Showing posts with label zoom h1 digital recorder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zoom h1 digital recorder. Show all posts

Sunday, November 16, 2014

PE 8GB MP3/MP4/MP5 Multimedia Player with 2.8 inch Touch Screen

PE 8GB MP3/MP4/MP5 Multimedia Player with 2.8 inch Touch Screen
  • Another proprietary products from Pro Ebiz LLC
  • 2.8 Inch High Resolution TFT Touch Screen with resolution 320 * 240
  • Play most MPEG4, WMV, AVI, RM, RMVB and FLV without conversion (other formats can be converted to one of the 6 supported formats to play)
  • Tested to be compatible with Overdrive Media Console (audio book), Built in micro SD Card slot for expandable memory capacity. 2GB tested.
  • It will play musics purchased from Napster and most other websites. However, it is NOT compatible with Napster to Go or any other service.

I bought this player for myself. I have had many mp3 players but none can beat this one. The pictures are clear, the sound is great. My only problem is that I can not download games to it. I carry it with me everywhere. my wife sends me pictures of my kids, and via internet and this player is the ideal place to store those pictures. The slideshow feature is awesome. Other people in my unit, who have the ipod, are very impressed with this player. They really don't believe that I got so much for such a small price. My suggestion, get you one, you will not be disappointed.

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I bought this to replace the iRiver mp3 player of mine my wife claimed for her own. I bought it based off of customer reviews and price/features that I compared to other mp3's.

It arrived in a nice package, I don't usually have the opinion "Hey, this box looks nice", but it honestly did.

It's straight plug up and copy songs from pc, simple as can be. It was nice not to have to install any add on software like with my iRiver.

You can also look at pictures and such, but I have yet to try that stuff. It comes with a USB cable and an ac adapter that plug up kind of neatly. The ac adapter plugs directly into the USB cable, then connect the other end to the mp3 player. It was different, and kind of neat I thought.

The touch screen worked perfectly, I don't even use the included stylus (which is a nice shiny metal one). The sound quality from the included headphones is really clear and crisp, the built in rechargeable battery holds a charge for quite a while.

For the price, it is a really nice mp3 player. It looks nice and has great sound. It comes with all the cables, adapters, stylus, etc.

Read Best Reviews of PE 8GB MP3/MP4/MP5 Multimedia Player with 2.8 inch Touch Screen Here

This player is a good one. With 8 gigs built in and the option for an added mini sd what more can you ask for for bucks? I read that people said mp4 files weren't working, but that's because mp4 files are not as standardized like mp3 of wmv or other types. There are so many different encoders for mp4 files that you would probably have a hard time finding something that will actually play all of them. mp4 works on this player though with some exceptions.

As far as the touch screen goes, the only thing I don't care for much is that when I need to pick an individual song or video or photo, it's hard to get the one you want until you get used to it because the text is very small compared to your fingers. I actually figured out how to calibrate the screen though and now even though the file names are small, they are still really easy for me to pick out now. It just takes a little getting used to. Took me a day to get it easy. The stylus that comes with it is useless to me because you can't attach it to the player.

Battery life is excellent on mine. I drive truck for a living and I'm usually running about a 12 hour day on average. I plug the player right into my stereo with an auxilary jack. If I stick to playing mp3s and setting the screen to turn off when you're not touching it, the battery is only a little more than half gone by the end of the day. If I'm watching movies on it while waiting to unload, it still lasts the day. I've seen reviews that say it lasts only a little while, between 15 minutes to 3 hours. Either they got faulty ones or they have the light on constantly.

Customer service responded within minutes when I asked them some questions about it. I asked if there were going to be any additions to the Games section and they said that the game that came with it was part of a firmware update and that it wasn't originally intended for games. He did say though that they are planning on releasing more in the future so that's cool to look forward to as an added bonus.

I really like this player. You can't go wrong for the price and it plays nearly everything. Awesome value. Great and helpful customer service. Poor people like me can't afford the iTouch! Five stars!

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Okay, this thing is great for the price. Keep that in mind when it comes to your needs. I've got all the Greg the Bunny stuff and a bunch of songs on it so I can take it to work. I work in remote outdoor places and it is loud enough without a headset to play music in my backpack and make for a nice background noise. When we settle in I can watch whatever programs I have downloaded.If it should die or get lost because of the rough environment, I'm out the fifty and not $300. It is also a great mp3 player for the car [since getting it stolen will cost you the $50 and whatever time downloading]. At 8G it should have enough to play though for a cross country trip. Bat life is around 5 hrs from what I can tell but comes with a nice wall plug in so you don't have to poke your laptop for juice. The stylus looks like it was thrown in from some other model so there is no place for it. Also, you may have to download and delete things a couple of times to get a full download but that may be my AVI converter which you will need to download [the one it comes with doesn't read most of my files]. There isn't apps crap so no GPS or tossing information between people or internet access. You can record things and put readable material on there as well [for all the authors out there who want to record book ideas and read whatever documents]. This is an entertainment box and little more. So in summary, buy 3 at under 200 bucks total and through them in your ruck sack. If all three go down, your still not hurting as much as when the new zune comes out.

this was a great buy i got it a day afterr christmas an i love it easy 2 use no cd required ..videos r a brezze 2 put on here as is the music.:) i recommened this 2 any1 who wants a touchscreen player but at a good price.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical ZoomI've been using this camera for almost 3 months now. I really like the quality for the most part and having the video go directly to a digitized format is awesome. However, I do have some serious problems with a few things.

1. No USB connection on the camera body.

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Now, I really don't understand why they didn't add a port as important as the one for the USB connection directly on the camera body. That is basically the only way for you to transfer the video files directly to your computer. It seems like either of the ports for the A/V Out or the Component connection (which I hardly use) could have been left to the base if it was a space issue, or perhaps even the mini-HDMI port (which I think they should have included an adapter to standard HDMI for).

If they HAD included the USB port on the camera body, there wouldn't be a need for the base at all. The more I think about it, the more nonsensical it seems. Of course, perhaps there was some engineering issue that made it more feasible....but for $700 bucks, I don't want to have to make excuses for them or figure out why they made something more complicated when it could have been so simple.

Also, although the newer versions USB seem to be overtaking firewire, they could have put that type of connection on the base rather than additional component and A/V ports which are already on the camera body.

2. Shooting in low light has lots of noise.

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I thought the CMOS sensor on this camera was supposed to eliminate noise in low light situations, but from what I can tell, shooting outside at night or even in dark rooms, there's plenty of noticeable noise in the dark regions of the video image, even when shooting at the highest quality level, HD XP. I don't know if it's something I can have checked out, perhaps my sensor just isn't working properly, but in any case, that's been somewhat of a disappointment for me.

What I expected was video quality like that in the movie Collateral, which had lots of great night shots using HD cameras. Maybe that is a bit too much for a consumer camera, but still, I expected more.

Also, another problem that I've found with night shots, is that the auto-focus has a really hard time getting zeroed in on the right area. I usually have to end up focusing it manually if I want a consistently clear shot at night.

3. The bundled software doesn't convert to an uncompressed format.

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Since AVCHD is a relatively new format, I was certain that they would have a feature in the software to convert clips to some more universal uncompressed format. But the software that comes with the camera only has the option to export the video to MPEG2, which creates a clear loss in quality. So, I don't understand why they wouldn't make it easier for us to convert the video into some more widely used format with that losing that HD clarity. I know there are third party applications that do this, but Sony should have provided this feature with the camera.

Additionally, working with the AVCHD format is a pain in general. In order to view the video on your computer as a video file, you have to import it using the Sony Picture Utility software that comes on a CD-ROM with the camera. When it imports the files to a selected destination folder, you actually get 3 files for every video clip you've shot. The extensions are 'm2tsm', 'modd', and 'moff'. The 'm2tsm' file is the one that actually contains the video data (I had to assume since it's always the largest). I'm not sure what the others are for.

Even after you've installed all the provided software, you can't just double click a video file to open it. You have to "Register" the folder the video files are in in the Picture Motion Browser. Only then can you view your video. They have a program called 'Player for AVCHD', beut it stupidly only plays the video on your camera harddrive, and doesn't even have an option to directly open the files on your computer. Personally, I've found the software to be more cumbersome than useful. The program doesn't have an option to move folders, so if you do move the files, you have to re-register them and delete the old folders from the Picture Motion Browser yourself. While it's nice in someways to keep things organized, it's not really that helpful. And the editing features made available are almost completely worthless, unless all you want to do is split a clip in two.

Despite it's shortcomings, I still think it's a decent camera, although I really wish they had better software with more editing features. Still, I think it's worth $700 or so for the clear image (in daylight) and the convienice of having the video go directly to a harddrive. Despite it's shortcomings, this might actually be the best HD harddrive camcorders on the market, but having not had the opportunity to try any others, I can't say that for sure. What I can say is that it's good, even if it's not perfect.

*I had to edit this because I kept thinking of other things I had problems with. And the more I thought about the file format situation, the more annoyed I became. So I think I would have to modify my recommendation and say that you should just wait until future versions to buy this camera when they improve the software or just try out another camera altogether. Considering these other difficulties, I think I would have to drop my rating to a 2 out of 5 stars.

I moved from Hi8 directly to this so have not seen the difference in quality between Hi8 and MiniDV but if compared to this one, I was totally blown away with the clarity and colors. This is an awesome camera for anyone looking for budget HD camera in market for average user. Though kit battery life is not that great so probably I will buy another one soon but otherwise I have no issue till date. Go for it guys!!

Buy Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Now

The picture quality and features on the camera are great, BUT...

Sony shot itself in the foot when it decided to push the AVCHD video format. You are forced to use Sony's substandard software tools; there is no good conversion story if you want your video in MP4. WMV, or any other format. So, Adobe Premiere (which I use for all my home editing) is useless, as is Edius, Ulead VideoStudio, or anything else.

After reading about the quality, I bought this camera to take video of my son's wedding. Now, about all I can do is make a raw video onto DVD of the footage and give away copies, as opposed to putting together something nice for them.

If all you're going to do is shoot video, and play video from the camera to a TV, then go ahead and buy it; if you have any intention of bring the footage into a computer, then avoid this camera like the plague.

Read Best Reviews of Sony HDR-SR5 AVCHD 4MP 40GB High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Here

I bought the Sony camcorder last month to take on a tour to Japan. The shipping was fast and free. Fortunately I tested it before going on tour. I tried to follow the instructions for loading the software on to my HP computer I bought about 18 months ago. I could not get my computer to burn a DVD of my test recording. I tried 5 times using different methods and gave up. I was able to view my test video on my computer but the video and sound were not in sink. I paid for a new camcorder but the box I received had been opened. That would have been OK if I could have gotten everything to work right. The tech guy at HP said he could get my PC to burn the CD if I paid $100. Since I was not sure I could get eveything to work right I sent the camcorder back to Amazon. They promptly refunded my money. I will continue to buy from them.

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I've had this camera for over a year now, and have been very happy with it overall. Great picture, very easy to use, can take decent stills while also shooting video. I play the videos back on a 52" 1080p LCD tv and they look great.

The only drawback is the includedd software, Picture Motion Browser. It completely crashed my Vista Ultimate 64-bit computer and was totally unusable. While they claim to have corrected it, I can't seem to find a fix I can install fresh on the website. I think newer camera models have the newer software, but even the little bit I was able to use it (after install but before I rebooted the first time and it crashed), I wasn't impressed with usability anyways.

But, I went and bought a copy of Sony Vegas Studio Platinum for about a hundred bucks, and it is a great AVCHD video editor. If you simply assume when you buy this camera, you'll need to pay that as well, the pair make a great setup for editing and buring the videos to disks or saving them as video files of almost any format imaginable. And Vegas will interface with the camera to grab the files.

While having Vegas solves the software problem for editing and burning, it's a bit cumbersome for just viewing. I downloaded a free codec package (K-Lite Code Pack) which enabled window's media player to play the AVHCD .m2ts files, which took care of that.

One thing to note, the video on this is 1440 x 1080/ 60i, and some newer models are 1920 x 1080/ 60i. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this camera now that I've gotten the software side figured out, and I think the newer HDR-SR? ones are probably even better.

Another side note. AVCHD support may seem a little spotty now, but with a little research you can get things done well enough, and Windows 7 will support it natively (saw this on a MS website). So, the world will catch up.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Hercules DJ Console RMX

Hercules DJ Console RMX
  • Digital audio console designed for advanced and professional DJs features built-in 4-in/4-out audio interface and rugged metal casing
  • Two decks, each with jog wheel, pitch fader/buttons, playback control, 3-band EQ with kill buttons, loop/bend/fx/sampler buttons, and more
  • Two independent stereo inputs with line/phono RCA connectors and ground, independent RCA and 1/4-inch outputs, front microphone input
  • Includes VirtualDJ 5 DJC Edition software, with features/settings specific to the Hercules DJ Console Rmx; the Rmx is MIDI compatible for other apps
  • Four directional buttons for browsing menus and two buttons for loading tracks on the decks

I have decided to write two different reviews for this product. One of them will be for the beginner, and the other will be for the advanced user of products such as these.

Beginner's Review:

The Hercules RMX the best entry to mid-level midi controller on the market for those looking to get into the world of mixing. While pricier than other controllers, the RMX has the most and best amount of software options to choose from. The Hercules may be somewhat difficult for beginners to set-up right out of the box, but once you do, playing is a breeze. The RMX comes with Virtual DJ software specifically mapped for the product, so you automatically can start to enjoy mixing your music library. Not only that, you are also given a carry-on bag, and lengthy instruction manual on the basics of scratching and mixing. You'll be on your way to hosting parties in no time.

Tech Review:

The Hercules RMX is a multi-faceted midi controller used to control software dj programs such as Virtual DJ, Traktor, or for use in live mixes like Ableton live. It comes with a metal casing, and is a dedicated soundcard, having four input / output plugs. The RMX doesn't come with any type of additional connectors besides the usb cable, so you will have to provide your own stereo jacks.

The controller can be set up for any type of gig. You can run your vinyl turntables or CD players through it, and have multiple outputs, so you can mix at a venue while broadcasting live on radio or internet stream. The buttons can be configured to have little to no lag between interfaces, and the jog wheels can be used to do various DJ scratching. Do NOT expect to scratch like a pro on the jog wheels, they are no substitute for actual vinyl.

The most important thing about the RMX are the drivers, and thankfully Hercules has updated them for windows 7 and Mac compatibility. Many midi controllers on the market selling still are only Vista capable, so be wary of other products like this. They also have a huge support forum, and an excellent customer service record. Expect that if you're having problems, you can google the issue and find the answer.

The RMX comes with Virtual DJ Basic. The software is subpar, and you're probably better off using programs like Traktor or Abelton, which give you more freedom with effects and midi mapping. Those products cost money, so expect to shell out another 400 dollars for a good version of the software.

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Having the proper mixer is one of the most important equipments for a mobile Dj. This is that mixer. I initially bought the Hercules MKII, but returned it when I found this one for $80 dollars more. It's been fantastic and user friendly. Using Virtual DJ, you can program up to 12 different effects((6 per deck). I use it for mobile gigs and all I bring is my laptop, hard drive, powered(pre amped) speakers, and this mixer...then I'm good to go. You can even control your music videos and of course Karaoke. I've even used this mixer to plug into the club(that I guest DJ at) and it has worked great. Other Dj's compliment me on the mixer once they try it. I don't use it for scratching, I plug my cd decks to the mixer though and do the scratching through them. Yes, you can plug either turntables or CD decks. Again, A Must for mobile DJ's.

Read Best Reviews of Hercules DJ Console RMX Here

Wonderful item, it does what it says it does. Out of the box, installation was less than 10 mins with installation of the software and drivers. I was up and running and after figuring out some of the functions that weren't that well described in the manual, pretty soon it took me back to the old days when I used to mix vinyl records. The problem is that the jog dials, though very responsive, aren't accurate enough for the scratching motions needed for turntablist hip hop scratching. You can scratch and do pullbacks and do some scratch tricks, just don't expect to be mixmaster mike with this fader. There is a little latency from the movements of your wrist and the actual sound coming out of the speakers. For fading in between songs it is fine, and for minimal scratching it is ok at best. Otherwise, for everything else, it is a wonderful toy for the hobbyist dj, you can loop, sample and add effects with ease. But smoke and mirrors aside, professionals should definitely look elsewhere, and they wouldn't be reading up on something like this anyway with their purist attitude.

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I would definitely recommend this product for the price.

I am not unhappy for the amount I spent.

It's construction is rugged.

Looks great, feels great.

But keep the following in mind when purchasing:

1) The "kill" buttons DO NOT HAVE LEDs! Supposedly this is to save power over USB, but it nearly makes these buttons useless.

2) The jog-wheels do not really have inertia like say on the Vestax VCI-300. They do work very well for making fine adjustments.

3) The mixer is not really a mixer. They're just controls that bind/pair with the software. So you may be unhappy with the detail of their response. A REAL analog knob control, will have more finite control over levels.

4) The bundled version of Virtual DJ (Console) is old and simply horrible. I can't imagine using it. Even if you get over the crappy skin they give you, the software's responsiveness and usability is just not as good as the later versions. Be sure to see which up to date versions support using a console. Once I upgraded, it was a very usable and happy experience.

How I'm using it:

I have a touch screen laptop/tablet, this console, and a set of headphones.

It's primary value comes from being a dual sound card and console in one. I don't use all the features of the console, but it does make a difference to be able to touch knobs and physical levers versus being forced to use the tablet input.

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I'm a hobbyist (into house music) and here's what I've found after owning the RMX for about 6 months. If you're looking for a well priced, slightly better than entry level midi controller to learn on, this seems to be it. I use the RMX with Traktor Pro. It's been easy to customize the midi mapping (after watching a few youtube videos), and has worked pretty much out of the box with minimal tweaking also nice that it's powered by USB. I didn't spend much time with the included software, so I can't really comment on it. What I can say is that I have outgrown this mixer fairly quickly. Controlling the bass/mid/treble and the effects (in Traktor) requires some pretty quick fingers and a lot of double duty button mapping with the RMX (for example I had the bass/mid/treble buttons and knobs also programmed to switch and control effects when the shift button was held down works, but not ideal). I bought a Traktor Kontrol X1 to go along with the RMX and that helped me a lot now the bass/mid/treble controls serve only their intended purpose and the effects are controlled by the X1 helpful because having rotary knobs as well as buttons to control the effects and loops becomes necessary pretty quickly.

If you're serious at all about mixing, I'd recommend looking at the NI Traktor Kontrol S4 coming out in winter 2010. For about $1000 ($100 less when I do a search currently) you'll get a 4 channel mixer with sampling capabilities, touch sensitive jog wheels and a full version of Traktor created specifically for the S4. Add in the fact it comes with a soundcard (NI AUDIO 8 DJ quality), separate effects rotary/button controls, and the S4 is a no brainer.

When I got the Native Instruments Kontrol X1, I was impressed by the build quality. The Hercules RMX left a little bit to be desired the buttons are hard plastic and loud when pushed as opposed to the more rubberized, quiet buttons on the X1. The RMX buttons work fine and get the job done, just not as refined.

In short, I spent about $300 on the RMX, $200 on Traktor Pro and about $200 on the Kontrol X1 (look to Korg or Akai for something similar to the X1 but less expensive). This has provided me with a good set-up to learn on, but if the S4 had been out at the time I'd be kicking myself as the difference in overall price looks like the step-up from bedroom hobbyist to the real deal.

I don't want to scare anyone away, the RMX is a good mixer especially for the price -just not as professional/robust as the S4 will be, and if the S4 is built like the X1, it's gonna be sweet! Like I said, if you're serious, I encourage you to go and watch some youtube (or dj tech tools) videos on the upcoming Kontrol S4 before making a decision. Or, wait until the S4 comes out and you'll probably be able to find a good RMX used.

I hope this helps happy mixing.

Oh, and if you're into serious about scratching, the S4 might not be the mixer for you as the newly created version of Traktor Pro for the S4 doesn't support time coded vinyl, but it probably will soon.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Optical Splitter

Optical Splitter
  • 1 Female TosLink x 2 Female TosLink
  • Gold Connectors
  • Compatible with Male TosLink cables
  • Color: Black

I'm using this backwards from how it's made. Instead of using it to split one output into two, I'm splitting one input into two and it works fine. My receiver only had one optical input but I had two devices with optical outputs. Using this I now have both my XBox 360's optical output and my cable box's optical output going into the splitter and then one cable going from the splitter into my receivers single optical input. Some people told me this wouldn't work but I guessed that it would since it shouldn't make a difference which way the light is traveling. Much more convienient then buying one of those selector switch boxes and having to manually change the selection all the time.

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I ordered one of these because my receiver only has 1 optical input & I needed a second input for my X-Box 360. I also ordered 2 relatively cheap optical cables from the Parts Express seller as well. This splitter has no optical connector on the end of the Y so a short optical cable + a longer one to run from one of the inputs to the 360 was also necessary. The other input was used for an OPPO 970HD Dvd Player & I already had the cable to use for that one.

It's pretty straight forward how to use the splitter. The time spent hooking this up was maybe 10 minutes max & would've probably been even less had I had quick access to the back of my receiver. Originally I had no idea something like this existed & I stumbled upon this product by accident. The price is more than reasonable & will save you from buying a new receiver if you need a second optical input. I've had mine for about a week & have not noticed an distortion or changes in sound quality.

Highly recommended.

Read Best Reviews of Optical Splitter Here

Understand how your devices are working prior to purchasing this item if you are attempting to use it as a 2-1 (2 outputs to 1 input) solution for your A/V receiver. It did not work in my case because the item does not block any signals. So, if you have a device like I do that doesn't turn off the optical signal when not in use (my DirecTV HD-DVR), it will not work correctly since the signal gets mixed/corrupted.

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I bought this to use as a combiner (switch) because I had two audio devices outputting optical digital audio, but my AV receiver only had one digital audio input. I specifically didn't want a device with a manual switch because I didn't want to have to manually adjust that switch on top of already changing my TV input every time I wanted to go from watching TV to playing Xbox 360, or vice versa.

This device works perfectly for my application! Both of my audio sources go into the end with two inputs, and my AV receiver is hooked up to the end with one input (which I guess would make it an output?). If my Xbox 360 is outputting audio, the AV receiver plays that audio. If my cable box is outputting audio, the receiver plays that audio. The only caveat is that one of the devices *MUST* be turned off and not emitting any signal, because if the device is receiving two signals at once, nothing will come out of the receiver (as the signal will be a garbage combination of both inputs). This is fine for me, however, as I can easily have my cable box or Xbox off if I'm using the other device.

I see this product seems to have a lot of mixed reviews, and a lot of people claiming it doesn't work. It could have something to do with product defects, but mine seemed to be constructed well enough. Another problem I could foresee is that you need to make sure, if you're using this as a combiner, that only one audio source is being inputted to it at a time! Even if some devices are off, they could still be sending some kind of signal through the output (which you can easily tell by looking at the optical audio jack when it's off and seeing if its still got that red glow). To put it simply, if you got two audio signals going through, nothing will come out of this.

I also couldn't be happier with the price of this, especially when compared to the ridiculously priced switches that also include HDMI inputs and whatnot.

I received my switch/splitter today in the mail, popped in the toslink cables from the Xbox 360 and PS3 and ran one to the receiver. It worked perfectly for me. I think that the major issue people were having with other components is that if either component connected constantly sends the audio signal regardless of activity, it will not work; however for the Xbox 360 and PS3, neither of them send the signal for audio unless they are on, so it works flawlessly.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

K-Tek KTDR40 Topper Fuzzy Windscreen (for DR40)

K-Tek KTDR40 Topper Fuzzy Windscreen
  • Black short faux fur construction
  • Reduces unwanted wind noise

This is the first windscreen I've used with the exception of the foam windscreen that came with an inexpensive lavalier microphone designed for use with voice recorders. So while I cannot compare it to other "dead cat" type windscreens, I can at least comment on the difference it makes vs no windscreen on the TASCAM DR-40. And I can make a few general comments about its fit and quality. I should mention that because I am an amateur at making sound recordings, my comments will be non-technical.

Fake fur toppers or windscreens for portable recorders like the DR-40 and the Zoom Hn4 usually run around $40, so when I saw this one for $26.10, I decided to check it out. Prior to this I spent the better part of an afternoon looking for fake fur in the small city in which I live, with no luck. I now realize that even if I had found some fake fur, the effort I would've had to put into turning it into a DIY fuzzy topper would not have been worth it. For one thing, not all fake furs are equal where fuzzy windscreens are concerned, and a DIY fuzzy windscreen could easily turn out to be less than effective for its intended purpose.

But before placing my order I looked for reviews online. In addition to the only other review on this page (at present) than mine, all I could find for this specific model was a one-liner at the B&H site, which said, "windscreen is short and tends to slip off the recorder very easily." That made me hesitate to order it, but I figured I could always return it if I was in any way unsatisfied. I also read reviews for K-Tek toppers for recorders other than the DR-40, and those were overwhelmingly positive.

While it's true that the K-Tek KTDR40 is short, in my experience it does not slip off easily. The elastic on the topper I received is extremely tight, and the width of the elastic is about 5/16 of an inch, while the area on the DR-40 where it can grab onto is just about 1/2 inch wide. The other review on this page says that the topper may fly off if you use it when using headphones to monitor your recording. While I can see how this could be a problem, I find that as long as I am gentle when pushing the elastic out of the way of the headphone jack, this is not a problem at all. When the elastic is pushed up enough to permit access to the jack, there is still enough area on the headphone jack side of the DR-40 to allow this topper to have a tight fit.

When I want to use the DR-40 with the microphones in the AB position (extended outwards) with the topper, I have to move the microphones after the topper is in place. This is a bit of a hassle but a topper would have to be needlessly roomy for this to be otherwise.

Turing the KTDR40 inside out, it appears thoroughly well made. I cannot see the stitching on the seams, though the seams appear to be very well stitched, as does the elastic. There is a small tab on the outside that says K-Tek on one side (white lettering on black) while there's a full color US flag on the other (bordered by black).

How about the sound? Before getting this fuzzy topper I used my DR-40 to record the sounds of a nearby river on a breezy day, and the result was worthless, as even the slightest movement of air is picked up by the DR-40. Even moving it indoors while recording, e.g., while walking with it in hand from point to point, results in an obtrusive wind sound. (Being an amateur at sound recording, I don't yet know how to make adjustments in the recorder itself that might help make wind sounds less of a problem, but based on everything I've read, one must use a windscreen wherever there is any wind regardless of the recording settings.)

With the fuzzy topping on my DR-40, recording the same river in the same spot on a windy rather than merely breezy day resulted in a fine recording, with no obtrusive wind sounds. Recording indoors with the topper on the DR-40 while moving about eliminates air movement sounds that the DR-40 mics pick up when used without the topper. The difference is really night and day and I am quite satisfied with the KTDR40, though I won't deny that I'm curious to hear what kind of difference a more expensive fuzzy topper might make.

K-Tek products are manufactured in the US, and K-Tek Boom Poles has been providing audio production accessories to professionals for nearly two decades, and was founded by the late Manfred Klemme. Klemme was honored with an Outstanding Achievement in engineering development award by the 1999 Prime Time Emmy Awards, and in 1998 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with a Technical Achievement Award for the K-Tek boom pole that he invented. K-Tek has a solid reputation and the very high quality of this fuzzy windscreen shows why.

It came in a heavy plastic bag (inside a bubbly shipping envelope), which I now use to store it when it's not in use. I'm more than pleased with this purchase.

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I bought this windscreen primarily based on the price, and it had few, but good reviews. My experience after giving it more than a fair shake, is it's incredibly difficult to put on, it's just too small for my Tascam dr-40. Not just occasionally, but every time I attempt to use it, I struggle for several minutes and countless tries to get the darn thing on. I have very dextrous fingers, no arthritis, but it just plain doesn't fit well. And yes, as another reviewer commented, it can and will shoot off if you're not super careful handling your unit. When I place it in my pelican case, it comes off every time. Another reviewer made the comment that the mics can be adjusted pointing outward once the windscreen is in place. This is wrong. You can manage finagle them to point straight forward, but mine is too small for the mics to point outward, and once they are adjusted to this position, it easily pops off because they are pushing against the end of the topper. Yes, it works as described, no problems there. But after using it a couple of dozen times now, it just never seems to get any better, I hoped it would stretch out or something. I'm sending it back, despite the fair price, to get one that I don't struggle with every time I try to use it. Very frustrating, and worth the extra $15 to avoid. I could have gotten a blem or something, but not going to risk getting another. Good company, good booms, poor windscreen for the dr-40.

Read Best Reviews of K-Tek KTDR40 Topper Fuzzy Windscreen (for DR40) Here

By all means this windscreen isn't professional grade...you can still hear winds that are moving fairly fast. However, on the average day with winds moving relatively calmly the windscreen does exactly what it should: Block unwanted wind noise. I saw that there was no review so I thought I'd give my brief review of this product. First off, I would definitely order from K-Tek...they got the item to me within a few days and to be honest, it was in very good shape when I got it. I was also surprised to find it had more hair than I thought it would. Now onto the short review: The windscreen has a very tight grip on it, and a loose end so the bars aren't effected by the screen. The only thing that keeps this from getting a 5 start review is that if you plan on using monitor headphones with it, be prepared for it to fly off. The band is strong but it covers the line in for monitor headphones. That's really my only issue with it

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Honestly, this is a piece of furry fabric with an elastic band. I absolutely cannot see why I paid $26.10 for it! It is worth $4.99 at most. It can't take more than a dollar to make. My advice for anyone who is crafty is to go to the fabric store, buy the materials and make your own. The only reason I gave it 2 stars and not just 1 is that is does appear at least well made and fits nicely. My issue is the highway robbery price! I honestly feel robbed!

I struggled to put the windscreen on . Once I got it on it popped off with very little movement.

Not a good product for a quick application when you're under the gun.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Livestream Broadcaster

Livestream BroadcasterI've had it for about five months now. In that time Livestream has significantly upgraded the firmware and the entire service. It's a mature and reliable product.

Read all the information here and on Livestream's site. It does have some limitations but they're reasonable and easy to deal with.

I also built a PC for thousands of dollars to do everything I need on Livestream. It has much greater capability but it doesn't fit in my pocket, run for hours on batteries of fit the accessory shoe on my camera.

If you can live within its limited capabilities (and it's pretty capable) you'll be pleasantly surprised.

So far I have done 3 events and this box is just one amazing piece of equipment, must have gadget for a wedding videographer.

Works great with my Sony VG30 camcorder and Nikon D600 DSLR.

I love the fact that I can create event on fly without a PC using the LiveStream Android App on my phone.. video quality is excellent and you have a choice of upto 5 different video broadcast quality.

Setup was a breeze ... 3 steps and thats all there is to it, stores WiFi network to connect easily. You may want to invest in atleast 6 AA Eneloop rechargeable batteries.

I cannot find a flaw in this device to give anything less than 5 stars, works exactly what I had imagined and then some. Magnetic tabs to hold battery panel is a prime example that goes on to show that LiveStream design engineers were thinking ahead of curve.

Compact, lightweight, well lit display, excellent product overall made me login here and say few good words about this product.

Buy Livestream Broadcaster Now

*** Update 3/25/13 ***

I still like the Broadcaster, however, when I used it with high quality Lithium Pro batteries the unit failed, I think it overheated. I've done several tests and a couple of events, one for almost 1.5 hours with inexpensive batteries without any heat issues. When I used the lithium batteries for a wedding after about 20 minutes the unit would not stay connected to my Verizon MiFi device. The signal strength indicator said I had a good signal (it was only a foot away) but the text on the screen said it could not find an Internet connection. So in the middle of the wedding I changed back to the standard batteries and the unit came back up and streamed for another 30 minutes without any problem. The only time I've had this problem is when I've used the lithium batteries. When I pulled the lithium batteries out of the Broadcaster they were very hot to the touch. So I'm staying away from Lithium batteries, I think I can get about 2 hours out of standard batteries which is should be find for broadcasting weddings. Here is a link to a wedding that I did using the "High" quality but not "HD" setting:

Original Review

I purchased this to stream weddings and special events. I've used it a couple time to get comfortable with it before my first live wedding. During my testing I've learned a lot about the unit.

No matter what I've not been able to stream HD over a wireless network. Even when using SpeedTest.net to measure my upload speed at double what should be needed HD simply isn't reliable.

High quality is supposed to be almost as good a picture as HD and I can stream this quality over wireless and Verizon MiFi

When using the wireless with my Verizon MiFi, if I pass between the encoder and the MiFi hotspot I lose some of the bandwidth and I get a bandwidth warning. So, I keep clear line of sight between the encoder and the MiFi hotspot.

When I mounted the encoder on a bracket on my videocamera next to my Sennheiser ENG receiver I sometimes get interference from the encoder. When I move the encoder more than 6 inches from the receiver the static goes away.

The encoder is slow to start up and can take up to a few minutes to find my Verizon MiFi and connect to Livestream. Once you have selected the correct event the streaming starts quickly.

I have not had any problems with the encoder remembering WiFi settings. I have one setting in the encoder and it works every time. However I have to make sure my MiFi is up and running before turning on the Broadcaster of it won't find the network.

Battery life is not as good as expected. When I use standard AA batteries I get about 90 minutes of broadcast time. Since I'm planning on doing weddings this is plenty of time for me. I've not tested a higher quality set of batteries yet, I'll see at my wedding this weekend.

Over all I like the Broadcaster and Livestream. Connecting to my event page and starting the streaming is easy to do. I may try to edit this post after my wedding and get comments from my clients.

Read Best Reviews of Livestream Broadcaster Here

This thing really does what it claims to do. It's easy to set up and offers a bevy of onboard options. Would have given it 5-stars if it was rechargeable. But that's nitpicking. It's pretty sweetespecially for the

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Sunday, June 29, 2014

GoVideo PVP4040 Pocket Cinema Portable A/V Player with 3.5-Inch LCD

GoVideo PVP4040 Pocket Cinema Portable A/V Player with 3.5-Inch LCD
  • Plays MPEG-4 audio/video, MP3, MPG, A/VI, MP4, DAT, WMV, ASF; records MPEG-4 in real time (using included transcoder software)
  • Stores up to 110 minutes of video internally; offers SD Card slot for additional storage and photo viewing right out of your SD camera
  • Rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides 5 hours audio listening, 2 hours video playback
  • Includes USB cable, audio cables, software, a carrying case, rechargeable battery, charger/adapter, and earbud headphones
  • Measures 3.7 x 3.1 x 0.7 inches (W x H x D)

Goto this Yahoo Group below to get the lastest goodies about this PVP404 unit. Like the hard to find firmware updates.. Join the group and stick around!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GoVideoPVP4040/

CONS: the battery life needs to be improved, but folks are already on the case locating cheaper battery alternatives to the Govideo OEM battery..

F.

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I bought this a year ago, and was very disapointed. It had very few features, was hard to use, and SD cars cost so much, it was worthless. Now, there is a firmware update you can get through yahoo groups, that adds all the features of the expensive units, and SD cards are reasonable. I love my new year old toy. You can record video with a timer, and on a 512mb SD card hold 6 hours of video. Everything you need is in the box. Very satisfied. Life is good when the stuff you already own gets better..........

Read Best Reviews of GoVideo PVP4040 Pocket Cinema Portable A/V Player with 3.5-Inch LCD Here

Although I purchased a different unit, the GoVideo 8440 Portable DVD Player, it played exactly 6 movies before dying. GoVideo replaced it with a refurbished model, which arrived in non-working condition. In addition, the original 90 day warranty is still in force, GoVideo refused to extend it to the refurbished unit. Sitting on hold now with customer service waiting for a answer... I heartily recommend NOT BUYING any GoVideo products unless you are prepared for wasted money and time on hold with customer service.

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Gives a new life to family movies

Reviewer: Gavin Wilson from Thames Ditton, Surrey United Kingdom

It's fascinating to contrast my experience of this device with the reviews of others. This in itself is testament to the flexibility of the machine.

My situation is that I had several Video8 cassettes gathering dust. They contained priceless material -films of my children growing up -but I hadn't got around to watching them for a while. I was also aware that the non-digital format was outdated, and that viewing the films would become increasingly more difficult over time, as the tape ages and manufacturers stop making compatible players.

But with this device, you just plug the camcorder in, press 'play' on the camcorder and 'record', and you're transfering all your analogue material across into digital format. (They come across as .ASF files which Windows Media Player recognises.) Brilliant!

Rather than copy a whole Video8 tape across as one huge file, I tend to break it up into five-minute segments, simply by pressing the 'stop' button, then re-starting.

Anyone with old analogue video material should get one of this type of device. Judging by the other reviews here, the PVP4040 seems as good a device as any.

Most people should pass on this device.

It is probably about 1 or 2 years behind the current portable a/v technology; the screen quality is barely adequate for video or picture playback; the interface is awkward to use; the battery life is short (maybe 45 minutes for video playback and picture viewing); and finally, it is difficult to encode video clips for this device.

Cool concept, small form factor, nice design, but it does not work very well.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Sony HDR-CX110 High-Definition Handycam Camcorder

Sony HDR-CX110 High-Definition Handycam CamcorderI was looking to replace my JVC Everio, that had a 60GB hard drive in it. I loved the convenience of the hard drive, since that replaced an older unit I had that used the small tape cartridges. But the prices for the HD capable units are more than I was willing to pay for a camcorder, so looked at the units that just used memory sticks.

I have the Sony DSC-TX1 digital camera and was blown away by its optical quality, and it even took 720p movies which were just insanely clearer than my 1 year old JVC camcorder. That was when I realized I needed to lose the JVC. Almost all the movies I do are of my son, now 6 years old, so the better the quality the happier I would be. Too many artifacts with the low definition JVC, panning was just ugly ugly ugly, and while it had a great response in low light, the picture quality was just not what I wanted considering how good everything else with my TV and still camera.

I was initially going to get the 100 version of this, since it was so insanely cheap for a 1080 capable camcorder, but the bad low light capability put me off, since most of what I record is in my house. And the very low numbers for optical zoom also concerned me. But amazon conveniently puts little links under the initial product listing if there's a new version, so I saw the 110 and the price was good. I did some digging on Sony's site, somewhat confused that the cheap little 100 had 16GB built in but the higher end had none, but when I saw the rest of the specs in comparison, I felt it was a very good unit to give a test run with. My local brick and mortars didn't have it in stock, so I ordered it from Amazon and got the Saturday delivery early on Saturday, plenty of time to charge it up and try it out.

I left all settings at default except for the quality setting. That was easy to find, and the touchscreen on this unit makes it very easy to operate. As with my sony still camera, it has a "user" screen too where you can pin the six most used functions to save you from having to navigate into submenus. I love this feature, as it made my touchscreen still camera so simple and quick to use.

So I did four test movies, all of the same thing (my 6 year old playing with a huge Geotrax set), at all four of the options for 1080p resolution. The camera is smaller than I had expected, very light and fits well in the hand. The only real buttons to deal with in normal operation are the zoom and the start/stop recording, which are placed well despite the small size of the unit. If you want to grab a still as well, which you can do while recording, that button is on top right behind the zoom, so it's easy to get at. So use is great, no problems.

As I said, touch screen menu is great, so changing settings as I went was a piece of cake.

Started with the highest 24Mbps, then the next down (I think it was 17Mbps), then the "default" one they start you out at, 9Mbps, then the lowest. When I was done, I pulled the card out (nice, quick access on the bottom with a great, sturdy, hinged door). Went into my macbook pro just fine, and i started playback.

I have a 13" macbook pro, the aluminum unibody, that I got about four months ago. So new core2 duo processor, nvidia 9400 graphics... And it could not play the highest or second highest quality movies raw... Which told me that they were going to be great on my windows 7 media center. The third and fourth files played, but since the laptop is not a 1080 screen, it didn't look that good. So I went ahead and pulled the memory card out of the laptop, put it in my Dell Zino that runs my beautiful 46" Samsung HDTV, and played them all.

One thing I hadn't realized is that when it creates the files, it creates them in a native bluray playback format, the folder structure and all. So that should make it easy for people who will want to burn to Bluray.

Anyway, on the media center, i played the highest quality one first. And my jaw dropped, and I nearly had to go buy some adult diapers. WOW. That was all I could say or think. WOW. It was just outstanding, WAY better than I had expected. And it's not like I'm so unfamiliar with HD that even bad HD was impressive to me my first HDTV was purchased back in 1999, a huge 60" Mitsubishi diamond line TV. So I've been using HD for over 10 years now. And this just knocked my socks off.

I had nearly no artifacting or blurring or anything with the movement of the camera as I've come to expect from camcorders. Even the blurring was minimal. And the shots of things were just crystal clear. I had a 1080p version of the movie BOLT running on the TV as he played with his geotrax, so I zoomed in so that filled the viewfinder, and recorded some of the movie. During playback at that scene, I couldn't even tell it wasn't the original playing back, that it was a recording of the TV from earlier, it was that clear.

I was indoors, in Wisconsin on a winter day with snow falling, so there was no direct sunlight, just all clouds. Only one window's curtains open, and no lights turned on inside. And the clarity and lighting was excellent. Every bit I could hope for.

So I tried the next down quality, and it blew me away. As did the third and then the lowest quality. All looked stunning. When I got down to the lowest, I could see some difference between it and the highest, but for what I was, and will be, shooting (my son), I think I'll end up using the default third lowest setting because it was still jaw droppingly good on my HDTV.

I got the 16GB card since the 32GB card was still in the three digit price range, and i have a habit of transferring the files to my computer as soon as I'm done shooting anyway. And at the third quality setting, the default 9Mbps one, a 25 minute clip used just 1.9GB, so I should get about 3 1/2 hours on this card at this rate, so I'll not have to worry about running out of media for my normal use.

The display is crisp and clear, widescreen format, and not cluttered when recording. Response to touch was very good, only once when selecting something from a bottom of a menu did I have to touch it twice, since the first didn't register. Didn't take any pressure to get it to see my pressing.

The still picture while shooting video worked easily enough, but they're not great quality, so it won't replace your digital camera if you have a good one. But it may give you a decent still shot of something you would have missed otherwise...

All in all, this is waaaayyyyy better than I had expected, and more than I had even hoped for. 100% satisfied with the unit.

I can't attest to battery usage yet, since I have only had it for five hours, and only ran about 40 or 45 minutes of recording through it so far. In a few days I'll pop back in here and edit this with the results I've seen with regards to the battery life, since this is evidently the first review of this model.

This is the cheapest high-def camera from sony, has exactly the same quality and specs than the other more expensive HD handycams but it doesnt come with any memory at all (that's the catch!). I also purchased the sony pro duo 16GB mark2 memory, that provides enough space to save up to 90min on full hd (1920x1080) quality for less than $70! When I first opened the box I couldnt believe how small this camera is and I thought it would be a problem since I have big hands, but I was mistaken, I have full access to all the buttons (rec zoom mode) with only one hand. Once connected to an HDTV the recording/play back quality is amazing. Steady-shot technology makes it really easy to take great and stable shots even when zooming in and no tripod. Highly recommended!

Pros: excellent video recording quality even on low-light shots, stereo microphone array, 25x optical zoom, touch screen has good response (even for big fingers like mine!), user-friendly menus to configure settings, Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar lens, stock battery (NP-FV50) has good charge above 100mins, steady-shot works great (image stabilizer).

Cons: no memory, no case, no view-finder, no batt-only AC charger (will have to charge the battery while mounted on the camera), lcd has to be open or the camera will turn off (but you can turn the lcd 180deg, close it and that works!), no mini-HDMI to full-HDMI adapter cable.

Important/recommended accesories:

Sony PRO Duo 8/16/32 GB Mark2 memory stick

HDMI Cable, mini-to-full (Part No. VMC-15MHD)

Travel AC charger (Part No. BC-TRV)

Carrying case with extra-battery (Part No. ACC-FV50A)

Shooting grip with mini-tripod (Part No. GP-AVTI)

Hope this review will be helpful!

Buy Sony HDR-CX110 High-Definition Handycam Camcorder Now

I purchased this camera a couple of weeks ago after someone I now had also picked it up. It was to replace my old Sony Hi-8 camera that recently quit working. I must say right off the bat that anyone looking to buy a starter, entry-level, low price high definition camera this is the one for you! At under two pounds, it's extremely light, compact, and portable. (Having longer fingers I almost have a hard time working the trigger and zoom.) As an entry level camera, you must be prepared for the fact that things like memory cards, cases, HDMI cables, and other bells and whistles will not come with this camera hence the low price.

What you do get is an incredible 1080 24bit HD picture that will blow you away. My first outing was to our local Desert Botanical Gardens to view and film the colorful wildflowers, cactai, and butterflies. I used the HD FX (highest quality video setting) for video, as well as taking 3meg pictures. When I returned home and viewed the footage and photos, my jaw dropped at the clarity and vivid, rich colors in beautiful 1080 on my 52" Sony TV. The details were very crisp and no artifacts were present in the movies. It was amazing.

The camera was easy to use and operate with the simple touch screens, as well as the I-Auto feature to help with the proper contrast and exposure. It was great to pick which scene you wanted without having to fast forward or rewind ever again!! The only drawbacks on the camera that I don't like are the low life battery that comes with it, as well as having to purchase your own HDMI cable separately. All in all, this is a great camera for the price!!

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We really do like our Sony HDR-CX110 high def Handycam camcorder. It is easy to use and takes beautiful high def videos. Unfortunately, our camera had to be returned to Sony for repair during the 90 day warranty period. This is the description of the problem I provided to Sony with the returned camera: "When viewing door of Handycam is opened, it responds with a message: "the viewing lens cover might be closed, check the cover" regardless of whether the lens cover is open or closed. The viewing area of the screen is dark even with the lens open (not covered), but in other respects normal. It will actually record videos and take pictures but the picture and video recorded is blank/dark. Audio (when recording a video) does record and play back."

I hope the camera they return to me is more reliable. They will provide a new 90 day warranty period. I have to pay shipping to the Sony repair center but they will pay shipping when they return a functioning camera to me. Luckily the problem started just before the 90 day warranty period expired. They will cover both parts and labor. Given this experience, I would suggest purchasing an extended warranty for this camera.

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Video quality on this camcorder is fantastic. I did many research and debated between Canon and Sony. I didn't like the model CX100 because of the fact that the poor quality in low light condition. I almost decided to buy canon HF200. I went to bestbuy to buy this canon. I saw this new model CX110 and bestbuy representative explained the features. This CX-110 is a major upgrade from CX100. New sensor Emos "R" and 25X optical zoom were the best one. I then decided to buy this Sony new model instead of Canon.

I am very happy about my decision. I took shots in day light and also in low night, the video is excellent. Amazon.com is very good and i got it within 4 days after placing the order.

I read the review comment of the person who rated 2 for this camcorder. I am surprised to note the reason for the low rating. Even though the specification of this camcorder clearly says no internal memory, i don't understand why people buy and rate low for their mistake.

Bottomline, my prediction is Sony will break-through and out beat other competitor in 2010 in camcorder.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

BLU T172T Jenny Unlocked Quad-Band Dual SIM Phone with Camera, BLUetooth, Analog TV, microSD Card S

BLU T172T Jenny Unlocked Quad-Band Dual SIM Phone with Camera, BLUetooth, Analog TV, microSD Card Slot and MP3 Player - No Warranty - BlackGood audio quality for phone calls. Texting is just like any other feature phone. I used 3 different SIMs (ekit.com from EF Tours, Tescomobile.ie, and Postfone.ie) and had no issues. The Quad band is great since you get coverage from either T-Mobile or AT&T in the US. You need the microSD card since the onboard RAM is so small and only good for your contacts. The media player does good with MP3s. The antenna is quirky since much of Europe has converted to digital TV so it doesn't do any good. The radio works fine. The camera is basic first generation, I ended up using my Droid for taking pictures instead of this phone. For the price, it was a good purchase and would recommend for anyone who needs basic features.

I actually bought this phone for my father. Nothing elaborate. Just for simple use. My father was just looking for a basic phone. He liked the style and stated that it operated but the phone was not programmed for voicemail. Really frustrating since I am in a different state and tried to advise him of how to get it. Well he had to go to our retail provider in order for them to activate it on his phone. So now he has to press 123 to gain access. Other than that I take it from him that it is an ok phone otherwise.

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Pros

-Product was as described.

I like the dual sim, micro SD slot, video recording, TV reception. etc

Good loking.

Cons

It has a antenna for the FM and TV. Good for those. However my mother felt it old style. (I do not feel so)

Body is plastic but seems to long last.

Overall I like the product and will recommend to others. It is worth more than what I paid for this ($35)

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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Philips Dvp3040 Multi Region Code Free Divx DVD Player

Philips Dvp3040 Multi Region Code Free Divx DVD Player
  • Plays All-Region DVDs: Region 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 0
  • Plays PAL and NTSC Region DVDs on all TVs.
  • DivX® Playback
  • Playback Media :CD-R/CD-RW, CD, DivX, DVD, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, Video CD/SVCD
  • Video disc playback system :NTSC, PAL

So far I am very impressed with the quality for the money. The picture looks nice, it's easy to use, the features are very nice for the price, and it will play anything. I decided to buy this player instead of a recorder because I think the recorder technology is still not settled.

The only thing that could sour my review is if it breaks too soon, and I will not know that for a couple years.

I recommend this model.

UPDATE in April, 2007. I am VERY pleased with the DVD player. The picture looks great, the player has several nice conveniences, and has experienced no problems. I am happy.

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Hello, I had some problems like many peoples about free region on this product. So, I found a solution in the Internet that can help everybody. There are 2 methods depending on the version your set is pre-loaded.

1) Go to preference page in the Setup menu. Press 138931 on the keypad of the Remote Control. Options will be available to be selected. Done !

2) Open tray. Press 99990 on the remote control. Done !

That is it! Enjoy the best product

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Just got this baby and so far it's outstanding. It plays everything I've thrown at it so far. I wasn't sure if it would play my xVID files, but it DOES, and I wasn't expecting them to look so good! I only paid thirty bucks for it (black friday), and it's blowing me away. And not only does it play everything, but it looks so sexy and thin. Even the dvd tray is super thin, but solid.

So if you're not quite ready to fork over the money for an HD-DVD or Blue-ray player get this all in one DVD player now.

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Great region free DVD player, makes life easier, and means you have more options for buying dvds from all around the globe... quick and easy service recomended

So far so great!

Player DOES play all regions; UK dvds are crystal clear and so is any other DVD that pops in. The player even stabilizes the letterbox and makes it centered and even, no matter what is put on.

Great buy for a fair price!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder + Accessory Kit

Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder + Accessory KitI work at a non-profit, low budget community radio station and this device is perfect for high quality mp3 and wave recordings for internet posting. In addition, it is an excellent tool for off campus interviews. I love this device.

Jim MaleyStaff KKUP FM 91.5

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

GSI Quality Mini DVR With High-Definition 720p Photo And Video Camera - LCD Screen, Micro SD Memory

GSI Quality Mini DVR With High-Definition 720p Photo And Video Camera - LCD Screen, Micro SD Memory Card Slot, USB Interface And A/V TV Output - For Security And Home SurveillanceGREAT ITEM...I had to prove someone was vandalizing my home in order to press charges on them. I purchased this device because it is small, it recorded, takes pictures, and not too expensive. This device did the trick. With this device I was able to record the person who was destroying my home. When confronted he denied it of course, but with the evidence I had I was able to press charges. This device has a clear facial recognition feature. This device is what ultimately is what got the charges to stick.

This mini DVR has no motion detection and cannot be used as a security camera by itself as implied in the advertisement. The battery only lasts for about an hour. I bought this to record for at least 12 hours straight or much less with motion detection. For my use this is just a toy which I gave to my daughter. It records videos for a maximum of 18 minutes on low resolution according to its internal RAM size. Then it pauses a few seconds and records another 18 minute video until the micro SD card (bought separately-not provided) is filled.

My 7 year old daughter loves it! A cheaper video recorder broke after a week. Let's see how this one fairs with all her recordings.

Update from an hour after writing the above: The mini DVR broke. Costs more and lasted less than the cheaper ones. The color is off quite a lot and there is a little jiggling noise inside. It seems like one of the photo sensors jarred loose inside. We received this a few days ago. Back it goes to Amazon.

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Friday, March 28, 2014

Sony 4GB MicroSD Digital Voice Recorder

Sony 4GB MicroSD Digital Voice RecorderSimple operation and excellent quality. It has the perfect size.

Its design is also very nice

Easy to use. It has almost all the functionalities you will need. Too bad that does not come with microphone jack

Saturday, March 22, 2014

AmpliVox SL1039 - Portable Four-Station Listening Center Audio Cassette Recorder

AmpliVox SL1039 - Portable Four-Station Listening Center Audio Cassette Recorder
  • Post-Consumer Recycled Content Percent [Nom] - 0 %
  • Pre-Consumer Recycled Content Percent [Nom] - 0 %
  • Recycled Comments - N/A
  • Total Recycled Content Percent [Nom] - 0 %

The rewind button does not automatically pop up when finished. This is a problem in a busy classroom. The sound is somewhat distorted. I wish I hadn't spent the $ on it.

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Friday, February 28, 2014

Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou) Quad-band Cell Phone - Unlocked

Sony Ericsson Satio Quad-band Cell Phone - UnlockedThese flagship Sony Phones did have some bugs and issues when they were first released mainly OS problems. However those have been fixed and they were not all that commonplace. A software update can fix problems if they occur.

That said, the technical achievements on this phone are second to none. Mine personal one is unlocked, some are not. All come with a high quality lens and a 12.1 MP camera. They have full built-in flashes, zoom features, light/dark/aperture adjustments just about anything you would want in a digital Camera but its a phone, too.

All of them are GPS ready, have calendars, can set appointments, can use Wi-Fi, are Quad Band and will work almost anywhere. Having that quad band means that they can be used in almost any country imaginable that has cell phone reception. These take SIM cards, so your network must be a SIM network!! They are fully touch screen and come with a stylus as well. The touch screen requires a bit of pressing to be used properly.

They can also act as your MP3 player. They come with headphones, usb cables, power cables and component cable AV cables. Yes, they come with component cable. You can use these phones and hook them up to stereo and TV's via the component cable. I believe their memory card slot can go up to 32 GB? Whatever the limitation is on the standard. So basically you can put about 800 songs at 4mb each on there, or about 7-8 compressed movies.

All in all, these phones do not disappoint. Their ship issues have long since been fixed and the only other thing I can think of that some people may not like or that you may run across is the OS. It is a bit clumsy, not the most intuitive. But with some playing around and venturing in the menu's you should have no problem operating this thing to all capabilities.

I am a phone geek most of my family always get a gsm open phone, is the best way ,you have it your way without the contract you save on unlimited internet every month also. this phone was updated set up and everything,sometimes you had to press 2 0r 3 times for it to respond, outdated software,cheaply constructed, the battery cover came of easy, this hasn't changed I lost one on another Sony model 2 years ago.its a shame the only good thing was the camera and the music, but the built in speaker was cheap and sounded crappy.I reset it didn't use it much and sent it back,this is the type of phone that if you drop once you never want a Sony again Ive had 3 other Sony in the past and this company has been the worst I have bought a phone from . I wouldn't recommend it to no one .

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Friday, January 10, 2014

GE 73208 RG59 6-Feet Push-On Video Cable, Black

GE 73208 RG59 6-Feet Push-On Video Cable, BlackPurchased this for my TV that is mounted on the wall in my bedroom. I just took down TV and pushed on and voile', it was finished.

We wanted this coax because we needed to have a short push on piece to get into a small area that wouldn't allow us to screw it on. It was just right for our needs & we had our RV system back up & going in no time which made our grandkids very "happy campers."

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Sunday, December 15, 2013

GE 24959 8 In 1 Universal DVR Remote, Infrared Black

GE 24959 8 In 1 Universal DVR Remote, Infrared BlackFirst let me tell you I was very skeptical about buying another cheep-o Universal Remote, but I got this at an online auction delivered for $12 so I thought "Why not?" Normally I'm one of those people who would buy the $100 remotes because "they must be better."

The light is very bright and you can control whether or not it even comes on. The buttons are logical however some are smaller. The remote is light weight but feels well constructed.

The code's provided were 100% on 2 of my devices but 2 were partial and 1 did not work with a code at all. The Learning Mode work flawlessly to get all the non-functioning buttons working in about 15 minutes. You can also set functions as forced, so no matter what device is selected that button always works with a particular device, for instance my volume and mute are always on my Amplifiers control. This remote does not script so I have to tell it to turn on each device and select the correct input for my amp (still all on the one remote.)

The manual was misprinted with mine, again not purchased from Amazon and probably the reason I got it discounted. But I can read page 15 before page 13 no biggie.

I have no doubt every device in the house will work with this remote.

The devices I configured are as follows:

Samsung Plasma TV

Samsung Blue Ray (Netfix, YouTube and the like controls all work also.)

Yamaha Receiver

Mediacom HDTV Cable Box (Motorola)

Acesonic Karaoke player

I was able to show the wife in about 3 min and now I have 1 remote to rule them all.

Have you ever had the conversation about where the remotes are in your house? Me too, and they are all over the place, so I thought I'd give this one a try Amazon has a great return policy if things don't work, so what do we have to lose really?

I can't believe it but it really works.

I have:

Sony TV, first code worked for that.

Verizon FIOS DVR first code worked on that too (and all buttons are logical on the remote for DVR, channels etc).

Sony multi disc DVD Blu Ray first code worked (but special functions like editing names of discs I will use regular remote for).

Vizio Soundbar (horrible remote with this one) used the LEARN feature and programmed the buttons we use for sound.

Sony picture frame used the LEARN feature with the frame's remote for this too just to switch on and off.

Also programmed the sound to default to the AMP setting (where I put the Vizio soundbar) so that I don't have to press AMP every time I want to change the volume or mute the TV doesn't matter what the remote is on, TV-DVR-AUX etc volume works across the board.

Considering how long it usually takes me to figure out WHICH remote to use and then where it is, where the buttons are, and the fact that most do NOT have backlit buttons this remote is worth it's weight in gold. No more fumbling around with the wrong channel buttons on a night.

Have yet to find someone with an Xbox 360 remote control so that I can LEARN from that for rented DVD playback (the Xbox controller is a pain to use for just DVD playing), and have not found a solution to the ROKU issue but hey, I'm down to 2 remotes that I use frequently from the 6 I was previously using.

Buy GE 24959 8 In 1 Universal DVR Remote, Infrared Black Now

I cannot even remember the last item I bought that had a GE label on it. After ordering and using this 8 device capable remote, I'm a little mad at myself, that I didn't get a universal remote sooner. This is a very nice, very light and easy to use remote. The buttons are all good size and backlit a pleasent blue color. I have bought two of them and connected them easily to seven devices, including two TV's, two dvd players, two receivers, and a Tivo.

I haven't had the remotes too long yet, but so far no complaints. For under $20 if these remotes last a couple years, it's more then worth it. In my opinion they are nicer then any of the remotes they replaced.

I also looked at the RCA RCRN08GR which is another 8 device capable remote also for under $20. The GE is a little more peanut shaped, but I would have probably been happy with either.

I cannot imagine why anyone would pay $50-$300 or more for a universal remote, when you can get either of the above remotes for under $20.

And on top of that, if you don't want or need an 8 device capable remote, there are numerous similar 3,4 or 6 device capable remotes for around $10.

Read Best Reviews of GE 24959 8 In 1 Universal DVR Remote, Infrared Black Here

We have a remote for the TV, dvr, receiver, blu-ray player, HD TV live. This remote learns and works for all of these electronics. You don't lose functionality; all of the same functions still work. For the price I would recommend this particular remote to anyone on a budget looking for a universal remote.

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So, I was just coming off of a Harmony 300i Universal Remote. I was definitely spoiledthat remote's PC based setup is phenomenal, easy and the layout/buttons all worked great. However, the Harmony 300i did NOT work with my Next Generation IR Remote Extender, which for me, I reluctantly decided was a deal killer.

I needed a remote for the Denon AVR-3310ci receiver, Panasonic P65S1 TV and XBox 360 (for DVD, DVR, Media Center, Netflix, etc.) that also worked with my Next Generation Remote Extender. I also didn't want to spend a lot of money trying to accomplish this. Really $30-40 was about my limit.

Enter a trip to Target (sorry Amazon) and I saw this thing (GE Universal Remote model 24959) for about $15.00 or so and thought I'd give it a try. I was almost positive it wouldn't work with the XBox 360. Many Universal Remotes simply don't for some odd reason.

Anyway, I brought this home, entered the codes and it worked on everythingalmost.

Allow me to save you XBox 360 users some headachesyou will need to adjust the console settings for this remote to work. Go to My XBox --> Console Settings --> Remote Control and set it to "Both Remotes". All of a sudden, after doing the above and spending lots of time trying the recommended codes from the manual and the code search functions, this remote worked with the supplied Microsoft Code. It does not lay out everything properly, however. Up, down, left, right, Select all worked, but sometimes you need other buttons (Notably the 'Menu' button designated on the controller with the big green light-up 'X'). So, I went and picked up an old XBox 360 Universal Media Center Remote used at GameStop for $8 and used the learning feature to teach the GE Remote. Voilaproblem solved. Worth the extra $8 (all-in cost at $23) in my opinion. I mapped the color-coded buttons to the buttons of the same color on the Xbox 360. Now it works nearly flawlessly with XBox 360 and Media Center.

I seriously expected this product not to work with my stuffbut it did. Now it's easy. Fast forwards, plays, records, and is so much better than using the game controller. Really works very well. I've used it with Netflix, streaming video, DVR'd content from WMC. Works well.

If you have an audiophile receiver like my Denon, you will inevitably have to do some 'learning' on the remote with that feature. It's really not a big deal and pretty easy once you've done it once, but your receiver will undoubtedly have some major features that won't map from the GE codes alone. For example, I have multiple zones that I need to turn on and off, and the remote just isn't set up for that kind of thing with just the code entry from the manual. Everything mapped to the GE remote with the learning feature, though. I really only had about 4 functions I needed it to learn. Some things didn't quite work as logic would've dictated them to after the Denon code was entered, but again the learning feature saves you when there is the occasional "mis-map" of buttons. You can pretty much set any button (almost) on the GE remote to do anything your original remote could do (excepting macros).

TV mapped to the remote no problem with the right code. That device was super easynothing but the standard code from the manual needed.

Overall, I still can't believe this thing worked. Never thought it would but it does. It's a little quirky but most remotes like this are going to be.

Pros:

Works with XBox 360

Works with Next Generation Remote Extender

Learning Remote makes solving problems easy (ish)

Backlit

Controls up to eight devices if you need that

Feels sturdy enough, good size

Cons:

Button presses don't always register and you may have to hit stuff twice or press the button hard. (Doesn't sound like a big deal but this can get kind of annoying.)

Up, Down, Left, Right pad circle is placed too close to the channel up/down and volume up/down. Easy to hit those by mistake, and sometimes the pad doesn't quite register correctly. Sometimes if you push a direction and you're not exactly on the right spot the wrong direction will be sent. For example, if you push the circle at 2 o'clock (as if on a clock face), it should register as "Right" but might occasionally register as "Up".

Not sure why, but this remote just looks a bit goofy to me. Not a very 'refined' look, but whatever. It works and it's $15.

Doesn't work seamlessly even if the absolutely correct programming code was entered. Expect to use the learning feature to get everything exactly like you want it, even if just for a couple of buttons here and there.

No macro capability (the ability to program a series of instructions with the touch of one buttoni.e. pressing one button will turn on your cable box AND TV, AND set the TV to your favorite channel, etc., etc.)

If you are using with an XBox 360 you really will need to have a XBox 360 Universal Media Remote handy to teach the GE Remote the proper codes (X,Y,A,B,Media Center launch, Menu Button). Hopefully you can borrow one or find one used.

Other:

The Harmony 300i (you can usually find it for about $29.99) is a much, much better remote and worth the extra $15.00. Better build quality, ease of programming via PC and macro capability. No backlight on the 300i if that's important to you, though. However, if you are really cheap (ahem... cost conscious) and can't stomach the extra $15 then this GE remote is really quite good. But do NOT buy the Harmony if you use a Next Generation device in your system.

If you do use the Next Generation Remote, this GE Remote WILL WORK. The Logitech Harmony 300i will NOT work. This was a huge deal for me as switching to some other remote extender system would've cost me well over $50.00 (in addition to the $30 I spent on the Logitech Harmony 300i, which has since been returned). I also would've needed to find a good spot for an IR reception port, etc. The Next Generation product uses RF so everything stays hidden and my remote works from all over the house. A big deal.

Summary:

I needed one remote that would work with the XBox 360, a Denon receiver, a TV and my Next Generation Extender and I wanted an under $30 solution. You'd think it would be easier! (It's not easytrust me.) But this GE Universal Remote does the trick. It has its flaws but it works on 95% of what I need it to do. Overall an impressive little deviceespecially considering its price.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Pioneer DV-420V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player

Pioneer DV-420V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player
  • 1080p Upscaling, HDMI Upscaling (to view on a 1080p display), HDMI Terminal for Digital Audio/Video Out
  • USB Input for Compressed Music Playback, WMA (Windows Media Audio)/MP3/MPEG-4 AAC
  • JPEG PhotoViewer*** (Fujicolor CD)
  • Photo + Music Mix (JPEG Slideshow with Music)
  • Dual-Layer DVD-R*/DVD/DVD-R/DVD-RW**/DVD+R/DVD+RW Compatible, SVCD/VCD/CD/CD-R/CD-RW Compatible

We originally tried the Samsung DVD-1080P9 after moving up from an old 480i Sony, but the 9P had trouble reading some of the more scratched up DVDs. Also, the Sony would remember your last play spot for the last 6 DVDs that you played, which the Samsung didn't. Not quite satisfied with the Samsung we decided to try out the Pioneer DV-420V-K and after one night of fiddling we're returning the Samsung.

As other's have said, it has all the important remote buttons on the face of the player, it has a high quality video output, and I have had no problems yet reading scratched up DVDs. As a bonus it remembers at least the last two DVD's play spots which is very handy if you have kids and want to swap out parent's material for the kidstuff. I also like the setup menu and manual better on the Pioneer.

Highly recommended.

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I received this today, but I am forcced to return the player to Amazon.

Be forewarned, this is no longer a multi-region player! On the back panel where the US power cord comes out there is an icon (a "1" on top of a global-map grid) that indicates it is a Region 1 player. Indeed, it ONLY plays US DVDs. Non-US DVD's are ejected with the TV screen message "Incompatible disc region number Cant play disc"

I am returning this to Amazon. I know that Customer Service has their procedures, but they wanted to know if the player was "defective" and never quite got that is not the multi-region player described by the earlier Reviewers.

The date of manufacture is October 2009. I can only surmise that Pioneer made it Region 1-only starting with that date of manufacture.

By the way, for USA DVD's, the picture is excellent.

Read Best Reviews of Pioneer DV-420V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Here

I recently bought a 37" HDTV and promptly bought one of the new sub-$200 Blu-Ray players (a Vizio). I wasn't particularly impressed with the Blu-Ray picture quality (it was good, but didn't bowl me over). The DVD upscaling was slightly worse and the DVD audio was very weak.

I sent it back and purchased the Pioneer DV-420-K. I'm very pleased with it. The construction seems solid, the picture quality using an HDMI and set to 1080P is just awesome and the audio is strong and crystal clear. I especially appreciate the various audio options for increasing the volume of dialog in movies, evening out the loudest and softest portions of the audio (Audio DRC for Dolby Digital). I haven't had the opportunity (or need) for adjusting the picture quality, but there are a number of options there for color, contrast and sharpness.

All in all its a great player and definitely worth the $89. It struck me that I can get a "top of the line" upscaling DVD player like the Pioneer for half the price of a cheapish Blu-Ray player. That quality gets me an excellent upscaled picture over HDMI (tops in Consumer Reports testing) and clear, beautiful sound. It rivals the cheaper Blu-Ray players BR disc image quality on a mid-sized TV like mine (and beats them on upscaling DVDs). If you have a larger TV I can see getting a Blu-Ray player, but at this point its just not worth it for a smaller set (like 37" on down). Plus there's just a lot less trouble with mature technology like this (less disc incompatibility problems, no constant updating of firmware like with Blu-Ray). That's something I forgot to mention this player is very forgiving of damaged or scratched discs. And speaking of the discs, there are still about 10 times more DVDs available for rent vs. Blu-Ray. Plus they are half the price or less when purchasing them.

I'll eventually get a Blu-Ray player (and it'll be a good Pioneer model!), but until that standard matures I'll be very happy with my Pioneer DVD player.

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I looked a long time before purchasing this player. Not all of the features are listed here, but are on other sites. First is, it plays the Euro standard PAL, which was one reason for buying this. Many of my burned disc are PAL and dual layer disc, which brings me to the second reason. DVD-DL. While I can split a disc into two DVD-R's, I don't need two discs laying around when one will do. Also plays every region I can throw at it too.

Some other positives. I'm able to change from 5:1 to 3:2 on the remote without going to the main menu which always irked me on my Sony stuff. I don't have an HD set yet, but I'm set for 1080P up scaling when I do get one. I wish this unit had an optical out in addition to the digital coax, but it's not a deal breaker.

Also, instead of just blindly buying this unit, I downloaded the manual, so I wouldn't start whining after I received the unit and found out that some desired features wouldn't work.

Manual link:Discs I've used successfully.

Windata DVD +R DL

Verbatim DVD -R

Windata DVD -R

Sony DVD +RW

Highly Recommended.

I've been using this player for a few weeks now and have no complaints. There are features I have not used yet (and may not) but the picture is great... it is easy to setup and use... and I think my favorite feature is that there are control buttons on the player itself. I don't plan to use them often but I have had remotes get flaky on me before so it's comforting to know I can still play a DVD and move thru the menus etc even without one.