Elgato Eyetv 200 Digital Video Recorder (10020221)

Wow. Let me just say that this product exceeded my expectations. Right out of the box, it took me about 3 minutes to get everything plugged in and the software installed. I was watching TV on my Mac literally 5 minutes after it arrived at my door. The unit comes with a free subscription to the online TitanTV program guide. The TitanTV is half the reason I'm so excited about this product. It is freakishly easy to use and you can literally set it to record a program with one click. -ONE CLICK!!! The TitanTV service somehow syncs itself up with the EyeTV program and everything is very seamless, elegant, and EXTREMELY easy to use. I was completely blown away by how easy everything is. I was ready to sit down and take a while to read manuals, etc. and try to figure this sucker out, but there's really nothing to it!

The picture quality also surprised me. I am running it on a new iMac G5 (17", 1.8ghz, 1GB RAM, 64MB Graphics), and everything LOOKS GREAT! (even at full screen) I haven't recorded anything yet, but it does record at a lower resolution, so recorded shows will probably look slightly less stunning at full screen, but I have high hopes.

Overall, I am extremely pleased. And would recommend it to anyone who is already interested enough to read this review. BUY IT! You WILL NOT be disappointed! Do keep in mind, however, that results will vary depending on the machine you are running it on. My iMac does the job fine, but a G4 Mac might struggle a bit...

[EDIT] I now use it on my PowerBook G4, no difference in picture still GREAT!

[EDIT] Recording looks great!

I've had my EyeTv 200 for a couple of weeks now, and I've found that the clarity of the on-screen image is dependant upon your signal. I only have the regular TV stations that come in through an amplified TV antenna. The stations with a good signal are clear on the computer screen while those with weak signals are not so clear. Also, if you have problems with the TV signal for your regular TV then that problem may be amplified and look even worse with the EyeTv. Cable and satellite customers shouldn't have any problems with image quality or set up.

Set up is straight forward no problems there, or with the software to make it work when you want. I had no problems getting it to work the first time through.

The EyeTv box itself does seem to get a little warm when left on, which is easy to do because the Fire-wire cable provides power to it. So, I don't set anything on top of it and give it a little extra space under my desk on a small shelf. Overall, a little better then I expected.

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Well, now I can tell you something about computer TV recorders for the Mac, from actual experience. I have more experience, in fact, than I would like to have had.

First I got the myTV.PVR by Hauppauge, cheap (roughly $120). It ran, showing TV on my screen, and allowing channel selection for all our cable channels. It had a timer to catch programs, and I recorded a number of movies and a couple of Monk episodes. The movies had to be converted using a free online program in order to be recordable by Toast, and the synchronization between audio and video was imperfect. Then the unit began acting up: refusing to work, and seemingly messing up the hard drives. I talked to the company, and they admitted that they had received reports of a problem with overheating. Thereupon I ran the device with its case removed and a fan blowing on it, and it worked. I then replaced the case and attached an old computer fan for cooling, and it continued to work. Then, about a week ago, it died: it would not even turn on, and its indicator light would not glow. Kaput, dead, deceased.

So I ordered an EyeTV 200 (by Elgato) through Amazon.com for more than twice the cost of the first device, but still cheaper than at the Apple store, which did not have any available, anyway. It came today. It showed a much better picture, and could pick up TV schedules from the Internet. It uses FireWire to connect to the computer, which is a good idea. It also is designed to record according to a schedule you program; it also is said to convert VHS to digital. It appeared to be a much better device than the myTV.PVR.

I was about to recommend the EyeTV 200 with enthusiam, but then. ... it abruptly stopped receiving any channels. It would not even play VHS fed to it through the composite video port. It would play back video clips from the computer, though; so apparently its tuner and analog input system are dead.

I had the unit all packaged to return, when finally an email from the Elgato support arrived just in time, with a list of suggested cures for the problem. The one that worked was the old "trash the preferences" therapy. Now the EyeTV is working well, with a few minor software quirks which only add to its interest.

It is probably the only viable recording device of its kind for the Mac. The Canopus digitizers may be technically slightly better, but lack the TV tuning capability, and the ability to schedule recordings. So the EyeTV is the one.

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As a recent convert from PC's I had used another brand tuner in Windows. The Tyetv 200 is a much better product and I was up and running a few minutes after opening the box. Te biggest selling point was the firewire connection as I use a laptop and have limited USB ports.

Good picture and sound quality. I would recommend this to an yone that wants a good tuner for their MAC.

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After a year of use on my G-5 Dual 2Ghtz Mac the unit just up and quit. (Just after warrenty expired) Major among the continuing problems was the inabliity to record any file greater than 4 gigs. which of course excluded most longer TV shows etc. (Toast does not compress and Popcorn does not use the MPeg format) Another annoying problem was the frequent need to restart the unit by removing the firewire plug and replacing (as recommendated by the manual) Picture quality seemed to be above average but not spectacular. Not being able to put into a firewire chain is another negative (manual recommends isolated firewire connection). Lastly the unit is overpriced for the limited use and features and poor tech support. The tragedy is that there are relatively few such units available for Mac.

Toshiba RD-XS34 DVD Recorder with 160-GB Hard Drive

• DVD recorder and Personal Video Recorder with 160 GB hard drive; measures 17 x 2.5 x 13.25 inches (W x H x D)
• Interactive Program Guide provides an easy to read listing of the television programs available to view or record
• Records to DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW; plays CD-R/RW and MP3/WMA digital audio formats
• One set of component (Y,Pr,Pb), 1 S-Video, and 1 RCA video outputs; Firewire input for connecting to video camcorders
• High-speed dubbing from the hard drive to disc without any deterioration of digital signal

This recorder offers some of the best features for a DVD recorder. Of special interest is the ability to tailor the bit rate of the recording in very small increments from 2Mb/sec to 8Mb/sec. It has the ability to record LPCM audio. It also allows you to record in Dolby Digital in 2 different bit rates. Overall, this unit offer incredible flexibility for the user. This was a huge selling point for me. It has a very easy interface (which becomes intuitive after a couple of uses) to create menus for DVDs. It's well designed and attractive.

Now for the bad news. A total showstopper: The TV Guide menu system never worked. The manual tells you to go through the set up process, then turn the unit off for 24 hours, avoiding unplugging any connections to the unit. I live in Austin, TX, and get my signals over the air. Reception is excellent in my area. The unit displayed all the available channels. They all came in clearly. But after 24 hours, I turned on the unit to find no program data. I must have done something wrong, so I went through the entire process again, ensuring that I waited 24 hours (this time, just to be safe, I waited 30 hours). I turned on the unit, and again, no data. I tried one more time. No luck. I called Toshiba. They said, "well, if the data doesn't show up, we can't help you".

I would have kept the unit if I could have recorded off the air by setting up schedules manually. The unit REQUIRES the TV Guide program guide. It is the only way that the unit can record TV shows.

Second huge issue for me, regardless of the state of the unit (on/off), the fan in the back of the unit stays on ALL THE TIME. And it's not so quiet. Forget about putting this unit in a small room, because you'll hear it...ALL THE TIME.

Given these two issue, back in the box it went. And here's the really disappointing point...I did my research. This unit has the best features for the price. It has a hefty 160 GB hard drive. It was the perfect unit....almost.

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I purchased the RD-XS32 for my parents last December and was impressed with its capabilities and functionality. So I thought I'd buy the updated version, the RD-XS34 for myself. Huge mistake as many reviewers have already stated.

If you are thinking of purchasing this product, do your homework beforehand:

1) Call your cable/satellite provider and ask if they have a deal with TV Guide to allow their signal to come through their system.

If they don't you'll be purchasing a $500 boat anchor because you cannot set up timer recordings without the TV Guide system. A huge oversight on the part of Toshiba. A huge oversight on the part of TV Guide for not informing Toshiba about this little detail. Toshiba will be getting a lot of these units returned because they didn't inform their customers about TV Guide's limited support.

2) Read other reviews about the reliability of the TV Guide system. This is not the only other unit that has TV Guide and many people have reported some really annoying bugs, such as losing entire program guides and channel preferences, plus recording memory.

3) If your cable company has support for TV Guide and you're willing to risk having some headaches, this unit may be for you.

4) On the other hand, regardless of the TV Guide system, as other reviewers have reported, the fan on this thing is loud and stays on all the time! Turn the unit off, and the fan still runs!

The older RD-XS32 was almost a rock star. Why Toshiba completely got rid of the manual recording features of that unit on the RD-XS34 is beyond my comprehension. Why there is no way to turn off the TV Guide features on the XS34 is also mind boggling, especially when dealing with the very new, not well-tested TV Guide system.

I returned the unit and will not purchase a unit with TV Guide unless they work out the bugs on it and provide a way to download their program information without having to use cable, satellite or telephone. I think TIVO decided to eventually go the LAN route. Maybe TV Guide will in the future.

I will also be hesitant to buy a Toshiba product in the future and you should be too. For the time being, JVC has a unit without TV Guide and you can still pick up the Pioneer DVR-520H without TV Guide. They lack the coolness factor of the on-screen program guide a la TIVO or a working TV Guide, but having used the older Pioneer DVR-510H, I know the system works well without hassle.

My one star rating should be zero but there is no option for that. If the unit had the option of manual timer recording, the star rating might be closer to a four based on my experiences with the XS32, but since I couldn't test any of that, the unit was a $500 boat anchor.

Update: One month after I called Toshiba techincal support (returning the product a week after my call), TV Guide support called to help. Wow! How responsive TV Guide is. If you have a problem with TV Guide, they'll get back to you in a month! No, really, avoid this product.

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Please don't put down this recorder when you either are technologically challenged or cannot read the manual. Several people mentioned there is no way to record TV shows unless you use the TV guide, and does not work with satellite. IN THE MANUAL, it explicitly explains how to record shows manually. You can set the device to record at a certain time just like a VCR, at whatever quality you want and whatever medium (DVD or HDD). To record from your satellite, set your satellite receiver to tune to hte appropriate channel, and go into the TV Guide feature. Then, go to schedule, then hit menu twice, and it will bring you to the manual record option. Or READ THE MANUAL! Just wanted to let everyone know.

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I think this product is unfairly rated very low by some frustrated users. Actually I could have been one of those who gave only one star, because in the begining, it did not seem to work at all. Now I have owned this machine for over a month now, and I really love it.

I did a fairly complete research before purchase, and among the comparable products from SONY, TOSHIBA, PIONEER and PANASONIC, I chose this one, and I believe I made the right choice. The negative reviews are mostly targeted on the EPG systems. But if you have problems with EPG on XS34, then possibly you will have more headaches with all other manufactures with EPG. Contradictary to what people said, it is quite easy to just use the Time Recording (like you do on VCR) with this unit. It is true that it is not an easy job to manually re-set the clock (and I think Toshiba should consider improve on this), but you do not have to manually re-set. Leave it there for 24 hours and it can pick up the right time through over-the-air broadcast (which is exactly the case I had). I guess it could only be a problem if you live in an area where you do no have any over-the-air broadcasting, in that case, you need to contact the Toshiba support for firmware upgrade.

The DVD recorder is fairly new thing in our life, and fairly complicated compared with VCRs. Most users who complain are the ones who just purchased the product and before they adapted to the new way of operating the machine. Once you become familiar with the unit, you will feel a lot happier and the more you use it, the more you like it. Each product has its strength and weekness, but comparing with the cost and overall quality (picture quality, ease of use, edit function etc), XS34 is a very solid product in my opinion.

This is in response to the problems S. Rys and Dan J. Grams said they were having. (Unfortunately, I don't have their e-mails to answer them directly. Perhaps the good people at Amazon can forward these answers to them.) S. Rys said the it was slow to change channels. It does take a few seconds if you just punch in the channel and wait, but if you punch in the channel and press the "Enter" button, it changes immediately. Now for the much more difficult one. This one wasn't in the instruction manual, I found this quite by accident. Dan J. Grams said he didn't like the fact that you couldn't program a show manually. Well, I found out how to do it. While you have the TV Guide page on, press the "Menu" button on the remote. The "Episode Options" window will appear on the left side of your screen. Move up to and select "Go To Service Bar." You should be at the top of your screen now. Move over to the right until "Schedule" is highlighted and press the "Menu" button on the remote again. The "Schedule Options" window appears on the left side of your screen. Move down until "New Manual Recording" is highlighted and press the "Enter" button. You're there, enter the recording info and enjoy! The only shortfall about doing it this way is it won't name the recording you made the way it does when you use the TV Guide.

Philips 9397 Digital Dictation Starter Kit (LFH9397/00B)

This is a great product. Everything you need to begin digital dictation/transription is included and it was so easy to use. I had it installed and testing it within 20 minutes. I use the recorder in a large room with up to 50 people in attendance and it picks up great. I would highly recommend this product to anyone who needs to dictate and transcribe meetings.

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2GB Mini Clip Small Voice Recorder Voice Activated Audio Recording Device Tiny Micro + 72 Hour Batt

its great for picking up voices 8 -12 feet away, but the extended life battery back does not do its thing when i inserted the triple AAA batteries into the battery back. easy to operate,

The product did work as advertised, however the instruction manual did not explain the functions adequately. Excellent customer service more than made up for the deficiency of the manual.

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I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but expect that it will work just fine. Will know in a month.

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CIB R801W500G8653 8CH Network Security Surveillance DVR 500GB 8 CCD Cameras K...

This is a pretty good system for the price. The camera resolution is good during daylight but a little worse when on night lighting. I use it at my house and bought it for remote access. I haven't hooked up the access yet, but like being able to watch what goes on around the house, especially at night. I do have one complaint; more of an annoyance, it does not appear that you can turn of the password entry requirement. For a home system, this is very annoying having to input a password every time you want to look at something. Other than that, it has been fine so far. BTW; if you own a business and going to be using night vision, I would look for something with better resolution.

Remote, RS30-W Remote Control for

I have been using this remote with my L-10 for 18 months now and it works great. For recording an acoustic music performance with the L-10's built-in mics, it is best to place the recorder as close to the performer as possible. I place the L-10 on a small tripod about 2 feet from the subject and sit about 10 feet away. This controller allows me to start/pause/stop recording with complete ease.

Two warnings, though: First, don't hold the controller in your hand while your listening to the performance. I have messed up several recordings by getting too involved in the performance and not noticing that I was squeezing the thing, putting it in pause or stop mode inadvertently. To avoid this kind of user error, I suggest putting the thing on a lanyard and wearing it around your neck. Second, pay attention to the fact that the remote doesn't work the same way as the controls on the recorder. The recorder requires two presses to start recording. The first press only lets you check the recording levels. The remote starts recording on the first press. This makes sense because you can't really check the levels if you are 10 feet away from the recorder, but the user must be mindful of this difference in operation. Blinking lights on the receiver and the recorder let you know what the thing is doing but it takes some practice to learn what the lights are telling you.

This unit performs exactly as advertised. It's pretty rugged, too. I have dropped it a couple of times onto a hardwood floor from about 3 feet and it keeps working. The remote makes the L-10 twice as useful, I love it. The only improvement I would suggest is making it in a brightly colored plastic instead of black. It is just too easy to misplace the receiver unit when it is detached from the recorder because it is so tiny.

My unit functioned very well, but did not do what I expected -to be able to start my recorder from an adjacent room (outside the sound booth). Since it's infra-red, it's line of sight, so if you want to control your recorder from more than about six or seven feet away from the device, save your money.

What I needed was a true wireless -or radio frequency controller, so I don't have to be able to see the recorder to turn it on.

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This small and light remote is really useful for starting and stopping recording on a LS10 or LS11 from a distance. Its working distance of 5m is sufficient in most circumstances.

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I purchased the remote directly from Amazon but it didn't work with my LS10. I purchased a new battery and that still didn't work. I called Olympus customer service and that took quite a long time and they didn't have a unit on hand to even try out themselves so that wasn't comforting. Olympus gave me a repair authorization but I decided to use Amazons return policy. (Which is great btw!)

I had Amazon send me a new remote and I sent mine back to them free of charge.

The second remote showed up and guess what.. SAME PROBLEM! I saw no reaction at all to having the device plugged into the LS10 nothing! I also tried a new battery in this unit but same negative response. I give up on this attempt at remote control. My guess is that when Olympus designed and build certain early models of the LS10, they didn't include or test this feature since the remote was released much later than the LS10. My advice: Skip the remote!

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Old technology. Not strong reception. One must be very close to the recorder in order for it to work. A good concept but Olympus should ditch this item for newer technology. No feedback on the controller to let you know when it works or doesn't.

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Zenith DVD2201 DVD Player

• Digital disc player: Single tray. Dolby Digital/DTS output. Last condition memory. Repeat play. 4X-16X moveable zoom.
• Supports DVD, CD, CD-R/RW, and MP3 decoding.
• Connections: Component video out (YUB) (1). S-video out (1). Composite video out (1). Coaxial digital audio out (1). Variable audio out (2).
• Zenith SC201 DVD remote control.

If you just wanna play DVDs, this is a REALLY good player! It comes with the standard features plus a few nifty ones including a bookmarking feature. You can mark up to five points on a disc with one button and then when you want to go back, press another button and you'll be taken to a menu with screenshots of the scene you stopped at.

The user menu is also very nice-looking and would be a great player for a family with children because the menus are very kid-friendly.

This is the perfect player for someone wanting their first DVD players. It has enough to satisfy advanced users and not too many things to confuse a newbie.

The only downside is that you have to hold the chapter skip button to fast forward or rewind. The remote takes some getting used to but it's really nice-looking.

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I've just bought this about 2 weeks ago and I tell you it was the best investment.The quality of picture,and sound is remarkable,the S cable hook up makes viewing crisp and clear!

Olympus PEN E-P1 12 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6

This past holiday week-end I made the decision not to take my Nikon DSLR with me on a 3 day road trip to Minneapolis. The majority of my time was spent wandering the Mall of America, and the E-P1 was an absolute delight the entire time.

This little camera makes me smile each time I use it!

If you don't care to word a long, winding review let me summarize it. The E-P1 doesn't have to make any apologies for being petite, its a full fledged camera on its own merit.

Positives

* Great photo quality!

* Built in image stabilization (works pretty well too)

* Customizable and responsive interface/buttons

* HD movie mode with autofocus

* Low profile, doesn't get you noticed

* Quiet. I'd say quieter than my old rangefinders and way more quiet than my DSLR's

Could be better

* Battery life

* Perhaps almost too customizable (pretty good learning curve). Keep the manual handy!

I'm not a people shooter and certainly not a "street" shooter but my week-end was spent at the Mall of America, which is enormous but all in doors. It was an interesting challenge. I found that although I fumbled with the interface and settings a bit, it became very engrossing and almost mesmerizing to shoot publicly with the E-P1. It never drew attention, not once, where as I saw people clearing out from the obvious DSLR guys like fish around a barracuda in the reef.

Lens: My only lens is the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, which doesn't sound too exciting. However in practice it has been a great general utility lens that has rendered quite nicely, showing nice resolution and sharpness. I can only anticipate what the E-P1 will do with a quality, wide aperture prime. I'm up in the air about my next move, but the 50mm f/2 sure looks tempting. But then again it would be great to try OM mount too! Arg....

Auto-Focus: I've read some questions about the auto-focus performance of this camera, but in normal operation haven't see an issue yet. Granted I haven't tried to shoot a basketball game or dance recital yet so take this with a grain of salt. For my people shooting in the mall the AF performance has been wonderful and spot on. When I've gone to outdoor settings or even just trying to snap something quick from my car, I've found that the autofocus is quite a ways behind my D90. I think it is real world quick, but it is probably a step slower to focus than any DSLR on the market. Not saying that's a bad thing, some worth knowing.

Sensor: The sharpness I see from this camera is well beyond what I expected, so there may be something to the talk that Olympus removed the strong anti-alias filtering most DSLR's are plagued with. The jpg results thus far haven't required any post process sharpening and the Olympus color engine is a breath of fresh air in my opinion.

Handling: Coming form a DSLR will make you take a little time to get used to the difference. Getting used to shooting with a LiveView display will also take some getting used to. There isn't a front/rear two wheel control system as I'm used to with the D90, but there are two primary controls for manual shooting and they can both be worked while shooting one handed. Very nice design! The buttons and functions are all fully customizable but expect to be nestled up with the manual a wee bit to do it. All in all composing from the LiveView LCD became very natural and fluid after a day. High marks to Olympus in designing such a usable system. The only thing I still have to figure out is a button to disable auto-focus so I can go fully manual.

Results: The bottom line to any camera is what it can produce. The E-P1 is not a D700, A900 or 5DII. Those are different kinds of cameras that excel at higher ISO and extreme resolutions. What the E-P1 is to me is a system capable of going toe-to-toe with any DX sensor system on the market in terms of deliverable results. No it doesn't shoot 8 frames per second. Again not that kind of camera.

This is a practical camera whose size and form factor make it usable in places that larger cameras wouldn't work as well or possibly not at all. I'm seeing very detailed and sharp results up to ISO 1,250. After years of shooting 35mm, DSLR and even large format I'd have to say this is the most fun I've had with any camera I've owned. Its a camera guy's camera that the beginner can use as well.

First a little background. I have a couple of other SLRs and was mainly looking for something to give me close to SLR quality files but in a considerably smaller physical package. A couple of downsides you should already be aware of from the product description.:

1. There is no pop-up flash. Not a problem for me, I don't ever use them anyway (your mileage may vary).

2. There is no viewfinder. Again not a problem for me, got used to that very quickly.

Now some observations from having used the camera:

The sensor image quality is excellent. Dynamic range is at SLR quality. Noise levels up to and including ISO 800 is very clean. ISO 1600 has a bit more noise than the Rebel XSI (also 12mp)with the noise increasing relative to competitors from there.

The user interface is intuitive. I used mostly Aperture Priority and Manual and found it easy to use. Stuff in the menus were also easily found. Changing the settings were at times challenging (like ISO) because of the smaller buttons, but given the camera's small size its something I could forgive

Its heavy, almost as heavy as a basic, entry level DSLR. Now the lens is light as a feather, however I feel a lot of heaviness comes because of the build quality of the camera, which is superb

The RAW processing software that comes with the camera is useless. The interface is horrible and the stability even worse. Wait for your favorite RAW processing software to add support and use that.

The deal breakers:

The kit lens is slow. Really slow. So slow in fact that I found the system to not be very useful when the light levels got low or you were indoors. Now this could easily be fixed by having a series of fast pancake lenses, which I believe are coming, but sadly they aren't here yet.

The auto focus is slow and unreliable, especially indoors. I found the AF to be very slow and borderline frustrating. Again, this was mostly indoors and in low light levels, so a faster lens may alleviate the issue.

Overall, this is a fantastic start for Olympus and once the system is fleshed out a bit more (with lots of those fast pancake primes at various focal lengths) I may consider it again. However with the limited lens selection available today, its not for me. You need to figure out if you can live with the kit lens (or the 17mm f/2.8 prime) while waiting for more lenses to come out for yourself.

Buy Olympus PEN E-P1 12 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Now

I had been considering replacing my Leica d-lux 3 with the d-lux 4 when the EP-1 news came out. I immediately sold the d-lux 3 and ordered my EP-1. It is a little larger than I was hoping, but out of the box, the first results were incredible, RAW format on a par with my nikon d-90 RAW, requiring very little post-production. Feels good in the hand, responsive and fast auto-focus and much more satisfying to use than the leica which I loved. Initial results in RAW much better than the leica, which was always just a little noisy.

This is a top notch camera, that I hope will continue to deliver results. The only current drawback for me is that photoshop CS4 doesn't recognizethe Olympus Raw Format (ORF). I have to go through Olympus software to convert, which severely disrupts my work flow, and the software is slow and clunky. Shooting JPGs alongside Raw in case I need the results faster.

If they get the plugin updated soon, I'll be over the moon.

Very happy with this purchase.

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I needed something decent to have in my laptop bag when i wasn't lugging around all my SLRs and Lenses. This camera seems to be the perfect blend SLR and Point and shoot. The f/2.8 lens allow me to take great, non-flash photos in low-light situations without an obscene amount of noise. It has a great, solid build and with a decent amount of weight, it doesn't feel like it will fall apart at any minute like your point-and-shoot. I would say if you are in the market for something more advanced than a point and shoot, but nice and small, pick it up.

Also, I believe this is the smallest device to be able to take 720p video at f/2.8 (m4/3) with stereo audio. Great video device if you ask me.

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This camera has been a very pleasant surprise for me. The low light capability is extraordinary and as for framing pictures in bright sunlight I am very glad I got the optional optical viewfinder that fits in the hotshoe. But the picture sharpness and color quality are breathtaking. There is a learning curve on the menus but once you get used to it there are many in-camera scene types to fool with, such as old-fashioned grainy black and white. Most importantly, it is ultra-portable and unobtrusive in a good-looking way. I am thrilled with it!

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Samsung USB 2.0 External Optical Drive SE-S084D/TSBS Super WriteMaster, Slim External DVD Writer (G

i like to keep my reviews simple.

this dvd burner is simply perfect.

it's smaller than the previous model from Samsung. the touch open feature is quite nifty. very light and quiet when i burned a few dvd's. i've connected it to my PC & MacBook Air 11" with no problems on either one. this is a much better option over the Apple SuperDrive. the SuperDrive can ONLY be used on the MB Air's. it's more expensive than most external dvd burners. why would you want to get it?

Edited: i forgot to mention that i use this DVD burner for both my desktop and laptop. unfortunately on my laptop there are only 2 USB ports. one on each side. the MacBook Air is sort of limited in that area. in any case, the DVD burner WILL WORK with only one USB cable slot plugged in. i think it may run a bit slower if you are burning something though, which will probably be due to the power outage limit that USB ports have.

do yourself a favor and get this if you need an external burner. you won't regret it.

I've used this drive with a windows 7 desktop, Windows XP desktop, iMac running Snow Leopard 10.6.5, and MacBook pro running Snow leopard 10.6.6. The drive works great, good speed, reliable use. I would say the most frustrating part of this product is that it has no power-cord and requires two USB ports to operate. occasionally it will (randomly it seems) work with only one USB port, but I have only seen that on occasion. I am very disappointed with this part of the drive, however aside from that it has worked flawlessly. I've burned DVD at full speed in both Windows 7 and Mac OS X. It is compact, and requires very little to setup, simply just plugin and use. When I installed this product using the discs that came with it in Windows 7 it brought me into this very confusing application that claimed I needed a firmware update, however when I checked on the website it said I did not.

conclusion

It's a solid product that works well under most operating systems. Be prepared to surrender TWO USB ports to it though.

Buy Samsung USB 2.0 External Optical Drive SE-S084D/TSBS Super WriteMaster, Slim External DVD Writer (G Now

I bought this for use with my new MacBook Air and my home server

Things I like:

1. Very compact. About a size of a double cd case

2. Very quiet for such a compact drive. Just a bit noisier than my internal dvd drive.

3. Requires only one usb port. Some drives need 2 usb ports, but this one runs fine on just one.

4. Plug and play. No drivers needed. Works great on Mac and PC.

5. A steal at $40 shipped

Things I don't like so much:

1. The small form factor is cool, but the black version looks and feels plastic. I'm not saying that it's flimsy, because it's not. However, next to my new Mac Air, it looks and feels kinda cheap

2. The soft touch eject doesn't work on Mac. You have to drag the icon to eject.

3. The Nero 9 software works with PC only.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a tiny, simple dvd drive that works with both Mac and PC.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung USB 2.0 External Optical Drive SE-S084D/TSBS Super WriteMaster, Slim External DVD Writer (G Here

Just received this latest version of Samsung external DVD ROM. 100% described as product spec, slim and super light weight.

This DVD ROM is very compatible with my Toshiba Netbook NB205, only use one USB port instead of 2 ports for power. No driver needed base on Windows 7 Starter, just plug then you go. To play DVD movies with proper software is working great, I played one movie already. Reading sounds are acceptable for me.

Even we can find more cheaper one in the market, but you will get what you pay for. Products always have its cost and quality, so this device is worth the money for my Toshiba NB205.

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For those of us who are buying multiple external drives for, er, migrating our video DVDs collections to our computers, these are fantastic! I am using two on an external (powered) usb hub and plan to get a couple more. It's well worth the cost to speed up the process from one-disc-at-a-time slowness. One caveat, each drive does require a full-power usb port, so a powered usb hub is a necessity.

Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

• 1920 x 1080 Resolution
• 1000000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio for the Brightest whites and darkest blacks
• 4096 Shades of Gradation for spectacular Color Reproduction
• Viera LinK™ HDAVI Control lets you operate all of your home theater components by pressing a single button on your TV's remote control
• GalleryPlayer® allows you to enjoy the world's finest high definition art and photography on your Panasonic HD plasma TV

UPDATE. A couple links dedicated to this set:

Owners forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1000479

Break-in FAQ: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14472276#post14472276

Just a short review as there are so many already.

I spent approximately 3 years researching displays. No it didn't take me that long to figure things out, I was basically waiting for the technology to meet my expectations at a given price point.

After exhaustive research I narrowed things down to Plasma and then further down to either this set or the Samsung A550. The reason I picked the Panny over the Samsung, to be succinct:

better black levels

reliability (reportedly a bit more stable than the Samsung's, though they have gotten better)

anti-reflective coating (the Panasonic has the Samsung thoroughly beat)

IR (image retention) resistance, Panasonic is supposedly on the cutting edge for this

That said, I'll comment a bit on the Panasonic image specifically; it is stunning. First, the scaler (the hardware that handles different source material like standard definition broadcast, etc.) in this thing is top notch. I am truly impressed with what it has done with standard cable (and of course HD cable looks great). I was under the impression that few if any modern displays could handle SD well, frankly because I hadn't seen evidence of it. I was wrong, there have been a few times that I had to look hard to tell I was watching Standard Def (CNN puts out an especially clean broadcast in my area). Secondly, HD content; doubly stunning! I'm running both HD Cable and a PS3 Blu-ray. I figured I'd be buying many of my movies again in Blu-ray....wrong. Certainly true HD content has the edge but the upscaler combined with this set is jaw dropping, Pixar DVDs are quite amazing.

Now a few comments about Plasma vs LCD:

No doubt LCD has it's place, some people simply want a very "punchy" and extremely bright display. This is especially useful for daytime/bright room viewing. However, the drawbacks are considerable:

motion lag/bur: if you see it (and I do) it's VERY distracting

black levels clearly not up to par, which greatly affects the overall picture quality

On the other hand Plasma pluses:

no motion lag

industry standard black levels

extremely realistic/film like experience

A few words on Image Retention & Burn in:

These are not the same thing though the terms are often used interchangeably. Image Retention is the result of a static image (any image that doesn't change for extended periods; video game displays, station identification, etc) to remain on the screen even after you've changed images. This is a temporary problem and one that is easily erased by viewing full screen for short periods where all the pixel locations on the screen will get some activity. Frankly I've not seen even one instance on my set. Burn-in is the extreme, unfixable version of this, leaving a static image on the screen for many hours (all day) or always watching all your content letterboxed will certainly lead to burn in. It's easy to avoid. The Panasonic is especially immune to this and even has many safety features built in to prevent it (pixel shifting and auto off if a screen remains unchanged for an extended period).

Finally a few quick tips for new owners, gleaned mostly from the AVS forums and partly directly from Panasonic's own website:

Keep the Picture (contrast) and Brightness levels under 50 for the first 100 hrs. This helps the phosphors become "tempered" and in turn not so easily susceptible to bun-in and image retention. As I said, I've yet to experience either.

Watch everything in Just mode (full screen) for the first 100 hrs for the same reasons listed above

After the first 100 hrs you can turn things up & start watching things in letterbox, here are some recommended levels:

Picture: +70

Brightness: +48

Color: +44

Tint: -3

Sharpness: 0

Color temp: Warm

Color mgmt: Off

x.v.Color: Off

C.A.T.S.: Off

One final note for those on the fence: Don't go by what you see in the stores, what is displayed in no way exemplifies what these sets (any brand really) are capable of. My picture is light years better than anything I ever saw at Best Buy (including this very set). Delivery from Amazon/CEVA was a breeze by the way, took one week from ordering to door.

Buy Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Now

I recently decided that it's time to upgrade to an HDTV, and I did a lot of research before settling on this model. I'm not an A/V expert, but I am an enthusiast, and I can tell you that this TV is simply amazing. I highly recommend it. I can't get very technical, but here are just a few thoughts on why I rate this TV so highly:

In the end, the quality of the picture is what it's about. I run Panasonic HDMI cables from a Comcast HD DVR through my Denon 850 receiver (1080 passthrough). The clarity, color and vibrancy of HD channels are breathtaking. These new Panasonic models increased the contrast ratio considerably, and I do think it makes a big difference. Even SD programming looks good on the set.

I also have an SD DVD player hooked up with component cables, and even though it's not an upconverting player the picture is still amazing.

Daytime viewing is good, although it does look better at night with less light. The new anti-reflective screen on this model does a great job, but this is still a problem I don't think any Plasma TV has solved completely yet. If I leave our living room light on it does reflect on the screen (but it looks better in the dark anyway...).

I'm still in the first 100 hours so I'm in the breaking in stage, but I haven't seen any signs of image retention. It sounds like the new models made big strides in this area as well.

The on-screen set-up menus are intuitive and easy to use -didn't have to open the manual once.

My final comment is about Amazon.com's part in this. I order it directly from Amazon (make sure you check who the seller is), and the experience was flawless. They use a distribution company for delivery, and they call you with a 4-hour time window before they deliver the TV. They also unpack it so that you can inspect for damage if anything is wrong they take it right back!

I highly recommend this TV, and there's no reason to buy it in a store use Amazon!

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Here

We purchased the 42" 2008 Panasonic plasma 1080p model TH-42PZ85U about 5 weeks ago, after about 2 weeks of almost non-stop comparing of different sets at various stores. We've watched it during bright glary daytime conditions and dark room evening hours. We've watched HD channels and SD (standard-def) channels, and HD-DVD movies. We're familiar with the amazing picture quality of High-Def because we've had a Fujitsu plasma for the last 5 years, which was excellent. The Fujitsu developed an un-repairable problem with it's power supply circuit panel.

To summarize, the picture quality of the Panasonic TH-42PZ85U plasma is absolutely outstanding! It is stunning! It's mesmerizing. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. It was great in the store, but even much better under home conditions, without bright store spotlights, with good cable HD service, and without having to share a TV signal with 83 other sets.

In doing the visual research at various stores, I was attracted to LCD sets because of their incredible brightness and bright colors. Under the bright store lights, the poor plasmas looked like dim, lost souls next to the super-nova LCD's. However it soon became evident to me that LCD's had more of an artificial look to the images, especially the human face. Faces on LCD sets looked more plastic and flat, without real-world color gradients. They looked more like a poster. Faces on plasmas looked real, with real texture and color gradations, with a 3 dimensional quality. Other scenes on LCD's also looked more 2 dimensional. On plasmas, the same scene had depth and a 3-D quality. I had read about this, but didn't understand what it meant until I saw it with my own eyes.

The TH-42PZ85U is more than bright enough at home, even during a bright sunny day with lots of direct light coming in from our patio. The brightest picture mode, called "vivid" is too bright for even those conditions under its default settings. The default color setting is also way too strong and a bit too green. But after adjusting down the brightness and color strength, and adjusting the color tint a little away from green to red, the picture is truly outstanding. In the evening we use a picture mode called "cinema", which is soft yet sharp, beautiful and so real you think you are in a movie theater. When "cinema" mode is not bright enough for our inside lights, we change it to a mode called "standard". Each of the modes can be adjusted as you wish, and then retains that adjustment when that mode is chosen later.

Regardless of the picture mode, with an HD signal, the picture is incredibly sharp, smooth and non-grainy, and the quality of the colors is great and realistic. I see no motion artifacts, even when watching fast moving action such as in a basketball game. There has been no burn in of any type, even temporary. The blacks are super black, there are lots of gray shades in the dark areas, and the whites are very white. To make blacks even blacker, there is a "black level" setting under the "advanced picture" menu. It gives a choice of "light" or "black". I like it better set to "light" because "black" takes away a little from the gray shades. Even on "light", the blacks look almost as black as the bezel that surrounds the glass panel. This plasma TV has a 3-dimensional quality that just seems to make images pop out.

We have a small room (about 14x10). Two of the chairs are on either side of the TV, within 4-5 feet of the TV. The 1080 resolution screen resolution really pays off from this close distance. Even from 4 feet, when we are on channels with strong HD signals, the screen is totally smooth, with no graininess, screen-door effect, or ghosting or other artifacts. It is just as bright from an extreme side angle as from head-on.

As good as a general cable 720p signal looks, even more outstanding is the signal from our (now obsolete) HD-DVD player, which actually puts out a 1080p signal. I was watching Planet Earth on the new Panasonic plasma. The picture quality is incredible.

There are a few things about the TV that are not outstanding. Standard definition programming is very ordinary, not very exciting. I wonder if the 1080 screen resolution of the TV makes standard definition signals look even worse? The built in speakers are so-so, not great. It doesn't matter to us because I put the audio through a surround sound receiver and external speakers. The anti-glare capability of the screen is average. During sunny days we can see some glare from the sunlight outside our patio sliding doors, although the reflection is muted and dimmed.

Overall we are thrilled with this plasma TV. Even though we have had a plasma before, the picture quality is so outstanding we can't seem to pay attention to the program we are watching. We are just mesmerized by the quality of the picture we are seeing.

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The picture is very beautiful on HD material rich colors, but not too rich, it just looks very, very real. On non-HD material this set does a better job than any other I've ever seen. I can comfortably watch non-HD material on this set. Handles motion well, and has a wide viewing angle.

I purchased a new "upconverting" DVD player but even using a non-HDMI, non-upconverting older DVD player, movies just look awesome. I suspect that the "up-conversion" logic in this TV set must be quite good.

The 2008 Panasonic plasma models seem to be lot thinner and lighter than 2007 models, so if you are trying to decide whether to get a deal on an older model or not, well, frankly I don't think you can go wrong either way but the newer ones are around one third thinner, and 20% lighter. They also offer higher contrast, at least according to the specifications.

Spent four months researching & shopping before deciding this model would give me all the TV I could want with minimal compromise and a reasonable price. I shopped the big-box stores and relied on friends' and family's feedback to get a broad understanding of the HD technology (LCD, DLP RP, Plasma) out there. Then I got serious with the details of the different platforms and finally focused on a brand after deciding that a plasma was for me. Panasonic clinched it when I saw the online reviews of this new model (their last year's model pz700 was Consumer Reports' top pick) and when I read that Pioneer was going to rely on Panasonic for their panels in future models. Then Amazon got the price right (don't wait for the pz800) and though I was hesitant to make this kind of a purchase online, I finally pulled the trigger and boy am I happy.

Amazon was terrific. Ordered it Sunday night with an articulating wall-mount (Sanus works great), a Logitech Harmony One universal remote and a Panasonic HDMI Cable. Everything started arriving Tuesday and at last! on Friday the TV arrived (no special shipping selected for anything!)

I first set it up with the table stand, no problem. Hooked it to my HD DVR cable box and in no time was enjoying a picture that really pleases. No compromises with this set. Color fidelity is awesome humans look human. The PGA Masters tournament was simply breathtaking. Edge detail is incredible none of the jaggies or noisy lines I see on my sister's cheapo Vizio LCD. I don't know what that other guy is smoking, contrast and black levels are phenomenal. Playoff Hockey reveals no blurry fast-motion images another LCD drawback. I can stand at an 89-degree angle to a head-on view and still see a perfect picture. Fortunately, my articulating mount obviates this . As for calibration, I'll get around to it using the HD Essentials DVD and the service level controls eventually, but right now I'm very happy with the "Cinema" mode and some minor customizations of this mode (changed color temp from "warm" to "normal" and adjusted the color level down to "+24"). This TV is simply stunning, and I was afraid that 42" would be too big in my relatively small room but with 1080 its no problem (six feet viewing distance).

The set's speakers are fine, sound quality for regular TV viewing is excellent. For movies and music, I use a more robust 5.1 system.

If there's a better picture to be found, I don't want it. I'm thrilled and expect I'll be very satisfied for years to come. Three cheers for Amazon & Panasonic.

Digital_Family GD777 Fashion Cell Phone Watch Mobile MP3 MP4 ,Bluetooth,JAVA, Skype/Stylish crocodi

Nice product works good but TMobile and At&t has poor service in a lot of places unlike Verizon that picks up anywhere. It also says it has a FM radio which it doesnt and it does not support SKYPE like it says in the details.

DIGISTOR 25GB 6X Blu-ray Disc Recordable BD-R Blank Media (25 pack)

Blu-ray media is not coming down in price all that fast. To find a 6x 25GB disc for less the a dollar each,

I was hard pressed to come close. Even checking the more common blank media sites, these discs are the best deal out there.

Having said that, the proof is in the burn, and I have already burned 25, with all of them successful.

Theses discs are great (I will check their longevity in 6 months and report back).

I have just purchased another stack and will recommend them to my clients.

I have two 32TB RAID need to backup monthly... and Digistor media is by far the best media!!!! I have used Sony, Panasonic, TDK, and Optical Quantum(trash media do not buy Optical quantum!!!!).....

digistor save me tons money and write at 6x speed and so far 100% success.... amazing!!!

I strongly recommend this bluray disk!!!!

JIN

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Digistore offers comparable quality in disc construction to the more popular name brands. This is not uncommon for a product trying to break into an already prolific market.

From DATA to BD video burns these discs performed as well as other more recognizable name brands. I'm half way through my 25 disc spindle and have yet to come accross any defective discs or quality issues in playback.

I would recommend this brand for anyone looking for a reasonably priced alternative to the more established "Big Boy" brands.

Read Best Reviews of DIGISTOR 25GB 6X Blu-ray Disc Recordable BD-R Blank Media (25 pack) Here

This is the first time I've tried these BluRay 25GB (single layer) discs. They are awesome, and my bluray burner has no problem burning data or movies. No coasters. I use several apps to make this work, including DVDFab, AnyDVD HD, ImgBurn and others. You can use Nero, Handbrake or any good app. The dye color is very rich and dark blue/violet, which seems to make them higher quality. I've noticed that CDs have a light green dye, DVDs have a silver or light blue/purple dye, and these single layer BluRay discs are a much much darker color dye. I'm very satisfied :D

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These disks are quite good and recording quality is amazing. With my Pioneer BDR-2207B5PK drive and these discs, I have made perfect 1for1 backup movies with no errors so far. Need to buy more soon. But needs to come down in price.

Save 39% Off

iriver 20 GB PMP-120 Portable Media Player

• Plays digital music and video files, including WMV, MP3, WMA, DivX (AVI), BMP, and JPEG
• 20 GB storage total storage capacity--up to 80 hours of video, 600 hours of music
• 3.5-inch color TFT LCD
• USB 2.0 support, audio inputs and audio/video outputs, built-in FM tuner and voice recorder
• Includes rechargeable lithium-ion battery; up to 16 hours (audio only) and up to 5 hours (audio/video)

I had bought Creative PVP sometime back, but had to return it bcoz it uses Microsoft Media Player. Wrong media player choice. It makes the whole process of uploading media very tiresome and slow. So i returned the Creative. I checked iRiver at the store and found that it did NOT use Windows Media Player. So I bought it. I have been playing with it over the past couple of weeks. It provides a DIVX codec software and associated media converter software, that makes importing videos easy. Use the Portable Media Center DIVX profile, when coverting videos.I use the AVI format to upload videos onto the player. It is also a full featured mp3 player, voice recorder and a fm tuner. The speakers are little bit low in volume, so have to use headphones in noisy situations. The fit and finish of the hardware is not as nice as Creative. The software has some spelling mistakes such as "FM Tunner" instead of "FM Tuner". But at the end of day, it does what it is supposed to do. And it provides all the software and cables right out of the box. I am in process of creating a PC based DVR solution, to capture and record live TV. iRiver will then become my portable video system. iRiver can also send video signal's to TVs through a provided port and cables.Provides USB Master port capabilities to interact with other USB port capable devices, without using a PC. It comes with a nice hard case, that U can use to carry it around and to even prop it up while watching it on an airplane. Battery is removable type, so u can buy an extra one, if U are on a really long flight. PVP space is still evolving fast, so expect to see lots more new models coming out in next couple of months. If like me, u want one right away, iRiver is an reasonable choice. You will need some experience in media conversion to successfully import videos in a watchable format. Experiment with video sizing, audio mixing etc till u get it right. iRiver has also released another PVP that uses Windows Media Player. Do not buy that, unless you have a full featured Windows Media Center PC.

An update to the review. Using Pinnacle Dazzle DVC 80 Video capture device (USB based) and excellent Pinnacle Video Capture Software, I have been able to successfully capture TV output and import into iRiver. I had to reconvert the Dazzle AVI output files to iRiver AVI using the iRiver media converter software. Now I have a complete portable video solution. I am a bit surprised it all actually worked. I was even able to capture HD channel outputs from my DISH TV satellite box using the AV components in the back of the satellite receiver.

Buy iriver 20 GB PMP-120 Portable Media Player Now

Actually I was waiting for the portable media player from Microsoft. But I heard unfortunately it won't come out soon. And I found out that iriver is in partnership with Microsoft for the portable media player.

Anyway, I've been using this little surprise for a week. I think it beats any portable media players in the market.

The battery hour is very long. I roughly guess it lasts at least 3 times longer than my wife's Ipod. The lcd display could be bigger, but still quite large as a portable player. Speaking of the quality of sound, you know irivier has superior sound quality to any other players.

I'm a digital camera mania. This device not only save files through the usb fort but also host usb port. So you can read all the image files directly from the digital cameras. This is fantastic.

It also has a FM tuner. One thing I found really great is that you can record the music directly from the radio, and you can control the quality of sound files. It may be some kind of music piracy. Not sure though.

In sum, believe me, this one is a killer toy. I hope the price will be lower so that I can buy one for my brother.

Read Best Reviews of iriver 20 GB PMP-120 Portable Media Player Here

It does what it says it will do. However, the player has enormous trouble with Xvid, regardless of settings. Plan on only encoding in Divx. With Divx, it can handle 1500kbps, 640x480@30fps and lots of B-frames. It also must have CBR-MP3 to play the video in sync, so if you have VBR with anything, you must encode it over to CBR. The screen isn't particularly detailed because the pixel size is so large. With video, you are limited to 192kbps for audio; anything higher will cause a desync.

It also tends to hang while playing a "non-standard" movie (such as VBR-MP3 or Xvid). You will have to remove the battery to reset the machine and allow for control response again. This problem is alleviated by making absolutely sure you're using Divx and CBR-MP3. On top of that, you lose the ability to fast-forward/rewind through movies above ~650MB. If you have a 1.3GB movie, you'll need to break that up into smaller chunks if you plan on being able to fast-forward through it. It'll play the larger file, and it'll even continue the movie at the stop point, but you will not be able to fast-forward.

Doesn't play Vorbis/FLAC/ACC/AC3 audio, but it will handle VBR-MP3 just fine. The playlists are fairly standard, and the player will let you make your own playlists. The radio uses the headphone cord for it's antenna, and it does a good job with gain. Radio reception is good. There is a built-in microphone for recording audio to MP3, but you cannot record from the radio.

The player comes with iRiver's own little converter, and it's extraordinarly poor. They have pre-selected options, and it is adjusted for encoding speed, not quality. Plus it will crash if you have various codecs on your machine.

You spend more than what you get. There are superior products available for less money. 2 stars because of the price, 3 stars for the machine itself.

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This mp3 player comes extremely well equipped with anything I could ask for: MP3, Radio, Video, Pictures, Voice recording, Line in audio, WMA, huge screen and more.

This is a geat product that I have been waiting for. But, the fact that this device could not record any movie (comparing to: Lyra RD2780, Archos, and more are coming with movie recording capability) really make this product inferior.

I have called the customer service and they told me that they don't have any plan to support the movie recording capability.

I hope they can oversee this weakness and change their mind to support the movie recording capability on the next firmware release.

PV-900 EVO Hidden Camera Cell Phone and DVR

This camera is an awesome tool, and does what it is supposed to do, However, especially for it's outdated style of phone, it is way OVERPRICED!!!! You would think with todays technology, it would be possible to make a camera phone that is much more real looking and more up to date like a smartphone, maybe one that is actually a phone!! We all know it is possible. but to pay almost $600.00 for a camera phone that looks like it is 10 years old is ridiculous!! My boss told me to pretend I was texting and try to get video of a subject, I told him when these phones were used text messages were not even thought of yet!!!!!

Look around and find a camera or DVR with these specs but much less expensive!!

Dan B.

Coby MPCD450 Portable CD/AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player/Recorder - Black/Silver

• Top Loading Compact Disc Player,Plays Up to 14 Hours of MP3 Formatted Music
• CD, CD-R, CD-RW Compatible, Play/Pause, Search, Repeat (Repeat 1, Repeat All) Functions,Backlit LED Display
• AM/FM Stereo Tuner,Telescopic FM Antenna
• Full Auto Stop Cassette Player/Recorder
• 2-Way Cassette Recording (CD & Radio), One-Touch Automatic Level Control Recording
• Top loading CD player
• Plays regular CDs and CDs with MP3 files
• CD, CD-R, CD-RW compatible
• Programmable track memory
• Digital LCD display

I was looking for a boombox that could play MP3's burned on CD's, with a cassette player. Unfortunately, the number of portable units that met these two basic criteria was quite limited. The Colby MPCD450 is one, and it is a basic no frills player that while somewhat crude, delivers pretty decent performance, at a relatively low price.

Players often have issues with reading MP3's burned on certain brands of blank CD or CD RW media. So far the MPCD450 hasn't had any such issues, and has been able to play everything, including material recorded over ten years ago. After reading a CD, the player begins automatically playing the disc.

Sound quality isn't the greatest, mostly treble, with very little bass. You are stuck with what you get, as there are absolutely no tone adjustment controls. Not the best situation for music, but it's not that bad for the spoken word, things like podcasts, audio books, or talk radio programs. Given the size of its speakers, the unit is capable of quite high volumes. Since it favors the treble end, heavy distortion usually isn't a problem.

The controls are basic and quite crude. The knobs and switches feel cheap and flimsy. The AM/FM radio gets good reception, but is tuned manually using a dial tuner, instead of a digital one. Thankfully the CD player has a lighted LCD display. For no apparent good reason, the control buttons for the CD differ from the traditional layout. At a time when almost everything has a remote control, this unit does not have one. There are also no provisions for connecting an Ipod or MP3 player. Aside from a headphone jack on the left side of the unit, there are no line ins or outs.

It's a pretty ridiculous, but cassette tapes almost always fail to seat properly when inserted, so you have to reach inside and tilt the cassette slightly in order to close the door. The buttons are pretty stiff and clunky, and the player auto stops only in the Play and Record modes, not Rewind or Fast Forward. Forget to turn it off, and you may burn out your motor, or drain your batteries. The unit uses eight D sized batteries (12V), which adds to its bulk. The window over the cassette is translucent black plastic, but it is so dark that you need a flashlight to see through it.

If you are interested in high quality audio, look elsewhere. This player is mostly for those times where you just want some basic sounds. The primary function I needed, the ability to play MP3's, it does very well indeed, and I am very satisfied with its performance. The cassette player is also nice to have as well, and does a good job of recording from radio or CD. Hopefully the player will have a long usable life.

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First, the positive This player arrived quickly, well-packed, and when I had to return it, I did so with no problems and received a credit very quickly. The player was small and lightweight, which was a plus for me. But alas, now the negative. I was initially pleased to have found such a reasonably priced player with everything I wanted in one device. But, reasonably priced (and I should have known this) translated to cheaply made. First I played a cassette, and though the sound was okay (I'm not a purist), I noticed that the tape deck cover was rather fragile, and thought it might be a problem with much use. Then, I tried the radio, and reception was almost nil, but we are in an area where that happens. Then, I began an audio book on CD. The first CD was fine. That was the last CD I was able to play. The player just refused to play another. To sum up, the seller was great, the product almost useless.

Read Best Reviews of Coby MPCD450 Portable CD/AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player/Recorder - Black/Silver Here

PROS:

1)CD/MP3 CD player.

2)Cassette deck

3)FM/AM Radio.

4)Radio has clear sound and picks up lots of stations.

5)Compact size and easy to carry around.

6)Low price

CONS:

1) Not very loud sound.

2) Looks somewhat cheap.

3) Hard to read the labels on CD controls.

4) No sound equalizers.

5) No sleep timer.

6) No remote.

This serves a great portable player for my home office. Also, for an extra player that I can travel with. Considering the low price and the fact that a player with MP3 capabilities and cassette deck are almost impossible to find, I am pleased with my purchase.

*Note: The reason that I gave it a 4 was because it is hard to read the controls for the buttons above the CD area.

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I purchased this recorder in January from Amazon, and by June the CD player had stopped functioning. The limited warrant for labor had expired, and given the shipping cost of $6 to return plus paying for labor, repairing this piece of junk just isn't worth it. You get what you pay for! Although I just purchased a Panasonic boombox with MP3 player for a lot of money, in the long run I feel I'll save money with a quality product.

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Huge rip-off: came "new" with broken cassette player (couldn't play a tape) from day one. Does Coby have a Quality Control Dept? Does anyone check their products for major defects before they leave the factory? I doubt it!

This was brand new? It was a piece of junk that arrived broken! Very cheaply made. Avoid Coby products due to the worst quality control in the industry (IMHO).

Panasonic DMR-E50K DVD Player/Recorder , Black

• Records DVD-R, DVD-RAM for best of both worlds; plays DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, CD-R, CD-RW, and MP3-CD
• Offers one-touch record, chasing playback (watching a recording in progress from the beginning)
• Progressive-scan video output for seamless, flicker-free picture on high-definition and HD-ready televisions
• Time Slip lets you replay a scene recorded earlier from a show in progress without disrupting the recording
• On-disc video editing lets you tighten up or rearrange your home movies

I bought this unit with the intent of copying my VHS collection and using this recorder in place of my VCR. After reading reviews from various sources, I bought this model over the next closest Philips. (By the way, what's up with few brands providing black cabinetry?)

This unit is very easy to use. To get the most out of the unit READ THE MANUAL! One of the best features is the flexible record, allowing optimum recording for those more-than-2 hour-programs. This feature provides the highest quality recording available for the time that you desire to record. Unlike the VCR, where you'd have to record on the LP (or SLP) mode if a program is more than 2 hours, this option will give you the best picture it can in the disc-space provided. To my eye, programs of 2:20 look no worse than if it was recorded on SP.

Of course, some of my prerecorded VHS tapes are copyrighted (but not all) and can't be recorded this was expected.

There is some concern regarding DVD-R playback on other machines. (Don't forget to FINALIZE. This is all covered in the manual.) IF you have problems, try various brands of media. My JVC player had no problem with Verbatim, Memorex or TDK. However, only the TDK would playback on my Toshiba player. I loaned all three brands to a friend and all 3 played on his Philips and Panasonic players.

My only complaints are:

Can't record on DVD-RW.

No (audio) digital input (no brands I could find had it)

I had considred buying a PC-based DVD recorder, but based on the complaints of various friends who have PC-based DVD recorders, I made the better choice by buying this product MUCH easier. Now my friends are considering buying a DMR-E50.

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The wife & I decided to hold off on buying a DVD player until they could record, and those units were more affordable. To the DMR-E50K I can only ask: "Where have you been all my life?!?"

This is a great concept and a wonderful machine.

I currently have 2 VCR's slaved to one another then channeled through this unit, the satellite receiver and either the DVD player from my home theater, my camcorder or my digital camera connected to this machine. It is not an overstatement to say that this device is the workhorse of our Media Center. And it's up to the job.

Until I brought this out of the box, my wife was recording her craft shows to video tapes. Twenty-some of them, to be exact. This means that on a 6 hour tape, there might be 30-40 minutes of stuff she wants to save for future reference. Now, she can use the timer to record the whole show, but edit out the stuff she doesn't want to keep. Also, all those tapes will, someday, have the parts she wants to keep transfered to DVD.

As other reviews have noted, I am also transfering my old video tapes to DVD and simply based on the space I'm clearing up, this machine is worth the price.

The only media problem I've ever encountered was when I bought the wrong format. Other than that, all the media I've used have worked well.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DMR-E50K DVD Player/Recorder , Black Here

If you're looking for a DVD Recorder to transfer over non-copyrighted material, Panasonic's DMR-E50K does the job without a hitch!

If you're new to DVD, I wouldn't recommend this as your first player. The instruction manual is a little confusing if you're not already familiar with wiring and general setup. Recording a DVD is similar to recording a CD-R in a CD Recorder. You must finalize the DVD-R before it's playable on (most) other DVD Players. If you don't, it won't play on any other machine other than the DMR-E50K.

The picture and sound is very good. Recording time varies from 1, 2, 4 or 6 hours on a single sided 4.7 GB DVD. The top two speeds (XP & SP) look great! The two low speeds (LP & EP) really looks like the VHS equivalent.

After reading other reviews and specifications with other DVD Recorders, my main concerns were disc and player compatability. The DMR-E50K works with Panasonic's DVD-RAM (playable only in the DMR-E50K), and offers editing and re-recording on the same disc over and over again. As for DVD-Rs, the DMR-E50K has no problems recording with TDK brand DVD-Rs. I have 3 DVD Players (not including the DMR-E50K) and after finalizing a DVD-R, the finished DVD worked on all of them: Audiovox, Panasonic (different model), and a high end McIntosh.

The Panasonic DMR-E50K does exactly what I expected it to do. It offers Progressive Scan, S-Video, Composite video, DTS Output, Dolby Digital 5.1 playback (on pre-recorded discs), and the convenience of recording over and over again on a single DVD-RAM disc.

On the negative side, it only records in Dolby Digital two channel stereo (Pro-Logic compatible), and only offers an optical digital output (not coaxial).

I wouldn't consider this player to the "causal" viewer. However, if you're into DVD and want recording capability, Panasonic's DMR-E50K may just be what you're looking for.

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I brought this from Amazon a month ago and it works just as easy as a VHS recorder. All you need is a blank disk and tell it when to record and it will record with it's built in timer. I have been using several brands of DVD-R disk and only have problems with the cheap ones(i.e. no name brands). The problems only happen rarely. For example, the recording will stop and go to recovery mode. But don't worry if goes to recovery mode, previous recordings are not destroy. However, you can't record anymore to that disk. The recorder also uses DVD-RAM disk and this is my most favorite type of disk. It treats a DVD-RAM disk like a hard drive. There is no recovery mode or hiccups that I have seen happen to a DVD-RAM disk yet. ...

I've recorded over 200 movies on this recorder, and the results are usually excellent, but sometimes there are disasters.

This recorder is not for everybody because sometimes it's glitchy, even with Panasonic's disks. If the recording passes the first 111 seconds, it usually will continue, but don't count on it. When it reaches that magic moment, it will sometimes bomb, meaning the laser lens is dirty, or the disk quality is not to the recorder's liking, or the power is too spiky, or it's the wrong day of the week. Maybe this touchy behavior is unique to my recorder, but I missed getting a few treasured movies off the cable. Who knows when those will be aired again. Recordings of broadcast t.v. are not nearly as good as those on digital cable, but sometimes the network presentations have good quality broadcasts almost worthy of DVD recording.

Sometimes the recorder mistracks, getting the temporal sequencing out of order. That's annoying. However, if the recording is ripped to the PC, then the re-recording can smooth out this problem and a few others such as stuttering and pixelation madness.

It's touchy. Sometimes DVD players have trouble playing the finalized disks. Frequent cleaning of the recorder's laser lens is necessary to prevent the problems given above.

I suppose this glitchy nature is because of the power in the laser. Lower power increases the lifetime of the burner, but the disks being burned have to have a perfect surface and disk opacity has to be very high so the low burn power of the laser doesn't pass through the disk but gets concentrated. I'm not sure this is best explanation for the recorder's malfunction with other manufacturer's disks, and occasionally with Panasonic's. The 50-cent disks from other manufacturers will work most of the time, but expect a few failures.

When it records timed events, most of the time the final product is excellent. However, it would be nice to have a keyboard to type in the titles. Using the telephone-like keypad is inconvenient. What was Panasonic thinking? An infrared keyboard would be a big help.

While the DVD-RAM disks can be edited, using the keypad makes editing inconvenient. In order to make RAM recordings watchable on DVD players, I had to purchase Panasonic's inexpensive and versatile player that can read RAM disks. Playing the RAMs on the player makes DVD mastering possible with the DVD recorder.

I wish Panasonic had software that would allow editing of recordings prior to finalizing. That would make things more convenient.

When I buy my next recorder, I'm going to be looking for greater ease of use and for features that address the problems I've had. I don't want to mislead anyone, because this unit has many good features.

Should people buy this machine? Yes, oh yes! Low price, high quality. It is very good most of the time, but you should know the things I and the other reviewers have to say, so you know what to expect, and so you won't be as disappointed and frustrated as I was initially. Keep the laser clean and most of the time it will behave well.

While superb recordings can be made with the SP (standard play setting), the LP (long play)setting is perfect for most recordings. The recording quality of LP is very good. That lowers the cost of recordings, so the more expensive Panasonic DVD-R disks are more affordable. The same cannot be said for EP (extended play), but even EP recordings are remarkably good.

Olympus Metal Neck Strap for Compact Digital Cameras

I bought this neck chain at the same time that I bought the Olympus WS-311M digital voice recorder. I use the WS-311M primarily as a music player now, and this neck chain serves me well to avoid dropping or damaging the unit. It keeps the small player secure while I move around and listen to music or recordings.

I bought this strap for a fairly expensive Olympus series camera. Both the strap and the camera have been on many journeys, and neither has failed.

As advertised the necklace is made of a flexible and durable metal. It is comfortable and fit through the eye ring with no problem. It has never come undone by itself and has saved my camera from falling many times.

My only issue with the strap is that while the necklace is metal, the loop that you fold the necklace through to connect it to the camera is still thread. The thread has not failed, and it shows no signs of wear, but I was still hoping that there would be no vulnerable surfaces.

Despite the one personal preference issue, this is a high quality product and I fully recommend it as a safeguard to protect your camera.

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I love this chain, I never worry that it will fall apart or break off, the metal is strong and flexible and does not snag my hair. I own 5 of these neck straps for every camera i've ever bought, and for the next one i will buy. This neck strap has saved my cameras many many times, from those ooopps moments.

The metal connector piece with the label can scratch your camera, but so can any other metal object. That's why i also buy the Zagg screen protectors.

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Nice metal strap for Olympus Stylus cameras, long enough for use on the neck, or just around your wrist. The factory-supplied Olympus camera straps (bundled with the camera) are only wrist straps, so this unit is a bit better, more useful. It seems well-constructed.

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I used this on my Olympus Tg-2 for a canoeing trip down Black Canyon. It worked really well with all the water and sweat. Not a single rust mark or anything so far but it's only been 2 weeks. It feels good and seems sturdy enough to handle the light abuse of hiking and canoeing, but be careful when taking it off and on. You may snag a hair occassionally especially if u have thin hair like me. Most times it slides through my hair easily.

I have a big head (keep that in mind ladies) and I easily put it on. I am 5'10, so the camera hangs down at heart level.

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IVIEW-1800HDII High-Definition Up-Convert Media Player with USB and Card Reader Function (Silver)

• High resolution HDMI interface 480i/480p/576i/576p/720p/1080i
• One 6.7 feet HDMI cable is included with the giftbox
• Suppers MPEG4, AVI, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, JPEG, MP3
• USB interface: Plays music and movie by connecting MP3 Player and external card reader
• Card Reader: Simply slot in your memory cards and play music and movie

This DVD player skips all the time and cannot read burned DVDs or CDs. It died completely after a week of daily use. The company will not honor warranty (you read right, there is NO warranty!) on their products so I am stuck with a very big and ugly paper weight!

Buy IVIEW-1800HDII High-Definition Up-Convert Media Player with USB and Card Reader Function (Silver) Now

I got this dvd karaoke player from my friend as a gift and I absolutely love it! So why do I love it so much? Well, the first thing I noticed was that all my DVDs looked alot sharper and cleaner now thanks to the upscaling function, which changes the resolution from 480 to 1080p. Another thing I loved was that this player will basically play anything you want(DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, AVI, JPEG, ETC.), not to mention the fact that it also works well as a karaoke player. The design of the DVD player itself is very sleek and stylish and looks great with my other HD components. As far as reliability goes, I've had this player since March and so far, I haven't experienced any problems with it (knocks on wood). Thus, I highly recommend this player for anyone looking for a upscaling DVD player with the karaoke function. Oh...and did I mention the fact that this player is all-region, meaning that it will play DVDs from anywhere in the world!

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This product is terrible. Out the of box the DVD loading tray does not function with the manual button on top of the system. The batteries that come with the remote control are terrible. Im not even sure they are real batteries. I put in duracell batteries and I was able to open and close the DVD tray but the manual button on the system still does not work. I contacted the seller and they were quick to refer me to the company. I called the company and I had to leave a voice mail for the tech support. The thing is such low quality. Spend some more money to get a descent functioning system.

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I have no problem with this player playing all region discs. I have had the player for several months but recently tried to get the SD slot to work and cannot. Maybe there is something I am not doing correctly. If someone knows the answer, I would love to hear it. Thanks.

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Well as every Karaoke lover knows a good player MUST have seperate volume controls for the backing track (Music) and the vocal..Sorry to report this does not!

You would need a seperate amplified output for your microphone(Vocals)

If your looking for an upconverting DVD player this is a good choice.