Sony ICD-BX112M 2GB Digital IC Voice Recorder with Mic

I BOUGHT IT FOR MY DAUGHTER WHO LIKES IT VERY MUCH. SHE USES IT TO RECORD LECTURES AT COLLEGE. SHE HAS

A COCHLEAR IMPLANT WHICH WORKS VERY WELL BUT DOES NOT CAPTURE ENOUGH OF THE SPEECH IN THE CLASSROOM. THE SONY RECORDS MORE OF THE SPEECH SOUNDS WHICH SHE LISTENS TO GET ALL OF THE LECTURE. SHE HAS HAD IT FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS NOW AND IT CONTINUES TO PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT BACKUP TO THE CLASSROOM LECTURES.

Samsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

• Internet@TV
• Wireless LAN built-in (Wireless LAN adaptor not included)
• AllShare?
• BD-Live (Profile 2.0), 1GB local storage
• 1GB built-in memory
• Advanced Connectivity With AllShare

This is my first Blue Ray player and I love it.

Took a chance on this Samsung and ordered it without a lot of information availabe because it is so new but glad I did.

Just got it out of the box today and everything works great. Easily set up the wireless to my home network (and it saved the IP address and encryption key info so I do not need to sign on each time).

There are few units (if any) with all the features this unit offers at this price.

This unit offers solid access to You Tube, various videos on demand services, Pandora (love Pandora!), and it sees all my videos and photos on my computer in multiple ways (with their Samsung PC Share Manager and direct acess) all through the network. The pics load a little slow, but the files are big. Pretty sure if I reduce them down access will speed up.

Decent You Tube search feature (for a TV remote as a typing device). Easily found my own You Tube videos.

In any case, all locked in solid with minimal hassle.

I would give it 5 stars except there is still a learning curve on managing my PC folders and I am still getting the hang of some Samsungs apps, but I am confident it will all work out. I initially entered the encyption key incorrectly and did not get a password error but instead it just said the IP address was wrong. A restart with the right key resolved all.

The first HD video I played was a home video made on my Canon HD Vixia HF200 consumer video camera and it looked absolutely great. For a first view, this player is excellent. Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom

I already have a Samsung 40 inch LCD HD TV so I also figured they would compliment each other.

Oh, by the way, I had a customer service issue that was not the fault of Amazon and they resolved it in grand fashion. Absolutely superb customer serivce. Superb.

Yep, I am a happy camper with the whole deal

============================================================

March 17 update

I continue to enjoy this player. I had one blue-ray disc that did not work right a rental, subsequent discs worked fine. I also see services being added. A few free games (nothing great, but there), Blockbuster on Demand is now installed, weather, USA today, and more is coming. Still, my favorite feature by far is being able to view shared files on the TV from my laptop computer through a wireless connection via the home network.

Viewing seemed a bit slow at first, but once I began compressing the JPEG's to a more "uploadable" size, they snapped through slideshows with ease. Camcorder videos formatted to WMV are easily played from my laptop and watched on the TV and they are smooth. It is just so cool to create it on my laptop and watch it on my TV. Just amazing stuff. Love it.

Had to re-enter my encyption key once right after a software update but other than that one time, have not had to enter a password again. One other software update had no effect.

I upped the rating to 5 star. It is excellent. I am already beginning to take it for granted like a good chair that always just works. Not sure what else I can possibly expect at this price.

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I plan on keeping this review up to date, so as things change I will keep adding to it. I will also try to answer any questions in comments.

April 2, 2010

I received this player from Amazon today. Within the first hour I had it hooked up to my home theater system, connected to my wi-fi network, updated the firmware over the web, connected to Netflix, and connected to Pandora. At that point I was ready to log in to Amazon and post a 5 star review. I am glad that I held off because there have been a few problems, but not enough to make me want to return the player.

Even though I have the latest firmware, 1009.1, Vudu does not work for me. I get an error message when I try to start it (I will post the error here tomorrow; right now I am watching a movie!). I was able to set my location in Accuweather and change it from Celsius to Fahrenheit. However, when I went back into Accuweather the location was correct but it reverted back to Celsius. I went in and out of it several times and set it back to Fahrenheit but each time it would go back to Celsius.

I went to the Vudu site and did some searches on Samsung, but could not find anything helpful. I also did some Google searches without much luck. The most useful information always pointed back to the Amazon reviews for this product.

I played a regular DVD and it did an OK job although it seemed a little over-exposed. I will update my comments as I play more DVDs. I haven't played a blu-ray DVD yet because I don't own one but will pick one up tomorrow.

Pandora radio sounds excellent! I have a Pioneer VSX-9040TXH receiver (which I love -highly recommended) with some quality 5.1 speakers and the sound is amazing.

At this point I am irritated that Vudu shows up as an app on my player, but it doesn't work and I can't find any useful information about why. I am also irritated that Accuweather, in spite of reports from previous reviewers here, doesn't work. It seems like someone is dropping the ball. It would be nice if the blu-ray player would provide some kind of status about whether an app is functional or not so that I as a user do not have to waste my time trying to fix something if it's unfixable by me.

Right now I am keeping things in perspective. As a DVD player, blu-ray player, Netflix player, and Pandora player it is still worth the money. I am certainly glad that I didn't get just a standalone blu-ray player because Netflix and Pandora both add a lot of value.

April 3rd 2010

I was showing my friend the Internet features of this player today (Day 2) and was surprised that when I went into Vudu, the error message that I had been getting went away, and I was able to start my Vudu service! Setup was very easy. Accuweather, however, still would not keep the temperature in Fahrenheit. More later ...

April 4th 2010

I watched two Vudu movies yesterday. Things worked very well. The HDX quality is very good, as is the 5.1 audio. I don't like the Vudu interface as much as Apple TV's, but the quality is as good or better. There is also a very good selection of movies on Vudu. So, if you want HD-quality streaming videos with great audio, this blu-ray player can do that through the Vudu service. Very nice feature.

I tried a few more things:

Rovi TV listings. You set it up on the blu-ray player. It shows what is on TV over a 2 hour period. It doesn't appear to let someone browse through shows more than 2 hours out unless I haven't figured that out yet.

I added another location in Accuweather. I set both locations to Fahrenheit, exited, went back in and again it reverted to Celsius. Why do they even bother to put out software if they can't do it right? They have had time to fix it and haven't. It gives Accuweather a bad name.

The Blockbuster app appears to be working, but I didn't watch anything because I am a Netflix subsriber rather than Blockbuster.

USA Today news is something I may use. What I like is that I can get titles of news stories by category, and quickly bring up the article. It's a very fast way to get the news compared to a web browser for example.

YouTube appears to be working. There is a log in options so it should be able to access your account if you set one up. I don't have a YouTube account so didn't try that.

At this point I have tested all the apps and the only one not working correctly is Accuweather.

I will try some of the other features this week, including playing a blu-ray. Any suggestions for my first blu-ray movie?

April 13, 2010

I was able to set up Blockbuster on Demand. Even though my main computer is a Mac and Blockbuster on Demand doesn't run on a Mac, I was able to register a new Blockbuster on Demand account on my Mac and confirm it just by entering a 5 digit code on the Samsung player.

At this point I have rented movies using the Samsung's Netflix streaming, Blockbuster on Demand, and Vudu apps, and have been able to listen to music on Pandora. In addition, I have watched many blu-ray movies (about 20 to date) without any problems.

April 18, 2010

I have played more blu-ray and regular DVDs and have not had any problems. Everything played fine.

Tonight I checked for a software update and one was available. I like that I could check right from the player, and not have to download separately. There is an option to use a USB drive, but it's not necessary if the player is hooked up to the network.

A MAJOR ANNOYANCE: AccuWeather is STILL not working. When I go in and change it to Fahrenheit, go out, and come back in, the temperatures are all in Celsius. Who is dropping the ball -Samsung, it's your player, and obviously you should know about this problem, so WHY aren't you fixing the problem or getting AccuWeather to fix it? Do you care about your product -well if so, then FIX THE PROBLEM.

Fortunately, the major services work fine: Netflix insta-queue streaming, Vudu, Blockbuster on Demand, and Pandora.

June 4, 2010

AccuWeather now works. The Fahrenheit setting sticks.

This will be the last entry of this review.

I would buy this player again. The Internet features are very nice. Netflix streaming, Blockbuster on Demand, Pandora, and Vudu being the main ones.

I have not had any problems playing normal DVD's or blue-ray DVDs. They don't rewind or fast forward as smoothly as I would like, but it does what it needs to do.

It's not an expensive player, and it does a lot. So, I recommend this player.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Here

First, my rating is based on three parameters:

1. Is the picture of high quality?

2. Does the player load quickly? (This is the main reason I purchased the Samsung.)

3. Wireless internet

In regards to picture quality, I've tested a few DVDs and the picture quality seems first rate. Second, this player does live up to its marketing. From the time I close the player to the first menu is 25 seconds or less. That works for me!. And last, the wireless worked pretty much straight forwardly.

So for me, the player delivered on the parameters I care about and that's why I gave it 5 stars.

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I currently own the previous model Samsung Blu-ray player, the BD-P3600. I can say that the BD-C6500 is a huge improvement in all areas. The remote is leaps and bounds better. Faster load times. PC streaming works with far less hassle. Improved on-screen GUI. Physically smaller and MUCH more stylish appearance.

In my opinion, this is the most feature-packed Blu ray player on the market in this price range. Sony has no PC streaming until July. Panasonic has little on VCast until later in the year. LG has no 7.1 analog audio output. This Samsung unit is the one model that truly had everything that I was looking for including 1GB onboard memory. All for under $250.00.

The only question is ... why do manufacturers insist on making the power cord as short as possible??

**PLEASE NOTE: I do not work for Samsung, nor do I have any stake in the company in any way (outside of wanting their stuff to work properly because I own it)**

After looking at blu-ray players for a LONG time, I was finally glad to learn the new generation of Samsung players had been released. I purchased mine from a local big box retailer only because I couldn't be patient to wait for the delivery from Amazon. I'm sorry Amazon; please forgive me.

So far, I've really enjoyed the player. I own two Samsung flat screen HDTVs, and I trusted their ability to produce a player that generated a great image with great sound decoding. Therefore, I primarily purchased this model because of the built in wireless networking (to stream Netflix) and the ability to interface with my home PC. Networking setup was very easy. I had some problems in the beginning, but this was a router setting issue, not the player's fault.

I have yet to thoroughly test the "Samsung Apps," but I have been streaming "Lost" from Netflix. The image is great, albeit the connection and streaming queue time is slower than my ROKU player. Once it loads and buffers, it is fine.

Disc loading times are fine for both blu-ray and regular dvds. I don't understand why people have problems or complaints here because I've never owned a dvd player that loads discs "immediately."

Upconversion video is great--except on Warner Bros. dvds, but that's not the player's fault. I experienced the same problem with my old Sony player. It has been rumored that Warner purposefully has poorly encoded their recently released, regular dvds to push people toward their new blu-ray stock. I plan to purchase the Harry Potter series on blu-ray soon, so I'll report back on whether the image quality is better.

Finally, the sound is awesome. As an audiophile, this is most important to me, and finally I have a player that puts my amplifier to work. The 7.1 Dolby and DTS HD decoding is better than the theater, in my opinion. This is only true for blu-rays; with standard dvds, the sound is the same as my previous player--which is still good. It just doesn't use each speaker channel as much. Also, Netflix streaming does not seem to support Dobly Digital or DTS decoding at this time.

My only complaint is the remote control. Unfortunately, Samsung can design great electronics, but they must have the local elementary school design their remotes. Actually, I think an elementary student could do a better job. This complaint is across all Samsung products, though, not just this one. I was hoping after a number of consumer complaints that they would have changed their "motif" to a more intuitive design.

For my first blu-ray player, I highly recommend this one to others. I'll update this review if anything changes either way.

============================

Updated: March 8, 2011

It's been a year since I purchased this bluray player, and even though Amazon is not directly selling it any longer, I think it's important to report a significant problem I've been having with the player. This problem started at the end of 2010. Audio for other applications (e.g., Netflix, Vudu, etc.) does not work when there's a disc in the player. As soon as I take the disc out, it starts working again. Samsung support has been extremely unhelpful, and I think they may have stopped supporting this player altogether. A quick Google search shows that other people are experiencing the same issue without any help. The most recent interaction with support indicated that the player wasn't designed to "play a disc and play streaming video at the same time." I stopped trying to get help after this answer. Hopefully, they decide to do the right thing and release a software update to address the problem. I've lowered my rating to 3 stars, and it's subject to change depending on Samsung's willingness to update.

Canon ZR30MC Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode

As a novice to the camcorder world I was very concerned and confused about the wide range of features and prices available in the market so, unusually for me, I took a little time and did my research.

Boy am I glad I did, and I am especialy pleased with the result. The Canon is perfect and does everything I want. It's easy to use and the results have been extremely good, especially considering that I am really new to all this.

It seems from the reviews I have read that most camcorders with built still photography features lack the quality of purpose built digital cameras, and while this is also true of my Canon, its not really an issue as I have several still cameras in 35mm and digital formats that I like to use.

The quality of the video on the Canon is really very good. I do not have the needs of a serious hobbyist or professional but I still want something that gives good quality and I am very pleased.

I am also very happy with the overall ergonimics of the camera and its ease of use. One of my first outings was a car trip out of NY city and I shot a lot of city shots from the car. The results were very satisfying.

I have only used a few of the special features and have not done any editing yet but on first glance I found the instructions a little confusing but I put that down to my lackof experience.

I really have no negative comments, my only small niggle is the hinge on the little door that covers the DC power seems very flimsy and I sense it may snap one of these days but apart from that the camera is really sturdy

In terms of value, after much research I feel I got a very good product at a fair price. I compared it to Sony and JVC products and felt that I bought a lot of quality and flexibility and saved over 200 dollars over the Sony without losing any features that I needed.

So this has been a very gratifying experience and I look forward to using the camera for a very long time. I strongly recommend it.

I recently purchased a ZR30MC and am thrilled with the output and the design of the Camcorder. I read many reviews on the net on the ZR10 and have heard many complaints about filming in low light conditions. The quality in low light is just fine maybe they fixed the problem with the ZR30mc. I do have a friend who has a Sony TRV20 that handles low light significantly better but it is almost double the price. On outside video I cant imagine the quality being any better.

As for design Canon has a real Gem with this one. It is small and ergonomically designed. The quality of the Still photos leave something to be desired But I have a regular Digital Camera for that purpose.

All in all Canon has made an excellent small Digital Camcorder with a nearly perfect design !!! Would definatley recommend the whole ZR20,25,30 series.

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My original goal in purchasing this camcorder was to record a festival in Russia where I would need a reliable battery between charges, good low light shooting,and plenty of space on tapes so I wouldn't run out.

In my first week of shooting, I tried various scenarios. I interviewed a friend in low light conditions. I was very impressed by the quality of the sound both hers and mine as I was interviewing. The picture quality was good better than I had been led to believe by reading other customer reviews.

I agree with others that the digital zoom is useless. I tried to film deer in a pasture that I could clearly see, but since it was out of range of the analog zoom, all I got was jitters and smeared video. Evidently the image stabilizer does not work above 10 power or with the digital zoom. Wish I had known this before I purchased the camera.

My other complaint was that I never got accurate readings on battery life. So I could never tell when to re-charge. The battery symbol was always empty, even though the camera was clearly full and worked. I assumed that this is a defect in the camera, called Canon Tech support who confirmed this, and am now getting a replacement.Question for other users...Do you remove the battery every time you stop shooting? It does say to do this in the manual. Just asking.

My final goal is to edit digital video and make a movie, saving it on a CD. This is because, as some of you may know, our video ( NTSC) is incompatable with European video standards (PAL). By editing the video and saving it to a CD it should be playable in Russia and elsewhere.

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Great size, excellent video quality and very easy to use. It's nice to not have to haul around a big video camera. This one fits in a coat pocket, a purse, or a back pack and doesn't get in the way. Don't let the small size fool you though! It has a lot of nice features, but keeps it simple...

I'm a satisfied customer!

--Mike from Portland, Oregon

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I must apologize for my previous review of the Canon ZR30. The review was rather negative, but the problem was in my ignorance--not the camera.

I had complained that the recorded picture was too pixelated--That anything with hard edges was represented by over-sized wobbly digital blocks. This temporary problem, I since learned, resides in my iMovie editing software.

iMovie cannot reveal the true quality of the digital footage. It simplifies the images to save processing power for editing. After reading "iMovie: The Missing Manual", I learned that the only way to see the true glory of a digital camcoder's video is to hook it up to a real television using an S-Link connection. By the way, videos edited in iMovie WILL still look great, but only after you dump the project back to the camcoder and then play the resulting DV through a real television. Merely exporting to Quick Time doesn't do it justice.

Well, I finally tried the obvious and connected the ZR30 to my real television (duh?). It was a very pleasant surprise! Gone where the jagged pixels. The picture was very smooth--and I have a large screen to boot.

Probably the main difference between the look of my footage and pro footage is in the lighting. Don't forget, real TV shows are shot under perfectly manufactured lighting conditions. My stuff shot in my house looks like... well... my dark house.

I still find that the ZR30 requires more tweaking than my older Sony TRV did. The Sony was really idiot proof: Hit the red button to record. While the ZR30 does offer automatic modes, I don't feel that they work as well. On the other hand, you can manually adjust many of the parameters and get better results that way.

The image stabling is of the optical variety. It's great because it doesn't interfere with the picture quality. It doesn't respond to bumps quite as quickly as electronic types, though, so some jerking still gets through. Just leave it on and try to be careful.

I'm feeling really happy with my ZR30 now. Sorry if I mislead anybody with the previous review

Sony 10DPW47R2 4X 4.7 GB DVD plus RW Discs 10-Pack

I use these daily in a Philips DVD recorder, taking them out to rip shows for saving on my computer. They are in and out and erased constantly and even with all this abuse, I have not had a single failure. I simply choose to replace them after a few months when I notice I've scratched them up a bit from all the 'in and out'.

Recently I could not find my usual 2-pack at a local store so I tried the Maxell equivalent. Big mistake. They were making horrible clicking and squeaking noises during recording and freezing up during playback. I feared I'd harmed my recorder until I bought a 10-pack of these Sonys and everything was smooth again.

I've been using these discs for over a year in two Lite-On DVRs that only cost 69.99 each, and the only time I've had a problem was when one of the DVRs was defective. They're great discs and their cases are nice, not those cheap paper sleeves or the thin plastic cases. There is a card inside that you can write on to label your discs, too.

I'm a Sony ho, and I've never been let down by any of their products. As reviewer Jeffrey stated, they can be used over and over and over; some of mine have probably been used 100s of hours, being erased and rewritten again and again.

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I CAN RECORD , ERASE & RECORD AGAIN JUST LIKE THEY ARE TO BE USED...

BUT NOT A 1000 TIMES LIKE THEY CLAIM MAYBE 50 TIMES.

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These are very good quality blank DVD discs, which I use to record movies or TV shows. These are re-usable discs which may be recorded, erased and recorded again. The video quality is the same as the DVR quality. I generally use either in SP (2hours recording), EP (4 hours recording) modes. Other options include one hour and eight hour recording modes.

1. MAXELL 634015/634043 4.7 GB DVD+RWs, 3 Pack

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Easy to use and there have been no problems using them. Highly recommend these.

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3FT Optical audio Toslink CABLE DV CD DVD Dolby Digital

Bought this to link my vizio sound bar to my new lcd t.v., the sound quality is amazing.

Sure you dont need a fancy cable for toslink but it would be nice if it stayed plugged in. The connection is loose and falls out easily. I would not buy this brand again.

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so i got this cable for my 7.1 headset and great to save money with out having to spend $10+ for a simple cable. also got one for my buddy who also has a 7.1 headset

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So far so good. It made an 'ok' sound system a great one and eliminates lots of wires. two more words required

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I swap my Turtle Beach Gaming headset to the multiple Optical cables I have connected to my devices and I never have an issue with the cables. I've dropped them, stepped on them (on carpet), and my daughter has yanked on them a few times and they still work. Great buy and I highly recommend them.

Motorola DCP501 All-In-One Home Theater Receiver

• Space saving, all-in-one system houses a DVD/CD/MP3 player, audio/video surround receiver with 100 watts x 5, and cable reception
• Interactive cable receiver for analog and digital (where available) cable
• Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II 5.1-channel processing for immersive surround sound from any source
• AM/FM Stereo receiver, large VF display for easy reading
• NTSC decoder with digital adaptive comb filter upconverts all composite-video signals to S-video

We bought these for our lodge (63 2 & 3 Bdrm Units). While the combination of components in a small package is exactly what we needed, we have experienced a large amount of product failures. Out of 67 units ordered, we have experienced a 30 to 40% failure rate. Types of problems in order of occurrence:

1) Audio section a) Subwoofer worked, but not satellite speakers b) "Overload" becomes too sensitive

2) Digital cable subsystem failures a) Constantly losing the digital programming b) or just complete failure

3) Premature DVD Read problems I say "premature" because the oldest unit is less than 2 years old.

4) Front panel lockout.

While we are a "lodge", this is a private residence club whose members tend to take good care of the appliances in each unit. So abuse is not a major cause of problems. Also, the manufacturing dates range over several months.

A failure of 10% or less would have been acceptable, but close to 40% is just ridiculous. These units were professionally installed and we have worked closely with the local cable company to try and find an outside cause, without success. The surround speaker system used with the DCP501 is a high end Yamaha setup, while brand new Panasonic flat-screen TV's were connected using S-Video.

We do have other Motorola Digital cable boxes in use here, and none of them have displayed any of these issues. So we were very surprised to experience all these problems. It's too bad, because now we will have to look for a multi-component type of setup that we really don't have the room for.

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I bought this device mostly on the Motorola name and the incredible discount. Overall, I am happy with this device. It sounds good, looks good, and I haven't had a problem with it yet. My biggest gripe is that the front panel display is quite difficult to read from even a few feet away, especially during the day. If the display were larger and brighter I would be much happier with this device. This problem could have been mitigated with more "on-screen" info coming through the TV, but the DCP puts very little info on-screen. For example, when changing TV channels I would like to see the channel number displayed on the TV, but the DCP501 doesn't do that. It will tell me the volume, but not the channelit's a little odd that way. Dolby digital works as it should. I don't need the MP3 feature but it is nice to have. Not Earth-shattering audio power, but good considering that it's integrated. In short, I got a nice AM/FM tuner, CD/DVD player, home theater system, for a great price. I think this M S R P'd for a little under n in e hun dred, but I got it for about t wo f if ty.

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Not sure what all the gripe is about with this unit. I have had mine over a year and it hasn't had any of the problems others have stated (maybe I'm lucky). No sound distortion, clean crisp at high volumes (I'm using Precision Audio ceiling speakers). Good radio station pickup. Good dvd performance. I really enjoy the Dolby Prologic IIas even our ITunes files get surround sound.

That said, the only issue I have had is when i turned the powerbar off while the unit was still on. When restarted sound only came out of one speaker and not all five. I got through right away to Motorola and they were very helpful and gave me a short set of instructions to go about resetting the unitit now works good as new... below are those instructions for anyone who needs them:

1. put the unit in DVD mode.

2. power off using the button on the front of the unit (do not use the remote)

3. Hold down the setup button and the 'down' button at the same time

4. While holding those buttons, press the power button on the unit

5. Release all three buttons at the same time

Unit should power up in the FM mode and be reset. Motorla says if it doesn't come up in the FM mode, try again.

Happy listening and watching...

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Motorola DCP501 All-In-One Home Theater Receiver This would be a great machine for all of your audio/video needs except for digital cable channel selection. The real problem is Comcast refuses to activate this box. They will tell you that you have a stolen box and they will stick to that storey and never activate this box. Without activation by comcast the unit can only use channels 1-99. I bought one and am now stuck with a very nice looking audio video DvD player. So, don't buy one thinking that you can use it with comcast. Best to check with your cable service provider first be fore you spend a few hundred dollars. Hope this helps you make a better decision on buying any cable converter box.In short, The cable companies control what you can recieve.

A miserable attempt by Motorola to create a high-end product that would combine all worlds. Originally rolled out over 8 years ago, it is obvious that Moto is dumping old stock onto the market. Crappy stereo, passable DVD player and a 3-generations old cable receiver. This thing is HUGE. Mine broke within 12 months. Too bad, because it practically took an act of God to get my cable company to authorize the receiver. When it died the cable co. insisted that I had a box from them already (!) and that I would need to return it to them in order to get a new one. Ha I gave them this broken hunk of junk! No HD, no DVR, no ability to even upgrade the firmware on this beast. It perhaps was relevant & cool for 6 months in 2000, but it is a relic of another project gone wrong by the folks at Motorola.

Avoid this product at all costs!!!

Azend Group Envizen Home Roam TV - Portable, Personal 7 Inch LCD Receiver for all Cable /TV Channel

I couldn't be any more happier buying this product for me and my family. The best part about this is the "wireless transmitter box". I hooked up the transmitter box to my tv cable box with no sweat as it was instructed on the manual. From then on, I bring this little 7" tablet anywhere in my house (up to 100 feet!!!) and now follow whatever I am watching on my big screen stationary tv. I now can watch my ESPN when I do my regular outdoor chores and my mom will never miss her regular night tv shows while doing the dishes. The DVD/Bluray mode is sensational. I have my Bluray playing on my regular tv while the tv was "not on av mode" and then I press the av1 button on this tablet and magically I can see the bluray wirelessly!!!! Resolution on this machine is surprisingly nice. Even though I did not expect HD quality, it has a very fine crystal resolution for its size and price. You can hook your earphones up to this as well. Overall, it is a very smart, innovative, awesome product!! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT

my husband loves it watches tv in the kitchen when he is cooking, the only thing is you have to charge every day, he uses it for an hour or hour an half then he has to charge again and the receiver box needs to be turn off when chargeing

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I bought this a couple weeks ago. Ohhhh my gosh!! This thing is awesome! It was so easy to hook up and worked right away. At the moment, the antenna is hooked into cable upstairs. I went downstairs and it worked fine. It plays in the basement, front porch and detached garage. It is not an HD type picture but sufficient.

I can hook it up to a bigger TV as long as it has the Yellow and White connections (does not have to have the red). Awesome! It can save a person from renting an extra cable box.

I was cleaning out my garage last weekend and had my Home Roam receiver connected to my 13 inch tv. I was watching my Sixers playing Knicks on NBA TV wirelessly! The other connection is hooked into my cable box in the upstairs bedroom. My garage is detatched so I would guess the two connections are at least 80 feet apart. I love it!

Last night, I watched the NCAA BB Tournament games on the front porch!

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I love this but the instructions don't warn you that if you leave the receiver screen plugged in with the wall adapter when it's not being used, it will fry the battery, even if it's not on. I have to send it back for service after only a month. Envizen really needs to either make a big note of this in the manual (which I read very carefully) or change the battery so it can't overcharge. Otherwise it does what I wanted it to.

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I love this awesome little techno-gadget! It is exactly what I was looking for. I hooked it up to my Dish DVR System in 5 minutes. It is simple to use, and I don't need to turn on my large flat screen to watch programming on this little beauty. I can find my show, then go to the kitchen, outside, to the bathroom, to the garage etc. It works when plugged into an outlet & also has a rechargeable battery that lasts for about 3 hours. The picture is great, sound is good too. It can be hooked up to a larger screen in another room, and larger speakers too. Great product.

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Eaget T44 Backup External Battery Pack Charger Power Bank Charger Rechargeable Charger Super large

I got this as a back up charger for my nook. The cord will charge the device but it will not charge from the device to my nook color. The micro end will not go in all of the way into the nook. You have to use yor nook cord to charge the nook from the device. I will say that it charges more quickly than the nook to the wall does.

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Lexar Media 128MB SMARTMEDIA DIGITAL FILM ( SM128-231 )

How many pictures will it store? It is the most commonly asked question from digital camera enthusiast but usually the question that is the most difficult to get a straight answer about. Well, considering I worked in the memory industry for over 7 years I can help clarify this perplexing question and do so unbiased as I have since changed industries.

The Lexar Media 128MB SMARTMEDIA DIGITAL FILM, like most 128MB cards, will store on average 142 pictures when used with a 2 megapixel camera, 106 images when used with a 3 megapixel camera, 64 pictures when used with a 4 megapixel camera, 51 images when used with a 5 megapixel camera, and 40 pictures when used with a 6 megapixel camera. These numbers are based off the assumption that you are going to shoot your images at the highest quality JPEG setting available for the camera and understand that they are estimates and may be off by as much as 10 percent due to numerous factors including the complexity of the scene being shot and the compression algorithm used by your specific camera.

I truly hope this review was helpful to you in determining whether this card is the right capacity for your specific needs.

This media card was just the thing I was looking for. I have a Rio One mp3 player with only 32 megs onboard and with this media card I expanded it to 160 megs, that's about 160 minutes of near cd quality music. So, I'm very satisfied with it.

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Samsung NV3 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom with Advance Shake Reduction

This is a great great unit. I say unit because it is so much more than a camera. But make no mistake, this is also a great camera. This is my second digital camera and suits my needs perfectly. I was looking for a compact camera with true optical zoom to take on my bike rides. The addition of an MP3 player, personal media player (to play DVDs) , voice recorder and text viewer were nice pluses. Let me first talk about the many camera features since this was the most important to me.

All the controls are logical and easy to use once you get past the initial learning curve. Point and shoot...no problem...turn the dial to the clearly marked green AUTO, press the shutter half way to focus and all the way to shoot....nice picture...rich in colors, clear, focused ...perfect. Need to zoom...press up on the zoom...it automatically stops before the digital zoom. The zoom setting shows on the screen with a slider. Need more zoom...push up again for another 5x digital zoom. I've found the digital zoom to work quite well...nice pictures...not too much noise. Focus is a breeze, there is a nice box in the middle of the screen which turns green and beeps when the camera is in focus. The camera turns on quickly and is ready for another shot shortly after the first....much faster than my other digital camera (HP-R717).

So...you want more control...use the scene mode. Turn the dial to scene and press the OK button ...lots of scene types to choose from (sunset, portrait, landscape...etc. no panorama though). Oh and when you turn the dial, the wheel shows on screen clearly showing you which mode you are in....you don't need to look at the writing on the dial....nice...particularly if you need reading glasses like I do.

Want to get really fancy, try the program mode. In this mode you can try the many "effects" programmed into the camera. These include...composite (select from 4 different types of composite pictures...I like this effect a lot), photo frame (a fanciful set of boarders that can frame your picture ...nice fun), color pallet (change the picture to black and white, sepia, red hue, blue hue, green hue or negative), highlight (sharpen the focus and blur the rest of pre-selected portions of the picture). Or perhaps you want to adjust the exposure...hit the +/button and change at will. You can also change the RGB balance, ISO from 80 to 1000 or the white balance.

In all camera modes you can select macro or super macro mode. These modes open a whole new world of photography for you, allowing you to get in very close to your subject. Want to take pictures of ants...no problem.

Turn the dial to anti shake mode and take two pictures...one with flash and one without. Both pictures are displayed simultaneously along with a zoomed in view and you can select which one you want to keep. Alternately, you can just take the photo without the flash and see only one picture.

Once your picture is taken it is simple to add a voice comment. You can also zoom in on the picture, crop it and even remove red eye if there is any. The red eye removal works very well most of the time and frankly I haven't seen that this camera generates much to begin with.

So now you've got lots of pictures and want to see a slide show. You can select the interval (1sec, 3sec, 5 sec, 10 sec), transitions and play or repeat play....you can't select the starting photo...all are shown. You can even add music of your choice to the show...turn the dial to MP3 first and a push of the button or two and you are there. Unfortunately the camera doesn't rotate pictures for you automatically and though you can manually rotate them, they don't stay rotated. Not a big issue though.

The flash is a marvel in that it can light up large areas...very powerful. I recently took many outdoor Christmas light pictures and was very pleased with the results. One thing I did notice is occasionally the presence of small white spheres in the picture as a result of the flash hitting dust particles in the air. I actually like the effect of this. It doesn't happen all the time so if you don't like it, you can just retake the picture.

Want to take a movie, turn the magic dial to movie press the shutter once to start and once to stop. You can zoom in and out with ease and it doesn't corrupt the sound. I've only tried the low resolution movie mode but there are also higher resolution modes to choose from. The movies are not bad and the sound pick up is very sensitive.

Uploading pictures is easy. Just plug in the USB cable (which also charges your camera....nice), press the shutter and connection is established. The included computer image manipulation software has many bells and whistles and serves me well. You will be very happy with the quality of the pictures. I've no doubt that other cameras take equally good pictures, but I doubt other cameras have all the features of this one.

OK, now that we've established that this is a capable full featured digital camera lets talk about all the other features.

I've got a 2 gig card loaded with my favorite music. The MP3 mode lets me listen to music either on headphones or through the built in stereo speakers. I have to admit I was skeptical about the speakers before I heard them. I was very pleasantly surprised to find how good and loud they sound. Many different sound stages are included so you can adjust the sound texture to your liking. You can select between random play or repeat play or single play or ...etc. You can organize your music into different folders but it won't traverse folders while in play. This means random play only works within a folder. Of course with enough memory you can combine all your music into one folder as well as keeping it in separate folders, then you can random play from the combined folder for a broad selection of random play.

So there you are riding along on your bike, listening to your favorite music and you feel the urge to snap a quick picture....just push the shutter and snap it without missing a beat. You won't have all the features and options available for taking the picture but big deal. If you want it all just turn the dial to the picture mode of your choice and snap away....turn it back to MP3 and start listening to the same music selection...very easy. Pausing and skipping music are also easy, requiring only one button push.

You're stuck in an airport or car and need entertainment....turn the dial to PMP and watch your favorite DVD movie. This requires a bit of preparation in that you first need to convert your DVD to and AVI file format (there are many software packages on the internet that do this). Then convert the AVI to a format the NV3 can play using the included Digimax converter. A full DVD shrinks to about 200meg or so...way cool. I've got several stored on my 2 gig card.

So there you have it, a truly versatile camera/entertainment center. You will find new ways and opportunities to use this unit's many features. I love it and so will you.

Very good picture quality. Very small and easy to carry around. The mp3 quality is good and even the speakers do a decent job considering the size of the device. A few minor complaints. The flash in auto mode flashes twice so your unaware subject will move after the first one and ruin the photograph. There is no problem with the other modes. Beware if you have a mac. I haven't been able to figure out how to put video on the thing which is not what I really bought it for so who cares. The mp3 function works fine with a mac and uploading pictures is no problem through iPhoto. In conclusion: A great little camera that is perfect for going out and decent for mp3's (great value for the money by the way). Video format needs to be reworked for mac but should work well with Windows.

Buy Samsung NV3 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom with Advance Shake Reduction Now

After reading all the reviews and comments on the web, I went for it and I'm very happy with it. OK, maybe it's not in the very topmost notch for pic quality compared to bigger pricier cams but at 7.2mp, and in this small size, the pic quality is right up there... According to most of the testimony on the web it's as good or better than others in it's class.

Everything works as advertised. Video & sound totally in sync... mp3 playback excellent with earbuds provided. Experiment with the 7 modes (jazz, classical, etc.) to find your preference... they really make a big difference. Text function works fine. Once you get past the initial learning curve, all the functions are sensible and intuitive. Hint: If it seems to be hung up, just flick the main thumb dial to the next mode and back again... that'll clear any hang-ups! I've had no real problems up and downloading anything once I figured it out. Create 3 files on your k-disk: mp3, PMP, and TEXT... and fill them accordingly... it'll work out fine.

I have a 2 gig card and haven't had any problems yet but Samsung only guarantees it with 1 gig... You might want to start with 1-gig, and after awhile if you find you want more space, just get another 1-gig card... that could be an alternative way to go. But I haven't seen any evidence on the web of people having problems with 2-gig... so... it's your call. One reviewer here complained about the automatically-charging-while-cabled-to-your-PC issue... I'm not an expert but from what I've researched this is NOT problematic because a lithium-ion battery(which the NV3 has)apparently doesn't have the charging-memory difficulties that the (older) ni-cads do. So, in fact, the automatic-charging seems to be a GOOD thing!

It's rugged. I've dropped/slammed mine a few times with no problems(use the wrist strap!). If you like multifunction gizmos, you won't be disappointed. It's the future now. Looks classy and sharp. Works great. (I carry mine in my pocket in a little form-fitting cloth bag I made in 20 minutes.) If you're asking me... it's very cool, highly portable (small, 5 oz.)and well worth the money especially if you're on the go a lot and like to have a good-quality cam and music with you most of the time. It also sports a decent-quality built-in mic which can record long audio segments in WAV files which line up in order in the memory just as the pics do... this is a very useful function to have along with you too!

Read Best Reviews of Samsung NV3 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom with Advance Shake Reduction Here

This little camera is great at capturing the wonderful moments of my little boy growing up. I love that I can carry it in my pocket or purse and will never miss anything. The video quality is awesome too! I agree with the PP that the flash can mess up some pictures as the subjects move after the first flash, but it's a minor glitch.

I'm so happy with this camera. I've really enjoyed the Red-eye reduction mode on the camera. Makes for editing a lot quicker.

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Well....this was my first camera ever and I do attest accurately that the advertisement holds VERY TRUE for most of the features. The picture quality is fantastic, the special editing the camera is capable of (built-in templates), and the different modes that the camera can be positioned to take photos.

One weakness I do want to point out is that it could be hard to determine which mode to take the appropriate picture in (outdoors, bad lighting etc). Therefore, I STRONGLY urge you to read the instructions which state, "Please experiment with this camera before taking photos" (basically I paraphrased it).

Other than that, this camera rocks!!! Advantages outweigh the disadvantages by far.

SVAT 8CH Smart Security DVR with 8 Ultra Hi-Res Outdoor 100ft Night Vision Cameras with IR Cut Filt

I cannot fully review the cameras as I am waiting for the weather to break to install them. I have opened the package and tried one of the cameras and they operate very easily and are very clear even in the dark.

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Samson Meteor Mic USB Studio Microphone (Cardioid)

• Large (25mm) diaphragm condenser for rich audio recording
• Cardioid pickup pattern
• Smooth, flat frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz
• CD quality, 16-bit, 44.1/48kHz resolution
• Fold-back leg design provides optimal mic positioning

This is a great workhorse mic for multiple types of use.

I am a private voice instructor, and also give music lessons on multiple instruments. I mainly teach in my studio, but I do travel to student's houses as well, and always have this mic with me. It comes in a nice carrying case, but I carry it in the solid box it came in just as an extra precaution.

I record lessons as practice tools for my students, and also as a reference tool for myself, to see where I can improve my teaching methods.

The Meteor works great on the iPad for this function, (with the USB camera adaptor). It also shows up immediately on the MacBook Pro, whether opening Logic, Garageband, etc.

I read a review that said that there was trouble connecting to iChat. I had no trouble connecting with iChat or any other audio/visual based communication app. The Meteor comes with a headphone jack to monitor your voice while recording/talking, and you can manage the input/output settings in the apple menu preferences, and/or in the application preferences.

This is one of several smaller mics I have tried for the iPad, and is the only one that stands not only the test of time. It doesn't break down within weeks, (like the 3 iRig mics I have had in the last 6 months), but it is a vast improvement over the already excellent built in iPad mic. HIghly recommended.

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I got this mic to go along with my iPad and it sounds great! I use the pro version of FiRe to record the sounds with. I had originally planned to use my Blue Microphone Yeti with my iPad but to do you need an external powered USB source (like a hub). Well, that killed that portability idea. So after I read online reviews of this Samson Meteor mic, I gave it a try and am glad I did. My Yeti sits at home while my Meteor goes with me everywhere. If I did not have the Yeti already, I would only own this Meteor.

Read Best Reviews of Samson Meteor Mic USB Studio Microphone (Cardioid) Here

Perhaps more than anything else, it was the introduction and subsequent success of the Zoom H2 personal digital recorder that led to an explosion of interest among home audiophiles, who suddenly found themselves equipped to make quasi-professional-level recordings with their computers plus a minimum of user-friendly equipment at reasonable prices. The price of the Samson Meteor USB mic, a fairly recent entry, has come down to the point of being fairly valued (initially, I was seeing it going for prices above the better-sounding Blue Yeti mic). It's an attractive (some would say "cute") little mic with its quaint "retro" design and deceptively fold-up, portable size. I say "deceptive" because, due to the non-adjustable mic stand, it can be more than a little challenging to find space for it on a desktop, next to a computer, and squarely in front of the narrator's mouth.

Bearing in mind the above reservation along with the actual quality of the recorded sound (it's good, but nowhere close to studio-quality), it would seem to make the most sense for those seeking "high fidelity" audio to spend the extra 20% for a Blue Yeti or an Audio Technica AT2020 USB (as tempting as the lower price of the non-USB version of the AT2020 is, be sure to try it out with a pre-amp supplying phantom power before going that route. I've known a couple of individuals who ordered the AT2020 condenser mic, only to discover that it was useless with a computer, even with the addition of a Snake Light cable).

If your primary considerations are convenience and portability, the Samson Go mic sounds almost as good as the Meteor and is unmatched in size, convenience and portability. (It scored higher than the Blue Mikey and Blue Snowflake in my auditions.) I'm tempted to say it's the perfect laptop mic, clipping to the top cover more securely than the Snowflake, whereas the Yeti is ideal for desktop use, producing rich-sounding recordings rivaling those of a professional studio's Shure SM7B mics.

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I have been using this mic along with the Meteor multi-track recorder app (I don't believe they are connected in any way). It works great. I am sure that it would work with any of the other multi-tracking apps, like Garage Band or Multitrack DAW. I can use the camera connection kit and connect directly to the iPad. It also has a stereo mini jack for real time monitoring which is great. It is a well built, well designed mic and I carry it with me to use when I am on the road.

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Some of us are looking for recording solutions that are simple to use. We're not sound engineers or experts in electronics. If that's you, check out the Samson Meteor Mic.

Here's why:

#1 The Meteor Mic is simple to use. It connects directly to your computer or iPad via USB. No driver required. Simply plug it in and play. I was up and running within minutes. All I had to do was to go into my system preferences and select the Meteor Mic as my audio input. Then I opened Garage Band and started recording.

#2 The sound quality is great. The Meteor Mic features a 25mm condenser diaphragm, which is larger than other USB mics. My recordings came out very good when I spoke within 3-6" of the microphone. There was no background noise and the recording was clear and understandable. I did notice, however, that as I pulled away, it caused a slight echo. If you're going to do a lot of recording, you'll probably want to invest in a stand. The Meteor Mic has a built-in 5/8" thread mount for a stand.

#3 -It's fun! The zinc, chrome-plated body with LED lights and fold-back legs is very retro looking. Cool to look at and it's portable.

The Meteor Mic is compatible with Garage Band and is ideal for Skype voice recognition software, podcasting and recording music.

Stanton STR8150 High Torque Direct Drive DJ Turntable

• World's Strongest Torque Motor (4.5 Kgf-cm)
• Heavy Duty Steel Construction
• Ultra Stable Platter and Tone Arm
• Includes Stanton 680HP Cartridge
• Super-high-torque, direct-drive motor with adjustable start and brake speeds; key correction alters platter speed without changing pitch
• Coaxial digital-audio output plugs directly into a CD recorder, audio/video surround receiver, or a PC or Macintosh sound card
• Selectable phono- or line-level output grants use with amplifiers and preamps lacking phono inputs
• Plays at 33, 45, and 78 rpm, offers +/-8, +/-25, and +/-50 percent pitch adjust; includes Stanton 680HP cartridge and headshell
• Measures 7.7 x 5.8 x 13.9 inches (W x H x D)

Stanton is promoting this turntable to the mixing/scratching set. However, if you're an old coot like me who just wants a good quality turntable that will play your LP's, 45's and 78's, this is the one to get.

The STR8-150 is solidly built; the entire thing weighs about 36 pounds. The platter is a little lighter than some other turntables I've seen, but there's just no rumble at all. There are both analogue and digital outputs that allow you to hook up the turntable to practically any stereo, home theater system or computer (no special phono-level inputs required).

A bonus feature of this turntable is the variable speed control that allows you to actually play records as low as 16 rpm (used for some special use records) or up to 90 rpm (used on many early acoustic "78's").

A good quality Stanton cartridge comes with the turntable and a 78 stylus is available for it.

The only thing missing is a dust cover or an option to buy one as an accessory.

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I had been studing this turntable for almost two years testing it against other tables in it's class and using it side by side with the Technics 1200. It has proven itself to me a very powerful piece of equipment. The torque instantly improved my skills as a turntablist. The stabilty amazed me, as I'm been scratching for about a combined 10 hours and it hasn't skipped yet. The 680Hp cartridges are excellent at holding their groove and the sound quality is also beautiful. The only two things that I found as a downside were the weight (36 pounds) and the Hyper White LED light is plug in and not pop-up. Being a mobile Dj it is a good thing to have a lot of weight when you are playing but bad when you are moving.

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The STR-8 150 is hefty 36 lbs 10 more than a Technics 1200. Excellent design layout for the club or battle dj in mind The cool blue light for strobe and picth makes it bad meaning good!

Features:

The 4.5 Hp motor most powerful in the game super fast start up. Never misses a beat or cue. The pack in Stanton 680 HP cartridge is a plus get's you up and running quick and sounds great. The straight arm is solid. The Pitch controls on the STR-8 is awesome you can even do Screw mixes. Reverse is great cool to use. Simple plug and play stylus light is practical and easy to change if needed And it's digital outs makes it cool for any studio application

Ease of Use:

Very easy right out the box operation! It's turntable for Dj's

Sound: Sounds great with the Stanton 680 Hp which I use on the turntable regularly.

Overall:

After 30 years of being a Dj/Producer I left the industry standard Technics 1200 for the STR-8 and I can say I'm not missing the 1200's at all

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GREAT Turntables the Stanton Str8-150, just got 2 of them last month.

The ("skip-proof" straight tone arm) are built first, and foremost with quality in mind.

Both models offer durable construction designed to minimize feedback, industry-leading with the HIGHEST torque motor out there.

So don't believe the hype about an (S-shape-tone-arm being better than a STR8) this simply isn't the case as both ship right outta the box with the same Stanton 680 .V3 carts and both are the same-price. Stanton just gives you 2 versions the ST.150 or the STR8.150

whatever your choice is you cannot go wrong with these, I've owned the Technics MK2's before, so don't listen to all the Tech-fan-boys

as they have never used any of these before, if they did, they would be SOLD.

sound quality is about the same as my old Techincs 1200's S-shape-tone-arms, I bought way back in the day with the Stanton 680HP carts (if you know how to set-up your (carts & tracking-grams correctly) these turntables never miss a beat. not a bad price too, if your a DJ pick up 2 of them TODAY, you won't be sorry you did :)

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Read dj website reviews, they are accurate. This is a great turntable.

A common problem is hum. I solved my hum problem by putting a 2-prong adapter on the 3-prong power cord. That completely eliminated a very loud hum. The turntable is now as quiet as all the other components I have connected.

Solutions seem to vary.

Hum can also be avoided by ONLY connecting the digital coax and using that; but then, I was having an occasional dropout problem. Solving the hum problem now seems the better way and I suspect may have also fixed the dropout problem.

I haven't tried the phono output.

RCA RS2600 5-CD Executive Microsystem

• 5-CD changer with radio and cassette player/recorder
• Stereo and satellite surround speakers with 10 watts per channel (x2) for clear sound
• Audio CD, CD-R, and CD-RW compatible with shuffle and repeat CD playback
• FM/AM tuner with 32 presets and auto preset tuning
• Includes full-function remote control

Great value for anyone at any age. Wonderful for 1st time stereo owners,like my 8 year old! Easy to work and enjoy. Takes up less space than other models.

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Good product for the money.

Pros:

Excellent sound

Easy setup

Good controls

Plays CD/CD-R/CD-RW

5 disc changer

Double cassette deck

Good display

Remote

Price

Cons:

Open ended wires to connect speakers instead of cables with plugs

Speaker back is plain board giving a cheap look

Speakers wires too short (5 feet I think)

For the price, a good buy.

Read Best Reviews of RCA RS2600 5-CD Executive Microsystem Here

I bought this system for my brother for christmas and he just loves all its features. speakers are loud and clear, there are alot of different button functions to push which he finds a little confusing. overall, it's a great bang for your buck!

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This stereo system is great and my daughter loves it. The only problem is one of the large speakers has bad crackling sounds. Now we need to find out how to get that replaced. Otherwise it is great!

BOSS BR-800 Portable Digital Recorder

• 4-track simultaneous recording, 8-track simultaneous playback plus dedicated stereo rhythm track playback. EZ Recording interactively guides through the recording process. Powerful guitar, bass, and vocal effects derived from BOSS's flagship processors
• Song Sketch recording for quick stereo capture in WAV format. Built-in advanced drum machine with editor software. Functions as a USB audio interface and DAW control surface
• Functions as a USB audio interface and DAW control surface. Cakewalk SONAR 8.5 LE software with full audio loops and backing tracks included. Built-in stereo condenser microphone for instant recording Sleek new interface based on touch sensors

I got "volunteered" to write and record a song for the YMCA, on a very short time schedule. I had the BR-800 Fed-Exed to me I received the unit at 11 AM and by that evening I'd pretty much figured out the basics (thanks to some helpful YouTube videos). That afternoon I recorded the music tracks and the next day I recorded the soloist. The day after that I recorded the backup singers. The project was a roaring success and I would consider the sound to be CD quality. There's something I learned very early in my music/engineering career: an amateur will make complete garbage on a 64-track recording station, and an experienced engineer can make an album on an 8-track home studio. I would consider the sound quality of the BR-800 nothing short of phenomenal. It has 64 virtual tracks and excellent guitar and vocal effects. Yes, it takes some planning (I use an Excel spreadsheet to plan out the project), but you can "master" as many sub-mixes as you want out of the virtual tracks, keep backups of the raw audio, and put together just about any kind of end product you want. I'll take a hardware solution like the BR-800 any day over the DAW (although the drum editor and WAV converter software that comes with the BR-800 is vital). I have had absolutely no problems at all with the USB-based utilities, so I would suspect "pilot error". You know that old saying about the craftsman blaming his tools...

Buy BOSS BR-800 Portable Digital Recorder Now

The BR-800 is a solid little recording device.

Pros:

Great built in effects for guitar and vocals, which can be recorded with bouncing type stereo delays and shifting Chorus and more, for stereo 2 tracks. Or you can easily just go one track. The amp emulator's (so to speak) are solid. And you can get hair metal dirty if you want, but it has tuns of vary cool clean stuff you can mess with. You dont have to have a setup with you to throw down some ideas anywhere. Just plug in and start trying some stuff. (It has a decent on-board drum/rhythm editor also for percussion's.)

The good effects goes for the vocals as well. Theirs two built in mics that do a surprisingly well job of garbing vocals if you dont want to carry your mic with you. With most mini mufti-tracks vocals are usually a pain. With this machine if you can sing you can do 3 part harmony shifts and even a (somewhat) auto tune feature, and much much more. Most small recorders just dont give you mush to do vocals with, this does. It also records Acoustics well too. And the Bass emulator works well if you want to use your guitar to lay over a bass part.

Cool pre set mixdown setting you can tweak to how you want, or not use at all if you dont like.

Cons: At first it wont seem like you can do what you'll latter find out you can, takes a bit of learning. But its not as big of a learning step as some of the higher end machines. In fact compared to some higher end machines its rather easy. But still the manual is your friend with this machine.

You can step write the rhythm patterns, and via PC you can write your own. BUT! A lot of people wont want to do the PC USB thing to much. So Theirs no real time quick drum recording. And their is no on board drum machine. Their is on board patterns (and a bunch for just about anything with rolls, intros, ends, and variations for breaks and stuff.) And you can lay them out in the order you want via step recording.

It is a 8 Track in a sense. But to mix down you need track 7/8. And if you count the rhythm track for 2 it is still a 8 track.

All panning a EQ setting are not done via knobs. You have to go into the LCD and see them and mess with that stuff their. Although when you pick to record in stereo it auto pans each of the two tracks. You can re adjust this if you like.

The Touch sensitive buttons are odd at first. You do get used to them but I much rather have just normal buttons.

Mixing down to a PC (Wave conversion) via a USB is fairly easy, but It would of been cool if the mix-down would of just saved strait into the machine (Which it does but not as a wave file.) You can plug in a SD card but still it will have to be turned into wave format on the computer via a program you get with the unit. Its not that much of a pain, it just seems like they could of found a way to have your final mixes sitting in your machine to pull out whenever you wanted via a SD car or whatever.

All in all its a good little unit. And really you can do some dang pretty good demos with just it on its own. A few times I was surprised myself to see how much you could pull off. Another cool feature is making just loops if you want. So if you have a editor of any type on your computer you can create your own loops and throw them into some loop program. It was when messing with things like that that I realized how much I could use it for.

Read Best Reviews of BOSS BR-800 Portable Digital Recorder Here

With the latest firmware the BR-800 is a fantastic MTR for guitarists and bassists. Has a large library of great effects and the recording functions work well. The user interface is a little clunky and hard to get used to.

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Basically what it looks and feels like. Bought this unit thinking i can use it in my studio instead of

much older, more expensive and bigger BR-1200CD or BR-1600CD but I was disappointed with build

quality and changes to the control design. E.g. flat touch-buttons which are actually very unreliable.

You never know if you pressed then or not. The whole unit feels very light and "plasticky", the faders

are wobbling etc. BR-800 has some nice sound effects good mostly for guitarists or vocals, ability

to record 4 channels at a time is good too but overall build quality, the 6 faders instead of 8,

limited editing options make this recorder basically a recording toy.

A little bit of a learning curve with it in learning how to operate. When online a purchased a training course for $29.00 to supplement the very confusing manual. The guitar effects while numerous did not work well with my acoustic ovation, but have no idea if it was the Boss unit or my guitar.

Q-See 8-Channel Surveillance System with 500 GB Hard Drive and 8 Weatherproof CCD Cameras (QT428-81

Great product, easer to install. The night vision of the cameras are perfect. I usually check the image using my ipad, iphone and blackberry.

I bought this Q-See QT 428 from Costco to keep an eye on my house. Currently I could monitor my house and search events through online. But Q-See uses compact video format h.264. This format video from Q-See DVR is a lot harder to share with others. Q-See DVR produces some sort of avi files with another conversion executable file h264code.exe. These avi files from Q-See are not recognized by Real Player and Apple QuickTime other than Windows Media Player even after installing codec files. Q-See does not support files uploading to Youtube.

Remember once you're done with time-consuming, wire installations of cameras around the house, it's not a good idea to take them down and return the system back to your seller. So be sure to check all the Q-See features before you start the complete wiring setup around your house. I started out accessing to Q-See DVR through my big TV Sony Bravia. It was difficult to look up close to the large screen since DVR was connected to Bravia closeby. Later my DVR was connected to a smaller screen ViewSonic; this is an easier setup similar to using desktop computer.

The arrow movement with Q-See mouse gives different feel from normal use of computer mouse. It took a little while to get used to the Q-See user interface which is a little primitive. User interface is a lot better when I access to DVR through Internet Explorer.

I had contacts with several Q-See customer reps for help. Initially, I got a very lousy (for example, I mentioned I used Windows XP; a day later, a service rep gave feedbacks based on Windows 7.) to better ones. Below is the best rep's response I got for uploading video files to Youtube.

Q-See Customer Rep Jose Lopez: "as for converting your file so that youtube recognizes it, that's out of our support. you will need to find a 3rd party converter or video program that will allow this."

Buy Q-See 8-Channel Surveillance System with 500 GB Hard Drive and 8 Weatherproof CCD Cameras (QT428-81 Now

I read many reviews about how bad Q-see's customer service was, I was ready for the worst. What I found was the opposite. I checked the knowledgebase and found some troubleshooting techniques. They didn't resolve the issue. I sent an email with a detail description of the issue. I got an e-mail back within hours, I was shocked. I tried the suggestions and sent a response. Once again I recieved a response back with a few hours. And again I responded and recieved another response. Within a day, mainly because I didn't respond I had three messages and responses. This was on a weekend as well. I have not had that kind of reponse from any other technology companies. We concluded the equipment needed repair and he sent me the steps to get that done. Maybe they have done some work on customer service area. But I haven't gotten that kind of response from other companies. Customer service is very important to me if I had listened to the blogs, I might have not bought this equipment. I have a very favorable impression of the companies customer service after my experience. I rarely write reviews, but because my experience was so contrary to the reviews out there, I felt compelled to write a review.

Read Best Reviews of Q-See 8-Channel Surveillance System with 500 GB Hard Drive and 8 Weatherproof CCD Cameras (QT428-81 Here

WARNING DO NOT BUY ANY Q-SEE PRODUCTS.. HORRIBLE PRODUCTS AND HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.. GO WITH A DIFFERENT BRAND.. VERY VERY BAD SERVICE

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Yamaha BD-S667 Blu-ray Disc Player

• HDMI 1.3 BD Live with Bonus View
• HD Audio full decoding
• USB input for your music and photos
• DLNA compatible for home networking support
• Netflix compatibility lets you use your Netflix account via the player

Positives

The player is nicely designed and looks better than most others around this price.

Its startup time is a minute faster than the previous Yamaha model, and about 30 seconds faster than most of its competition. It took 1 min 13 secs to start playing Batman Begins. Only the Sonys are faster, at 1:06 for the Sony bdp-470 and 570. The LG bd-570 and Onkyo dv-bd507 were 30 seconds slower, and the Panasonic dmp-bd85 couldn't read the disc.

Startup time for an audio CD was fine, at 11 secs. All the other Blu-ray players in the store took a few seconds longer.

It's pretty quiet when it's playing. You only hear it rarely, during certain sections of a Blu-Ray movie when it makes a light high pitched spinning noise that passes after a minute or so.

Negatives

It can't resume regular DVDs after power-off. The player auto-powers off after about 10 minutes, and when you power back on it starts a DVD from the beginning again. Blu-Ray discs have a known problem with not being able to resume playback when they are launched within the Java environment, but regular DVDs should be able to resume.

My unit consistently crashed when asked to eject certain Blu-Ray discs (eg. Batman Begins). You can restart it by holding down the power button for 3 seconds, and wait for it to allow you to eject the disc.

When powering on, you have to wait a while for the controls to become responsive. Many players are like this, but the unit could let you know when you can use it.

Overall

Movies and CDs look and sound great. It's intuitive to use. The firmware was easy to update with the USB port. It lacks quite a few features available in others (3D, BD-Live RAM, and Wifi), and it feels like a "first generation" player because of a few bugs and because the resume feature has not yet been implemented. I would suggest checking out Oppo's player instead.

Buy Yamaha BD-S667 Blu-ray Disc Player Now

Unfortunately, JVC never released a direct successor to the XV BP1. Instead, the released the low budget profile 1.1 XV BP11 destined for closeout pricing at Sam's Club. Nearly 16 months after the JVC's release, I think I have found its successor, but strangely enough it's hidden behind a Yamaha label.

Prior Yamaha blu ray players (1065, 1900) were Sharp-based players that lacked any real redeeming quality save an opportunity for Yamaha receiver owners to have some commonality in their rack. Upon reading the press releases of the 667, a few things caught my eye that worrying quick start feature was dropped and the inclusion of dlna made me wonder whose format the player was based. It did not appear to be Sharp-based (unlike the new Pioneer releases) and also lacked the usual Funai or LG look and layout that is generally easy to spot.

The 667 arrived Thursday afternoon and I have been pushing this unit through an abnormally high number of tests. Its GUI, OSD, and setup menu were very familiar in that they struck me as very similar to my Oppo 83 and 80. The initial setup and overlain setup menu were different in look and lacked a number of options the Oppos have, but had an overwhelming Oppo-esque familiarity to them.

The center-mounted disc drive is a bit pokey, opening in 10-12 seconds (very similar to the Oppp 83 EAP first-run drives), but load times were very fast and were only outpaced by the newest Samsung models. Upon checking synthetic deinterlacing tests, I knew we had found the very competent Mediatek chipset. In fact, its synthetic deinterlacing tests for film cadence matched the Oppo BDP-80 identically. Unfortunately, its video deinterlacing was not quite up to par with the Oppo BDP-80.

Real world DVD testing revealed a very competent player that could not quite match the Pioneer BDP-320's sharpness or the Oppo's accuracy in avoiding aliasing, but was damn close. The player's biggest deficiency is a lack of fine tuned noise reduction to bring a more detailed edge to the image. That said, the player is very versatile and offers the same smooth, accurate image other mediatek chipped players produce. The player offers a zoom function for dvds that is effective and similar to that offered in the Oppo 80, but a bit different in its gradients.

In respects of analogue audio, the 667 offers only stereo outputs that are adequate, but not inspiring in my testing. Moreover, it does not offer SACD or DVD-A playback like the Oppo (or even the Sony 470 for the former), but it does offer DLNA connectivity and Netflix streaming.

So why is this the next JVC XV-BP1? While its $329 MSRP is a bit stiff, it is currently heavily discounted and available for $250 in its second week of release. Should price pressure continue and it sells below $200, this might become my recommended entry-level player now that the Pioneer BDP-320 is scarce if not gone. It maintains the high quality dvd playback and speed very similar to the XV BP1, but with more modern features like DLNA and Netflix (yes, I know LG has had streaming for almost three years!). That said, prices have dropped considerably and arguing relative value is more and more difficult. The $250 mark is heavily competitive and you have older, discontinued models being closed at slightly higher prices (denon dbp-2010ci comes to mind). That said, with just a little more price pressure this player is ideal for folks looking for Netflix streaming, very fast disc loading times, DLNA connectivity and very good dvd playback. There are a number of players that give you more bells and whistles at a lower price (Sony BDP-S470 and LG BD570), but they cannot quite offer the dvd playback this mediatek chipped player offers. Highly Recommended at under $200; Worth Considering at $225.

Read Best Reviews of Yamaha BD-S667 Blu-ray Disc Player Here

I purchased this unit as an adjunct to my existing Yamaha DVD SACD player (I still use the latter to play SACD's). I've used it for both Blu-ray discs (through Netflix's subscription) as well as Netflix streaming over an AT&T DSL. The load time for the Blu-ray is slower than my DVD, but I'm guessing that this is simply due to increased information content on the Bluray discs. Streaming was amazing after a slight delay of around 15 sec or so, the movie started (in HD). I couldn't tell that it wasn't a disc. Build quality is great, software upgrade is done easily over the net and the instructions are clear (much better than earlier Yamaha manuals). Particularly for the price, this unit is a winner.

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I bought this player for its advanced functionality. The Netflix support is a minimal API with access to the Instant Queue. I have had it lock up once. I think it is a quality player, but if you aren't wedded to Yamaha I would look elsewhere. If you, like me, wanted to keep matched components (we have a Yamaha A/V) I would consider getting the advanced functionality from a TV set itself and purchase a more basic BluRay/DVD Player from Yamaha or wait until they Yamaha catches up a bit in the fast moving world of streaming content.

I was so excited to buy this since prices is low compared to retail suggested price. I have Yamaha RXV863 receiver and wanted to match it. I replaced my low end Panasonic BD player with this thinking Yamaha BD technology synchronizes seamlessly with their own receivers. I was dead wrong. When I first loaded Narnia BD I heard big rumbling noise from the player. The disc is freezing few seconds on and off while playing. Thought the disk is wrong (even though I know it perfectly played before on my Panny). The manual says the rattling noise from the tray wile loading is normal. OK then I checked firmware. Its ver 1.05 and 1.07 is available. So quickly downloaded and installed with USB thumb drive. Then I re loaded the Narnia disk. This time the player displayed "unknown disk" message. OK, I went and rented Devils Double BD and loaded. It started playing for 10min and started freezing on and off. I was so pissed of, packed this crap and returned to Amazon and not even opting for a replacement. Continued watching Devils Double back on my panny with no problems at all. Note I use high end Monster cables in my HT set up so nothing wrong with cables. Yamaha disappointed me big time on this player.

Also I noticed the price for this player at Amazon is dropping everyday (today price is at $97). Some thing is wrong here. They knew these are defective but taking their chances. Wait few more days you might get it for FREE. I cant believe Yamaha suggested $350 retail price for such a poor quality build player. Now I am thinking of getting Oppo BDP93 when the price is right.