Showing posts with label personal dvr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal dvr. Show all posts

Sunday, November 9, 2014

eForCity 25'Ft Digital Audio Optical Toslink Cable Lightpipe ADAT 7.6m M/M

eForCity 25'Ft Digital Audio Optical Toslink Cable Lightpipe ADAT 7.6m M/MThese cables are as advertised, and work well. I have no problems with these, and I would recommend to anyone

This cable is so thin I was worried it would snap if i bent it. It does function properly, but the ends that are supposed to "lock" into the female receiver on the TV and the Receiver DID NOT FIT. They didn't snap in correctly on either end. i was able to wiggle them into a usable angle, but these things are pretty lousy.

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very impressed with quality/price. thin profile and good for locations where you don't need the protection of a thicker jacket for protection against abrasion or abuse.

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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

GE 24202 10-Feet A Plug to A Plug HDMI Cable, Black/White

GE 24202 10-Feet A Plug to A Plug HDMI Cable, Black/WhiteFabulous quality, unbeatable pricing. The whole family noticed the difference between the stock issue Time Warner Cable and the GE Pro Series 24202 HDMI Cable. Thanks

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Saturday, August 23, 2014

Panasonic DVD-RV31S DVD Player, Silver

Panasonic DVD-RV31S DVD Player, Silver
  • DVD/VCD/CD player with MP3, CD-R, and CD-RW playback
  • Optical digital-audio output for Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound
  • Features Panasonic Advanced Surround (VSS) system with Bass Plus, 1-touch cinema memory, and dialogue enhancer
  • Discrete subwoofer output routes home theater sound to your subwoofer
  • Also includes S-video output, component-video outputs, multibrand remote control, and front-panel shuttle dial

Panasonic DVD-RV30 (older model w/o MP3 capability) was rated excellent for picture quality in the Consumer Report magazine.I found that is true also for this RV31 (silver) model. Unlike my older JVC dvd player, this player allows me to set different black level (light and darker); it allows users to set contrast, brightness, sharpness, color, and tint--features used to be only available in more expensive players. The picture quality, of course, is outstanding. I could notice more details in the black/dark areas when I set the brightness a little higher than factory preset. Among the 3 dvd players I've owned, I find this RV31 to have the best (user-friendly) on-screen menu. This player, however, lacks a screen saver to prevent phospher burn-in. In addition, it lacks a coaxial digital output. It comes with optical output, and of course also regular (a/v) rca outputs. It has component video output as well. The remote control is fine. I didn't think the keys are too small; however,it is not a universal remote. MP3 player, honestly, works flawlessly. I expected that it wasn't going to work based on other reviews. To my surprise, the player was able to read and play all my tracks on every MP3 cd-r and CD-RWs I have. It could be that I have saved all my music files in bit rate of 128 or higher. It does say in the manual that if the bit rate is 96 or lower, it may have problem reading the files. All in all, I was very happy to have purchased this player. I have played DVDs, MP3s and my Hong Kong VCDs without running into any problems. I also like the silver finish (you can purchase in black, as well.)

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I bought this DVD player 3 months ago and I could never be happier with it. Since then I have bought 3 more of these players for friends and relatives. I bought the Black or Silver they are exactly identical in functionality. I prefer the Silver look myself.

The MP3 player was a big plus! It plays my MP3 disks with ease. The only problem is that it only displays the numbers of my MP3 files when playing it. So you may have to memorize your MP3 via numbers. It will play the files in the order the MP3 files are written. Just make sure you make a list of the songs cause there is no way to memorize over a hundred songs in a disk.

Unlike the Toshiba DVD with the MP3 playing capability, the Panasonic DVD/CD/VCD/MP3 COULD Fast Forward/Rewind while playing the MP3 files. Im glad I did not buy the Toshiba, pretty much all the Toshiba players I tried in the electronics store could not fast forward/rewind MP3 file/song. This is bothersome especially if you need to scan through your MP3 songs.

Playback was excellent. I haven't got any bad pixelations where the picture was not completely processed which leaves bigger squares of the image all over the place. I did get a couple pauses/delay/discontinuity while playing the DVD on some disks. The discontinuity usually happens while it switches to the next track. It only happens rarely in the frequency of once in 10 movies I play. It may just be the disk itself causing it, especially if it has scratches.

As far a CD playing is concerned, it has pretty much what a normal CD player has. Search, Fast Forward, Rewind, Random, Scan and more... Just read up on the specifications to find out the rest.

VCD Playback is excellent as well. The image was nice and clear. Of course it will never match up with the DVD's picture quality.

The component outputs and digital audio output is a plus for future expansions. Most new higher end televisions and receivers have component inputs now. And most receivers that support DTS/Dolby digital 5.1 will have digital audio inputs. Though this particular player does not support progressive scan, the picture quality is up to par. Panasonic makes a model that supports progressive scan but it is slightly more expensive. It will look very similar to this one except it will say progressive scan on the front disk tray.

This player also implements special function for surround sound. It will simulate a surround sound through your television even though you don't have any of the complex receivers/audio equipment. Of course it will not match up with having your own surround receiver, but it is good enough if you don't have one.

This player has proven itself to be very reliable to me. Its ease of use and functionality makes it my top pick especially for its price range. At Amazons current pricing on this player (Black or Silver), you cannot find a better name brand in its class!

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DVD-RV31S DVD Player, Silver Here

I have spent a very long time searching for the right dvd player and I came across the Panasonic RV31. It is great! Together with the ability to play mp3s and its incredible ease of use, this product is definitely worth the money. The silver color looks fantastic and its superior video and audio qualities makes this dvd player a must buy for all who are looking for something inexpensive.

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I will start out by saying that I loved this DVD player. It did everything I wanted it to do and di it very well. No complaints on the actual performance. My 1 star is because I have owned two of them already and they have both given "H02" errors which, from my understanding, means they need a new laser which is about $90. They both failed after the warranty period. It starts at digitized boxes happening during DVD play (have cleaning products for the player and the DVDs) and soon progresses into ruined machine. So now my second failed with the same error and I can't bring myself to get it fixed or get another for fear of a threepeat.

I just purchased this dvd player by panasonic recently and I am so pleased with it's level of quality. For $... you are getting features, picture quality, and an extra jack for a subwoofer that players 3 times as much do not have. I have read some reveiws that say the mp3 player lacks in quality. Well, I have played the highest quality bitrate (200+) to the lowest I could find (64) and the panasonic handles them all perfectly. This dvd player was the perfect compliment to my expanding home theater. Definitely buy this one. Panasonics quality is excellent!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Crosley CR6249A-BK Keepsake Portable USB Turntable (Black)

Crosley CR6249A-BK Keepsake Portable USB Turntable
  • USB enabled for connection to Windows equipped PC and Mac
  • Software suite for ripping and editing audio content
  • Three speed belt driven turntable mechanism
  • RCA outputs with headphone jack
  • Dynamic full range stereo speakers

My teen daughter wanted a simple player for Vinyl. I bought this, as it also comes with a USB CONNECTOR and Audacity software to load the vinyl records into a laptop as mp3. Also, this new unit has line out for speakers and also headphone connectors. Beach Audio sent it immediately.

The sound is very decent. The volume is also very very good for a portable unit. But the unit (unpacked according to directions) was initially showing definite signs of warped speed (significant slowdown at one point in each revolution). Also, the turntable was tilted to one side.

We checked under the turntable. There are four (1 inch) springs that 'float' the turntable off the platform. Each of these were stuffed with foam bits presumably to stabilize and protect them during shipping. So we removed the foam with tweezers (easy to do). But even then the problem was still there. Then we noticed one of the springs was considerably more compressed than the others. We simply removed that spring (again, easy to do). We stretched it out a bit, put it back in, and the turntable finally looked flat, and the speed issues were resolved.

So, if you have an issue like this, I suggest looking at the springs before you send it back. Once this issue was resolved it has been a great new (old) way to experience music. My teen loves it.

Crosley you need to sort this issue out. This is a fine casual player. But it is marred by poor design of the simplest elements ... springs and the packaging to protect them. If (Crosley) don't want a lot of returns, they need to do something new to ensure all 4 springs arrive according to spec. In the meantime, the issue is easily fixed, if you know where to look.

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I originally bought this at an Urban Outfitters because i wanted it in one of the colors that was exclusive to their store. I was hesitant about buying this record player simply because it did not have the outputs to connect to better speakers should i chose to do so. I finally found out that this new model came with them and it was quickly the selling point for me. I had always loved the way this thing looked and was happy that crosley had upgraded the outputs for it. The first unit i got played 45s a little too quickly. This was almost not noticeable up until when a singer would reach a high note or a guitar solo would come up in the music, the sound would just sound very high pitched and squeaky. This probably had something to do with the screw at the top right that you are supposed to screw in before you begin playing would NOT screw all the way in... Decided to take it back and exchange it for a new unit and the second one was much better. The screw at the top right went in nice and clean and my 45s stopped sounding squeaky. I was enjoying it for a couple days once i realized that the design of this record player was simply not going to work for me. The sound that comes out of this thing is pretty decent. Good enough to fill a small bedroom. The sound QUALITY on the other hand, thats a different story. If your an audiophile, you're gonna hate this. If you just want to listen to your records, this will be good enough for you. I also tried record with the USB and i thought it worked great..but i'll come back to this a little later. The one thing i will say right now is that Audacity software is extremely complicated and overwhelming the first time you use it. I thought it was a special software that came for this player, btu it turns out that it is a free software ANYONE can download online from their website. Once you get the hang of the basics, recording is easy. But it takes a lot of research and digging through their website for manuals, instructions, and settings because none of that comes with the cd.

As much as i LOVED the way it looked, it was just too bulky and couldnt find anywhere to put it comfortable in my tiny room. I started realizing that a lot of the construction looked really cheap and the needle and tone arm were probably cheap as well. This was my first record player, so im new to all this, but even I could tell that this was pretty cheap. I realized that this record player is nice and cute, but definitely not worth $160, so i returned it. I quickly found the Audio-Technica AT-LP60-USB on amazon for $95! Clearly a MUCH better player than this one for half the cost. Sure, you need to get speakers for it, but at least you dont need to get an expensive preamp or something! You can hook it up to simple computer speakers or any sort of powered speakers for now and save up for nicer speakers a little further down the road. I have mine connected to Klipsch Pro-Media 2.1 and it sounds fantastic. The record player is also smaller and much easier to find a spot for if you're living quarters are small like mine. Another thing to note is what i have mentioned about the USB before. I was acutally very impressed when i recorded my first 45 using the crossly player. I decided to record the exact same 45 using the Audio Technica to see if there was a difference and boy was a blown away. I couldnt beleive the difference in sound. The crosley recording came out a little louder, but it had A LOT of extra white noise. The Audio Technica recording was a MUCH cleaner sounding recording. You could still hear the subtle crackling from the vinyl, but not the kind of noise that gets in the way of the music like the crosley recording had. The Audio Technica seemed to record a little lower in volume though, but this can be fixed in the editing process easily.

If all you want this player for is to listen to the vinyl youve got with a sort of vintage sound/feel to it, then this one is cool for you. Also, if you dont care about paying for overpriced items and have enough money to throw away on things you find cute, this record player is good for you. However, if you are like me, a person who wanted to start getting into vinyl and have the option to record those LPs onto mp3, then you should probably look towards the Audio Technica as your first record player. Also, If you are like me and wanted to get the BEST CHEAPEST record player set up, the Audio Technica is the player for you. It sounds much nicer, it looks good, and its cheaper. Dont let the price tag fool you, it is MUCH better built than the crossly. I also feel that it protect your records even more since the record plate is about the size of a 12" record, unlike the crosley plate that is about 7", which leaves your records hanging off the edge. The AT player also has a dustcover, and is also fully automatic. This is great if you are someone who doesnt have steady hands. It moves the needle and drops it in the correct spot every time all on its own. The dustcover might sound like its not big deal, but my records were collecting A LOT of dust when i played them on the crossly, which would then get picked up by the needle. The stylus would be filthy by the end of the record!

I also want to note that if you are an audiophile or have been into record players for a long time, then neither of these two option would be for you. Go straight to the Audio Technica LP 120 (which starts to get expensive.) These two record players are not upgradeable. You cant change the cartridge or the needles or anything. These two are strictly beginner record players or players for a person who just wants an inexpensive, extra player somewhere in the house.

All in all,

Crosley-good, fun beginning record player

Audio TechnicaBEST beginning record player

Read Best Reviews of Crosley CR6249A-BK Keepsake Portable USB Turntable (Black) Here

I absolutely love this record player. I have a vintage record console that I have spent hundreds of dollars to fix over the years and all I wanted to do was listen to my records again! It's a heavy/stout little suitcase so it needs it's own table/space, but it's still small and sturdy enough to travel with. Easy to find replacement needles and parts. Built in speakers and AUX port to hook up to surround sound if you wish. Decent sound quality on it's own unless you like to blast your jams.

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I ordered this for my son as a birthday gift. He was delighted and he's searching out records all over the place now. A good quality sound and links into other devices. All in all, a good buy.

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My son chose this because many of his vinyl albums are not digital.He is transferring as we speak!He said the sound was great.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Best CeeNee MiniPlus Full HD 1080p Karaoke/Network Media Player. (VOB,MOV,MKV,MPEG,AVI,XVID Video;W

Best CeeNee MiniPlus Full HD 1080p Karaoke/Network Media Player. Made in USA
  • Supports VOB, MP3-XML, and MP3-CD+G Karaoke
  • High Definition USB/Network Media Player
  • Supports USB WiFi + 3G
  • Play HD movies, music, photos, web browser, karaoke
  • Karaoke: Queue songs, search, enable/disable vocal channel, custom playlists. create and print karaoke book

This is just too good product for karaoke.

Its small, decent, easy to carry and fun to have products. It is way better than other karaoke players in the market. Just loved my purchase!!!

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Since the CeeNee Inc's head quarter is very close to where I live, I bought the product directly from it. I still have to pay the same price as it is sold at Amazon. I have had it for couple months but I did not try all of its features yet. Here are what I found about the device:

In general it is pretty good. However, I did run into some difficulties that I believe they are defected in either hardware and/or software of the device:

I cannot change the zip code for the weather

I cannot keep wifi connected as default. Every time I power up, I have to connect to wifi again. I think if it is too much to keep user's preferences then the default should be "wifi enabled"

In karaoke mode (and probably in other modes as well) Fast forward and backward seems to work but I cannot resume play.

After getting into karaoke mode, the device brings up a form where I can enter a song name to search. However, there are two issues here. first, the search is very slow with the search form comparing to the search without the form. Second, the song names in the menu are displayed on top of the song index. While this does not hurt much but it degrades the image of the product as well as the company's reputation. Tip: after getting into karaoke mode, the first thing I do is push the menu button to remove the form.

Only youtube application works. The other applications do not work at all. If they do not work, why they are there. At the minimum, there should be a message saying that the app is underdevelopment so that people like me do not have to spend time try to figure out how to make it to work.

In youtube application, after playing a selection, the application continues to the next one at its own choice. I think it should stop and let the user to decide what would be the next one.

In Karaoke mode, the repeat function can only repeat one song, not a group of songs and there is no saved favorite songs or playlists that can survive power down.

We had bad time once, when a friend of mine accidentally disconnected the power cord to the device while it is playing in karaoke mode. After that, the device seemed to work normally but all songs with high index became invisible to CeeNee Plus. We tried to power off and restarted it several times but it did not help. Our karaoke party was scaled down because of that. The next day, I connected the hard disk to a computer and found that there were one folder and one file generated by CeeNee Plus. I deleted them and connected the hard disk to the device again and found that it was back to normal. Now it can see all songs in the hard disk. This recovery should be documented in the user manual. Or it is better to have the device knows automatically that the created files are damaged and they should be destroyed and regenerated automatically. I know many people who sing very often but their knowledge about computers is very limited and they cannot figure out how to recover from an accident like this.

I cannot figure out how to bring a song which is in line to be the next one to play. For example, if I have 4 songs pending, A, B, C and D in that order. Normally, song A will be played next. Can I boost C to the front and play it first without deleting A and B? I cannot find a way to do this.

Since the device is very small and light, the cables connected to it may not allow it to rest firmly on the surface. I wish there is a way to tie it up nicely to the hard drive.

If you use a video-audio cable (likes the one provided) to connect CeeNee Plus to your audio system (since you already get the video with HDMI cable), you will find out that the right channel is dead. After many hours suffering, we accidentally found that the color code is not correctly used on the cable. We have to use the yellow plug which is normally for video, for the right channel audio.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Philips 2GB Digital Recorder with clearvoice

Philips 2GB Digital Recorder with clearvoiceThis is a good little recorder. Nice small compact size fits in a slim eyeglass case (since it didn't come with a case). But the instructions are really, really poor. I looked everywhere online to see if I could figure out how to use it and was almost ready to return it when I happened on the file that held the MP3 files. I've been recording a teacher and love that this is USB connectible to my laptop. I want to be able to save the files and load them onto my ipod. You pretty much have to just start hitting buttons to figure out how to use it. I've stumbled around enough to get it to do what I need, but if you need step by step instructions, then this would probably frustrate you. The voice quality is good, the only drawback is the complete lack of instructions. C'mon Philips step up and put together something! I'm sure there are features that I would like to use if I knew about them or how to find them.

This product exceeded my expectations. Great clear recordings of lectures from far away and excellent sound quality. It is easy to use, aesthetically pleasing (the picture doesn't do it justice... it's so sleek!) and very useful in helping hear those little professor mumblings that always show up on the exam.

Love it and recommend it to anyone!

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I'm very pleased with my recorder, for the price is an awesome product full of features found on more expensive recorders. Very easy to use the controls are very intuitive; if you need more help there is a PDF file with the instructions. I just love the USB connectivity, you can transfer the files to computer so easy, and they are recorded in MP3 format. It doesn't come with a case, but is not a big deal; I just use a glasses case I bought at a 99 cents store.

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Seems like a good product so far. Intuitive operation should be easy to use for most without consulting directions. Used as a personal memo/idea capture device while biking/hiking etc. USB connector is very short, might not be convenient for some set ups but could easily be replace by off-the-shelf connector (perhaps discarded/older cell phone USB). It has a lanyard attachment point which I was counting on based on the picture but was not mentioned in the description. Works as expected. Play back speaker is just adequate. Access the mp3 files easily on Win7 PC computer. Playback audio quality of mp3 on other devices seems very good to me. Can't comment on durability/longevity but seems rugged enough for general use.

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Too small. Totally lousy sound. clumsey to use.Philips 2GB Digital Recorder with clearvoice sound is muddled and almost non existant. DO NOT buy this product.

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Friday, May 30, 2014

NightOwl 8 Channel DVR Security System w/500GB HDD

NightOwl 8 Channel DVR Security System w/500GB HDDCameras: a lot of cheap fixed cameras are better than a couple of pan/zoom cameras, you want fewer perimeter blind spots and cameras in each other's field of view to capture tampering. 8 was about right for a house and garage, 4 might work for a condo. These are full of compromises, a license plate is difficult to read when the car fills the frame, and the LEDs cause a halo glare at night. But HD cameras would have cost twice as much. Blooming trips the motion detection algorithm. I didn't like black so I painted them to reduce overt big-brother feel.

Wires: Others say "cheap wires," I think that really means cheap connectors; I had a camera "die" less than 24 hours after installation, turned out to be the spring-loaded BNC connection.

DVR: Latest hack, from January 29 this year, no firmware update to address it. http://securityadvancement.com/2013/01/dvr-flaw-swann/ . Instructions poke too many holes, I opened fewer ports and changed the numbers from the instructions. Controlling it from a browser requires an unsigned activeX plug-in and defeating a lot of security settings on your computer, Windows wouldn't even let me over-ride to install the plug-in-ironic for a security product to be so indifferent to security. Installed NetViewer instead; NetViewer can't paste password from KeyPass manager so logging in is tedious.

I also wish there were two sensitivity thresholds and schedules, one for recording, and then a tighter screen for email/alarm; if it would even put the camera number in the subject line, I could use an email subject filter to pick the cameras I'm most interested in, but the other cameras would be available for forensics. Anyway, I set all the sensitivities to the lowest setting and had ten emails overnight.

Android App: Functional and helped a bunch for aligning the cameras. Annoyances: doesn't exit when you push the power button; I had to make two profiles one if I'm on the LAN and other if I'm outside on internet; and there's a pop-up to prevent you from leaving the app.

But when I can buy a package this cheap that does most of the good for so little of the cost, it's hard to justify spending more to protect a residence.

Nokia 6300 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, Media Player, Stereo Bluetooth, and MicroSD Slot--U.S.

Nokia 6300 Unlocked Phone with 2 MP Camera, Media Player, Stereo Bluetooth, and MicroSD Slot--U.S. Version with Warrantygreat nokia phone. I travel frequently, and this GSM works in asia, europe perfectly. I don't need a PDA, just a small solid phone with a good battery life. This one fits the bill.

I threw my high tech touch screen against the wall entirely to finicky and 'touchy'!

THIS PHONE IS BASIC, RELIABLE, EASY TO USE! Bogus graphics of a dog but that is irrelevant when it comes to function and reliability.

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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Norcent DVD Player with Hi-Def output

Norcent DVD Player with Hi-Def output
  • Compatibility: DVD,CD,MP3,CD-R,CD-RW,DVD-R,DVD-RW,Kodak Picture CD.Zooming, Browse, Special playback, Hi-Def output for HDTV.

Just a plain DVD player. Playes traditional DVD-R discs. Does not play DVD+Rs and DVD RWs. It played my home made DVD burnt in a DVD-R. It plays my Netflix DVDs well. Picture and sound quality is not more than just okay. It is region free so you can play other region DVDs here. I have a DVD full of MP3s and it does not detect half of them. No support for Divx, Xvid, WMV etc. Supports MPEG-1(VCD DAT files) and MPEG-2(DVD VOB files) only. Takes around a minute to detect a DVD when you insert it.

Bottom line is: spend $10-15 bucks more and get a decent DVD player , specially if you play your home movies. If you are not very serious about quality and if you just play the movies rented from DVD libraries then you may consider buying it.

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I don't know what is wrong with the other reviewers units, but MINE works perfectly. (some people MIGHT just need to clean their DVD's once in a while, ya know!?!) I've given it a workout with every DVD and CD I can find....Mainstream manufacturers, home-recorded cd's, and even "dollar" type cheapo DVD movies. ALL WORKED PERFECTLY. Easy to setup, easy to operate, and the remote is great. Larger buttons than many DVD players I've seen and had. Cheapest electronic purchase I've ever had (...) and works BETTER than many expensive ones I've dealt with. A+ all around.

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This DVD player will play some DVD's but not others. It is very frustraiting to bring home a new dvd and it blinks blue the whole time you use it. I would not recommend anyone buy this.

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I should've known better. This player didn't even last 6 weeks. Kept on getting a "bad disk" error. Luckily, WalMart allows returns for up to 90 days. Don't waste your money.

It's compact, but works as good as many other brands, plus it's compatible with HDTV. Great buy!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Samsung HMX-E10 1080P Pocket Camcorder with 270-Degree Swivel Lens (Ivory)

Samsung HMX-E10 1080P Pocket Camcorder with 270-Degree Swivel LensI was contemplating between HD camcorders, iPod Touch 4th Gen, Digital Cameras with video recording and this and am happy I chose the Samsung HMX-E10 to complement my Canon Digital Rebel XTi and SX210 digital cameras for great 1080p image stabilized video with easy to use UI and good design on the USB and mini-HDMI-ports.

Video quality is great but not flawless as there's a tiny lag on videos with fast full frame movement but it's not as bad as with the Flip cams. The touch screen is great but isn't sensitive enough for my quick button presses this is really evident on using the start/stop button for the video which require around 800ms button press.

The screen doesn't seem to scratch easy I've had it in my pocket with keys and coins for days now and can't see a single scratch. The swivel lens is a good idea but doesn't get used that often probably ideal for blogging type videos.

Overall very happy with the results. Have been using this to capture every move of our baby and share the videos via Picasaweb to grandparents overseas. The included intelli-studio sync software doesn't support Picasa out of the box but can be customized and has support for Flickr, facebook and Youtube uploads.

Very happy with the product hopefully Samsung will refine the touch screen software for faster response. Very competitive and aggressively priced pocket camcorder.

I've tried several pocket HD camcorders over the past year or so: Creative Vado (3rd Gen), Kodak Zi8 and the Panasonic TA-1. I recently got my hands on the Samsung HMX E-10, however, and I think I've found a keeper. I'll just get right to the point and break down what I think about it:

__________________

The Good:

** Solid low-light performance: I'm no video expert, so I can't give you a bunch of jargon. All I can say is that, with my other pocket cameras, I could barely make out some of the stuff that I recorded at night. With this one, however, everything's pretty clear. Ironically, the TA-1 has an actual light on it, but in my opinion, the E-10 blew it out of the water in a side-by-side test I did. That said, don't sleep on this little guy.

** It's gorgeous: I typically don't care much about looks, but this camera is pretty sexy (even better in person). It looks more like the latest smartphone than a video camera. I think kids especially will love the design of this camera.

** Fairly noise-free audio: Not an audio expert either when it comes to these things, but I haven't heard anything funky yet (unlike my Vado). Indoors, it sounds good. Outdoors, it picked up quite a bit of wind noise during my test; but it was a pretty windy day, so I won't be too harsh.

** Good image stabilization: This was huge for me. My Zi8 makes me look like I have a nervous condition. The E-10 is pretty stable though. It's not perfect, but this is a camera that I'd feel fairly confident shooting with while I'm walking.

** Swivel lens: This really won me over. I was "meh" about it when I purchased the camera, but you can do some pretty neat stuff with it. More than anything, I like that I can swivel it around and shoot video of myself while still looking at the screen.

__________________

The Bad:

** Awful Zoom: The zoom feature on this camera is nothing short of pathetic, by any standard. It's only 1x, and to make matters worse, it's slow and jumpy. This definitely isn't the camera you'd want to zoom on-the-fly with (not that you'd be able to see much extra anyway, given the crappy 1x capability).

** No Mic Jack: This is the feature I miss most from my Zi8. Obviously, it wasn't a deal-breaker, but flexibility is always nice

** No port for an AC adapter: I wish I could plug the camera into the wall while I'm recording on a tripod, but no luck w/ this camera. Also, if you want to charge your battery, be prepared to have your camera dangling from the side of your PC. If you're like me, you might want to invest in a female-to-male USB cable and a USB wall adapter.

** Touch Screen: Call me old-fashioned, but I like buttons. I realize that this is probably an attractive feature to a lot of people, though. That said, you'll be happy to know that it works pretty well. It's not as responsive as, say, an iPhone, but it'll definitely get the job done. Also, since there are no buttons, you can play back your videos and pictures on the nice big screen, so I guess that's a plus.

** Uses MicroSD cards: I just don't like em. Also, Amazon is suggesting full-sized SD cards to go with this camera as I write this. Don't buy one!!

** Doesn't come with an HDMI cable: If you wanna hook your camera up directly to the TV, get ready to spend more money.

** No Webcam feature: Unless I'm missing something, forget about using this camera with Skype and whatnot.

(Most of this stuff, I'd consider minor drawbacks though)

__________________

Extras that I don't really care about, but don't mind having:

** Stills: Take up to 8MP photos. It won't exactly outwork my digital camera, but I'll definitely get some use out of it. You can also snap pics in the middle of a video.

** Panorama mode: This feature is awesome. Just hold down the shutter, turn your body and you can get some beautiful wide stills.

Overall: a pretty solid device. I'd recommend it. This is easily my new favorite pocket camera.

Buy Samsung HMX-E10 1080P Pocket Camcorder with 270-Degree Swivel Lens (Ivory) Now

This little video cam is great. Best thing about it IT WORKS GREAT ON OUR MAC! We don't quite understand some of the negative reviews out there can't imagine what some people expect?? The advertising and features seem to skip over MAC compatible, but it works just fine on MAC. Now you don't get the "PC" software features, but don't need them. We use an iMac G5 with 1.8 Ghz PowerPC running Leopard 10.5.8 . The E10 Camcorder plugs right into a USB on back of our Mac. Turn the camcorder power on. A desktop icon (Folder) appears with a user manual to easily download, and folders containing your videos and snapshots also appear. The Mac automatically pulls up iPhoto and importing snapshots is simple. You can close iPhoto if you're only working with videos.

You can select a video and it opens Quicktime to play it but the quality isn't perfect. HOWEVER, you can open iMovie and import the videos, it does take about 4 to 5 minutes for each minute of video to import into iMovie, but that's not a big deal because when you view your videos on iMovie they are PERFECT! IMovie can splice, edit, cut, your videos, etc. Also, once on iMovie you can email a video. Additionally, there's no problem uploading a video to YouTube, either directly from the CamCorder folder, or you can copy videos from the Camcorder folder to your desktop. (We created a new folder to copy videos into) then upload them to YouTube, or import to iMovie.

The quality of videos and snapshots are nice. We have no problem taking good videos and snapshots in moderately low light either. This is a VERY SIMPLE camcorder to operate! We almost bought the "FLIP" because my sister's works great and is Mac compatible but she has concerns about easily damaging the lens which is unprotected and we read several FLIP reviews where people accidentally broke and/or scratched the lens (which is not a replacable item). The Samsung's rotating lens also works to protect the lens by rotating to the up position then you can carry the camera in your pocket full of keys, coins or whatever, and not worry about scratching the lens. We definately would recommend this camcorder to our friends.

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Product seems easy to use, uploading files to computer is a snap with USB, also charging. Screen when shooting is small, no opportunity to zoom. Get a large SD card to have memory to shoot longer. The HD resolution is great and you can't beat the price. So slim, easily fits in your pocket. Everyone thinks it's a cellphone.

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I wanted to get a pocket camcorder and I've read many many reviews. There are a lot of these small devices out there, all in the $80-$150 price range. Each one has its own pluses and minuses. So, finally, I decided to buy the HMX-E10.

After testing it I can tell you guys the pros and the cons.

Not good:

1. In low light conditions(i.e. night) it drops frames, although this might be caused by the low-speed micro SD that I'm currently using. I'll update this review after I buy a class 10 micro SD(ASAP).

2. It only came with a software CD and a wrist strap. Nothing more.

Could be better:

1. Picture quality. They're not great; however, they're better than what I get from my Milestone 5mpx camera so that's fine.

2. The mic isn't placed very convenient, as you might put your finger over it when holding it. But I got used to it.

3. The menu is kinda slow, but it's not such a big deal since you won't be playing with the options so often.

4. Auto-focus. When you point at something far away and then you want to film something close, like 1-2 meters away, it takes 2-3s to focus. But when it does it's superb.

Good:

1. Video quality. Even though it only records at 25FPS, if you use it outside, during the day, it's fantastic. Very sharp and it does not drop any frames. If you have a shaky hand you might miss an image stabilizer, but honestly it's not that bad.

2. Sound quality. If you get used to the issue I explained above, the sound is good. I still have to test it more thoroughly, but I don't think I will change my mind.

3. You can shoot photos while filming.

4. Excellent for vlogs because of the rotating lens. Great feature, love it.

I don't think you can get anything better in the money. The video and audio quality is very good, and that's what you want from this type of camera.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Belkin TuneStudio Portable Digital Multitrack Recorder

Belkin TuneStudio Portable Digital Multitrack Recorder
  • uneStudio is an audio mixer that allows direct recording onto an iPod
  • Four channels can be mixed simultaneously
  • Records uncompressed WAV files directly to the iPod at 16-bit, 44khz
  • Each channel has controls for 3-band EQ and pan and level
  • Compact and rugged design makes it easy to transport

I was in the market for a cheap recording device that would let me record some conversations between two people, keeping each person's voice contained to a separate track. I also wanted something that would let me use XLR mics and would provide phantom power. I went to several stores and looked at several field recorders (from Sony, Tascam, Edriol & MAudio) and some desktop digital multi-track recorders (Tascam, Fostex & Boss).

However, I then came across this little mixer/recorder from Belkin, costing several hundred dollars less than the other devices I had been looking at. I already had an iPod that will work with the Belkin recorder, so I figured I would give it a try.

I was immediately very impressed with the quality and design of the device. As it happened, I was running late to my first recording session, so I didn't have time to work with the Belkin before I had to use it for real. Fortunately, the Belkin was extremely simple to use. The controls are intuitive, and the mixing board is well-designed and easy to read. (I should mention that several of the other recorders that I looked at were extremely difficult to use, with lots of menus and settings that didn't make sense.)

I then downloaded my recordings and started working with the audio. The audio is recorded as uncompressed WAV files at 1411Kb/s. The sound quality was excellent. There was no hum/hiss from the board, the control knobs did not create any noise when adjusted, and the on-board compressor did its job (there is an adjustable compressor that will keep the audio within the limits of iPod's recording capabilities).

Although I think I will still get a field recorder for true portability, the Belkin works wonderfully as a desktop mixer/recorder.

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Got this to do recordings without having to interface with computer. Does a good job of getting what you're singing/playing to digital audio. Easy to sync with itunes and then edit on your computer. So you still need a computer to edit your audio. Unavoidable unless you can hit record button, not make any extraneous noises and start playing, singing immediately. Also the file is saved on your ipod as wav file so it would need a computer anyway to be converted to mp3 which takes up much less space than a wav file. Also it is not a multitrack recorder. The 4 inputs are mixed together into one stereo track. The unit does require external power supply which comes in the package.

Didn't find out til I bought this that the recording button featured as being an ease-of-use feature of this unit doesn't work with the ipod classic. It's not a deal breaker but why don't they get it working or at least mention that it only works with 5th generation units? If you are releasing a product to record on ipods, you'd think it be fully working on current generation units.

Update found that when using condenser mic with phantom power, I was getting some buzzing noise in one channel. I only used this 4-5 times, now I'm sending it back. I did like the mixer part of the unit and the compressor. It did make make good sounding recordings before the buzz started. And it was easy to get the recordings into the computer for editing as it was just syncing the ipod. I might purchase another in the future.

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I've been recording four-instrument live performances with my MacBook Pro and Logic Express for a couple of years, using an M-audio FastTrack Pro 4 and a Behringer 802 mixer. Great control, but it was a lot of stuff to set up and get cabled, and goofing with the trackpad and on-screen controls was always a little tedious. And then exporting tracks to get iPod or CD rips was an extra post-production task.

The Belkin TuneStudio changes all that. A single box I can take to the gig, patch into the house audio or our own mics, and record everything without messing with a Powerbook perched precariously on a music stand putting out a ton of ghostly screen backlight. The TuneStudio is way more convenient, and although the recording quality drops from 24-bit 96 KHz to 16-bit 48 KHz, that's plenty good enough for cutting CDs or iPod listening. (In fact, I can't tell the difference, which makes me wonder if the M-Audio was really giving me 24-bit).

The build-quality is pretty nice for a box this cheap -a step up from the fit and finish of the Behringer and way cleaner audio than I was getting from the Behringer/M-audio combo. Pots are smooth but with minor fuzzing during motion -common in low-end mixers. The compressor is just plain wonderful -it's great at preventing distortion yet affects overall ambience very little. Separate headphone and monitor volumes are super convenient too for live work.

I haven't tried this hooked to a Mac yet, but I don't intend to use it that way normally. It's just refreshing to pull this one box out of a gig bag, plug in the inputs, and hit Record at the start of each set. Capacity will never be an issue -the 30GB 5G iPod I'm using holds 400 hours. Post gig I sync the thing with my Mac and it slurps the tracks into iTunes, where I can easily slice, dice, and burn to disk -or push to a web site or whatever. Way more convenient than Logic.

A few minor glitches: the "standby/recording" lights are three glaring white LEDs that I had to cover with black electrical tape (through which they shine with no problem but at least they're not so overpowering in subdued stage lighting). A couple of the knobs' center detents are off a notch. And as others have reported, the TuneStudio records only two tracks, despite having four inputs -even when connecting to a Mac via USB.

For studio work I'll still use Logic, but my Macbook and its cable snarling interface entourage stays home from now on!

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I purchased the Belkin TuneStudio after doing a LOT of research. This was the most affordable option to podcast from home. I work in broadcasting and the engineers helped me set up a telephone hybrid converter, so I could record telephone interviews for clients.

The system works great. It is very easy and intuitive especially for folks who have never worked with a standard board.

However, I have a buzzing noise in the back of every recording. It isn't terrible, but not great, either. I don't get that in the studio. I am working to see if I can get it to go away, but after testing with some engineers, we discovered that it does that with all telephones, all microphones, etc. We changed the mic cable from a plug to an XLR and that made a LOT of difference.

This little unit also does not have your overall channel on/off switch, so if you need to turn off your mic while someone is speaking, you have to manually turn the knob. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. If you have to change your levels and forget to see the last level, you might not get it back in the same place. Also, the button is easier to push if you get a coughing spell. The knobs are close enough together that you could hit another one and jerk the levels when you turn it down.

I have had no issues working with the iPod Classic. Overall, it is a good unit for the price. It can definitely get you started. Would like to know if anyone else has the buzzing issue when recording.

Tunestudio works great, but realize it's limitations. The recordings are made with the voice note app in the ipod and are mixed down to stereo. Additionally the usb interface mixes all inputs to stereo. For recording jam sessions or live performance ( for very long periods ) it is terrific. It's easy to use, simple to set up and the mixer provides the functions you would expect from a device in this price range. Good product.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Zmodo 8 Channel Security CCTV Surveillance DVR System With 1TB Hard Drive Pre-installed - Real Time

Zmodo 8 Channel Security CCTV Surveillance DVR System With 1TB Hard Drive Pre-installed - Real Time 3G MobileGranted, this DVR comes with a sizable learning curve attached. Since i'm heavy into computers and the like, this wasn't terribly hard to get the hang of, but I can imagine someone like my mom or dad who just wants a minor surveillance system installed in their homes. This DVR is great, but can baffle a novice. IF you still want to try it out, be ready to do a bit of trial and error. Even I had to deal with some trial and error. And for the money, it was worth it.

It is very easy to install and works good. It is not very user friendly when it comes to reviewing video or live feed on your smartphone.

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I READ ALL THE REVIEWS AND DECIDED ON THIS ONE. MY I.T. PERSON HAPPENED TO BE IN THE BUILDING WHEN IT CAME SO HE HAD IT UP AND RUNNING IN 10 MINUTES. HE WAS IMPRESSED FOR THE PRICE.

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We are very happy with value of this product. The recorder is as advertised in product description. Would purchase this product again.

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I bought two of these DVR, they work perfectly and the installation is very simple. I used to have my cameras working in my PC (with a hard disk dedicated) and this was very unstable, now with this DVR I solved the problem. If you do not need a professional and very expensive equipment, this is a very good option for home and small business.

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Saturday, March 22, 2014

DVD Duplicator with Built-In Sony Burner (1 to 5)

DVD Duplicator with Built-In Sony BurnerThis unit works perfect and was simple to set up. It has saved me alot of time on making DVD's and CD's. I would highly recommend this unit.

Unit does its job.

The add was misleading.

Sony DID NOT build this product.

The way the description is written it appears to be as Sony product.

Printed material with the unit says Sony parts were used.

Your headline is misleading.

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Had a 1000 disc burning job that had to be done in 5 days so we decided to order this 5 disc cd burner. I am glad we did! It made the job so much easier and faster. The time to burn was cut from 15 days to 3 days. Although we did have to baby sit the machine during the burn process to load the machine and push the start button, but hey it cut my time by 2/3rds. I am happy with my purchase and will most definitely deal with this seller again. Any questions I had on this product were answered promptly, I was very pleased with the customer service from Produplicator!

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I ordered Sony but the company sent me LG also every time third burner is not working properly ejects while other well is cpoying. only one time used and kept as it is. Planning to buy Sony from other company. Those who want to buy from this seller please be aware when you order the product.

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I make copies of the videocam recorded church services for the shut-ins at church. Making one copy at a time was taking over 4.5 hours -that process now takes less than 30 min.

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Saturday, February 22, 2014

Digital Recording Microphone

Digital Recording MicrophoneAfter much research as to what would work with my Kodak zi-8 and then attempting to find it in a B & M store I resorted to online search. Bingo! I found it and at a terrific price. The dealer had in my hands even faster than his estimate. The movable arm broke right after I got it so it is locked into position.The mic has excellent sound quality if you are filming and speaking directly into the camera. It falls seriously short when mounted on a tripod and filming. The voice is distant and has a strange sound. I continue to look. I need something to do my video interviews for my real estate business but found this is not the product. I am now looking for something that will produce decent sound as I interview someone from about six feet away. However, if you can get this product at a decent price I would suggest your purchase it understanding its limitations.

This mini microphone attaches to my voice recorder and is a perfect fit. The quality of the sound is so much better than I expected and when I transfer file to my PC, it is also of excellent quality. I'm using this recorder for acappella singing.

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I bought this mic to improve the sound quality on my small high def camera. It was recommended in all the reviews as a perfect accessory for the camera. Well, guess what, it produces such a hiss (whether in an isolated indoor environment or outside, whether as a clip-mic or a bit further away) that I'm better off with no mic at all. I've tried it in many different configurations thinking that it must be the way I've been using it...but in the end this is simply a waste of money.

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I tried this on multiple devices (even those listed on Sony web site) and in every case the audio was worse. Especially with the Kodak zi8.

This device does not work. Do not waste your money.

If a additional add-on microphone is not powered it will not work.

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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Intocircuit® Power Castle Series PC26000 26000mAh Multi-Voltage 5V/12V/16V/19V Laptop Smartphone T

Intocircuit® Power Castle Series PC26000 26000mAh Multi-Voltage 5V/12V/16V/19V Laptop Smartphone Tablet Huge Capacity Power Bank Charger for HP, Dell, Toshiba, Acer, Samsung, Sony, Gateway latops; Google Nexus 7 Tablets; Digital Cameras, DV Recorders; 12V Western Digital Seagate FreeAgent Hard Drive; iPad mini, iPhone 5, iPad, iPod; Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300, Galaxy Note 2; HTC Sensation, One X V One X V S, EVO 4G, Thunderbolt; Nokia Lumia 920 900 N9; Motorola Razr Atrix Droid; LG OptimusIMHO this is a five 5 stars product.

I've been looking for a chic, huge capacity yet portable battery for a while. And Intocircuit Power Castle fits my taste. When I take it out from my computer bag, my clients would be amazed by its look. It fits my taste, actually it does fit my image. Its high-end beautiful appearance indicates good quality at first sight. More importantly, it's not pricy at all compared with those 20000mah ones.

With this power bank, now I don't have to look around for a power outlet in restaurants. I like its huge capacity—26000mAh.This one charges my HP CQ60 in about 1.5 hours (mine is a 6 cell). It allows me to comfortably talk with my clients for several hours with the laptop on.

I like that it has all-in-one compatibility, able to charge my laptop, my phone and my Ipad, so that I don't have to carry too many chargers for different devices. It's really a clever design, by just adjusting the voltage for different the electronics I want to charge.

It's said that this Intocircuit power bank is used with Li-Polymer battery cell. Its safety and reliability is one of the reasons I chose to buy it. No wonder it recharges so efficiently and doesn't lose its mAh overnight. I bought some other brand of power bank before. Totally a different experience. So I think it's important to look what kind of battery cell a power bank uses before you buy one.

It can be recharged by DC power, totally convenient. I should give it one more star.

I've introduced this power bank to a lot of friends and clients. I think if I were their agent, I could make a lot of money out of it, LOL... It improves my life. Thanks for bringing in such a quality product.



This is an excellent charger/power supply that can deliver external power to charge or operate a wide variety of devices.

Pros:

-Arrives excellently packaged in a two-layer carton. The charger itself is in the top layer. The bottom layer has three compartments holding the AC adapter, the USB charging connecting connectors and the DC charging connectors.

-Charging connectors by the score...literally. This charger includes 20 charging connectors. 11 are various 5V form factors for power output from from the USB port. 9 more are connectors for taking power from the user-switchable 12V/16V/19V DC output port.

-LONG battery life. I'm sure other reviewers have the technical skills to address the loading and performance in technical terms. While I don't possess that kung fu, I tested this in the real world by using it as the power source for a laptop. This device delivered over six hours of usable power to a laptop as I used it for normal office productivity tasks, web browsing and playing music through the speakers. Add that to the laptop's own battery life, and you're going to be juiced up for all but the longest flights.

-Looks good; brushed dark aluminum case.

Con:

-Marginally useful user manual. For example, it claims the LED lights will glow steady red when the charger has completed its own AC charging. They do not: they stay green.

Neutral:

-Weight. This weighs 1 pound, 9 ounces. So you'll be doing some risk/gain assessments before tossing this in a bag:-)

Overall, delivers what it's supposed to with great results.

Note: This item was provided at no cost for review purposes.

Buy Intocircuit® Power Castle Series PC26000 26000mAh Multi-Voltage 5V/12V/16V/19V Laptop Smartphone T Now

My work keeps me travelling extensively especially in airports and on airplanes. I always hated having to find an open outlet in the terminal somewhere and being tethered to that outlet while awaiting my next plane. Now I don't have to anymore because I take my recharging station with me. This sleek aluminum unit fits easily into my backpack or briefcase and allows me to easily recharge my iPhone 5, laptop or my iPad 3 while I am anywhere including in the air. The unit quality is excellent and it came with all of the cords and adaptors that I could possibly need including a carrying bag. You can easily charge your phone or iPad multiple times over before this external battery needs to be recharged. Overall it was an excellent purchase and has certainly given me the freedom that I need to stay connected while traveling.

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It claims to have a 26000mah battery in it, my laptop has a 3060mah battery. Strictly math that should be a bit more then 7 full laptop charges, accounting for Inefficiencies and room for error Id be happy with 2 full laptop charges, I however get 1 full charge with maybe 30min worth to spare there after.

However I am traveling abroad and I needed it and it otherwise works!

Ps, donot switch voltages (I was trying to use 16v instead of my laptops 19v on a full battery to just power not charge, anyway I bumped it & in the way it fell the voltage switch got bumped to 19v (my laptops normal) but the change in voltage freaked my ultrabook out requiring the main and cmos batteries to get pulled and reseated before it would work again)

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Myself and family, as well as our friends, spend a lot of time doing outdoor activities. Living in very northern Minnesota, someone is always heading out with family for a weekend at a cabin, out for a hunting trip with the guys, or packing for some other kind of fishing or camping trip elsewhere. Living way up here, we're already quite a ways out from the larger cities. So when people head out even further, there is no typically electricity to hook into. If the cabins have any kind of power at all, it's a fuel run generator for running heat or lights. There's no outlets to plug anything in to. Often times there may not even be a cabin where everyone is headed out to, and we are all just bringing small RV's or pull-behind travel trailer. The camps sites rarely have any kind of electrical hookups.

However we do all still have cell phones, GPS devices and tablets we would like to charge up while were there. While the small, more portable battery packs are nice, once the power has been depleted from them, we can't recharge them until we all get back home. That's where this huge battery pack turns into a lifesaver. Everyone can recharge all their devices over the entire weekend and there's still battery life left when we get home. It could easily charge up netbooks, large tablets and even small laptops. But what we really love this huge battery pack for being able to recharge over and over again, our cell phones, GPS devices and the electronics of everyone who's out on the trip with us. My daughter can charge her Kindle Fire, I can charge my iPad mini and iPhone, my husband can charge his old flip-phone (using the charging base that came with the phone that converts to a USB charging connection) and his handheld GPS device, and we still have power left to charge digital cameras, mini video recorders or anyone else's cell phones that need charging too. With this beast of a battery pack, no wall outlets is no problem.

I've also started keeping this pack charged all the time, in case of an emergency where the power goes out. In our small town, we've had incidences even recently where the power has been out for hours, and times in the past few years where (because of bad weather) we lost it for days. Even at work, there would be no power. By having this pack charged and always ready, we have a way to keep our phones charged (we don't even have land-line phones anymore) and we can take it with us to work and let our co-workers recharge their phones should they need to. All it takes is one bad storm to knock out the power, to make this battery pack worth having on hand. It's so large and holds so much power, you'll find there's a million uses for it.

It's large, about the size of a a 7 inch tablet, only thicker. It weights as much as a book, and the brushed metal casing is very sharp looking. While we use this when we're in the great-outdoors, it has got the looks for use in the office, on a business trip or anywhere else. It comes with a TON of different adapter tips and cables for charging just about every device you can think of. It also has a USB port so you can use your own chargers that have a USB connection on one end. The battery pack has a voltage switch, so you can switch between the voltages when charging up devices like laptops. This is needed so you're not overpowering or under-powering it, which can cause damage. It's so large, it even has it's own wall adapter for recharging it, that resembles ones that come with small notebook computers. It's one mighty power bank, and so far, it's handled everything I've thrown at it!

A sample unit was provided for reviewing purposes.

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Friday, February 14, 2014

VideoSecu High Sensitive Pre-amp Microphone Audio Pickup Device Tiny Spy Kit for Security Camera CC

VideoSecu High Sensitive Pre-amp Microphone Audio Pickup Device Tiny Spy Kit for Security Camera CCTV DVR Surveillance System Sound Voice Monitoring Recording with Power Supply and Free Warning Decal A91It is easy to use, high quality and very competitively priced. Easy to hook up, sturdy. It picks up voices clearly. I give this product a 5 star rating.

Does exactly what I needed it to. For the price it is perfect. I wouldn't use it to record a choir, but to pick up conersations in my showroom for the security cameras it is great!

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The mic didn't even work. It just fed back sound as if it was a speaker. Don't waste your time.

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Friday, February 7, 2014

Visual Land 1GB Personal Media MP4 PLAYER (Green)

Visual Land 1GB Personal Media MP4 PLAYER
  • 2.8" Color TFT Touch Screen
  • 2MP Digital Camera
  • MiniSD Card Slot
  • VIDEO/ MUSIC/ CAMERA/ FM RADIO
  • VOICE REC/ JPG PICTURE

Well the V-TOUCH is not what it may look like in the picture.This thing is about as big as a deck of cards,its not the same size as a ipod touch,it is not as thin niether.The camera has awful quality and you can not play games on this device.The pros however are the sound quality of mp3s,theres a feature where you can view the lyrics to a song while listening,thats pretty neat.The touch interface is decent and videos look good on this player.Do I recommend you purchase this? Yeah.why not.Im just alittle disappointed,I saw camera,I thought digital camera and music!!! But thats not the case.The camera's quality is absolutely awful.I promise you.It is the worst.There are no games on here at all!!! Thats all I have to say.

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I purchased this player online, having purchased a Visual Land branded product before.

The 4 Gigabyte SD card I bought for it (From Transcend) DID NOT WORK AND WAS NOT RECOGNIZED BY THE UNIT AT ALL!

I set this unit up and used it without consulting the manual at all. The manual is better than the last Visual Land manual I saw, but it is not exactly "full of tech tips".

The average person should have no problem using and enjoying this player.

It differs from my previous purchase because the video formats employed do not seem to recognize AMV format videos. No problem, though this unit also plays 3GP format videos(cell phone) and AVI video files with no problem.

The large touch screen is a big plus on this player. You can easily use it without the stylus. The Camera is 2 Megapixel, so don't expect IMAX quality here!

Overall, I still somewhat trust Visual Land branded items and I am particularly pleased with this one.

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This is great and it is so easy to work there is absolutely no need for the manual and I'm only 14 and if I can do it then anyone can do it!!!! It is the BEST!!!!!!!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

XM XPMP3H1 Portable Satellite Radio and MP3 Player (XMp3i)

XM XPMP3H1 Portable Satellite Radio and MP3 Player
  • Pause and replay up to 30 minutes of XM programming
  • Record songs while you listen, or schedule recordings of your favorite shows
  • TuneSelect and GameSelect find your favorite artists or sports events on any XM channel
  • Upload and manage MP3/WMA files with the included XM2go Music Manager software
  • 2 GB on-board memory, expandable via the microSD card slot

Anybody who is reading these reviews for the purpose of buying this product should be aware that a portable satellite radio is not based on the same technology as a Walkman-type radio sold back in 1980s. Satellite radios work by line-of-sight, which requires an unobstructed path between the receiver and its signal source. When properly installed and used, the XMp3i works great for recording and listening to live XM/Sirius broadcasts. However, you must ensure the unit is receiving a strong signal to make it work. If you plan on using it mostly in an automobile (with a live signal), that means purchasing an additional car cradle/antenna. If you wish to use it mostly indoors, you'll need to install the included home dock/antenna properly.

I've had a good experience with the Xmp3i so far. In fact, I was able to listen to live XM/Sirius radio while biking over the weekend with very little interruption. I also used the home dock to record some of my favorite shows for playback later. I believe it is the ability to record programming which is this unit's strong suit. You can record up to five channels at the same time, so getting vast amounts of music/talk on to the device in a timely fashion is easy; provided you have correctly installed the home dock. The playback is flawless and is much more convenient than listening live since you can skip songs, commercials, etc.

The interface seems a little sluggish at times and is not the most intuitive, but it works. Thanks to the microSD slot, you can load up your MP3 library and play your own tunes as well. I was impressed by the overall sound quality from both the satellite feeds and my MP3 files.

The Xmp3i is best-suited for users who will pre-record their music/shows to bring along in the car for playback. It also works well as a standalone device for plugging into your home stereo system. Do not buy this if you want to listen to live XM/Sirius broadcasts when you take the subway to work, or while you're hanging out in mom's basement waiting for some laundry to dry. Though it has a built-in antenna for live reception, the manufacturer clearly intended that to be used in outdoor-only situations.

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This is a great little radio. Reception is great. I love the recording of XM stations feature. BUT, as of this writing, the enclosed software DOES NOT work win WIN 7. So if you have WIN 7, you will not be able to copy mp3 recordings on this unit. Why they (XM) have not fixed this is beyond me. I called XM about this, and they are useless. Cutomer Service immediatly claims no responsibility whatsoever. They tell me to call Microsoft! Unbelievable. WIN 7 has been out for almost a year now. Come on guys!

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My XpressRC screen went out, and I needed a replacement. While I tried every way under the sun to find a current radio not made my Audiovox, I couldnt, so decided to try this one, since I dont own an MP3 player, I figured it would be a nice backup when I wanted to listen to something different.

First, this is a satellite receiver. Anyone that expects a satellite receiver to work 100% like an FM radio, doesnt understand the concept. While more forgiving than DirecTv or Dish, you really need to be able to see one of the two satellite locations for uninterrupted reception. Im not going to fault the radio because it blanks out inside a house. It needs an outside (or south window) mounted antenna (included) unless you happen to live where there is a terrestrial repeater (I do).

The radio needed two firmware updates when received. They took about 15 minutes. Added several features and fixed several bugs.

XM audio quality on the included ear buds is good. Much better than I expected.

Sound quality through the powerconnect FM transmitter in my work truck is much better than the previous clip on your FM antenna device. No issues at all in driving around out in the country out of repeater range. Usual dropouts going through tunnels, or under gas station awnings I had with the XpressRC.

The MP3 section is great. Audio quality is excellent. Needs a MicroSD card to store more than 7-10 albums at 256K rate.

Havent tried the song or station recording feature yet. 30 Minute buffer works fine.

Easy to navigate. Now if the screen doesnt burn out like my XpressRC did, Ill be very happy with this receiver. I do plan to try to buy an extended warranty for it though.

It claims 4 hours for XM live, and 16 hours for MP3's. Ive been playing MP3s for 6 hours and the battery indicator hasnt moved yet.

The documentation claims you shouldn't have the radio in an environment over 95 degrees as it will limit the lifetime of the battery. Its 5 degrees warmer than that here in the shade, so I figure 120+ in the truck when its parked.

Might need to keep a spare battery in the fridge :)

If the product holds up to daily use, Ill be a happy camper.

EDIT TO ADD: 02/08/2012 Have had the radio running almost 2 years now. Works perfectly. The powerconnect to the vehicle electrical system gives interference free reception. Recording works great, and Ive built up quite a library, as well as put all my mp3s on a SD card. No issues with the radio at all after almost 2 years. Pops out to bring home on weekends, and plugs into the home cradle with an outdoor mounted antenna, although Ive stopped doing that and just use their internet service at home now. Good radio. Highly recommend.

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I just purchased this product and was pleasantly surprised by its features, small size, and sound quality. It activated quickly and worked very well with good reception hand-held outside as well as indoors with the accessory antenna (included) in a window. Unfortunately, it is now fairly useless because I made the mistake of upgrading the firmware from v1.29x to v1.31x. This upgrade inactivates the control wheel of the device which means you can't use it -you can't selected items like channels, categories, set-up option, etc. The warrantee says the product should not be returned to the retailer from whom you purchased it (Amazon) -but should contact XM radio. XM radio technical support said they can't help, I should contact Audiovox. Audiovox said to leave an email on their website. I'm waiting for a response. Searching the web, others have had this same problem. I'll wait and see if any fix comes along soon, otherwise I'll return to Amazon. Glad I bought it here. I'll update this when and if I get more info.

Update: Spoke with XM again today. Even though the packaging that came with the unit has an insert that says in capital letters: If you experience problems DO NOT RETURN THIS PRODUCT TO YOUR RETAILER but instead call XM Radio. The XM technician says they now have a solution -"Please return your unit to Amazon, buy another unit, and don't upgrade the firmware." Clearly that will work, but I think I'll wait until I hear back from Audiovox.

Final update: Audiovox's response was:"We don't provide customer or technical support for our XM radios; you must go through XM." So, I used Amazon's wonderful replacement service and was sent a new radio by overnight FedEx with Saturday delivery, printed out the return slip and sent the old one back. The new radio works just as well as the original but with a working control wheel. I love it. Downsides: every time I open XM2GO software to manage books and MP3s on the unit, it tells me my firmware is out of date -but I'm sure not going to update the firmware again. This unit is currently running firmware version 1.29x. If a firmware version appears that is higher than 1.31x, I might consider trying it, although I'd do so with some trepidation. I'm going to change my rating to four stars if Amazon will let me.

Final, final update: Thanks to a comment received to this review (feel free to read), I have now upgraded my new unit to firmware version 1.31x and after following the commenter's advice to remove the battery and wait a while -it works and works just great. Hope this helps others.

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Works great as long as you are standing in the middle of an open field and holding the radio over your head. If you live in a big city, XM does appear have the Clear Channel Repeater System backing up their satellite signal. I am guess that is where the good reviews are coming from. I live in a rural area. Took it to the ball park (no trees) for a morning jog. I could only get a signal while jogging in certain directions. It does work OK at the house hooked to the home dock with the external antenna but that is not why I bought a portable radio.I am boxing it up now to return.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Sony MDW80PL 80 Minute MiniDisc MD Premium Gold (Single)

Sony MDW80PL 80 Minute MiniDisc MD Premium GoldI hate to see the MiniDisc format become obsolete. It's a very stable, reliable method for recording and archiving. I'm very disappointed with the new flaky digital recorders. I've had too much trouble with them and still use my MiniDisc for a backup.

Great delivery-I know these'r dinosaurs, but I've stored A LOT of music on them, and the sound quality still rival DATs', MP3s now rule, but my mini-disc is still a nice backup.

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It is ashame that a perfect replacement for the casstes tape is not being manufactured. MP3s are hollow sounding compared to the minidisc. MP3s also require a computer. Tascam still makes a player. It is excellent. I don't trust sony anymore for dropping the product.

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Because none of the brick and mortar stores are selling these. Sadder even that most of the sales representatives don't even know what minidisc are. Works as advertised and plays on my Sony MD MZ-N707.

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Saturday, October 19, 2013

Philips DSR7000 Combination TiVo/DIRECTV Satellite Receiver

Philips DSR7000 Combination TiVo/DIRECTV Satellite ReceiverThis is my first TiVo and first DirecTV. This thing is amazing. It's truly a whole new way to watch television. It's very easy to use and the quality is great. There are just a few things I wish they would add or change.

The dual tuners lets you do some incredible things. For example, say you're watching channel A live, then switch to channel B. You watch that for a few minutes, then decide you might have missed something on channel A. You can pause channel B, switch back to A, and rewind it to catch what you missed! Insane...

The integration is pretty smooth between the TiVo and DirecTV interfaces, although in combining the two, they stripped out some features from each. My biggest gripe is that the program guide is the regular TiVo one. The program guide on standalone DirecTV units is much faster and slicker. You also don't get the DirecTV feature that lets you browse channels by logo.

Also, even though this is a Series 2 TiVo, the USB ports seem to be disabled. Unlike other series 2 TiVos, you can't connect it to broadband you're stuck with the phone line. And The Home Media option doesn't seem to be available. Hopefully a software update will enable these features.

Finally, it would be nice if it had component video output, but that's not a big deal for me.

It does have optical audio out and s-video out, so you still get pretty darn good quality. And of course, you don't lose any quality when recoprding like a standalone TiVo which is by far the best feature of this thing.

I've had 6 Tivos but up until now, they have all been freestanding (TiVo1 and TiVo2) units. I switched to satellite about a year ago and was thrilled to find that DirecTV was offering Tivos.....Until I brought mine home. What they DON'T tell you is that DirecTV TiVo is designed and built for DirecTV only. It DOES NOT record cable or over the air broadcasts, it DOES NOT support networking (a fantastic feature for getting your schedule via Internet and sharing shows between multiple TiVos in a household) and, because it doesn't support networking, it also doesn't support the Home Media Option (which allows you to stream audio and images from your PC to your TiVo). It also doesn't support web based scheduling requests or the soon to be released TiVo-to-Go. These are all features that are central to the TiVo culture and I'm amazed that DirecTV has crippled their version of the TiVo service. I'd happily pay out the few bucks a month to add a DirecTV unit to my TiVo subscription, but DirecTV doesn't allow for it.

The long and short of it is that this is not a fully enabled TiVo and there isn't much you can do about it. If you just want a PVR with a nice interface, this is probably it. But if you want TiVO, as in ALL of TiVo, then skip these direcTV units, buy a regular TiVo and hook it up to you current satellite receiver. Not only can you record over-the-air or cable this way, but you get every one of the TiVo functions that the folks at TiVo have thoughtfully built into thier units.

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I replaced my old Sony Directv received for this tivo/directv unit....

Reading the various articles on Tivo receivers, I understood that a combined tivo/directv receiver would cause no loss of image quality (a regular tivo unit would first convert the digital satallite signal into an analog signal)... so I expected both live and recorded pictures to be of the same quality that I was used to with my Sony receiver....

Well, the live picture quality is definitely less than what my old Sony directv receiver produced, which it is quite disappointing; one of the nice things of satellite tv are the crisp imagines (if you have a good tv set).

The recorded picture quality is similar to the live picture quality (so at least no further loss of quality is introduced during recording).

I am using the exact same cables (S-video) as with my old unit, so that can't be the issue.

Also I don't get the Dolby theater sound signal any longer, my Sony sat receiver delivered dolby flawless (yup, I did enable the Dolby setting on the Philips receiver using the onscreen setup). The system does pickup a broadcast is in dolby, but the audio output is simply not the 5 channel dolby surround (my audio receiver at least doesn't recognize as dolby any longer, whereas it did with my old Sony sat receiver).

The tivo stuff all works fine and is very user-friendly, but if you care about image quality or your dolby sound, you should think twice before you buy this unit !

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The concept of integrating DirecTV twin tuners with digital recording capabilities is brilliant, and the user friendliness of these machines is quite good considering the sophisticated technology. But I've only been able to experience it for about six hours before the units fail. Hard drives malfunction, tuners go out; I'm waiting for my third unit. My father has had three bad Philips DSR 7000 before giving up & buying a Hughes unit that has functioned for some time now. The warranty is terrible; 90 days and you have to pay the shipping. Philips should not have put their name on these machines, which all appear identical (RCA, Hughes, Philips) from the same joynt mfr. in Mexico. Mine came from the Philips Employee Store & I'm loyal, but this is pathetic.

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this box is awesome, but why is it $599 here. does it have somethign that the $99 one i just bought doesn't.