VideoSecu Outdoor Day Night Bullet Security Camera Color CCD Wide Angle Weatherproof 24 IR Infrared

I already purchased and have a VideoSecu 1/3'' Sony Effio CCD dome camera with 700 tv lines which I have been using for a year now. I bought this camera mainly for the inside of my house to keep an eye on my dogs while away. I can honestly say for a 420 line 1/4" camera this actually is better then the dome camera that I have that costs more. Colors and lines seem more crisp. Hard to believe, but its true. I'm still wondering if maybe the dome camera I have just isn't as good or if something was wrong with it out of the box. It works and looks great, but the quality is less when video is compared side by side with both cameras.

The camera itself is small which is perfect in my opinion. It's solid casing is great and it's easy to hook up. The audio cable that comes in the package works pretty good too.

Since I have a 4 channel DVR I am already planning on buying 2 more of these. Very happy I chose this camera after looking at so many others.

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Wildview Infrared Digital Video Recorder with 24 IR Emitters, 32 MB Memory

For the amount charged, I don't believe there is a better deal than the Wildview 5.0 mp IR game camera. Sure, there are more pricey brands available with extra features that SOME of us may find necessary. After 12 weeks of use, I am pleased with the day/night picture quality of the Wildview unit. The 5mp daylight color images can be zoomed to get a closer look w/o loosing adequate picture quality. Yes, there have been a few "false" triggers but it comes with a 1gig SD card (for well over 100 images) and I have a 2gig back-up to exchange when I'm curious. The 30' trigger range is not ideal but can be overcome by setting the camera at active locations. I have obtained several sets of images, so far, of deer at about 35'-40' under clear sky in open woods. (Go figure?) My son and I will purchase additional units to monitor active mineral sites and active deer trails. These 5mp IR units are a giant step improvement over earlier models. If you're interested in monitoring an area or just curious about what's around, these are great fun and affordable cameras. Make sure the camera is about 4.5'-6' off the ground with a 1"diameter stick at the top rear for improved coverage area. Our best results have been with a 1 min. delay with 3 pictures per triggering.

This was the second WildView camera I've purchased, the first one was a regular flash model that has worked well for two years particularly through our very cold winters.

So I decided to buy this IR model. It worked great...for the FIRST TWO WEEKS. Then it quit.

Called the company. They said no problem, send it back and they'd replace it. Two weeks after I knew they'd received it, I called to find out the status on the replacement. A very nice gentleman informed me that they were on back order.

Three weeks more pass with nothing from WildView. I just called and was told it still on BACK ORDER WITH NO ESTIMATE FOR DELIVERY. They won't refund my money because I bought it from Amazon. Can't get a refund from Amazon because WildView now has the camera.

If you do buy one and it breaks, send it back to Amazon. Don't even try to exchange it with WildView. They have a serious problem in their supply chain and, quite possibly, their quality control at the factory (probably in China).

Amazon claims to still have these units in stock. WildView should buy the Amazon stock and send out the replacement units. I have to wonder just how many replacement units they have on back order.

I'm going to have to buy another camera in the interim (definitely NOT a WildView) since I have no idea how long they're going to sit on this problem.

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When I purchased this for my father-in-law I was looking for something simple to use that gave him good picture quality. I got that and more. Its very simple to use and the picture quality is great! The night pictures are crisp and clear. Suprised at the quality of this camera after I had priced more expensive models. It's very easy to use. The only thing I can say negative about it was that it didn't come with any instructions, but they were easlily found online. Great value.

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Unfortunatly the 2 cameras arrived damaged. Both cameras have the lens filter out of place. I didnt notice the problem untill I had them all set up and ready to use. Amazon promptly sent 2 replacements, they also had the same exact problem.

I think they were probably damaged during shippment. The packaging was minimal. UPS's attitude is "Who cares? its insured". I have received lots of damaged items from UPS.

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I got this camera about 18 months ago, and it's been outdoors since the day I got it. For much of that time, it's been in a semi-sheltered place, but for at least a few months it was out in the rain and snow. No problems from the exposure, although the metal latches have started to rust. I've gotten great photos and video at night and in daytime. I prefer video, because the photos can sometimes be blurry if the animal is moving fast. I can get about 85 15-second videos on a 2 GB card, and the rechargeable batteries last for about 2 weeks.

The downsides are that it is a pain to reset the clock every time I change the batteries, and it's not very easy or intuitive to set the time and date. Once the camera inexplicably erased everything on the SD card. The longer I've had it, the slower its trigger seems to be -I'm seeing a lot more videos with nothing in them, so I'm guessing the animal came and went before the camera started recording. And sometimes it shoots in infrared during daylight for no reason that I can tell, which results in a washed-out video. Cleaning the sensor usually helps with that. That's about all the problems I've had with this camera. I've been very pleased with this purchase -I was looking for something relatively cheap but still good quality to see what animals were wandering around near the house, and this fit the bill. I've gotten a lot of entertainment out of it.

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Toshiba SD-K220U VCR VHS DVD Player Combo Dual Deck Hi-Fi Player Silver SD-K220U VHS Cassette Recor

• Switch from watching a DVD or VHS in one Second Single Button Press Instant Switch!
• Very Easy & Simple to Use!!
• Excellent Picture and Sound Quality
• TOTAL OF 14 Component Inputs & Outputs; Coaxial Component Audio Video Etc.
• VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER, Dolby Digital DTS, Surround Features!

I Really REALLY Like this Model. It Is Very Simple and Easy to use.

I Like the Simple to use read and easy to understand LED display in the orange Color. Bright Bold Display Letters.

You can Easily swtch from DVD to VHS at the push of a button as they both share the same controls.

I Lost my remote a long time ago with this unit and Never really used it in the first place But It can be utilized to the fullest without the remote.

REcording VHS IS Easy.

The Unit is Very Fast and Responsive as far as opening a button presses and overall It "reacts" Quick.

I have read some bad reviews on this but I totally disagree.. Maybe only people who had bad luck with them dcided to write reviews but this is a DURABLE UNIT.. as the Kids Have dropped it Twice.. Stuck mcdonalds Ketchup packets inside (I had to dig them out) and IT still plays great.. IT Does Scratch Very Easily on the top.

I Would say that is the ONLY CON of this, The Upper Top of the player is Very susceptible to scratching and denting.. But That doesnt matter to me how it looks It has lasted through alot of abuse and still works.

EVEN MY MOTHER CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE THIS.. It really is great.. I bought the Silver Model that is SD-K220 But actually reads SD-K220U on the rear sticker, maybe this was an Upgrade.. and they made something better about them..?

BOTTOM LINE THIS THING IS STRONG, EASY TO USE, LOADS OF INPUTS AND OUTPUTS, and DOES THE JOB, AND HAS LASTED!

WOULD BUY ANOTHER IN a Second.. MY last Magnavox only last about 6months This is going on over a 1 1/12 of Abuse...lol

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My Toshiba SD-K220U stopped working. Even while it worked, I was surprised of it's low quality.

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Well, I got this product as a gift, and it did work well for awhile. One day, about 2 months after I got it, I plugged the thing in and it just wouldn't turn on. I should've sent it back. What can I say, I was busy, I didn't have a receipt, I really wasn't thinking about it. I never dropped the thing, and I even opened it up to see if it was a busted fuse or something. Now I'm sure the warranty is expired. Sad thing is is that I can't even find any info about it on Toshiba's website, it's as if the thing doesn't exist to them.

So it's a neat concept, DVD/VCR, but buyer beware, it might fail after a bit. Maybe I'm a victim of planned obsolescence gone awry.

Sony CFD-E95 PSYC Boombox (Blue)

• CD, cassette, and radio boombox with rounded PSYC model fashion design (including stylish PSYC accessory clip and tag)
• 3-color backlit LCD display with customizable functions
• Compact, color-matched remote control
• Sleep/wake timer, jog dial for easy tuning and track selection
• Audio CD-R/CD-RW playback compatibility, Mega Bass low-end sound enhancement

I asked for a small boombox for Christmas of last year for my bedroom because my main system is in the living room and I listen to music constantly. I used to have a Sony boombox that I had to junk when I moved because it was too bulky, but something like 10 years later it STILL WORKED! At any rate, I thought that this would be a good buy cute, compact, still loud and Sony. That being said, I got this one for Christmas.

A few weeks ago (conveniently right when the "labor" part of the warranty ran out), the damn thing just STOPS playing CDs. So I thought, gee, maybe it's my CDs because they're scratched. Nope! I put A BRAND NEW CD in there and it still gave me that whole "No Disc" nonsense. One of the appeals of this thing is that it's also supposed to play CD-Rs as well, which some older systems have a hard time doing. Well truth be told, that is neither here nor there since it doesn't play ANYTHING.

The only thing that works is the radio and the sleep timer. I'm just annoyed because what on earth is the point of having a CD player boombox if it can't play CDs!??! I expect more, a lot more, from Sony and am extremely disappointed. I have to bring it in to be repaired, so that should be fun. (UGH!)

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After less than four months, the CD player failed by displaying the infamous "NO DISC" message. Sony should recall this product. Don't buy it! Its functionality is nothing close to its look. This is the second Sony product (the first one being a 32" TV) that has failed shortly after I bought it.

The better part of this deal was, when I called Sony customer service, I was told that I could send it for repair for $83 and they will cover the parts cost. And I was assured that it was not a joke!

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I don't recommend this device because the controls aren't well

designed and of course there is the "no disc" problem. However

I got mine to to play CDs by plugging it into AC power instead of

running it on batteries. I think maybe the batteries were too

weak to power the laser.

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I bought this in June 2003. In August it stopped playing cds. Luckily my warranty covered fixing the repair. However, upon return I noticed scratches on the unit. When I called to complain, they said that the unit came into them as "Fair". Considering I got the unit 6 weeks earlier and it has been on my desk the whole time, I would not considered it "fair". Whatever! This month, November, the antennae literally just fell off. Mind you, I usually listen to cds so I don't touch the antennae. Sadly, the warranty does not cover the repair. The unit seems to me to be very fragile. Not a unit I can recommend.

This a good boombox. The only problems I have with it though is that you have to use a remote to skip the cd. I use this manly to record cds on to tapes and it does that with no problems. I have had this boombox for a year now and it has not broken down on me.

Sony ICD-MX20DR9 32MB Flash-Based Digital Voice Recorder

This is a great ICD that does a very accurate job of voice to text translation. However, the product does not come with Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred as described. Instead it comes with a very abbreviated lite version called Naturally Speaking Recorder Edition. You'll have to take advantage of a "special offer" from Nuance, fork over another $30 and reinstall the product to get the benefits of the Preferred edition. If you plan to dictate from a headset or use MS Word, you will want to upgrade.

I am disappointed in this product. Sony ICD-MX20DR9 32MB Flash-Based Digital Voice Recorder

This is the only Sony product I ever purchased that was disappointing to me.

I have two reasons I have been disappointed with it. The first is I have never found a combination of feature selections that allowed my to satisfactorily record a lecture in a classroom. If it was set sensitive enough to pick up the professor in front of me (a few feet away) it would pick up all the sounds of people shuffling papers, my breathing, my writing on the desk etc. If it was set less sensitive it would miss what the professor had to say. So, I never found any combination of settings that worked for my intended use. The second problem is I am not able to use the little joy-stick-button. It has five functions. It can be pushed up, right, down, left, or depressed. I am always having problems getting it to do what I intend to do. I have used a lot of devices like that and I never have had this problem. It has cost me accidental erasures, delays in starting recordings, and a lot of frustration.

I find even the "high quality" recording, which eats up a lot of memory, to be of poor quality.

I also misunderstood the way the Naturally Speaking 9 would work. I thought I could use it to transcribe my recorded notes. Wrong! It is only able to learn one voice. So I have worked with it to learn my voice and after months of use it still performs so poorly I spend more time correcting than if I just manually type to transcribe the recording. Since I have owned this unit, I have used several other DVR and I have liked them all better than this unit.

I do like the combination of skipping silents and fast play back. It is nice to be able to review an hour class in a fraction of the time.

I do like the computer connection convenience.

I would not advise it to anyone who wants it to record classroom lecturers.

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It does everything well. The built-in microphone is very good quality. I also bought a 4 GB memory stick because the default memory is barely enough for a good quality two-hour recording.

I would have given it a five-star rating if it weren't for the fact that both the hardware and software (Digital Voice Editor 3.0) are not compatible with Windows Vista. They work fine with XP.

I hope that Sony would allow for upgrades of the software and hardware to Vista. It would go a long way toward building customer brand loyalty.

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This is the best ICD on the world. It's very powerful and it's microphone is very sensitive. Also, the Sony software is controlling every thing and has many powerful controls & options. This Sony ICD-MX20 is the best one. It's very small as a pocket size. I am using it for my business meetings and lessons. I am using the Dragon software to convert my talking into written documents in seconds. The Dragon is the powerful recognition software. Also, you can use an extra mic and headphones if you want. You should purchase the Sony 3V 1000 ma AC-E30A (AC power adapter) for home use and a AAA rechargeable batteries for your external use. I am using the Sony Memory Stick PRO DUO 4GB to let me able to record more than 340 hours. It's batteries work for about 8 hours working time and this is enough. Finally, I recommend this Sony ICD-MX20 for you.

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The now have drivers for up to Windows 7. I have it running fine. Great product!

I would rate it a 4 now.

Honeywell Ademco 269R Holdup Switch w/ Armor Cover

We have used the Ademco panic buttons in our facility for many years. We have neveer had one fail. They are very easy to use and easy to install. We have no intentions of changing to any other brand.

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Olympus DS-150 Digital Voice Recorder

I like the recorder a lot, but I will not restate what has already been said regarding functionality. However, just make sure you lock the DSS software in a safety deposit box. Olympus tech support is horrible. I lost the software (yes, my fault) and called tech support to see where I could download it. They had no idea, and blatantly stated that they did not have time for a "non-tech" issue. Called another support number, the service rep had no idea why I would need the software to record and suggested that I use the DSS lite software (which is just for playing the files, not interfacing).

Long story short, four weeks later, no software. If anyone knows where I can get a copy (I was told it is freely distributed), please let me know.

Other reviewers have done an excellent job of describing the benefits of this tool so I'll be brief. First, you will use it in new ways as long as you're not embarassed by the 'note to self' jokes. Phone numbers, addresses, to do's, random musings, and more. For months when I was very busy I'd keep it near my bed to clear my head before falling asleep. Eventually enough would be in the recorder (and I didn't have to turn on the light) that I could stop worrying about forgetting.

I bought the Sony version of this product and in the end it's probably a wash. They have the same functionality, linking capability, length, etc. The Sony is much more elegant and that is what won the day. Later, I regreted not buying this one because of the Via Voice software (if only just to play with it) but I have heard not one supportive comment about it. Either nobody is using it or it doesn't work.

RE: Linking or downloading. This is useful if you need to store things (remember, there is no tape to remove if you want to keep something) such as lectures, interviews. The problem is that the compression software is not yet standardized and files end up being huge.

If you're using this as a memo device and have no storage needs, I'd consider the model below this (I think it's about half the price).

Last note. If you already carry a cell phone and a PDA, you will find you're pockets too full with this addition. Like me, you will hope for some convergence soon. If this were in my Nokia, I'd be sending voice emails all the time.

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I purchased the DS-150 about 4 months ago and have not been satisfied with the product.

The recording and playback quality is poor and the voice recognition software accompanied with the product is extremely hard to set-up correctly and use.

Save your money and buy a standard tape driven recorder!

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There are some things that are worthwhile in the DS-150. It's small size and light weight is welcome, and it is quite easy to save sound files on my computer in WAV format (my primary criterion for purchase.)

However, it's user interface is simply one of the worst I have ever seen. Even after following the steps in the manual, I found myself unable to perform simple operations like setting the time without referring to the manual again. It makes the average VCR look good!

If you've seen an Olympus manual before, you know what to expect. Written in five languages, it's hard on the eyes, cryptic, badly organized, and full of tragic grammatical errors.

The sound quality isn't all that great either. Forget the ViaVoice software it's a complete joke, unless you need inspiration for your strange dadaist poetry. How can anyone claim to provide useful "voice recognition" when it doesn't even get half the words correct? IBM and Olympus should hang their heads in shame for perpetrating this kind of hoax on the public.

I really needed a small voice recorder that interfaces with my computer, so I grit my teeth and suffer the pain of this inadequately designed product. But I'm not going to suffer in silence. When you're banging your head against the wall, it doesn't hurt so much when you can ... and moan about it.

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This recorder has been great. I got it for two reasons: one for work -the dictation software is great (and fun) and has helped me rapidly do a project that used to take weeks! The other reason: to create story CDs for my toddler. I have had friends read her favorites into the recorder, download and convert them, and then burn them onto CDs. Great for bedtime, downtime or driving. She loves it (and it drives the cat nuts!). The UI is difficult on the recorder, but I ignore all that and use the UI on the computer.

TSSS Portable 1080P Full HD Carcam Car DVR 270 Rotation super-wide angle w/8 infrared night Light E

• 140 Degree Lens. 180 Degree ging for front lens. 270 Degree rotating screen: 1080P Full HD Resolution Video, 1080P
• Smaller Size. 1/3.2' CMOS,Low Illumination. 2.0" LTPS TFT LCD. Swith between Day and Night working status.
• Li-ion Battery Built-in. Recording Video while Recharging. Support TF Card from 512M to 32GB.
• Anti-shaking Function. Cycle-Recording. Auto-recording. HDMI Out. Preview Function.
• Package Includes: 1 x Car DVR, 1 x Camera Holder, 1 x User Manual, 1 x Car Charger, 1 x HDMI Cable, 1 x USB Cable.

Well it's good other than the battery doesn't keep a charge. But as good picture if it had a longer charge it would be better.

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This is the second K5000 I've purchased from this seller. I own many inexpensive DVR's, 808's and Lighter cams made in China. The 1st K5000 has worked flawlessly for 2 months, easy to operate and the resolution is better than all the other Car DVR's under $50, so I bought another for the sedan. For under $50 and free shipping I don't expect the quality of a $200 to $500 HD handycam. I'm very satisfied with this CarCam TSSS K5000. FBA (filled by amazon) is another plus, I always look for FBA before I consider a purchase.

Apex PD-10 Portable DVD Player with 5.6-Inch LCD Screen

• 5.6-inch LCD screen makes it easy to watch movies anywhere; compatible with DVD, VCD/SVCD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and MP3 CDs
• Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel digital output for immersive surround sound (with compatible AV receivers and speakers)
• Zoom Function and built-in screen saver
• Frame-by-frame slow motion, forward, and reverse play
• Includes rechargeable battery pack and 32-button credit-card remote control

We purchased the Apex PD-10 for home and travel use after shopping around. This was the lowest priced player I was able to find and I bought it with the notion of returning it if it didn't perform. I am a radio/tv producer and am quite selective when purchasing a/v products. After a week I am quite impressed. Picture quality is above average, it sounds great hooked up to external speakers, and it has all the features you need and many you'll never use. The internal speakers? Absolutely horrible, as are those on most portable DVD players. The remote is handy, but doesn't work unless you are no more than 5 feet away and pointing it directly at the unit...a drawback for home use. Also, to scroll through DVD options on menus you must use the remote, since there are is no menu button and no track access available on the unit itself--just play, stop and scroll. The battery pack is quite heavy and cumbersome, but still a good option for portability. The on/off switch seems a little flimsy and could break under heavy use. I compensate by using the remote to turn the unit on and off to avoid wear and tear. Overall, this is a great little player and we are enjoying it so far.

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This is a nice little DVD player, esp. it cost less than $....

The 5.8 inches screen is ok in size, and the display quality is above average. The contrast, however, is something Apex should work on.

Sound quality is ok when listen via the headphone or hook up to the car stereo (optical link), but the internal speaker does not performs as good as it should be. Grab a good headphone...or it will riun your movie viewing pleasure.

The power doesn't last as long as what it claims I guess it is because it uses NiHM instead of Lithium battery. So I always rely on the car adapter for road usage.

Ease of use is pretty good, esp. the color and bright buttons under the screen. The off/on/hold swith, however, is hard to switch. I would rather use the remote to turn the player off.

I tried to play DVD, CD-R and also hook it up with a PS2. All runs smoothly.

One last note: Make sure you get this from a store with good return policy. Turns out I have a defected unit because it didn't reponse with I load a disk, and when I hooked it up to external player, the screen is all black and white. So I return to the store and exchange the next day(I did some simple test on the store to make sure I am getting a working one, you may want to do that too).

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What can you expect? Just 18 months ago one of these things cost almost a month's after-tax take-home pay, and now it's just some spare change. Of course you won't get Panasonic or Toshiba quality, but that's not what Apex has come to be known for. Like other Apex products, this DVD player works, and delivers quite some value. My biggest gripe is the big battery, which seems to add another 3 pounds to the DVD player.

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if youre not aware of the apex brand, perhaps this little device will help you understand: apex and their multiple rebrands sell more dvd players than any other manufacturer in the world. theres one reason why; apex makes stuff cheap-but-functional. this player, like all other apex equipment ive ever tried, fits both those qualifications perfectly.

yes, it gets kinda hot; but does it really get hotter than other portable dvd players; i dunno.

yes, the battery is big; but how often will you really use it; it comes off and stays off easily.

yes, ya gotta use the remote to use mosta the onscreen menu functions; but are 4 on-board menu buttons really worth a difference of $100 or more?

yes, its a 4:3 screen, but small is small; the difference between a 5" and 7" screen image isnt really all that great at this level... plus, youve probably been watching letterboxed movies for years now; this is no different, only smaller.

my bottom line: regardless of the few small compromises one must make to justify this player, you cant argue much about the cost. no other full-featured, fully-fledged portable player can even come close!

Hey, I'm Chad from West Virginia, and I got the Dvd player for a christmas present and I enjoyed using it for road trips and airplane trips. Although, it did have a few minor flaws. The speaker quality wasn't as good as I expected, but it's great for the price. If your going to actually enjoy your movie, I would suggest using some head phones. The battery life is pretty good. It lasts about 3 hours. I wish it would last longer, because you don't get to finish your movie, if its that long. But your in luck, there is a ciggerate lighter adapter which will last as long as you want. The Dvd player is also pretty good for playing Ps2, but for Xbox it turns out black and white and I haven't figured out how to fix that. But for the price, Its a great buy. You can't get any better for the price. I suggest it if your on a budget.

Pinnacle Systems 210100316 Dazzle DVC 80 USB Video Capture Device

I brought this home and had it up and running pretty quickly. I didn't experience problems transferring video from a VCR to my computer.

So why one star?

Well, I feel the box and their ads are misleading. The DVC 80 can only capture video in AVI format, with dimensions of 360 x 240, about half the size of of a TV screen. There is no mention of this anywhere in the minimal documentation that comes with the item. I thought I was doing something wrong, and tried to get in touch with customer service, but the wait on the phone was too long. I finally got an email to them, and their only response was that if I wanted MPEG-2, or a resolution of 720 x 480, I should have bought the DVC 150. It would have been nice to know that before I put out my money.

I bought this to convert family VHS tapes to DVD format. The problem is that it limits the capture to a very small screen size (I am not a techie) that is roughly 1/4 of my 17 inch monitor screen. When I burned my first DVD and put it on my home system the picture was really rough poor resolution. My main complaint is there is no mention of this on the box so I got burned for $70. It was a complete waste of money for my purposes!

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Packaged software crashed every time. Tried to upgrade from the website...poorest customer service since the old days of Apple. I have had this thing for over a year and have only been able to transfer about 15 minutes of tiny screen size video. This was a waste of my money. Save yourself the headache. I'll get more satisfaction cramming this device down the garbage disposal than I ever did transferring videos of my children.

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First of all I bought it about a year ago. And I tried to burn the cds on my system which is a dell PIII 700 MHz, with 512 MB ram and win2000 OS. For some reason it used to get stuck when I am trying to created the VCD after rendering the movie and creating the mpeg file. I thought may be something wrong with my system. So I upgraded to dell P4 2.4 GHz, with 768 MB ram and Windows XP home. Now when I try to install the hardware, I get the windows blue screen. The error is some kind of problem with security and authorization. I go on to the dazzle website and try to download any patches. In this process I am asked to register, and rightly so I try to register. Guess what! the site throws invalid number error, so cannot register. So going with the only choice I have, I override everything on XP and install the hardware. Now capture the movie from my VCR again. This time I dint get any audio and the movie is in snaps as opposed to a smooth roll of the scenes. I am still trying to convert this cassette to a VCD. Apart from this burning a movie takes about 8 hrs. To top it off did I forget to mention that I am trying to convert one casette to a VCD for the past one year with this equpmment... :-).

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Im not sure about the features and software as I could never get the product to work. The packaged software MovieStar crashed on start up everytime. I tried using other programs to capture, and no input was detected. When I tried to install the latest drivers for the product the installation froze each time. Average size AV cables (I tried two different sets)do not sit firmly in the device's inputs. The PC I am using is brand new and well above the minimum specifications and running XP. In case you havnt read it elsewhere, customer support is...well just don't bother, no toll free line, and outrageous wait time. E-mail responses are unhelpful at best.

Overall just dont bother with this product. Two thumbs down...way down

Sharper Image HD920 Touch Screen 1080P HD Camcorder, 5.0 MP CMOS, Motion Detection, 3-Inch Touch Sc

This is NOT a camcorder, but a digital camera pretending to do more. The video quality is so poor that it's not worth owning. All you see is blurs, distortions, and pixels everywhere. The sound also sounds like the quality of an old telephone; mono and "tinny." Don't waste your money on this!

I recently purchased the The Sharper Image camcorder HD920 from Amazon and would like to say it is a good buy. The camcorder does not have all the "bells and whistles" of a much more expensive camcorder such as image stabilization; however, it is a great buy for the money. I can use it for security and nanny cam in my home (I really like the motion detection feature). After working with it, I am totally satisfied with the camera (especially considering what I paid for it).

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perfect camera great quality built to last touch screen hd and it is perfect for a skater may not be a cannon or a sony but its def at the top of my list for amazing cameras

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TASCAM CDA550 Recording Studio Equipment

• RCA unbalanced inputs/outputs for Tape and CD
• Common outputs which can be selected sources as Tape or Auto or Mix
• CD-Tape continuous play
• 3U rack mountable
• RTZ and Dolby B cassette

Initial quality on this device was absolutlely superior....then after about two months of frequent usage, it began "eating cassettes" and one of the pinch rollers broke off. I would expect a product with the Tascam badge to be more rugged and reliable. That said, after shipping it back to the factory, it was fixed and returned within three weeks, so high marks for customer service. It remains to be seen how it will do going forward. I have already converted 300 cassettes to CDs with it, and I have another 400 to be done. I am hopeful it will hold up and be able to complete these conversions.

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This unit replaced a similar unit for our church services. It's standard size for rack mounting meant that installation was a breeze. Instruction manual was complete and it was installed and in use in less than 10 minutes. Controls are intuitive and all persons that use it are well pleased.

HP Pavilion G6-2235us 15.6" Laptop (2.7 GHz AMD A6-4400M Accelerated Processor, 4GB RAM, 750GB Hard

I would highly recommend this product. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much with the amount of money I spent on it，and boy, was I surprised. It's nicely built and runs fast. Well done, HP!This is my first Windows 8 PC, it took some time getting used to, but I'm digging the OS so far. Also, I just wanna mention what a bargain it was, it was a whole 30 bucks cheaper than the similar 2210us model which has lower specs. I'm extremely happy with this purchase, worth every penny!

Just ordered, and received this laptop from Amazon. Ordered it on a Sunday morning, and it was sitting at my front door on Tuesday by 11:00 a,m,. Really enjoy my Prime membership. Great job Amazon.

As for the computer itself, I've only had it a few days but it is exactly what I wanted. Not a high performance machine by any stretch but it's no slouch either, A lot of computer for the money. It came with 4GB of RAM and I ordered an additional 4GB memory card which should be in soon and then this machine will be maxed out. Screen view is excellent. Start up is quick after removing some of the crap ware that came with it. After reading all the hate reviews on Windows 8 I was a little leery. Although it is different, I'm beginning to like it. Windows 7 desktop can be brought up easily if desired. Not a gamer or laptop movie viewer so I can't really comment on these aspects. I haven't even tried the optical drive yet; not sure I'll really ever need it. Went 3 1/2 years with the laptop this one replaced and never needed one. I like the looks of it in sparkling black (finger prints will be an issue but easily wiped away). Having the side numeric touch pad is a definite plus on a laptop at this price. This is my sixth HP computer and I 've never had a single issue with the first five which is why I stayed with HP. The only concern I have with this machine, and I might be picky, is that the scrollable mouse pad is very sensitive and can cause you to move you cursor very easily and unexpectedly if touched by accident. I added a wireless mouse to remedy this. For the money I paid I'm a happy camper and see no reason why I can't get many years of enjoyment from the machine

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When my laptop bit the dust, I scoured the internet for a replacement looking for the best value. I'm retired, and am very frugal with my money. I read reviews, compared specifications, and came down to about 4 laptops. When I realized one of them was the same brand and model that my daughter was using, that made my decision. My daughter's HP Pavilion is several years old, but working great and she shares hers with her 3 children. It's taken a beating, and still performs. My only worry was the new Windows 8 operating system. Other reviews indicated the operating system was difficult to learn and hard to understand. It looked to me like I had no choice. All new laptops were Windows 8.

The laptop was delivered exactly when Amazon said it would be (they are VERY dependable about delivery!). I opened the box, hooked up the laptop and began copying the data from my old computer. I've had the new laptop for only 4 days now, but so far have not found anything to complain about. I love the touch of the keyboard, and really like the numeric keypad. I'm not a fan of the keyboard mouse, preferring to use the traditional mouse instead, but I've been using the keyboard mouse pad occasionally, and find it less sensitive than others I've used. (My main complaint previously was that even when I didn't want the mouse to move, it would move because my sleeve touched it or something else random brushed against it.) This mouse pad is not smooth, it is a little bumpy, which I think makes it easier to use.

And Windows 8? Yes, it's new, a little confusing but even at my old age, I've managed to adapt to it. I know it hasn't even been a week yet, but I am completely satisfied with this purchase, and pleased with the value for my money.

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After 3 solid months of trying to find a computer that was compatible with me, I went back to a brand I have had before, HP. This computer has everything I want and is perfect for me! I know some people have issues with windows 8, but I took a class on it when I bought a doomed Toshiba in December. (Plasma screen cracked in 3 weeks, and no, I didn't drop it, it just happened!) Toshiba refused to refund my money. From the time I plugged this computer in it has worked perfectly. I would recommend this HP to everyone who wants a good, reliable computer!

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The laptop all around is pretty awesome and you can't beat the price for it. I would recommend to buying this computer. Its fast has windows8. It is confusing at first but once you learn how to use it it's great.

Black Box Camera System for Vehicles, Cars, Buses, RV's, Commercial vehicles

Works exactly as it should, never be a victim of an overzealous police officer or a frivilous lawsuit.

If you're not at fault for an accident, you can now prove it, if you are... well this is pretty discrete.

Day time video very clear, when I drove thru completely dark roads it worked better where my headlights were pointing.

GPS is surprisingly accurate as you can later watch on your PC, with Google Maps showing even what lane I drove.

Mic is (maybe too) sensitive, will record everything in your car, acceleration etc.

After power goes, it will still record for a few seconds, good for when your power goes out after a crash.

It will even save 20 seconds BEFORE any "event"

All in all, I was looking for such a system and was expecting to spend much more.

This little item has been a reel find. I use it on my dash as a video recorder strictly for insurance purposes to remove any of the he said she said issues of an accident. It has a set of 3 motion sensors that records motion in 3 axis, a GPS map coordinate function and a speed tracking function. Its never failed me in the 1 year plus that Ive used it despite the stiff suspnsion of my 4X4. It records in 20 second intervals and the supplied software is designed to work in a Windows based system but those are all work arounds for me, a Mac user. I know plan on installing another to point behind me as tailgating has been elevated to a sport in my city..

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I have had this product for a few months, it does its work OK.

The major problem is the firmware, when the disk is about full, it first stop recording car location: when you play the file, you won't see the GPS map. When the disk is full, it won't record anything at all; it should delete the old files to give space for recording by itself. You need to take the disk out and delete files yourself. This is a little stupid because deleting old files automatically is not hard to do.

That's the only thing I don't like about, and it's really inconvenient; I'm looking to buy a replacement.

Another scary fact about this product is; I can't find the manufacture's website. That means no support or warranty.

Read Best Reviews of Black Box Camera System for Vehicles, Cars, Buses, RV's, Commercial vehicles Here

DC DXG-202V Tapeless Digital Video Camera

This camera is barely usable as a video camera. First off, you need a LOT of light when capturing video... daylight or close to it.

Other not so great features:

Video frame rate is no better than 15fps at 320 x 240 (as stated in the manual) The best I've seen in the tests I've done so far is around 10 12fps. Marginal at best, and certainly not video camera quality.

The battery/memory slot door is flimsy; it looks like it'll break after a handful of uses.

no optical zoom. Digital zoom is a useless gimmick.

no mounting options at all, so you can't use it on a tripod.

The camera has some nice features, though.

It's compact

The pop-up LCD screen is not bad.

the built-in microphone captures sound well.

If you need a small, cheap digital camera that produces average still photos, marginally useful video and good sound capture... then this camera may suit you.

Many other regular digital cameras in this price range have better digital camera features (optical zoom, better lens) and can capture short movie clips that are as good (or as bad) as this camera. They're probably a better choice.

I bought this little unit as a take-anywhere video camera to record those day-to-day, once-in-a-lifetime moments of my child that you usually only catch as a memory in your head. It's not the camera you want to use for big events like birthdays or holidays, because the video quality is not good enough. But it's perfect for casual outings to the park, or places you may not want to take your expensive video equipment.

It easily fits in my pocket, so no matter where we're going, I take it along. And since it was so cheap, I don't have to worry about breaking it. I even take it close to the pool--although it is NOT waterproof or water resistant.

It does not give the same high-quality video as my expensive miniDV tape camcorder, or my expensive Canon S2 IS digital camera, but the quality is sufficient for the price.

I can take tons of video on my 512 meg SD card (I calculated 45 minutes on the highest resolution), but have yet to use all of the card in one outing) and then I can upload it to my child's website, or burn it onto a DVD.

Some people have complained about the battery/sd card door, but although it is hard to close, I don't anticipate it ever breaking.

PROS:

Inexpensive.

Small enough to take just about anywhere.

Super-long battery life (using nimh rechargeables).

No tapes!!

Records in easy-to-edit avi files.

CONS:

Results are poor if the camera is moved around too quickly while filming. Sometimes you get a "warp" effect if you move too much, too quickly.

No lens cap.

Awkward handling since the lcd screen flips up rather than swinging out to the side as in a typical camcorder.

Terrible in low-light conditions.

In the month that I've owned it, I've captured lots of memories that I would otherwise never been able to see again or share with others.

I was skeptical about it when I purchased it, but this thing is a keeper!

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The Mustek DV4000 doesn't come close to the DXG-202v camera. The Mustek feels cheap, the case is cheap, and the movies come out fairly blurry. The photos on the Mustek over-emphasize the color red and are pixely down to VGA (640x480). However, the DXG-202V has a small fold out LCD screen, a firm case design, the photos are very similar to a 2MP CCD camera and the movies come out very clear. And, unlike the Mustek's line of MPEG4 cams, the DXG-202v uses the MJPEG AVI file format which WORKS FOR MAC, TOO! I use my DXG-202v in iMovie and QuickTime. And the last wonderful thing about this cam is that it's a fraction of the price of a Mustek DV4000 camera. The only thing I would change about this cam is that instead of a smooth zoom in video mode, it seems to zoom choppy; other than that I am very happy with this camera.

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I LOVE THIS LITTLE CAMERA!I have sent back 2 mustek dv3000 cameras,the pictures were blury and grainy and it was so hard to download the pictures.The pictures taken with this camera were crisp and clear,and easy to download.If you want a low priced camera that takes decent pictures,this camera is for you.

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I just bought this camera and let me say the features are endless. It's a 2MP digital, video camera, audio recorder (wav format), mass media storage device, and a webcam all in one. Clear video, crisp pictures. People say there is no zoom in video mode and this is not true. This is a great camera for the price!

Sony MHS-PM5 bloggie HD Video Camera (White)

Several people complained on various internet review boards about how this camera does not deliver very high quality video, etc. I'm a technology enthusiast, computer specialist, amateur photographer and have about 7 or 8 different cameras so I feel qualified to give a good review.

This is a camcorder meant for internet uploads/sharing, quick shots, etc. This is not what you want to film your wedding with. So don't expect broadcast quality.

Having said that I think the image quality is VERY good for its size. One huge advantage over Flip/etc... is the swiveling lens. This was the main attraction for me. I'm always embarassed waving a big camera in public. Just don't like when people stare at me for filming something. This is why Sony bloggie is a great product. You can turn the lens to an angle you like and hold the device like your cellphone. People will actually think you are just playing with your phone.

Let's get done with my complaints list quickly:

-CMOS sensor means you get the rolling shutter a.k.a jello effect when panning too fast with the camera (vertical objects appear skewed)

-Smaller lens angle when using 1080p mode. (i.e. picture is too "tele")... you get a nicer wide angle if using 720p.

That's about it, image quality -especially in daylightis very very good for such a camera. I actually prefer to record in 720p 60fps mode, the high frame rate gives it a very smooth motion.

FYI, it's compatible with Apple's iMovie. Will take some time to import your videos but once it's done, editing is super easy!

I hesitated for a long time before buying this camera but I'm glad to say I don't regret it at all! Very satisfied with my purchase.

My actual rating is 3.5 stars but I've rounded up for now.

First, I read the specs of this before I ordered it so I knew what I was getting myself into. I did not buy this for great recording capabilities and did not expect that. I bought this device to have a easily portable recording device for cheap and it delivers.

The negatives for me so far has been the awful sound recording and the lighting. I did not expect a great mic but the quality of sound recording is far below my expectations. Combine this with the inability to attach an external mic (let me know if there's a way that I don't know of) makes this device subpar. The lighting recorded fluctuates quite a bit. Sometimes I would have to set the setting a couple times to get video to appear versus a dark/black screen. Let me note that I was recording in the evenings indoors without much light in the first place. Yes, this isn't ideal but if it is not able to handle that lighting, setting the device's settings a couple times should not magically "fix" the issue.

The overall design works well and the navigation is a breeze, similar to other Sony cameras. You can also easily pull this device out of your pocket and start shooting either in camera mode or camcorder mode within seconds. I do feel that they could have utilized the screen space much better; video is displayed on the top of the screen and the bottom of the screen is basically wasted IMO. There are no exposed ports so the unit is nice and sleek. The area that goes over the USB doesn't completely move out of the way so depending on the USB port you are connecting to you might not be able to plug it in. No worries though, a USB extension is included. Oh, and you can use both SD and the memory stick, yay!

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I was really excited to see the next generation of pocket camcorders come out for 2010 and the Bloggie is the first I know of. It has a larger, updated optical sensor and presumably updated firmware and hardware to render better video quality. I bought it as soon as I found out it was available.

My initial impressions are less about the Bloggie and more about what an achievement the Flip cameras are. Here's why:

The Sony Bloggie seems brighter but is more sensitive to movement than the MinoHD. I go over my videos frame by frame to get screen captures and the majority of the frames the Bloggie seems lost on the action and repeats the same bad exposure for many more frames before it adjusts to get the best exposure. The MinoHD on the other hand, even though it is over a year old, is much quicker at correcting exposure, frame by frame, focus and light, to provide overall better video resolution. This is in spite of the fact that the Sony Bloggie has a bigger optical sensor and the newest hardware. Flip just seems way ahead of every pocket camcorder (haven't tested the Kodaks) in its internal intelligence in detecting focus and exposure. This is what truly gives it the edge.

The Bloggie does have a removable battery or memory card unlike the Flip. But I can't wonder if it's even necessary. I've never needed more memory or another battery in my Flip. Also it presents open compartments that will no doubt gather dirt in the electronics and buttons, unlike the Flip which is mostly sealed.

Playback mode? I'm a software developer so I'm not afraid of complicated stuff but I found the playback controls on this frustrating over and over. There are 6 or 7 different buttons you can push on playback to pause, ff, rw, etc and I kept finding myself pressing the wrong one and getting kicked out of play mode. Yes, the Flip had this right and so simple! I actually feel like I have taken the Flip's playback for granted thinking it was just without features. But for the same functionsplayback, pause ff, rw, the Bloggie feels like it is many times more complex and mysterious even though it's attempting to do exactly what the Flip does so effortlessly, mindlessly. As for uploading to Youtube, etc., like it is featured to do, I guess that's like programming your VCRpossible if you really want to learn it but more like a punchline than useful.

The Bloggie has still image, movable lens, and other bells and whistles the flip doesn't have, but is an order more complicated to use than the Flip. In the end the video, even at 1080p, is still not as sharp and clean compared to the smooth 720p of the Flip MinoHD.

Other features such as an external mic input are not available on either the Bloggie or the Flip MinoHD but are available on others such as the Kodak Zi8 etc. But this wasn't a factor for me.

I will also ad that looking at the instructions made me understand why this has the stupid name of Bloggieit is a uniquely Japanese product rushed to market without alot of careful insight into the aesthetic of the American consumer (If I may, nothing against Japanese products, usually I think them superior.) The instructions are pretty poor considering some of the dummy proof large font easy-to-read stuff I've gotten used to from places like Ikea and yes, Flip. These look like they were put together by a technical person in a tight deadline who doesn't speak English well...

Keep trying Sony, some good ideas here but mostly I think you need to improve on that smooth auto exposure algorithm!

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Here are the PRACTICAL reasons I bought this camera ...

1) I love having an SD card ... and "unlimited" video memory space

2) I love having a replaceable battery ... that can be charged either in the camera or in a charger

3) I love the fact that it is small, and compact and easy to use

4) I love the included USB extension cord, so that the USB doesn't block my other cords

4) I especially love the swivel lens ... you can set it down and aim it anywhere.

I will mostly be using this camera (as an adult) for videotaping family, but no matter how old you get, you never lose your imagination.

I keep thinking how great it would be to be a child again ... playing spy. I would sneak videos over the fence of my neighbors yard. I would set it in the corner of the porch and record my friends and me just hanging out. It would go up in the tree house with me, and I'd peek it over the edge and video what was going on below. Gosh, if I were a boy with imagination, I'd find a way to use it to sneak a few shots of my sister and her friends.

Just a quick suggestion, if you are into really fun features, you might want to pay a few extra dollars and get the Sony bloggie MHS-PM5 Camera Kit Camcorder High Definition widescreen 5.0 Mpix supported memory: MS Duo, SD, MS PRO Duo, SDHC flash card white which has the 360 degree lens included!

There is photo software included if you want to install it ... but if you don't need it, it's on a disk and you can leave it off.

I have used the Flip, the Aiptek pen camera, but of all of them, this is the most fun, and for sheer flexibility of things I can do the most practical. I purchased it with an 8G memory card, and will be purchasing an external charger for trips.

***Edited***

I used the camera on vacation and have further reporting

1) I recorded both indoors and outdoors and the quality of recording was very adequate under both lighting conditions.

2) The mike recorded well indoors and picked up a lot of ambient sound when recording outdoors.

3) The one difficulty that I had was in being able to clearly see the screen under very sunny conditions.

4) It was extra super to not have to change between video and camera click one button it is camera the other and you are videotaping.

5) The battery charge lasted for the full week I recorded a number of small clips rather than a single large event.

As I anticipated, having the SD card was super I simply popped it out, handed it to my daughter and she copied the videos and pictures on her computer before I left so we both have our own copies.

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I bought the Sony Bloggie from Amazon along with a high speed Sony Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX 8 GB Flash Memory Card with USB Reader MSHX8G for a 3 week trip to Bermuda. The camera is very compact so it was easy to carry in my pocket in an old cell phone case. It's actually smaller than an iPhone or a G1.

It was easy to quickly take a photo or a video. The built-in software also makes it simple to upload videos and photos to the Internet. There are several sites programmed into the software but I just used Picasa for photos and YouTube for videos.

I shot all my videos in 720p and was very pleased with the quality of the video and sound. I only took a dozen or so photos with the Bloggie but they were acceptable. It was so much fun and so easy to take videos that I didn't even think about taking photos.

The Bloggie is not without its drawbacks. A jack for an external microphone would have been a nice feature but I found the built-in mic to be fine. Oddly the most irritating thing about the Bloggie is sliding the USB connector back into the camera. I always felt like either it would never go back in or that it might break. The USB extender cord that comes with the Bloggie is about 6.5" long; a longer one would have been more convenient. The screen is way too reflective and washes out in daylight so an anti-glare screen protector will be my next purchase for this camera. Documentation, once you have set the camera up is pretty much non-existent, so it's a learning experience as you use the camera. The will be some shake to your videos if you aren't firmly holding the camera or not using a tripod but that is true of all video cameras regardless of size unless one has a Steadicam or other camera stabilizer.

My bottom line is I really love this camera. It met all of my expectations; not too cold, not too hot but just right. I highly recommend it and would buy it again without hesitation.

Addendum: Took it on a cruise to Mexico and, well CURSE swimsuits with large pockets! I hopped into a hot tub with it in my pocket on the last day of the cruise! The camera died BUT the good news is that the Sony memory card survived with all my videos intact. Whew!

Now considering purchasing the Sony MHS-CM5 bloggie HD Video Camera (Violet) NEWEST MODEL with the 5x optical as a replacement.

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CIB R401W500G8795 4CH Security Surveillance DVR 600TVL 4 CCD Bullet Cameras K...

I opted for a 600TVL camera system because my current system had a lower resolution. When I got the cameras, they were definitely clearer than my other cameras. However, the manual that comes with the cameras says they are 540TVL. This is still higher than my current cameras. I have found conflicting information about the resolution of these cameras when searching google with the model #. However, the picture is good from them & I am happy.

The system came with everything needed to hook this up out of the box. The 65ft cables, power adapters, software CD, mouse, remote control, window security decals & even screws to mount the cameras. The only thing you need is a TV with RCA Video inputs or a computer monitor to view the video.

As far as the cameras, the infrared goes far & is impressive. My application is about 30-35 ft & it lights up this distance with no problem. The cameras glow a faint red when it is dark, but this is happens with every night camera in this price range. Daytime viewing is nice & the colors are pretty accurate. When it automatically switches to night vision, the picture is black & white, but still crisp. They are also very responsive when switching from day to night vision. The shield around it can be removed if you like & the cameras are about the size of a can of coke, they are metal & feel very solid. The mounts for the cameras are a little flimsy, but they work fine. I was also happy to see the mount can be mounted on top or bottom of the camera. Not bad cameras in my opinion.

The linux based DVR is awesome. It is silent & is very small, about the size of my cable converter. I am not a security pro or installer, but as a computer technician I have come across many CCTV DVR's. This DVR had features I never though to look for & was a snap to set up. For example, when set to motion detection you choose which areas of the screen/camera view are motion activated by selecting square blocks. There are about 50 blocks per camera screen you can select for motion monitoring. However dust or other small things would set off the motion detection. Then I found a feature that lets you specify how many blocks must be occupied for the motion to be recorded. I selected 3, so anything that sets off the motion detection has to be bigger than about a square foot. That way I don't have video of a bird flying by or dust in the air. I never thought of this while buying it. Anther neat feature is that you can select which cameras record when motion is detected on one of them. You can record the one camera that detected motion, or all of them, another feature I never thought of.

The DVR can be accessed by any browser, unlike my old system which required IE 6. There is a password option, so you cannot mess with the settings without a pin code, locally or through the browser. You can even set a user and an admin who each have different levels of access (View only or Administer). The DVR has an alarm that you can disable or leave enabled that will beep for events you select, like Full hard drive, disconnected camera, motion detected etc.. Another great feature is that it can upload/backup video to a thumb drive or to a remote server using FTP. It will even send you alerts via email. I did not try the phone viewing though so I cannot comment on that.

The DVR display is very nice, showing you what is going on, whether it is recording etc. It supports PTZ cameras & also has a setting to overwrite old video as the drive fills. You can specify how long to keep videos too. For example you can specify to keep videos for XX days before auto overwriting. The display shows you how many hours recording you have left also. You can choose scheduled, manual or motion recording, per camera.

My only gripe about the DVR is playback. Instead of a list of video to select, you see it in a timeline & have to select the time. It works fine, it's just different than my last system & I need to get used to it. Otherwise the interface is easy & friendly. Not an overcomplicated mess like my last system.

I would reccomend this system to anyone looking for a decent system for their home or business.

This system is truly a system that only requires the addition of some type of monitor to be immediately useful. This can be a television or a PC monitor. There is a VGA connection for the monitor and RCA for TV. The best quality is naturally from the VGA to a PC monitor. The colors in daylight are natural and can be adjusted for hue and saturation, contrast and brightness. Night vision is of course black and white when the infrared LEDs are active. Bright flashes or reflection back into the camera view will shut off the IR and colors will display during that period. If there is bright enough light detected by the camera from external lights at night, the IR will stay off. This system comes with 4 bullet cameras and there is the capability to expand with a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera and an alarm input. There is a desire by most people to have a single power supply for the cameras which now comes with the system. It is a single transformer supply with an adapter that will connect all four cameras. This power supply is connected at the DVR end of the system. There is no need for power at the place where the cameras are mounted. Power is supplied to the cameras alongside the same cable as the video connection. There is a separate power supply for the DVR. There are 4 inputs for microphones (that I have yet to upgrade to) and one audio output. Microphones do not come with the system.

Clarity of detail at a distance may leave a bit to be desired. Things start to get a little fuzzy at about 30 feet from the camera. Not something I would complain about for the price I paid for this system. There is a "zoom" function that may or may not be helpful depending on what you are viewing. This merely magnifies a part of the viewing area. It is not an actual zoom like you would get from a PTZ camera.

This system has a good live real-time response to activity in the camera view. There seems to be no lag in response time when viewing the direct live feed to a monitor. There is a built-in capability to view live feed from networked PC's and on mobile devices. There may be somewhat of a challenge in this as it is advertised to be able to access the live view from any internet enabled PC or mobile device simply through a browser. I have yet to find the proper avenue to obtain this from any PC outside my home network. I have only had this up and running for about 2 weeks and not had a lot of time to research the issue. At this point, I have been recording constantly at the highest setting for the frame rate (120fps) for about 2 weeks and have used less than half of the available disk space. I expect approximately 1 month of video before the overwrite function starts. Disk space conservation can be achieved with lower frame rate settings but I elected to have higher quality video in the recordings. One thing to note is that the recorded video quality is slightly less than the live view.

The remote that came with the system appeared to be of generally good quality but it was semi-responsive an finicky as to the position it was pointing. I tried changing to new batteries but got no better response from the remote. This may just be where I have the DVR unit set up and I changed over to mouse control (a small mouse comes with the system). One thing that bothered me about the mouse was that I had a wire hanging across my workspace since I have the DVR on an upper shelf of my computer desk. I remedied that issue with a wireless mouse and it works wonderfully. I can now operate the system from across the room if desired just as I could with the remote.

The view from the cameras show a wide area due to a slight fish-eye lens effect. This is something to be aware of if the need arises to give specifics to law enforcement about any sizes, distances or dimensions. It's just a different view to get used to. This fish-eye effect is not exaggerated as if you were looking through a bubble though.Lines are not straight and sizing may be off slightly. Mounting and positioning for view are manageable but slightly tedious. There are 3 points of adjustment, 2 of which are done with an included allen wrench and the other with pliers on a lock ring at the base. The product picture for the mounts does not match the type of mounts that came with my cameras so there may be different mounting devices attached at the company's discretion.

One of the most time consuming parts was to set up the motion detection. It has many useful functions with area blocking, size, length of time in view and overall sensitivity. I had to set each of my cameras to different levels according to what the camera had in view. This is affected by the contrast (adjustable) and any reflection of light back into the camera from nearby walls and the like. You may have it set so that bugs or raindrops won't set it off but then a spider crawls onto the lens and it will go off due to the apparent size and reflectivity. It is not a perfect system but in general it works. You will see a lot of dust particles floating in the air on camera that you normally would not notice.

So far, people that have seen how my system operates and the view it produces are at the least intrigued at what they see and did not know it could be so affordable. I will still need to see the longevity factor play out but it appears to be a system that will last a good while. If you have the desire or need for an affordable quality camera system, this is the one to get. If you have never had a security camera system before, you will find yourself almost constantly watching the screen for any activity, at least for a while. Go ahead and do it.

2/9/12 Update:

This system is still working great after 5 months. Spiders definitely love the heat from the IR LED's so cleaning cobwebs away from the camera view is an occasional task through the nice weather seasons (about every 3-4 days). The sun shields work pretty well on the cameras but you will get a glare or brightness intensity issue if pointed in the general direction of the sun. The only complaint so far is the DVR timestamp function. It loses about 2-3 minutes a week so the internal clock is somehow not calibrated properly in my unit (not enough of an issue for me to return it since I am more interested in the images than the time). The time difference can be calculated to find out when an incident occurred on camera. Overall, I am still happy with the system and it has made my life a little easier in certain ways since it is quicker and easier to investigate outside noises at a glance.

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This system was so easy to set up, It took longer to run the 925 feet of cable. That's right one camera was 645 feet away and it came in crystal clear the second camera was 150 feet and the other two were 65 feet each away,I installed the system at my business.

I called customer service because I tried to run the system over Wifi instead of using a phone line to the router so I could see the view the cameras from my home,

Rachele was so polite and explained how the units communicate with each other.

I would recommend this system and company to anyone thinking about installing a

surveillance system.

Read Best Reviews of CIB R401W500G8795 4CH Security Surveillance DVR 600TVL 4 CCD Bullet Cameras K... Here

I have been looking online to replace the surveillance system we have in our business. I am so happy that

I came across with this product. The camera is so clear. You can view it remotely from your computer or iphone.

It is so easy to set up with the help and patience of RACHELLE. She's always there to assist and answer all my queries.

Their customer service is outstanding.

I highly recommend this product. It really works. BUY it and you won't regret it!

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I compared cameras and shopped around found out from a youtube video the difference between less than 450 TVL and 600 TVL. Looked pretty significant so I chose the more expensive cameras. I usually don't write reviews because I have 3 kids and not a lot of time. I also do not have time to try and work out problems with shoddy tech support. This is where the seller stands out. I'm not bad at figuring this stuff out so tried myself for about 3 days to no avail and finally decided to call their tech support. They did a great job helping me troubleshoot my issue, were very courteous and knowledgeable. The product works as advertised also.

Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Raspberry)

Check out my sample footage video on Youtube. On Youtube search "djeror zi8 low light"

In my previous review of the Kodak Zi8 I was pretty frustrated at the fact that whenever I used the built in microphone the recorded videos had an annoying high pitch whine that made the audio from my videos almost unusable. Kodak recognized that this was an issue and created a firmware update that fixed the problem. It also fixed a few other things like the previous issue of the image getting darker as you zoomed in. They seem to have fixed all of the major problems with this firmware fix.

I do tech product reviews so I need the following things:

External mic input most of my videos are shot wearing a lapel mic

Macro mode I have to get close to little tiny screens

SDHC memory I go to all day trade shows, I need 10+ hours of video

Power options I need to be able to shoot while AC power is plugged in or use a large external battery.

Under $200 I'm poor.

Because of these requirements no other camcorder can fit my needs. One cool thing about this camera is that it is much more upgradable than the other pocket cameras on the market.

Con:

-The built in microphone is OK now that they fixed the whining noise, but it's still not amazing.

Work-around:

Don't use the internal mic... I use an Audio Technica lapel mic for 1 person interviews.Audio Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone For events I ordered a Sony stereo mic to use instead of the built in mic. Sony ECM-DS70P Electret Condenser Stereo Microphone . Although I wish that Kodak made the internal mic better, for the most part I am kind of excited that the Sony stereo mic will give me much better sound than any of the standard internal mics that any of the pocket cams have.

Con:

-Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) sucks a lot of juice. Also the Zi8 uses a proprietary battery rather than cheap swappable AA's. Battery life when shooting non-stop is 1hr 16min in 720p 60fps with EIS on. If you turn off EIS you get about 1hr 41min at 720p 60fps.

Work-around:

Use the USB to power cable that comes with the camera in conjunction with an external battery source. This is a must if you are going to be recording for more than an hour with EIS, cause that's about what the internal battery will give you. Tekkeon TekCharge Rechargeable Li-Poly Battery You can just stick this battery pack in your pocket and connect the charging cable to the Zi8. This will allow you to record for a super long amount of time. I haven't tested to see what my total record time with the battery pack will be but it should be around 5X the standard recording time. (about 6 hours with EIS on, almost 9 with it off) This gives you the best battery life of almost any camcorder. Sure it's an extra cost, but when you're at an all day trade show you don't have to worry about running out of juice.

Con:

Image stabilization can't rescue video you shoot while moving around. Any camera motion makes video awful.

Work-round:

Accept the fact you should probably be using a mini tripod with this camera or at least stand still. Also, although it takes a bunch of time to process if you have the new iMovie the image stabilization processing you can do is light years beyond what the EIS in the Kodak Zi8 can do.

One more important note. Make sure you buy high speed SDHC memory cards for this thing. If your SD card is not fast enough the camera will record for like 2 seconds and then stop with an error. It took me a while to figure out why the camera kept stopping recording when in HD mode but worked fine in SD mode. It was because of my old SD card. You need to make sure your SD card has a write speed of at least 9MB/s if you want to record in 1080p. These high speed cards cost more, but you need them for any camcorder that is going to record HD video to them, it's not just the Zi8. I think most Class 6 high speed SDHC cards should work.

If you want to get the most out of this camera plan on spending an extra $100 $150 in order to buy upgrade items. Personally I've come to the conclusion that the extra expenses were worth it. It all depends on what you plan on using the camera for. For a typical mom purse cam this would not be my recommendation, I would say go with a Flip Ultra HD. But for someone with particular needs like mine this camera may be the only one that fits the bill.

I rarely will type/review products but I've been a little frustrated reading the reviews of this product on Amazon and by users at other sites. Many users seem to think that this camera was designed to compete with expensive, professional cameras that cost thousands of dollars and produce full HD quality video. That's not what this is. Also, while my camera hasn't had the 'noise' issue from the Mic, i have seen a camera that had the issue and its BARELY noticeable. Its almost like a very quiet background noise from a Florescent light or something.

Kodak has designed, marketed, and built a camera to compete with FLiP and has clearly produced a FAR better product.

I'll keep it short and sweet and first explain who I am and what I am using this camera for. I use it for:

-Home Videos/Fun stuff with old buddies and friends

-For work when I need some quick video that's easy to upload online, or put in iMovie and edit

-For work when I need more complex videos that may require editing, or somewhat lengthy video but I want the ease of use/portability.

I have seen some of the problems stated with the internal Mic and I have had none of them (I do have the upgraded Firmware that is now standard 1.03, and Kodak says this completely eliminates the issue...again have never had the issue on my camera). A relative of mine was lucky enough to purchase this product when Kodak did an 'early' release a few months ago and occasionally his videos will have a bit of a higher pitched background noise, but it doesn't interfere with the sound from the video -its just a light background noise that, honestly, i've heard on dozens of cameras. Don't forget, without an external Mic the camera only records mono so -the sounds quality isn't going to be great anyway!

The video is great, image stability isn't as advanced as those available on more expensive cameras but it is better than anything i've seen in a FLiP or other Kodak model. It does work and you can see a difference, even if its not huge. Its SO easy to flip between video modes. The 1080p is awesome, but sometimes its nice to move back down to 720 and the 60fps to capture 'action' footage.

One negative -which most people may see as a positive -i do wish there were more settings, or at least the ability to play around with more features/edit modes. Its GREAT easy to use, its a point and shoot video camera -but with the great lens and abilities, it seems like Kodak could have -pretty easily -had this camera competing with much higher end cameras. If all the hardware was put to great use this could compete with $500+ cameras. But I understand wanting to keep it simple.

I like having the SD card. Some people would prefer the internal memory, and yes by the time you buy a decent sized SD card the camera is more expensive than the FLiP, but, the FLiP has a very limited memory. This camera is limited only by the size of the card...Definitely a positive!

Finally, I know people that are both in the TV business and do a lot of Video blogging and they are drooling over this camera because of the external mic capabilities. One reason lots of 'pros' didn't like FLiP was because of the audio issues. Kodak has solved those, not to mention providing better quality video.

Again this isn't something to shoot with if your a young film-maker or a die-hard amateur cinematographer. But if you need something cheap to get some great quality video, or need something super easy to use that is really portable....Take the plunge. And if your considering FLiP -don't bother...

Buy Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Raspberry) Now

Instead of shooting a review, I took some video, outdoors in the dark, in a dim room, and various lighting conditions. I erased the audio portion it was just wind and ambient noise. The original video is great quality hopefully Amazon does not compress it too much!

Christmas lights in front of the house, the tree inside the house, and some footage at the local gym (dark, medium and bright conditions!)

I also shot some close-up footage with the close-up setting on and off so you can see how it works.

All videos are recorded by the camera in .mov format.

Read Best Reviews of Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera (Raspberry) Here

So, I read all the same reviews you did on Amazon. Some people love it some people have had problems. I have not seen a product with such a wide range of reviews and was very leery. I bought it locally at a store with a good return record as Amazon was out of stock with no ETA on new stock.

I will start by saying, I have not had any of the problems that seem common here. No lines, no funny squeals/hums, etc. This unit came with the latest firmware installed (1.06).

Reading the 4 and 5 star comments on Amazon, I would say they are in line with my own experiences. For my needs this camera hits the mark on so many levels.

My needs:

Small camera

Ability to record fast action movement of sports/dance activities

Extremely easy to play back on a computer AND television

Zoom. Optical would be great, but not needed for what I do.

A standard video format that could be edited by lots of different software.

Major pluses that tipped the scale to this camera over others:

Removable memory. I don't want to download everything to a computer when I am on vacation. Swapping out the memory card is like loading film...I'll process it when I get home.

Removable Battery. With all of my rechargeable tools/toys, I will use them more if I can swap out a run down battery and keep going. This lesson was first learned with cordless drills, always buy a second battery so you can keep working.

Decent quality video for the size. Look at another reviewer on Amazon. He did a decent job of recording in different lighting conditions to show you what to expect. Similar videos were found on Youtube.

Software:

This seems to be a problem for a lot of people. I really didn't expect much and knew from other reviews that the .mov format was compatible with Quicktime. I would have preferred something I could use on Windows Movie Maker, but if the software did not work it was only $30 to upgrade to Quicktime Pro to edit.

As an aside: I found it interesting that folks complained that only PC software was included. What they didn't seem to understand is this .mov format works natively with the standard iMovie software on the Mac.

All that said, the Arcsoft software loaded fine on an old laptop running XP. Now, like any other video editing software, I had to close all other programs to keep the video from being jumpy when I edited or played it.

The one interesting detour I did not expect was the 8GB SDHC card I bought for the camera was not something the old XP could read with it's built in SD card reader (SDHC did not exist when this computer was built). It worked fine with a newer Vista based computer. That said, flipping out the USB connection from the camera and plugging it into the XP laptop worked great. The laptop treated the camera like a USB memory stick and the movies run in Quicktime.

As to converting the .mov to something I can use (say .avi) with Windows Movie Maker, I did find some free tools listed by other reviewers that worked fine (RAD Video Tools http://www.radgametools.com/bnkdown.htm) .

What would I like to see different? An adjustable focal length so I could get everyone in the shot across the table and still take the long shots. I expect that will be years before this feature is affordable enough to put in a $200 camera. I do look forward to that day as I bet we see optical zoom and detachable lenses to do fun things when that day comes.

I think I got lucky in some areas and had different expectations in other areas.

It appears that the early adopters had problems and Kodak was quick to fix them. I received a newer model with the latest fixes (firmware) and possibly newer ArcSoft software.

I never expected a $200 camera without optical zoom to take pictures of cameras costing twice as much and more.

I never expect included software to be stellar as that has never been my experience with ANY product. It should do the basics, and for me it did, although I probably won't use it given other free options.

I have had video cameras in the past and recognize the need for good lighting, both on the subject and behind the subject. That said, I am pleased with the video even in low-light situations as it is better than what I expected.

If you need a small video camera that is very easy to use and share your videos, I would not hesitate to recommend this to you.

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I'm friends with a lot of Boston area musicians, and I have been very supportive of them. Near the beginning of the year, I started using a Kodak Zi6 in preparation for a video project involving the Boston area music community, mostly as proof of concept for the use of modern low-cost video technology in capturing music shows in a very naturalistic, unobtrusive manner. There was a long learning curve, mostly to do with processing the raw video and audio -video cameras in general are not designed for the lighting and sound levels typical of club shows, and despite the limitations of the Zi6 -not so good low light sensitivity, a mono-only mic, and the included software was useless for my purposes -I ended up getting pretty good results.

When the Zi8 was announced and that not only it was suppose to have better low light sensitivity and a higher resolution, but also image stabilization and a jack for an external stereo microphone, it was a no-brainer to get one. What was tricker was deciding on the microphone -there were some video reviews on YouTube and such, but nobody was really recommending anything in particular. I did find one video using a Sony ECM-DS70P Electret Condenser Stereo Microphone and that seemed like it would work well: it was very compact, seemed to sound pretty good, and was relatively inexpensive. For the memory card, which you need, I just reused the 8 Gb SDHC cards I had bought for the Zi6. I had gotten spoiled with the battery life of the Zi6 -a couple of cheap, rechargeable 2400mah NiMH AA batteries would be good for all night and nearly 4 Gb of recording. The Zi8 uses a compact lithium-ion battery that lasts maybe only a third as long. Amazon had exceptional deals, though, on both compatible batteries and a charger, so I ended up getting both 2 BATTERY+CHARGER FOR KODAK KLIC-7004 V1073 V1273 M1033 and Kodak KLIC-7004 / Fuji Np-50 / Pentax DL-I68 Compatible Li-Ion Battery. Even though the specs on these batteries give them a higher capacity than the Kodak battery that comes with the Zi8, they've so far been lasting about 80-90% as long. For the price, though, they were/are exceptional deals.

I starting using the Zi8/Sony mic combo back at the beginning of October and the overall improvement over the Zi6 was immediately obvious: even at the same 720p resolution, the Zi8 produced much sharper, cleaner video in a club environment, and the Sony mic just rocked in terms of sound quality. The Zi6 for a long while was reputed to have the best internal mic of all the pocket digital camcorders, but the Zi8 with the Sony just blew it away. The best thing about the Zi6's mic, though, was that it was nearly impossible to make it clip -it was able to handle insane volume levels. The only times it had trouble was with very, VERY high bass volume levels. The only drawback to the Zi8/Sony combo is that it can't quite handle the same volume levels, especially if there is excessive midrange on the vocals. The Zi8 has an microphone input level control, but even at its lowest setting, I've had a couple of instances where vocals cracked due to excessive midrange volume at around 640khz. But bear in mind that is while standing near the stage and by the speakers at a rock show mixed with too much midrange. But so far, for easily most of the rock shows, the audio has turned out superb with the same processing tricks I learned using the Zi6.

There is one proviso with the audio: I now always extract the audio and use a separate audio editor (something like the free Audacity editor) to clean it up before adding it back to the video (which is actually easier than it sounds). I did notice that there was very narrow "dip" (more like a reverse spike) at about 7900khz that wasn't correctable, but it was narrow enough and at a high enough frequency not to be noticeable. I thought that this was a Sony mic characteristic, but I recently upgraded the Zi8's firmware to 1.06, and the "dip" shifted downwards to about 5500khz, and was a little bit wider, but not nearly as steep. You would think that this would be more noticeable, but that it's now much more correctable than when it was at 7900khz, and the audio overall sounds cleaner than before the upgrade.

The biggest weakness with both the Zi6 and Zi8, and in general with all video cameras, as well as cameras that do video, is the software. Pretty much all concert videos need some adjustments for brightness, contrast, saturation and maybe hue, and the audio usually needs to be corrected with something like a graphic equalizer at the least. This is basic stuff, but nobody seems to include good software for this. The Zi8 comes with ArcSoft's MediaImpression, but while it does allow some good basic adjustments to picture quality, there is nothing for audio adjustment. Both the Zi6 and Zi8 save videos in Apple's Quicktime "Mov" format, and there isn't a whole lot on the Windows PC side that deals with this cheaply and easily. I tried Apple's Quicktime Pro, which is relatively cheap at $30, but I found it too slow, too limited, and too poorly designed to bother with for regular use. I also tried different conversion programs, but you always loose detail with every conversion. I ended up using VirtualDub, which is free, and some free plugins for it. But VirtualDub is not able to directly open up MOV without some geeky trickery, the details of which are beyond what I can put here. Probably for most users, another free program, Avidemux, will likely do. It's not really meant for beginners, but you can find beginner guides easily enough online. There are some $99 programs that *might* do, but my experience with a trial version of one of them wasn't the best, and you need a lot of horsepower to deal with a 720p video resolution. Even when using compact, no nonsense VirtualDub for processing, it typically takes my stripped-down 3 Ghz Pentium D system about an hour on average to process a typical 4 minute concert video for uploading to YouTube.

Anyone interested in my personal results can just do a YouTube search for "MelodyMatters" and all the videos there from the beginning of October to the present (except for one), were done with a Zi8. FYI....