Olympus WS-560M Digital Voice Recorder with MP3 Playback

Good voice recorder, rechargeable Ni-MH AAA battery, USB jack slides out the bottom for upload to PC. Very capable device, good sound quality. Have used with Dragon Naturally Speaking, so far so good. GRIPE: To recharge, slide USB jack out, HOLD STOP BUTTON, and plug into USB port. Um, not great. Forget to push the button the right way, no charging happens, with no alert (silent FAIL).

I use this recorder to record messages preached at a local church. I hook a lapel microphone to it and drop the recorder into my pocket. It works wonderfully. The recorder comes with a rechargeable AAA battery; however, one can use a standard AAA as well. It recharges when plugged into the computer, but only when you place it in recharge mode.

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Motorola V557 Cell Phone Cingular AT&T

Pros:

1. Clearest, most consistent reception of any Cingular phone I have used (metro Chicago).

2. Intuitive, flexible navigation typical of Motorola.

3. Loud ring and earphone volume.

4. Reasonably large and high-res screen.

5. Easy to access and get detail on recent calls and messages.

6. Battery life is fantastic.

Cons:

1. As other reviewers have noted, the news "Ticker" takes up lots of screen and doesn't tell you all that much.

2. Web navigation is s-l-o-w and clumsy.

3. Vibrate mode is weak.

4. Screen colors and themes limited.

If you want a phone to make phone calls, the V557 is a winner.

Topeka, KS, Cingular service. Just got the phone yesterday, but I've played with it enough now to be pretty pleased with how it is working. The other reviewer has an axe to grind (he put the same low rating on ALL motorola phones!)

Back to this phone... very nice fit and feel, love the non skid surface it has, and also like that it has some weight to it. Camera is adequate, but not great, but as others say, buy a digital camera to take nice pictures and get over it. I do not have a problem with the volume button on the side, but I am able to put it on 'soft' which does not alow you to adjust it from the outside. Vibrate and other options probably will help, I don't know what someone would do if they need it on loud.. my SO has one also, and we will see how he gets along with his today.

Keys are big and easy to use, the center 'mouse' is very easy to use, personalizing the keys is easy.

Reception is crystal clear, and signal strength is equal to or better than the nokia 6340i that I had (TDMA/GSM quad band phone)

I'll know better when I do my 3.5 hour run to Nebraska in a few weeks, and will try ou the speaker phone then as well.

Both inside and outside screens are nice and clear and easy to read. I've turned the brightness down to the lowest setting, and it is plenty bright. The menu is different, but pretty intuitive, I am able to find and personalize most things without the manual. I'm not taken by the ticker...on the fence on that one, but I get my news fix from the Net on a computer. Seems to have quite a few ads on the ticker so far.. bleah.

Acessing the net for the channels on the ticker is very easy. There is a pause between accessing, but not as bad as my s l o w phone connection at home.

Not much for ringtones, but I'll get it figured out how to add some, hopefully without a ton of money spent.

I'm going to try the blue tooth headset.. haven't yet.

Checking out the battery life, but there are quiet a few options, screen saving, turning off the ticker, etc that would probably extend it.. like having the options to do that.

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I love this phone! I originally made the mistake of buying the sony ericsson z520a and hated it. I have always been a motorola fan and always will be. This phone looks great, has killer reception, and is very well made (it is really solid). I am very picky with my phones and this is by far one of the best phones I have had. My husband is very jealous for he has the new nokia flip phone and is not too happy with it. I would recommend this phone to anyone who wants a quality product that truly shows. This phone has made me a motorola fan for life!

Read Best Reviews of Motorola V557 Cell Phone Cingular AT&T Here

So, a RAZR is sexy, yes, but let's face it. Everyone and thier grandma wants a RAZR, and most people will buy it now that it's cheaper. I really never saw universal acceptance as terribly cool. Now then, I owned the V300 from Motorola via T Mobile. I broke it. The phone was sturdy; I was just a bit of a jerk. T Mobile on the other hand, was fuzzy, vague, and too costly. The V556 is an improvement over my past phone, and I love the design. It also has features similar to a 1st gen RAZR, but hey, you're on Amazon, you can figure that out yourself.

Cons:

*Accidentally pushing a button and accessing Cingular's internet is too easy to do. That internet, as best as the manual tells me, often incurs charges for data transactions, not just online services.

* So many nice features, so little onboard memory.

* Motorola is very afraid of a flash with thier camera.

* Cingular is stingy with the ringtones and backgrounds. Seriously, T Mobile included at least 4 times more for free. It shows a very business decision, which is a not so nice reality check when I'm switching providers on the basis of consumer benefits.

* Online features, like headlines, weather, and sports, are overrated. They take up a large portion of the screen whenever you are at the main menu, and you pay for anything more than a summary. They cannot be hidden without deactivating the service. It's a bit glaring when you have the instant $$ internet button but no way of hiding this feature that is so lauded and convenient.

* The fact that I can't hide the online features I do like when not using them puts me off. So much so, that I won't even look at the pay options. Why pay to be annoyed?

* It was so nice of my phone to warn me of the fact that elaborating on the online features (such as a headline) incurs a charge. Found that out on day two. Said feature has been off since.

Pros:

* Rubbery grip equals less slip. Rhyming, unfortunately, does occur.

* Bluetooth.

* Big buttons

* Battery life is phenomenal.

* Never had a clearer sounding phone.

It feels like an empty victory. Much better phone, better features, but trying to do anything other than placing a call feels like walking through a bazaar with a belt made of dollar bills. T Mobile was cheap on the features, but they didn't make it so easy to waste your money. This phone is like an attractive date who's only interested in your money. I'd dump it, but we have this commitment... and it's sad that I won't find a hotter phone.

Love the phone, but the unabashed way they want my extra money does little to "raise the bar" on phone service.

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If you've ever switched brands, you know it can be a challenge. Adapting to the Motorola V220 flip-phone from a Nokia "candy bar" style phone was OK, but after losing my V220 (no longer available) I tried an LG 1500 and found it unusably alien, its display inferior. I returned the LG and got this V557. It's quite a bit more expensive if you buy the phone straight out (I paid $269), but just about worth the extra money. The display looks like a miniature TV!

It loads games noticeably faster than the V220 did although it occasionally hangs for a second or two during play. The video and camera work fine and have more memory. IT RUNS FAR LONGER ON A CHARGE than any other phone I've had! Wow! Inexpensive car chargers are available at Wal Mart and Target. Overseas (notably SE Asia), you can just buy another SIM card at a 7-11 store and then you have a local phone number --just call from that to pick up your voice mail at home; it's cheap. (The 7-11's also have scratch-off cards to "fill up" on usage minutes as you go --no contracts.)

One thing about the Motorolas: if you turn off caller ID so that the person you are calling cannot see your phone number, it's for the "next call only" and then it goes back to sending your number. It takes fifteen (15) clicks to do this(!) on the V557, so if you want it off all the time, this might not be the phone for you. The only problem I've had: twice in four months it said "unable to charge" while on the wall charger. I unplugged the charger, removed & re-inserted the battery, and that fixed it.

The recently-dialed list holds sixty numbers, many more than the V220 held. On Cingular you get free news headlines (can be turned off); you don't pay unless you press "More" to download the entire article. There are built-in messages such as "Will arrive in 15 minutes," plus you can store your own. The speakerphone on back doesn't work as well as a real speakerphone, but it'll do if you just want to play your guitar into the phone for a minute. :-)

Sony ICD-BX112 2GB Internal Flash Memory Voice Recorder + Accessory Kit

I have had several digital recorders . I always go back to this brand. Whether it is not taking notes for a class , or just to remember something along the way. it is easy to divide the different subjects by folder . Another positive aspect is the battery life is long lasting. I bought my recorder at least 6 months ago and the batteries are still full!

RCA RD2780 20GB Lyra Personal Digital Multi-Media Player

• 20 GB hard drive and digital multimedia player
• Plays MP3 formatted audio and is MP3pro ready
• Stores any file type, including word processing documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and more
• Comes with MusicMatch personal music management software
• Uses USB interface to connect to you computer

Last week I bought a Lyra 40GB mp3 jukebox and really enjoyed the storage, how it functioned as a hard drive, the sound, and ease of use.

The one thing that kept nagging me was how the 40GB mp3 jukebox was $299 and the Lyra AV was $399, so why not spend the $100 more and get the video player/recorder?

At first I loved the RCA AV device and spent the entire weekend playing with the features that were available. It was good improvement over just a pure mp3 jukebox, however after a few days the drawbacks and limitations became clear.

These are some big problems:

1. The video you capture is in ASF format and not avi, which makes editing in a common video editor a far tougher task.

2. The picture play back is only for .jpg files and not all jpg compression files worked.

3. Battery life with video only or mp3 only was very close to the same, which is alarming. The battery indicator also would go from full charge to 1/2 to 3/4 and never showed the correct charge. In one mixed function test the system ran for almost 3.5 hours. After another full 6+ hour charge it ran for about 2.5 hours in the same conditions.

4. The latest January 15 firmware adds a few features and fixes some problems, however a large amount of functionality is still missing.

5. RCA restricts users from backing up copyrighted works. People have figured out a work around, however there are several things that could be done to tighten copying, which severely restricts the usefullness of the device.

6. The system OS also runs slow. Checking the Lyra status screen took more than 2 minutes for some reason. At random times switching songs, stopping playback, or performing simple functions gives you 10-30 seconds of lag and it almost appears as if the system locked up.

The best things about the RCA AV jukebox include the nice TFT screen, the sleek form factor, the lower price, how so many accessories are included in the box, and how it forced Archos to lower the prices on their competing products.

If the RCA came out with complete functionality, recorded in avi format, and offered the same functionality as the Archos players it would have been a serious hit.

As it stands the RCA player is functional, has some good points, but it fails in a side by side comparision with the Archos. The promise was there, but the delivery was not.

Perhaps with jukebox 2 from RCA or after 6 more months of firmware updates the Lyra will be better competition, however there is a good chance future devices will be even further restricted as time goes on because media companies will just blame them as tools for abuse, ignoring the fact that any PC or Mac out there is a far better tool for any person wishing to pirate media.

I initially gave the Lyra a 5, but now feel it deserves a 2.5-3 for what it currently delivers. I am moving to a Archos AV340 because after my experience with the Lyra and after further research it appears the additional money is well worth it when it comes to these types of devices.

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I gave the RCA lyra AV 4 stars only because it is a bold new product that has few competitors and deserves praise for being a high level of versitility out of a 1st generation product. That said, if there were many PVPs out there on the market, then I would not recommend buying this particualr one because it has many quirks.

Cons:

1) Battery life is pretty short. But this isn't such a big deal to me. It comes with an AC and car adapter so the only place you have to wrroy about this is outside.

2) When recording video, it is slightly out of sync. I recorded the Matrix Reloaded onto it yesterday and the lips were slightly out of sync. Just enough to be bothersome, but still watchable.

3) Many JPEGS show up as "format unreadable." For no reason whatsoever the RCA lyra chooses not to read some JPGs while allowing others to be read.

4) Limited readablity of video formats. Simply put, if you dont have a program with AVI MPEG layer 4 codecs, dont get this. It is annoying that it doesn't read a wider range of formats.

5) The included software is NOT Apple MAc compatible. I am an Apple user, and while the RCA lyra AV showed up on my desktop as a disk drive PERFECTLY without installing drivers, the included Musicmatch and firmware transfer sowftware is for PC ONLY. When you recieve your Lyra, you will absolutley NEED to update the system's firmware. YOU MUST have acess to a PC-compatible computer in order to do this. NOT A MAC! But otherwise, transfering movies, pics, and mp3s to the lyra on a mac is a simple drop and drag procedure.

6) You CAN NOT read Text, Excell, Word, PDF, or any other files on this machine. This is slightly decieving, because the description DOES make it seem like this is possible, by saying "view files such as word and excell documents." What this means is that you can LOOK at the file NAME and see that it is there, but cant look at the FILE itself!

7) Not to be petty, but the machine looks GREAT, except for these odd orange stripes ugglifying the back panel. Poor choice of color.

8) Cheap buttons. It has these little plastic joysticks that feel loose. One of mine is not even centered. This machine, for this price, should have touch sensative buttons like the apple iPod. This is only a minor drawback though.

Pros:

1) AMAZING sharp screen. A pleasure to watch video on. I mean, I never thought I could sit there and watch a movie on a little screen like that, but this screen is so crystal sharp that I was blown away.

2) Even though lips are out of sync, the sound and video quality of video recorded directly onto the lyra is SUPERB! I mean, it is just freaking incredible. The sound will blow you away. Again, a pleasure.

3) The look of this machine is great. Except for the buttons, it feels solid. Nice silverish color and black screen. The operating system is flashy and full of colorful graphics and sybols. It looks pretty.

4) Although I dont LIKE the case it comes with, the fact that it comes with a leather case at all is a plus. Any case will extend the life of a product.

5) Lots of great features. Allows you to set the recording time so you can start the recording at the begining of a 1 hour TV show, and it will automatically stop at after 1 hour. This is great so that you dont have to attend to the machine.

Overall, I think this is an AMAZING first generation product with about as many quarks as a typical first generation product has. It deserves 4 stars because I believe that it delivers everything it promises. Dont believe anyones review that says "THIS IS AMAZING!! BEST PRODUCT EVER!!" or "THIS THING IS TRASH!! GARBAGE!!!" They are extremes and dont accuratly represent the RCA Lyra AV. The truth lies in the middle.

My verdict: If you ABSOLUTELY MUST have a PVP, and cant wait a few more months untill the consumer market grows with many more PVPs, then get the RCA LYRA. I promise you wont be dissapointed. But if you are weary about getting a PVP, and are (...) and want a perfected top notch machine, wait it out. Hopefully Apple will come out with one and will blow away all of the competition!

But for now, I say the RCA Lyra AV is just plain fun to use!

-propynyl

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This item is excellent.... i give it 5 stars i have had a long time to review this so i would know...all the problems that people have can be fixed with updates,warrantys, or by this review...(lol)Mp3 sounds wonderful..the movies are good...but

this item has its glitches.. as long as you update right when you get it and before you put anything on it or do anything with it, it will be fine..... a little slow cf transfer and it is picky with the different types of movie files are allowed on it....

here are some helpful tips

HOW TO RECORD A COPYRIGHTED DVD ONTO THE LYRA:

step 1: pick your dvd and plug the cables into the dvd player...

step 2: start recording your dvd and after 6 seconds stop the movie (where you are allowed to resume it) or unplug the connection cables attached from the RCA to the dvd player... the LYRA takes about 9 seconds to determine a copyrighted dvd so after about 7 more second replug the cable back into the dvd player and there you go...BUT NEVER STOP RECORDING ON THE LYRA WHEN YOU UNPLUG THE CABLES...it wont work...

HOW AND WHERE TO REPLACE THE BATTERY ON THE LYRA:

This website i am about to give you sells the battery for the lyra and gives instructions on how to replace...there are screws on the lyra that you need a certain screw driver for (included with the purchase of a replacement battery)..FOR those who said it couldnt be done..you were wrong....(...)

NEW SOFTWARE UPDATE INFORMATION:

Reliable sources from RCA tell me that hopefully soon to be released updates will allow more movie transfers and new features that arent available already.. also they are hoping to come out with a digital camera attachment for the lyra...(release date unknown) the camera is a rumor but RCA said themselves they are going to work with the rumor... Many new things might be available in the next year

-possible longer battery life

-more hard drive space

-more advanced audio features

-for movie buffs, different movie types being allowed....

that is all i have heard so far.. hopefully amazon will post this so all the wondering eyes looking for good reviews can find this .

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As many other reviewers have stated, this device is really cool. Essentially for the same price as the Apple iPod 20GB, you get Video, too!

BUT... RCA was clearly not ready to release this thing. You have to be fairly A/V and computer saavy to fully use this thing. First, you have to update the firmware and the software that came with the unit. Then you have to figure out how to dump video to this sucker. You could always encode off of the line-in, but that's too pedestrian. Most of us want to capture video in my case from a TV tuner card and dump the TV show or clip to the Lyra for later viewing.

The problem is you can't do this with the software that comes with the unit!

So I went and bought a fairly inexpensive package, Roxio's VideoWave, and tried to create my shows. Still no good, because until they update the firmware to support the widely available codecs, you *MUST* encode in AVI format such that the audio is MP3 and the video is either MPEG-4 SP (standard profile) or DivX. I only have MPEG-4 Version 1-3 codecs on my brand new box.

Luckily, you can save yourself a lot of time and hassle by just going to the following site and downloading the *FREE* DivX codec: http://www.divx.com

Now everything works fine, and I only spent about $50 for the additional software, which will be useful anyway for creating videos.

If you already have capture software, the only thing you have to watch out for is to make sure you can specify the audio compression algorithm (MP3) when creating an AVI. Some (many?) packages simply use uncompressed PCM audio, and that won't play on the Lyra! Besides, it will make you AVI file substantially smaller if you compress the audio.

I purchased an RCA Lyra model 2780 in early January. This unit worked as expected for about 2 weeks before it exhibited what I found later to be a known flaw with the model, a faulty headphone jack.

I contacted RCA/Thomson to attempt to find a place to repair the unit, to be informed that it needed to be sent in to the warranty center. So I posted it to the warranty center with the specified copy of the bill-of-sale, and was informed that I would need to wait a week or more for the company to "receive" it.

Once it was received, I was then informed that it would not be repaired, it would be replaced. And that they were allowed one month to replace the unit. So I waited one month. Upon finishing that month, I was informed that the company would be paying me the cost of my unit, that this was the only option. So I re-sent in the bill-of-sale to a fax number. I was then told that it would take 6-8 weeks for them to send my refund.

Yesterday (3 weeks later), I was contacted by a supervisor and informed that I would not be receiving a refund for my defective property because it wasn't purchased from a recognized dealer of RCA Lyras. And today I am informed that I will also not be receiving my defective equipment back from RCA/Thomson.

So far, Thomson has repeatedly misled me about expectations, wasted hours of my time in dealing with a poorly-staffed and poorly-managed call center, and I'm now informed I can receive neither my property or a refund from Thomson.

Not only will I not purchase another item from RCA/Thomson, I will be letting people know through a variety of online and RL connections exactly how poorly their product is made and supported by the company.

Samsung DVD-M301 DVD Player

• DVD player with CD-R-compatible dual-laser diode pickup
• Convenient front-panel shuttle dial
• Component-video outputs for optimal video connection
• MP3- and CD-R-compatible decoder
• Universal joystick remote control

I have had great luck with a Samsung VCR and Samsung DVD-709 DVD Player in the past so I was loyal to my confidence in Samsung products by purchasing the Samsung DVD-M301 DVD Player. What I found out was that not all DVDs would play correctly in this machine. I had played 4 movies without any trouble and was impressed by the video display quality of this model. But when I tried to play Artisan Entertainment Studio release "Bad Boys" with actor Sean Penn it would not play the audio for this movie at all! This is not some high-tech movie either it is a basic real-life film made in 1983 with no special effects like most of the newer movies have. It displayed the video portion just fine but there was absolutely no sound during the playing of this DVD. The movie had played fine on my older Samsung DVD-709 model so I know it was not a problem with the DVD itself.

I wanted to know if it was a defective player or a product design flaw in the M301 Player so I took it to a local store who had the same model Samsung DVD-M301 Player that I could try the "Bad Boys" DVD with. Well it was the same result with the store's player also NO AUDIO! That made my mind up for me to return the Samsung DVD-M301 and I purchased a Panasonic DVD-RV31 player instead. The Panasonic plays the movie just fine audio and all. I did not feel comfortable keeping the Samsung not knowing how many other DVDs I would buy or rent that would have similar trouble.

I am writing an email to Samsung about this player and my experience and hopefully soon they will address the problem and correct it on future models. Until then BEWARE!

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This DVD Player has it all, it can play CDR VCDs, 74 mins. AudioCD, 80 mins. Audio CD (some players dont support 80mins.) Havent tried CDRW yet, The MP3 support is good but a bit buggy forwarding tracks. So if you are buying a DVD Player make sure it can play CDR and MP3 and this has it all.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung DVD-M301 DVD Player Here

First of all, a response to the reviewer who had problems with brightness and/or jumpy DVD playback: this DVD player, like all others made in the U.S., has circutry called "Macrovision" that is designed to prevent you from copying DVDs onto your VCR. The technical details are unimportant, but the result is that you cannot connect your DVD to your VCR and pass the signal through to the t.v.; instead, you'll have to connect it to the t.v. separately, using the video and audio jacks, or through an RF modulator box (you can get them at Radio Shack). Past Samsung DVD players allowed you to bypass the Macrovision protection by using certain secret codes on the remote control, but this model doesn't seem to support that.

Besdies the fact that you are prevented from setting up your entertainment center the way you want, this model does have a few other pesky features. The machine takes an unusually long time to read a disc upon insertion and recognize whether it is a music CD, mp3, or DVD and respond accordingly. Also, I've sometimes had difficulty pulling up the DVD menu while in the middle of a program.

Otherwise, the unit does a good job with the DVDs I've used, including some relatively scratched DVDs from Netflix. Audio quality with both DVDs and CDs is good, although I haven't tried it with mp3's. The remote is ok, although there are lots of tiny, somewhat badly labeled buttons and a joystick that takes some getting used to.

If you don't need the CD/mp3 features, you're better off buying an older Samsung model-the 700 and 900 series can be easily reprogrammed to turn off region coding and Macrovision. If you do want the audio features, this model supplies them at a decent price, but be prepared for some annoyances as well.

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Overall, this player gives an excellent picture with a reasonably easy to use remote. Main reason purchased was to hopefully enjoy what Sound & Vision magazine touts as the first player to be able to view any DVD in a full screen mode. Not so--any DVD in 2:35 format will not fill the screen when the "Fit" button is pushed on the remote. Symbol indicates "DVD software will not allow." I believe we are like many others who have resisted DVD's due to the widescreen only format on most DVD's. My wife would rather view full screen VHS! The M301 does represent excellent value, however. I'm keeping it!

This DVD player is flat out awesome! I've been impressed with it ever since I received it in the mail. It's great that it plays DVD's but it makes it all the more better that it's able to play mp3 files and regular CD's. I recommend this machine for anyone looking for a DVD player.

Sony DVP-NC85H/S HDMI/CD Progressive Scan 5-Disc DVD Changer, Silver

• 720p/1080i Upscaling Video Output through HDMI Input
• 5 Disc DVD/CD Changer
• Features Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive (PCP) system
• Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 Channel Output
• Plays DVD, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R, CD-RW, with MP3, VCD, and SVCD playback

I have been into DVDs for about six years now, so I have spent a LOT of time watching them. I started out on an old full frame tv and now have a 30" widescreen HDTV (1080i resolution). I plugged this player in with an HDMI cable (available here on Amazon far more cheaply than in your local store). So that's my perspective, now onto the review...

This player is the first multi-disk changer I am aware of capable of HDMI upconversion. At least at this price. I can also confirm that it is capable of playing vcds, which is often a hit or miss proposition since the format is so uncommon in the US.

As someone who watches a lot of tv shows on dvd and multidisk editions of movies, being able to load multiple disks at once is desireable for obvious reasons. I did find the interface for changing disks to be somewhat confusing at first, but once you figure it out you can change disks fairly quickly. But be advised that all the extra disks make this player fairly large. Much larger even than my first dvd player, let alone the miniature ones they make today.

The HDMI upconversion is the real holy grail here. Most people who own HDTVs do not actually subscribe to HD channels. I do subscribe to the HD pack and premium movie channels through my cable service, so I know what 'HD' tv shows and movies are supposed to look like.

And here's the verdict: This player makes DVDs look just as good as HD broadcasts. Maybe a bigger tv than I have can tell some difference, but for comparison purposes I decided to take the most digitally packed movie I could think of (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) and watched the pod-racing scene. I know, bear with me for a minute. This scene has thousands of small moving objects in the audience and lots of detail all around. The picture looked beautiful. It was as good as I have ever seen pod racing look, and as good as anything I've scene on an HD movie channel.

How does HDMI upconversion compare to the new 'High Def' dvd formats? Well, consider this...The next generation dvd players offer two advantages over current gen dvd players: 1) HDMI upconversion to a higher resolution and 2) Higher disk capacity for larger files. Now consider that every movie you have ever seen has already been fit onto just one or two current gen DVDs just fine. Once you 'upconvert' those DVDs to the higher resolution of this player (1080i or 720p), then you will get a picture that's basically the same thing as the next gen players. The next gen players will be able to support 1080p resolution, but there are very few televisions on the market right now to use with it. Most HDTVs, except for a handful of the most expensive models, only support 1080i or 720p.

So for now, there really just isn't anything better on the market than this player. And for the current generation of players, I don't expect there ever will be anything better.

*UPDATE*

SA-CD users take note: Amazon has a misleading statement in the title. This is NOT an SA-CD player. Apparently a number of people are buying this player primarily to play SA-CDs. So be warned that Amazon's title is just plain wrong. I haven't found any other errors in the title or product description, but there is no SA-CD capability of any kind.

On that note, another music related issue is that when playing music cds it only shuffles tracks on one disk...not all five, as some might expect.

Buy Sony DVP-NC85H/S HDMI/CD Progressive Scan 5-Disc DVD Changer, Silver Now

The picture this player displays on my new 72" Toshiba DLP set is truly "near HD" via the HDMI output.

I was so glad Sony finally came out with a 5 disc changer with HDMI output. When I got my new TV, I hooked up my cheap Toshiba progressive scan DVD player from the bedroom via component video, instead of my non-progressive scan 5 disc Pioneer changer I had with the old TV. I did this to maximize PQ on my new TV, willing to sacrifice the convenience of a changer, and not willing to buy another DVD player to get HDMI upconversion without multi-disc capability, and Sony's mega changer would have been overkill for me.

I was a little disappointed at how DVDs looked with this initial setup. The picture was dull with noticeable mpeg artifacts. Not so with this player. Picture is crisp and sharp, and depending on the DVD itself, hardly any noticeable mpeg artifacts. Good quality DVDs like Star Wars, King Kong (2005), and Terminator 2 rival the HD movies I record with my cable co.'s DVR. I'm no videophile, but am finicky on picture quality, and this player truly makes a difference on my HD TV. With the idiocy of the 2 competing HD DVD formats, I won't be upgrading to HD DVD for a long time with this upconverting player.

I even believe this player is outputting 1080P to my TV! Per the manual, the progressive button on the front panel lights up when outputting a progressive signal. I have the player set to 1080i, and my TV confirms it's receiving a 1080 "i" signal from the HDMI port, but this light is on during DVD playback...hmm. Since my TV is native 1080P DLP display, maybe over the HDMI connection, the TV and player negotiate a progressive signal vs. interlaced??

Other good points, plays about any kind of recordable DVD, such as my home movies, and is a good small size to easily fit in my A/V center. Cons, the build quality of the disc carousel feels a little cheap. The trays holding discs don't feel deep enough, making me paranoid that I'll jam a disc not placed perfectly in the individual tray. The remote also feels a little cheesey, the buttons are small, and doesn't have a backlight. Small imperfections preventing me from giving this player 5 stars. But for the money (under $150!), it's a steal if you want a really good DVD player for your new HDTV.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DVP-NC85H/S HDMI/CD Progressive Scan 5-Disc DVD Changer, Silver Here

I wasn't crazy about getting a five disc playerI preferred a quality single player, however, none were available in black offered by Sony with the features I wanted.

So I purchased the SONY DVP-NC85H a few month's ago at list price, (something I usually never do) $150. plus tax & shipping, simply because of the reviews I read.

The player is amazing, in that it NEVER skips, it plays every format out there. The picture is excellent and the player also offers HDMI, (no wire is included though) for televisions offering the same.

I even enjoy the five disc changer, as I put in multiple disc more often than I thought I ever would. And the changer preforms well and of course one can exchange DVD's in the player while another one is playing.

The player offers a nice memory of where you left off (or stopped) playing each discs and asks if you want to begin from where you left off or start from the beginning.

The on screen menu is very good.

Now the cons: The Sony SONY DVP-NC85H is the slowest opening player ever. And turning it on from the player itself it reads a silly "welcome" display when you simply just want it to OPEN! The speed changing disc in the player is only fair.

The player doesn't offer SACD, so I kept my Sony NS75V DVD player exclusively for SACD.

The remote is adequate exactly like the NS75V remote, except it doesn't have the capacity to control A/V amps or receivers as the NS75V does and the button's on the DVP-NC85H take a little getting used to.

The DVP-NC85H display is a bit dull, but again, adequate.

The players controls are basic & minimal and not easily read.

But all the cons are relatively small compared to the DVP-NC85H performance, which is fabulous (besides how slow it opens) and what one really buy's the player for, QUALITY!

You can always buy a $39. dollar player at CostCo...However, when you buy the DVP-NC85H you'll see why it's worth the bucks.

I love it! But man is it slow opening up.

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Although I have been pleased with the quality of the audio and video from this unit, it has a couple of quirks that some readers may find useful in making a choice. I purchased this unit last year and specifically wanted a disc changer to accomodate the fact that I was mostly playing DVDs of some classic TV shows, plus an occasional music CD. It's great to leave a disc full of TV episodes in the changer until you're ready to move on to the next disc. You can switch immediately from an episode of Columbo to one of the Wild Wild West for example.

The three quirks that I am uncomfortable with however: playing a music CD. The sound is not a problem. It is that the player, once finished with your music CD does not stop, it goes immediately to the next disc, whatever that is. The only way to stop this is pushing the button that opens the tray, the STOP button has no effect unless you remember to press it within seconds of the end of the CD. If you have been reading or not paying close attention, then you have to hit the button to open the tray. I just don't think this is a very convenient option. There is one alternative, you can program the CD. Then it will go back and begin playing the CD from the beginning. But programming on this model is a bit cumbersome. This is not to say that playing DVDs are any problem. Most DVDs are programmed to stop after an episode or chapter or at the end. Not so with CDs though.

My second gripe is the direction of the platter. It is not so much which direction it turns, but it just seems that once you get the tray to open, the disc you want to remove has gone past in a clock-wise motion. So you have to click 4 times to get it back. It just always seems to be in that direction. Sony could have programmed it so that the second most recent disc could be retrieved with just one rotation of the tray. Also, this player could easily have been engineered to allow for the access to two discs at once, when the tray is open, rather than 1 full disc plus the halves of two others that it currently allows.

Finally, Sony did not design the remote to easily select a disc. You have your discs loaded in the player and go sit down. But you forgot to press the disc number button on the unit. There is no one-touch way now for you to select the disc to play. You have to go through the display menu, and it is pretty simple, but it still would have been more convenient for the remote control to have had immediate disk play buttons on it.

I also bought this unit to be a replacement for my old slide projector. Now that all of my new pictures are digital, and more and more of my old color slides have been scanned, the JPEG display is nice. Unfortunately, I do not have a quality monitor to truly say whether this unit is doing the job I wanted in that regard. Although it does recognize and display JPEG images as claimed.

I would give this unit 5 stars for DVD play quality, but take away two of them over usability issues. I have owned it for six months now and have not had a hardware problems. If the issues I mentioned do not affect your planned use of this player, then feel free to consider this to be a 5 star review.

I just got this DVD player and hooked it up to my 48' JVC digital TV. I must say the picture is very crisp and clean. I liked the option of having optical or coaxial hook up. I prefer optical myself, light travels faster than hooking up the coaxial connection, but each their own. It has been a while since I had a 5disc changer. I would say back in the early 90. I remember it was very cool to load 5 discs at a time to play (then) only CDs. I do have to agree with one reviewer about the shuffle mode on this player. I would like to see it shuffle ALL discs in the player not just one at a time. However I am not really using the player for playing music. I have a computer for that. Last week I had purchased the Samsung hd755. According to Amazon it is not available to buy yet. I got it at Fry's Elect. I did not like a great deal of things about that unit. As soon Amazon opens the review section to review that item I will do so. Back to this unit, I took the Samsung back to the store to get this unit. I must say that between the two there really is no comparison. The picture is must smoother and cleaner. I like the way you can FF or RW the move in TWO different buttons. Scanning the movie in a few different modes really makes it worth while when you are searching for a scene for example. It is very smooth and I have very few players that do this type of function so effortlessly. Also, I agree with yet another reviewer about it starting up a disc slowly. I suppose in this day and age one can get spoiled to wanting a machine's response as quickly as snapping of the fingers. Sony has been around for quite a long time and I am sure I am getting a high quality player. Everything they put out tends to be of great quality with the exception of their cordless phones. That is another story. All and all I feel I am going to be happy with my investment and I am sure you will too.

Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-Ray Disc Player

• Plays high-def Blu-Ray discs with 5 times resolution of standard DVDs; measures 16.9 x 3.1 x 12.8 inches (WxHxD)
• Backwards compatible with current DVD and CD formats; upconverts DVD movie discs to near high-definition
• Includes 11-in-2 multi-format memory card slot; provides playback of MP3 and high-resolution JPEG files
• Connections: 1 composite, 1 S-Video, 1 component, 1 HDMI
• Built-in decoders for Dolby Digital/Digital Plus/DTS; coaxial and optical digital audio outputs

I purchased this blu-ray player the day they came out and ended up having to switch it out three times to get one that worked. The first one had a bad drive motor, the second a loose component connector and the third worked but still locked up frequently. The picture quality is only slightly better than many of the "upconversion" dvd players on the market. One reviewer stated that Underworld Evolution and T2 are stunning. While I will admit Underworld looks good, although the regular dvd is not that far behind it in picture quality, T2 has a DTS sound glitch that makes it skip on this player and overall the picture is not much better that the ultimate version out for half the price on regular dvd. The discs at this point are not worth the money, poor transfers overall and few or no special features. Save your money.

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So much has been said and written about Blu-ray. So it was with much excitement that I unwrapped my brand new Samsung BD-P1000 on launch day.

Yet, after a weekend during which I tested four Blu-ray movies, as well as several standard DVDs, I couldn't help but be disappointed. In short, one expects this next-generation format to provide spectacular improvements over regular DVD. But, in truth, the differences are so slight that it makes me doubt the format's worth as a movie medium in its early stages.

I'll discuss several things in this review: Aesthetics, ease-of-use, picture and sound quality. (Just so you know, my equipment: A Panasonic plasma television with a resolution of 1024-by-768, as well as an Onkyo 5.1 surround audio system. I connected the player to my television using its HDMI output and optical audio input. I toggled between resolutions of both 1080i and 720p.)

First, aesthetics. Photos don't convey just how pretty this thing is. Its front side has a glassy appearance and looks every bit the high end machine it is. The remote is standard black plastic, fine. When the player is on, its front power button, disc door and circle of manual controls glow a bright neon blue -lights that could prove a distraction for some.

Second, ease-of-use. Yes, the rumors are true. The player takes about 20 seconds to power up. Blu-ray movies take an additional 20 seconds to boot up. A little annoying, sure. But the wait times are hardly cataclysmic and should not be considered a deal breaker. Standard DVDs, by the way, load quicker.

In the back are all the expected inputs: HDMI, component, S-Video and composite video inputs; coaxial and optical outputs. The machine also has analog 5.1 outputs for those of you who can take advantage of such connections (and the sterling uncompressed audio quality those links provide.)

Third, picture quality. I tested four movies on my machine -XXX, 50 First Dates, Underworld: Evolution and House of Flying Daggers. To hear boosters tell it, Blu-ray's ace in the hole is its picture quality. After all, the player can deliver a full 1080p picture, a resolution up to five times as good as standard DVDs.

Indeed, the picture does look sharp. But, as we all know, so do standard DVDs, especially on a good DVD player with upconversion capabilities. My eyes saw this: With the exception of a few scenes here and there, each film looked about the same as a regular DVD might look played on a good system.

Perhaps the problem is the source material itself, as some early professional reviews have indicated. A few scenes appeared downright grainy. Of the four movies I watched, 50 First Dates looked the best, with its sunny-day colors and clarity. The first few minutes of Underworld also offer promise as to what Blu-ray might deliver down the road (The movie's first scene is a close-up of a vampire's face -the detail of which is truly stunning.)

Standard DVDs, meantime, look very sharp, displaying images equivalent to what a good DVD player might provide. Yet, switching between the Blu-ray movies and standard DVDs drove home the point: The difference in quality just isn't that spectacular, at least with the initial roster of Blu-ray titles.

Finally, sound. Each Blu-ray disc is encoded with both traditional Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, an uncompressed PCM 5.1 track and other assorted language tracks. Alas, my older surround system is unable to take advantage of the uncompressed sound. Early reviews laud that track for its quality. For my part, the regular Dolby 5.1 sounded like, well, regular Dolby 5.1 -good but about the same as on a standard DVD.

In conclusion, as much as I hate to say it, the BD-P1000 experience was underwhelming. Really. Maybe my humble home theater system is simply incapable of unleashing the full power of Blu-ray. I haven't seen Blu-ray movies displayed on a 1080p television, nor have I heard the uncompressed audio quality.

More likely, most of you out there are like me: A home theater amateur intrigued by Blu-ray, yet hesitant about making the investment because of the lukewarm early reviews. My advice: Given its price tag, the lack of content out there and the negligible differences in quality compared with standard DVDs, I'd advise waiting. My hope is that Blu-ray will, indeed, show its true colors one day. Today is not that day.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-Ray Disc Player Here

Over here in Australia, I have just paid for one of the first units to ht the stores and i am absoloutley over the moon with the result. Despite Samsung's suggestion that it would only play region "B" (Australian) discs, it plays all blu-ray discs that I can get my hands on including region "A" (USA and Canada), and I am rapidly building up my library from Amazon.com. The picture is superb, "Under Siege" for example has been rehashed to high def and the picture is just unbelieveable, but you must have a high definition TV to get the result required otherwise don't waste your money. The unit also plays all region 4 discs and all burnt copies including dual layer. Best investment I have made in years.

Ray Duncan

Cairns Australia

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Robert Says:

"Can't explain some of the poor reviews other than maybe some people don't know how to properly setup the player."

Robert, Maybe you do not understand the Blu Ray format and how little this player delivers compared to what the Blu Ray format is supposed to deliver. Also, you have not even ackowledged the possible softening bug, although I believe that is a spin from Sony to try and save face from the poor Samsung player *and* the poor initial releases from Sony and Lions Gate. Read the hundreads of reviews that concur that the inital wave of Blu Ray titles as well as the Samsung player itself are a horrible value for the money and of poor quality, NOTHING TO DO WITH SETUP. I reviewed the SAMSUNG on the $10,000 Ruby projector and Stewart filmscreen Studiotek. Everything was properly calibrated using HDMI. Other outputs were also tested. The Samsung is a poor performer and is a completely Generic unit.

Robert Says:

"If you use Standard DVD's and you hookup the system using composite or Y/C connections, the piture will obviously not look as good. For optimum results you need to use HDMI connection, which looks incredible."

NOT TRUE. Even using a reference 1080p system as noted above, the images of the Samsung are substandard however, that is partly due to the poor quality Sony Blu Ray releases and partly the Samsung player.

Robert Says:

"Go to a Best Buy and see it in action and you WILL see the difference. I was leaning toward the Sony player, but it won't be out for a few more weeks and this player has a card reader which the Sony lacks. Being a person who works with video everyday, I can tell you this is one Awesome system. I wonder if the negative comments are coming from the HD-DVD camp???"

Sounds like a Best Buy pitch to me. Are you related to Best Buy? If you read my review of the Toshiba HD-A1, I slammed the A-1 HD-DVD player with a similar review, just check my reviews.

In summary:

1) The Samsung is flimsy with poor build quality for a $1,000.00 player.

2) The Samsung may have a bug contributing to softened pitcure quality.

3) The upconversion of standard DVD's of the Samsung player was inferior to that of the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player.

4) No 480i output over HDMI, which is important to those who want to use superior upscaling of external video processors. Very easy to provide, yet overlooked carelessly by Samsung.

5) No 1080p24, 1080p24sf, and 1080p48 output options (in addition to 1080i60 and 1080p60). This player is essentially a 1080i player with a cheap deinterlacer to provide 1080p60. The native 1080p output options should be provided (1080p24).

6) No DD True HD nor DTS Master HD

7) No HDMI 1.3 ... The PS3 will have HDMI 1.3 and will be a lot cheaper.

8) Blu Ray movies are currently terrible single layer 25 GB and using MPEG-2 as well as uncompressed PCM: this is not what Blu Ray should stand for. Blu Ray is supposed to be about using the advanced video codecs: VC-1/MPEG-4 AVC as well as the advanced audio codecs: DD True HD and DTS MAster HD.

9) Even if number 8 happens, there will still be no advantage over HD-DVD unless 50 GB BDROM comes to market.

Right now, I wouldn't touch Blu Ray with a 10 foot pole, especially for the high cost. However, if the laundry list noted above is addressed, Blu Ray may become a superior format. Currently, The Samsung player and initial Blu Ray movies are a TERRIBLE VALUE with poor performance for the money. I highly recommend people not buy into these formats until they deliver on all of the items mentioned above.

No reason to buy any of these early players, especially when the movies give us no reason to do so... Blu Ray can go take a flying leap until the above criteria are met.

1) 50 GB discs available for movies

2) Blu Ray players with 480i output over HDMI

3) 1080p24, 1080p24sf, and 1080p48 output options (in addition to 1080i60 and 1080p60)

4) VC-1/MPEG-4 AVC

5) 5.1 DD True HD or 5.1 DTS Master HD

6) HDMI 1.3

No reason to buy any of these early players, especially when the movies give us no reason to do so... Blu Ray can go take a flying leap until the above criteria are met.

It seems that a lot has been said already.

Since I purchased my HD ready set 5yrs ago, I have been consistantly disappointed with the quality of HD that I've been able to get at home on it. You know how it is, it just never looks as good as it does on the showroom floor... Well, this is what my HD Ready set has been waiting for. Iam fairly certain that an HD-DVD player would look just as good, but have no home experience with one to say.

If you have a sense for new technology that would most likely be the wave of the future, then you'll love this. I was considering waiting till the release of the Sony model which is continually being pushed back. When Samsung released a firmware upgrade for this player that was easily applied by the consumer, well it made a huge plus for me. Add to that, that dispite what it says in the manual, it will play the DVD+R format. Add additionally the suport for popular memory card media even if it's unnecessary, how can you beat it.

Ok, so Iam an early adopter... Technologically speaking, if the HD-DVD camp wins the format war, a BluRay player could probably be modified firmwarewise to play HD-DVDs. It wouldn't shock me if they do it anyway sometime in the future, just because they can. HD-DVD players on the other could not be modified anywise to play a BluRay if the trend goes that way.

The only downside to BluRay is the price IMO... The BluRay camp needs to figure this out soon and start dropping the prices down comparable to HD-DVD and get more product out on the store shelves before this superior format goes the way of the DiVX player.

Panasonic KX-TS730S 8-Microphone Conference Speakerphone with Caller ID and 120-Minute Recording

Setting this up was simple and took just a few minutes from opening the box. The sound quality is about as high as from the mega-$$ Polycom systems in corporate conference rooms. People on the other end do not suspect that you are on a speakerphone.

I thought this unit with its 4 sided design makes more sense than a 3 sided units. Calls are clear and mics are sensitive so be careful what you whisper, use the mute button instead. Recording feature is a nice touch. Phone and power cords are designed for a conference phone in mind, with its "y" design, one single cord is connected to the unit. This unit is easy to move around and looks clean and profession.

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I have to participate on a lot of early morning and late night teleconferences so I bought this phone on sale for use at home because my portable phones never seemed to have enough battery life to make it through a long teleconference. Even though it is only me on the phone, this phone allows me to get up and walk around my house and still be listening to the call -plus it has a large mute button for when the dogs start to bark :) The sounds quality is fabulous.

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Bought 3 of these for our conference rooms to replace expensive Polycoms. These give much better performance--the sound is better and listeners hear everyone around a 12' conference table without a problem.

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We have been using this for a few years at our business and it has worked well. The sound quality is good, and the speaker fills our conference room easily. Recording works excellent, although the only way of transferring the recordings to a computer is to hook it up to your line-in and record to your computer as it's playing back. The only real downside I have come across with this device is the inability to adjust the mic volume aside from muting, and the lack of a mic input. On occasion, we use this device in much larger rooms that require connecting it to a PA system. Unfortunately, the mics are so strong, you cannot give the PA much volume at all before it feedbacks terribly.

Memorex MB002 Digital Voice Recorder

I wanted a basic memo voice recorder to give as a gift. This was the cheapest one I could find that had a decent amount of features. But, it somewhat shows how cheap it is...

The size of this recorder (according to the specs) appears to be about the same as other competing units, but it is actually a little bigger than it should be. If it was about an inch shorter, it would fit better in your hand. The recording quality is a little scratchy, but my main complaint is that it doesn't play loud enough to hear it without turning up the volume so much that its audio quality is very scratchy.

Another problem is it makes clicking sounds through the speaker when buttons are pressed or options are changed. I would only recommend this recorder for very limited voice memo activities and when you are looking for a cheaper device.

I had bought this unit somewhere else, and the next day it went right back. VOX did not work as described, and the sound quality was worse than the worst worn-out micro tape unit I have ever had the displeasure to listen to. In the electronics world, the word "digital" implies pristine, crisp sound, yet this unit not only plays back as if you spoke through a folded towel, it also swallows entire syllables. Makes me shy away from other Memorex products. I'm amazed they even put such a stinker on the market.

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The price was right. It performs well with one hand and yes it is a little scratchy sounding at full volume, but I put it up to my ear anyway so that others around me can't hear. I just hope it lasts for at least 1 year. That was the lifespan of my last (radioshack brand) voice recorder. By the way, the size is about right. It's not so small that it gets lost in your pocket yet not so large that it won't fit along with your keys and a pack of gum.

Read Best Reviews of Memorex MB002 Digital Voice Recorder Here

I am using this recorder and I find it very convenient tool for recording contact information while talking to people. Its size and weight makes it a very handy and attractive gadget.

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Okay this is a "value" priced digital recorder. It does largely perform as advertised. The problem is that if you really need a digital recorder, than you will need a better model than this. Otherwise you will find you use this a few times and than it sits in a drawer. Save your bucks and buy something you really need.

BUFFALO 8x USB 2.0 Portable DVD Writer - DVSM-PC58U2VB

I bought this drive on Amazon through Buffalo Technology to use on my Mac mini (the internal DVD drive had failed on it).

I have had this drive for around two months and have burned about 50 CDs and about 60 DVDs with it so far. I have also played a few CDs and watched a few DVDs on it too. It works with just one USB power cable on both my 2009 Mac mini (model 3,1) and my 2008 13in MacBook (model 4,1). The other USB cable wraps neatly under the DVD drive and is unnoticeable.

The drive has a low profile and makes a minimal amount of noise. There is an LED that shines through the top back slit in the case. A blue light (which is just bright enough and quite slick looking in my opinion) indicates that it has sufficient power, but red means that you need to use the second USB cable for additional power.

Of note, once there is a DVD in the drive, I can only eject it by ejecting it by clicking "eject" on my computer (the button on the DVD drive itself is non-responsive with a DVD in it). This has in no way been a problem for me. It only caused a bit of confusion when I first used it.

It works just as I expected it to and is more aesthetically pleasing than I thought it would be. Overall, I am very satisfied with the price (I paid $37.88 ), quality, functionality, and convenience of this product, and I highly recommend it.

Purchased from Fry's electronics for $40+Tax to be used on my New MACBOOK Air 11" i5/4GB/128GB

the drive has been recognized by the MAC running OS X 10.7.1 (Lion) without any problem.

Its been detected & configured automatically with VM-Ware Fusion Version 4 as well to be used by Windows 7 pro.

Pros:

-short USB cables to be connected to both sides of the MACBOOK AiR 11" & you don't need to purchase any USB extension cable for it but for my connivance I attached a RETRAK retractable USB 2.0 Cable (a $13 multi adapter cable) so I can put the Drive next to my MAC instead of under it!

-light weighted

-Compact

-Usb cable is detachable (T shape not Y)

-Easy to carry (both USB cable heads snap to the chassis of the drive for easy mobility)

Cons:

-I don't like the shape and color of the LED indicator for power supply stability on top !

-you need to plug both USB cables always

Addition:

-there is a plug for a 5 volt external adaptor that can be helpful instead of using Dual USB.

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It's been 6 years since I bought a laptop with an optical drive, so a good external disc drive is pretty important. I had been using a feature rich LG Lightscribe for the last 4 years, but it finally gave up the ghost and left me without a reliable method to read or write CD's.

For my next drive I wanted something smaller, as there was nothing portable about the old LG. Enter the Buffalo MediaStation. I haven't had it very long, but I can report one 3 important facts.

1. You can run it off one USB port. The drive has two USB cables wrapped around the side and on the undercarriage. Whether or not you can run this off a single port depends entirely on your computer. The drive does make this easy for you by lighting up red or blue depending on your power needs. If it's blue you're golden; red and you're going to need that second USB port.

2. The drive is pretty fast for a bus-powered external. On a 1.3ghz Intel Dual Core 2 laptop with 4gb of RAM, iTunes encoded 160 kbps MP3's at 20x.

3. The DVD drive can be noisy. There's not a lot of room for insulation in this device, so it's going to rattle around some.

I can't speak for longevity, but so far it's been an excellent buy.

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This product is clearly meant for use with laptops and is not a convenient solution for people looking for an external replacement drive for their home PCs. My USB ports are at the top of my tower and the cords are so short I can't even get the drive to sit on top of it. The cords are only 6 inches long!! I had to stack it on top of CD spindles, behind my computer, with my desk pulled out, merely to see if it had any redeeming qualities.

I was considering trying USB extenders if the drive appeared to suit my needs otherwise, but the instructions recommend that "to minimize electromagnetic interference" you should "use only the supplied USB cable." Making matters worse, the USB cables are physically attached to the drive and cannot be replaced. Between folding them back into place for travel and the strain put on the cords by being so close to the hardware they are connected to, it's hard to imagine these USB cords having a very long life.

The drive would not play without stuttering using the USB ports on the front of my computer. It plays smooth and the video looks fine when connected to the back and because I am using it with a home pc and not a laptop it appeared to have no trouble getting enough power using only one usb cable.

Though this page does not make mention of it, the side of the box indicates that the drive can read or write dual-layer discs. It does appear to be able to read them but it does not recognize blank ones.

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PROS:

-It's lightweight

-Not bulky

-Reasonably aesthetically pleasing

-Inexpensive

-Playback quality appears fine when properly connected (Requiring USB 2.0 or higher USB Ports)

-Should be recognizable on Mac computers

CONS:

-Extremely short and irreplaceable (6 inch) cords

-May require 2 USB (2.0 or higher) ports, depending on your systems power configuration

-Unable to write dual-layer dvds

-Shiny surface is prone to fingerprints

-Software included will NOT function on Mac computers

-No playback software is provided for Mac or PC. You will have to find a free player you trust or one you consider worth purchasing.

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This drive may be a functional portable drive for casual laptop users. For the price it is really not a terrible device, but it has a lengthy list of flaws that should be examined by potential buyers. This was a disappointing purchase for me.

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Despite the two negative reviews about this DVD burner that claimed that this product does not work on Lion... it works very well on Lion. I am currently running version 10.7.4 on my 27" iMac and I did not encounter any problems with this device. I have just recently upgraded to Lion from Snow Leopard so I was wary at first that this may have been the issue that the two negative reviewers encountered. However, from the moment that I plugged it in, my system recognized the drive and I was able to burn DVDs with no problems at all. I didn't even have to download any additional drivers from the Buffalo website (Yes Buffalo offers this. I don't think that the person who went so far as to contact Apple Tech bothered to do any research at all. Perhaps they were not even running Lion).

One possibility on why this drive didn't work for those two negative reviewers is that this drive may have not liked the brand of DVD that they were using. Over the years I've learned that some DVD drives can be finicky with what brand of DVDs that they prefer. My other external DVD burning drive (which is a Sony) refuses to use Fujifilm DVDs... this doesn't mean that the drive is defective (It works fine with Memorex and several other DVD brands). At the moment I am using TDK DVDs with this Buffalo drive. It may give me an error if I switch to another brand... but as of yet it's working perfectly fine.

I wanted to post this review because I almost didn't buy this DVD drive after reading that several people encountered problems because they were using OS Lion. This is a very good alternative to the more expensive DVD burners that are specifically made for Mac (MAC external superdrive which retails for almost 80.00 if bought directly through Amazon with Prime shipping). Since I am working on a newer iMac, the shortness of the USB cable was not an issue since it fits snugly under my monitor. As of right now I'm quite happy with my purchase and I'd gladly recommend it to anyone who is experiencing issues with the built in DVD Rom on iMac or similar products.

Save 51% Off

1280*960 Mutifunctional Hidden Mini Dv Digital Video Lighter Novelty Camera U Disk Home Security Ca

07.02.2013

hello

Yesterday I received the "1280 * 960 Mutifunctional Hidden Mini Dv Digital Video Lighter Novelty Camera" which I bought on Amazon.com, but I have not received the disc on which the driver would have been written (I was looking for drivers on the Internet but not find it) I also could not understand the instructions, as it is written very small font.

please help me with the driver and the instruction

13.03.2013

I bought this camera two months ago and the memories of this product is not very good(( about the problems I have already written in my first comment. I also regret that I rated this camera 4 as no camera and not the seller does not deserve even 1.

I will not say nothing to the account review "Robert" which is not a buyer, and promotes certain goods (you can see his comments)

So do not make the same dosing errors, which I did when I bought this unfinished camera.

My daughter uses this for pictures and her homework, it has worked perfect for her without any problems. I would recommend this product.

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Sony WM-EX190 Walkman Stereo Cassette Player with Anti-Rolling Mechanism

• Stereo cassette Walkman with Mega Bass enhancement
• Anti-rolling mechanism minimizes distortion when the Walkman is in motion due to active use
• Automatic volume limiter system (AVLS) conserves batteries and guards your hearing
• Includes dynamic, over-ear headphones and a belt clip
• Up to 24 hours extended battery life on 2 AA batteries

If you are just looking for a basic no-frills cassette Walkman and you are not a perfectionist sound aficionado -walk right on by, and buy something else. This Walkman has a nice price, but is a lot less than it sounds.

I had thought I could stand anything, since all I was looking for was a basic Walkman to listen to music and audiobooks. But I actually returned mine (And if I eat the shipping to return an item, that really says something!) What made it impossible for me was that the sound was extremely tinny and hissy, so much so that it hurt my ears. Using the bass-boost actually boosted the tinniness as much as the bass, so that was no help. Using the volume limiter did reduce the tinniness somewhat, but it still sounded terrible. I have bought inexpensive Sony Walkmans for years and loved them, and I bought a cheap Sony microcassette recorder a few weeks ago which is terrific, so I had felt confident enough to buy the EX-190. But the basic sound was unbearable.

To mention the good points, I really like the way it looks. The plastic is cheap, but light-weight. The buttons go on and off easily, unlike some which are too hard to press or which don't engage every time you press them. There is no auto-reverse, so you insomniacs will have to get up, flip the tape, and try to get drowsy again! Overall, I feel it *would* be a decent little machine, except that the sound is just too awful.

Buy Sony WM-EX190 Walkman Stereo Cassette Player with Anti-Rolling Mechanism Now

I use this Cassette Player while working out for 45 minutes on the ski exercise machine and believe me it helps pass a boring exercise time while using this device. I purchased this unit last August and use it religiously five days a week. Since that time, the batteries were renewed only once when the sound lost its quality. The sound is superb. Actually, I'm picking up more new sounds on this little unit than my boombox with its large speakers. Having over 500 audio tapes, I need a unit such as this and it fits the bill. I'm thoroughly satisfied with it.

Read Best Reviews of Sony WM-EX190 Walkman Stereo Cassette Player with Anti-Rolling Mechanism Here

This cassette player is well designed and well built. We have been using them for over four years in our elementary school and have had only one cassette player out of 25 stop working. Children (ages 7 11) use them to listen to recorded books as they read along silently. We power them with rechargeable batteries. I also use one to listen to music when I am walking, and it sounds fine to me.

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I've been using the cassette player while doing cardio at the gym. In less than a month of use, the sound goes from non-existent to static to fine. It's still covered by the warranty, but Sony has informed me that they usually replace the faulty players with refurbished players and at this time, there have no refurbished players of this model.

I had some trouble fitting the batteries in the compartment, but I won't now that I learned the trick. Otherwise, it's easy to operate, lightweight, and has good sound quality for the price.

KiSS DP-600 Networkable DVD Player

• Progressive-scan DVD player compatible with DVD-RW, DVD+RW, MP3, WMA/Windows Media 9, and JPEG image files
• Also processes DivX (3.11, 4, and 5), ISO MPEG-4, and XviD video and Ogg Vorbis open-source audio format
• Networking ability lets you hook the player up with your PC or broadband Internet modem for streaming media playback
• PAL/NTSC video outputs; Internet-upgradeable firmware
• Measures 17 x 3 x 11.5 inches (W x H x D)

Picture Playback Excellent

Sound Level Excellent

Range of Features Excellent

Durability Excellent

Value for Money Excellent

Advantages: Plays Anything, Wireless Streaming, Quick Set up, PC Link

Disadvantages: Can't think of any

Recommend to potential buyers: yes

The Kiss DP-600 is unreal. I have seen negative reviews on this product but I still went ahead and bought it because I thought even if these reviews were correct that the offering was too good to miss.

The negative reviews stated the following

1) The DVD drive gives out a constant whine that is so loud you can hear it over the TV

2) The PC link software is rubbish it doesn't work and they had to use windows media connect.

3) The box will crash on occasion and you have to power cycle it.

4) The wireless capability is limited you need to have your access point right next to the DP-600

5) It has no Hard drive

In answer to 1

I suspect that this person had a faulty drive,Tinitus or is using it as a pillow because I can't hear anything lout of the ordinary let alone over the tv.

In answer to 2

I had my Kiss DP-600 up and running and streaming content from my PC Over wireless using PC link in under 10 minuts. It was very easy I didn't even read the instructions. If you are having problems with PC Link download the latest version from the Kiss site and make sure that your firewall is not blocking it. If you are using Win XP SP2 remember that windows firewall is on by default.

In answer to 3

This box has played everything that I have thrown at it. Things that my old DP-500 couldn't play. If you put something in to the DP-600 that it can't handle and it crashes powere cycle it and either look for an update or don't play unsupported formats. remember also that the people who encode the media that you are downloading don't always know what they are doing. I had this problem with my old DP-500 but I would power cyle and not play that file. I'm sure that you will have the exact same issues on other similar products. For the price I can live with it.

In answer to 4

I live in an old Victorian house my TV is in one room and my Wireless router another, there is probably 15 meters between the Router and my DB-600 and a Brick wall. I have 95 % signal strength. need I say more.

In answer to 5

If you are streaming content why do you need a hard drive? it has wireless and an ethernet port. But if you are that fussed about it, there is also a USB port so you can connect an external Hard drive if you want to

I love this product, I loved the DP-500 and Old as it was it still out performed any of my firends dvd players. The DP-600 is light years ahead of the DP-500 which to my mind and from my personal experience makes it the best that you can buy for the money.

Ease of Use Very Easy

Ease of Installation Very Easy

Remote Control Excellent Quality

Instructions Very Helpful / Very Easy to Understand

Buy it you wont be dissappointed

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Don't listen to the negative review below: the item hasn't shipped yet. I saw a prototype at NAB last week, and I was very impressed with the picture quality. They were showing WMV-HD DVDs (German pressings), so it will play those at full res. Not only will it do 1080i, it will do 1080p, according to the brochure, and the salesperson: the first consumer device to support it. Check this out for yourself when it ships in the summer! ( I know I will...)

Read Best Reviews of KiSS DP-600 Networkable DVD Player Here

This thing has been vaporware for as long as I can remember and now if it comes out this summer, it won't have near the options it should have. It doesn't have SMB support (windows directory sharing), it can't show GIF images, it has no Linux support, no FLAC support, no AAC support, no playlist support (i.e. m3u, asc, etc), no confirmed multiregion support (albeit someone will probably figure it out). It has some redeeming features like tv listings and games (who would want to play games on their tv anyway?). For the kind of money you'll have to pay for this thing (selling for $435 in the UK right now), the feature list falls quite short. Do yourself a favor and look into the competition (Zensonic z500) which provides (shipping internationally from AU or from US in July 2006) all the above support and more minus the TV listings (not that you'd use that anyway because you're really using this to watch time shifted programs from your server computer anyway right?).

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The device was announced with the feature to play not only 480p, but also WMV-HD DVD's with 720p or even 1080i. The product description does not say it can do that, so be warned: you might get a good DVD-Player, but don't expect it to feed the DVI-Connector of your Flatscreen-TV with WMV-HD in 1280x768 Pixel Resolution and progressive scan. It is max. 480p = 640x480 Pixel in progressive scan.

Mini Dv Camcorder DVR Video Digital Camera 30 Fps Dc

Works great..it comes with poor documentation but it is a great cam. I could not get the software to install to make this work as a webcam but that is not what I purchased it for.

The companys selling this camera are giving out used cameras and cameras missing part,s that mean,s thay are returned idams, thay also show a camera with a on and of switch that,s not what you get.( YOU BEN TOLD ABOUT THIS COMPANY< STAY AWAY ) THE COMP. IS EZNSMART

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You know those days when something interesting happens and you wish you had a camera at the moment it happens? This little video cam comes to the rescue. I primarily use it as a dash cam. It's tiny size can be hung from the headliner and not be in the line of your vision. It has a wide angle view which will give a full view of both sides of the road in front of you. The video quality is very good for the small "spy camera" that it is. Very satisfactory video quality.

You'll find in some of the reviews that some people do not like the sound quality. When you use it as a dash cam, you will get some road noise. That can't be avoided. But have the cam set alone, hidden in a corner of a room, the sound quality will be just fine.

The approximate power duration for the rechargable battery is 1 hour and 45 minutes. Perfect for any short road trip. Be it your car, your motorcycle or bycycle. The kit included has the oppropriate mounts for your needs.

The videos are easily accessable to your computer.

The manual is my only gripe. The print is very small and in broken english. I searched google for a self help video. That worked out fine.

I recomend this cam to anybody who wishes for low-buck video dash cam. You just never know when something interesting is going to happen at any given time.

Read Best Reviews of Mini Dv Camcorder DVR Video Digital Camera 30 Fps Dc Here

only thing I found to dislike about this little camera is that it is a little hard to point until you get use to it and secondly it should have a little wider angle lens. Other then that this little gem does the job its intended for.

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This works great for the most part...video is average and audio is just so-so. The instructions were written by a first-grader though..they are horrible to understand! You basically just have to play around with it and figure it out..for $16 though its still worth it. The 'auto record' feature is nice as it records only once it detects audio, and works fairly well

Seagate DB35.2 160GB UDMA/100 7200RPM 2MB IDE Hard Drive

bought the PATA but needed sata...got an adaptor. Drive would not work...changed bios to every option without success.

Put drive into 2nd computer pata connection...drive still wouldn't work....company charges $50 restocking fee. Will not use again.

I purchased one of these seagate hdds for my dvr I use for surveillance camera system. The dvr originally came with the same model seagate hdd. The original seagate stopped recording after about 2 years of use. I replaced it with a western digital with twice the storage. The original had 160Gb whereas the replacement western digital had 320Gb. The western digital produced ocassional color distortions such as color squares and shimmering colors in the image. It also had gaps in the recordings. I contacted the manufacturer and was given a new hdd (same model and same capacity). That one did the same as the prior western digital. I recently puchased the seagate hdd 160Gb. The seagate produces clean and clear images with no distortions of any type. In addition, the seagate does not have gaps in the recordings.

Buy Seagate DB35.2 160GB UDMA/100 7200RPM 2MB IDE Hard Drive Now

moved Windows XP from a 20CB HD (HP754n) to this product. Works quite well. Now have room to add a Linux OS in dual boot environment.

Read Best Reviews of Seagate DB35.2 160GB UDMA/100 7200RPM 2MB IDE Hard Drive Here

This hard drive is far to small for the price. I can buy a 500GB seagate sata drive for this price.

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Needed to refurbish an old system whose hard drive (SCSI) was unworkable because proprietary drivers were not available.

Pros:

Plugged it in and it worked

Excellent price

Has been quite stable till now and I was able to install Windows 7 without a hitch

Cons:

This drive comes by itself and no peripherals (connector cable etc) come with it.

Q-See QS408-803-5 Precision Recording Security System with 8 Indoor/Outdoor CCD Cameras and Pre-Ins

I bought my first q-see DVR (digital video recorder) about 3 years ago right here on amazon.com. It was known as a "PENTAPLEX" which meant you could do 5 things at the same time record live video from multiple channels, backup the hard disk, view video remotely over the internet, view video locally on a TV set, and search through recordings to find out who took your recycle bin full of cans. Pentaplex and Triplex are names given as to how many activities the unit can do simultaneously.

That unit is still running after driving the neighborhood drug dealers out of their rent free abandoned home (and having them arrested numerous times it povided key evidence of license plate numbers, video of drug deals going down, spousal abuse -you name it the police department got it. For that matter the PD could log in over the internet to check up on who was there if they wanted to)

I live on a 2 block long road full of modern quiet 4500 sq ft homes, and across from me was a 60 year old 931 sq ft original house that had become the neighborhood drug hangout a place to go smoke a bowl, ride your motorcycle through the front door of the house and out the back, to hook up with the homies, etc. It definitely did not fit in the crime rate rose the house adjacent to the drug house was robbed 5 times in 3 months. Both me and my next door neighbor installed MONITORED alarms and we formed our own neighborhood watch. His was a .357 and mine was a 9mm.

The Q-see was instrumental in getting rid of the trash. It provided numerous photographic enlargements of license plates, video evidence used in court to convict the individual squatting there, and more 30 second drive by drug deals than I could count, happening every 3-5 minutes right in front of my house.

I installed 8 cameras covering every angle possible, 2 PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom like the casino's use) domes that I could controll remotely over the internet to see what is going on if I was not home, and motion detectors, microphones all of this was OVERT meaning it was blatant that you were on camera if you came nearby I had to put up a sign because legally I could not record voice without notifying the people (video is OK) due to wiretapping laws that are outdated, so I put my sign on the 60 year old tree in front of my house warning people they were under video and audio surveilance. In 3 months we had the dealers out, the rightful owners back, they had to demolish the house because it was so badly damaged, and then they built a brand new 4500 sq ft home in keeping with the neighborhood.

About Q-see

Q-see brings the $12,000 DVR that the casinos use to catch card cheats down to the price a homeowner can afford. I recommend any home first install a MONITORED alarm system and make it BLATANT that one is in place (big bell box outside in a conspicuous place) this will rid yourself of 90% of the crime because criminals know where to look for these and when they find them, they walk on to your neighbor's house to rob instead. After an alarm comes video evidence of WHO did WHAT and WHEN with PROOF. Q-see gives you this.

What do all the numbers mean? What is H.264?

When dealing with video (which is inherently analog) and you go to digitize it, you would normally find yourself swamped in data, because video is 30 pictures per second, each 740x480, full color (or b&W at night with IR vision cameras). Imagine a 1.3 megapixel camera taking 30 pictures per second your memory card would be full in a couple minutes at the most.

The broadcast industry faced the same problem when the FCC mandated that they "go digital" recently there was not enough room on a channel to put raw high definition television. So they did what we do on our PCs when we have a bunch of files they compressed them. This process is known as coding and decoding and is abbreviated CODEC for those of us who dont like to type alot. MANY codecs exist divx, h.264, h.263, mjpeg, etc. H.264 however crams the best quality picture into the smallest amount of disk space. It's used by the satellite providers to give you more channels than they could without it. Best of all, it's free. No royalties to pay.

You're going to hear alot about frames per second. 1 video channel is 30 frames per second. That's for one camera. If you have 8 cameras, then it 8 times 30 or 240 frames per second that your 8 camera DVR must record (if you want smooth free flowing video like you are accustomed to on TV) now you don't need free flowing video you can cut from 30 to 15 frames per second and still get reasonably smooth video. The point is that any DVR has a limit as to how many FPS (Frames per Second) it can record. You get to decide which cameras get the best picture, and which ones only take 2 pictures per second (as an example) if you do not have 240 frames per second.

The second number to throw at you is resolution. VGA is 640x480 and is about VHS quality. HD is 1920x1080 and will blow your mind after being accustomed to VGA quality video (blu ray is done in HD as an example) In the world of surveilance video the more pixels you choose to record, the less time you can record on a disk. So they invented QVGA which stands for quarter vga they divide a VGA screen into 1/4ths and you are left with 320x240. That's cell phone size video and when you see it blown up onto a big screen tv set it looks pretty bad. Another standard is CIF which is 352x288 pixels better than qvga, but not as good as VGA (about VHS or the old video standard).

What I like about this product is you can configure how much quality you assign from the product's ability to record to each camera. That way the cameras for areas where people are standing (front door for example) take 3 frames per second of CIF or VGA quality video. The cameras that cover high speeed motion the street with cars zooming by or the sidewalk with bicycles, they can record at 30 frames per second for smooth video. Again for 8 channels you need 240 frames per second to record all 8 channels at full framerate (30 FPS).

The good news!

The 408 from q-see supports 240 frames per second, so every camera can have full motion video. Cameras 1 and 2 are special though, as they are sampled at a higher resolution called D1 or 702x408 pixels (sure beats CIF) while cameras 3-8 are recorded at CIF resolution. I've been getting by on JUST CIF for 3 years, so this is a step up!

Can I Install it? Is it legal?

I am not an attorney, so this is not legal advice, but from what I found on the net, you can record video of your property without giving notice. However, this product can also record audio. To do that you must put up a sign in a conspicuous place that tells passers by that video and audio surveilance is in use then you are compliant with all the laws.

Can you install it probably if you can wire an 8 track player into your 1977 buick. Here's what you need to know.

1 everything you will need is on amazon.

2 I've reviewed most of it so read my reviews

3 my email is in my profile so if you get stuck email me

4 every camera needs 2 things a video connection and 12 volts to run the camera. x 8 cameras and you will want a 12 volt power panel like the one I reveiwed here: Q-See QS1018 12 Volt 12 AMP Power Distribution Panel Connects 18 Cameras

5 should you decide to record audio, you will need 1 a microphone for each channel (8 of them) 2 a mic to line level amplifier (about $20) 3 some microphone cable. This gets into recording gear the sennheiser C2 is a good deal since you get 2 mics in a set, 4 sets would get you 8 mics, and they are very sensitive able to hear a whisper at 100 feet. But they need preamps. ART Tube MP Microphone Preamp Here's just one example it will only handle one microphone, and costs more than the mic, so you might look around for 8 channel preamps beause the microphone needs 48V to run itself, and it gives you a very low level output on a XLR connector (3pin pro stuff) and you need to amplify that .007 volt signal to about .700 volts (100x or 20dB for those who speak dB) to run the line level inputs of the 408. Of course you could opt to just have 2 microphones.

6 what's this I hear about night vision it it that expensive military stuff? No. How night vision works is when the sun goes down a sensor tells the camera to turn on a whole bunch of IR LEDs (infrared light emitting diodes) these look to have a dull red glow to you, but 36 of them shining into your front yard is like a 1000W light turned on. Best part is the subject walking through can't tell the infrared spectrum is beyond what us humans can see so it still looks dark, except on your camera, where although its black and white, it is fully detailed with facial recognition possible.

7 How about motion detection can these replace those alarm motion sensors. The answer is: it depends. Inside, I'd say yes, but outside, I'd say no. The reason is that IR is not visable to HUMANS, but BUGS love the stuff, especially spiders who spin webs over your camera lenses where it's nice and bright at night. And that spider will trigger any motion detector even if you kill off all the spiders, the number of flying insects that love IR light is amazing. Every night I capture about 50-80 bugs flying through a motion capture zone.

8 what is a motion capture zone? Your camera brings back a big area as much as the lens lets it see but you may not want to capture the entire area, just a sub part of it, such as your front walkway without getting the sidewalk. You can exclude the sidewalk and the street but if someone or their dog comes into your front yard, you trigger the motion capture event, and it records until the motion stops. This saves tons of storage by not having to store video of your front yard all night long. It also gives you an idea of how long something happened a 50Kbyte file is probably a bug while a 1 megabyte file is probably a person. In between are cars, people walking by, dogs, cats, etc.

9 how can I get rid of all those extra recordings and only get people. Simple you use a tool called a PIR (passive Infra Red) detector it looks for the body's heat they are about $40 at security stores, and guess what they run off 12V and give back a signal when someone is walking through their protection zone (where you point them). That signal that someone is DEFINITELY there can also be used to start the recording (there is a terminal block on the right lower rear panel where you hook up one sensor for each camera input if someone crosses the sensor, they also start the recorder but bugs, spiders, and all the tiny things won't set off the sensors. Now you really cut down your night's recordings. Indoors its not a problem unless you have a bug infestation in your house. Get a bug zapper.

10 OK I have all this stuff how long will it record. On my 16 channel system I can record for 17 days on a 1 TB disk drive. One of the things I like about q-see is they let you use your own disk drive say you just upgraded the 1TB disk that came in last years computer to a 2 TB disk and now its laying around, right? q-see lets you open the case and change out their 500 gb sata drive for your 1000 gb sata drive and you just gave yourself twice as much storage.

11 do I need to use all 8 cameras. Absolutely not. You can use channels 1 and 2 which are the high quality channels only and add cameras later as problems develop or you can do what I did you have a dual system overt cameras that people can see and avoid, and covert cameras that catch them when they do. It's a great way to divide and conquer.

Summed up, you will be running alot of coax cable (at least 8 pieces for a full system) the cameras come with skinny coax, but I prefer rg-59 as a minimum and rg-6 for long runs. Q-see also makes "siamese" cable its coax with 2 power wires along with it the advantage is from one reel you can run power and video without needing 2 separate spools of cable.

Earlier I mentioned PTZ domes these are loads of fun if you get a camera with a 400x zoom lens. From my house I can zoom in on the stop sign at the end of the road and see the bolts that hold the sign on the pole! You get an IR remote with the system much like your TV set, and there is an output for your TV set (composite video 740x480 or so resolution). There is also a higher resolution output for multiple images like at the quickiemart it uses VGA monitors you have laying around when you went to hdmi or dvi for your video card. That's one of the things I like about q-see I can recycle alot of my computer equipment into surveilance gear. I even went so far as to get a 1 in 4 out VGA distribution amplifier so I could see the q-see signal at many screens in my house. My older unit has relay outputs which I wired to buzzers to tell me when someone was walking up to my door I usually beat them to the door with the advance notice. you can customize your system based on your skill as an electrician and programmer in software. For indoor cameras, it intergrates nicely with your alarm system program your alarm to close a relay when a door or window is violated (opened) and have a camera (inexpensive 30 dollar type) pointed at that door inside wire the relay from your house alarm to the alarm trigger for the camera associated with the corresponding door and you've just eliminated the need for the motion sensor (they are better outside at night)

In summary, q-see has brought the ability to record security video to the consumer price range. I do not recommend the shopping big-store specials that come with 8 cameras because the 8 cameras they come with are usually the cheap indoor variety, and often you want an outdoor camera instead.

Q-see has been around for a long time and instroduced new features, like the ability to send video to your cellphone (in this model) Again do you want a call about every moth at night? If not you need to use quality motion sensors to trigger the system. With the internet connection you can view your 2nd house or cabin remotely over the net to check in on things. (again start with a good alarm system and at least get a permit from the city ours are shiny reflective like streetsigns and just a little flashlight warns the would be burglar that the PD will be there in 2 minutes if they break into this home)

Good luck with your install. It is a diy project, but plan a couple of weekends to fine tune the system. When done, you can have a great surveilance coverage of your property.

I think all the good reviews for this product must be written by q-see's marketing team. This product is just worthless garbage. I've had it for less than a year and already two of the four cameras are filled on the inside with condensation rendering them worthless. After I was finally able to track down q-see's customer service number, it was just a leave a message and someone will call you back. They don't even have anyone answering the phone with customer service. I was dumbfounded. And of course no one called me back. Please, do yourself a favor and don't waste your hard earned money on this garbage.

Buy Q-See QS408-803-5 Precision Recording Security System with 8 Indoor/Outdoor CCD Cameras and Pre-Ins Now

I just installed this in my home with my 5 existing cameras and I must say that I am extremely impressed with this sub $200 system. It even has some features I wouldn't expect it to have. Specifically, FOUR audio in ports. Thats just unheard of even in much more expensive systems. Usually they only have one or two audio ins.

Support for ALL smart phone operating systems is EXCELLENT. QSee has written a dedicated app "Meye" for each phone (Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, sorry no WP7) It's VERY fast at streaming to my Android. It all went together so easily I just couldn't believe it. I bought this expecting to have to hack it here and there to get it to do what I want.

As the very diligent reviewer above said, this is not a $3k security system, but it is more than plenty for any small to medium sized area. You're not getting HD quality bank security footage with this thing, but man does it beat getting up to go see who's at the front door...or anywhere else around the house for that matter. All I do is flip to channel 3 on any of my TV's or hit the Meye app on my phone (its almost instant!).

A note:

Setup was easy for me because I'm moderately tech savvy. For network viewing, I had to fiddle with my network configuration due to the limitation on the DVR's IP address configs. If you want to use a static IP it needs to have all 12 digits for some reason. I couldn't get it to work with something like 192.168.1.5 (it needs like 192.168.100.005). Consider using a static IP for devices that broadcast such as this one to assure you don't loose signal because your router decided to reset...

Read Best Reviews of Q-See QS408-803-5 Precision Recording Security System with 8 Indoor/Outdoor CCD Cameras and Pre-Ins Here

**VIDEO REVIEW EXTENDED** Search y-tube for my channel, dfizzbom, and watch an almost eight minute extended review. Multiple vids covering the package, a camera mount hack, and how to setup the multi client software. Hope this will help all those interested in this system!

Did a ton a shoppingthis is a great deal. What you're really buying into with this package is an 8 channel dvr with pre installed hard drive, and the cables. This is the heart of the system. The cables are of typical quality and are fine. The dvr, from all that I have tweaked upon setup, is outstanding. This dvr rivals that of a much more expensive dvr we use at my employment where I monitor another camera systemMUCH more expensive. The dvr in this package is very capable. Big points for that. NoteI used a 15" LCD computer monitor via VGA and setup menus and cameras are perfectly sized. A 19" monitor is great, but not absolutely needed. Another note about resolution choices per channel. This dvr, greatly so, also includes HD-1 [half D1] as a choice on ALL channels too! So actually, from lowest resolution to highest, you have the choice of CIF on all channels, HD-1 on all channels, and D1 on the first two channels if you want that. HD-1 is a very nice step up from CIF and since all channels support it, it's really great. That's a nice feature in this dvr.

The cameras is where you get into 'starter' kit. They are capable. They do very well in daylight. They can be tweaked in the dvr to have perfectly acceptable color representation and if you're not happy, you can also make them black and white. All doable. Face recognition is very very good in daylight, and I have my cams temporarily placed two stories up. The live feed has perfect real time movementnot studder steps in live mode. Where the cameras fall a bit short is angle of view and live picture quality at night. 53 degree angle can be fine if you're pointing straight out into the back yard from second story. But point it down to a space you want to cover, and the angle gets tight. Don't expect to cover the entire side of the house below from the peak of the roof when pointing down to the ground. Better to mount one camera under a first floor eve and side swipe the whole area for full coverage. The night vision does it's job too. I have mine pointing down to a doorway below from a second story window temporarily. The patio has an eco bulb for added light. The picture is grainy and would not make for easy identification. But, when I install the camera properlyunder the first floor eve swiping that door area, it will crisp the image up and be fine. Proper placement and added light is a big plus at night. But remember, these are really starter cams and although they seem capable, obviously the cameras is the area that you'll look to upgrade over time. And that's fineyou get going right away with 8 acceptable cameras, beautiful thing. Since I'm using only five, I have three extra to put in line should one or more break, while I wait for replacements. That is the biggest reason I got double the channels and cameras I needed, not to mention the extra cables too.

Remote veiwing works. I have no plans for mobile phone viewing presently, but remote pc veiwing is what I wanted and it works. It takes some studying to get a grip on how to do it. It's not hard if you read up. I SUPER HIGHLY recommend viewing this wonderful free video crash course-

wifi-wiz.net

It's an integral part of setting up remote viewing for any consumer. Read and watch everything there, especially the ip cam section, and you'll be all set. I can offer a couple of tips quickly. Do not forward port 80. You won't be luckyinternet providers block that port and mine does as well. Avoiding that will save time and hassle. I forwarded port 89. Also, q-see manuals and vids suggest only TCP connection type setting in the router. In my experience, you need choose 'both'TCP/UDP. One last tipafter initailly setting networking in the dvr to DHCP and after reboot, set it to STATIC and reboot. Then enter the new static IP of the dvr into your router and all should be fine. If you have a traditional simple cable modem [non-combo modem/router] and a router, the process will be much easier for you. Remote viewing is excellent. All three pc's have downloaded and show the remote view no problem. That's what I wanted mostlyto keep an eye on my home while I'm at work.

You can try, but you won't find an 8 channel system with hard drive installed and EIGHT cameras included for this price anywhere at the moment. Don't miss the deal.

Want Q-See QS408-803-5 Precision Recording Security System with 8 Indoor/Outdoor CCD Cameras and Pre-Ins Discount?

If the hardware had any quality it would be a great system. 6 cameras died in the first year, 3 dvr replacements by the factory and it still does not work properly. 3 video cables with shorts from the factory. 2nd HD in the dvr. These units are the epitome of Chinese made crap. Internet accessibility is pretty handy but causes the system to lock up and quit recording. You must be on-site to reboot. Bottom line I am sorry I bought the unit and sorry I did not return it initially. I would not even recommended this unit as a toy.