Showing posts with label portable digital video recorder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label portable digital video recorder. Show all posts

Friday, November 21, 2014

Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver
  • 100 Watts per Channel at 8 Ohms, 20 Hz¿20 kHz, 0.08%, 2 Channels Driven, FTC
  • THX Select2 Plus Certified
  • HDMI (Version 1.4 to Support 3D and Audio Return Channel) with Deep Color, x.v.Color, LipSync, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio
  • HDMI Video Upscaling to 1080p with Faroudja DCDi Cinema
  • Audio and 1080p Video Processing via HDMI (1 Front/ 5 Rear Inputs and 1 Output)

Unlike a lot of CEs, Onkyo may have indavertantly cannibalized its own model lineup by pushing so much featureset into an entry level receiver that it might deter buyers from their higher end models. I recently did a thorough comparison of the Pioneer VSX-1020 and Denon AVR-791 and the Onkyo nudged out the Pioneer due to its beefier amp section and OSD capabilities. That said, I must caution users that its value is marred by what appears to be a bug with its ability to pass through HDMI video signals unmolested, even in "Through" modes. This bug manifests itself in two ways: 1. 24 bit sources (like cable hdtv) are upconverted to 30 bit when output on a display; AND 2. for some inexplicable reason, 1080p 24fps sources stutter intermittently as if a frame is dropped. The latter might be more noticeable to plasma owners whereas 120hz and 240hz LCDs might compensate for the frame stuttering with their interpolation software (ie the soap opera effect).

With that caveat, the Onkyo is a terrific performer offering strong power (power consumption is up from the 607 to a very grown up 756 watts), terrific flexibility (four speaker terminals can be assigned to wide, height or zone 2). The Denon is limited to merely 7 speaker terminals and the Pioneer has only a pair of assignable terminals. The Audyssey auto-callibration (2EQ) is a notch behind Denon, but the inclusion of Audyssey DSX (for wide arrangements) is a feature that the Denon does not offer. While it lacks the USB terminal for Ipod playback of the Pioneer and the Denon, it does offer a computer input which might resolve the HDMI handshake nightmare many face with htpcs.

Onkyo rather smartly included a fan atop of the receiver, which is silent and all but eliminates the historical Onkyo toaster oven effect.

I really enjoy this receiver, but found the HDMI video molestation issues to quite problematic and what mar an otherwise incredible buy. Hopefully Onkyo can issue a firmware update.

Buy Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Now

As others have said, the two 1 star reviews do not review this new Onkyo 608 (makes no sense to me).

Anyway, I absolutely love my new Onkyo 608. I never review stuff, but I wanted to give props to this receiver. I was debating between this one and the new Pioneer 1020. However, I've heard that the amps in the Pioneers don't compare to the amps in the Onkyos. Though I cannot verify the truth of this, I do believe that the amp in the Onkyo is of a very high quality. I have already noticed a tremendous amount of power increase over my previous Yamaha receiver (the model that was included with the Yamaha 390 HTIB). This puts out a lot more sound, and I absolutely love the ability to take advantage of HD audio. I noticed a huge fidelity difference in the compressed Dolby Digital track for Dark Knight and the Dolby True HD. The track was intended to include a lot of bass, and the HD includes all of it. The regular Dolby did not compare. Thus, HD audio is definitely worth having if you own a blu-ray player. Just like video quality (some transfers are better than others; aka reference quality), not all sound tracks will have a huge difference, but to me, it's still worth it. Back to the Onkyo: I love it. There are so many settings that you can tweak. If you like the ability to configure your equipment, you will love this receiver! You can also bi-amp with this receiver, which is nice if you don't have 7 speakers.

Read Best Reviews of Onkyo TX-SR608 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Here

First and foremost, people that don't even own the "608" shouldn't even be posting here. Trying to compare the "608" that has a built in fan and the "606" that doesn't AND has the fact the "608" has 2x the amount of features is like apple and oranges. Enough said about that and onto a review by a person that actually owns the "608".... Pushes my polk audio speakers very very well (2 @ 70 monitors, 4 @ 50 monitors, 1 @ cs2 center, and powered psw505). Volume hardly goes past 1/2 way / 50,,, anymore and the neighbors start calling cops im sure.. Loads of options and can be tweeked untill you are blue in the face. Got sub set @ 80hz, front main 70's set @ 60hz, all 4 surround 50 speakers set @ 80hx THX, and cs2 center set @ 80hz THX. One really really nice thing about the onkyo 608 is how cool it is and stays @ room temp with the built in fan. I'm loving this receiver so far and would highly advise anyone to purchase without a 2nd thought. More receiver than I need with no need for seperate amp.

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The Onkyo TX-SR608 is an amazing receiver for the cost. One of the best aspects of this receiver is the way it handles the volume control. First of all you can set the volume level that the receiver on turns on so you are not overwhelmed with a loud volume right away. Also you can set a maximum level so you don't accidentally turn the volume level too high. Audyssey Dynamic Volume is perfect when you don't want huge fluxuations in volume so that dialogue, music and surround effects don't drown each other out. This means you don't have to constantly turn volume up and down during a movie as it maintains a more consistant level of volume. In order to use Audyssey Dynamic Volume you MUST run Audyssey 2EQ Acoustic Room Correction first. Place included microphone on a cheap tripod for this; DO NOT HOLD IN YOUR HAND as I have read some have;this can have an adverse effect on sound output. Set the Dynamic Volume to the Compression Mode you want(Light, Medium, or Hesvy as Off is Default) set Re-EQ function to ON as well. The instruction manual is very detailed and easy to understand. Default setings are underlined in the instruction manual.

I really love Audyssey DSX it really gives a much fuller sound to the movie soundtrack. I use the front wide setup as opposed to the front height channels.

This is my 2nd Onkyo AV receiver. Our old one TX-SR-503 is still working great, but I wanted something with HDMI inputs. This new model is a great upgrade. It was easy to setup with the included mike. Audessey Dynamic EQis a very nice feature. You do have to read the manual to tweek it. I turned off the video upconversion. (see pg 21 of the manual). When it was on, I noticed some very slight distortion on certain Tv channels (TNT, YES) I read some forums on it and it was recommeded to turn it off. Each input has its own audio & video setting.Right now I only have a Comcast DVR box & a Samsung Bluray player hooked up to it. One of the HDMI jacks is in the front, which makes it easy to connect my laptop to it.

The Audessey EQ feature will automaticly detect how many & what size your speakers are. It also sets up the crossover frequency. You can go back in and do it manually. There are also many other settings you can play around with, such as THX mode (if you have THX speakers) Dolby true HD & DTS-HD master audio,

Dynamic volume control,A/V sync , Intellivolume and others. You can reasign and rename the inputs. It is HD radio ready, SIRIUS sattlelite ready and THX select 2 certified.

Our family really enjoys the better sound. I currently have Kenwood HTIB speakers hooked up. The Onkyo makes them sound better.

I have replace the center channel speaker with a Definitive Tech ProCinema 1000. What a Difference! I hope to replace all the speakers with the Def Tech 1000 line. I'm sure it will sound great with the Onkyo TX-SR608.

UPDATE 8/27/10

I noticed a glitch in the HDMI THROUGH feature. When I activated the HDMI THROUGH feature, which is supposed to allow HDMI signal to pass through with the receiver on standby,it kicks off the 4:3 overide off on my Cable box. At first I thought it was the cable box, so I swapped it out with a new model, and the same thing happend. Yes, I actually don't have the stereo on all the time to save power and to watch the news @ 5:00a.m. After a factory reset,I finally narrowed it down to the "HDMI THROUGH" feature. Not sure what I'm going to do.Either take it back, or hook up cable direct to TV and optical to receiver.

I still like the way it sounds and the funtions. Any suggestions?

Saturday, November 8, 2014

CyberHome CH-DVD 402 DVD Player , Black

CyberHome CH-DVD 402 DVD Player , Black
  • Onscreen MP3 player interface simplifies playback
  • Plays JPEG image files on CD-R or CD-RW
  • Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround sound output (for use with compatible AV receiver)
  • Component-video, S-video, and composite-video outputs; switchable for NTSC or PAL video outputs
  • Offers up to 4x zoom, parental control with password protection

I bought this as a second player for DVD movies, CD Audio, and MP-3 music discs burned on my Mac. It will also play Kodak Picture CDs or JPEG pics you burn on a CD.

So far, I have been very happy with this player for the price. It has all of the video and audio outputs I need, and it actually has some cool features found only on higher-end models.

First off, let me say that this is a LARGE component. It won't fit on top of a medium sized TV (around 26-27 inches). The entire cabinet is real metal, and has a solid feel. So what it lacks in compactness, it makes up for in sturdy construction-so sturdy that my Technics Pro Logic Receiver is sitting on top of it! The buttons on the front are minimal, but well arranged and useful. Unlike some of the other "economy" brands Cyberhome does give you an LED display on the front of the machine to see what chapter or track you're playing. The remote has glow in the dark buttons that-while not exactly intuitive-are logically arranged. The picture quality is quite good through the S-Video and Component Video hookups. By choosing the "SETUP" button and then navigating to the "VIDEO" menu you can actually adjust the brightness and contrast output of this player. In fact, it is ESSENTIAL you do so, as this DVD player seems to have the brightness and contrast values set to "LOW" at the factory. Having this feature is a nice plus.

What does the player lack? No Dolby decoding built-in, but it will let you output to an analog or Dolby digital receiver. It does seem to take longer to read and start playing a DVD than other players, but that's minor.

To sum up, if you want an affordable first DVD player, look at this one instead of the really cheap APEX. This one looks better and plays better. You won't find one better for the price, and may end up buying two for the price of one namebrand.

Buy CyberHome CH-DVD 402 DVD Player , Black Now

This fantastic DVD player is value priced, but packs the features of many more expensive players on the market. As a fan of imports and VCDs, I got it because it played DVDs from all territories and VCD/SVCD without a hiccup. It plays MP3s and even JPEG files very well too. All through composite videos, compression artifacting is almost non-existent. We're talking extra-crisp visuals and sound. This has become my primary DVD player, unseating a much more expensive DVD player thanks to all the features. I've got to say, for people looking for an entry-level player, this is THE player. And for anyone who's big on imports and want solid features, this is still a great consideration.

Read Best Reviews of CyberHome CH-DVD 402 DVD Player , Black Here

This is one great player. It is a large and heavy unit compared to other players in this price range, but I venture to say it will be around a lot longer. The tray is good and solid too. Just as importantly the picture and sound are great and it plays everything I've thrown at it. It also has a display and a super easy to follow manual. My son is returning his Norcent. No comparison in quality! Anyone interested can now pick it up at arguselectronics.com for 59.95 or data.vis.com (DataVision) for 59.99.

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This is a really good DVD player. The low price is the best but the picture and sound quality is the better than other manufaturers. This can play all region DVD and even mpeg movies. That is very helpful.

I becomes a fan of Cyberhome.

After two weeks of great performance it just stopped working. I put in a disc and the TV screen just displays "READ" forever. I tried it with several discs with the same result. Funny, I bought this unit because of all the great reviews. I guess it's just a crap-shoot with cheap electronics from little-known manufacturers! At least Amazon is willing to give me a refund!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

DXG DXG-506VK 5.0 MegaPixel Multi-Functional Camera with MPEG4 Technology (Black)

DXG DXG-506VK 5.0 MegaPixel Multi-Functional Camera with MPEG4 TechnologyThe various listings on amazon for the dxg 506 are all the same cameras.

The only difference is the colors be it black, blue, silver, or pink

so the reviews that purtain to one of them would apply to all of them.

If you want a low priced video recorder that will fit in your pocket, store on an SD card, and use AA batteries this would fit that bill.

Aside from the weak low light performance the worst thing I've found

on the camera is the lens cap tends to fall off.

La compre hace algun tiempo los videos son regulares de calidad vaja, las fotos son pesimas, y gasta denasiada bateria, se que es muy economica pero deberian mejorar el producto

Buy DXG DXG-506VK 5.0 MegaPixel Multi-Functional Camera with MPEG4 Technology (Black) Now

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Sony DVP-C660 5 Disc DVD Player

Sony DVP-C660 5 Disc DVD Player
  • 5-disc DVD changer plays audio CDs, video CDs, and DVDs
  • SmoothScan forward and reverse and SmoothSlow slow motion
  • Precision Drive advanced tracking system plays flawed discs
  • 2 S-video outputs, component-video outputs, 2 sets of A/V outputs, and coaxial and optical digital outputs
  • Compatible with Dolby Digital- and DTS-equipped A/V receivers

While this player accommodates just about every DVD with flawless quality on playback and excellent sound, it doesn't play DVD-R or other recorded formats (likely due to Sony's policy of not supporting 'self-archived media'). Other than that, it has a very nice menu system, easy to use remote and supports up to 5-discs.

Buy Sony DVP-C660 5 Disc DVD Player Now

This is the only one that can play 5 CD's and a DVD in one unit. I wish that someone could come up and manufacture another unit like this. I had to get this unit as a used unit and so far it is doing the job it set out to be. If this breaks down I will have to buy two separate units to do the same job as this one is doing.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DVP-C660 5 Disc DVD Player Here

Excellent picture qualityComponent output is almost as crisp as HDMI Sony Blu ray player. Beautiful distinct colors on the front panel for the playing(/played) disc(/s) and unplayed discs. I didn't buy this from Amazon.

Friday, September 12, 2014

TASCAM TMST2 Condenser Microphone - Cardioid

TASCAM TMST2 Condenser Microphone - Cardioid
  • Includes 10' cable as well as an 18" cable for video cameras
  • Great stereo imaging
  • Includes microphone stand clip, wind screen, AA battery and protective carry pouch

service was great!The mic does not have a very strong signal so I have to turn it way up causing excess line noise and a poor quality recording.I expected better from Tascam inspite of the price range.Useable but limited.

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Friday, September 5, 2014

4GB 4G UR-08 USB Pen Drive digital Audio Voice Recorder 70 Hours Blue

4GB 4G UR-08 USB Pen Drive digital Audio Voice Recorder 70 Hours BlueI've only used this a few times and its worked fine for me. Sometimes the back and the front pieces disconnect and you have to place them back together but that isn't that hard to do (as long as you don't lose any of the pieces). Also, the switch that turns on the recorder likes to turn off and on with the slightest touch so you have to keep it in an area that this won't happen (i keep it in my backpack in the clear part where your ID is suppose to go and haven't experienced any problems since i started storing it there). The voice recordings themselves are what i expected, a tad muffled. However, i sit in the back of the class generally and can still hear what the professor is saying on the recording. An unexpected feature that i enjoy is that the red light that turns on when you flip the recorder on, turns blue when it starts actually recording. I like this because it tells me when it starts and i know that its not dead (if the blue light goes out, i know it died). When you plug the stick into the computer, the red light also comes on. The memory part works great for me, just like any other USB memory stick. Overall, the product was a great price and works perfectly for me, just have to be careful on where you store it and that the 2 pieces don't come apart.

Used this to replace a prior instrument that did not work. This works very well. Easy to use. Appreciate the recharging light for the battery.

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I've been waiting to have one of this and..finally it's very useful..it's like multi-tasking..

You never knew that you are being recorded with this thing..

Read Best Reviews of 4GB 4G UR-08 USB Pen Drive digital Audio Voice Recorder 70 Hours Blue Here

Monday, September 1, 2014

Audio Technica AT-LP60USB Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable with USB Port

Audio Technica AT-LP60USB Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable with USB Port
  • USB output: no special drivers required for direct connection to your computer
  • Built-in switchable stereo phono/line level pre-amplifier. Permits use of turntable with stereo systems having either magnetic-phono inputs
  • PC & Mac compatible
  • Fully automatic operation keeps LPs scratch free
  • Two speeds: 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm
  • 2 speed turntable - 33 1/3 and 45 RPM

This has recently gone up in price, even apart from the Gold Box Special that greeted me. In a way, I wish I'd seen the higher price, which would have discouraged me from ordering so quickly. I remember when, in the '70s, it cost more to replace a Shure V-15 Type II cartridge than to purchase this turntable, which comes complete with cartridge, stylus, and 4 different connecting cables to cover just about all situations, even those for customers without a receiver/amplifier. It wasn't long before, in the '80s, the elliptical stylus itself went for over a hundred, eventually taken off the market by Shure due to the scarcity of its rare and costly constituent.

The point: for 60 to 90 bucks, you should not expect anything close to a genuine audiophile turntable--even though the machine includes auto tone arm lift, two instruction manuals, four well-made cables, cartridge and stylus. But the feature missing with this turntable, the one reason I wish I hadn't ordered it and had waited to purchase the next model up, is a counterweight for achieving precise tone arm balance as well as an anti-skating control for reducing pressure (and distortion) on the inside grooves of the vinyl LP, especially the tracks closest to the middle hole.

Nevertheless, given the absence of a counter-weighted tone arm and anti-skating control, this turntable does a highly competent job of tracking most recordings. In fact, it performs better than both of the ailing industry-standard, professional Stanton turntables that were proving increasingly problematic at the station. Also, the tracking pressure that I measured is less than 2 and a half grams, light enough to prevent the stylus from eating up your vinyl (at least not until after 2-3 playings).

The unit comes with built-in preamp, so not only does it not require an amp with a phono jack, but it doesn't require any amp beyond the one in your computer if your primary consideration is converting vinyl to digital. A couple of things to be aware of: the lift on the tone arm is too small to be of use for manual placement. You'll need to be comfortable with the automatic lift mechanism or forget about picking up and dropping down the tone arm with any semblance of accuracy. Also, in back is an all-important lever that switches the unit from "phono" to "line" connection. If you're using the unit without an amp with phono jack (beginning in the '90s, cost-conscious manufacturers began leaving them off of receivers and amps, though with the comeback of vinyl we've seen the reappearance of phono jacks), be sure to set the switch to "line." The same holds true if your connection involves use of any of the optional cables and connectors that are included with the turntable.

The turntable tracks quite nicely from what I've seen, and is worth the low cost. Still, before investing in a USB unit--without or without phono connectors--you may simply wish to save up for the best "conventional" turntable along with an amplifier or receiver that has a phono jack. That way you'll have a better chance of scoring some of the audiophile niceties mentioned above, and connection to your computer will be no problem--whether you have an 1/8" familiar audio jack or an adapter that will transform RCA into USB cables.

The software included with the turntable is Audacity--a respected freeware program that's capable of doing an excellent job but is not known for being the most user-friendly program. Other possibilities are Cool Edit (for PC users); Spin Doctor or Sound Studio (Mac users). Once you've converted a couple of LPs, it's a piece of cake--except for the potential of allowing the process to consume all of your time and life. (Try to resist the temptation to make up your own CDs, complete with jewel cases, printed front and back covers and spines, disc centers, booklets, photos, inserts, etc. Another not inconsiderable expense--in time as well as money.)

Buy Audio Technica AT-LP60USB Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable with USB Port Now

Have been waiting and watching and after my first use, download to the computer, and mp3 file creation, I'm happy enough to recommend this product.

For under a hundred bucks the quality seems great. The manual for setup of the system and software is well done with step by step pictures.

I have mine connected to both the computer and external speakers. I'm able to listen to the music while recording thru the external speakers and listen to playback of the downloaded music thru head phones on the computer.

the software has lots of options to play with. but the basic " push the red button to record " and file save as and file export, get the job done to make your albums digital.

Read Best Reviews of Audio Technica AT-LP60USB Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable with USB Port Here

Purely as a turntable, this is a satisfactory unit comparable to any other at the $50 to $80 range. The features that should have set it apart (and for which I purchased the item) are all woefully disappointing.

1) USB-Direct Recording: The true purpose of my purchase was to update my current phonograph configuration to a more convenient way to convert my LPs to MP3. When using the USB connection, there is a dull but constant power-cycle hum from the moment USB Codec is selected as the Recording Device. After attempting to avail myself of this feature with multiple computers in my home I have concluded that the USB connection should be considered unusable by even the least discriminating among music lovers (Perhaps power filters could be used to isolate potential ground-loops but even then, you would still have to contend with issue number 3 below).

[Updated: 03/28/2013]

Although I can't begin to account for what may have possessed me to try this, I've given the USB recording another attempt after upgrading my Notebook Computer to Windows 8. While several other hardware systems on my Notebook (bluetooth, fingerprint reader, blu-ray) have ceased to function due to a lack of driver support, the USB feature on this turntable now functions perfectly. No hum, just right.

I still can't give the turntable 5-stars because of items 2 and 3 below, but at least I can now take full advantage of primary reason I made the purchase.

2) The software: Always in search of audio recording software that would work well on a PC, I was eager to test the claims of Audacity as proclaimed in the included accessory description for this turntable. As it turns out, Audacity is open source freeware. Anyone can get a more recent version of the software for free online.

3) Pre-amp: The ability to play this unit directly through a sound system with the boosted "Phono" inputs of older receivers was a major draw. Having held on to an older receiver for the single purpose of bridging between my turntable and my newer AV receiver, I was looking forward to eliminating one large and superfluous component in my rack. Given the tragic failure of the USB connection, I had also expected this to be the viable alternative to converting to MP3 on my laptop. Sadly, this too was a failure. The pre-amp in this unit is unable to cope with the low input at the end of any track that fades out. The result is a very abrupt cut-off followed by a series of unpleasant audio events as the pre-amp cuts in and out. These events seem to indicate that the db level at the end of the song combined with the surface noise usually experienced between tracks rests squarely at the bottom of the volume range necessary for the pre-amp to engage. As it turns out, this is also the case with USB recording but one might not notice as the aggravating hum covers most of the audio at this volume level.

At this point, my only remaining choice is to use the non-amplified output and run it through the mic input of my Creative Labs SB1090 USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Audio System external sound card (a delightful purchase from Amazon which will be reviewed separately). Of course, I could have done this with my existing turntable as could anyone else who purchased a comparable unit at a comparable price.

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Starting with assembly, I must say it was very simple! The included instructions are clear and concise (including the connect-to-computer instructions).

Now onto the player itself.

The player's output to stereo (and phono) are wonderful! The quality is amazing! My only issue is that the length of the stereo cord is irritatingly short--about one foot long!

Ripping record to your PC or Mac is simple! Just install the software, press 'record', and start playing your record! The rips are wonderful quality, too (IF you convert to a lossless format. MP3 is obviously going to be of a lesser quality)!

Overall, I must say that I love this. Besides the short stereo cord, this is a great, easy to use, and compact record player.

Also included with the record player:

* A USB cable

* A stereo (female) to headphone-jack (female)

* A stereo (female) to headphone-jack (male)

* Installation disc for Audacity (the recording software)

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I was a little concerned about buying it because one user complained of a humming noise from not being grounded properly, but it worked great. I've recorded a dozen albums and am very happy with the purchase. Lots of options on the software that I am still figuring out, but overall, I am very happy with this.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Worlds Smallest Hd Digital Video Camera Mini Dv DVR

Worlds Smallest Hd Digital Video Camera Mini Dv DVRAt first I was very excited, I wanted the product like many others for airborne operations. I specifically intended to put it on my son's kite and on a weather balloon (after I get a GPS receiver). The camera is very small on weighs next to nothing, 15 grams.

It comes in a very nice tin. It was packaged very well and I received it in a very timely fashion. However, when I opened the instructions included in the cd I actually laughed out loud. The instructions are so ridiculous that it frustrated me for several hours. I charged the little device overnight (it only needs a few hours but I was going to bed). Because the instructions suck I thought it was not functioning. The camera would turn on and appear to go through the different modes and even worked as a webcam. But I could not seem to get it to function as a video recorder as advertised. What I found out through trial and error was that my Micro SD card needed to be reformatted. For some reason it did not want to function. After formatting the Micro SD card it worked like a champ. If the instructions were better I might have found this out a lot sooner.

I will upload a video review of the camera soon, hopefully later today. I managed to get about 83 mins of record time before the battery needed to be recharged. I will include some modified instructions if anyone is interested. They still are not perfect but you will be much better off than before.

HD Mini Camera User Manual

Product brief introduction

This product is a U disk storage, high-definition digital camera, camera motion detection, charge while shooting video, memory support 32GB, connects to the computer, direct storing function Micro SD card memory, security cameras, photo shoot and high-definition screen, the product has the advantages of simple operation, small and exquisite, beautiful and practical, easy to carry, is home security, education, living in areas such as the necessary practical tools, by the user's favor.

I Characteristics of Product

 It has small contour design, It is very fashionable and wearable and matches most outfits.

 Support webcam PC camera and chatting function.

 Support AVI video format.

 It can carry out high definition image recording under low illumination.

 Support 30 fps for 720*480

 Support USB1.1 and USB2.0.

 Support 32GB Micro SD card.(maximum) (This is confusing; here it indicated a 32GB card is supported but elsewhere it indicated 16GB was the largest card supported. I have a 16GB and it works great)

II Operation Guide

1. Charge

Before you use it the first time, charge it completely. The method for charging as following:

1.) Connect to computer: use USB cable to connect the computer, then it can be charged.

2.) Use adaptor: connect charger plug with USB cable, then plug into electrical connector receptacle, it can be charged.

When you charge it, the blue light will illuminate and red light will flash slowly, when finished charging, the red light stops flashing.

Notice: when battery power is not enough, the device will enter into protection mode, so it cannot be turned on. Charge it for continued use. Micro SD card must be formatted prior to use.

2. On/Off

Please confirm the Micro SD card has already been inserted!

Power on: Press power button for 3seconds , Blue indicator light illuminates.

Power off:In the suspended state, press the power button for 3seconds, indicator light turns off.

3. Video

Power on and device enters video mode, the red indicator light illuminates. Press REC (ON/OFF) once, red light will flash, indicating that recording has started; press REC (ON/OFF), the red indicator light illuminates stead, indicating suspension mode and saves the recorded content, if you need to record again , press REC (ON/OFF) once , and recording begins again.

Image resolution : 720 * 480 frames, 29 ~ 30fps / S.

Notice:

a. Please make sure Micro SD card has been inserted, if not, it will power off automatically after about 5 seconds.

b. The maximum capacity of Micro SD card is 16GB.

c. Saving file needs certain time, so please don't press Operation button continuously in order to avoid saving unsmoothly and generating incomplete file.

d. When you make a video, please focus on the object and keep 50cm under sufficient illumination. Then the video will be right, natural color, clear and stable.

4. Take Photo

In the video mode, press mode button for short time, device enters camera mode, and blue indicator light illuminates. Press REC once and blue light flashes once, taking a photo. Repeat the process to take another photo

Image resolution :1280 * 1024

5.Recording (Audio Only)

In the camera mode , press mode button, device enters recording mode, red and blue light begins to illuminate. Press REC (ON/OFF) once, device begins recording as the red indicator light illuminates and the blue light flashes. Press REC (ON/OFF) once, red and blue light illuminates again, stop recording and save. Repeat the process to record more than one track.

6. Motion detection

In the normal mode, press mode button for 3-5 seconds, blue and red indicator light begins to bright, now it enters into motion detection mode. Camera within a moving object, the Blue indicator light flashes once then off, while began recording. Motion detection video, camera range without moving object, the machine stops automatically after 60 seconds, the blue and red indicator light backs light, to continue moving detection status.

In moving detection status, press REC, red indicator light begins to bright, stop and save .

7. Charging while video

Shutdown state, hold the video/camera button, connected to the power line, equipment startup, entry charging while video state.

8.Time set

The detail as following:

1. Insert Micro SD card, connect to computer, find a text called TIME.TXT under root directory of card.

2011-05-01 23:59:59,

2. open TIME.TXT,write correct date and time in the above format. Any other format will result in an error.

9. Auto-power off function

MINI DV-006H will save file and turn off automatically as following:

a. When you shoot video without enough power, file will be saved automatically, then auto-power off.

b. When disk space of MINI DV-006H is not enough, the indicator light will go out and the file will be saved automatically then the camera will power off.

c. Under standby mode, without any operation in 45 seconds, it will be auto-power off.

10.Connecting computer

It can connects computer under power off mode, standby mode or video mode, after that which can be used as U disk, who can copy, cut and paste, delete file.

When you connect it with USB port, a portable disk mark will be seen after several seconds. Red indicator light shines steady, yellow indicator light will be from flashed quickly to always brights.

Notice:

a. When you connect to computer, if the machine cannot identify, or not see the portable U disk mark in 30 seconds, please insert it again.

b. It is better to copy or cut video file into computer hardware then play. Video file which is saved in the camera and played directly and will not play smoothly, the reason is that large amount of data cannot be transmitted fast enough.

11.PC Camera

Connect the device to computer with USB, the computer will identify the U disk, press any key, at this moment and the camera will switch to web cam mode. Then double click the network camera icon of my computer can be used as PC camera.

I too bought this little camera to do kite aerial video. It's very small, rivaling those keyfob cameras, and incredibly light. At $20 or less, it's worth a try.

The downside for me is the video quality. There may be more than one version of electronics for this camera, since other reviews mention smooth video. This is not too uncommon. Search on 808 keychain cameras to get an idea. My video is very jumpy, with a lot of slow rolling shutter distortions. This is with a class 6, 16GB micro SDHC card. Color balance tends to shift all over the place too, even in bright sunlight. I suspect that like some others, this camera really has a lower resolution sensor and upconverts the video to 1280x960. Either the sensor itself is slow, or the cpu can't keep up with the upconversion. Do not try to watch the videos over USB. Transfer the file first and then view if possible. The USB interface cannot keep up with the video stream. It uses MJPEG (motion jpeg) storage so the HD video files are huge, about 60MB/min.

The viewfinder is nearly useless. Not surprising at this size. It's only in focus with the camera 6-8 inches in front of your face, which makes the image too tiny to see.

Overall, for the price it's a fun little gadget to hang on a kite or RC without having to worry about it. The first time out, mine fell into a puddle. It wasn't immersed but it did get wet. It completely lost the video it was recording at the time, and became unresponsive for a long while. After few hours to dry out and a recharge, it was working fine again.

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I bought this just to play with but this product is really a scam.

The video is 1280x960 but they just put regular ntsc video in a frame so you get video with black bars that fill out the rest of the 1280x960 !!

The pictures are not 5MP (2592 x 1944) even in pixel size. The actual size is Width: 2048 pixels Height: 1536 pixels

which is 3MP but the pictures are heavily compressed or expanded and look like crap if you look at them 1x.

The camera has a clock which time stamps the video and pictures but there is now way to set it as far as I can tell so they all say 2007 !

the images say the Exposure Time is 1/15 sec. which is of course a speed which is unusable for a "handheld"

The manual says it has a motion sensing mode which triggers video. NO, in that mode mine records audio files.

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My wife got me this camera as a gift so I did not get to try it out until after the 30 day return period had past. I wanted it to use to take video from places where I would not want to risk a more expensive camera. Ex. The front fork of my motorcycle. The image quality was not bad, that being the pro. Here are the cons. The manual on the CD has been so poorly translated that it's close to useless. The OS on two different computers (one W7 and the other XP) would not recognize the camera. The vendor contact, in his infinite wisdom, suggested I forgot to load the driver on the CD. There were only 2 files on the CD and both were documents. The first was the manual in English (or something close to it) and the second was the manual in Chinese.

Here is an example of the manual: "When you connect it with USB port, a portable disk mark will be seen after several seconds. Red indicator always brights, yellow indicator light will be from flashed quickly to always brights." There is no yellow indicator light. My favorite was the section on the non-existent RESET button. "Use a slim pole to press the RESET button and then finish one reset operation" With a camera the size of a large postage stamp, a "slim pole" is not exactly the tool I would use. Of course it made no difference as there was no reset button.

After much experimentation, I was able to record video, but could only view it by removing the card from the camera and opening the file with an external card reader connected to my computer. I was intrigued by the fact that they manufacturer put a viewfinder on this camera that is too small to be of any use even if the image one sees through it was in focus. Bottom line, if you are expecting an easy "Plug and Play" device, this is not what you want.

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seller establishes high expectations. true it is small and inexpensive but, it is impossible to figure out how to use it. There is a whole industry of you tubes trying to explain operations and they all fail as well.

after hours and hours of hit and miss figured out how to change the date

can not eliminate the date stamp, and this ruins all the videos so basically worthless to me.

can not see the miniscule signal light to tell if it is recording when starting so every single video has a shot of my face looking at the camera with a very puzzled very up close look up my nose.

finally the the view finder is way off. If it was a gun site you would shoot the fellow next to you.

Had a chance to shoot the very elusive key deer, got a lovely picture of the woods, no deer...worthless.

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Friday, August 22, 2014

Sharp Aquos LC42D64U 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Sharp Aquos LC42D64U 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
  • 42" HDTV LCD-TV with Full HD 1080p resolution
  • 10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
  • 4ms Response Time
  • It featurees PC Input
  • RS-232C Input for control

After researching for 3 weeks, I was set on a Sharp TV. Sony was too expensive for my price range, and while I read a lot of good things about Samsung, this TV's features for the price sold me. After having it for a little while now, this is how I would rate it.

Price Excellent. 4.5/5 Sharp was the cheapest prices between the top 3-4 brands I looked at that had a familiar name and plenty of reviews. I did examine other brands with lower prices on 1080p TVs, but I couldn't really obtain enough informational reviews or enough good ones to justify purchasing any of them just for the lower price.

Picture Excellent. 4.25/5. I'll be honest, I was a little worried when purchasing a Sharp TV. First of all, I saw it's previous model (the D62U) at a Best Buy and a Circuit City and was not totally impressed with the picture, but I had heard that sometimes bad feeds or other issues can make a store-display not as attractive. However, my real concern was if my TV would have the infamous "banding" that seemed to plague some of Sharp's earlier models. You can easily find out what banding is by searching something like "Sharp banding issues". I won't go into specifics myself about that. Anyway, I had read this model of TV -canhave banding, but that it is not near as common nor as significant in earlier models. My TV has no noticeable banding issues at all, and I'm not going to go out of my way to nitpick and search for any small issues that may be there as I can't see them now.

As for the picture itself, it is great. Much better than the store displays for the earlier model that had me worry. Obviously, out-of-box settings aren't the best. At first I tried to change picture modes (of which there are several) to a User setting and tweak it using recommendations from some tech forums. This became tedious as people posted different specs and none were really quite looking right for me. So I gave up on that and just tried them on the default settings for what I was doing. I set my HDMI PS3 input to Gaming picture and it looks great. I see no reason to change it beyond that, it looks exactly as I was hoping for. Same with the Movie setting as well for my DVD input. No dead pixels and a crisp clear picture with good contrast black levels and brightness make it a great choice.

Plenty of options available for picture adjustment as well.

Features Very Good. 4/5 Plenty of inputs. You can read the specs in the item description. My only reason for docking it a point is because the 3rd HDMI and 2nd Component are located on the side and stick out when plugged in. I can understand this could be an eyesore for those wall-mounting it or just not wanting to see them sticking out. I am not using that 3rd HDMI port (yet), but I do have 2 component items hooked up and the cords sticking out the side and noticeable from looking at the TV straight-on plus the location of my TV itself does make it a tad annoying, but I am getting used to it and it's not really bothering me as much as it might others.

Overall Excellent. 4.75/5 (note, the overall is not meant to be an average of the other scores). Overall, it's definately a great buy. There is more that I could say and some things I have probably forgotten about that I wanted to say, but that's ok. I don't want to make this too awful long a review. So, yeah, basically my experience with this TV is amazingly good and I would easily recommend this TV to anyone who asked me. It's price, features, and picture easily won me over.

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I am writing this because I have seen some reviews trashing Sharp's customer service, and I felt the need to share my own experience to even things out.

I had originally ordered the LC-42D62U (not from Amazon sorry!), but discovered some minor 'banding' issues with the set when I hooked it up. Overall, the picture was outstanding, but in dark or deep shadow areas slight variations in tone were evident as horizontal bands. If I'd only spent a couple hundred dollars on the set, I might have just let it go, but for over $1500, this wasn't acceptable. I was initially nervous because, although most customer reviews for Sharp's LCDs were positive, some of the negative ones were accompanied by customer service horror stories. So, with some trepidation, I called Sharp. It was a Wednesday afternoon. The representative I spoke to was courteous and friendly, and asked if I could take a digital photo of the problem and e-mail it to Sharp. That was reasonable to me, so I agreed. I didn't get a chance to send the pics until Friday around noon, from my office. By the time I got home from work I had received a reply thanking me for the pics and promising a prompt reply. By the time I woke up on Saturday, I had received another e-mail saying they had reviewed the pics, would exchange the set, and would contact me to make arrangements. Monday morning I got a call at my office from another courteous rep telling me that my new set would arrive in 7-10 days, and the trucking company would pick up the old set when they dropped off the new AND that since the D62 line was no longer in production, they would be sending me one of their brand new (thinner, lighter, more feature-laden) D64's.

The exchange went off without a hitch, and the new set looks absolutely fantastic. Like all LCDs, some fine tuning was definitely required, as the out-of-box settings are overly bright and saturated (to make them pop on showroom floors), but once the set is properly tuned it looks amazing. Blu-ray is awesome!!

So, the product is a definite winner, and my initial problems were handled with speed, courtesy, and professionalism. All in all, I have to say that this turned out to be the best experience I've ever had with customer service from ANY company.

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After many hours of research I came to the conclusion that this TV would be the right one for me. I needed an LCD because the room that I have set it up in is very bright during the day and is in direct sunlight and LCD was the right choice. I have set it with PS3 as my DVD/Blue ray player using HDMI and the picture quality is fantastic. Overall I am extremely pleased with the build quality and picture quality of the TV. The remote control is not the best in the world but is sufficient. You will likely need a surround sound system since the speakers on TV's are not of the highest quality. I have used a Yamaha receiver coupled with Infinity speakers and this has worked great. One word of advise: If you buy from Amazon contact the seller after they have shipped the item so you can get the phone number for the shipping company so you can make sure someone is home when the TV is to be delivered. I had no problems whatesover. The TV arrived in great condition with no dead pixels. Overall I am extremely pleased with this TV and the price obtained at Amazon was great. I would highly rec. this TV to anyone.

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What a great TV. My first week was with standard signal, great picture. No sign of problems reported with earlier Sharps such as banding or dead cells. Appreciated how easy it was to move around and how it fitted into my entertainment center where other brands would have forced me to go 40". Yesterday I got HD satellite. Wow! Whether we watch high speed soccer games, or the Gallery channel fine art, everything is true to life. The satellite intaller also said he had never seen a TV that recognizes the satellite box rather than him having to set it up. He also said it was a very good TV, and I guess he sees a lot. The audio is very good. We don't have a home theatre setup, but the TV audio is more than fine. Amazon was a good buy. I see that Circuit City just advertised this box for a $300 discount, but still $200 more than I paid even if you include shipping. The package arrived in perfect shape, and I didn't have to carry it. Very happy customer.

Sharp 42" LCD HDTV

Model #: SHA LC42D64U

This was my first purchase for a flat screen television and I waited 3 months to ensure that this product review is as accurate as possible. I'm not the type of buyer to buy a new piece of electronic equipment on a fly. My last television lasted 10 years, needless to say I shop for a long term investment. This television in one word is "beautiful."

We (my wife and I) went to the store to buy a Sony Television--that's all we ever purchased in the past. They are simply too expensive and with the guide of Consumer Reports we started looking at the Toshiba televisions. We saw the picture quality of the Sharp Aquos LC42D64U and we were awestruck. We kept viewing other televisions and kept going back to the Sharp Aquos.

It's just a beautiful piece of Art when it is off. It is incredibly slim and the shiny bezel gives it a golden touch. When it's on, watching the HD channels is so mesmerizing that it literally transcends you. The regular channels look very good as well but of course, not as beautiful as the HD channels. We have a standard DVD player and even with that, the picture is absolutely stunning--imagine with an HD DVD player.

In addition, the television has an amazing list of features. It has several features including: an analog PC input, HDMI 1.3 with CEC and Deep Color support, side input panel, and a lot more picture adjustment settings. It also has an RS-232 control port if you have a control system for your AV. It has a USB port for updating firmware in the future which is a great addition (this will allow future HDMI protocols to be implemented).

The only draw back I would give is that the speaker sound quality could be better BUT that doesn't take away from the overall performance of the television. If you have a surround sound system, then that reasoning is moot. If you don't, I would still purchase this television because the sound is very good, just in comparison to the television you'll expect a master sound theatre.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Starlite 043769970382 7-Inch Dual Monitor PDVP

Starlite 043769970382 7-Inch Dual Monitor PDVP
  • Two 7-Inch TFT 16:9 LCD screens
  • DVD video and CD audio compatible
  • Supports CD, CD-R and CD-RW playback
  • Dolby digital (AC3) digital audio output

Got this at Target and it was "okay". The 2 units stay together with magnetics which are on each of the units. Our biggest problem was the volume control was not loud enough. Our kids are too young for headphones so this was a problem. The extras were nice headphones, guardian. Took back. Looking for something better.

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I purchased this at Target in July, 2007. Because we have had trouble with various electronic gadgets, we decided to buy the extended warranty (3 years for $19). Good thing we did. This unit was purchased for our longer road trips. It really didn't have that many hours on it. Unfortunately, it failed on our recent 800 mile road trip. This was only 5 months after purchase. The kids were upset, as that was their main form of entertainment for the long ride. Since they were unhappy, we were all miserable (you know how that goes!). I have contacted the Service Plan people and they will be sending me a credit for the amount paid once they receive the broken unit from me. It is unlikely I will purchase this Disney unit again. However, based on our track record, it seems like unless you're willing to pay good money for top brand electronics, none of them last very long.

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I just bought this DVD player at target like an hour ago. I came home and started reading the reviews and i'm going to return it! I bought this DVD player for my two year old boy/girl twins. I am taking them on a four hour airplane trip & thought it would be great for each of them to be able to hold their own screen so there would be no fighting, but....there is no battery pack so it has to be plugged in for it to work! I thought about just keeping it for the car but it sounds like a piece of junk :( I too was not offered the extended warranty.

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We bought this product on a whim for our kids. It entertained them during our long trips anywhere, with an added bonus that they each had their own screen in front of them.

The picture and sound (without the headphones) quality was great!!!

Would definately recommend this to anyone with kids!!!

We purchased this unit at Target last month. Fortunately we tried it out at home before leaving on a long road trip. It worked great... for about 45 seconds! Then the main screen went to static and we smelled a strong electrical smell. We brought it back to Target and received a full refund. We expected that Disney would only put their name on a quality prodoct, but sadly we were wrong!

Friday, June 27, 2014

LG BD690 3D Wireless Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV and 250GB Hard Drive

LG BD690 3D Wireless Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV and 250GB Hard Drive
  • Enjoy 3D Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p
  • Smart TV enables an easy way to access limitless content, thousands of movies, customizable apps, videos and browse the web all organized in a simple to use interface
  • The 250GB hard drive allows for easy storage and instant playback of music, photos, personal videos and VOD content available through the Vudu movie service
  • Integrated Wi-Fi Connectivity allows you take advantage of Smart TV from any available Wi-Fi connection
  • Standard DVD Up-Scaling delivers exceptional image quality from standard DVDs with 1080p up scaling via HDMI output

Received it and it worked fine for about 15 minutes. After downloading the update, the bd690 shut down and the HDMI port quit working. The component and composite outputs worked fine. After testing two HDMI cords and connecting the bd690 through my Denon 3808 receiver and directly into the TV it was obvious that the problem was the bd690. LG customer service was very quick to answer but the service was average at best. The person was helpful, but was definitely reading from a script. After telling her everything I had done she started asking me to test other HDMI cords, etc, which I had already done. They even had me download the incorrect update file the first time around. Will update when I get my replacement. Hopefully the firmware update doesn't blast the HDMI port every time...

Update: (5/8/2011)

Called LG about replacement on 5/7 as I still have not received it. This time around they tell me I'm not getting a replacement but that they are in fact "repairing" my unit. Not what they told me on the phone 3 weeks ago, and so much for the 7-10 day window. LG customer service falling quickly in my eyes.

The conversation went something like this.

Wondering when my replacement will come?

We are repairing it so it will take a little time to go through service

I was told I would get a replacement in 7-10 days

I don't see that in the notes

So I'm not getting a new one?

Yes you will get that as soon as possible

But you just said I was getting it repaired

Yes

So I'm getting a repaired one?

Yes.

Divide by zero at this point and hung up!

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If the main reason you would select this guy over another unit is the fact that it has its own internal hard disk you should be aware that usage is very unreliable. I've only loaded video off my camera so copyright protection should not be an issue. I can load some videos; play some videos; rename videos -or do just about anything and then all of a sudden the BD690 totally freezes up -I can not turn this guy off via the remote or even using the switch directly on the unit -the only option is to unplug it from the wall. This isn't a once in a blue moon occurance -it happens a lot.

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OK...so I purchased the LG BD590 because I don't have a 3D television or plan to get one anytime soon. However, I purchased it at a great price from Amazon.com ($199). Returned it because it wasn't upgradeable without problems...look at the reviews for the LG BD590 and you'll see that there is a bug everytime anyone tries to upgrade the software when it prompts you to do so. Also, the Netflix on the BD590 is simple...a few genre's listed and categories and you pick from them or your stored que...you can't search for movies by title. With the BD690, it is different---you CAN search by typing in words like you would on a Wii or Xbox enabled Netflix. Also, I haven't done it yet but it says on the BD690 you can hook up a Iphone or Ipad and use the keyboard to enter data. Also, the customer service rep I spoke to at LG told me the app for MLB.COM wasn't working on the BD590---I tried it and subscribed on the BD690 and the picture is so incredible...this blueray player must upscale something because the baseball game looked incredible and lifelike. Now, welcome the LG BD690---another reviewer commented that there isn't any Amazon VOD on it...that is true...but, when you do the upgrade it prompts you to do, you have it and a few more things including a Google portway to get on the internet and use your TV as a full internet ready setup...WOW. This unit cost me $50 more than the BD590 but was well worth it...including the ability to do Hulu Plus and other stuff---games, puzzles and more...I LOVE this player...and even though it was $50 more, it also came with a FREE $5.99 credit for Vudu to watch a movie on them....great right there...Get this player and you WON'T be disappointed!!! LOVE IT.

******---*********

UPDATE: Upgraded the software about a month ago...now, Netflix will not play...contacted LG and they say they are working on it...so, until a software update fixes this problem, I'm stuck NOT watching Netflix...it freezes up and no audio when trying to watch Netflix...everything else seems to work but there must be some compatibility issues with the software upgrade and Netflix.

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Have had the player for about 3 months now and am still waiting for LG to correct the problem. Spent a month waiting for them to come up with a new software update to correct the problem to no avail. Finally they said to send the player back for service. Have now done this twice and every time they send it back with the same problem. Now they refuse to replace it with a new unit with a new warranty. They want us to send it back for service for the third time. I have spent hours on the phone trying to talk to someone with the authority to replace the unit and have just been given the runaround. Thing is they know there is a problem with this player but won't, or don't know how to fix it.Product was great at first. Was very easy to hook up (under 5 minutes and was streaming)Problem was the software updates. First lost all the icons in the premium apps. Called LG. They told us to download an update for the software,this brought back the icons but totally made the audio distorted. Called them again, and again, and again. Been at least three weeks and still no solution for the screw up. Blu-ray discs have no problems with audio distortion, only any apps involving instant streaming. Can resolve the problem myself by changing the resolution in the network app everytime the player is restarted after powering down. Changing from 720 to 1080 or vice versa everytime you power up the player fixes the audio problem. A real pain. P.S.FIVE STARS FOR AMAZON. THEY STEPPED UP TO BAT AFTER EXPLAINING THE SITUATION AND OFFERED A REFUND ON THE PLAYER WHEN THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO. THANKS, AMAZON

I purchaed the 690 from Amazon several weeks ago. I received it on time and hooked it up quickly. I'm using 1.4 HDMI to my Panasonic 50GT25 and optical to my Yamaha receiver for 5.1 sound. It updated flawessly, wirelessly with a Netgear dual band router (my router is about 30 feet away in another room). Connection was no problem at all just push the button on the router and away you go. It was much less fussing than my Panasonic blu ray in the other room. I played Avatar on Blu Ray first and found out I had to go thru the settings on the LG and place it on pass thru to allow it to work with the encoder on my reciever. It came set for pcm stereo. The pass thru setting allows it to work with anything DTS, Dolby, whatever. Avatar was fantastic in blu ray, the sound was incredible just like you were in the middle of the jungle surrounded by wildlife. I next played a DTS audio recording of a band I had which my previous Sony and Panasonic players had problems with. No sweat, great sound. That got me really interested in seeing what it could do. I had a Dvd recorded of the Highwaymen live from 1990. This reissue was made in Austraila and was Pal encoded for all regions. My previous players, even one that was all regions capable could not play it. Played wonderfully in Dolby 5.1. I could find nothing that said it was all regions. The only thing I watch over the internet is Netflicks and I can actually select new movies to watch with out going to my PC. My Panasonic BD100 won't allow that. I have yet to watch 3D, no glasses and I'm in no hurry not much selection yet. One caveat, you really need to either view and read the 74 page manual on disc to understand set up terms (like pass thru) or print it out the way I did.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

2GB Card + Mini Camera Cam Pen Hidden Video Camera Recorder DV DVR ,Support Micro Sd Card 4GB 8GB

2GB Card + Mini Camera Cam Pen Hidden Video Camera Recorder DV DVR ,Support Micro Sd Card 4GB 8GBWhen I first received the Camera Pen I tested it out. It Worked as I expected. I bought an 8gb memory card for my new toy, however I need to read the instructions a little more careful, or it does not work with the 8gb memory card. It works great with the 2gb memory card.

The pen arrived quickly, and broke even quicker. Got one good video out of it, then started a second and when I uploaded to my computer I noticed that half the frame is blurred and has a pink tint, and the other half is clear--cleaning the lens off with a cotton swab didn't have any effect). The clip broke off on my third attempt. Just from clipping it onto my shirt pocket.

You get what you pay for.

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the one that i was sent is a piece of junk. instructions are not clear. do not buy this product

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Excelente producto, fácil de usar y muy buena resolución de imagen, lo recomiendo plenamente, no lo había calificado por que LIBERTY me lo entrego muy tarde, a pesar que el vendedor lo despacho a tiempo. Gracias

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This gadet only worked 1 time. I was very disappointed. I saw a similar item at Brookstone...guess I shoul've gotten it there.

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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Apex AD-5131 3-Disc DVD Player

Apex AD-5131 3-Disc DVD Player
  • Triple-disc DVD player with play exchange, karaoke ability, and 2 microphone inputs
  • MP3 and Kodak Picture CD playback
  • Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel digital output (for immersive surround sound when used with a compatible AV receiver)
  • Component-, composite-, and S-video outputs accommodate a wide range of TVs
  • Includes Apex Full-screen Function for viewing widescreen movies in full-screen on 4:3 TVs

I got this unit after buying a Daewoo DVG-5000 and finding it dead on arrival and having no success with Daewoo's pathetic customer service.

At first I didn't expect much out of this APEX machine but after getting it home I connected it to my older TV and VCR, powered the unit on, figured out which combo of buttons to punch on my myriad of remote controls and there it was ... a nice DVD movie playing on my TV and great sound coming from my stereo speakers.

The unit is able to play my DVDs, audio CDs, and CD-R/RW without a problem and the 3-disc changer is a pleasure to have for us couch potatoes. The remote has too many buttons for my taste but they all work as they're supposed to so I can't complain.

Have yet to try the MP3 and jpeg reader but I expect these functions to work as advertised and after my recent electronic experiences, it'll just be icing on the cake.

Having this kind of functionality available in such a low-cost unit is terrific!

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I was stunned on how well this DVD Changer works. I bought mine at Circuit City and was prepared to return it if anything went wrong. The reason I purchased this APEX product to begin with was because of some research I did on-line about the best DVD changers. I own a Sony DVD player which has all kinds of problems playing CD-Rs and just forget about DVD-Rs.

This APEX AD5131 supports every type of CD-R I've tried: SVCD, VCD, MP3, DVD+R, Kodak Photo CD, etc. The Karaoke feature is kinda cool too.

My only complaint is that you have to point the remote control on the exact same level as the front of the DVD player. Besides that I'm very pleased.

The price is awesome almost $100 cheaper than a Sony 3-disc changer that has less features and less Media type support.

Overall, I'm very happy about this purchase.

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We bought one of these in late 2001 or early 2002. For the price, it couldn't be beat. It supported just about everything, and it's 3-disc. Here are the drawbacks

Complex remote you have to look at it most of the time to use it.

Power button unit is a hard power off only, so if you power it off from the unit, you can't use the remote to power it on.

Will not automatically recurse subdirectories in MP3 play mode.

MP3s are displayed 13 characters max.

The tray jerks rather quickly. Early on, the 3" cd's would skip out of the tray and get jammed/scored on top. After a few months, full-sized CDs and DVDs skip out of the tray. Not always, but enough to be annoying.

If the player is on, the spindle is running. Always. There is no power-save mode, so if you are prone to leaving things on, expect the spindle to wear faster, and the whole unit to stay warm.

Now, at 1-1.5 years, we find that the unit locks up periodically, requiring a power reset to use. It won't play through an entire dvd before crashing.

This unit is no longer listed on apexdigitalinc 's website.

The firmware available for update is ONLY hacked / unofficial firmware.

That being said, there's alot of good support out there for these units...Just be sure to get extended warranty.

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This little guy is a diamond in the rough. I was looking at units from JVC and Panasonic for nearly twice the price. I sent back the $300 JVC since its 7 disk carrosel wouldn't shuffle disks or MP3 files.

The 5131 will not shuffle its 3 three disks but it will shuffle all music tracks, MP3's, or Jpeg images on the disk it is playing. Its pretty slick, you can create your own family album of Jpeg files and this unit will play it back in a slide show mode. I can pop in a disk with 150 MP3's and start it playing without even turning on the TV.

It does play DVD movies as expected and as mentioned in other reviews, the remote and user interface could be improved.

...

I've had two...first one was a dud. Gobbled up the first DVD I was watching about 15 minutes into the movie. Wouldn't rotate to let it go (I believe it may have been fried by a power fluctuation in my house, though).

Second one, (on a new ISOBar surge protector), flawless. The presentation for MP3 CDs is great presents in folder/file fashion like Windows Explorer. Can change two while third is playing, remote needs a little work, but other than that, you can't beat it for the price!

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Memorex Blu Ray Player

Memorex Blu Ray PlayerI have had this player for a week. I was skeptical about the brand but when I popped in my first blu-ray disc and saw HD in unsurpassed clarity, all of my fears dissolved... that is until I rented a new release blu-ray disc and was greeted with a red screen informing me that the disc could not be played on my blu-ray player without a firmware upgrade. I call Memorex and they explain that the blu-ray disc association has changed the formatting of the new disc and all blu-ray players would require a firmware upgrade to play such discs. This player is profile 1.1 and the CS rep dubbed the new format 1.2 (which I cannot find any reference to anywhere else). The rep assured me that a firmware update would be made available by the end of the week but that promise went unfufilled and a email to Memorex prompted a "we have no update currently available" response. So there you have it! Who knows when/if Memorex will provide the necessary update? I bought this anticipating seeing The Dark Knight in full HD but now I will be shocked if this will even be able to play the disc. Thanks for releasing a product that became obsolete after one week with no plans to update the firmware, Memorex! I can't wait to never buy one of your products again!

P.S. Why would the Blu-Ray Disc Association change the format of discs faster than the manufacturers of the players can keep up? Why would you produce a product that can't be consumed?

I received this player for Christmas. I hooked up the player and turned it on..& the Memorex logo pop up...and then nothing. A blank blue screen. I hit the open button, and the tray got hung up on something. Afer playing with the tray, I finally got it to open. I put in a BR Disc. Still no video signal just a blank blue screen. Couldn't access the set up menus and the movie wouldn't play. Defective player. I called Memorex 3 times, and waited on hold over FOUR HOURS total before finally speaking with someone. Memorex agreed the player was defective, and asked for a check for $7.50 so they could send me a new player upon receipt of the defective player. Before packaging the player, I marked the underside with a small bit of chalk. It cost me $18 to ship the player back to them...so I'm out $25.50 in shipping alone. Five weeks later, I receive a package from Memorex. I open it to find it's the exact same defective player that I sent to them, with the same chalk marking on the bottom of it. It wasn't repaired and had the same issues as when I sent it to them five weeks earlier. I finally gave up after calling them back three times and waiting on hold almost three hours. A total of seven hours of on hold time and still a defective player to show for it. With customer service like this, it's a miracle that Memorex is still in business, and should be ashamed of how they treat their customers.

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I bought the Memorex based on price and the reviews of others. It performed perfectly right out of the box. I haven't even attempted a software "update", since it has played every movie I've given it so far without a hitch. Only negative is the seemingly long star-up time (compared to my old DVD), but this may not be unusual for Blu Ray...especially a low-cost machine. Hooked up the HDMI output to my SONY 1080p and got a great picture. Set-up was fast and easy.

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I got this Blu-ray player for x-mas and it works great. I assume that mine shipped with the firmware update already installed.

I have played a dozen or so blu-ray movies & regular DVD's on it already without any problems at all. One movie skipped and caused me to restart it, but upon further inspection of the disc (regular DVD) it had a pretty deep scratch on it.

This would be a 5 star product except that it is slow to load, and slow to eject. Standing there hunched over, waiting for the tray to open / close is annoying... so I just hit the eject button, walk over the the kitchen, grab a drink, and when I come back the tray is finally open. I can live with that.

*** UPDATE 01-31-2009 ***

As it turns out, I DO need to install the firmware update. Initially all of my BD movies worked fine, but I was proven wrong when I got the new X-Files movie in from Netflix (my mistake). I downloaded the firmware update, burned it to a CD-R as vaguely described in their manual, and loaded the firmware from the player's settings menu. After several attempts at this, including the system freezing up, several different CD-R burns, and hours of frustration... It STILL does not work. I emailed tech support 3 days ago and have yet to get a reply. Oh, and because this unit is sooooo slow, it really has taken me over 5 hours of waiting and waiting for the player to attempt to load the updates. I will call on monday, and if I don't get the issue resolved I will find a way to return it.

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Aside from the general headaches of the Blu-Ray systems, such as slooow starts... this is the worst player I have ever seen. I have had mine for a couple years(?). I have had to install 2 updates. I'm currently on update Sept09 (today is 9/2/2010). Today I could not play "Date Night". I checked for a new update.... nothing. The update instructions were atrocious. I had to try at least three times and took over an hour for the first update. You should hear the noise it makes now.... loud! Memorex released this inferior product and does not support it. Never again. There are enough other Brands that I never have to buy another Memorex product. Memorex MVBD2510 BR player.

Update 1/29/2011 I double checked. It's been 2 years of misery. It still plays 95% of the BR discs. Still very loud. It hasn't died yet. So freaking slow.

No new updates since Sept 2009. The model 2510 is considered a discontinued model. It is getting more and more difficult to find the support page. Try:

Friday, April 4, 2014

JVC XV-D723GD Progressive-Scan DVD Player, Gold

JVC XV-D723GD Progressive-Scan DVD Player, Gold
  • DVD-audio format capable of 192 kHz/24-bit audio playback (also compatible with DVD-videos, CDs, and Video CDs)
  • Uses JVC's 1-bit P.E.M. D.D. digital-to-analog converter with 2 to 4 times the resolution of conventional 1-bit DACs
  • Progressive-scan component-video output with 10-bit, 54 MHz digital-to-analog video converters
  • Decodes Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround formats and offers coaxial and optical digital-audio outputs
  • Multibrand remote with onscreen graphical menu and jog shuttle

I own 3 DVD players. A Toshiba SD-3109, a Pioneer DV-434 and this JVC XV-D723GD. This is by far the most functional DVD I've ever own. I agree with all the words spoken of by the Editor's Review. I can add a little more input by saying that I have the JVC XV-D723GD on my 1999 model Elite (Pioneer) 65" Widescreen High Definition TV. The JVC DVD player replaced my Toshiba.

The audio is better than the Toshiba. I am a audiophile however, my wife and mother are not who also noticed a difference as they mentioned it first to me before I commented on it. I liked the five analog connections for the audio in the back and the player translated the audio with theater like fidelity. I have a 5 speaker setup (2 front, 2 rear, 1 center) but no subwoofer attached to a pretty decent Onkyo Receiver you can find today for around $.... My Toshiba wasn't bad with the audio setup, but I had to disperse the sound in all five speaker to get the clarity I wanted in contrast with a true 5 speaker setup. On the JVC, I just needed to set the speakers in the menu in expert mode (easier than you think and explained in the manual) and the focus of the Center speaker meshing with the front & rear speakers became as good as if I was sitting in a new AMC Theater. One thing I did not like is that if I put in a pair of head phones to my receiver, the player didn't adjust to "headphones" but stayed on a 5 speaker setup. This made voices and sound to distant and indiscernible. I had to stop the DVD, go to setup and change audio to 2 speakers, then restart with scene selection on the DVD movie.

The Video quality are the best colors I've seen on DVD. In fact, with "progressive scan" on (you must use the three Composite Video Cables *not* provided in the retail box on a Widescreen TV to get "progressive scan"), the picture got rid of all the "jaggies" (round shapes that are not smooth looking on the screen). For instance, the movie Mulan shows many "jaggies" clearly seen on many of the characters shoulders and heads when "progressive scan" is not used. The JVC XV-D723GD removed these to be not visible nearly all the time. The fidelity is so clear, it took me several hours to get used to the blacks or shaded scene shots. It took the clarity of this JVC DVD player to notice that some movies are more gray scaled in black. Mulan for instanced is much more shaded in it's blacks than Tarzan (Disney). I thought it was foggy at first, but it became apparent that it only had this affect on me on the more faded black and shaded movies. A good contrast on this point for me to tests this was with the movie "X men" (excellent brilliant blacks and shades) and the movie "Finding Forrester" (very gray scaled blacks and shades). After putting in over 20 different types of DVDs it became apparent that it pick up the Blacks "more true" than the Toshiba did. The only drawback I have not like on the JVC XV-D723GD is that the player takes over my Elite Widescreen TV. After setting the control of the DVD menu to see a "16X9 auto" display, it would play a "standard format" or 1:33 to only show up in "Full" mode on my TV. For those without experience with a 16X9 TV, this means people and objects on the screen become a little oval due to the wider screen. We remedy this by changing the TV mode to "Natural Wide" however the DVD would lock me out from doing this task on my Widescreen TV. I simply set the DVD control panel to see a 16X9 normal (or fixed) Display and the standard format or 1:33 DVD movies would play with black bars on both horizontal sides instead of top and bottom. No biggie to me on a 65" widescreen, but it may bother some for various reasons which is why I am pointed it out.

The remote is very well thought out in "terminology", colors and grip, however, it is small. On my Toshiba DVD, the buttons were far enough apart with infrequent buttons hidden in a slider compartment. This meant that in a dark room, I could just grab the controller and easily learned to feel my way to the "pause", "enter", "play", "next" "menu" or "stop" buttons. The remote on the JVC player is not like that at all. I don't believe I can master this remote in the dark, but will have to turn on the lights most times when trying those task. On a good note, the "round speed dial" is big enough to grab the remote quickly in order to back track (for those, "what did he say moments" in a movie) simply by turning the dial. This feature will act like a VCR's forward or backtrack.

OK then, to rap up, everything worked for me out of the box and I am thoroughly delighted with this product. I can live with the minor flaws that are happening with my personal home audio/video system as they really don't get in my way enough to bring much frustration to me.

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I've been using this unit after purchasing it from a Best Buy store for 200.00(customer return) and am pleased with both the picture quality(S-VHS output only) and the audio quality-optical inputs for surround and Audioquest Topaz for 5.1 outputs into a Sony DA 333 ES reciever w/Audio Physic Virgo(mains) and Alesis studio monitors for center and surrounds. I purchased Bela Fleck's 'Planet" DVD-audio and was impressed with the spatial depth and breadth of the recording. Individual breaths of the performers could be heard and the noise floor was well below the perception of my feeble hearing. If anyone has any recommendations to some quality disks, please inform...

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nice player for about 3 months then dvd's stopped playing. player was under parts warranty but just out of labor so brand new laser cost me (for) labor and the part (...) was jvc's responsibility. they've had it now for 2 weeks, and no sign of getting it back soon. their customer support is terrible. i've been transferred and referred to 3 different locations, all of which knew absolutely nothing about the problem. i finally got to a customer service representative manager who is supposedly rushing the player through service. my daughter is about to have a cow since she can't watch her shrek dvd . . .

i have no idea about other companies (sony, panasonic, toshiba, etc.) customer support, but i should've waited until outlaw audio releases their dvd player (the best customer service in the business!)

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While it worked, the player output a decent picture. However, it didn't take long for the unit to fail. It now plays movies for about 30 minutes before it begins to pixellate and finally freeze up. After cooling down, the unit can again play for about 30 minutes. It's pretty useless now and the warranty has expired.

I have been a life-long customer of JVC (camcorders, stereos, etc.)... I'll never buy one of their DVD products again. They have produced a golden piece of junk here.

Had one when the DVD-A craze hit in 2000; brand new and defective on some soundtracks. Too new to fix so they replaced it. Got the hint and sold it right away. These are terrible players and should be avoided like the plague!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

SanDisk 128 MB SmartMedia Card

SanDisk 128 MB SmartMedia CardYou can't go wrong with SanDisk cards! I use my memory cards under heavy heavy usage for digital imagery and audio. My cards get beaten on as they get pulled out of and pushed into many different devices. Oftentimes, I don't bother to turn off power. I've never had a single SanDisk card go bad ever! I now buy them exclusively.

My negative review is based on one experience with one card with one manufacturer. Since this was my first experience with digital photography, I am hoping I was just unlucky and that this will not prove to be a regular experience.

I purchased the Sandisk 128MB card with my Olympus 2040 camera in November and took both on a vacation to Italy. The camera worked out great, but I noticed a problem with this Sandisk card on the third photo. I knew photo #3 was lost but assumed my other photos would be okay. On my return home I tried to transfer my 240 photos to my computer, but got disk errors. I called Sandisk and the customer service rep informed me that the only way to save my photos was to send the disk to a data recovery service. I found some services on the internet, and discovered that this is a growing industry. Recovery of my photos would cost $300 more than I am willing to pay.

I asked the Sandisk customer service rep if disk failure was a common problem. To my horror, he said yes, this happens all the time. So my advise to aspiring digital photographers is to take great care with your memory cards, test them out before important events, and always keep a backup card on hand. I have since purchased a Viking 128MB card and it has worked flawlessly. But, for the foreseeable future I will rely on my old faithful Nikon SLR as my primary way to preserve important photo memories.

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What more can I say except that they work flawlessly with my Fuji 2600 camera ?

The card has never given me any problem for last 2 months. I have used it to its full capacity couple of times. And its worth its price since the 64MB also costs a similar price.

Sandisk has a 5 year warranty on the card, which I think should be sufficient given the way the memory cards have been increasing in their capacity and the increase in MP's of digicams.

If are using a Sandisk rebate offer, they do have a rebate phone line to call & inquire about your status. I haven't got mine back yet but beleive that I will. ... So you can count on the rebate offer to lower your price....

Also there have been some concerns with using a 128MB card in place of 32 or 64 makes your camera slower ? Well as far I have observed, the camera is sligthly slower when starting the review for pictures on the camera. Other than this (expected) slowness, there's none to it. The smartmedia cards of all sizes have same speeds, unlike compact flash cards.

Update : I got the rebate back from Sandisk, so you can count on it !

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I recently received a Fuji Finepix F601 as a gift; the giver, a professional photographer, included a Fuji 128MB Smart Media Card as a matter of course. Thank goodness he knew what he was doing in terms of storage needs, at least -the 601 only comes with a 16MB card, which on the 601 is only enough for 5 images at the highest recording level. If you're getting a compatible Fuji, Olympus, or other-brand camera, you really need the highest storage card possible.

But it turns out these cards are fragile, and fingerprints can short them out or cause problems with the camera or reader being able to access their contents. So the best way to keep them around forever is to get a 128 MB card and never remove it! Ideally, then, this should be a solution coupled with the purchase or ownership of a camera which interfaces directly (USB or firewire) with the PC, so there won't be a need to remove the card. Ever. That security, and the ability to store over a hundred 8x10 print-quality pix on one wafer-thin card, makes the bigger sized card easily worth the extra cost if you're getting a Fuji or other-brand digital camera.

As for brand...well, after trying a Fuji and a Viking card, and checking the wiring stats on both, it turns out the brand names of Smart Cards have almost nothing to do with quality -these are, for all intents and purposes, interchangable -so buying the cheapest one out there is the best bet. And, with rebates, the Viking card IS the cheapest Smart Media brand on the market -by a factor of about 10% or more. With no complaints and lots of joyful picture taking happening in my house, I therefore give SanDisk five stars for the basic product, then...but take away one star for a higher cost. Sorry, SanDisk.

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I had purchased an 128MB Olympus card (at premium price) along with my Olympus C3000 camera. But recently, I got a deal so good (at Costco), I could not pass up the opportunity to get another card.

This SanDisk product worked as expected, no problems storing, downloading, etc. Only drawback is that the "panorama" feature of the camera does not work with this memory card (but that is why I paid the higher price for the Olympus card).

Now, I have enough memory not to worry about running out during a week-long trip.