horrible sound board. The 20 DB + option on this mic allows the user to bypass that problem. The free pair of Headphones are an added bonus, making it a great deal!

Great signal. Lots of gain. Great off-axis rejection.

Handling noise still transfers through to mic if you moderately jar the camera (even with the suspension system), but if your movements are smooth, this mic adds direction and clarity to your recordings. Just remember to turn it on (oops)

recommend

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This mic does a very nice job and the shock absorption is great. Really didn't need the headphones, but they were a very nice addition. They have a nice, clean response and are a great general purpose headphone.

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This mic is great if you're looking for a frustration-free way to record audio with your DSLR video, all synced up and ready to edit with the footage. The additional gain makes it so all you do is set your manual audio recording very low, then turn on the +20 gain, ridding you of that hissing that DSLR audio input is notorious for.

The headphones are a cool bonus... though, as far as I can tell with a T3i (my own camera), there's no way to utilize them to monitor the sound in real time. But they are a decent set of circumaural headphones that are usually $10 standalone at no additional cost (when I purchased this kit), so why not?

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But as soon as I run a few tests, I was more than happy.. Excellent choice the Mic is the best, and the headphone totally fullfill my expections..

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Sony 10DMW47SS 2X 4.7 GB DVD-RW Disc 10-Pack

MY DVD RECORDER ONLY USES THESE KIND OF DVD'S. IT HAS TO BE 1X-2X SPEED. THIS 10 PACK IS GREAT. THEY HAVE EACH DVD IN IT'S OWN CASE. YOU HAVE A LARGE LABEL, WHICH HELPS, CAUSE I LIKE TO REUSE THEM OVER AGAIN. IT'S VERY HARD TO FIND IN STORES, THERE ARE OTHER BRANDS, BUT I CAN'T USE THEM BECAUSE OF THE SPEED ISSUE. IT'S A GREAT VALUE, AND A GREAT BUY. I STILL HAVE DVD'S THAT ARE YEARS OLD, THAT STILL WORK LIKE NEW.

I have an older Toshiba TIVO DVD-R/RW recorder that is finicky on blank media. The machines spec is for 2x DVD-RW media. Other people on the Internet have written that they have had trouble recording with 4x and faster blanks. I've never had a burn failure with this media.

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Using this product for my vcr/dvd recorder. It does exactly what I hoped it would do, that is, record t.v. shows on it where I can format it and play it on another dvd player. then when I'm done, I could just erase it and use it again. the quality of the recordings look really good.

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These are not exactly as pictured. The picture looks like they're in regular jewel cases, but they are in the slim cases. These are the only kind of DVD-RW's I've been able to find that still work in my older model DVD recorder. Even so, I have to put them in twice to format before they will work. The first time I put them in and it starts to format, an error comes up saying it won't work in the recorder. I happened to try again, and the second time worked. It's like that with all of them, but at least they do work.

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The DVD's are good. The casing is a little thin and seems not that strong, but it would hold the DVD safely if placed on the desk. One of the DVD case was broken a little bit from the side when I opened the package, but I suppose that was during the shipping of the package.

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