Factory Re-manufactured DISH Player-DVR 625 - DVR / Satellite TV receiver - Dish Network - 100 hour

Here's some info from someone who had this for 13 months.

This DVR has two modes. In Single Mode, the same video is shown on both TVs at the same time. Use this if you only watch one of the sets at a time, or if you don't have a TV2 plugged in, or if the person watching TV2 just wants to watch whatever the other person has on. You can use Picture-in-Picture in this mode, and do whatever you want as far as using the tuners to record.

In Dual Mode, each TV can operate independently, and each TV has only one tuner at its disposal. When you schedule a recording, you can choose which tuner records it (so you'd select either the TV where you'll be watching it live, or, the TV where you *won't* be watching something else live). In this mode you can also watch two separate recorded shows on the two TVs, or two separate live channels, or a combination one recorded show and one live channel.

There are three different ways of scheduling recurring recordings: Dish Pass, regular scheduling, and Manual. The most important thing to know is there's a limit on how many scheduled recordings you can have (300 if i remember correctly) so keep tabs on that when you read this. Dish Pass searches titles and descriptions for what you specify, and records it whenever it sees a match on any channel. Regular scheduling works a bit differently, and is probably more appropriate for most needs. Regular scheduling can record a particular Title, either on any channel, or one specific channel:

All Episodes Records anytime that show comes on

New Episodes Records only episodes that aren't reruns

Weekly, Mon-Fri, Daily etc. records during whatever timeslot you say ONLY IF THAT SHOW IS ON.

This last one is best for most shows that come on multiple times a day, for example, if you only want the show recorded in one particular timeslot instead of all of them (e.g. I only want my Seinfeld reruns recorded at 5pm, not at 10 or 12:30).

And Manual Recording You can set a schedule (either one-time or recurring weekly, or daily, or mon-fri etc...) and that way it will record WHATEVER is on during that time period, instead of recording only if one particular show is on.

*****

VERY IMPORTANT

*****

If you record shows that come on all the time, it's very important that you don't use "All Episodes" for those! For example, It will find about 50-60 episodes of Seinfeld within the upcoming 14 days or so and this takes up 50-60 slots in your 300 limit that I mentioned above! You will find yourself being told you have too many recordings scheduled or something, and won't be able to add very many recordings. Instead, record a show like that once or twice a day (use two separate timers if necessary, there's no limit that I know of on number of timers), then you will have like 10-15 coming up. Much better.

The good things about this DVR:

* Never fails to record shows. I never missed a scheduled recording the whole year (though I did once lose all my recordings when I had a hard drive crash--Dish replaced my DVR in about 5 days or so).

* Robust options and settings. Dig deep into the menus and get things set up just the way you like it.

* Priorities lets you decide what shows are can't miss (one-time recordings, first-run programs) versus shows you don't care about but record just in case you need something to watch (e.g. syndicated shows etc).

* Very responsive and fast

* Monthly $5.99 DVR fee--lower than TiVo ($13) or what Comcast charges ($10) for their junky thing.

* 30-second-skip-forward button--that you DON'T have to hack to enable like certain other (*cough* Comcast!) DVRs. Nice.

* 2-TV support on one box as described above means you have access to the same library of recordings from both TVs. Sweet.

* Big 100-hour capacity.

* Smart enough not to record an episode you already have of a show.

* Lets you "Edit" in batch mode--so you can select 20 shows and delete, or protect, them all at once.

* Lets you rename shows. Especially great for Manual Recordings.

The things I wished were better:

* No way to get your recordings off there, except in real-time using a VCR or set-top DVD recorder.

* Sound cuts out for about 0.5 seconds when you unpause. You end up just always having to hit "skip back" (that's 5 seconds back) when after you unpause. Still pretty annoying. This was with both the original and my replacement, so I know it's not just a defect.

* 300 upcoming scheduled programs limit before I figured out just what the limit was (the error leads you to believe you are trying to make too many TIMERS when it's absolutely NOT that. It's how many PROGRAMS are set to be recorded in the upcoming couple weeks that's limited). Once I figured this out I was able to work around it (and optimize my drive space usage in the process) by reducing my use of "All Episodes" and "Dish Pass" so I'm not recording so many throwaway programs.

That's all I can think of for now. For what it's worth, when I moved I was forced to switch to cable, and bought the LG LRM-519 (which I'll review here eventually)... It doesn't have any of the bad things about this one, but it lacks a LOT of the good things about this one. It's a trade-off! If I ever find the perfect DVR I'll let you know.

I believe in stable rates, good selection, low cost, and no compromises on features. The Dish network covers me on this, and the DVR unit I have from them only cements my goodwill with them.

I have tried the Cablevision DVR, for about two weeks, and I've used a friend's DirecTV unit as well. I don't claim to be well-versed in all DVRs and I know they are all different in user interface, if not basic function. Dish's 622/625 unit is superior to these three systems' DVR offerings in function and UI.

The 625 can accept two lines for Picture-in-Picture, or if you have to dishes already, you can split one signal and run the split signal into the back. This is a nice feature for people who want to minimize cable runs in the house.

The PiP function is remarkable: it will do aspect-preserved scaled side-by-side, as well as two inset sizes that can be moved to nine preset locations (think Brady Bunch). The DVR records both signals, as part of the "pause live TV" functionality. Basically it keeps two two-hour buffers rolling, which is nice because, well, let's say you're watching the game and your wife wants to watch HGTV, because she's a woman who likes to tweak your home. Instead of switching channels, swap the PiP focus to HGTV and pause your game. During a commercial, you can swap back to the game, unpause, and stay with the action. Nice, smart.

The recording timers can be set to early-start and/or late-stop, so if you think something will run late or start early, or if your programming drifts (local stations especially), this will help catch opening sequences and surprise endings.

One of the best features is the menu. The unit, and almost all new Dish units, are continually upgraded to provide better features. Searching can be done by description keyword (exact or somewhat wildcarded) or title keyword (exact or somewhat wildcarded); results are quick and thorough. The timers can be set with priorities to bump less-important shows for more-important ones; while it won't find the next airing automatically, you can see the skipped events and restore one to keep filling up your DVR.

The list goes on and on, but the best feature of all is the skip forward. It will skip 30 seconds forward, or back 10. So, with some practice, you can blip-blip past just about every commercial in the program. The skipping function is much better than Cablevision's, and although I haven't tried DirecTV's, I can't imagine it being *better*. This, my friends, is how everyone should be watching "24", "Survivor", and "House": saved to disk, commercials skipped. Time-shifting at its absolute best.

In closing, look, I'll be the first to say I haven't seen all the DVR options available, but if my year-old daughter can accidentally program Univision Noticias, you know the interface is easy to access and use. Clear, powerful, and Dish has probably the best technical support of any service I've ever experienced, and that included cable, telephone, cell phone, electric and gas, water, and the State of New Jersey. Try it, buy it, love it.

-Fred

Buy Factory Re-manufactured DISH Player-DVR 625 - DVR / Satellite TV receiver - Dish Network - 100 hour Now

I bought this a month ago, I paid Dish tv to come out and install it and guess what? The receiver could not be used because it was still leased, plus they didn't ship all the parts to me, left out a remote control as well. I contacted them and they didn't respond to me. I am glad that Amazon was able to give me my money back.

Read Best Reviews of Factory Re-manufactured DISH Player-DVR 625 - DVR / Satellite TV receiver - Dish Network - 100 hour Here

Purchased a 625 DVR from satellite oasis DVR was defective still out $95 not to happy this was one of my first online purchases left a very bad tast in my mouth

Want Factory Re-manufactured DISH Player-DVR 625 - DVR / Satellite TV receiver - Dish Network - 100 hour Discount?

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. Feature loaded! The dual tuner works great. Now, I can be watching one show in the basment, while my wife watches another upstairs, both using all of the DVR functions from the same receiver. Plus, countless times I have recorded two shows at once while watching another on DVR --which used to be unheard of with Satellite TV.

Save 75% Off

Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player

• 7-inch-diagonal, 16:9 LCD screen plays widescreen and standard DVDs
• Rechargeable lithium battery pack with built-in recharger and AC/DC adapter
• Built-in Dolby Digital and DTS decoders with virtual surround sound mode
• Miniature full-function remote control with lithium battery included
• 2 built-in speakers and headphone jack with volume control

Took the kids on vacation. Great player to keep the kids occupied on a long flight. When I arrived I connected the DVD-LV75 to the TV where I was staying. With 25 movies in a CD case, it required practically no room at all. Great for the kids! (I only got one complaint on the plane from someone who didn't like the sound --with more than one viewer, we didn't use headphones) I waited for a 7" display DVD player and figured that while most other players were first generation, the Panasonic DVD-LV75 was the best bet as it is a second generation product and most of the bugs were worked out. I was right! I have had no problems. The battery lasts for at least two movies (4 hours).

Buy Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player Now

Wow is the key word here! The Panasonic DVD-LV75 is not only the smallest portable DVD player on the market but probably has the most feature offerings as well! I get 3-4 hours play back on a single battery charge, the screen is crystal sharp, sound is awesome, and plays musical CD's as well.

After looking at several other brands ie: Sharp, Aiwa, this unit beats them hands down. The one thing the Panasonic DVD-LV75 has over the others is size!

The only way to truly appreciate this player is to buy one!

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player Here

Overall, this is a great product. I won't list the reasons why this is a great product because I would be repeating what everyone else in here has done. However, I will list the two flaws of the LV75.

1) The picture quality. I have to admit I traded in the Panasonic L50 for the LV75 because of the larger screen, no doubt about that. While the LV75 has the bigger screen, it loses the sharpness of what the L50 had. There's a slight pixelation per frame when solid colors of objects are displayed (like a wall or the sky).

2) Dual sided DVDs cannont be played. When a DVD offer a widescreen version on one side and fullscreen version on the other, the LV75 will not recognize the format and will not play (movies like Dogma, Austin Powers, 8mm, etc.). This is my major gripe because I cannot play some movies on the LV75.

Want Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player Discount?

This is a great product. The picture is great both on the unit as well as on the TV. Highlights:

1). Unlike some reviewers here, I have had NO PROBLEMS playing double sided DVDs. People should verify their claims before they whine generally about something that may be a specific problem with their unit. 2). The unit is very small and doesn't seem to get nearly as hot as the L-50. 3). My only concern is that the manual warns against using a car power source (cigarette lighter) for powering the unit. I don't know if Panasonic will come out with a car adaptor kit or not, but until then, I'll just have to use the battery.

The Panasonic DVD-LV75 offers great features in a small footprint. I searched the Internet, and the Panasonic came out ahead in most professional, and anecdotal, reviews of these types of products. I've used it in the mini-van for the kids, on planes, and on vacation. The screen delivers crisp, clear visuals, and the video and audio outputs allow you to hook it up to a TV for viewing at home (or in a vacation rental in Maine).

The only problems I have had are: 1. My 2-year old son was able to rip the cursor button off the unit and chew on it. Luckily, the button was not destroyed, and I could re-attach it. 2. I get interrupted on airline flights while viewing because people are VERY impressed and want to know all about it.

GREAT PRODUCT, and I have recommended it to a friend who purchased and is enjoying it as much as I have.

Sanyo VPC-TH1 HD Compact Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 30x Optical Zoom (Silver)

I also bought this camera without doing much research. I was looking for a camcorder that was HD "quality", uses SDHC memory card and for a price around $300. The Sanyo met all the criteria so I purchased it from Amazon.

I also picked up a 16 gb Transcend memory card.

Let's go over the PROS first --

.

++ It is really easy to use. Just point and shoot. Just like using a digital camera, except it's a digital video camera.

++ Having the memory card is so much better than using mini-DV tapes. There is no longer a need to plug the camcorder into your computer fireport or USB port. After I am done shooting, I just pop out the memory card, put it in my memory card reader and copy it onto the hard driver. Doesn't get much better than that!

++ Transferring files are a lot faster than mini-DV tapes. Before, you had to play/record in real time. Due to fact that everything is digital, the transfer is quite fast!

++ Battery life is very good. You can get around 200 minutes of video time. I also like the fact that the battery indicator tells you the approximate MINUTES left. I hate it when they just show a battery symbol and start deducting "spaces/icons" from the battery. I need to know the numerical time value, which this camera provides

++ YouTube uploads are amazingly easy. Just click on the file you want to use, and upload. Make sure you watch in HQ quality on YouTUbe

++ Size is perfect. It's a lot smaller than my mini-DV camcorder, but not too small where it feels like a toy.

++ Build/Construction. I bought the blue version and the blue looks very good. It feels solid in your hands and appear that it could take some abuse. It's not too light and not too heavy. It just feels good in your hands.

++ Quality overall, quality of the video is good for a $300 video camera. You cannot expect true HD quality from this. However, I do have a problem with the focus (see the CONS below)

.

OK here's the CONS

.

Focus ---the although the camera has face recogition, there is no way to "lock" onto one person. In other words, if there are 3 or 4 people in the same shot, the camera tends to jump around with the focus between the different faces and it gets annoying during playback. It seems like the camera keeps searching for the right focus. If there is a way to "lock" onto a face, please let me know so I can use that feature.

Indoor quality not good. There seems to be more noise than usual while shooting indoors. Of course, I should have turned on more lights indoors but I am still working on improving my indoor shots.

.

Would I buy this camera knowing what I know? Absolutely!! The price is right. If they could fix the focus issue, this camera would have met all my expectations

The specs for this camcorder are exciting; the images, sadly, are not really much better than standard definition images. If you want something to capture video for the web, and that allows you to do more tweaking than you can with simpler camcorders like the Flip Mino, then this would not be a bad choice. Just don't expect it to give you truly high quality images. Also, the onboard memory holds next to nothing, so when buying this camcorder you should factor in the price of at least an 8GB SDHC card to store the video you shoot. Overall, I think this would be a very good camcorder for beginners, since it is easier to work with flash memory than to mess around with tapes, and since practicing with the functions here will prepare one for using a more advanced camcorder when the time comes (and the budget allows). It does look good, and is fairly well designed. For many purposes this would be just the thing.

I shot some footage with this in its "SD" 30fps mode and its "HD" 30fps mode (which uses a lot more memory per minute of video), and played it all back on my 42" SANYO LCD HD television using an HDMI cable. What surprised me was that I could distinguish very little overall difference in quality. There was more contrast in the HD picture, which is important, but otherwise I couldn't tell a difference at least, I couldn't say for sure which video images I preferred. In a situation where my aim was just to capture what's going on, I'd be as happy with a Flip as with this (of course with the Flip there is next to no zooming, so it wouldn't work in every situation). But if the idea was to create a certain "look" or adapt to the needs of a unique situation (e.g. bright lights against darkness, very bright sun or snow, etc.) then it would be nice to have the flexibility of the controls on this one.

Some people think that what really matters in a camcorder is the resolution. 720 pixels or even 1080 pixels sounds a lot better than 480p this one can be set to shoot at 720p, which is, technically, "HD" but, as it turns out, that's just one factor in a much more complex equation. The quality and size of the lens, the quality of the processor, the size of the sensor, are all factors that contribute to the overall character of the picture you can get from a camcorder. What that means is that just because a camcorder is "HD" doesn't mean it will give you the best in quality.

I shot this video comparison you see here at a local nature park, using both the HD and the SD mode of the Sanyo TH1 and also shooting for comparison roughly the same images with my Flip Mino. It's hard to really see all the differences here on the small screen (especially given that I had to compress the video for playback on the web), but I find that even when I play it at best quality on my big screen TV it is hard to say which images I prefer. They all have a fair amount of grain to them, and none even come close to the quality of the images I can get on my Canon VIXIA HF10, but they all look okay and for some uses just fine. The critical point for me is that between the three, even though there were some detectable differences, I couldn't decide which I liked best. (You will note in this video the obvious difference in aspect ratios, since the HD footage is widescreen and is here letterboxed so it will fit in the same size screen as the SD footage; another feature is that in bright sunlight the Flip images are pretty washed out, but they are about equivalent in normal light conditions and even relatively low light conditions).

For the purposes of this test I had all the settings on automatic, and only changed the video capture setting from HD to SD between shots, but it's worth noting that unlike simpler camcorders the TH1 does give you some flexibility with the images, allowing for all the standard adjustments (white balance, exposure, etc.) and the usual settings (sports, snow, fireworks, etc.) and effects (transitions, sepia, b/w, etc.). It has an impressive 30x optical zoom though it's not wise to zoom that far unless you've got it on a tripod because at that focal distance the image stabilization can do nothing for the shakes.

This is advertised as a dual purpose camcorder, meaning it shoots both video and photos, but it is worth noting that the photos are very poor quality not even as good as you get with most cellphones these days (technically, they are shot on a 1.1 MP sensor and blown up to 2.0 MP photos, and while the number of pixels is not the most important thing it is not unimportant and that is pretty low). One other secondary purpose is served by the fact that you can set the camcorder to record only audio, which uses much less memory than shooting video and audio at the same time. So this could also serve as a "dictaphone" or recorder. For that purpose it does well enough and the onboard mike seems to be comparable to other camcorders in its price range. But apart from a possible use as a dictaphone, for all intents and purposes this is a camcorder that ostensibly shoots in HD but is probably best suited for video intended only to be screened on the web or personal computer or where the overall quality of the images is not of utmost importance.

Buy Sanyo VPC-TH1 HD Compact Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 30x Optical Zoom (Silver) Now

I bought this camcorder for a "cheap" way to enter the HD world of video capturing. I will wait to get a much better camcorder once I figure out how to get around editing AVCHD (and when I buy a new computer that can handle HD video editing with ease). My main use for this camcorder is capturing orchestral performances, editing it, and uploading the video to YouTube in HD quality. I also like taking video that requires no editing. In summary, this camcorder isn't the best in the world, but isn't the worst in the world.

Things you should be aware of before buying this camcorder:

1) The zoom button seems flimsy. It feels like it'll break any moment.

2) The image stabilizer is not that useful (especially from 15x-30x zoom if shooting with hands). However, the image stability is greatly improved with a tripod (the video is still shaky nonetheless).

3) Not that great in low lighting conditions.

4) In a complete silence environment, you can hear noise when you zoom in or out. Not only that, you can hear other noises made from the camcorder in the audio recording in general. There's no mic input to work around this flaw. But if the environment is NOT in complete silence (like an orchestra playing), you probably won't hear the extraneous noises coming from the camcorder.

Other Observations/Thoughts:

1) I use a Transcend 16GB SDHC that comes with a card reader, and it seems to work out.

2) All videos captured are saved as file type mp4.

3) It uses SDHC, which means it uses the FAT32 filing system, which means the biggest file you can create is 4GB. At the highest video setting, that would be about 1 hour of non-stop recording. I decided to test what would happen if I try to go over 4GB. So I left the camcorder on for about one hour and one minute. Then in the LCD screen, there's a countdown timer in red font indicating that it is running out of time to record. When it reached zero seconds, it auto-saves the recording, and then it starts a new recording. The file (in the SDHC) indicates that it is 3.99GB. However when I try to copy and paste this file to my computer, it won't let me. The file is now useless. So the moral of the story is, if you are using the highest video setting, don't go over 55 minutes of non-stop recording, and you'll be fine.

4) I don't really care about taking pictures on this, so I didn't test that.

5) Regarding the battery: [UPDATE: 4/14/2009] Out of the box the battery says it has 72 minutes left on it. So I started to recharge it. According to the manual, the LED will turn red if it's recharging and turn off if it's finished. Three hours pass and the LED is still red. I was wondering how can this thing charge for so long. So I unplugged it and checked the battery life. It says 207 minutes. I plugged it back in to recharge it again. The LED is off. In summary, it seems that the recharging indicator isn't reliable.

Video Editing/AVCHD section ------------------------------------------

Of course editing video in AVCHD is a different beast altogether. So my review rating is not affected by this.

My Computer Specs:

OS: Windows XP

CPU: AMD Athlon XP +1800

Memory: 2 x 512MB

Video Card: ATI Radeon 8500 LE 128MB

First, here is what I WANT done in the video editing process:

1) If the video doesn't need to be edited, I should be able to upload to YouTube in HD quality

2) If a video DOES need to be edited, there should be a way to "uncompress it" with a lossless technique (like huffYUV), or a way to edit the mp4 file directly with advanced editing techniques, compress it, and output to YouTube, DVD, or Blu-Ray.

Now I will tell you if steps 1) and 2) can be done based on my experience.

Step 1) can be done. Just upload the mp4 file to YouTube (it's in HD quality), and that's it.

Step 2) is rather interesting. Here's what I've done so far.

a) install lame mp3 and ffdshow codecs

b) install and load "pazera free mp4 to avi converter"

c) uncompress the mp4 file to HuffYUV lossless (this will be the intermediate file for editing). This may cause the frame rate to lag (but I'm using a slow computer). Also take note that HuffYUV will produce a big file (about 31 MB/s for me). We do step c) because VirtualDub can't load mp4 files.

d) install and load VirtualDub (or whatever video editor you use that can let you edit HuffYUV), and do your video editing.

e) compress video to ffdshow mpeg4 (fourcc = MP4V) 4000kbit/s: audio to lame mp3 128kbit/s

f) Done (the compressed file doesn't lag for me anymore).

I am still searching for software that can do advanced video editing for AVCHD (or an uncompressed format) since VirtualDub can only do simple editing.

Read Best Reviews of Sanyo VPC-TH1 HD Compact Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 30x Optical Zoom (Silver) Here

So I have reviewed quite a few cameras..everything from a Flip, a Vado, a Canon Vixia, and now this Sanyo. My review is more about setting your expectations to a level that will allow this camera a sweet spot in your home. I am probably one of the few that is rating this camera high and that is simply because I know what it is meant for and what it can/cannot do. So here we go:

Box Includes:

Camera

Lens Cap

Hand Strap

AC Adapter

USB Cable (Micro USB)

Composite Analog Video Cable

Documentation

Software for both PC/MAC (LESS SW for MAC then PC).

When you read this review and or evaluate the item description, it is very important to keep in mind that this camera is in the $250-275 range. It is not meant to be a high end High Definition camera.

The camera is about the size of a small paper back book and is very light and comfortable to hold. The battery slides inside of a hidden compartment at the bottom and can be charged by plugging the adapter into the rear end of the camera. Once charged I found that the battery lasted for about 2-3 hours of heavy torture testing. The camera starts up for the first time and a little voice tells you to set the date and time...I dont know about you but I love voice feedback. After initial setup the camera, when powered on, says "Starting, Internal Memory". This makes any gadget a bit more fun.

I love the fact that Sanyo has a 30x optical zoom on this little camcorder, but I am not a fan of the time it takes for the camera to focus in on a subject. It is SLOW at best. That being said, 30x optical is awesome and with the image stabilization features built in the SHAKE is reduced quite a bit, not entirely..but enough. The camera also takes 2mp still shots and has a little flash built in under the lens. It is a nice feature...but lets be honest here..2mp is lower then what newer cell phones provide these days and, to me, completely worthless. Video is captured on the built in 32gb of storage in 720p mode using the h264 codec. Still images are captured at 1600x1200 at 2mp. The images and video can be captured to the inbuilt storage and or you can add a SDHC card to the camera (size is up to you 8-32gb is accepted). The rear of the camera has a very simplistic layout. Two buttons towards the top to select still or video, a rec/play button in the center, a menu button to the right, and a joystick to the left that lets you navigate throughout the various options. The joystick is excellent and works well. On top of the camera you have a rocker panel for wide/telephoto...it is very sensitive and works well..it feels good to the finger.

I seldom use software that is provided by manufacturers as most computers today, pc or mac, have enough built in abilities to manipulate images and video. The OS X platform especially with iPhoto and iMovie works wonders.

I generally like to test camera gear on MAC's since most manufacturers tend to provide more software for Windows based pc's. The MAC is a very graphics oriented platform and thus I like to see if it will recognize and utilize a camera such as this one. Once you connect the micro usb cable to the computer and to the camera, it comes up with a menu of options. Screen Capture, PC Camera, Card Reader etc... With the Sanyo software on your computer you have many more options then without. When you do not use the software you are limited to the Card Reader mode which does allow for iPhoto and Windows based PC's to see this as an actual Camera that you can process images/video from. Works flawlessly.

Image Quality: As I mentioned above, I have used FLIP's HD, Creative' Vado HD, and now this camera. Why am I not mentioning my higher end Vixia...because that camera need not be compared to this particular model. The Flip and Vado are pretty much neck in neck when it comes to video quality and compact size; they work well and the image quality is as good as can be for their lens sizes. The Sanyo one ups them and gives you a better lens with 30x optical zoom which makes this the winner in the compact category. Low light quality is so so...it does need a bit of ambient light around during the dark...even with a little light there is some noise and grain can be seen..its not great but neither are the other two compacts mentioned above. Outdoor video's and indoor daytime videos are comparable if not better then the other two above. The optical zoom does allow for a great variation of shooting and is HIGHLY recommended...(30x optical at this price is truly amazing).

As my title suggests, if your expectations are correct then this camera will work for you. This is not intended to become your household camcorder...at least for me. It is intended, in my opinion, to be the camera that you carry around in place of a Flip or Vado so you have more storage and better optics. Since the camera is shaped like a traditional camcorder it is easier to shoot with and believe me, it still fits in your pocket and or pocket book..but does not have the weight of a brick. That being said, this camera's image quality is comparable to older dvi tape camcorders and it may be what you need for your memories.

I can provide a lot more detail about this camera, but feel it is un-necessary since the above should suffice. I am giving this a 4/5 only because of two negatives:

1. The 2mp still photo feature is worthless.

2. Again, another manufacturer that fails to give us a cheap mini hdmi to hdmi cable.

Other then that this camera will more then likely be a hit for its price category and is something I would recommend you take a look at if it is within your budget.

Want Sanyo VPC-TH1 HD Compact Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 30x Optical Zoom (Silver) Discount?

I needed a replacement for my seven-year old MiniDV camcorder and this one seemed a good deal. At the store it looked very impressive and the specs were decent. I've had the camcorder for about 10 days and have tried every possible setting and feature available. I believe I can review the camcorder properly now.

The pros:

+ Nice overall design, fits comfortably in the hand, the controls are well placed and easy to access. Every control can be accessed with one hand only.

+ The LCD display is bright and clear and the size is good.

+ The battery life is impressive.

+ The menu is well organized and easy to navigate.

The cons: Unfortunately, the camcorder performance is very weak where it really matters.

+ The auto-focus is probably the biggest problem. It takes a few seconds to focus on the subject and it just doesn't seem to be able to keep focused on anything for more than ten seconds or so. Even still objects would get out of focus quickly if you zoom in/out or shake the camera slightly. It would then take another few seconds to refocus again. I've tried every possible focus setting available, i.e., spot focus, 9-point focus and AF-lock. To add insult to the injury, the manual focus only seems to work prior to pressing the REC button. That means you have to focus on the subject prior to start shooting the video. You can't make adjustments once you start recording. The best solution I found is to let the auto-focus on and then press AF-lock once the camcorder finds the focus. Then you have to do it all over again if the subject moves or if you zoom in/out. Quite honestly, that's way too much work if all you want is to take some quick video shots.

+ Lots of noise even with adequate indoor light. You can somewhat control that by adjusting the ISO settings but it is still far inferior to my old MiniDV camcorder. Forget about relatively low light conditions, the videos are just awfully grainy.

+ I'm no expert but the color saturation doesn't seem right. For example, the reds and greens stand out too much in relation to the other colors. I tried the different setting provided for that but quite frankly I could not notice any difference between these settings.

+ The video motion is not smooth. It looks like a video shot on a cell phone at times. The specs claim 30fps, but it does not look like it at all. Even SD videos @60fps perform poorly as far the video motion is concerned.

I really wanted to like this camcorder and I assure you I've tried really hard to make its performance at least acceptable to me. But the final video quality is just plain bad. You might not notice how bad the videos are until you download them to your computer or watch them on a good size TV (42" or bigger). Every video lacks detail, focus, and it is grainy and full of noise. Just for comparison, I've also tried a Panasonic SDR-S26 and, despite being an SD camcorder, it performed well above the Sanyo VPC-TH1. Mind you, the SDR-S26 is not really regarded as a top performer in the SD world.

Needless to say that I returned the product to the store. Interestingly, the store offered a 50-dollar discount if I was willing to keep the camcorder. I can only guess that many of the other buyers are returning their purchases too. Personally, even a 100-dollar discount would not convince me to keep the camcorder as its poor performance makes it useless to me.

Canon PowerShot A2300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue)

We've had this camera now for a few weeks and have come to really like it. It is so thin and lightweight that it can easily be carried in a pocket, purse, or backpack. Compared to the size of today's smartphones, this is actually smaller than some.

The pictures are decent. I find some of the interior pictures are a bit grainy, even with the flash. The flash is plenty bright so no issues there. Switching to low light mode made all the difference. This quick change off the menu function made for clear crisp pictures.

Outdoor pictures are really outstanding. Super clear and crisp. Sometimes it has problems figuring out what to focus on. However, when a face appears, it is really pretty good at identifying it and focusing on it.

One of my favorite features is the rechargable lithium ion battery. I hate having to deal with batteries. However, it is a bit of an annoyance to get it charged as it requires the battery to be ejected from the camera and placed into a charger.

The final reason why this inexpensive camera does not get a five star rating is the long time it takes between pictures. Even on a fully charged battery, it takes on average 5 seconds for the camera to process each shot. If you are trying to take a bunch of group photos, this can seem like forever.

Overall I like this camera. It is relatively inexpensive and takes great snapshots.

The Canon A2300 is a great point and shoot camera for casual users. It's easy to use, and takes very clear pictures with wonderful color rendition. It has reasonable resolution (clarity) in zoom mode, and performs well for action shots at sporting events. The auto mode settings are fine for most photos. Low light zoom shots (such as stage shows in dark auditoriums)may not be completely acceptable, but that's a tough condition for any camera and should NOT be considered a serious flaw. The movie mode works well, with good clarity and color. Bottom line: for everyday shapshots (condidering the performance, features, and price) you'll be happy with the A2300. For more details you can download the user manual from the Canon website.

Buy Canon PowerShot A2300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue) Now

This is a pretty neat little camera.

This is not a power house this is a small camera to carry for quick shots of your kids or even something light to travel with when you larger camera is packed up in your luggage.

It has a few simple really useful functions, a modest zoom (though 5x out does some of the other cameras like this)the lens seems to be doing it's job. 16 mega pixels makes for a pretty clear photo.

There is small shutter lag but a good sd card seems to help that and it's on par with other digital cameras of this kind.

I really like this little camera and I look forward to using it.

So far...

Cute

Light

Compact

easy to use

decent photos

A+ for this sort of camera.

I will update at a later date after I use it a bit, maybe even post a sample photo or two.

Read Best Reviews of Canon PowerShot A2300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue) Here

I have owned several canon cameras, including SLR, DSLR, and several point-and-shoots, and this one is by far the most disappointing. Looking at the specs, I couldn't figure out why this camera was only a third of the price of other recently released Canon point-and-shoots, so I decided to try it out. I got it just in time for a trip to the Grand Canyon and Sedona, AZ... and now that I'm looking through my photos, I wish I would have just stuck with my DSLR. The colors are very dull on auto mode. We were at Red Rock National Park, and the rocks look brown in my photos, not red like they actually were... I tried the vivid color setting, hoping it would help... but that setting added TOO much color. It made a cactus look neon green and the red rocks look bright orange. And if you use the vivid color setting to take a photo of a person, they will look like tan mom. (i.e. orange)

Besides the colors being either very dull or unnaturally bright, the photos from this camera are just not very crisp. The sky is pixelated/noisy in almost every image, and the photos of us are just kind of flat and blurry looking. I wish I could blame this on a lack of knowledge about cameras, but I can't... I use a two thousand dollar DSLR in manual mode every day for my job.

For less than a hundred bucks, it isn't terrible... but I was just hoping it would be as good as my Canon Powershot SD1200IS, which only cost fifty dollars more (3 years ago) and took amazing photos.

It is a cute camera though (although the entire body is plastic)... so if you don't want to spend more than a hundred bucks, I think it's an okay deal.

Want Canon PowerShot A2300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Blue) Discount?

I was about to make a trip to China for five weeks and was worried about the camera I was already planning to take, a Nikon Coolpix, getting lost or stolen. So I went to the store to look at buying a back-up camera that wouldn't cost much just in case my Nikon failed me during the trip. This camera was on sale for only $99 and had a good rating on the store website, so I bought it on the spot thinking it would just be a nice replacement if needed.

However when I took it home and was playing with it, I was amazed at how much better this camera works than my Nikon. It is a lot better at adjusting to different settings automatically, and most pictures come out almost professional quality even without focusing and setting up the shot. It works really well in low light settings which I definitely can't say for the Nikon and which is something I was going to look for the next time I seriously went shopping for a new digital camera. Now that "next time" will be a long way off because I'm so satisfied with this one.

Like most cameras, this one will work best if you stop to choose the right setting and focus your picture properly, but in most environments even a quick point and shoot will deliver a good quality picture. I also love that I was able to get it in bright blue, and I've even dropped it on stone but it still works perfectly! Considering I only spent about 100 dollars on this camera, I'm extremely satisfied with it.

Save 7% Off

My Violin

• Over 160 lessons featuring basic techniques, rhythm tunes and popular songs
• Over 70 large-format full-motion videos guide kids through playing techniques
• Animated Fingerboard shows correct fingerings as the music plays
• Finger Tracker listens to kids play and shows whether fingers are placed correctly
• Creative interactive games make learning fun and exciting

I just got my copie of "My Violin" today in the mail. After playing with the program for about 3-4 hours, I have to say I LOVE! it. I am 31 years old, and I'm just now begining to learn the violin. I have had no priore contact with reading music or ever playing it before , which is why I picked this program. It was ment to be use for children 6 and up, and my only thought was, "Hey if a 6 year old can learn to play violin off this, then maybe I can as well." The program is truly simple to follow, easy to understand, mixes video and visual componates at EVERY step, and passivly teaches you how to read music and learn rythm. The instructor obviously loves teaching and is very friendly and easy to understand. It is a bit childish in its content, how ever it was designed for children! as an adult beginner i realy recomend this program not only for kids, but anyone who may have a hard time learning. The use of games to help remember the lessons and the use of video help was ingeniouse. This program gets a full set of 5 stars from me. *****

Buy My Violin Now

I bought the guitar version for my 6 year old son, and being the good mother that I am I got the violin version for myself to learn the violin that I received as a graduation gift for college. Cant have the boy doing "lessons" if Mom is ducking, right?

Well, I must say that I am impressed with this software. You do not need to have any background whatsoever in music, which I don't. My son is very enthusiastic, and I have practiced everyday since it arrived. My three year old daughter is now asking for a violin for her birthday.

The animated characters are not annoying at all, and the games are brief, but meaningful. The games are like pop quizes that give you a wake-up call to point out where your short-comings are so you can reveiw if neccessary.

Another feature about the software I like is that you don't need the disc to run it. My husband has gotten a guitar so that he can play with the boy, and we have the software installed on 3 different computers.

Honestly, if you don't play an instrument, but you have always wanted to, you will not be disappointed with this software.

Read Best Reviews of My Violin Here

Want My Violin Discount?

My daughter (5 1/2) is in love with this program. Though I sit with her for lessons, she's able to easily use the program and understands all of the functions with no confusion. The combination of videos, pictures, and sound clips make this very clear and the pace is good. We did over 2 hours our very first day! Every morning, she rushes out of her room wanting to do her violin lessons--we're now looking at purchasing the piano course as well---I just wish that they had more titles!

Save 23% Off

I decided to try my hand at teaching myself violin. I read a lot of internet posts that stated that the violin was very difficult and nearly impossible to teach to yourself. This software makes all those posts absolutely false. The lessons are really easy to follow, the ability to watch a video showing how to play the lesson, than you can see exactly what stings to use and what finger placement. I have moved through the lessons and really feel myself getting better. I would highly recommend this software to anyone wanting to learn the violin. Don't be fooled by the age posted on the box. I am 25 and find this program teaches me in progressive way. One thing I would recommend to go with this is the bow right devise. It helps keep my bow on course and in the right zone. Not having an instuctor to help me means I need all the help I can get keeping the right posture and control. Just my thoughts.

RCA Rp5032 128 Mb Voice Recorder With Usb

This is the first digital recorder I have ever owned, and I think it's the neatest thing since sliced white bread. This is just a wonderful little recorder.

I don't know what planet the other reviewers are from, or maybe they're hearing impaired from listening to earsplitting music volumes.The playback on this little recorder sounds great to me. I picked it up for much less than the listed price. It arrived and I took it right out of the package.

I treated it just like my digital watch, and if you think of it that way it's much easier to set up.

I have mine set to: no AVR, dictation mode, and HQ recording. I haven't tried it in a noisy environment yet. I write as a hobby, and I wanted something small, and portable. to carry around to record ideas when they strike, so that I don't have to scrabble for pen and paper. I also plan to use it to record reminders for appointments, events, and to send voice emails to friends and family.

Even on the HQ setting there is plenty of room for what I need to record. The HQ setting gives me 17.5 hours of recording time for heaven's sake. How much recording time do I really need when I can transfer my files to my computer and burn them to a CD or DVD? Anyway you can get much more recording time on the lower quality recording modes. I haven't used those though, so I can't say what the playback sound quality is like.

The speaker is on the front of the unit, and the microphone is at the top. It has connections available for an external mike, and headphones. I haven't used those yet, but I'll bet the sound quality is even better with headphones, and the recording quality and playback sound is good but I bet an external mike would make it even better.

This unit records in MP3 format and transfers directly to the computer. No software is needed to transfer files, just the USB cable included in the package.

I can hear everything I have recorded clearly.

The unit is light and small, and has an on/off switch. It also has a lock button switch located on the side, to lock all the buttons. That way your settings aren't messed up by buttons being accidentally pushed when it's in a pocket, or being jostled in a back pack or purse.

It has four folders, the folders are fairly simple to navigate.

The time can be set in 12 or 24 hour format.

The recorded messages are easy to erase.

This unit is fairly intuitive to operate.

It comes with a USB cable to transfer recordings to your computer. Transferring files is easy and I've done it without a hitch. The MP3 files can be played on anything that takes an MP3 format. winamp, real player, windows media player, etc. Or they can be burned to a CD or DVD. No proprietary file formats to fool with or software to download. If you want a WAV format download "Switch" which is a free file converter, and convert the MP3 to a wav file. It's really that simple.

This unit sounds great, is easy to operate, has plenty of recording time, records and transfers files in MP3 format, and is reasonably priced. What more could I ask for in a recorder?

Soooo you guys that spend 60.00 or more on a recorder that you have to use software with, because of proprietary recording formats, and more than that for one that records and transfers to the computer in MP3 format. Well, you're welcome to them. This little unit is everything I could ask for as far as a recording device goes.

I'll give it five stars for:

Functionality

Ease of Use

Non proprietary file format: recording and transferring to the computer or laptop.

Sound quality

Recording time

Size

On/off switch

Lock button switch

Value for money spent.

I believe this recorder to be the RCA RP-5030 (at least the specs and picture match that model).

I have been using (or attempting to use) this recorder for two weeks now. I have finally decided to give up on it and get an Olympus voice recorder instead.

One feature that attracted me to this recorder is that it creates MP3s instead of producing WMA (Olympus) or a proprietary format (as is the case with some Panasonic and Sony models).

The recorder also connects easily to almost any computer, allowing the MP3 files to be easily copied. No special software is needed (nor is any provided). The recorder simply shows up as a USB drive.

Operation is easy and fairly intuitive. Without using the instruction manual, I was able to make recordings and listen to them. With a little research, a user could also insert new material into existing recordings and append the recordings as well, right in the recorder itself.

However, my significant disappointment with this recorder is in the quality of the recordings. All of them seem "muddy," whether they are made using the built-in microphone or an external mic. Part of the quality problem is that the recorder only makes MP3s that are 32 kps at the highest quality, and 16 kps at the "standard" setting. Coupled with the low bit rate is what must be incredibly low sampling rates.

The resulting recordings are noticeably lacking in any kind of "presence" or "high fidelity." For example, almost no "s" or "t" sounds can be detected in the recordings. They come out sounding like "th" or "d".

Comparing the quality of the recordings of the RCA RP-5030 with an Olympus, using both the internal mics and external ones, the RCA falls very flat.

On the positive side, the RCA RP-5030 is one of the least expensive recorders available with the ability to easily transfer the recordings to a computer. It is also the only one I could find that recorded in MP3 format -even if there are others, they are rare.

If you need an inexpensive recorder to carry around on a college campus or other places where things tend to get lost or stolen, the low price of this might make it attractive. However in any use for which good sound quality is required, I bet you would be happier looking elsewhere.

Buy RCA Rp5032 128 Mb Voice Recorder With Usb Now

This was a waste of money. I returned it in less than an hour. The recording quality (there was none) was awful. I could barely understand what I said. I bought the RP 5022A by RCA instead and it is like comparing a Rolls Royce to a VW Beetle !!!! This recorder is way overpriced here and not a good buy at all. Keep your money!! Get the RP502A and you wont be sorry!!!

Read Best Reviews of RCA Rp5032 128 Mb Voice Recorder With Usb Here

I am not impressed with this....

it worked for two days and hasn't worked since. I have had one like it for 7 years and it worked great...

Want RCA Rp5032 128 Mb Voice Recorder With Usb Discount?

I have had this one for years and it still works and sounds great. Its a freakin little voice recorder, what do people expect $4000 sound system in a tiny little recorder, come on!! It's great and very simple to use. I am a beginner songwriter/singer/musician and it is Fantastic for recording ideas riffs and lyrics at spur of the moment inspiration. I keep with me all day in case the mood hits!

Aposonic A-BR22B8-G 8-Channel Surveillance DIY Bundle Kit H.264 Video Compression

I have been looking for a security surveillance system and after doing some research I settled on this unit. The model number is exactly what I wanted however when it was shipped to me I only got ONE camera. Not a complete system just one camera (a pretty damn expensive one at that). After going back and forth with Amazon for a bit they finally resolved it by refunding my money. I tried to explain to them that this product is mislabeled or something because if you look at the shipping weight in the product description you will see it is only 1 lb. The actual unit is about 14 lbs. Not sure why they haven't caught this but they haven't. If you want only one really expensive surveillance camera then get this however if you want a complete system (for the same price) you need to look elsewhere.

Hello, we had purchased this system April 2011. We are new to self installed camera systems and this is our first system.

We really don't have anything to compare this camera system to as like I said this is our first system. I can say we love this system. We use it for our 2nd home (we are snow birds) so while we are gone from our home in Hawaii we have the camera system on so we can feel a sense of security that our home is safe. We have no problems viewing remotely and it does send emails when motion is detected. You can also program the system to FTP the video clips of any motion. We do have to adjust the sensativity of the cameras a bit as it was sending us emails constantly from shadows on a sunny day and tree movements if it was a windy day.

Cameras themselves seem for the most part to be true to color, night vision is really good. Operation and set-up was a little tricky and I feel that this was mainly due to us not really having any experience in camera and DVR set up. The cameras that come with this system are 420 lines and unless the individual is fairly close it would be hard to indentify the person.

Aposonic has some other cameras and I may purchase a higher res camera to use like for our entry way.

All in all this camera system is very good. Does not feel or look like low quality and customer service has always been very helpful and right there when you needed to speak with them and they spoke ENGLISH which was a plus as you could understand them.

They stand by their product. We would not have any issue with purchaseing anything else from them.

Buy Aposonic A-BR22B8-G 8-Channel Surveillance DIY Bundle Kit H.264 Video Compression Now

First off, the listing here is indeed incorrect. I had to order it directly from aposonic.

but the camera is awesome. Picture resolution is really nice. Got all 8 cameras all over the house. the picture is clear.

Read Best Reviews of Aposonic A-BR22B8-G 8-Channel Surveillance DIY Bundle Kit H.264 Video Compression Here

Sony SLV-688HF 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR

• 4-head recording and playback
• Hi-fi MTS stereo TV reception
• User-friendly front panel inputs
• VCR Plus+ timer programming
• Multibrand remote operates TV, cable boxes, and satellite dish receivers

It is hard to believe just how cheap stereo VCR's are getting, only a few years ago you couldn't find one for less then $250 and now they are starting at under $150. In the past I have had the oppertunity to use several differant brands of VCR's and have had nothing but trouble. I have had a Panasonic VCR that in less than a year went into the repair shop twice because a tape had gotten stuck in the unit. I've had a Magnavox VCR that didn't even last a year and a half. I've also used a Toshiba, and another Panasonic unit at my former work, and I must say that they were two of the most tempermental video units that I've ever used. This Sony unit (that I just got) is similar to my other Sony (SLV-675HF) that is almost 3 years old now. In the three years that I've had my Sony VCR, I have never had a problem with it. It is easy to use, program, and if you can't set the clock you must be stupid. The picture has always been great (for VHS, I prefer the quality of DVD), and it records like a champ. The remote is one of the best I've used, the only thing that would make it better is backlighting (but that's just nitpicking). If you need a new VCR, buy a SONY. In a weird side story, both my sister and I bought new VCR's the same week. She got a more expensive Hitachi, and I got my beloved Sony, and of the two units the Sony is the better performer.

Buy Sony SLV-688HF 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR Now

We still have enough VHS tapes for viewing by the grandkids that we did not want to give up on a VCR just yet. Unfortunately, this one came without a manual and was old enough that the manual online was not for the same model that we purchased. The remote was an aftermarket controller without a manual (although I did find that one online). The bottom line is that we can play VHS tapes for the grandkids but we can't record anything because we can't set it up to receive the cable signal without the appropriate manual.

Read Best Reviews of Sony SLV-688HF 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR Here

Just got it, so I don't know about its longevity, but it's not new to begin with and it's working really well. Very happy so far.

Pioneer DVR-650H-S DVD Recorder and Hard Drive - Designed for PAL SECAM Use

The DVR660HS is a great unit it makes editing out commercials a breeze. The menu system can be trying but be patient and explore all the possibilities, I had a hard time finding the combine titles command at first. This unit does not have a digital tuner so you will need a converter box for off air antenna or have cable / Satellite. The RF connectors are foreign you will need adapters for US use. This unit works great for US use. It comes default setting with PAL but it is easily switched to NTSC (page 119 of manual) on the unit press "input select" & "stop" buttons together to switch between the two formats. I have been using it for 10 days now and am very comfortable with it's editing operation. It automatically detects commercials and inserts markers for you so you can go right to that point to delete out commercials no searching necessary. This feature really saves hunting time for the start/end points. Then when you need to put in a title you can use the remote like a phone key pad but all you need to do it connect a pc keyboard to the USB and it automatically brings up another window for typing in the title. The unit automatically detects the power you need foreign or US just plug it in the wall using the ac adapter for the cord that comes in the box. Quality of the picture is very good. The 250 GB hard drive gives you plenty of room for collecting movies etc. for editing later. It has digital audio,also printer capable. It is supposed to be able to connect with your PC but I as yet can't get that to work with either of my pc's. If you have any technical questions about this unit you can call Pioneer at 1-800-421-1404 . They cannot answer any questions about the 660 but you can ask about the DVR550HS they do support that one in US and it's operation is very similar but keep in mind it is not the same . I have owned three DVR's now 1SONY 2 Panasonic's and the Pioneer is by far the best unit I have used. It's editing ability makes it fun to use, I really enjoy it. I highly recommend it. Remember for US use when you first turn it on you will see video that is out of sync, don't let that bother you just switch it over to NTSC as explained above.If you call tech support # above they can verify for you this unit will operate in the US even though it was designed for Canada. I'm using mine with Directv so I'm not concerned about the tuner or EPG (tv guide). Its the same as th DVR650hs

Night Owl Security STA-168 Night Owl Security 16 Channel STA DVR with 8 Night Vision Cameras 500 G

I have owned camera systems in the past, and recently purchased this Night Owl system and am pleasantly surprised by the level of customer support I have received from them. I was able to reach their 24/7 tech support via phone after I got home from work. 2 things of note, 1st, its awesome that they are open any time as I hate calling from work as this unit is for home, and 2nd, the support wasn't overseas with someone reading from a training manual (Cassandra was very nice and professional).

The cameras are solid and are simple to install, others I've used in the past are cheap plastic. They include a simple 1 page quick start guide that will get you from start to finish, and also watched the how-to videos on the Night Owl website which were very helpful.

Ended up calling support and she configured my network settings and got me hooked up on the internet in less than 10 minutes and now I can view all my cameras using my iPhone. The app they told me to download was "Night Owl Lite"…best part about it is it's FREE.

This is a lot of system and service for such a great price. Will probably be buying another one in the near future for work.

I have been using this system now for over 6 months. It has never crashed, and has actually saved me in a legal matter. A major delivery company delivered 3 laptops to my home, leaving them on my porch except they really only delivered 2! Caught on tape! BAM, no problem getting that claim paid extremely quickly.

The set up of the dvr is not entirely intuitive. It does include a helpful CD/DVD installation media; which includes a full manual, and software for most every platform for controlling and viewing the cameras. The best resource is the company's website. They have a very robust website, with video links to every imaginable question answered and demonstrated on film.

You could just stick up the cameras, plug them in, and everything would work. No doubt, most will want to delve in a bit to customize some of the settings.

I will break this into 2 sections. The DVR itself including software, and the cameras.

The DVR:

It is black in color, light weight, and housed in a metal case. The are multiple ports on the back for up to 16 bnc connectors, Video out: vga (dsub) and BNC (includes adapter BNC to RCA plug), usb mouse, ethernet, pan tilt and zoom, and DC power supply input.

You should know that if you are putting this near your entertainment stack, there is an annoying red light that will incessantly blink when motion is detected and the unit is recording. You can obviously fix this with a bit of tape.

The interface is a bit quirky, but you can figure it out fairly quickly. Mostly, left click selects, and right click takes you back. Somehow the network autoconfigure, automatically opened all of the necessary ports on my Verizon FIOS router. I am capable of accomplishing this task, but it was nice not to have to worry about it. The main port that need to be opened is 9000 (media) and port 80 (web) on your network. You will also need your IP address. (this is the ip for your router, not your computer) visit ipchicken . com to find it quickly.

!!!!!> !!!!!

I do not recall seeing it anywhere in the manual but you MUST set a user name AND password for any of the network stuff to work.

You will need to adjust the color for your cameras. None of my cameras had good color by default. I was able to achieve pretty good results by fooling around with the color options in the camera control submenu.

Other than setting the motion areas (accomplished by clicking and dragging) and color recording time slots, if you choose that -there is not much else use for the dvr's menus. Most everything else you will do through the web interface.

I did not use the DNS web address that is offered. I used the nightowl dvr software (NETVIEWER) that is available from the website or off of the cd. It is very robust, and allows for a multitude of options. From the nightowl dvr software menu you can designate cameras to send you digital snaps when motion is detected (you need a gmail address). To use NETVIEWER you need to have port 9000 open on your router. Then input your ip address (ip chicken remember) the user name (you pick) and password (no restrictions here).

From netviewer you can play back captured footage. Simply select a date, and a channel (camera), you will then be presented with a time-stamped list of all the recordings for that date. As you play back these files, they are automatically saved to your computer. The default path is under "Local Settings". Once these files have been downloaded, you can really easily convert them to standard *.avi file using the converter that is on the included dvd (or download from website). it takes mere seconds and I used it to give to the police, and the delivery company.

There are Pan/Tilt/Zoom features available in the Netviewer console as well, however none of the included cameras have this feature.

You can also playback LIVE video only, using an iPad or iPhone. The Nightowl app is available in the app store. It is a drag that you can only view live video, but their support team has assured me that you will have that ability in an upcoming release.

One GREAT use for this is checking to see if your amazon delivery has been left on your porch yet or not!

Overall the DVR does exactly what it claims. I have a 500gb drive, and I still don't think I have begun to overwrite yet (another feature you can set from the DVR interface). The playback is clear, and reliable. The motion capture record works very well. You can have it capture june bugs flying around, up to squirrels, or only catch the delivery driver stealing your laptops.

THE CAMERAS:

They are a step up from total crap. They do not fogup, so far none have failed, and if they do get a little rain on them, it tends to roll off quickly. I did treat mine with rain-x so they work even better now, but it was never a problem before through rain, sleet, AND snow.

You get 8 with the STA186. They are all the same. A hooded full metal body, and painted metal base. The cameras are connected to the dvr via the included BNC+DC combo cables that are included. I think they are all 60ft long. I needed 2 cables of 100ft, which I found here on amazon for a very reasonable price. The power is provided by 2 included DC power supplies (some people call them transformers). Each power supply powers 4 cameras (there is a sort of Hydra connector that turns the single plug into 4). Be sure to note the 'sex' of your cables before you run them. It matters which way the power plug goes! I was in some pretty inhospitable spots with my install and would never want to have to go back. I used a 5/8" speed bore for my cable runs to get through. This is a fairly tight squeeze that requires you to first push through the BNC connector, then power connector. A little expanding foam or caulk will fix the hole.

The camera mount is secured by 3 screws. The included screws are total crap you will likely want to use your own. You will want to the have the cameras removed from the base while mounting the bases. The camera is easily removed from the base by unscrewing the set screw that allows the camera to rotate around a recessed collar. The further adjustment of the camera is accomplished by a ball-socket connection that can be secured using the finger adjustment nuts.

A helpful hint I used was to have the iPad on the ladder with me as I adjusted the cameras.

One issue with the cameras is the night-vision feature sometimes creates some distortion in medium-low light. When the camera is getting confused as to whether to run in night mode or full color. Speaking of Night mode they shine here. The night vision feature is excellent, and in some ways more clear than the full color.

My overall impression is very good on the system as a whole. The biggest complaint is the camera quality. The DVR interface is a little less than intuitive but the NetViewer software is excellent. iOS APP works great on the iPhone and the iPad.

Buy Night Owl Security STA-168 Night Owl Security 16 Channel STA DVR with 8 Night Vision Cameras 500 G Now

Bought on a lightning deal for under $200.00. I had already bought two other systems and returned them both because they were complicated and not very "user friendly".

I decided to keep this one because it advertises LIFETIME customer support. Finally I made a good decision. This system works great. I have zero networking experience but the excellent customer service people not only explained what to do but logged on to my PC and set everything up for me in a matter of minutes.

They even made a hand typed note explaining how to do some basics and placed it on my desktop so I could not lose it. Seriously, who does that? This is customer service at its finest.

I made a mistake and pointed one of my cameras towards the front yard where it picked up every car driving down the highway which resulted in hundreds of emails a day. I called customer service again and was up and running perfect in under 5 minutes.

The cameras and DVR function exactly as described. I only have DSL basic and was concerned the quality might not be very good. This was not a problem. Video is not choppy and the clarity if fine.

I am waiting for this to go back on a lightning deal so I can buy a second one for my primary residence.

I highly recommend this product.

I hope you found my review helpful.

Read Best Reviews of Night Owl Security STA-168 Night Owl Security 16 Channel STA DVR with 8 Night Vision Cameras 500 G Here

I purchased this DVR back in December 2012 after months of research. I know its not the best product and perhaps not even the best in its class but it does the job well (with a little help as I'll explain later).

After I missed out on all the thanksgiving sales when the newer model was $249, I was extremely pleased when I found this model as a warehouse deal. The item arrived in excellent condition.

Getting the system connected was quite simple as the quick setup posters provides the exact steps required to get the unit up and running.

The O/S of the dvr manages the 500Gb rather efficiently as I can get 35-40 days of video on all channels with motion activated recording.

The port forwarding feature is a bit challenging for me but once you have a static external IP you should have no issues. So for now I have the system connected to my local network and so I can view from any smart device tablet laptop desktop etc. This means that I can monitor from any room in the house with dedicated viewing on three devices all wireless. No more wondering who is at the front door or what was that sound outside. Until I have the port forwarding configured I am using the email feature to provide 'near real time' snapshots of alarms while I am away from the house.

The video quality is best on CIF for me as the higher resolution produce choppy videos. The view angle is also quite restricted at 42 degrees making camera placement critical. Although I have the entire property covered there were a couple blind spots. To address this I purchased a couple 600 TVL cameras with 90 degree viewing angles and I can say on those channels video and picture quality have improved tremendously and at that angle there is perfect overlap of the viewing ranges i.e. no blind spots.

So if you just want a simple unit to get started in home security this is a great place to start. But note it is inevitable you would develop Camera Acquisition Syndrome as coined by an earlier reviewer.

Want Night Owl Security STA-168 Night Owl Security 16 Channel STA DVR with 8 Night Vision Cameras 500 G Discount?

It can and does record for longer that 4 days and I believe it will record for up to 30. It has a limited range, because its small but will capture a room or a portion of the yard.

Save 20% Off

Archos Gmini 400 20 GB Digital Audio/Video Jukebox

• Archos 500637 Gmini 400 20 GB Digital Audio/Video Jukebox
• Hard drive-based digital audio and video player and gaming device
• 20 GB hard drive stores up to 300 hours of music
• Play MPEG4 video back on the 2.2-inch LCD or connect to a TV
• Built-in CompactFlash slot

First a little background info on me. I am 18 and a sophomore in college. I have wanted an mp3 player for a while, but could not justify the cost for just music. I spent weeks reading about all sorts of players, but all of them were mostly the same. Then I saw the gmini, and after reading lots of opinions, I decided to purchase it. I also have a LOT of friends who own iPods, so I have seen and used them.

When people see me holding the Archos Gmini 400 (gmini) they often say "Is that an iPod?" iPods are all the rage lately and people can't seem to get enough of them, but why? For those of you who don't know much about an iPod, here it is in a gist:

MP3/AAC player

Games

Portable Hard Drive

Black and White Screen

Unique Touch Interface

The games are limited to basic black and white games, still fun, but they get old. It plays MP3 and AAC, and is the only player to support songs purchased in itunes. However the portable hard drive feature can get a bit confusing. You CANNOT upload your songs from an iPod. You can only upload DATA off of it. You can upload songs if you store them as data... but then you can't play them from the iPod. So don't expect to use it to transfer songs between computers or even to just save space on your hard drive by deleting your music once it's on the iPod. You can play it off the iPod to your computer, but you won't be able to retrieve the actual song files, so when the iPod dies, you're out of luck.

Now, onto the gmini. It is the same size as an iPod, and it plays MP3's, that is about all they have in common. The gmini has the following features:

MP3/WMA/WAV music playback

MP4 Video Playback (Divx and Xvid)

Games

Photo Viewer

CF Card Reader

AV out for viewing on a TV

Audio in for recording

Mic for recording

Color screen

Portable Hard Drive

The gmini has a much larger feature set, for only a small amount more, but what are the trade offs? The battery lives are similar. The 4G iPod is about 12 hours, while the gmini is 10 for music. The iPod, right now, is very stylish. It's white, it's sleek, and it has no buttons. The gmini, is, well, not. It looks almost like a shrunken gameboy with more chrome. I have to admit however that it is not as ugly as the pictures make it look online, and does feel nice in your hands. The fit and finish of the gmini is just not as good as an iPod. I've handled many iPods and they are all smooth and perfect. The gmini has some spots where it just doesn't look as good. The buttons have space around them, which are likely to attract dust, and it just doesn't seem as modern as an iPod with it's click wheel. What you give up for looks is gained back, and more so, by the features.

Screen/Video Play Back

The screen is amazing. Though it is not the best resolution wise, it has great color, contrast, and brightness. Horizontal viewing is limited (it turns blue if you move too far to the side) but this device is really only meant for one person to use, so this doesn't matter. The movies, if encoded to the right format and a resolution about the size of the screen, play back extremely smooth. If you use a higher resolution for playback on a television then the FPS drop and it becomes choppy at times, but it is still watchable. The video feature is the big draw over the iPod, but there is more. Here is a general summary of everything there is to know about the gmini.

OS

The OS is much like windows 3.1. If you have ever used windows, you will know how to use this OS. You can navigate through folders, or it can organize your songs into categories based on the ID3 tags. If you want to know how to use more advanced features, like copying from a CF card to the hard drive, a quick glance at the manual will solve all your problems.

Photo Viewing

What can I say, other than it is there. It isn't astounding, but it works. The pictures load slowly (at least mine did, at 1600*1200 resolution in jpeg format) and when you zoom in, it seems as though the gmini lowers the quality of the image. However, it works and is useful for showing off shots of last nights get together, etc. Also, having the CF slot is a really useful feature. Did your camera fill up? No problem, dump the pics in the gmini and keep on shooting, I wish I had this at the NYC auto show.

Music Playback

You can create play lists on the fly, open existing play lists, browse by ID3 tags or the file system, and it all works just fine. You can even play all your music files at random, which is what I do most of the time. The only part that is annoying is finding the song you want in a long list of titles. I have terrible memory when it comes to names of bands, so I usually just know the title of the song. When searching through thousands, it gets annoying without an iPod like wheel. You need to sit there holding the dpad down, which takes some time. It does speed up as it goes along, but then you end up passing where you wanted to go, etc. It isn't that big of a deal, but if I could change one thing, I would change it to touch interface instead of buttons. How is the sound itself? Good.

Games

The games are based off of the mophun game engine, which is mostly used for cell phones. You can get a lot of 80's like games which are a fun distraction, but do get boring if overly played. I hear there is a 3D rally game coming out this Fall though (2004). The only downside is you cannot play music and play a game at the same time. Overall a nice extra feature to have.

Portable Hard Drive

Connecting the gmini to a PC could not be any easier. Here it is, step by step:

Plug in the USB cable

BAM, you're done. You get a new drive letter under "My Computer" (in windows, and it's similar for mac) and then you just drag and drop your files onto the gmini. The gmini archives all the new files when you disconnect the usb cable, so there is no need to use proprietary software. No drivers, no hassle. You can even upload all your data, music, video, whatever, off of it at any time to any computer. When you decide to put some video onto it, the video converters actually come on the hard drive, and you can install them right from the gmini. Having the gmini is like having a 20gb jump drive. You'll never use a floppy again. For that matter, you won't even use a CD.

General Downsides:

The included headphones are not too great, but when have included headphones been any good?

Style is not the greatest thing ever, though it is made of Aluminum which is pretty neat.

The screen is extremely prone to scratches, and there is no included case, or one you can buy, at the time of this review (10.7.04)

No replaceable battery (neither does the iPod)

Buttons instead of a scroll wheel, or similar touch interface.

Overall, I think it depends on what you want. Do you want a device simply to listen to music, and show off to friends? An iPod will work for that. Or, do you want something that is actually useful? Music, movies, games, CF reader, Real Portable Hard drive, for slightly more than an iPod. Everyone has an iPod, why not try something new? In my opinion, this is the best "player" on the market right now. It crosses the lines between MP3 player, and Portable Media Center.

.Recommended.

Buy Archos Gmini 400 20 GB Digital Audio/Video Jukebox Now

First off don't listen to reviewers who just looked at the package in the store and never bought it, that makes me mad they have no basis to review a product. I've had the Gmini for a while now and this thing rocks! It's not just an Mp3 player, but it stores and allows you to view photos and videos, has decent games, and at 20GB it's big enough to handle a ton if data. You might read about people who knock it for its size, but I purchased an ipod case made by Case Logic and it fits perfectly..It's virtually the same size as an ipod.

Another cool feature is the movies, if you can "acquire" movies on your computer then you can convert them to a format that the Gmini uses and then watch movies on this little awesome machine. Tell me how cool this is, recently on a cross country flight I watched the movie The Italian Job which I downloaded, converted, and copied to the Gmini. I had plenty of battery to watch the movie and listen to music the rest of the way. The guy next to me was watching and then at the end of the flight he was asking all about the Gmini and how he could get one.

The Mp3 player is also very cool. You can create playlists on the fly, as well as break you music collection down by artist, album, genre, year it was released, song name. Playlists are very cool because they take up very little space on the hard drive, but they allow you to do so much. For example I have 3 different playlists for when I workout...One for running which is upbeat and has songs that I really get into which take my mind off of running ;)... another is for lifting which contains much more aggressive music that gets me all fired up!...and the third one is my cool down music that I play as I'm walking or stretching. Very cool.

I purchased 2 great accessories for the Gmini. The first was a 3 in 1 case made by Case Logic, model # MPC7. This thing can be used as a belt pack, as an arm band, or detach all the straps and the case has a hand strap. It's very nice and convenient. The other cool accessory is made by Irock and it is a device that plugs into the cigarette lighter of your car and into the headphone jack of the Gmini and basically broadcasts your Mp3's over a radio station that you tune your car's stereo to. It's very cool cause now your Gmini is locked and loaded for long road trips! Just watch out if you accidentally play that aggressive workout playlist while you drive you might develop a case of ROAD RAGE!!!

The photo function is very handy for me as well because I have a 4 month old daughter and love to show off pictures of her all of the time. One of her pictures is also set as the wallpaper of the Gmini! The CF reader is a nice function to have as well. I have a Canon A75 which uses a CF card and I've just messed around a little bit with this but you can take all of the pictures from the CF card and transfer them to the Gmini and then continue taking pictures. Very handy if you shoot tons of pictures, or are like me a little paranoid to take a ton because you are worried that your card will be full when the perfect picture moment comes along.

Anyway, I am rambling. Forget the ipod photo, or other ipods the Gmini is well worth your money and has features that leave the ipod in the dust (mainly the movies). If you don't have any desire to watch movies or play entertaining games then the ipod and Gmini are very similar and it probably comes down to personal preference. Archos has created a real winner here; I don't believe you will be disappointed.

Read Best Reviews of Archos Gmini 400 20 GB Digital Audio/Video Jukebox Here

Archis Gmini 400 is a great device with many capabilities. Gmini 400 is one of the best choices if you compare its features to competitors. Certainly, it is not as beautiful and intuitive as an Ipod, but it does so much more. Its music features are not as extensive as Iriver mp3 players, but it is so much smaller and has video capabilities. Its video mode is not as advanced as many other devices designed as entertainment centers (such as those that can record live TV), but Gmini 400 is much cheaper and it still has a beautiful color screen. The fact that Gmini 400 is the second best choice in many categories makes it a very strong overall choice. It is a Jack-of-all-trades, and being a master of none is not necessarily a weakness if you are looking for a broad set of features.

I bought Gemini 400 a week ago from Amazon, and put it to a good test since then, because I was not sure if I wanted to keep it or send it back. Gmini is a small device that looks like a game boy. The box comes with connection cables, headphones, charger and a multi-jack adaptor. No carrying case is included, and the last time I checked, Archos did not have one for sale. It looks well-built overall, although, to my dismay, the browsing button was a fit flimsy. The charger is unbelievable light and it works for input voltages from 100 V to 240 V, perfect for international travelers. Archos also included handsomely made plugs to be used in Europe and Britain. A full charge takes about 3 hours. One of the great things is that you don't have to wait until the batteries are completely drained before you can charge your device. I did not test how long the batteries last (the company claims 10 hours with music only and 5 hours with video, and the latest firmware update claims significant improvement over battery life), but if you fiddle too much with the screen (and, believe me, you should if you want to learn how to use it), they will obviously drain quickly. I think it is easily possible to get 8 or 9 hours if you only listen to music on your Gmini 400, but this may not be enough for some users who demand more battery life, especially considering that there are alternative products with longer battery life.

Gmini has an ingenious system of file manipulation: Similar to the previous versions of Windows explorer, two windows appear when you want to copy or move files, when you add songs to a playlist, or when you copy photos to the device. Therefore, you can use it as a back-up hard drive, but 20 GB hard drive space (about 18 when formatted) may not be sufficient for people with a lot fo music files and movies to store on the device. I think Archos should have offered a 40 GB version as well.

Gmini 400 becomes ready to use a few seconds after you turn it on, even when the hard drive is full of music and other files. I heard horror stories with other mp3 players that took 20 minutes to switch on, and this is a big deal for me. Operating system in the device looks stable (Gmini 400 crashed only once since I bought it). When I received it, I immediately updated the firmware to the latest version (1.2), which is extremely easy to do. I suggest you do the same before putting any files on Gmini. This is not the easiest mp3 player to use, but learning to use it is not rocket science either. Reading the included manual carefully (there is a more detailed manual on the hard drive of Gmini) is not a bad investment considering how much it increases your enjoyment.

I am not an "audiophile", but Gmini 400 sounds very good. The included headphones, as you can guess, are completely useless. Transferring music is very quick with a USB 2.0 connection. My files (11 GB) took less than half hour to transfer. You can adjust bass, treble, and deep bass on your device but no equalizers are included. One of the best features of Gmini is that Windows XP recognizes it as an external hard drive (you will need to install drivers for other operating systems). Then, you can copy your music files (and other files of course) onto Gmini 400 without using any software (but, if you wish, it is also possible to use Windows Media Player 9 to syncronize files). At this point, you have two choices: either browse through your music using your own folder structure (if you organized your music well) or let Gmini 400 detect your ID tags and organize the music based on Artist, Album, Title, Genre, and Year. Recognizing ID tags (you need to do this every time you add new music) takes about 15 seconds for my 11 GB of music. I had one minor problem. Gmini did not recognize Blues as a genre, and replaced "Blues" in ID tags with "0". Everything else worked fine. When you skip to another song without waiting to the end, Gmini searches its hard drive for a short while, but if you are listening to an album or a playlist, it does not include any extra silence between tracks. This should work great for classical music listeners. Finally, you can easily create playlists in the fly.

The video capabilities of Gmini 400 are limited. You cannot record from TV or any other external source. You have to transfer video files to Gmini using your computer. It is certainly possible to watch an entire movie, but the screen is a bit too small for my tastes. However, you can connect Gmini to your TV and watch your movie on TV screen. Gmini is able to play only specific types of movie files. Requirements (30 or less fps, less than a certain resolution, etc) seem extensive at first. However, Archos included a utility in the hard drive of Gmini. After you install this utility, converting your movies to the format Gmini likes is very easy. You do not have to know anything about this procedure, since almost everything is automated in the process.

The photo mode works nicely. You can transfer your photos directly from your digital camera into Gmini. You do not even need a cable for that (as opposed to other mp3 players). You simply plug your compact flash card into Gmini and it recognizes it automatically. This is also much better than Ipod photo because you do not have to use your computer to place these files on the device. If you go on a trip with the intent to take a lot of pictures, but you do not want to carry your notebook computer, Gmini offers a perfect solution.

Gmini also lets you play games, although I am not interested in this very much. I feel like extensive gaming on this device can ruin the buttons in the long run. Five games were included on my Gmini, and three of them were demos. You can buy games directly from Archos if you pay an additional $6 for each.

You can record voice using Gmini but it does not encode your files into mp3. Also, the sound of the hard drive is clearly audible during the beginning of the recording. You can also record from analog sources using the line in connection. You can even edit these songs on Gmini, but this is nothing fancy. You can simply cut out sections from the beginning and the end of the file. If you would like to listen to and record from the radio, you will have to buy an optional accessory: the remote control. The Amazon website sells Gmini and the remote as a bundle. I think the remote is worth the extra money you pay for it not only because adds radio capabilities, but also it reduced battery consumption of the main unit. You do not have to turn on the screen on the main unit every time you want to search or skip a song. Also, the remote has a microphone to record voice. If you do not want to hear the hard drive on your voice recording, you will need the remote. When you record a song from the radio using the remote control, you have the option of "retro-recording", which lets you capture 30 seconds of the broadcast before you actually pressed the record button-a very useful feature, I believe. You can also edit recordings from the radio right on your Gmini. One problem with the remote is that the record button is placed too conveniently. It is easy to accidentally press the button.

I did not have an encounter with the Archos support yet, but it seems they are at least updating the firmware for Gmini 400 quite frequently (in relative terms, of course). In any case, make sure you buy one from a reputable place with a good return policy (like Amazon, which also has the best price as I am writing this). After thinking about it a lot, I decided to keep my Gmini 400. If you only want an mp3 player with plenty of extra musical features (equalizers, etc.), Gmini 400 may not be the best choice. If you want a very simple device that does nothing but plays mp3s, Gmini is not a great choice, either. However, if you like a little bit of everything, Gmini looks like a great choice. When you add the color screen, the photo and movie features, and the small size of this device, Gmini 400 becomes a strong contender. Good luck finding the right player for you.

Want Archos Gmini 400 20 GB Digital Audio/Video Jukebox Discount?

I bought the Archos Gmini 400 to replace by 10 GB 3rd generation Apple Ipod that I've had for over a year. I wasn't sure what to expect with this thing, but it turns out to be great. Unlike my Ipod which I only ended up using in the car because of its limited features of only being able to play music, I carry the Gmini everywhere I go since I can not only listen to music, but also record stuff or play videos.

The Gmini's user interface may not be as fancy or simple as the Ipod's scroll wheel, but the Gmini is not that difficult to use, and it's rather easy to use once you get used to it and learn the controls. The Gmini is sort of like a little Windows computer itself, so if you are good with a Windows PC, you'll have no problems navigating around with the Gmini. If you are a Mac user and need things to be as simple as possible, then you may have some problems learning the controls. I like the fact that I don't have to use any junk software on my computer to transfer the files over to the Gmini. I just connect the Gmini to the USB cable and copy them straight over as if it were another hard drive.

The screen on the Gmini is quite stellar, and it almost looks like a small laptop screen it is so bright. I also like the look of the Gmini over the Ipod also, it is nice to not have to worry about getting scratches each time you touch the thing, unlike the Ipod which scratches up rather easily with its polished back casing that ends up looking pretty bad after a while. Just to be safe I put a PDA screen protector over the screen of my Gmini to protect it, and I also use the case for the Ipod with my Gmini since it is the same size and fits perfectly.

It is very easy to play music with this thing, and it's also easy to create play lists or delete files on the go. One very cool feature is the album art that shows when you play your music. I recommend downloading Musicmatch Jukebox Plus and using their super tagging feature which fixes your MP3 tags, and it also adds the album art into the tags for you which are perfect for the Gmini.

The Gmini works very well as a recorder, even though you can sometimes infrequently hear the hard drive spinning. This thing is perfect to take around with you and record your friends making fools of themselves at parties, or to record a concert you go to.

If you want to put videos on the Gmini, it does take some time encoding them in the proper format, but it's not too hard to do if you are computer savvy. It is cool to be able to watch videos on the Gmini or to use the included cable to watch them on your TV. It is sort of like carrying around a DVD player or VCR in your pocket if you go over to a friend's house. I've also used my Gmini to put photos on from my compact flash card, and this is also a breeze.

Unlike Apple who appears to not care about customers who purchased previous models and they try to make you buy a new model when in reality they could release a firmware update with the same features included. It appears that Archos routinely has been releasing updates for the Gmini, and they have just recently released their third firmware update (1.3) the other day. This update can easily be downloaded from their website onto your Gmini as a portable hard drive and it's rather simple to update.

If you are somebody who wants what everybody else has or if you are trying to fit in with your friends who aren't very tech savvy, and if you buy into all the hype and advertising generated by a corporate giant, then go buy yourself an Ipod. If you want to stand out and be cooler than those friends with those feature lacking Ipods, and if you know how to use a Windows computer and don't need things to be as simple as possible, go buy yourself an Archos Gmini 400. You'll be much happier with the extra features you get, and you won't be feeding more money to the giant that is Apple, who purposely leaves features off of their Ipods, only so they can release new models later on with features they should have had a while ago. I am going to be selling my old Ipod on eBay, and I won't miss it or Apple one bit.

I bought the Gmini400 after doing a lot of research on many different MP3 players.

After doing this research, I found that the Gmini was, by far, the best value if you want a function loaded device. I travel a lot so some of the key selling points for me were the video and the plug and play capability. The video playback is great and better looking than I expected from the small screen. I've been converting my DVD's to Divx format with some free software I got off the net and they look great.

The PnP capability is great too. Unlike the IPOD, this thing can be plugged into any computer without adding software and it just shows up as an external hard drive. I've used it on 6 different computers with no problems at all. Just drag and drop files from/to yours and your friends' PC's.

Bottom line is this thing is way better priced over IPOD's competitor, the IPOD photo, and it has a lot more features voice recorder, video, plug and play, plus everything the IPOD does.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone.