Zmodo PKD-DK0863-500GB Outdoor Security Camera

I live in rowhome/townhome with a common driveway in the rear. We live in an urban area. A few weeks ago, someone walked into my yard and stole a bike that was locked to my fence. I was more concerned than angry as it was located near my back door and I was home at the time. What's to stop them from coming inside next?

I've been thinking about getting a security camera for some time. After the theft, I started checking Amazon and found the Zmodo system. The reviews were all 5 stars at the time of my purchase. At around $200.00 for 4 cameras and a 500GB DVR, I figured I couldn't go wrong. If you search Zmodo on that popular video sharing site, people claim the 500GB will hold about 30 days of video and it can be set to overwrite. Once set, you can basically leave it alone and review an incident if needed.

As of this writing, I have two of the four cameras installed. I have them both mounted on the rear of my home and pointed towards the drive. I've never owned a security camera before, so I have nothing to compare them to, but I am very satisfied with the clarity of the cameras during the daytime. From where I have them positioned, I can see my yard and beyond. I don't believe I can read a license plate, but my next door neighbor has a cargo van and I can read his advertising. Our back drive is very dark. Nighttime viewing is ok, but not great. However, I have a motion light mounted to the rear of my home and when it goes on, I can see my yard quite clearly.

I've been using the system for about a week. Overall, I am quite pleased with my purchase. It does exactly what I need it to do at a very affordable price.

Pros: It comes with 4 cameras and you can add 4 more. It's easy to install, the camera picture quality is good. It comes with everything you need to get started right away. The DVR has 500GB of memory so you don't need to add a hard drive. You can set the system for remote viewing. (Either from other computers on your network or remote viewing using a mobile device.) I can't comment on the remote viewing as I don't have it set, but plan to do so in the near future. I'll update my review once completed.

Cons: The print on the directions is small and not easy to read. However, it comes with a cd that allows you to view them on your computer. The mounting brackets are ok, not great. If you need to monitor a very dark area, you might want to add a motion light or some other form of outside lighting to improve the performance. You can adjust the brightness on the camera if extra lighting is not available, but daytime viewing may look washed out unless you adjust it each day.

Lastly For me, the value was in the DVR. I didn't want to spend a ton of money upfront. My thought was I could always add better cameras if needed. The included 60' cables are basic quality. I suspect if I upgrade to coaxial, the picture quality will improve. I have it hooked up to an old computer monitor, but you can also connect it to a newer TV. By doing so, you may improve the picture clarity even more. In order to use this system remotely, you'll need to connect the DVR to your router via a c5 cable or wireless bridge. I plan on doing the latter as I am trying to avoid running c5 cable through my home. For areas where you might not be able to run wires, you can add a wireless camera to the system such as the Lorex LW2110 Lorex LW2110 Wireless Digital Security Camera, but you'll still need to supply the camera with power.

If you are looking for an affordable starter security system and don't mind running some wires, the Zmodo PKD-DK0863 works well for me.

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Update 12/05/2012

As mentioned previously, I wanted to set this up for remote viewing. In order to do this, I needed to connect the DVR to my router. You can connect via a Cat5 cable. If your router is not near your DVR, and running wires through you home is not easy/possible, you can do like I did and add a wireless bridge. I recently installed a Cisco/Linksys WET610N bridge. Set up was fairly easy. I can now view my cameras from any computer on my home network. In addition, Zmodo has an app that allows me to view the feed from my Iphone. It works very well and I'm pleased with the picture quality. If you search Zmodo remote viewing on Youtube, you'll find several videos that will help make the installation easy.

I am a professional installer of CCTV surveillance system and I recently purchased this for a customer who wanted a very low budget system. As the saying goes you get what you pay for. I ended up using the DVR and replaced the cameras from another supplier.

PROS: The DVR is usable, customer service is excellent ( to make up for the quality of the product), very easy to network system. PRICE

CONS: Camera resolution very low and dose not produce true colors (I will upload some pics to demonstrate), if the camera is facing any type of shrubbery they appear as a light purple haze and not green. The IR distance is less that 25ft.

This system would be suitable for a commercial area as a store or quick shoppe about 30' x 30'. With the cameras installed no higher that 8ft. Would not recommend it for outdoor surveillance.

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This security camera system works pretty well, view angle is amazing in every light condition, the installation was easy, I installed them in my restaurant we move all the cables throw the ceiling without issues. If you are looking for some system that delivers efficiency, easy install and a fair price I think you're on the right way for sure. Some things you must consider is to buy extra long cables if you need to cover big areas like me.

Speaking about the software...pretty easy to use, we only experiment some delays on remote access config because our Internet provider is a mess (not ZMODO fault's).

I think if you buy it, you'll not be disappointed.

Thanks!

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I ordered this to get proof a neighbor was "peeking" at me from around the fence I put up. For the price I am very happy. Would I have upgraded the cameras had I any clue what I was doing? Maybe. Would I have gone wireless so I dont have to belly crawl my attic? Maybe. I have more time than money so this system was exactly what I needed yet could afford. I dont have a clue and this system was SOOOO easy and when I messed up the settings I just reset to factory settings and started over. Simple. I'll admit, I didnt even read the installation or directions it was so easy.

I have an alarm system and I can wire this into it if I choose. I can add 4 more cameras if I choose. I just upgraded to a smart phone and I will be setting up the system to view on that. Isnt technology great? Whats even better is someone like me can install, set up, monitor this system with practically NO technical skills.

Thank you Zmodo and Amazon!!

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I read a lot of mixed and negative reviews for this item and similar models and was skeptical, but decided to take a risk anyway. I'm glad I did, for under $200 it is a great buy. It is not professional grade, nor did I expect it to be. The image quality is actually better than I expected it would be, even in total darkness it renders an acceptable image and the motion detection is almost too sensitive that I had to cut it back. Many of the complaints surround installation and setup. The included printed instructions are a bit lacking, but a search of FAQs on the manufacture's website will yield better information and step by step walk thru. The setup itself is pretty simple but if you want access over the internet it is a bit more involved. Like anything techie, you need a basic understanding of computers and networking, You need to open a DNS account, open router ports, and configure the NVR, all of which is easier than it sounds if you just follow the directions. I had a few issues and frustrations but found them to be more the fault of the ISPs, Time Warner & AT&T in my case, who block ports and generally don't seem to like to play nice with each other at the expense of their customers. If you are accessing from within your owns network rather than across the web with multiple ISPs this should not be an issue. Again most of the complaints deal with the setup, not the product itself, and we should not blame product for the problems caused by the 3rd party providers. There are workarounds, and once resolved it was a fairly quick and easy process. If you lack the tech knowledge, just get a 9 year old to do it. PROS: good image, can view directly, via the internet but I can't access from my work, I think it is port blocking again (but this time by corporate security) but fine form every other computer, iPad, iPhone and there is also an android app for those who have not upgraded yet. Image is fair to good, even in total darkness. CONS: needs to be hardwired to the router with a cat5 cable which may limit where you can place the unit, although a wireless adapter might work. I used wired cameras, however wireless models are available. The wireless camera isn't 100% wireless, it connects wirelessly to the router, but it still needs AC power so it must be close to an outlet, they don't exactly mention that. The software is a bit rudimentary, but it works. I can see they are improving the GUI. BOTTOM LINE: For a low cost video surveillance system this is the ticket and in my opinion a fine product that has been unjustly treated by reviewers.

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Aurum Silver Series Toslink Cable - Digital Optical Audio Cable - 15 Feet

Great feel but the ends seem a bit cheap but it works great so far. IT is long enough and the color is great as well. All in all I would buy this again.

I bought the --Cable Matters Gold Plated Premium TOSLINK Optical Digital Cable w/ Metal Connectors & Braided Jacket 15 ft. --last week from Amazon. It was a big disappointment. The signal would cut out and I got rid of it. Despite my bad luck I thought I would try again and bought this cable from Aurum which works perfectly. I think this cable looks nice in red and I would have purchased it in the first place if it had come up in my original search. I guess it pays to do your homework and the moral here is spend more than a few minutes before hitting the buy button. You are clearly doing a better job than me because I didn't read any reviews..

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Wow, you could use this for many things the designer probably didn't intend (or probably imagine). I am using it to connect my PC to my home theater receiver, and while I know that, like many things in life (I have been assured) size doesn't matter, when it comes to fiber optic... I wanted something substantial, not to mention red, to run along the wall in case there was another vacuum related incident, I mean if I somehow catch this with the vacuum I probably had one too many adult beverages, and you know what they say, friends don't let friends clean drunk... this is a solid cable, and quite attractive, not as attractive as the price, I mean, I have found cables half the thickness for twice the price (one went in my vacuum, but that is another story), get it, you wont be sorry, unless you are colorblind, then it probably wouldn't be a good choice for you!

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I used this cable for the optical out out of my Samsung plasma TV. Loved the braiding as I ran this through my wall and it served as good protection so I would not tear into the wire while poulling it through the wall and plaster. Works excellent, highly recommend!

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Does not stay in the port. Falls out of both tv and audio receiver even though each are different brands. Lame stay away far far away invest in a better/different cable brand

Pyle-Pro PCBL38FT6 6 Ft 12 Gauge 3.5mm Male To Dual XLR Female Cable

• Y Cable Used To Convert A Stereo 3.5mm Male Connection To Two XLR Female Connections
• Use This Cable To Plug Your MP3/iPod To XLR Inputs
• Maximum Noise Isolation Using Shields
• Precision Formulated Materials For Maximum Signal Transfer
• Use this Cable to Plug your Mixer's Outputs to a Portable Digital Recorder

I purchased this for my new mixer, and I couldn't be happier with the sound quality. It does feel a little flimsy simply because the two XLR plugs are heavier than the rest of the cable.

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Ironically, the paperwork that accompanied this item when it arrived claims that Pyle tests all products before they are shipped. That statement CANNOT be true. One of the XLR connectors was missing the retaining screw. If you have ever used an XLR connector, you know that they are useless if there is no retaining screw because the plug comes apart if you use it. Pyle used to be a reputable company, and when I was a kid they made many of their products in the USA. This piece of junk was made in you guessed it China. So, save yourself the hassle of having to return a useless product and avoid this junk. I have also purchased close to a dozen HOSA cables with various connectors from Amazon in the past month; every one of them is of high quality. And, as a bonus, there is a wiring schematic on the back of the packaging for easy reference. Bottom line: This Pyle cable is a piece of useless junk, and the Hosa cables are a pleasure to use.

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I've bought two and both have broken on me. They eventually just stop working after normal use. It may still work here and there but you'll have to mess around with the cord and get it in a right spot.

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Nice idea for a cable. Unfortunately, too much noise! The Pyle Brand seems to be hit or miss! Which, for the prices that Pyle sells for on Amazon if you get a good one, great deal but more than likely you will be returning it. I did!

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Works fine now. Construction is not too strong, so I don't know how long it will last. Can always get another for not too much money, however. Happy now.

GoPro Head Strap Mount for HERO Cameras

I purchased this mount with the intention of using it this coming winter while skiing. However I had the chance to use it during a recent river rafting trip. Over the course of the 4 hours I had it on my head, not once did it bother me. By the end of the trip I forgot I was wearing it (maybe that's partially due to having had a few beers that day too). The strap is comfortable and the fact that its so wide prevents that feeling that plastic grocery bags give to your fingers when you are carrying something heavy.

One tip: Practice with the strap on your head before using it the first time. The camera needs to be pointed down at a greater angle than you would initially suspect. Its not a flaw of the product, just my perception. After one adjustment I was able to easily simulate a first-person view instead of having 80% sky in every picture. Total adjustment and testing time was less than 5 minutes but required a computer or TV to verify recordings so do this at home before starting your activity.

Review updated 2011 Aug 10:

Vs. Helmet mount for mtn biking:

Pros:

Better PoV perspective which captures more movement of your arms and your gear in action

Better ground detail

Better clearance from branches

Cons:

Can't easily aim it behind you while on the bike and looking back at friends riding a section you just rode

More wind noise, due to it capturing the sound of wind deflecting off your chest

Footage from my GoPro on my helmet mount wasn't very spectacular. It seemed a bit slower than in real life and made everything look flat, from making obstacles look insignificant to making pitches look level. Moving the camera to the chest mount gave my footage better ground detail to help with depth perception and since it captured my position, arm movement, and gear's movement, it gave a sense of the technique I was using to handle the steep pitches. The ground and foliage seemed to zoom by faster too, which seemed to give a better sense of speed. It made my PoV footage seem a lot more interesting to watch. I still have a helmet mount for certain situations, but this is now my preferred location/way to mount/wear a camera on my body.

Both are kind of finicky to aim. I find the best way is to not use leg attachments if at all possible. The chest mount requires the camera to be tilted up, since your chest will be at an angle to the ground, else you will be filming your bikes top tube and your knees. I found that mounting the camera upside down with it tilting upwards just enough that it allows the camera to be coerced out if you open the rear hatch is just about perfect and is how I realign it each time if I happen to move the camera from mount to mount. I then use the UPd mode (available after a firmware upgrade for the regular HeroHD 1080) or just rotate it 180 in editing software (don't flip, as that reverses the left and right orientation). Using leg attachments will make it prone to shaky video and risk being jarred loose out of position (kills the flow looking down and seeing you need to fix the aim).

The GoPro tends to have rattling/clacking sounds which can be minimized by padding the clip interface with some tape to tighten it up and maybe padding the case with tape to dull the sound of dirt bouncing off the case.

If I were to ride solo (time trial style) or behind a better rider on a generally non-stop fast and flowy ride, I'd definitely opt for the chest mount. If I were to ride with buddies who were slower, I'd opt for a helmet mount, just so I could just pullover my bike, put a foot down, and turn my head and film them attempting a section I just rode. If the view was great and I'd want to get some riding by footage of scenery off to the side, I'd use a helmet mount too. If I wanted to ride stylish, I'd just opt for a non PoV view or give the camera to someone else who would act as a chaser.

IMO, this is one of the big reasons to get the GoPro over other PoV cams. Get it, use it, and learn to love it.

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I love this head strap and the videos you get to record with it. I'm a student pilot and I use it for recording my flights. It's very comfortable and I get to use it without any problem along with my headsets and sunglasses. The first times you feel your head a little bit heavy (because of the camera weight) but then you get used.

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I recently purchased an GoPro HD helmet-cam and this mount has made my skiing video's look stable as compared to using the helmet or head band mount that's included in the package. I guess its skiing style but I tend to move my head around more often then my chest. My chest is typically looking downhill in the direction of the fall line making for a stable platform keeping my viewers from getting sick. This is an accessory item that you should consider purchasing if you like making skiing or biking video's. I'm a big guy (6ft 225lbs)so I was concerned about this thing fitting me but to my pleasure I found that the straps are adjustable, stretch & a buckle next to the camera mount makes for quick removal. Also, it's easy to turn the camera on and start a video shoot with the camera being so close to your chest. I highly recommend using one of these if you want stable looking video's. I give it a thumbs up!

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The GoPro HD Hero I have is a lot of fun to use and record my activities from cross-country skiing to riding ATVs and boating. The head strap mount for the camera is a necessity for mounting the camera on your head when you won't be wearing a helmet of any kind that you can stick other styles of mounts to. If you have very short hair this head band will hold fairly well unless you are doing a lot of bouncing around and shaking. If you have longer hair as I do its almost impossible to get this band to grip well. The loose hair makes the band slip. I've solved this problem by attaching a light cord from each side and tie them together in a bow knot under my chin. This chin strap prevents the head band from wanting to slide up on your hair. It also adds 100% safety insurance that it won't come off and smack the ground by accident if you are moving your head around quite a bit or very quickly.

I did see a different brand POV camera unit actually mounted on the top of the bill of a baseball cap. I think the GoPro camera might be adaptable to mounting on the hat brim using one of the sticky plate mounts and perhaps two tiny screws and nuts through the brim to keep it there. Worth a try especially if you wear baseball caps.

ALZO Shock Multi-Mount for Shotgun Microphones & Audio Recorders - includes Zoom H4n, TASCAM for DS

I purchased this after buying another product to suspend my Zoom H4N. The first product was cheap, but too small, so I bit the bullet and bought this one. I am pleasantly surprised by the build quality of the item. The problem people are talking about is there the parts you mount on the main bracket do not tighten properly, so there is "play" in the fit, they wobble a bit. I remedied this by simply wrapping black electrical tape ONE time around, poking a hole thru the tape, and attaching and tightening, and it is a nice snug fit, no extra cost. You could also use two very thin rubber or plastic washers, but either way, it is a minor issue. The thing is solid, has great options for attaching accessories, and holds my Zoom H4N suspended just like I needed. It's a little heavy to lug around attached to your DSLR, but otherwise this is a good product.

Great concept, poor execution. The inability to fully tighten one of the mounting brackets should really be addressed by the manufacturer. Also it is a bit pricey for what it is especially given its flaw. Contemplating returning mine.

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I just received this mount. First, in terms of isolating a recorder, it does that very nicely...and there are not many other options out there. The problem is with the screws that hold it together. They cannot be torqued down enough to keep the unit tightly together. I ended up stripping two out. So, if you attach just a light recorder, it's not the end of the world. But, if you attach anything else, like a light or monitor, it's wobbly. Maybe yours will tighten. Mine simply would not. I ended up using a metal adhesive to hold everything together...and I'll see how that goes. I don't plan to reconfigure it...so I don't mind making the current configuration permanent. I give it three stars because I like the concept...but that's being a little generous. Good concept...poor manufacturing/components.

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I purchased this item to hold my Tascam DR-40 recorder on my DSLR rig to avoid the handling noise that was being transferred through the Tascam's 1/4-20 screw mount. It does a decent job of holding the recorder, and is pretty adjustable to accomidate future recorders or shotgun microphones. It eliminated all normal handling noise I was having, and still allowed me to view the Tascam's lcd screen.

My only gripe with this mount would be the shoe mount. It is difficult to tighten enough to really keep it in place. I think I will need to find a different knob that can give me more torque for tightening. In hindsight, I think it should be priced closer to the $30 area, but considering there are few good vibration dampening solutions out there for these field recorders, they can charge whatever they want.

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This is a great mount for microphones and other accessories for video. I wish some of the screws connected tighter. I really had to put a lot of force to tighten it. Other then that its a great product.

Audiovox DC400 Digital Media Recorder & Player with MP3 and MPEG4

I purchased the Dc400 for $140 on JandR.com. I've had the camera for about 2 weeks and I must admit for the low price it offers much. The buttons and menu controls are extremely user friendly, I barely glanced at the manual. Digital stills are fine, decent quality what you would expect from any 2.0 digital camera. The videos are perfect for web quality especially in a small view, full screen was a little choppy. The 4x digital zoom(not opticle)is as good as any other camera I've seen,the zoom button is on a nifty spot right at the tip of your index finger. The rechargable battery seems to work for over an hour and charges pretty quickly too. It fits easily in jeans pocket. Now the bad news. It only comes with a 32mb SD card, you can purchase a Sandisk 512MB SD on clearance now for around $50. The video editing software it comes with crashes, it was completely useless to me. Stick with Microsoft Movie Maker 2 for this one or another video editor of your choice. The photo programs are cool including a 360 degree and ultra zoom functions. Remember as soon as you plug the DC400 into USB port you can easily download all pics and videos from unit it acts like a mass storage drive in explorer. The microphone is placed in a bad spot must be careful not to cover with finger. The LCD screen does not swivel up or down. This unit is good for movies on the go but if you need to record video from VHS or DVD take a look at the Panasonic D-snap series. The Dc400 has a night view function but you will need good light to get a shot, outside is perfect in daytime, a well lit room, a well lit street at night with lots of stores and lamppost, remember all SD video camera's have poor to moderate night filming. Another function I found very cool is that you can film video or stills in black and white. I have not used it as a MP3 Player yet but the head phones it came with are mono so I'm not expecting it to be loud or great.

This is the funkiest little gadget I've ever had the pleasure of owning. For what you're paying, you couldn't ask for anything more. Of course, there are some cons to the numerous pros.

I use it mostly for the MP3 player, which I listen to for about an hour a day on my way to and from work. You may have heard complaints that the screen seems to overheat, and this is true if you leave it on, but just by pressing the display button you can power it off, which keeps it cool and saves big time on the battery.

You won't win any prizes for photography with this, as the pictures leave a lot to be desired. I rarely use it for this purpose. The quality is about the same as a picture taken from a cell phone, with the colors coming out funny and bright lights showing as black dots.

The video camera function is surprisingly good however, especially when you use the tripod provided. Moving it around freehand can cause some distortion on playback. If you get a decent size card for it though (512mb or so) you can record for a couple of hours providing the battery holds up.

All in all, a great little gadget. If I could import these to Ireland for resale, I'd be a very rich man.

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Here are the pros and cons of this digital camera:

Pros:

*Low price

*Multifunctional (MP3, video, pictures, sound recorder)

*Works good with sunlight on outdoor enviroments

*Videos are also really good if taken on outdoor enviroments

*Has an MP3 player so you can play your favorite music

*Can connect to your TV to play the videos or pictures

*Somewhat easy to use

Cons:

*NO FLASH!

*Completely useless indoors if room is not well lit or during the night

*Only comes with a 32Mb memory... enough for 54 pictures at max resolution or about 6 min of video

*If using as an MP3 player or if you plan on taking a lot of videos you should consider getting a larger memory (at least 256Mb)

*Picture quality is not bad... but worse than most high quality digital cameras

I would give it 4 stars if it had a flash... but since it doesn't I give it 3 stars! My conclusion... If you are not an MP3 fan or if you plan on taking lots of pics by night, consider spending a bit more and get another cam that has a flash and offers a higher resolution. If you are short on cash and don't plan on taking a lot of pictures by night then consider getting this cam.

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I purchased this camera about two weeks ago and for the price, it's perfect. The pictures come out great with outdoor pictures, but indoor photos can be a little pixilated. The list of features on it is quite impessive for the size and price. With MPEG4 encoding and mp3 player built in, and four picture modes in an easy to use menu. Excellent camera overall for the price.

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The digital camcorder that I recieved is a nice camcorder but overall, it doesn't give the results that I would like, especially for the price I paid I could have actually got a larger camcorder for if not the same or lesser price. The camcorder pics online makes it seems as big as your hand but it's actually smaller than a digital camera. I was disappointed with what I recieved but, I like the pictures that it takes...,another disappointing factor is the amount of recording memory it holds, horrible. I will have to upgrade camcorders within a few months.

Hauppauge 1445 HD-PVR Gaming Edition High Definition Personal Video Recorder for Use with PC, PS3,

My apologies for this long review. Hopefully, though, it will be useful to someone.

I'm writing this review from the standpoint of someone looking for a video transfer product to convert camcorder and VHS tapes into digital files for preservation and editing. If you going to use this product to record a gaming session, or to convert high-def video, please see the many other reviews here.

I've spent some time the past 2 weeks comparing competing products for transferring home videos into digital format on my Windows 7 PC for long-term preservation and so that I can edit the videos on my PC. I tried or considered three different products including this Hauppauge HD PVR, and one high-end video transfer company, all on the same Hi8 analog video cassette with a family video that is 15 years old. Along the way, I have gotten some familiarity with the various technologies available today for transferring magnetic tapes into digital form. I found out some interesting things, and thought I would share them, in the hope that it might help others.

First, and you probably already know this, if you have any video memories on magnetic video tape, you want to get them transferred into digital form onto your PC or DVD or Blu-ray as soon as possible, before the video badly deteriorates. This especially includes regular VHS tapes, Video8 tapes, and normal Hi8 tapes, all of which are analog formats and are particularly susceptible to deterioration starting after about 10 years. Somewhat less susceptible to deterioration are Digital8 (which is also recorded on Hi8 tapes) and MiniDV tapes, because those are digital formats. But even for digital tapes, it is still magnetic tape which deteriorates over time, and you need to get those videos off of there. Seriously, at the risk of sounding like a doomsayer, if you have precious memories on magnetic video tape, you need to transfer that video off of those tapes and into digital form as soon as possible, or risk losing them forever. It's not hard to do, and you'll sleep better at night when you get it done!

In my case, I have a bunch of precious Hi8 family video tapes recorded on a high-end Sony consumer camcorder between 10 and 19 years ago, and I am rescuing these Hi8 videos a little on the late side. I wish I had started this project 5 years ago instead. These tapes are still watchable, but they have developed some lines and drop-outs and "hiccups" and digital artifacts. With multiple playback retries, I can fortunately still coax out fairly high quality from these tapes.

A quick note: Digital8 and MiniDV video tape camcorders have USB ports on them for digitally transferring your videos to your PC or Mac. If this is your situation, there is NO need to purchase one of these video transfer products (like Hauppauge HD PVR). You will get the best quality, by far, by using a USB cable to connect your camcorder to your PC or Mac, playing back your video in the camcorder, and using any of a whole bunch of different inexpensive software products on the market that will allow you to capture video from the USB port on your computer. This way, you are getting the digital video in its original form, which is great. You will get worse quality if you use a video transfer product that captures the video off of the video ports on the camcorder, because the camcorder is converting the digital video into analog, then the video transfer product converts the analog back to digital (not ideal, for sure).

So, for the rest of this review, I will assume you have analog magnetic video tape (like VHS, Video8, or normal Hi8), in which case you need a video transfer product like this Elgato Video Capture or something similar.

A note about video resolution: The analog video tape formats (VHS, Video8, and normal Hi8) all have native video resolutions less than 640x480. All of the video transfer products on the market record the video from these formats at either 640x480 or 720x480. It doesn't really matter which of these two resolutions the product records at. The point is, all of the video transfer products record at higher resolution than the original video, so you are capturing all of the resolution of the original video when you do the video transfer, which is good.

A note about overscan lines at the bottom of captured video: As documented all over the Internet, when capturing digital video from an analog video source like an analog magnetic video tape, you will end up with some additional fuzzy lines at the bottom of the captured video. This is totally normal. When played back on a regular TV, these overscan lines are usually chopped off because they appear "below the bottom of the screen," but the digital capture grabs them (including with the Hauppauge HD PVR). To get rid of those lines, you can crop or zoom in slightly when you do your video editing. Interestingly, the Elgato Video Capture device (see below) automatically does a minor zoom on all captured video to remove those fuzzy lines.

A remark about video editing: Two of the products below (Elgato and Hauppauge) produce video files that use H.264 compression. This is an excellent video compression standard for viewing, and is supported by just about all video editing software. However, if you are going to do significant video editing, you may want to use some video conversion software to convert these video files to uncompressed or MJPEG-compressed AVI or MOV files for editing. (There are many inexpensive or perhaps even free software packages that will do this conversion.) The problem with editing H.264 compressed video files directly is that the extreme compression, which crosses video frame boundaries, can cause problems for video editing software, resulting sometimes in digital artifacts or out-of-sync audio in the final edited video output. An uncompressed or MJPEG-compressed AVI or MOV video source file avoids these problems.

A word about using an outside company to make a high-quality transfer of your analog video tape: A search of the Internet reveals many companies that will transfer your video tape into digital form, and send the digital files back to you on a fairly inexpensive USB hard drive that you can supply yourself or that they will sell you. Some of these companies are better than others. A few of these companies are very high-end, using expensive video transfer equipment. I used one of these very high-end video transfer companies, using their most expensive Premium service, to transfer the very same 15-year-old Hi8 tape that I also tried at home with the video transfer products below. I discovered that the transfer done by the outside company was significantly WORSE (lots of lines through the video and tracking problems) than what I was able to do at home with the products below. I don't necessarily think this is the fault of the video transfer company. At home, I was able to use the very same Sony Hi8 camcorder to do the transfer that I originally used to shoot the original video tape. My suspicion is that, especially for older analog video tapes, it helps to use the same camcorder for transfer as you used to shoot the video originally, so that any idiosyncracies in tracking or video head alignment won't be as much of an issue. Just food for thought.

Anyway, as noted above, I have done an experiment over the past 2 weeks, transferring the exact same 15-year-old Hi8 tape to my PC using the high-end video transfer company (above), plus two different video transfer products at home (Elgato and Hauppauge, below), and I also considered a third video transfer product (Blackmagic, below), to compare the pros and cons of each of each approach. Here's what I found out:

Elgato Video Capture: Gets the best reviews on Amazon for a relatively inexpensive product for video transfer on both Windows and Mac. It captures video at 640x480 resolution, which means it grabs the full resolution and more of VHS, Video8, and normal Hi8 tapes. This worked great on my 64-bit Windows 7 computer. I just downloaded the latest driver and software from the Elgato web site, installed them both, and I was ready to go. It's incredibly easy to use. It connects to any USB 2.0 port on your computer. There are really no settings; the software guides you through the very simple process, and it transfers your video to your computer as an MP4 file. In case you are curious, the MP4 file it writes uses H.264 compression at 640x480 resolution and (basically) 29.97 frames/sec (standard NTSC) and a video data rate of between about 1100 kbps and 1500 kbps, depending on the complexity of the particular video you transferred. The audio in the MP4 file is AAC format at 48 kHz 16-bit stereo with an audio data rate of 128 kbps. When capturing a 2-hour video, I ended up with an MP4 file that was 1.5 GB in size. This Elgato product scores big points for ease-of-use. However, the video quality, while quite good, is not as high as the Hauppauge HD PVR (see below), because of the heavy video compression the Elgato uses to make a relatively small MP4 file with fairly low data rates. If you look closely at the captured video from the Elgato product, you will notice some minor squares of slightly distorted color at times, where the video has been over-compressed. Also, as noted above, the Elgato Video Capture automatically does a minor zoom on all captured video to avoid the fuzzy lines at the bottom of the captured video. On the plus side, this saves you the step of doing that zoom yourself in video editing. On the minus side, it is cropping all 4 sides of the video slightly, which might not be what you want.

Hauppauge HD PVR (this product): The Hauppauge HD PVR exists in two very similar versions, the Model 1212 and the Model 1445 Gaming Edition, but the functionality of the two models is identical when capturing video from analog video magnetic tape. (I used the Gaming Edition.) Although designed for high-def video capture, it's by far the best product I tried for standard-def video capture as well. This product gets excellent reviews on Amazon, and rightfully so. It works out of the box on Windows (including 64-bit Windows 7, which I use), and also supports the Mac with separately downloadable software. When transferring standard definition video, the Hauppauge product captures video at 720x480 resolution, which means it grabs the full resolution and more of VHS, Video8, and normal Hi8 tapes. Like the Elgato product, the Hauppague is very easy to use, though the software give you a few recording options, unlike the Elgato. The Hauppauge connects to any USB 2.0 port on your computer. It gives you a choice of recording video in three different formats: .TS, .M2TS, or .MP4. It doesn't matter much, choose whatever format is most convenient for you; most digital video editing applications can handle any of these formats with no problem. In all three cases, the output file uses H.264 compression, is 720x480 resolution, 29.97 frames/sec (standard NTSC) and a user-selectable video rate between 1 Mbit/sec and 13.5 Mbit/sec. I chose 5 Mbit/sec, and ended up with a crystal-clear video capture with a variable video data rate of 20 kbps (MUCH higher data rate and much lower compression than the Elgato, which means a clearer picture). The audio is AC-3 format at 48 kHz and a data rate of 384 kbps (again, much less compression than the Elgato, which means the Hauppauge perhaps yields slightly higher audio quality). If these technical details sound confusing, it's not important. The point is, the video capture from the Hauppauge product is significantly higher quality than from the Elgato, at the expense of significantly larger output files, and like the Elgato, can be edited with most video editing software. (A 2-hour video capture on the Hauppauge gave me a 5 GB file, as opposed to the 1.5 GB file from the Elgato for the same video tape.) Note that, like most video capture devices, the Hauppauge gives you the full captured video frame, which means you end up with some fuzzy lines at the bottom, as explained above. You can eliminate those fuzzy lines during editing with a crop or minor zoom.

Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle: This is the cream-of-the-crop for video capture. It comes in either a USB 3.0 model for Windows or a Thunderbolt model for the Mac. It captures both high-def and standard-def video in full, uncompressed format, so there is no loss of video quality for compression. For true archival quality of your video memories, this is the Rolls Royce option. However, there are two trade-offs to obtain this quality. The first is that your uncompressed video takes a LOT of disk space. The second, and more important, consideration is that you need a computer that can handle the extremely high data rate coming from the Blackmagic device (since the video is uncompressed). If you run Windows, you need a high-speed computer using an Intel x58 based motherboard, a true USB 3.0 port, and the latest USB 3.0 drivers. Most computers don't meet this requirement, even when they have a USB 3.0 port. There is a list of officially tested motherboards on the Blackmagic web site. My 1st-generation Dell XPS 17 laptop (which has two USB 3.0 ports) does not meet this requirement, so I can't use the Intensity Shuttle, and thus I haven't tried it. Though not officially listed as a supported system, there is a YouTube video called "Intensity Shuttle and Dell XPS Laptop From Scratch Tutorial" that explains how use a SECOND-generation Dell XPS 17 laptop with the Intensity Shuttle if you re-install Windows 7 and strip down the software running in the background to the bare minimum. Many people who want to use the Intensity Shuttle will buy or build a computer specifically for this purpose. If you don't already have a computer that is compatible with the Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle, and you aren't willing to invest to purchase or build one, or you don't need the full uncompressed archival quality video that is captured by the Intensity Shuttle, go with the Hauppauge or Elgato products, above.

I hope this comparative review is helpful to someone. Good luck, and good for you for transferring your precious older analog video tapes!

hello I hope this review finds you doing awesome please remember to liken favorite this review (YouTube game community joke there)!

This review will focus on the difference between the 2 HD PVR's available on Amazon but as an HD PVR that I constantly use for gameplay captures both of these will work aces if you're looking to capture 720p gameplay or video. And I exclusively use mine for console gameplay captures and have no experience using it to capture TV programs. I gave it 4 stars in this regard because I would like to recapture at 1080p but at the moment these devices only allowed 1080i as an option and the signal looks kind of week at 1080i but the 720p capture from these devices looks tiptop!

I wanted to quickly bump out this review to help you compare the 2 Hauppauge (what a horrible company name) HD PVR's that you see here on Amazon. One of them is " the gaming edition" while the other it would seem from their button above " is not compatible with console game systems". And this is simply untrue, now I'm not sure if it's an error on Amazon's part but it should be set straight. (and please note if the 1445 price falls below $200

and or has free shipping I might just be the better deal)

The Hauppauge 1445 & 1212 Are the exact same device hardware wise it seems from my initial look if this is untrue after further research I will let you know. Basically all the 1445 comes with that is different from the 1212 is a component cable that you run from your console/ game system to the HD PVR. Now this table can be bought on Amazon for less than $10 which makes the 1212 seem like a better purchase if you already have video editing software. When we explain that a little further.

The reason I want to put this review up was to explain that both are compatible with game systems many of the commentators on YouTube who do gameplay use the 1212 at the moment as the 1445 seems to be a relatively new device. But the Way, Amazon has a categorized you would think that the 1212 is not compatible with gaming systems which is untrue. The 1445 simply comes with the cable and some better editing software than the 1212. I have not done a lot of research on the arc soft editing software that comes with it though I do believe it retails for around $80 but I use premiere Pro from Adobe and many commentators use Sony Vegas which I believe are way more powerful than the arc soft editing program. But all in all if you don't have any editing software and one of simple one-stop shop package then the 1445 is an all-around good deal for a little bit more money.

But if you're wondering if the 1212 is compatible with gaming systems it certainly is and if you buy the triple head component cable available on Amazon for $10-$15 you will be able to record gameplay from your system of choice.

If later on I find out there is a hardware difference or something has changed (besides the color of the LED which is blue on the 1212 and seems to be green on the 1445) I will update this review if you know something I've missed feel free to leave it in the comments below. Thanks or taken the time to read this I hope that it is helped you understand the differences between these 2 very similar HD PVR's.

FOR MAC USERS:If you're a Mac user and want to get into gameplay commentary or recording go with the 1212 as you will need to buy Elgato's Eye-TV software which retails for about $80 to get your Hauppauge to run on the Mac. But one thing I'd like to say about Eye-TV as a software package said it is way more powerful than the standard software that comes with the 1212 for Windows. So many more export features and the ability to edit your video recordings and export them before ever touching video editing software. It is a great software package if you're on a Mac and want to get into recording gameplay.

Game on gamers!

Buy Hauppauge 1445 HD-PVR Gaming Edition High Definition Personal Video Recorder for Use with PC, PS3, Now

I will not be going into a lot of technical detail, because there are a many great reviews on here that have already accomplished that, but there are a few complaints that just seemed to have gone ignored.

The biggest one I have is that this system cannot record SNES or NES video. After trying unsuccessfully on many different systems, I thought that my system may have been broken so I got a replacement. The exact same problems occurred and I realized it was a design flaw. Here is the email that I got back from tech support:

___

It looks as though these devices are sending out a video signal that the HD

PVR doesn't understand. For analog video the HD PVR is expecting 30 frames

per sec consisting of 30 odd fields per second and 30 even fields per

second. One odd and one even field make up a frame. Your older gaming

systems are using only odd or only even fields. The advantage to this is

that the video displayed is a bit clearer with no interleaving (or

interlacing) effect but the HD PVR's video digitizer doesn't understand and

cannot display this type of video information.

___

Since this was the main reason why I wanted the system, it was hearbreaking for me. The other major flaw is the high requirements for 720p-1080i output. I have a dual core laptop that was not powerful enough to output the display to the TV, so while the system was able to record properly, I would not be able to play a game at the same time.

After I was able to get by these rather dramatic disappointments, I am still fairly happy with the system itself, and I will be keeping it to record PS3 gameplay in the future. The cables that came with this version are pretty amazing. I highly recommend this system if you have a powerful computer and you only plan on recording video footage from dreamcast to newer systems.

Here's a quick run-down of what I was talking about:

Does not work with an SNES or NES (I've tried 3 types of each)

Requires a pretty powerful computer to output at 720p-1080i

Read Best Reviews of Hauppauge 1445 HD-PVR Gaming Edition High Definition Personal Video Recorder for Use with PC, PS3, Here

This says "gaming compatibility" for marketing reasons only, the only thing different between this model and the cheaper 1212 model are the cables provided, how it looks, and the software that's included. With this model, Hauppauge includes a 3-way component cable which can be used for xbox 360, ps3, and wii. The same cable cost me $10 at gamestop.

The software is a bit trickier, I use 3rd party software so I don't know how Acersoft (or whatever it's called) works, but this model gives you software that's supposed to work with gaming consoles. The thing is that you can download the new software off the Hauppauge Support page, so it really doesn't matter which model you get, they both will work for recording gameplay.

I use the 1212 model for recording ps3 and xbox 360 gameplay, it's easy to use and easy to set up but I won't go into detail as this section is for the 1445 model. Just remember that the only difference between this and the 1212 is that the 1445 model has a green light, includes a cable that you can get for $10 somewhere else, different software, and cost $40 more than the 1212 model. Gotta love marketing.

Want Hauppauge 1445 HD-PVR Gaming Edition High Definition Personal Video Recorder for Use with PC, PS3, Discount?

I bought the Hauppauge 1445 HD-PVR Gaming Edition to record video from my XBox 360. It works great, but after a day of struggling with the device and being ready to rip my hair out, hopefully I can give you some details and save you from similar frustration.

The box comes with everything you need to get started: the Hauppauge itself, an AC adapter, a component cable capable of connecting any of the current-generation gaming systems (PS3/360/Wii), a male-to-male component cable for passthrough to your TV, a USB cable for connecting to your computer, and a software disc. Keep in mind that you'll be doing all the capture on a computer; this device does not have an integrated hard drive, or the ability to add one.

I specifically bought the gaming edition so I could get the included multi-device component cable, because aside from my Wii, I hook everything up via HDMI. If you're buying the gaming edition for the green light on the device... go ahead. If the color of the light doesn't matter to you, DON'T buy the gaming edition. I made the mistake of believing that for five extra dollars, I was going to get a high-quality cable, despite being an analog signal split between three possible input connections. After plugging the cables, I realized my mistake. There was ghosting, what some might call the "halo effect", around everything. It was most pronounced around text. This effect appeared at 720p and 1080i resolutions, and also appeared in recordings, proving that the problem was with the cable itself and not with my setup. 480i and 480p had no ghosting issue, so if you're planning on recording Wii only, you can make do with the included cable. I had to go out and buy a dedicated cable for my XBox 360. I'd recommend you do the same, and stick with the cheaper "blue" model.

After that frustration, the biggest problem was getting the damn thing to actually work. I connected all the cables and the USB cable as instructed, popped in the disc, and installed the device drivers and the ArcSoft ShowBiz software. I launched the ShowBiz capture module, and ... no video! I had all the correct inputs selected (Hauppauge device, component input, rear stereo audio), and the preview window showed nothing. Trying to capture video despite that yielded an error when stopping the capture. I must have changed literally every device and format setting, trying to find whatever quirk in my settings was causing the issue. I even installed the drivers and software on another computer to see if it was my laptop's fault. As a last resort, I visited the Hauppauge website and downloaded the drivers from the Support page. After updating my drivers... lo and behold, the preview video was there! Why the included drivers didn't work from the get-go, I have no idea. What's even more confusing is that it wasn't included as a suggestion in any of the troubleshooting documentation I could find, nor did the driver changelog suggest that it was solving any problem in my setup. So, I spent the better half of my day just getting the capture set up and getting quality video going.

I'm happy to say that following those issues, the device works flawlessly. Once you start capture up, the device lights up bright to let you know that it's busy at work, encoding the video and transferring it to your computer according to whatever settings you have set. There's no lag on the TV itself, despite the Hauppauge being in-between. The video as well as the audio will be played back on the computer with a bit of a delay though, but you can feel free to mute your system while recording happens to avoid the distracting audio. You don't really need a powerful system to capture video, because all the encoding is done on the Hauppauge itself (editing is a different story). You have a large range of mbps/sec qualities to choose from, whether you want to bitrate to be constant or variable, and whether you want stereo sound to be encoded as AAC or AC3. In addition, you have a range of output formats to choose from, including .TS, .M2TS, and .MP4. These are organized according to whichever device you plan to use to play the media back (AVCHD, PS3, and XBox 360, respectively). I recommend recording in .TS format, regardless of what device you'll use. .MP4 has audio sync issues, so avoid using that format.

I cranked mine up to the highest variable bitrate and AC3-encoded audio at 720p in .TS format, and it cost me about 1.6GB for a 20 minute video. Not too shabby! I haven't compared various bitrates and their effect on file size, but you can probably make your space go a lot farther with a bit of experimentation. The quality was great; what I saw on my TV was what recorded, with no audio hiccups or stuttering of any kind.

If you're planning on doing some trimming of your videos, and maybe adding some transitions, basic effects, or text, then ArcSoft ShowBiz will do the trick for you, complete with the ability to upload directly to YouTube. For me, I needed something with some more options (no fade through black, ArcSoft? Really?). I used AVS Video Editor, which has a much more robust set of options, and best of all, takes your .TS format video without a fuss. Be warned that it will include a watermark upon publishing if you don't buy the full version. Unfortunately, you likely won't be able to "cut out the middleman", so to speak, when capturing video. AVS couldn't capture video from the Hauppauge, so I'm stuck with capturing the video with ArcSoft ShowBiz and opening up the video in AVS. I can't say for sure if any other Windows-based video capture software will work, but I had no such luck. Those of you using a Mac or Linux, there are third-party solutions out there to get you rolling. I haven't tested them yet, so I can't tell you what type of experience you'll have.

Overall, the Hauppauge HD-PVR does a great job of what it's supposed to do: Capture high quality video from your game console or other component video device and provide an acceptable set of editing and uploading options. I took off one star for the initial frustration and the poor-quality gaming cable. Once it's working, it does a great job of what it promises to do.

Happy recording! If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment on the review.

LG BX580 Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player, Black

• 3D Blu-ray Disc Playback
• Integrated Wi-Fi Connectivity
• NetCast Entertainment Access
• DLNA Certified (Home Link)
• Full HD 1080p

Had very high expectations for this player. The setup was very easy and the bluray playback was excellent. However, I did not purchase this JUST to play my blurays, my PS3 already does that just fine. I bought it for its streaming and Netcast features, which unfortunately work either satisfactory at best, or, in my case (specifically CinemaNow), not at all. CinemaNow just failed to connect, everything else did. CinemaNow support passed the blame to LG, and LG advised me to send the unit for servicing. I told LG that sending a product for servicing one day after receiving it is not an option. So, am returning it back to Amazon and will hunt for a different network streaming bluray player. LG customer support did try to help, but ultimately were unable to and like I said, having to have a brand new product serviced out of the box is simply not acceptable.

UPDATE 10/20/2010

LG customer support CAME THROUGH! Decided to give them one last chance and this time someone answered who actually knew what to do (I know, shocker!). Anyway, "Oscar" was very helpful and told me to reset the LG's IP address from AUTO to Manual and supplied a new IP address and CinemaNow works beautifully. All the other Netcast sites continued to work as well. I will be keeping this unit!!!

UPDATE 9/17/2012

I have just thrown this player in the trash. It stopped playing virtually all media, satisfactorily. Everything I put in it would stutter, digitize, or just plain not play at all. What a horrible piece of garbage. LG should be ashamed of itself (yeah, right). Updated to Panasonic DMP-BDT500 -so far am very happy with it. It is a superior machine, both feature-wise and more importantly, construction-wise. So, in short, less than two years worth of playing, and LG craps out. No more LG for me.

Buy LG BX580 Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player, Black Now

I am mostly pleased with this Blu-ray player's features and performance. I have it connected via HDMI to a 3D-capable AV receiver and as expected it does a great job playing Blu-ray DVD's as well as upconverting standard DVD's. I haven't been able to test the 3D capability because I'm still undecided on a 3D TV. The networking capability works very well; I had no trouble connecting to my secure wireless-N network, but the wireless connection speed seems much lower than I'm getting on my notebook, probably due to the LG player being buried in a cabinet with other electronics. This means that streaming from the internet or a PC via DLNA is somewhat slow, and wired Ethernet would be advisable if you do heavy media streaming. Standard YouTube video streaming, however, worked pretty well due to the lower bandwidth requirement.

The only thing keeping me from giving this unit 5 stars is that the photo display capability has a serious limitation that is not documented and has not been remedied by LG tech support. In spite of the advice to keep JPEG's below 3000 by 3000 pixels (24 bits/pixels), I found that the image will not display properly if the file size exceeds 3.0 MB, regardless of pixel dimension. This problem was duplicated by LG tech support on images that I supplied them, but although they stated their engineers were working on the problem, it has not been fixed in over two months. This is probably not something that most people will care about, but if you want to stream photos from your PC for slide shows on your hi-def TV, the BX580 would be a good way to do it if it worked properly with normal JPEG files.

All in all, a very nice unit, especially considering the substantial discount price that is available on Amazon!

Read Best Reviews of LG BX580 Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player, Black Here

I got this as part of a deal when purchased with a 3D tv. This player has a feature called Homelink which allows you to play media off a network drive. I have a NAS that's on the network and this player plays everything I've thrown at it flawlessly. Its allowing me to move the mac mini I have to the bedroom since I no longer need a media pc. I can't attest to the 3d blu ray playback since there seems to be a lack of 3D blu ray discs but I'm impressed so far with what I've seen.

Want LG BX580 Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player, Black Discount?

I got the BX580 is in a bundle from Amazon with the LG 55LX6500 LED 3D Internet 1080 HDTV, and 4 pairs of LG 3D glasses. This player has way more option than I need, and all the connections and capabilities are duplicated on the LG 55LX6500 HDTV. But for someone with an HDTV without those features, the player fills in the gaps.

When all the pieces were delivered and hooked up together, I played a new 3D Blu-Ray disk (Monster House 3D), as well as a new full 1080 HD DVD (Avatar). I also played a lot of older DVDs in the old standard 3:4:5 (1.33) analog TV format, some of which are only 720 resolution. They all play well, but only full 1080 HD sources have the razor sharp definition that is now the expectation. From now on, all I will buy are Blu-Ray. No more DVDs, though I'm glad I can still play my old inferior DVDs.

I don't have any negative issues with the BX580 player. It was a fantastic experience. The only negative I experienced was that 3D gives me a headache after awhile, but that is an issue with the active shutter technology, and not the player equipment.

Neither the LG player nor LG HDTV comes with HDMI cables, which are required for the best results. I originally had the player hooked to the TV with composite video cables and the analog sound (red-white audio cables) -because I only ordered HDMI cables from Amazon after the player and TV were delivered and I found out HDMI cables were NOT included. If you want the full digital capability of this player, including 5.1 or 7.1 sound, then you must hook up with an HDMI cable. Those red-white-yellow RCA analog cables are for legacy (non-HDMI) analog peripherals you have.

You can hook up your digital 5.1 or 7.1 sound equipment directly to the BX580 player by digital coax or digital optical. I just hook my digital sound system (a Logitech Z-5500 5.1 digital sound system) directly to the HDTV. The HDMI cable linking the player to the TV will carry all the digital sound signal to speaker system through the HDTV. You can also hook up an analog sound system with the red-white RCA jacks, but all you can get is stereo from them. Unlike your computer, which might have 3 or 4 separate analog audio jacks for a 5.1 system, the BX580 player only supports a digital 5.1/7.1 audio connection, and a stereo (red-white RCA jacks) analog audio.

I was pleasantly surprised that the BX580 had built in WiFi, which I didn't even realize until somebody commented on it in an online review (so much for not reading the manual.) I already had the LG HDTV hooked to an Ethernet cable to my home LAN, so I didn't really need the internet capability of the BX580 player, which also has an Ethernet jack. So I connected the player by WiFi, since I also already have WiFi in the house. Sometimes WiFi connections have issues but I had no trouble connecting the player to my home LAN. The only hiccup was I put the gateway password in as the password the BX580 player asked for, when what it really wanted was the gateway key. I only tested out the Utube internet app because it was free. The other video content apps, like Netflix, requires an account be established first.

Now I have three remotes to manipulate -the HDTV remote, the BX580 player remote, and the Sound system remote. I'm OK with his, because once set, I manipulate very little from my standard set up. Long ago I gave up on universal remotes, because, despite all their claim, they are not. The LG remotes have a simplex feature which allows both the TV and the player to be operated by one remote but you can't use simplex when you have a 3D program on.

I don't have any issues with the remotes. I can't read them without glasses any way, and I just keep one of those free mini LED flashlights from Harbor Freight close by if I need to see the remote buttons.

All in all, this is an excellent player with more options than you may be able to take advantage of. I got it at a great price, and I am more than satisfied with it. I would not hesitate to recommended it to a friend.

I was looking for a feature packed 3D blu-ray player that offerd wireless connectivity to my home network. The BX580 fit the bill to a "T". It has lots of features and for the money I don't think that it can be beat. I liked the product so much that I bought another one for a second entertainment system. Previous review critized usb port on face of unit. I have not found that to be a problem. Easy to access and usually this connection is for a short period and not permanent anyway. 3D works great too.

Canon ZR200 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom (High Metal)

Great Camera, Battery Sucks

I bought this camera to replace an old Panasonic VHS-C camera. After reading many reviews over at www.camcorderinfo.com (a great site BTW), I decided to save a few bucks and get the ZR 200 instead of the 300. The light seemed useless to me and I already had a SD card.

The ZR 200 outperforms our old Panasonic in every way. Very happy with this camera. I've been using it mostly in "easy" mode. I did try out the wide-screen feature, and MAN was it cool! I filmed a concert band at a local community college, in low light, on a ti-pod with lots of panning and zooming. It really did a great job. It looked like a freakin' documentary!

You will read lots of reviews complaining about motor noise. These are greatly exaggerated. I've used it to tape the audio of my wife's sonogram (fetal doppler sounds) in a very quiet doctor's office and it worked perfectly, no motor noise.

This is a consumer level camera, and as such performs very well for casual capturing. Kicks butt for home movies, low light concerts. Real pros might want to consider spending more.

One bummer, the battery really sucks. It lasts about one hour, so you'll want to get another one, or do what I do and plug it in whenever you can.

One little tip: You must hold the focus button down! You will read complaints of slow manual focus times, and I noticed the same thing, until I HELD DOWN THE FOCUS BUTTON. Manual focus is very snappy.

Amount Paid (US$):

239.99 (www.dell.com, w/ 2 coupons from www.dealmac..com)

Ease of Use:

Excellent; operates with the touch of a button

Durability:

Good; solid it will last until new technology develops

Battery Life:

Average; lasts 45-90 minutes

Movie Quality:

Good; stable and crisp image, very good sound

Recommended for:

Home and Families Keep Memories of Family Vacations

Pros:

Great Images, Very Small, Easy to use

Cons:

Batteries only last one hour.

The Bottom Line:

Highly recommend it for home, family buyers AND budget buyers.

Overall Product Rating:Above Average

Recommended: Yes

This camera replaced Canon's ZR85, which was another lightweight, no-frills camera. This one is even lighter, and a fair bit smaller. It fits just right in the palm of my hand. If it was any smaller or lighter it would be awkward -I like there to be a little bit of weight to a camera, since that gives it a litle bit of stability due to inertia; as it is it is just right.

It has more functions than you'd really want in such a camera -if you are ever going to do something with the footage you will be using a computer and an editing program, so you don't really need the editing modes on the camera. Still, there's no complaint here, and it's flexible enough for most non-professional, home users.

My only complaints are: when they "upgraded" to the ZR200 from the ZR85, they got rid of the neck strap. So this unit is totally free floating and you have to be more careful about dropping it. I suppose you could rig a neck strap but it isn't included and it would be a little more awkward, since the slots they give you to fasten a strap are very close together. I ended putting one on there but rarely use it, because it makes the camera twist around a bit. I really liked the neck strap on my ZR85 as a way of stabilizing the camera: I could put the camera down near my waist, and look through the LCD monitor, and the tension from the neck strap would help me keep the camera steady as I walked, usually while filming my children ahead of me. The other complaint is that the viewfinder on this one no longer swivels up and down, but is fixed in place. This makes it much less usable for me -because it means that the camera has to swivel with your head if you are using the viewfinder. It means that I use the LCD screen much more often than I used to, and that runs the battery down much more quickly. Still, for simplicity and convenience and ease of use, you'd be hard pressed to find a better camera at this price.

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I purchased this camera to replace my Panasonic VHS-C camcorder. I was very surprised at how much smaller the camcorders are as compared to when I had my VHS-C. This camera is great. Its small, compact design makes it easy to fit into the palm of your hand, and the mini screen is perfect for viewing images while recording. The feature that really sold me on this camera, aside from its low price, was the image stabilization. With the stabilization on, there is no image bouncing, and you'll be sure to get clear, sharp images every time. I was disappointed in the short charge that the battery holds, so I recommend purchasing another battery or plugging the camera in whenever possible. The tapes the camera uses are very small, and you can easily store several in a camera bag.

I highly recommend this camcorder. It was ranked the best camcorder in its price range by Consumer Reports magazine. You'll be sure to get many hours of enjoyment using this teriffic camcorder from Canon.

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I imagine most people who buy this camera will be using it to make home movies and so far I've found it to be very easy to use and the video quality to be excellent.

A few words of warning, the provided USB cable is only good for tranferring still images to your PC. If you want to transfer video you need and IEEE394 cable (I think that's what it's called). This does not come with the camera. However if you do some looking online you can get one very cheap (I got one for $1.95). Most brick and mortar stores sell them for a much higher price, as much as $30.

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You get what you pay for and more... For a camera that is normally under 300 bucks, one can not really complain. If you expecting it to perform like a 2000 dollar camera then don't buy it. If you are looking for something simple to use (for me it was for the birth of my son etc...) It was perfect. Get another battery, an SD card for pictures, and a few DV cassettes and you are good to go. Amazon sells it for a bit high, I would go to Dell and purchase it with a few coupons, normally ends up to be like 240-270 free shipping + your local taxes, so under 300.

LTS LTD04HTSK 4-Camera H.264 Realtime DVR Security System with 320GB, Mobile Phone Live View, VGA o

I purchases this for the sole purpose of residential security. Amazon did a great job at getting the product to me extremely quickly. The setup for this system is really simple based on the fact of siamese cable (BNC & power) being bundled with the package. In other words you have everything you need to get going. However after everything was setup was where I started to see issues. The main problems I experienced were:

1) Cam resolution is very low

2) DVR kept shutting down without warning or reason

3) DVR resolution is low (352x which is then interpolated to full screen)

4) 2 cameras died after a day or two

Needless to say you unfortunately seem to get what you pay for. To put it in perspective a full D1 (720x resolution) DVR would set you back at least $500 by itself with individual cameras (decent quality like CNB etc) being $200 each plus cables etc. So with that said as long as you don't expect high quality capture, great night vision then you may be okay with this. Similarly you can always by this as a starter set then switch out the cams however my major concerns were with the quality of the product after some of the issues seen which is what forced me to return this (bad DVR and 2 cams).

Would recommend looking elsewhere unless your needs are very basic.

Also of note finally is the Mobile Phone view and remote view. You can watch the cams remotely via iPhone as long as you use a 3rd party Apple Store App and have remote access to your DVR (use Dynamic DNS to set this up). For remote view (using an Internet browser) you must have one that supports ActiveX so anyone using a MAC you will either need you use Parallels or Fusion with Windows and IE or move to a PC to accomplish this.

I had the unit for 2 months now, At first just set the cameras out to test what views I would get, By the end of two weekends I had hide most of the wires and mounted the cameras in the best spots. The night mode do work up to about 30-40 feet, more if you have a street light to help out. The cameras are OK and work well. I hooked up a $300 camera from work and the DVR did show and record much better picture, but again for a price. Over the Internet work very well. All in all, I'm happy for the price/performance of the system! I now know that it's the skunks that are getting into the feeder at night. ;-)

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only had it 2 weeks.. hard drive died.. cameras are blurry.. system keeps shutting itself on/off would not recommend buying.

shipped back.

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No support.

No answer on phone...

Total frustration getting the internet view going.

I made the mistake of buying 5 of them at once.

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I got this system about 3 weeks ago and I love it.The system setup was easy.The picture quality is great.The dvr is easy to setup along with the network and internet connections.The night vision is the best to,40 feet easy!This is a great product.Anyway just thought I would give my two cents.

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TiVo C00210 TiVoGlo Premium Remote Control, Black

• Compatible With Tivo Series 2, Tivo Series 3, Humax Series 2, Philips Series 1, Philips, Hughes, Samsung & Rca
• Directv Dvr Boxes With Tivo Service
• Not Compatible With Sony Boxes Or The Toshiba Dvd Player With Tivo Service
• Can Control Up To 2 Tivo Boxes At The Flip Of A Switch
• Requires 4 Aaa Batteries (Not Included)

If you are using any other Tivo remote, you owe it to yourself to get one of these. Tired of fumbling with your old Tivo remote's soft spongy buttons that don't seem to quite do the job even when you are super careful to press the buttons firmly? I thought so. (And if your remote's buttons haven't developed that spongy feeling yet, just wait. It will.) This remote beats the old ones hands down. When you press a button there is a tactile click to let you know that contact has been made. The remote feels great in the hand, although not substantially different from the older models except for a texture on the bottom of the remote that lets you know which end you've got ahold of. This is a great feature. The backlight is great too.

There are a couple of issues with this model however. First of all, they switched the position of the "Thumbs" and volume/channel buttons, which was a pretty dumb idea. Volume and Channel were much better positioned on the old remote, just above the pause & play buttons. They are still within reach on this newer model, but this seems like a pointless change. The intent was to make the thumbs up/down easier to get to, but honestly, once you've had a Tivo for a couple of months, how often do you really use the thumbs?

The other nit with this device is that it uses 4 AAA batteries instead of 2 AA's like the older model. Not such a big deal in and of itself, but battery life seems considerably shorter. Not that you'll be running out for batteries every month or anything. I'd say they last at least 6 months for a heavily used unit. (When the remote starts responding intermittently, change the batteries). But compared to the older remotes that could go years on a set of AA's, the new model is a step backward, albeit just a little one.

Despite its faults, this is still a great remote. It works perfectly with older TIVO models. I have not tested on the Series 1, but the Series 2 remote works with the Series 1 and these work fine with Series 2, so if you still have a Series 1, you're probably in good shape. This remote also works perfectly with the Humax and Toshiba DVD burner Tivo's.

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Works perfectly every time. In addition to controlling my Series3 HD TiVo, I use it to drive my Sony CRT televisions throughout the house. It looks so beautiful next to the other remotes. So finely weight balanced and light, you almost can't feel you are holding it. Love the "big pause" button in the middle. I am going to buy two more of these for around the house.

One nitpick.. The Glo remote is not very bright -But much better than no glow at all. I also wish I could control my TiVo with RF instead of I/R.

There is also a glossy white model of this remote. Look for TiVo C00211

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I have a Tivo Series 2 DT. The TiVoGlo is a much more powerful remote. If you have problems with the response of a standard remote, then try the TiVoGlo remote. You should see a quicker response from your Tivo.

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This is a great product for a great price. The Glo remote is great in a dim or dark room. The buttons are better than the stock remote as well. Better placement, better quality, and better feel.

I finally purchased one of these and couldn't be happier. I've been a Tivo user since they first came out and am on my third box now. As such, the standard Tivo "peanut" remote has become like an extension of my hand. I never have to look at it, every button is right where I expect it to be.

Last year I bought a new television and home theater system that didn't have remote codes for the standard Tivo remote.

I bought three different universal remotes and they all worked, but I didn't like they way they feel. I don't tend to return items, so they're all just sitting in an end table.

After unboxing the "Premium Glo" remote and finding 4 AAA batteries to throw in it, I had my TV's power and input as well as my receiver's power and volume programmed in literally under a minute. I programmed my receiver's power to the mute button on the Glo remote. I still need the receiver remote around, but I don't have to touch it to turn everything on and start watching TV/Tivo. Excellent!

The buttons are spaced slightly different than the original Tivo remote, but I got used to that in a few days. The button feel is also a little different but I like it. Yes the buttons glow after you touch one when it's dark. I could care less and I'm glad you can turn that feature off.

If there were Cons, this would be them: I don't have that many gadgets that take AAA's so I tend not to keep those around, now I'm going to have to. The shiny rather than textured surface of the plastic attracts fingerprints, not that I care, but maybe that's important to you. The button placement and feel might be a negative to someone who REALLY, REALLY doesn't want a change from the original Tivo remote. It's @ $50, which is expensive for a non-universal remote, meaning, it doesn't fully replace all my remotes.

I like it, it nets out to taking one more remote(TV) off the coffee table, and I get to keep my Tivo remote shape, size, and feel. That's worth $50 for me, and if it's the same for you, you'll like it too.

Enjoy!

KO

Avermedia NV5000 120 Frames Per Second Video Capture Card with Surveillance Software

I bought this card after a terrible experience with the NV3000. I am writing this review to state that, contrary to my review on the NV3000, this card really does what it says. It will produce a true 30fps on each channel at 740X480 resolution with the highest available video quality setting.

The software for the NV5000 is the same as the NV3000, and I like it. After using for a while, I find it to be easy and quite polished.

IF you are thinking about putting together a surveillance system around this card, you should realize that this card is fairly picky about the hardware. For the most part, it is compatible with Intel chipsets only, and only older ones at that. It won't work with my new Sandy Bridge setup. It won't work with anything with a VIA chipset, which means pretty much all of AMD products. There is a document available from Avermedia that details the compatible hardware that has been tested. It is a grab-bag of motherboards and chipsets from a handful of different companies, but the most recent motherboards that they support are those that first came out to support the Pentium D series. Maybe it will work with other motherboards, or maybe not. This is why it doesn't get the whole 5 stars. My plan of running my DVR on older motherboards I had laying around is not panning out because none of them are compatible.

As I also discussed in my NV3000 review, the Avermedia website is horrible. You will never find what you are looking for there. Fortunately, I found another surveillance website that had links to the Avermedia software and docs. If you search around for it, you'll probably find it too.

I bought this card to capture feeds from two surveillance cameras. Setup was straightforward even though the software and install is a little dated. The card needs to be installed into the PC and was detected and setup without any issues.

I was surprised by the colors and accuracy of the video footage. In general card seems to do well and the software advanced features like email alerts etc. work well. Only gripe is that despite reducing motion sensitivity to a minimum and blocking out areas of the video that don't need monitoring the frequency of email alerts is significant.

Outside of that very happy with this purchase.

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FYI: To configure remote viewing I found the following FAQ at"

1. Make sure the DVR system is connected to the network and able to connect to the internet.

2. Go into the NV software.

3. Click on Setup, then Network.

4. Enable the cameras to make them viewable over the internet.

5. Remember the Server IP and remote console Port that is currently being used.

6. Remember the Web Viewer Port. ( Default is 80, but you can change this if your network has any restrictions on ports.)

7. Click Ok, then OK again

8. In order for PCs to access your DVR, the Network option must be enabled. Click on the Network button shown on the window. The button should change color, which will indicate that the option has been turned on."

The card has worked fine for over a year on several evolutions of mother boards and windows op. systems. When you get the instillation CD for the Avermedia DVR software copy the installation code as future software revisions require the original code. The software has been updated twice since I purchase the card...

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this product is all you will need to have to have a great security system tried others this one has everything and it runs flawlessly easy to use

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