Showing posts with label audio recorder software. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audio recorder software. Show all posts

Friday, October 31, 2014

Flylink Watch DVR - HD 1080P Night Vision Waterproof Video Recording 16GB Internal Memory.

Flylink Watch DVR - HD 1080P Night Vision Waterproof Video Recording 16GB Internal Memory.The company is useless. As everyone, the instruction is translated on Google, and they printed it. Their products are very cheaply made but they want to sell it directly in US market through Amazon and make the direct profit. But, their product does not stand up to the US market standard, and specially not having office or support in US. The worst part you cannot return their products for a refund. The pictures look great, but their product actually only suitable for the dollar store. Amazon should let all these factories sell their crap to US customers....

I got this for more than a week, i was giving it time to see if i could figure out the problems this product have, but enough is enough, and i have to say the product is garbage, the video quality is horrible, the video comes out with a strange color... and i hava the night vision off so thats not the problem with the color... i only manage to get a few videos out of it afther decoding the manual book as it is in horrible english aswell..... i am a person who really needs something like this for security, and i should have not aim at cheap product to do the job.... i took the watch for a test... i left it connected to the computer all night downloading the videos i took... and not a single video came out of it, saying they have errors....

DO NOT BUY YOU WILL END UP WITH A 90 DOLLARS 2 DOLLARS WATCH

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My fiance bought this watch for me as a gift. Like the other customers, the instruction booklet is laughable in it's instructions.

In order to use it, I strongly recommend that you check the youtube videos which are more informative in 3-4 minutes than the entire booklet and disc.

I love collecting "tech" watches, but this one is truly NOT worth the money.

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It's good watch camera, but it doesn't have "WriteTime.exe" file in it's CD-Disk (written in it's guide). Need help, please :)

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It was intriguing and very entertaining. We bought it for its novelty and fun recording and it is wonderful. I always look for interesting learning opportunities like this one on Amazon.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Panasonic HDC-SD9 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabiliz

Panasonic HDC-SD9 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized ZoomI just received my camera today. Of course, I've been researching this little gem since it was first announced for production by Panasonic a few months ago. Along with that research, I've been playing with it now for several hours and I wanted to run by some first impressions:

Pros:

* Lightweight! Panasonic touts this as the smallest, lightest HD camera available for HD recording (as of 1/2008). That's certainly no joke. You're expecting this to weigh like a brick given it relatively compact size, but it's extremely light. I'm not expecting any arm fatigue here!

* Exceptional image quality. HD recording at 17 MBPS (variable bit rate) is exceptional and image artifacting that occurred in previous generations (SD1 and SD5) are pratically eliminated. I typically burn to DVD, but I'm assuming that image quality should be good considering my eventual plan on burning to Blu-Ray through Sony Vegas Pro. The video compression uses AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) which is based on the very efficient H.264 compression.

* Flash media storage. No more dropped frames/corrupted media on magnetic tapes! No limitations imposed by a fixed hard drive! No more wasted DVD media for footage that I want to edit anyway! More importantly for me, NO MORE MOTOR NOISE. Now I can film an art gallery in true silence. Also, with the only motor in the camera servicing the camera lens (which can't be heard at all), there will be considerably less wear and tear on the camera overall. The SDHC cards are pricey, but you can get an 8 GB SDHC Sandisk Extreme III card for about $ $ through independent sellers on Amazon, although I suspect the price for this media will be headed down. I bought 3 that way. An 8GB card will store about 1 hour of video footage at the maximum bitrate setting. Note: It is IMPORTANT to get at least a Class 4 card to record at the substantially quick bitrates. Personally, I just went ahead and got Class 6 cards (faster) since it wasn't that much more. Pony up the extra cash for the SDHC cards at the rate that I film, it will pay for itself after several usages. Try and make the same claim about using a tape more than 2 times without some noticeable degradation.

* Image advisor. Are you panning too quickly? Subject too dark? Too much backlight? Are you not holding the camera still (pops up if you have the image stabilizer off)? The advisor identifies these issues and brings a menu option up immediately to rectify the issue; all you have to do is simply accept the advice and you're good to go! I've exposed the camera to several unfriendly environments and the advisor was quick to chime in with problem identifications/solutions.

* OIS. The image stabilizer on this camera is exceptional...and I have NEVER said that about any stabilizer for cameras that I've owned in the past. Image stabilizers are typically exaggerated on most cameras (i.e., super steady-no-motion claims), but this one does a "wow" kind of job. At 4,000 times a second, the optical stabilizer does an impressive job at stabilizing an image even at the full 10x optical zoom. This is approximately 5 times faster than Panasonic's predecessor's. I've tried the system on and off and it's extraordinarily impressive. Don't expect the same results, however, on digitially enhanced zooming which I never use anyway.

* Pre-record. Ever catch yourself saying, "Man, I wished that I had hit record about a second sooner to catch my kid saying that!" Well, with pre-record enabled, the camera keeps the last 3 seconds of video buffered in standby mode so if you do hit record at the opportune time, you can "go back 3 seconds in time to capture what you might have missed!"

* Exceptional sound. Yep, the camera comes with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. I'm a bit of an audiophile, so I truly appreciate being immersed in a home movie environment that has sound around me as if I was still there filiming it. There are 3 options with the micorphone: surround, zoom mic, and focus mic. The regular surround options records all ambient noise equally, although you can actually change the gain, if you want. The zoom mic actually directs more input to the front microphone if you zoom in closer to an object further away; this allows you to "zoom" in on sound originating directly ahead. I haven't had a chance to fiddle with the focus mic, but I'm sure that it works just as well.

Cons:

* Battery life. According to the manual, the supplied battery can optimistcally handle 1 hour and 45 seconds of continuous record time (a full charge does register at 119 minutes). Realistically, the manual says, it would last about 1 hour, if you factor in zooming, switching it on but not recording for a few minutes between shots, lighting conditions (and compensation), etc.; Panasonic's predicted time is probably close. I would recommend getting the Panasonic VW-VBG260 battery from a 3rd party dealer which will last twice as long (got mine for $129.95 Panasonic charges $169.95). You could get the VBG6 battery which lasts a LOT LONGER, but it requires a separate pack to carry the power supply since the battery is so large. Not worth the hassle, in my opinion.

* No viewfinder. Minor inconvenience for me, but I prefer the old style viewfinder. However, the camera is so small and comfortable that using the LCD screen works fine. I'm willing to concede that this is a non-issue.

* No accessory shoes. You want to hook up a camera light? Forget it nowhere to put it unless you rig something to it (shoestring anyone?). Again, though, I'm fed up with trying to light a completely dark room and I find myself not really wanting it. That said, the low-light function on the camera as well as Magic Pix (full color in both modes, not the green washed out night vision with scary eyes!) does surprisingly well with 1 lux of light available.

Overall, the camera is extremely impressive for the price and the 3rd generation of HD cameras from Panasonic are a cost-effective way to enjoy high quality images. For standard DVD usage, this camera is more than perfect. However, as a caution, check that your video software is capable of using the AVCHD video format. It's still in its infancy, but an increasing number of software vendors are adopting it is a viable alternative. If you're serious about video editing, I would highly recommend Sony Vegas Pro Version 8.0 (current version as of 2/08) or later.

I got this camera as soon as it came out. I'm extremely happy with how small and light it is i can carry it around in a coat pocket and record easily. The pre-record function is very nice, especially if you don't want to be recording all the time.

Video editing was a little sluggish, but that's not hte camera's fault just takes a lot of muscle to edit HD video. I started out with the included software (Pinnacle 11 trial) with a Quad-core 2.4Ghz machine with 2GB of ram, 800mhz FSB, and the computer just about died. I upgrade the RAM to 3GB and it is still sluggish but works. So definately should make sure you have a FAST computer.

I would agree with other reviewers that having the HDMI port behind the battery is bad. Also, you ahve to have the camera on AC power to move video from the card to the computer. Otherwise, you can just unplug the SD card and plug it straight into the computer througha card reader seems to be alot faster that way anyhow.

Battery life seems pretty good, especially since you are using the LCD screen all the time. Which, by the way, even in bright sunlight is very visisble.

Overall, very happy with the camera, and looking forward to taking lots of videos of our upcoming newborn. But i will definately be looking to upgrade the software package to get better editing.

Buy Panasonic HDC-SD9 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabiliz Now

This camera is great! I have had this camera for 3 months... The highlights include great HD video quality, very straight forward usage, very good and easy SD to DVD transfer software and tiny size. You can take the SD card out and pop it right into your PS3 for immediate HD playback. You can also use the software to create same quality HD-DVDs on DVD-R-DL discs that hold 1 hour each. Buy the 8GB SD card to match 1 hour of DVD-R-DL. I thought that the price was good at $800 for this camera and now I see that it's less than $600. Buy it you will want to send me a thank you note after you get it... (but it's really not me you should thank I thank panasonic for coming up with this winner).

PS. While some people here complain about the low light performance, I think that they should really read the manual... They probably tried the Low Light mode (which really isn't very good)... they just need to switch to manual mode and open up the iris a couple of notches (1 switch move + 4 clicks) , it's very quick and easy to do with this camera and then the low light videos will be good and the camera will also stop playing with the white balance as is commonly an issue with indoor video camcorder shooting).

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic HDC-SD9 AVCHD 3CCD Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabiliz Here

There are already several very good reviews here, so I'll only hit on a few points that should be emphasized:

1.) Very small and light; almost unbelievably so. This camera is already getting much more use than our older one simply because it fits easily into my wife's purse or a fanny pack.

2.) Quick startup. I haven't timed it, but the startup is so quick that many spontaneous events, which you'd usually miss, get recorded.

3.) Removable SD card. Very easy for transferring files to the PC for editing or backup. My wife and kids love the ability to shoot something, remove the SD card, plug it into the PlayStation 3, and watch it. DON'T pay for the built-in 16gb memory; it costs too much, but more importantly you lose considerable ease of use.

4.) Awful low-light performance. The camera works like a dream in bright light, but suks donkey b*lls in anything less; It does work, but the quality is barely acceptable. I really really hope that a company will some day realize there are consumers who are willing to pay a significant premium for high-quality low-light performance in consumer (small and easy to use) camera.

5.) Almost too light. The image stabilization is barely adequate offset how much this thing bounces around. I guess everything is a tradeoff (see point #1)

All-in-all a wonderful camera as long as it's used within its limits. The low average score really represents the poor state of AVCHD editing software and, to some extent, the camera's poor low-light performance; it seriously mis-states the quality and usefulness of this camera.

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I purchased this camera from a B&M store (sorry Amazon) and since I always use Amazon reviews in my evaluation of new products, I wanted to leave an update for those of you looking at this camera and are concerned about software. There are plenty of reviews out there on performance, size, etc....read those for that info. This is specific to software and importing.

Several reviewers have stated that the footage from this camera is not editable. Up until recently, this was true.

iMovie 08 does not yet support this camera's files. There are rumors swirling that Apple is close to releasing an update to take care of this. Given Steve Job's personal endorsement of AVCHD and Panasonic at recent Keynotes, I don't doubt this will be addressed. That said, folks have said that a product called VoltaicHD can be used to process the .mts files into .MOV files. This software costs $30 but a trial is available.

Another reviewer said that the included trial software, Pinnacle Studio Plus, does not handle the files either. As installed from the CD, this is true. However, go to the Pinnacle website and look for the latest update. After updating to 11.1.2 (you can do this while still using the trial, just bypass the product registration), Pinnacle is able to process, edit and export the .mts files. I have successfully exported to MPEG2, MPEG4 and DiVx from Studio Plus.

The reason for 4/5 stars it is only trial software and right now there is only the single software package out there that handles it. It should be expected that you will need *some* purchased editing software to edit enhanced codecs such as this but only having one to choose from is a little limited.

Other than the software/editing hiccups, this camera is destined to be a terrific addition to my family.

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Thursday, August 7, 2014

Sony DVP-FX750/R 7-Inch Portable DVD Player, Red

Sony DVP-FX750/R 7-Inch Portable DVD Player, Red
  • Portable DVD player with 7-inch screen and stylish red textured cover
  • Supports multiple DVD and CD disc formats, plus JPEG photo slideshows and MP3 audio
  • Share the entertainment with 2 headphone jacks (3.5mm) and an A/V output to a TV or external monitor
  • Built-in rechargeable battery provides up to 3 hours of continuous viewing
  • Includes car power adapter and AC adapter

I used the Amazon customer reviews to purchase this DVD player, and I am happy I did. This player is exactly what I was looking for something durable, cheap, and easy to use. My surprise how great the sound is on this thing! Lots of volume and really good quality. Because of this, very easy for two people to watch at the same time without headphones. You can't go wrong for the price.

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I've only used this player on one trip, but so far so good. Keep in mind that it is small. It is not the size of one of the players that you rent from In Motion. But, little kids don't really care, and its small size makes it easy to toss in your backpack or bag. And it's very lightweight. I bought this one because it had a longer battery life than some of the others in this price range. It charges quickly also.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DVP-FX750/R 7-Inch Portable DVD Player, Red Here

Nice design

Well built

Good feature set

Acceptable screen, wish it had better picture quality, contrast/resolution.

Battery life OK, more expensive Sonys have longer life, wish battery was user replaceable.

Good player for the Kids in car, waiting room, etc.

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I am currently waiting for Amazon to replace this one. The picture has a "washed out" light coming from all sides of the screen. The last two DVD players did not have this problem. I hope this is just a defective product and the new one will work because the unit is very nice other than this problem. Amazon has great customer service so I am not all that concerned. If the replacement is defective, I will go with something other than Sony.

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This DVD player is small but it is a nice size for my 2 year old boy to hold in his car seat. It must be durable as well because he has thrown it several times and it still works like a charm.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Panasonic RR-US350 Digital Recorder Voice Editor (Silver)

Panasonic RR-US350 Digital Recorder Voice EditorThe recorder comes with USB cable and and PC sofware to download the recording. It's great for recording lectures.

There are three recording modes: EP, SP and LP. EP provides high quality recording with a very short recording time. SP provides good quality recording for about 60 minutes. LP provides extended recording (210 minutes). However, the recording quality was not usable.

Sony ICD-P17 costs 20 dollars more. Comes with USB cable and PC sofware to download the recording. There are no different recording mode. It provides over 4 hours of recording capability at a great quality! Check it out. I am sure you will find it worths the money.

I carry it everywhere. It is VERY light. The software is easy to use. I record a lot of project ideas, transfer them to my PC and convert it to a .wav file if I like with the software.

And delete the files from the recorder and start over with an empty recorder.

I've recorded several hours of a musical rehearsal and it played back very clearly.

If you are recording things that are quiet, at a great distance, of course it will sound bad. It would with any but the most expensive pro audio equipment. But if you are dictating, singing, or recording something that has a moderate signal level, this thing will capture it clearly.

I've used it nearly every day for a few months now. I even jog with it. Never had a problem with it.

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The "stop" button failed after about two months of moderate use; I took it to the indicated repair place, they took 3 weeks to decide they couldn't fix it, gave me an address to ship it to for warranty repair, two months later Panasonic said they could fix it for nearly the price of the unit. I wrote back pointing out that it was under warranty, they didn't respond, just shipped back the broken unit.

I'll never buy from Panasonic again.

The device was okay while it worked. Of course the "LP" mode is completely unusable, apparently true for most devices of this class (why do they bother?).

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic RR-US350 Digital Recorder Voice Editor (Silver) Here

Panasonic voice recorders have a proprietary software with VM1 files. So if you lose the disc, get a new computer, whatever, and you have the old vm1 files, YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK! To read the files anywhere else, you have get conversion software to change it into an MP3 or Wav, but it still requires the original software to do it! It's a mess. To buy the software from Panasonic, you have to have the serial number on the device. So if the device broke and you threw it out (as IU had done) they wouldn't sell me the CD with the software to read the old files!

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I was very dissipointed in the recording time versus quality.

On the best quality recoding mode the results were dissappointingly poor.

I could not get the included software: Voice Editor 3 to work. Worse yet,I can not get the program off my PC.

Bottom line, I would not buy it again and I do not recommend this recorder.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

CIB R401H60W500G8403 4CH Surveillance DVR Four CCD Cameras 500GB KIT. Eagleeyes Software

CIB R401H60W500G8403 4CH Surveillance DVR Four CCD Cameras 500GB KIT. Eagleeyes SoftwareThe cameras were decent. average quality. the DVR box seemed a bit cheap but still got the job done. easy setup.

First thing: While I purchased Sony CCD cameras, there's no way to determine this and it may only be Sony components? But How do you know you received Sony components and not the cheaper brand? So that the first concern here. I guess I'll have to trust the seller for sending what I paid for.

Pro's:

Set up was pretty good with no problems. I had the cameras up and running in no time. Software seemed easy to use. Didn't set up internet connection because I didn't have ethernet connection in the room, but later bought powerline connection to setup.

Con's:

No matter how much I reduced sensitivity, the motion detection software would pick up "dust" moving through the air at night. You don't want to reduce the sensitivity too much cause people won't be captured. The motion detection software isn't reliable, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I would quickly scan a day's worth of video and compare motions in the video against what was in he motion detection logs => big discrepancies and vary from day to day. Sometimes a camera's motion detection settings would stop working, I would have to select the motion detection to OFF, wait a few seconds and then turn back ON, to make it work. Of course, one camera in particular would have the same problem from time to time.

Finally got my internet connection set up (about two months after installing the cameras/DVR) and started going through the process for setup. Well the pictures/instructions didn't match what I was seeing on the software. Even though I had the latest software, there was no option to enter the network information for a DCHP setup. Now I can't see my cameras over the internet as advertised cause the setup failed. Well, I'll try the other methods for setting up the network configurations, but I'm not optimistic. By the way, I consider myself to be computer-literate and the software sucks. Looking through the motion detection log, you need the mouse to select the Prev button because the remote doesn't allow you to. Additional, the motion detection log doesn't allow you to quickly go to a specific day, you have to go page by page through the log!

Final recommendations:

One would think that buying from store that specializes in surveillance systems would be a good choice... Wrong!

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I have installed CCTV for many years for many different companies....The mobile device software is what matters...

Quad view and motion playback on your phone... android even has a high res quad screen... I phone does not....

Live audio is nearly flawless on Apple devices not so on android beware no live audio on the 8 channel model!!!

Read Best Reviews of CIB R401H60W500G8403 4CH Surveillance DVR Four CCD Cameras 500GB KIT. Eagleeyes Software Here

the system was very easy to install and hook-up. it's been running and recording since hook-up without a hitch. the on screen menu is easy to use and intuitive in its layout. Great system at a Great price, with more b&w (bells and whistles) than we will probably use. playback is easy, with recorded data that is quickly located.

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It's a good product. Unless you want to be restricted to wires buy a wireless-remote unit. Otherwise, it does what it's designed to do.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Visual Land V-Touch 2.8-Inch Touchscreen 8GB MP3/MP4 player with Camera including In-Ear Headphones

Visual Land V-Touch 2.8-Inch Touchscreen 8GB MP3/MP4 player with Camera including In-Ear Headphones
  • 2.8" Color TFT Touch Screen
  • Built-In 2.0 Megapixel Camera for Stills, Video and Webcam
  • Video Support: AVI, 3GP, MP4 / Audio Support: MP3, WMA
  • Picture Viewer, FM Radio, Voice Recorder and E-book Reader
  • Expandable MiniSD Card Slot and Built-In Frontal Speaker

My 10 yr. old, of course, wanted an iTouch for Christmas but at her age, it would either get lost, broken, or left on a shelf to collect dust so this was the perfect substitute. The addition of the FM radio and the camera (2MP; typical cell phone quality) with the ability to take video via the camera was the icing on the cake. The eBook reader is another nice feature.

She can't put it down. She's used the voice recorder, the camera, the radio, and obviously, the MP3 player. She really wants to download a book and what parent can argue with a child wanting to read a book whether electronically or not? At Christmas, all her "older" cousins asked her "Is that an iTouch?" and she proudly stated "No, it's a V-Touch..." (Whew!)

Pros:

-8GB is 8GB. Plenty of space for everything. (Plus it's expandable.)

-Camera/Video Recorder. (Big plus for non-cell phone carrying kids.)

-Nice size screen and the colors are sharp and bright.

-eBook capability.

-Stylus included. (Which allows even me to use it.)

-Computer connection and file transfer is very simple.

-Price. For memory size and functions I don't think you can beat it.

Cons:

-At first look, it seemed fragile to me ("cheap"). After more use, it's not so bad. It is obviously not as solid as an iTouch but it's more than 2 1/2 times cheaper. Unsure if a 3 foot drop would be it's demise and hopefully I won't ever find out.

-Charger cord is extremely short.

-Battery life(???). It seems that the charge doesn't last as long as I think it should but my daughter is using it all the time so maybe it's fine.

-Headphones. Not the highest quality but those can be replaced.

Unkown:

-eBook. Have not used that feature yet.

-Movies. We have yet to put an AVI/MP4 on it but I am confident it will be fine and the screen size should be perfect for viewing.

It's a great buy in my book! No, it's not an iTouch but it's a perfect little MP3 player with a ton of extra features and functionality. We haven't had it very long so I will update if things change but so far, so good.

*****************************************************************************

UPDATE: 12/19/2009

Well, what I figured would happen, happened... My, now 11 year old, daughter has lost ("permanently misplaced") her "V-Touch". Almost made it a year. Up until she lost it, she used it often. Never had a problem though. She was afraid to tell me that she lost it until after a couple weeks; it must have been tearing her up inside. In any event, I am glad I didn't get her an "iPod Touch" (Wouldn't want to offend anybody by calling it an iTouch...) It worked perfectly and was a worth while investment.

However she has iPod Touch on her Christmas list again... Oh, boy.

*****************************************************************************

Buy Visual Land V-Touch 2.8-Inch Touchscreen 8GB MP3/MP4 player with Camera including In-Ear Headphones Now

The first two days I owned this device I was pleased with it. The touch screen is not very responsive but for the price I could hardly complain. On the third day this device refused to power on. I hit the reset switch on the side which seemed to fix the problem . . . but not for long.

Two weeks later this device is in one of two states:

1. Frozen at the "Please Wait" (Load screen)

-or-

2. Dead and not responding to the "On" button.

While the device was working I enjoyed its features, though the AVI video would record in XVID or H263 making it unplayable on the Windows Media Player without a plug-in. There is no menu system for navigating through MP3's, so if you have a lot of music be prepared to do a lot of scrolling through your massive song list.

If the product had lasted longer it would have probably been worth the price.

Read Best Reviews of Visual Land V-Touch 2.8-Inch Touchscreen 8GB MP3/MP4 player with Camera including In-Ear Headphones Here

Perfect for those shoppers looking for an inexpensive MP3 player. I purchased the 8GB V-Touch for 70USD.

Pros:

Nice, easy-to-use interface. Small form factor. Touch screen is responsive. Lots of nice features (audio/video record/play, camera, FM tuner). The camera is acceptable for 2MP.

Cons:

Sound is average at best. Some slight delays when loading play lists, etc. Selection is made by double-touch would rather have single-touch selection.

Overall nice media player for those who are on a budget.

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I bought the v-touch for Christmas. It does take video, play video. You can put a slideshow of digital pictures on it and take pictures, although it's not a great camera. Pictures look grainy. It does everything it's supposed to do.

TWO BIG HANGUPS:

1. the volume is terrible. the lowest setting is way too loud. I'm going to have to buy new earphones with a volume adjustment built into them.

2. it doesn't read, genre, artists and albums. the only way to categorize things on the v-touch is to put in on different favorites lists, but you can't name them, so you just have to remember which favorites list is which. Maybe it's because syncing with WMP is a real problem. It'll sync, but it would literally take 6+ hours. I don't have that kind of patience.

Unless you're just in love with the touch screen technology, get something else or pay more for something better. These two quirks will drive you nuts!!!

My daughter bought this item with her Christmas money; she had wanted a touch screen mp3 player. With her limited money, this appeared to be suitable. She has treated this product with kid gloves; yet it has had bits of trim fall off, and continual problems that require the device to be reset. The sound is poor and has now ceased functioning with headphones connected. This product is bad enough, but the customer service from Visual-Land is just dreadful. Impossible to contact unless through e-mail, and then be prepared to play e-mail tennis without any resoloution. I would not recommend this product or the customer service, at all. Save up for something better.

Friday, July 25, 2014

GE 24914 Universal Remote Control, 4-Device Infrared Silver

GE 24914 Universal Remote Control, 4-Device Infrared SilverI purchased this remote from walmart for about $6. Should have known better. This remote stops working throughout the course of its use. I estimate that I reprogram this remote close to 20 times a day which is why I have my TV code taped to the back of the remote. Also the other functions (i.e. DVD) is a PITA! You have to press the "shift" button every time you want to maneuver through the DVD menus. Just to move up and down on a menu you press, "shift" "channel down" "shift" "channel down" "shift" "channel down"... Utterly worthless do not waste your money, would be more useful as a chew toy for my 12 month old.

I purchased this universal remote from Wal-Mart for only 4 dollars. You do get what you pay for, which is not much as far as this remote is concerned. If you just want an extra TV and/or VCR remote, this might fill the bill, as it will turn on and off a TV, adjust volume, and changes channels. However, it is the other functions that it puports to have (DVD funtionality) that are extremely limited. Again, it will turn these devices on and off (after programing the device buttons), but thereafter, and especially with the DVD functions, this remote is pretty useless. For example, the DVD function button will turn on the DVD and show the beginning menu screen, but then there are no handy buttons to navigate through the menu screen. If you press "play" the DVD will play, but any extra features, subtitles, languages, etc., are inaccessible, as there are no buttons to select these features. The remote does a better job with the VCR, but there are also less options with a VCR compared to a DVD. This remote is programable to most VCR brands, will start the VCR, play the tape, rewind, fast forward, fast reverse, and will shut off the VCR.

The remote serves as a handy duplicate TV/VCR remote in our household, but one needs a dedicated DVD remote for full functionality. Therefore, I cannot recommend this remote unless you plan to use it for a TV only. Get a more expensive multi-functional remote for optimal useage.

konedog

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Great little remote control. All the basic bells & whistles, not complicated at all. I own 2 of them. A good size for your hand, not too big.

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I got this remote at Wal-Mart to replace an old 87 Sharp box T.V. It is awesome. Works better than my newer LCD T.V. remote controller. I paid 4.98. Great value. Why pay more? If you just want something to turn on/off, channels, and volume this is your remote. For setup I just followed instructions for remote to search code for brand of T.V. voila!!! Loving it. If my other T.V. remotes go out I will buy another G.E.

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..already had one before I bought this one, it didn't do the exact same things that my previous one did, even though it was the same one, go figure..

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Toshiba SD-V295 Tunerless DVD VCR Combo Player

Toshiba SD-V295 Tunerless DVD VCR Combo Player
  • DVD and VCR Combo Player
  • One Touch Recording
  • ColorStream Pro Progressive Scan Component Video Outputs
  • Simultaneous DVD Playback and VHS Record
  • 7.70 Lbs (WxLxH) 9.00" x 16.95" x 3.53"

Picked this up from BestBuy last night should have thought twice as there was one on the shelf that had been returned already. It does not come with a tuner so without a cable or satellite box you're screwed.

My television lacks RCA jacks so I have an RCA/Coax converter. So far so good but the annoying part that I can't figure out is that I have to move the cables from VCR OUT to VCR IN when I want to record something, then back to VCR OUT when I want to watch!

The DVD part worked fine, no real problem there, picture quality looks good and the VCR recording quality looks great. The remote is a joke. You have to press combination keys to get things to work and it was very confusing to learn. It also hates to leave DVD mode. You cannot turn off the DVD side and only focus on the VCR ergo you'll be programming a timer or something and suddenly you're in DVD mode!

The other model at BestBuy was the Sony SLV-D380P. As far as I can tell it's just as bad but with an extra $10 Sony markup!

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The unit itself worked fine and seems like a good value for the price. BUT. The remote control requires a full 5 seconds after you press a button before you can press that button again, or any other button. That's a long slow count of 5 in between button presses. The manual warns of a delay in the fine print, but 5 seconds for each button press? It would have taken me a week to set the clock!

Perhaps my particular unit was an outlier in this regard (can they all be like this?) so if you want this product you should probably check out your exact unit right at the store before buying.

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This is exactly what we needed and it works just the way that I would expect. We have had it for several weeks now and we watch movies and shows with it daily. It hasn't given us a moment of trouble and let's face it; vcr's are not as easy to find as they use to be.

I don't see any other product like this being a better deal than this.

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I haven't had this very long, so I can't comment on it's reliability, just it's function. It works fine as far as recording and playback of VHS tape, and the DVD is good. I esp. like the DVD feature that remembers where you left off viewing a DVD. When you power the unit up, it starts right where you stopped the DVD. Great for those 3 and 4 hour movies it takes 2 (or 3) days to watch. The function indicators for DVD or VCR are tiny little boxes on the unit, and are both the same color. I wish they would have just made them different colored lights, or 1 led for VCR and 2 for DVD or some such...of course you can tell which function you're on if the TV is on, but if you just want to eject a disk or tape, you have to be right in front of the player to see which function you've got. The remote control is the big problem with this otherwise nice deal. It's only 6" long and 2" wide, and the buttons are tiny, and the print by the buttons is microscopic. And you can see the labels for the DVD functions OK (barely), but for the VHS functions, they used a dark mustard colored print that is awful to try and see. You need to keep a flashlight handy, which (along with the tiny buttons) kind of takes away that "braille" method of getting used to your remote. Luckily, I had a larger remote from another Toshiba DVD player I own. It's cream colored (as opposed to black, like the new one) and has big, easy to read labels, but I still have to use the new one for the VCR. So why the tiny remote for this job-ee-do? I don't know. Also, on the remote, they put the REW and FWD buttons right in between the SKIP FWD and BACK buttons, so you try to go for the rewind or forward on a DVD, and end up skipping froward or back a whole scene! Very painful! And also, they put the SLOW button up and right, away from the other play buttons, NEXT TO THE OPEN/CLOSE button, so there's more potential fun. Remember, it's tuner-less, so you can't hook it up with your coaxial cable, it has to hook up directly to a cable or satellite box. You need one of those 3 lead cables, with two audio and one video, which, by the way the cheapskates don't provide with the unit, so don't forget to get one. Well, otherwise, it works well, is inexpensive, and is pretty.

Deliver was as forecast by Amazon.

This replaced my previous Tobshiba VCR and DVD player. Operation was integrated and much simpler than with the previous two pieces of equipment. Installation was almost nothing. Plugged it in as described in the summary sheet, turned it on, and all worked without a problem.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Cell Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, MicroSD Slot--Internationa

Motorola KRZR K1 Unlocked Cell Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, MicroSD Slot--International Version with No WarrantyI've had this phone for nearly 2 years and it has never given my problems. It is well made, has good audio reception and much better made than the Razor I had prior to this. I do not use text or online services with my phones but you can do both with this one. It is easy to accidentally press the web key so I disabled mine. There is an alarm feature I use but the thing I like best is I can hear well with this phone. Many others have poor sound quality. I've read about others having dropped calls. I ordered one of those peel and stick phone antennas from cellphoneshop.com and it works great on all my cell phones for better reception. I can get calls even when I am inside a store or building. I do like the customized ring tones you can set for your friends and the picture to caller feature too. I'm looking for another phone for my husband who seems to like my phone better than his.

I've had a silver krzr k1 for 2 and a half years and it gave me no problems until the buttons recently wore out from using it so much. I just bought another one, this time red, and it's proving to be just as great as the first one. It has all the features I need (camera, texting) but if you are looking for internet this is not the phone for you! I would recommend this phone to someone looking for a basic phone but who also knows how to use the technology it could be overwhelming as a "first phone."

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This phone is very sleek and has very cool applications although I haven't fully explored all its features. It's the perfect phone for someone who wants a nice phone but is not overly fussy.

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Excellent phone for travel out of country. Not too expensive if it gets stolen, trim, slim, full features with camera, video, address book, unlocked and takes all SIM cards

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Description of phone was not clear as to whether or not it would be compatable with my current carrier. It also did not indicate that the phone did not come with a sim card. Ultimately, the phone was completely useless to me and I had to return it.

Monday, June 30, 2014

Opteka Gold Plated high speed HDMI to mini-HDMI 6' Cable For Canon Vixia HF M30, M31, M32, M40, M41

Opteka Gold Plated high speed HDMI to mini-HDMI 6' Cable For Canon Vixia HF M30, M31, M32, M40, M41, G10, M300, M400, R11, R20, R21, R200, S20, S21 and S30 Digital Camcordersnot much to expand on, but i will say this cable has done exactly what it is supposed to do. if you're looking to transfer files from a camcorder or camera at high speeds....this is the cable for you

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Sunday, June 8, 2014

Ion TTUSB Turntable with USB Record

Ion TTUSB Turntable with USB Record
  • USB 1.1 turntable that makes it a snap to convert vinyl collection to CD or MP3 formats
  • Includes Audacity PC/Mac recording software and trial version of Bias Soundsoap 2
  • Adjustable anti-skating control for increased stereo balancing
  • Support for high-speed vinyl recording; works with both 33-1/3 and 45 rpm speeds
  • Line-level outputs for easy stereo connection; 1/8-inch line-level input; weighs 7.7 pounds

This item is just too good to pass up. I have a couple hundred vinyl albums that I still listen to occassionally. I have made several disappointing attempts to transfer vinyls to CD in the past, but it always turned out to be too much work to get too poor of a transfer. I kept hoping to find a better way to preserve my collection, and this is it.

SETTING UP THE TURNTABLE: The turntable is so very simple to set up, and the weight and materials are so different from those high end turntables of years past, that you might think you just wasted your money... don't worry, the best is yet to come. It took me all of 15 minutes to set up the turntable and plug it into my computer. Due to a couple of reviews that I read I took 3 precautions while setting up the turntable: 1) I used some of the foam wrapping material from the box and wrapped the RCA plugs to eliminate any extraneous noise that might be introduced into the system, 2) I put small felt pads under the legs of the table that the turntable will sit on, and 3) I used a stylus pressure gauge to get exactly 4 grams of weight (with the plastic cover still on the stylus which should give me approx 3.75 4 grams with the plastic cover off).

SETTING UP THE USB PART: Again it is totally a no-brainer. Just follow the meager instructions that are included with the turntable they are spot-on. When I plugged in the USB cable (I set it up on 2 different machines, a Dell and a home-made running XP Home Edition and XP Professional respectively). On both machines Windows ran me through several set-up wizards that installed the following drivers (it's all automatic, just click when it tells you to): USB Compliant Device, USB Audio Device, USB Human Interface Device, and HID Compliant Device. That's it... maybe 5 minutes of watching the computer do it's part.

SETTING UP THE SOFTWARE: I was pretty sceptical from the reviews I had read. Again, follow the meager software instuctions again they are spot-on. It probably took all of 15 minutes to get everything done.

RECORDING A VINYL ALBUM: Expect to spend about an hour per album (most albums take about 40 minutes just to play through). The process is simple: 1) copy the album to your harddrive, 2) Normalize the file, 3) remove extraneous noise, 4) Split the file into seperate tracks, and 5) write the WAV files to a CD (I used Nero for that part).

FINAL TRANSFER COPY: You'll want to spend a little time learning to use the software (maybe an hour of two and you will have it all down pat). For my first album I used one that was far from pristine. I wanted to see what the software is capable of. I could not be more pleased with the result. Using the software I was able to remove most of the extraeous noise. There is still a VERY slight amount of noise that you would normally expect, even from the most pristine vinyl album, and I like it that way.

BOTTOM LINE: This is an amazing purchase for the price. Everything works, and works better than I ever expected. A dustcover would have been nice, but I'll just make one, no big deal. All of the albums that I have transered so far sound incredible, pretty close to pristine quality, and if you really listen you will know the music is from the original vinyls... what could be better.

EDIT: After transferring about 20 vinyl albums a quick update should be useful...

1) for removing clicks, pops, and static I have settled into this process after copying the album to the harddrive don't "Normalize", instead just "select -> all" from the edit menu; then select "click removal" from the effects menu and move the top slider to the left about 1/2 of it's default center setting then click "remove clicks"; now click "Noise Removal" from the effects menu, select an area between tracks to set the "Get Profile Noise"; then "select -> all" from the edit menu and bring the noise removal window back up; move the slider to the left (about 1/2 way from the default center setting) and click "Remove Noise"; then bring the noise removal window back up again and repeat the noise removal a second time but move the slider a couple of clicks further towards "Less" this time; now just manually remove any remaining noise or clicks (there will be very little left). Your files should now be just right and ready to seperate and copy to CD. Any other method I used seemed to remove too much from the file and resulted in a clean but VERY SLIGHTLY muffled sound (it could just be me though because we are talking about very small degrees of difference here).

2) On my Dell computer there seems to be some kind of conflict with the USB turntable (I don't have the problem with my home made machine). The problem happens when I turn the computer on with the turntable USB cable already plugged into the computer... the computer will hang up during it's initial booting (before it starts loading windows). The solution is pretty simple, just unplug the USB cable before booting the computer and plug it back in after the computer boots up fully, but it kind of bugs me.

EDIT #2: A couple of posts refer to a "Dreaded Silence" problem. After transferring about 50 albums I had it happen to me also. The problem is that the software (??? not certain) seems to be adjusting the computer's system volume to almost mute. Just go into "Control Panel" -> "Adjust speaker Volume" -> "Advanced" and move the "Wave" volume slider back up to a higher value. Hope that helps.

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Easy to set up. I'm a non-techno yutz, and this was simple for me to install and configure.

Easy to use. I was recording LPs to WAV files in the first hour. Within two hours, I was able to break a side up into individual tracks and cuts and save them separately.

Perfect Fidelity! The quality of the reproduction is fantastic! This is the greatest thing in the world! No need for pre-amp or amp, just LP to PC.

Noise? Yes, of course; this also converts your scratches and pops with digital exactness. But even so, you're well ahead of the game: at least this way you'll never have to worry about putting *new* scratches on your favorite music!

This is one of the best investments I have ever made; I'm overjoyed with this technology!

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Don't be scared off from this turntable by the reviews here that say it barely works with a Mac, because I got it to work with my Mac right out of the box. The thing to keep in mind is that people aren't really complaining about the turntable itself; they're complaining about the software included with it--which is actually shareware! Having read the complaints here, I decided just to use different software with it, and it works fine. You can use whatever Mac audio software to record that you prefer--I tried CD Spin Doctor, which comes with the famous Toast CD burning program, and Sound Studio, which is shareware you can find at any number of Mac shareware sites on the web (it actually came installed on my mac, so you may already have it). I preferred Sound Studio because CD Spin Doctor is a little buggy. Once you choose what software you want to use with the turntable, and you plug the USB wire into your Mac, simply go into your system preferences under the Apple logo menu, and choose the Sound preference; once you're in that, change Sound Input to the turntable and click "OK." You're ready to use the software--none of this Apple MIDI nonsense. It's really THAT Simple!

So how's the turntable for transferring vinyl to your computer? It's pretty good--it got much better sound than I got previously with an iMic adaptor hooked up to my home stereo. I will say, it's a little more treble-ly than I'd like, but it's very slight, and you likely can adjust your music file to have more bass in whatever software you use to record. Or, you can just pump up the bass in iTunes when you play it back. Either way, not that big a problem.

Drawbacks--it doesn't come with a dust cover. For shame. Also, no "78" mode; if you do choose to use the Audacity software that comes with it, that allows you to change the speed of a song to 78, so you'd record in 33 or 45, and then change the file after the fact to 78. Yikes, too much bother, but then again, when was the last time most of us played a 78 anyway? Finally, I wish there was some automation for dropping the tone arm down and picking it up at the end, but this isn't going to go into my home stereo set up anyway (although it could since it also has RCA wires as well as the USB). I'm just using it to transfer old b-sides and bands whose albums will never get rereleased, and in that regard, it's perfect for the job.

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On the one hand, the Ion works quite well. It's easy to set up, produces surprisingly good quality sound, and turns the whole process of digitizing vinyl into a two-device, three step process... rather than the four device, multi-step process I'd been using.

On the other hand, the software included with the turntable is a bad joke, at least for Mac users. There's no installation software Ion includes the source code for Audacity and expects you to compile it yourself. (You'd be much better off downloading it compiled from Sourceforge.) There's a complex process involving Audio MIDI setup, including a workaround for a nasty bug regarding sound quality setup. Once you get it working, it's quite impressive, but it's very far from user friendly. Let's hope this gets better in future releases of the product, because the hardware is nicely designed and the results are quite impressive.

--------

Updated January 16, 2008.

Ion's software support for this product and Macintosh has gotten much, much better since I wrote this review, 18 months ago. The current software doesn't require any fiddling with the MIDI settings on Mac, as the turntable now mounts in your Sound control panel as an audio input. And they've done a nice job of filtering the audio that comes through this input so that you can get excellent results saving directly from Audacity, without equalizing or filtering, as was pretty much necessary in the original release. I would modify my three star rating to four stars the turntable still needs a speed control and a dust cover, but the software's much better.

I bought this for $139 (not including taxes or shipping) through Amazon and have been very happy with it. It was easy to set up, the directions were clearly written, and it does a good job of converting my old LPs to digital form, in my case, to MP3s.

The Audacity software is intuitive and easy to use, though you do have to go onto the Internet and download a particular file (a snap to do). On some albums, the MP3s created sound significantly better than the album itself -the static and pops are gone, for example. But on others, getting rid of all of the static results in a somewhat distorted digial version. It's kind of a balancing act and you have to make adjustments using the software (easy) to decide what the optimal level of noise removal is. But even with no noise removal, the skips are abbreviated, and I'd say that almost all of my MP3s (I've converted only about 12 albums so far) sound at least a little better than the LP.

This is a great product!

Friday, May 30, 2014

Mount World 1424x2 Tier Component Shelf Wall Mount -- New Creative Concepts DVD, DVR, Blue Ray Wall

Mount World 1424x2 Tier Component Shelf Wall Mount -- New Creative Concepts DVD, DVR, Blue Ray Wall Mountdon't waste your money. $40 for two bent pieces of aluminum. Also, the bolts are cheap and they broke.

I like the idea of this product, but the piece thats suppose to cover the cords would not stay on. It does not snap into place, it keeps popping off. Lucky for me I was able to hide some of the cords because my dvd player is about 3" thick. Covering the cords was the reason I bought this and the price was right. There is truth in, "you get what you pay for"!!! I would have sent them back, but now I have these holes in my wall so the shelves will have to stay there until I find the perfect wall mount unit. I don't know if its a defect and I didn't bother to call the seller. I would have given this 5 star if the cord cover had snapped into place and stayed...

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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Swann SW244-BVD DIY BandW Video Doorphone

Swann SW244-BVD DIY BandW Video DoorphoneFirst of all, the item description is incorrect. This unit does not have an LCD screen, nor is the screen flat. It uses a mini projection CRT that projects up at the curved screen surface. Consequently, there is distortion of the image (stretched on the edges), and definitely not high-res. Also, the manual claims a larger field of view angle than it actually has. I'm an engineer and I measured it to be about 40 degrees across the center of the screen. Consequently, you won't see that much of your visitor and there may be a problem viewing both short and tall visitors. Well, the item is pretty inexpensive at just $92, so all this might be excusable, but there were also a serious functional problem. The doorbell button on the camera would not work correctly up to 50% of the time. I had to return the unit as defective.

The picture is good.

Installation easy.

My complaint is: Someone at your door must push the button for you to see them.

I would like to be able to turn the camera on from inside my house.

I would like to be able to start the conversation from in the house if they don't push the talk button. With this system I can't.

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Just installed it a few weeks ago. Works great. easy to install. I wish the camera tilt upward had one more step (I had to use the existing audio-only location for the outdoor module, it's a little too low) but this is my problem, not the device.

Not worth the extra $100 to get a color version, this is more than sufficient and half cheaper

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I don't review products often, if ever, but this video doorphone needs another good one. It's super easy to install and works great. I bought this one for my office and may buy another for my home.

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This is an excellent product and was very easy to install. I has it up and running in about an hours time. It's great security to see who is at your front door before you open it.

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Friday, May 16, 2014

TiVo AG0100 Wireless G USB Network Adapter for TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRs

TiVo AG0100 Wireless G USB Network Adapter for TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRs
  • Enjoy TiVoToGo and multi-room viewing transfers, music and photos, online scheduling
  • Eliminates the need for a phone line, if used with a broadband connection
  • Works with 802.11g and 802.11b wireless networks
  • Real brushed metal base; flip-up antenna with TiVo badge
  • For use with a TiVo Series2 or Series3 only; not for use with a TiVo Series1 or DIRECTV DVR with TiVo

First, thank you to the previous reviewers: I had several questions regarding this product such as "does it support Wireless Encryption?" and the previous reviews really helped...by the way yes, it supports WEP.

What you will need if you want to use this:

1) Wireless Internet Access (Wireless Router and Connection to Internet) within range of your DVR

2) Series 2 DVR (with USB plug)

3) A computer for some of the advanced features

Once you have these two things then using this product is amazingly simple to set up for about 80% of "Lucky People."

1) Plug it In

2) Follow the Instructions

3) Enter your WEP key (alphanumeric or hexadecimal --alphanumeric is much easier)

4) I had to restart my DVR

5) If you're connecting a computer and using TivoToGo, you have to install the software on your computer...which also has to be connected to the network for your TIVO to see it and for your computer to see your TIVO and you'll need your Media Access Key.

Benefits I received from this product:

1) I don't have to use a phone line to get updates (no dialing)

2) TIVO updates come much faster over Broadband (Faster updates)

3) I bought TIVO to Go Plus --extra $$ from TIVO for the license key that you use with the computer software and I can listen to my iPod music through my Bose in my living room

4) I have my picture library shared....baby pictures are nice on the television....but caution, the quality of the pictures will only be as good as your TV....ie HDTV is still not as good as a good laptop screen and if you don't have HDTV, they'll only look as good as your TVs best resolution. Its still very cool to show baby pictures on the big TV.

5) I have a huge Attached Hard Drive array on my computer...its really a Server...so I offload movies I plan to keep and they're always there when I want to watch them so the 180hour DVR size limit kindof doesn't apply.

Issues / Challenges:

1) You have to know a little bit about computers if you want to get some of the more complex benefits such as share pictures, music, download movies.....ie you have to know about firewalls, how to install software, IP addresses and things like that.

2) If you have wireless access already set up and just want to use it to connect to the internet and get program updates instead of using your phone line, its pretty easy but you'll have to a) have DHCP turned on or b) assign it a static IP......for those of you who think I just typed in Greek, chances are that you have DHCP but if you happen not to, you could bump into problems.

3) If you want to listen to your IPod, share pictures, download to your computer, please make sure to read the software/hardware requirements for your computer.

Overall, these are my thoughts on the average person installing this easily:

A) 80% of the people who buy this should have Zero problems installing this product because you have a standard network configuration, know your way around networks, or are just lucky.

B) 20% of the people who buy this who don't have a standard Wireless network configuration AND don't have some knowledge of networking....you could become frustrated at trying to connect this product ESPECIALLY if you want to use some of the advanced functionality.

My Luck:

1) Start to finish it took me 5 minutes to install this to get its updates through the wireless network.

2) It took me about 30 minutes to install all the other software and get everything configured to share music, pictures and enable TivoToGo on my computer.

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Experience was as follows:

1 ) Plugged unit into TIVO USB port.

2 ) Went to TIVO network setup menu.

3 ) Network immediately recognized.

4 ) Clicked on network name.

5 ) Entered WEP password using alpha-numeric alternative.

6 ) Network link established.

7 ) Used on-screen signal strength to reposition Adapter and router antenna.

8 ) Connected to Tivo service.

Good product. Recommended.

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This Tivo Wireless Adapter is way better than the D-Link usb wireless adapter I was using on my Tivo. The performance increase (transfer speed from Tivo to PC using Tivo Desktop software) was about 25-40%. Signal reception also improved as displayed on the Tivo itself to "Good 70%" instead of "Fair 50%".

I highly recommend this adapter if you are interested in taking advantage of some of Tivo's more advanced functionlity like transfering programs to your PC to burn to DVD or transfer to other Tivos in your house.

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For the last 10 months I connected my Tivo's wirelessly, using a Netgear and a Linksys Adapter I had nothing but problems, the signal strength in the network did not remain constant, resulting in one of the boxes not communicating. I tried using two Linksys, the same problem.

Tivo customer service suggesting I invest in their branded Adapters and since installing them (which was a breeze), I have had no more problems.

I just wish Tivo had released these at the same time they launched Series Two Tivo's, that would have avoided people like me wasting time on adapters that were really not compatible.

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The Tivo AG0100 makes hooking the Tivo up to a PC Network so darn easy I could do it in 15 minutes.... and that's saying something.

It has a very small footprint and is powered by the Tivo Unit not another AC power-supply behind the TV, of which I have tons.

One great benefit of this is that now the Tivo service can check several times a day instead of just once every 24hrs or so using the phone-line. This seems to keep the Guide a lot more up to date.

I am very satisfied with it's ease of setup, functionality, and even it's esthetics.

I would highly recommend this to someone who is " Network Illiterate " .... As I am.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Dish Network DVR 512 Receiver

Dish Network DVR 512 Receiver
  • Standard definition DISH Network programming
  • Watch one program while recording another simultaneously
  • Supports picture-in-picture
  • Record two shows while watching a pre-recorded show at the same time
  • Parental locks

Pros:

Records two SD programs at once and allows me to watch any prerecorded program while recording, including either of the two being recorded.

Improved menus and overall operation vs the DVR 501

Essentially faultless recording in the 4-months I've had it.

Cons:

Power hog, 33-35 watts just plugged into the wall, on, off or recording

The 4" HDD fan squealed, I replaced it with a computer case fan

Very old, full of dust, the 200GB HDD was made by Maxtor (they've been gone for years)

No HDMI socket for HDTV

Can't handle Daylight Savings Time, all programing is an hour off, delete and reprogram

I've been a DVR junkie for almost 10-years, I time shift 95% of everything I watch. My DVR 501 had been acting up for 6-months and then I got a letter from Dish saying it was obsolete and would need to be replaced in the next year. I called Dish the next day and asked why wait, they said how about tomorrow.

The only bad part was I now incur a $6/mo DVR fee which starts in one year.

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Shipment was very quick. I did have an issue that the unit would not work. They worked through the problem on the phone and it was resolved immediately. My only complaint is, that I wish they had a phone number posted. It was necessary to contact them through e-mail and then I was given a phone number. All in all it was a good experience. They were quick to respond and I would use them again.

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DO NOT GET THIS DVR RECEIVER!!!! We decided to upgrade our old Dish Network receiver, and so we went with the SD 512. What a mistake. We had it installed just a week ago, and this morning I already had ask for a SECOND replacement unit (I already have received and installed replacement unit number 2). The one they installed on Saturday has a loud fan that runs ALL THE TIME, even when it hasn't been on all day long. I called Dish Network and received a new one, which I installed yesterday. It has the same exact problem. I spoke with Dish Network again this morning, and they are sending me yet another unit. I hope the third time's the charm, because this has been so frustrating.

It performs fine as far as recording our shows and playing them, but the constant fan noise is unbearable.

Don't waste your time with this machine. It's just a headache.

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We had had a different receiver for years that worked fine until it got too old and started dropping recorded programs. Dish sent a 512 as a replacement which ended up being worse than the one we replaced. We put up with it for a couple of weeks and got another replacement, a 512 again. These must be reconditioned units and they are too complicated to recondition, in my opinion. It loses signal at least 2x a day. If we watch something recorded while another program is recording it loses the signal and part of the new recording as a result. It takes ten minutes to get the signal and the program guide back. We're thinking now of just dropping Dish altogether for sending us this crap.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Liquid Image 5.0MP Scuba Series Underwater HD Video Mask (Medium)

Liquid Image 5.0MP Scuba Series Underwater HD Video MaskI just used this for the first time in a Pennsylvania quarry. I turned it on before entering the water, and turned it off after I got out almost an hour later. The video quality is very good, and it picks up audio well. The images are clear, and should be since it's advertised as high definition.

Being this is a first edition, I hope a few changes are made in the next version. First, when seating the mask skirt under a hood, it is very easy to hit the button to change it from video to still image (or reverse), and it can be accidentally shut off. There is a blue or red light (depending whether you are shooting video or still images) that is difficult to see while wearing the mask. It is visible, just not clearly. It would be nice if there was a clear display a little lower. Also, each time I exhaled, the bubbles caused the mask and camera to shake, which is clearly visible in the video. As for the scope of view, the camera seems to be shooting higher than most divers are really looking. When checking my computer, all you see is the top of my console or computer. It would be nice if the camera was even a little adjustable, so it can be tilted up or down depending on what the user is doing.

Overall, I'd say this is a hit! Even if there are a few negatives, I was really happy with this mask. I took it to 75' (not deep) for 49 minutes in 45 degree water, and it recorded the entire dive. I can't wait to use it off the Jersey shore for some wreck diving. Now if you can make one to go a little deeper!

Good, sturdy camera. Was able to shoot decent video clips. I using it with attached light.

However, still images are very bad quality average exposure time is 1/2 1/4 secs, so images are blurry.

I wish manufacturer would set limit for still picture exposure time to 1/8 or 1/16 secs. As is, still mode almost useless and could be used only in very bright settings.

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Worked just as promised. Pretty easy to use, try it first on land so you get used to the buttons. The shutter button has a rubber plug to prevent it from being pressed you have to remove this plug in order to use.

It also has a microphone somewhere. I added an 8 gig memory card and it barely was filled after 2 hours of recording.

The only note is a comment someone else had left: It's recording in high def, so every head movement is incredible rapid. Makre sure you move your head VERY slowly when filming with video, or else you'll get a headache when watching the playback.

IT also records quite well above water it reminds me of a 16mm old time camera, they way it looks.

Read Best Reviews of Liquid Image 5.0MP Scuba Series Underwater HD Video Mask (Medium) Here

This mask was easy to operate and performed perfectly. Not only were the pictures and video extremely sharp, but in the video mode it records audio as well. I did purchase an 8 gig memory card (it comes with a 2 gig card) to increase video time but found the purchase well worth the extra money.

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The camera leaked on my 10th dive. It was a shallow dive, and I don't understand what happened. I had bought the unit just a few months earlier, but the warranty is ONLY 90 days!

Before that dive, the camera worked fine. The pictures were often blurry and lacked in color. However, since it was a digital camera, you just keep taking pictures, and enough will be useful. I liked how the mask fit, and the camera "shoot' feature was well designed. Overall, I was pleased with the mask and camera prior to it leaking.

I called the manufacturer and they offered no support....no trade-in...no repair....no discount on replacement....Wow...Horrible Customer Service.

I will never buy another Liquid Image Product!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

GO VIDEO Replacement Remote Control for 00002N, 00058E, AC5900058E, AK5900002N

GO VIDEO Replacement Remote Control for 00002N, 00058E, AC5900058E, AK5900002Nis no longer available, this is as good as it gets. The buttons under the cover are way too small, and there are way too many of them, some that do absolutely nothing and others that 'lock up' the machine which requires unplugging it and resetting everything.

Would have been nice if the larger buttons worked the controls instead of the tiny ones under the slide out cover.

It's a remote control, designed for a combination DVD/VCR. I know, no one uses a VCR anymore, but you can use this one to burn DVD's of your favorite tapes before they fade into obsucrity. The buttons offer a multitude of functions (some of which you'll probably never use) but it's good to know that they're there, just in case. I bought this for my elderly mother who never likes anything I get her, and she liked it... so what does that tell you?

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Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Silver)

Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver
  • Affordable 7.1-channel home theater receiver with full HD integration and video upscaling
  • Power output: 90 watts x 7 channels (minimum)
  • HDMI v1.3a Repeater (4 inputs, 1 output, 1080P compatible)
  • 1080i Upscaling powered by Faroudja DCDi Edge
  • TrueHD, DTS-HD Decoding

I'll start by saying I'm not an Audiophile. I just wanted a decent mid-range receiver that does all the latest lossless audio formats and has 7.1 channels so it's ready to take advantage of BluRay as that format evolves. So my primary focus is on a system that plays audio for movies and video games as it's primary function. Currently I have this receiver setup in a 5.1 configuration since that's the type of receiver it replaced. I have more speakers on order to expand it out but to be honest, right now if you're building a home theater from scratch, you only need 5.1 . The 7.1 specs aren't really supported yet and DVDs and Playstation/Xbox are all 5.1, so if you're starting from scratch save some money and setup for 5.1 first and expand as support grows.

I used the automated speaker calibration feature to setup all the channels. This is where you place the provided mic at ear level at three different listener positions. The receiver then sends out tones which will drive you and your dog nuts for about 15 minutes while the entire process goes on. Once it was done however, I was/am very pleased with the results.

I've heard some people ask about humming, i can detect no humming. I have some WiFi equipment close by which is 2.5 ghz and so far have not heard any humming. Some other people have said the Receiver runs hot to which I would ask those people, is this your first receiver? They do run hot ! This one runs no hotter than the old one i replaced from a different manufacturer so as far as I'm concerned, the heat issue is normal. I have it in a small component rack that's enclosed on the sides and back with a door on the front, it's got maybe half an inch space around the sides and 2 inches of space on top and so far everything is good.

The back has tons of inputs, but the primary reason I waited for the 606 over the previous model is the number of HDMI ports, the next generation audio/video cable which is a requirement for full resolution BluRay playback. They're rev 1.3a to support all the latest audio formats as well (none of which are currently supported by the discs themselves yet though). The receiver will pass through a 1080p signal from a BluRay or other high def video source. If you feed it a standard def 480i video source, it will upscale it to 1080i or 720p. It does a decent job but i would say upscaling isn't the receivers strong point, it does an acceptable job though. But lets face it, Onkyo doesn't build TV's, their bread and butter isn't video, it's audio.

I'm pleased with the performance and the styling of the receiver, it's just very basic and sleek. No built in graphical user interface and all that other nonsense that receivers 3x this price but no more times the performance come equipped with. This receiver for a mid end system for movies and video games just really can't be matched in terms of performance per dollar spent.

I have matched this receiver with some Polk Audio speakers. Specifically i have a Polk CSi3 center channel and six Polk RTi4 bookshelf speakers (all of which you can find at great prices here on Amazon where I ordered them from) and I am very very happy with the results. The Polk speakers like the Onkyo 606 receiver are over achievers for their price point, so they match together extremely well.

The only thing I have left to say is buy it, I wouldn't hesitate recommending this receiver to anyone looking for a solid movie/video game home theater experience.

Buy Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Silver) Now

Other reviews cover this receiver with excellent detail (setup, sound, etc.) and I agree with most comments. This is a great unit for the money. Many features, easy setup, poor upscaling, great HDMI support.

Unfortunately I have the HDMI buzz issue mentioned by several reviewers but fortunately I found the cause and one solution.

I had a XBOX 360 connected via HDMI and a Gamecube connected via component. Both output through HDMI to the tv. When I first powered up the SR606 and the XBOX I heard a continuous buzz or hum through the speakers which became louder when the volume increased. This made quiet movies nearly unwatchable as dramatic scenes were dominated by **BUZZZZZZZZZZZ** instead of cinematic tension.

I called Onkyo support in New Jersey and they quickly brushed me off with a flat recommendation of "return the unit to the retailer" with no diagnostic advice. I followed this direction and predictably, the new unit suffered the same ailment. The buzz continued.

All of my audio/video gear is connected to a single, ungrounded, electrical outlet (building was built in 1915). After a bit of Internet searching I found an article which discussed "common impedance coupling" whereby many high draw devices (such as a plasma TV, A/V receiver, and XBOX 360) which are connected to a common electrical run will produce a voltage drop and potentially introduce noise. I am not an expert in electricity but this lead me to investigate the way the components were connected to the SR606, rather than the SR606 itself.

I found that the XBOX 360 was responsible for the buzz. With the XBOX disconnected from the wall outlet, the buzz stopped even when all other components were connected and turned on. Thinking that the metal HDMI connection could be carrying the noise to the SR606 I connected the XBOX HDMI directly to the tv and connected the XBOX sound to the SR606 via a TOSLINK optical cable in order to remove any conductive connections between the SR606 and XBOX. This removed the buzz!

As a test I re-connected the XBOX HDMI to the SR606, kept the TOSLINK connection, and disabled the HDMI sound input for the XBOX on the SR606. This let the sound only come from the optical connection but retained the metal link between the SR606 and the XBOX. The buzz was much quieter but remained.

The last test was with the Gamecube which draws about 40 watts to the XBOX's 175. Although it connected via component, it output via the HDMI so I thought that if the buzz was related to the HDMI output on the SR606 I would hear it when using the Gamecube. I hear no buzz when using the Gamecube. Unfortunately do not have another device to test buzzing with HDMI input but it seems to me that the buzz was related to the following:

1) Using a single, ungrounded electrical circuit for all devices.

2) Connecting the XBOX 360 (which consumes a large amount of electricity) to the SR606 via a conductive connection.

I imagine that if I had independent outlets, homerun back to the breaker box I could separate the SR606 and the XBOX and correct the buzz. Unfortunately I spent all my cash on A/V gear so electrical work will have to wait. However, if you have better wiring in your house (or low draw A/V equipment) I imagine that your SR606 will be buzz free even when using HDMI connections.

Read Best Reviews of Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Silver) Here

It wasn't until I purchased a Blu-ray player (Sony PS3) and Epson Cinelite 1080P projector when I realized I needed to purchase a new receiver. I was looking for something I could connect all my game consoles (PS3, XBox360, Wii), my Mac Pro, and my Karaoke system.

I first bought the lower-model Onkyo TX-SR506 (then later returned... keep reading to find out why), thinking it had all the inputs I needed and HDMI output for my requirements. Since this review is for the TX-SR606, I won't go into too much detail on the features of the TX-SR506. However, since I'm sure some of you will be comparing the SR506 to the SR606, I will quickly tell you what the TX-SR506 LACKS that may help you determine whether or not these missing features are necessary for your application. The SR506's HDMI ports are video pass-through only, meaning it does not carry Audio signals with it. Next, the SR506 will only output video to the same medium as the video signal it receives so if you have equipment using different types of connections, it has to use that same type of connection as an output from the receiver (e.g. component video input can only be displayed using the component video output, composite in to composite out, hdmi in to hdmi out, etc...). No coversion of video inputs to another type of output will be performed. So expect to have multiple cables output to your LCD/plasma/TV/projector's video inputs. Finally, only 4 total video devices can be plugged into the SR506 at any given time... yes, I know the photo of the SR506 shows an abundance of inputs but you can only program one input type (HDMI, component, S-Video, or composite) for each of the four video inputs (DVD, CBL/SAT, AUX, VCR/DVR).

Now enter the TX-SR606, full of the features that the TX-SR506 lacks! Both the SR506 and SR606 do an impressive job in ease of setup and sound output quality but that's pretty much where the similarities end. The FOUR HDMI inputs (yes, an impressive FOUR inputs over the SR506's TWO) of the TX-SR606 also carries digital audio signals. This keeps the optical/TOSLink/digital-coax digital audio inputs free for devices you may have that do not have HDMI audio -another major flaw I found with the TX-SR506 when I had it (since it didn't carry audio through HDMI, I had to resort to using up both optical audio inputs for my PS3 and XBox 360 and had none left for the optical audio output from my Mac Pro and my Karaoke system).

Next must have feature about the SR606 is that all non-HD video inputs (going into the component, s-video, or composite inputs) are automatically upconverted so you can view everything using the HDMI output. The upconversion of these non-HD devices is upconverted to 1080i. 1080P upconversion would have been nicer but look at the affordable price on this unit! If you really need the 1080P upconversion, consider the Onkyo TX-SR706 model -which will set you back another $200+ but is THX-Certified. And quite honestly, when you take a 480i/480p signal and upconvert it, you won't see too much of a difference between upconverting it to 1080i or 1080P (alright I know that statement is open for the screen size vs. viewing distance debate but remember your source signal is 480i/480p to begin with). Even if the upconversion feature isn't really a necessary feature for the size of your screen, the fact it processes and converts non-HDMI video inputs to be displayed with the HDMI output means you only need one cable going to your LCD/plasma/TV/projector and you can keep the TV on just one of its input modes (no more switching from Input1 to Input2 to Input3 when going from DVD to game console to Tivo/DVR).

With the SR606, you can customize all the video source inputs and audio source inputs to suit just about any setup needs you may have. For example, I have the video and audio for my PS3 and XBox 360 going into the HDMI input ports on this receiver (this unit has an impressive 4 HDMI 1.3a input ports) so I set up the receiver so that it knows to process video and audio signals for my first two devices through the HDMI port. My Mac Pro's secondary video (primary video is plugged into my 30" computer LCD screen) is plugged into the 3rd HDMI input on the SR606 receiver using a DVI-to-HDMI cable to provide full 1080P output and the audio is plugged into the SR606's optical/TOSLink digital audio input. I then have it programmed in the receiver so that it knows to process video from the HDMI3 input and audio from the optical1 input for the third device. Finally, the video for my Wii is plugged in to the component 1 input and my Karaoke machine is plugged in to the component 2 input while audio for the Wii is plugged into the standard 2-channel RCA-style input and optical 2 input for the Karaoke machine. Again, you can mix and match your audio and video any way you like and just tell the SR606 how you have it set up. It's very flexible. And the Wii and Karaoke gets upconverted to 1080i through the HDMI output while the PS3, XBox 360, and Mac Pro maintains its 1080P resolution via the HDMI inputs.

Since it's upconverting the video signal from your non-HDMI video devices (component, s-video, composite), you will see the volume level on your screen when adjusting volume for these devices. This leads me to the only gripe I really have about the SR606. If your device uses one of the HDMI video inputs, the receiver will not display the volume level on your tv/lcd/plasma/projector so you'll have to just look at the LCD display on the receiver itself for that information. This, however, does not warrant any deductions in my rating for this feature-filled receiver.

Another thing worth mentioning about this receiver (that you may have already gathered from reading the product's technical details section here on Amazon) is that it has a TrueHD and DTS-HD decoder for the ultimate in 7.1 HD surround sound quality offered in many of today's Blu-ray movies! Isn't Blu-ray one of the reasons you're looking at this receiver in the first place? :) Impressive feature to have in a receiver at this price point! Now is the price difference between the TX-SR506 and this TX-SR606 really starting to look more and more worth your while!? Go ahead and close that TX-SR506 product window/tab now and add this TX-SR606 to your shopping cart. You won't regret it.

Overall, at its attractive price point and the rich-list of features it offers, the Onkyo TX-SR606 easily deserves the full 5 stars! Check out my other reviews and you'll see that I don't just easily give out five stars to stuff I own!

Want Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Silver) Discount?

The first thing that must be said is that for the money, this product is hard to beat. Excellent features, quality, plenty of power. 4 HDMI inputs and 4 digital audio (coax and optical). The Audyssey system automatically applies adjustments that most people would never apply otherwise.

The remote is competent but forget about its universal remote capability. They give you multiple codes for each device and you just have to try them all. And then, some never did work. Not a problem for me since I am using a Logitech Harmony (and so should everyone, IMO).

A bigger disappointment was that the audio-video inputs are more limited than I had expected. If you have several older devices, you should know that only the HDMI, digital audio, and component inputs can be connected to different inputs. And they can't be renamed. So anyone using my system has to know that TV/GAME button shows the old TiVo box and that the laptop is connected as CD. And if I had one more device, I'd have been out of luck.

But for around $400, what a terrific performer.

I purchased this from Amazon last week and finally set it up to my liking. I have the following components input into the receiver: Samsung BD-P1500 blu-ray, DirecTV TiVO (soon to be replaced with HD DVR), and Nintendo Wii. The blu-ray is connected with HDMI. The TiVO is connected with composite (red, white, yellow). The Nintendo Wii is connected by component (red, green, blue). I have an LG 42LB5DC TV (42" LG full HD 1080p) that is connected to the receiver with HDMI. All the components are connected to the receiver and I have 1 HDMI cable going to my TV.

Tip #1: I have 5.1 surround and was looking forward to the Audyssey Speaker Setup. I hooked up my speakers properly, however I connected my rear surrounds to the "Rear Surround Back" area. This receiver does 7.1. I don't have 7.1 so I thought that I would just skip the sides. Unfortunately the Audyssey setup kept giving me errors. I finally connected my REAR surrounds to the SIDE surrounds and the setup went through perfectly. Audyssey did a great job balancing my speakers.

Tip#2: I was looking forward to the 1080i upscaling for analog signals. Since I am upgrading to a DirecTV HD DVR, my only analog component is the Nintendo Wii. When I first connected the Wii and turned everything on the receiver was not detecting my 16:9 widescreen preference. I had to setup the receiver to make all HDMI signals go to "Auto" instead of "Through". "Through" is the default setting. This just means push through any signal without doing anything to it (pass through). Once I selected "Auto" the Wii scaled appropriately.

Upconversion is only OK. But, you're getting a good value. In the future are you really going to need 1080i or 1080p upconversion? Probably not. That being said, analog TV signals upconverted don't look as good as you'd expect them to. However, I am sure the receiver will do a fine job once I upgrade to HD TV programming. The Wii looks fine for now.

I am very happy with the price and the performance of this receiver. It is exactly what I was looking for. Does the job well. Also remember you're probably going to be using all HDMI in the future. This receiver has 4 HDMI inputs. So it is definitely future-proof.