WD TV Live Streaming Media Player Wi-Fi 1080p

• Enjoy Internet entertainment on your TV
• Play your personal media collection
• Built-in Wi-Fi and intuitive interface
• High-performance, streaming-ready WiFi
• Bring the arcade to your HDTV
• Audio Formats Supported: MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS
• Image formats Supported: JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG
• Video Formats supported: AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1),TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1) MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, FLV (h.264)

I recently decided to start a little weekend project of completely digitizing my 200+ home DVD collection. I wont get into any arguments over the legal ramifications of this type of project, but rest assured every digital movie in my collection is a straight rip of a physical DVD I own. That being said, I really needed a good option to actually "deliver" these movies to my HD TV in my living room. I have an Xbox 360 but that just didnt seem to be making the cut. So I started researching these fancy smart set-top boxes.

At first I was convinced the Roku XS 2 was the way to go but I started reading more and more about its lack of specific filetype support (i.e. MKV, M4V, AVI to name a few). That and it really didnt do network streaming/sharing well (if at all). I saw the WD TV Live HUB with 1TB harddrive for 199 and thought that was just a little too steep for my price range (the Roku is 99 afterall). Then I somehow accidentally found this device on Amazon. The price was right, and the specs seemed right. Too good to be true?

No! This device is incredible! First of all, I cant get over how tiny it is! Its literally thinner than a regular DVD case and maybe as tall as 2 dvds stacked. It sits nicely right next to my 360 with some breathing room! It only comes with a cheap pair of composite (or maybe component I didnt check) cables but I quickly ignored them due to an extra HDMI cable I had lying around. That coupled with the extra optical cable I had as well completed this package although Im sure many will argue that its fairly lacking that the unit didnt come with either in the box (I agree but both cables can basically be purchased for an extra 10 bucks so not that big of a deal and I did have extras lying around).

Basically, setup took seconds and I had it online in no time. It found my wifi box right away although it appeared to have little to no "connection" strength (it showed no bars). This isnt unusual as my wifi router is fairly weak and my laptop consistently has issues dropping the connection etc which is unfortunate because the box is only upstairs and like 20 feet away?! But I digress. After the wifi connected I downloaded all the latest firmwares (quickly and painlessly) and was up and running! All the online services you could want are on the dashboard. A few notables I saw missing were Amazon Unbox and HBO Go but Im not sure what the situation is with those on other devices (Roku supports Amazon Unbox I think? 360 will have HBO Go in like 3 weeks?). But, this review really wont/doesnt cover all of those online services available to the unit. I tried Netflix and Pandora and they both worked fine. There are also a few games preinstalled which is neat I guess.

So, later in the night I put it through its paces. I basically threw every type of movie file I could at it, all with different file sizes and resolution (all streamed off a network share). I tried some 480p DVD rips of M4Vs, some 720p AVIs, even some 1080p MKVs. All streamed flawlessly (even over my poor wifi connection!). I was never disappointed. Even browsing the folder structure via the network share was quick and painless with no delay (with only 120ish folders so far). Later in the night by the time I was on my 3rd movie I noticed that the lip syncing was off. I started to panic! Was my too good to be true situation finally starting to show its true colors?! I tried a few other movies and all seemed fine, but that one with the syncing issue was consistent. Then I noticed in the quick options a Lip Syncing delay option. Toggling this (delay or advance) by 100ms chunks fixed the problem perfectly! I was VERY relieved to see that this option existed and it was so quick and easy to get too as I could see this being an issue for certain files etc. Lastly the only other issue I really noticed was that home videos taken with my Flip cam (1080p mp4s) were very choppy and delayed/unwatchable. I have experienced this before on every device Ive tried to watch them on (i.e. 360/PS3/etc). I have to assume that this is simply the result of trying to stream a file thats too large over my weak wifi network. Hopefully a Wireless N router will find its way under the Christmas tree this year!

At the end of the night I was very thrilled with the little device! Its doing exactly what I could want and more! My ONLY purpose for buying the unit was to stream my digital DVD collection via my network. The fact that I can throw an external HDD on the unit if I want to stop dealing with the network is gravy! Add on top the online services like HuluPlus, Netflix, Blockbuster, Pandora, etc, etc, and I have one tiny little unit that packs quite a punch! Most users here will review the online services and only glance over the networking/file type support. Hopefully Ive done the opposite here and covered all the "other" angles that most people arent concerned with!

PS Its worth noting that I cant really see a reason to get the more expensive WD TV Live HUB with built in 1TB harddrive. Its lacking WIFI and something else I cant recall but you can get an external 1TB drive for basically 1 hundred bucks anyway nowadays and just attach to the WD TV Live unit and have the same situation only better (because you have a replaceable drive AND wifi built in!).

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---------------UPDATE 5/25/2012-------------------

There's been a lot of changes since writing this review but just this week, WD updated the youtube leanback app and made a ton of improvements!. Now I can play my new videos from my subscriptions playlist :) There's also more data provided about each video and a sleek ui overhaul. You can also control the app through your iphone/android device (haven't tested this yet). Nice job WD! Loving this so much now!

--------------/Update----------------------------

I want to start by letting you all know that I'm very picky about my electronics and I'm not easily satisfied nowadays, so I always play with several products before sticking with one. I've gone through the wdtv live plus (grey model with small remote), sony smp-n100, and the apple tv 2 before trying out this device (also used various BD players, gaming consoles for netflix/youtube streaming). I must say that this unit takes the cake in terms of what you get for the price.

Too lazy to give you my full story and thoughts so I'm just going to sum it up and give comparisons to the atv2, which I'd consider the next best choice for a set top box.

-Video quality exceeded my expectations (netflix, youtube, network streaming)

-Youtube steams HD (unlike smp-n100 and other revisions of the wdtv live/plus)

-Wifi is integrated in this unit but won't see my N network (no big deal)

-Youtube won't allow you to access your subscriptions from the app, only your favorites list, search, popular videos, and your published videos (biggest downside for me)

-Can stream nearly every video file format I would ever use

-Netflix app on this device functions very well, better than other devices I've used.

-Includes a few games like chess, memory, dumb boring stuff mostly.

-The remote is more responsive and has more buttons (which I love) than the other model I used (WDBABF0000NBK-NESN)

Okay, now for my comparison of the WDBHG70000NBK vs the apple tv:

Both devices operate exceptionally well compared to the sony smp-n100 and the wdtv live (WDBABF0000NBK-NESN).

I was very pleased with the performance of Youtube and Netflix on both the apple tv 2 and the WDTV live; However, I appreciated the interface of the atv2 Netflix app slightly more simply because it gave me more choices and allowed me to specify sub-genres of movies to choose from and giving me similar movie/tv choices based on the content that's currently selected... similar to how Youtube shows related videos on the sidebar. The wdtv live had slightly better loading times with netflix buffering than the atv2 but not by much. The major selling point for me on the wdtv live was the fact that it consistently streams HD and doesn't change the video quality as often as atv2 did while watching Netflix. I hated switching from HD to SD or worse during a movie!!! The atv2 also has a noticeably blurry/pixelated image quality even while streaming HD content. That alone was the reason why I had to try out this revision of the wdtv live. This unit does not experience the loss of image quality that my atv2 had undergone, but I read somewhere that atv2 uses a different bandwidth standard for HD streaming than other devices and will dynamically change the quality while streaming without notification to avoid disturbances... I have a 20Mb downstream rate... still looked ugly with my 20Mb connection so I'd stay away from that unit if picture quality is important to you. Your wife probably won't find it irritating but if you've gotten used to the clarity of 720p, you WILL see the lack of focus and pixelation while using netflix on the atv2 (youtube was less noticeable). Jailbreaking the atv2 was a MAJOR selling point for me and in my opinion, increases the value of the unit by at least another $100 if you use the couch surfer addon or xbmc :) I won't go into that but google it if you want to learn about it.

WDTV live also supports almost every video format you'd ever want to stream from your pc so you wont have to go through the hassle of converting file types to make them work on your device. Atv2 lacks strongly in this department.

Alright, I'm getting restless typing all this ****. I'd rate the wdtv live a 9/10 and the atv2 an 7.9/10.

I'd highly recommend this device especially for the price!

PSIf you buy elsewhere, make sure you buy this unit with the large remote (as seen in the picture listed) not the version with the tiny remote, that's the old model and it sucks compared this this one. I'm too lazy to list the details, just take my word for it. I'm a wizard.

Edit 1: Found a few minor negatives about this device that I'd like to address here for the manufacturer to make notice of:

1. HDMI cec cannot turn off the device when Netflix app is open due to confirmation promptFIXED!

2. Youtube app should include subscriptions section or the ability to view only videos from specific usersFIXED!

3. New FW update causes issues with video output when the device wakes from sleep (might be related to hdmi cec)

4. general sluggishness of the menus with all the additional apps taking up space, maybe give us an option to uninstall certain apps?

5. youtube leanback has occasional buffer error where it wont come out of a buffer ring state

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I got this media player elsewhere locally, before Amazon dropped their price. Anyway, the GUI is fine. It's easily navigable, not cluttered at all, presented in a beautiful package, and certainly easy to read. All pluses there. The first videos I attempted to play were 720p mkv files over wireless network (on a 1TB HDD connected to my computer in the basement via USB). After taking a few seconds to gather the first few pictures from the USB--> wireless connected storage device, the WDTV Live streamed the videos seamlessly! I even paused one for like 8 minutes while making dinner, and it resumed with no noticeable glitches, artifacts, or rendering/buffering. The second (and only other) file type I attempted to play was a 1080p TS file I had recorded from my cable box. This took a little bit longer between hitting play and seeing video on the screen, but time was minimal. I want to say no more than 4 or 5 seconds. Again, it had to pull the video from the HDD to the computer via USB, and then again from the computer to the media player over the wireless G network. This video also played flawlessly! No artifacting, no rendering/buffering/, no audio sync issues or dropped frames. It plays video from hella far away on the network beautifully, and resumes from pause just as well! I only have 2 cons listed below:

-The out-of-box immediate software update took EONS! I was waiting for the newest firmware to download for almost 30 minutes.

-The remote control has highly raised rubber buttons that cannot be pressed in fast succession, or must be pressed a little bit harder in order to get signal sent. It's annoying, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. (Also, on this note, there are privately developed remote control apps for both Android and iOS in their respective app stores which may be an alternative for myself or some of you)

In conclusion, the new interface is exactly what I was expecting (if not better) after seeing last years release of the GUI on the hub. This player plays absolutely everything! It even plays items from peripherals on computers 2 floors down in my house wirelessly with very little wait time or visible effort. The price point is fantastic, and the product does not disappoint.

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In my review, I'm going to tell you how you can easily play all of the popular video formats/container formats with the following requirements: WD TV Live WDBHG70000NBK, a PC with adequate storage for your media, and a home network. Scroll down to ::HOW TO:: if you don't want to read my preface, albeit I recommend it for those who are new to all of this, so they have an understanding of the what and why this method, I feel, is the best.

*UPDATE: I changed references to PS3 Media Server to Universal Media Server, as it is a more up to date piece of software, headed by those who contributed to the PS3 Media Server project)

::PREFACE::

It always shocks and pains me whenever I read about people who can't seem to get certain file formats to play natively with their Media Renderer, so they decide to go through the laborious and error prone process of converting and re-encoding all their files into a format that they know will work with their device. Worse yet, they'll write off their otherwise great device as a piece of garbage, switch back to using risky and insane roundabout methods for media playback, or give up on networked home entertainment altogether, without ever getting to experience how great/economical/simple a functional, networked home entertainment setup can be.

I've been running networked home entertainment setups since around 2007, have tested many pieces of software and hardware, and have settled on this one solution that has been able to handle pretty much everything that I've thrown at it for years, with only very minor, albeit acceptable limitations. My setup requires having a networked PC to work as the actual media server which handles all of the processing gruntwork and compatibility issues that you find people moaning about in reviews on the shortcomings of various streaming media devices. While a lot of people desire ultimate simplicity by just having a box connected to the TV and internet, with no mucking about with a PC, this is a flawed methodology, as the variety of DLNA Media Renderers (ie: Xbox360, PS3, WD TV Live, AppleTV, Roku, etc) all have different, hit-and-miss support for various file types, meager, limited and slow onboard storage, and quite often do not have the horsepower to support quality playback of the most demanding files (1080p video playback with a full surround 7.1 channel DTS Audio stream). Others believe they can re-encode their way out of compatibility issues by converting those pesky (in reality, wonderful) .MKVs into .AVI, .TS, or |insert-filetype-here|. Format conversion is probably one of the absolute worst things someone can do, as PROPER video encoding requires a bit of know-how, the right encoding tools, no interruptions and perfect RAM, as even the slightest processing interruption or memory error can cause video and audio artifacts, loss of quality, and/or synching issues. I'm sure you've all come across and downloaded "crappy encodes" or "rips". A good, proper networked home entertainment setup can play just about any file natively, without requiring the user to convert anything. Make the player fit the file, not the other way around (time consuming). By incorporating a PC with the right UPnP media server/playback software, you eliminate the guesswork out of the compatibility, get access to a vast file library on much faster storage, much easier media management, and few worries of performance anxiety, so long as your computer is decently up to speed and has a fast enough network. Essentially, the PC + software does all of the work, while the Media Renderer, like the WD TV, is just the pretty front end that accesses it. In reality, this applies to AND works with many DLNA compliant Media Renderers, not just the WD TV Live...but there are compelling reasons why I have switched to this device.

The WD TV Live caught my eye because it uses very little power, is DLNA compliant, is inexpensive and has a fairly easy to understand interface. I had been previously using my Playstion 3s reliably for years, but as I've had less time for video games, and my wife and I were predominantly using them for Netflix and media server video playback, I could no longer justify their gluttonous power consumption. My original PS3 Fat was consuming a 160W at idle and up to 180W during playback, with the PS3 Slim consuming around 80-90W. It was having a pretty serious effect on my electricity bills. WD TV Live? A scant 6.6W while playing a 1080p video being served by my PC, idles at 5W!! And it functioned just as well as my PS3, with an interface that was a lot more attractive than Sony's XMB (cross media bar).

If you're adequately sold on this product and are interested in getting a great networked home entertainment setup started, continue on!

::HOW TO::

You'll need the following:

PC running Windows/MacOS/Linux, at least a Core 2 Duo @ 2.4Ghz and 2GB RAM. I recommend Intel i3 2300 or i5 2400, as they have fantastic power consumption:performance ratios. The more HDD space you have, the better.

Home network. For high end media streaming, nothing beats wired gigabit ethernet. If you worry about cabling, Amazon carries some fantastically discreet flat Cat6 cables here: Cables Unlimited UTP-1800-50W UltraFlat Cat6 Patch Cables (50 feet, White). Wireless is doable, but you must often turn down quality or face ugly stuttering issues. No less than 802.11n (Wireless N)

A DLNA compliant Media Renderer, aka the WD TV Live WDBHG70000NBK

1: If your PC is going to just be a dedicated media server, remove any and all codecs you may have previously installed. If you are also going to use it regularly and watch video with it, I recommend only having one codec pack installed, such as CCCP codec pack. In many cases where people can't play videos from their computer, it is because they have too many garbage codecs installed over each other.

2: Google and download Universal Media Server for your flavor of OS (I use Win7) and install the latest stable version on the computer hosting your files. Your computer + the media server software will be the brains behind your media streaming experience. It is a wonderfully coded pieces of open source software that can natively stream many video types to a wide variety of devices, including PS3, Xbox360, Boxee, WDTV Live (of course) and many more. It comes with all of the proper encoders to stream natively, or if it has trouble, it can transcode (on the fly video conversion to a compatible format, without damaging the original file) a wide variety of file types. It also supports multiple processors, multiple audio and subtitle tracks, and can read DVD ISOs. There are many options to explore, but for most people, everything works out of the box.

3. Launch Universal Media Server

4. Go to Navigation/Share Settings tab.

5. Add all folders that you would like to access from your WD TV Live

OPTIONAL (These settings have always worked for me, for just about any video, albeit the default out of box settings will work for most)

6. Go to Transcode Settings tab and see "Common Transcode Settings" options. I have mine set to use all cores and only "Remux when audio is AC3..." as the only things checked.

7. In the Transcode Settings tab and "MEncoder" options, I have "Use multiple cores" and "Remux videos with tsMuxer..." as the only things checked

8. In the Transcode Settings tab and "txMuxer" options, I have "Force FPS parsed from FFmpeg" as the only thing checked.

9. Hit the "Save" button on top and "Restart Server"

10. Start your WD TV Live

11. From the Videos tab, select your media source as "Media Server" (this can also be accessed by hitting the red button). You should see the Universal Media Server listed. Select it and start enjoying your collection! If you can't see the Universal Media Server listed as a media source, check your WD TV Live network and workgroup settings and ensure that they match your network. On your PC, ensure that it is "network discoverable" .

:: NOTES & LIMITATIONS ::

You'll notice an extra "Transcode" folder in all of your video folders. Transcoding, as mentioned before, is a method where the Universal Media Server will convert the video to a compatible format on the fly, without damaging or altering the original file. This is why it is good to have a PC with some horsepower. Transcoding is rarely used, only on the rare occasion that a file doesn't play natively. The folder can be disabled from showing withing PS3 Media Server.

One HD videos, fast forward or rewind buttons do not work well. Rather, pause the video and jump to specific times. Attempting to fast forward will overflow the memory buffer (HD video uses a lot of bandwidth) and can possibly crash Universal Media Server, resulting in you getting up and restarting the program on your PC. This is the biggest limitation.

Many videos in containers like MKV support and contain multiple subtitle and audio tracks (different languages, director commentary), use the "Subtitle" and "Audio" buttons to effortlessly switch them.

The default firmware on the WD TV Live will work just fine, but input response on older firmware is slow. WD frequently improves their product with regular firmware updates that have proven themselves to be beneficial.

:: OTHER THOUGHTS ON WD TV LIVE ::

I'm really happy with my WD TV Live, especially when used in conjunction with great UPnP media server software like Universal Media Server. WD TV Live will work with other UPnP media server software (ie: PS3 Media Server, PlayOn, TVersity, Plex) but I've found Universal Media Server to be the quickest, most lightweight, and most compatible with various video formats. Even without a PC serving media through a UPnP program, the WD TV Live is still a good device. It does natively support an impressive number of video types, but it did struggle with keeping up on some, crashing in one case. This device is a worthy investment for the amount of things you can do and access with it. If you invest a little time in understanding how media streaming works, and how to get the most out of it, you will absolutely love it.

I hope someone will benefit from my mega information dump!

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UPDATE January 30, 2013

Well, a new firmware update just killed my WDTV. It no longer sees my Windows Share even though every other device on my network does (AppleTV, Windows Computers, Mac Computers, etc). My Windows Share does not even appear on the list of Windows Shares. There is a thread on the WD Forums with users having the same issues as well as other issues with this firmware:

In addition phone technical support is useless and rolling back to previous firmwares as suggested does not work either. Everything was working just fine before this latest update and now the unit is useless even after trying to rollback firmware.

Doesn't look like WDTV cares either.

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

This product is a nice upgrade over the previous model since it does add Wifi and a greatly improved GUI. But some of the new features are kind of handicapped.

-The wireless N function of this device is 2.4ghz only. So if you have a 5ghz wireless N network you will be stuck either changing your router settings or using wireless G

-The metadata information only downloads for files that are directly attached to the device through USB not over the network.

-Unable to rate or add favorites for your files or folders over the network, only on directly attached storage.

Overall, still a great product since it plays everything I've thrown at it but could've been much better.

Panasonic RR-XR800 Personal 4 GB IC Digital Voice Recorder (Black)

Although discontiuned, you can still find this GEM at various retailers. At the time I write this review, there are 9 left at Amazon.

When this product was first introduced a few years back it was priced at $349.95, which was arguably a bargain. At $65 bucks, it's the deal of year! I don' think of it as a "digital voice recorder" per se; it's a HIGH QUALITY AUDIO RECORDER. In the early 1980's, Panasonic was a leader in PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) recording technology used in the manufacture of CDs. Their lowest cost unit, about the size of two vcrs stacked on top of each other, was just south of TEN THOUSAND dollars. I mention this because this "tiny," lightweight unit IS a PCM recorder! The sound quality is SPECTACULAR when using the PCM mode. (There are FIVE recording modes.) You won't use PCM that often because it's overkill, and PCM uses a LOT more storage space than any of the other recording modes. I grabbed a cup of coffee a couple weeks back and walked out to my back porch. The bird feeders and ground were covered with birds; the "concert" was amazing. I got the RR-XR800, set it to PCM mode and let it record for about 5 minutes. I later connected it to my home audio system, and if you closed your eyes you'd SWEAR the birds were in the living room. It's THAT good.

In the every day world, a common use for these devices is recording meetings. The meeting room at my workplace seats 24 people that's a BIG table, and a big room. In even the lowest-quality mode it captures every sound, including one of our employees who speaks so softly that one has to lean forward at times and strain to hear her.

Although the screen is small, it's EASY TO READ. And like Tterb45 said in his review, the unit is HIGHLY intuitive. You don't need the manual to hit the ground running! (The manual is HIGHLY detailed / thorough for anyone wanting to understand every feature and believe me, there are a LOT of them!)

And one more thing... this little guy is just plain COOL. If I had a buck for every time someone said "hey... what's THAT?" I could buy dinner for four at the Dead Lobster.

If you need a digital recorder, JUMP on this one before they're gone!

The recorder is amazingly light, even with batteries in it, but it does seem to be good quality so far. Obviously lots of features that will require some reading to figure out, but basic operation is intuitive no need for a manual to get a recording.

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This device needs a larger screen with bigger fonts

Its other real weakness is that it has a very small speaker

which is a surprise being from panasonic who usually have

very good speakers on their audio recorders.

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The only reason I give this 4 stars, and not 5 is because the display is a little too small for my antiquated vision, and the onboard built-in speaker volume is limited. However, I don't consider these aspects to be design flaws, since if you want a small IC recorder, there have to be some compromises. This is an otherwise excellent product, captures the moment with speech or music, perfectly, and boasts stunning sound quality, when monitoring using decent headphones. So, if your eyesight is optimal, go for it!

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Although this unit appears to have been discontinued, you will probably find it at a lot of sellers. It's very small--much too small! I've been a huge Panasonic fan in the past for their quality, but this unit does not live up to the company's reputation. The audio, PCM, is, of course, outstanding. I only use it for voice, so that's not really even a consideration. The display is hard to read; since it's unlit, it's really hard to read! It probably would have cost Panasonic a dollar more to add a backlight. Had I known how bad the display was, I wouldn't have ordered it. The display alone is a deal breaker!

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Sony VRDMC6 DVDirect Compact Size DVD Burner with AVCHD Recording

I've stopped using my old hitachi video camera(from 2001)awhile ago since I never liked dragging it out, setting it up, charging it, finding a tape or lugging it around etc. But, none the less, I still have at least 10-12 mini cassette(8mm) tapes that needed to be put on DVD, as well as some old VHS tapes too. I haven't seen any of these home movies in years because watching a VHS is aggravating(waiting for it rewind?! geez. hello old school). I was so excited to hear about this and figured it would be a great idea to finally transfer my stuff.

Out of the box, it will literally take you moments to set up and start recording. If you're taping from a VCR, make sure you plug into the line OUT on the back of the VCR.

It formats the DVD disc for you, and when you press play on your video camera(or VCR) you also hit the big main button on the DVDirect to begin recording. If there's snow in your video for more then a few seconds, it pauses recording and resumes when the video kicks back in. You can choose 5 min, 10 min or 15 minute automatic chapter inserts, so it's easy to navigate a long video. Sound is good, but only as good as it was originally. If you have crappy sound on your old video camera, it'll be crappy on DVD. I wasn't expecting it to turn my stuff HD or work miracles, so this is exactly what I wanted and expected.

The screen on the DVDirect is easy to see and tells you how long you've been recording, when it's stopped, it tells you how long is left on the DVD to record. Only a few buttons, so it's simple to stay on track and not get lost in countless options, which means it won't be hard to figure out even for someone who's not good with technology. It does record live time, so you have to have a little patience. Press play, record, and walk away. Also, amazingly simple to finalize the DVD and pop it in a player and begin watching. I also notice on the box it says you can make photo slide shows with music. Pretty cool! Definitely a great buy for anyone with tons of old VHS and mini cassettes.

I'm a teacher and not very technically savvy, and I am thrilled with this product. I needed to convert my vast VHS library of teaching materials to DVD format. This product is working perfectly. There are just a few points I might add that I did not see in the reviews I read. I think some are so obvious that anyone with technical experience might not have thought they needed mentioning. First, if you are trying to convert plain old VHS tapes, you'll need a VCR. I didn't have one, and I actually thought (not understanding the scale of the photo of the product) that the tapes would go IN this machine. The good news is, you only need a VCR and one cord with red, yellow and white plugs. This will not tie up your TV. You play the tape into the converter. The converter has a small screen that lets you see where in the tape the converter is "reading". The other really cool part is that you can "edit" out parts of your VHS tapes you don't want (in my case, commercials embedded in videos). You just hit the pause button to skip those parts. The one thing mentioned in earlier reviews that I would just like to reiterate is that you need to change the recording quality setting from HQ to SP. This will give you 2 hours of video on each disc, as opposed to just over 1 hour and 20 or so minutes. Finally, you should buy DVD-R type DVDs. I lost some time trying to figure out the difference between DVD+r and DVD-R.

This is a great product and there really isn't anything quite like it on the market!

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Okay, I'm a bit of a gadget junky. Not only did I buy this DVD burner, but I also own a similar device made by Canon, the DW-100, which you can find here: Canon DW-100 DVD Burner for Canon Hard Drive & Flash Memory Camcorders + Accessory Kit as well as one made by Panasonic, the VW-BN1, which is no longer sold on Amazon. Why do I have these two? Because I have Canon and Panasonic HD camcorders and these devices offer a very easy way to transfer HD footage straight to a single or dual layer DVD. So, you ask, why did I buy a third...especially when I don't have a Sony camcorder? Because neither the Panasonic nor the Canon device will allow me to take footage that I shot in HD and transfer it to disc in SD format. This Sony unit does.

I have several relatives that do not own HD equipment and the only way to send them our family video is to put it in SD format. This Sony VRD-MC6 makes that transfer simple and painless. So far I have transferred about 12 discs. The other two devices mentioned above ONLY have connections for their respective camcorders and will only produce DVDs in the same format as recorded. With the composite connections on this Sony unit, you can pretty much take ANY HD player that has a composite out connection, connect it to this unit, and burn it to disc in SD format. So simple.

Things to note:

1. Nice little screen so that you can see what you are recording...none of the others have that.

2. HD footage recorded to dual layer will just about fit (in SD) on a single layer disc on this unit...with about five minutes on average that you'll have left that won't go on.

3. Interestingly, the Canon and Panasonic devices will only record dual layer discs in the DVD-R DL format, which are very hard to find. This device will record in the DVD+R DL format, which are fairly abundant. It will NOT accept DVD-R DL, but it will accept single layer DVD-R blank discs.

4. The size is compact enough to travel with, and it works on 110 as well as 240 volts. It does not have a "brick" at the plug, but it does have one mid-way through the cord (which converts the voltage, just like most camcorders). The Panasonic burner is wafer thin, and oddly, the Canon burner is ridiculously huge.

5. Remember that it will NOT record in HD for any camcorder except the Sony Handycam camcorders, but will record anything that can output via composite cables in the SD format.

6. Keep in mind that it does not "copy discs." Whatever is on the screen is what is being recorded. If, for example, you have a menu at the start of a disc that allows you to select a file to play, all this unit will do is record that screen until you start to play the video...thus the menu screen on the disc you create is pretty much useless.

It really is too bad that Panasonic or Canon did not allow this same input of composite cables (SD) as a recording option. Now, I burn from either of my camcorders via their respective device as HD and then I play the HD disc on my BD player and output it into this Sony burner to record an SD copy for the relatives. A little cumbersome, but for me it's less hassle than doing it all via the PC.

One last note: I bought a refurbished unit with an extended warranty, and even with the warranty included it was far cheaper than what the new ones cost. Most prices I saw for the brand new versions at the time of my purchase were way over what I was willing to spend. However, if I actually owned a Sony camcorder that would transfer HD video for burning I'd probably think otherwise.

I hope this review helped!

Read Best Reviews of Sony VRDMC6 DVDirect Compact Size DVD Burner with AVCHD Recording Here

I purchased this DVDirect from HSN not Amazon, mine is piano black and shows every fingerprint ugh. This is a quality made video recorder BUT it is really intended for a Sony Camcorder being attached to it by the fire wire connection or by using Sony memory sticks. If you use Sony equipment with this, the DVDirect will record almost anything automatically. If you use another brand of Camcorder or camera, you are restricted to the composite (yellow, red, white) connections and the SD card slot for JPEG photo's and then it's pretty much a manual operation to get the video and JPEG photo's onto DVD disks. That may sound discouraging, but to use all the features properly with a Sony Camcorder reads as very complicated procedures. The manual recording from non-Sony cameras is very simple and even though your using the worst way to copy video (composite cables) the video you get is outstanding. It should be noted that you cannot copy video onto a DVD and then copy JPEG photos onto that same DVD disk as the disk formats itself for one or the other (video or pictures). I cheat on this by using the composite cables that came with my camera (Panasonic FZ28, Canon SX110IS) then put my camera into slide show mode and copy the JPEG's and video from those cameras onto the DVD disk that way. I eliminate the need for the SD card slot. I also can add music to my photo slide shows by hooking up an audio source (IPOD, etc) to the audio inputs on the DVDirect and record audio as it records my JPEG's, works slick. The dirty little secret is that you could use most any camcorder and hook it up to a DVD recorder with composite inputs and do the same thing as this DVDirect will do, so why buy this? Convenience and quality is why, this makes everything simple and the results are great.

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I use the Sony VRD-MC6 to copy from VHS tapes and miniDV tapes to DVD-R. For VHS tapes, I use composite video and analog stereo audio (the yellow, red, and white RCA pin plugs). For miniDV tapes, I use iLink (the 4-pin IEEE-1394 connector). I have not used the USB port, the Memory Stick port, the Memory Stick Duo, SD cards, or xD cards because I would use my computer to copy them to DVD if I needed to.

As I write this review, my VRD-MC6 is sitting on top of my VHS player, copying an ancient TV program to DVD. I glance at the display from time to time and hit "pause" to stop recording during commercials.

This device's principle advantage is its "oh how simple can it be" operation. Connect the cables (or insert memory cards), insert the DVD you are recording to, follow the instructions on the screen, and voila. The manual is clear, and printed partly in color to guide you through the steps YOU need to take to achieve YOUR objective.

Dedicated DVD recorders certainly have their place. They free your computer ("I can run CPU-intensive software") and are free from your computer ("yikes the software crashed and I need to reboot").

There are a few limitations you might like to be aware of.

Caveat 1: No audio output. Cannot monitor audio during recording. What a shame, considering that monitoring video is vivid and seems to refresh at a frame rate identical to the VHS tape image (i.e., no pauses or jitter in the monitoring video). I would like to verify that audio is being recorded clearly along with the video, especially via an analog connection. I did inadvertently burn one DVD with substantial audio noise. Found out only after I finalized the DVD-R and attempted to play it.

Caveat 2: The monitoring video image is partially obscured by status displays (e.g., "VIDEO --> DVD", "SP", "Recording 01:23:45", "STOP", "PAUSE"). The top and bottom of the VHS tape video image is hidden on the device's display window. Enough is visible to ascertain the video content, but adjusting VHS tracking is somewhat cumbersome because tracking noise starts appearing at the top or bottom edges of the screen.

Caveat 3: No cables supplied. Probably not an issue because most people own plenty of cables.

Caveat 4: The device itself is about the size of a stack of 10 DVD cases. The external power supply and power cords add some bulk, if that is a concern.

Compared to the Sony VRD-MC10: The MC6 is smaller, lighter, and cheaper. The MC10 has (a) S-video input and a Compact Flash slot, and (b) HDMI, component, and composite output.

Compared to the Sony VRD-MC5: The MC5 is cheaper, and has S-video input and a Compact Flash slot. Its manual is slightly less clear than the MC6.

Following an industry-wide trend, user manuals for the MC5, MC6, and MC10 are available online from the manufacturer.

Sony DCR-SR300 6.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

Pros: Excellent picture quality! Ease of use, convenient 4 mega pixel still while in video mode, easy connect base, and mpg video format right from the camera!

Cons: Easy connect base (good and bad news), flash disabled with filters or lens, and a little slow to connect to the PC.

I wanted ease of use, high quality picture, and good still performance I got it all.

I did the tech research on picture quality and the SR300 seemed to be rated the best by most of the experts. The CMOS capture device is what is used in very high end cameras, so I was expecting a decent picture.

Here is the non-tech evaluation of the picture: on my Hi Def TV the picture quality from this camcorder is much better than normal TV picture and not quite as good as a high quality progressive scan DVD. It is better than I expected and I am VERY happy with the picture quality.

The SR300 is easy to use and that is what I wanted. Point it and shoot. In video mode, it does 4 mega pixel pictures. While recording, you can capture 3 stills only. If you are in video mode and not recording, you can capture as many as you like up to the limit of the hard drive and/or memory stick. In straight still mode, it is a 6 mega pixel camera. If you are looking for super high quality still camera, this is not it. I went from a 2 mega pixel camera to this, so I am pleased with the quality and I don't have to always carry two cameras around. I am using this to capture kids and this is just what I need.

The camera will record stills to the hard drive, so you do not need to have a memory stick. I purchased a 2 gig ultra II, kind of a waste since the camcorder can't write to the stick as fast as the stick operates, I could have saved some $$ with a less expensive stick, or no stick at all. A 2 gig stick gives you 600 pictures at 4 mega pixel.

I like the base, it makes it easy to have the camera ready to use. The thing I don't like is that you must use it to transfer video and stills to your computer from the hard drive (cable included). This can be a pain. You can connect the camera directly to the TV to watch video (cable included).

When you attach a filter or an auxiliary lens, I bought a wide angle lens, the flash is disabled. This I do not like.

Video from this camera is in mpg format, the same used for DVDs, so your DVD software does not have to convert the files. Also, this camera will write directly to a DVD recorder. I created a DVD with my , directly from the camera using the Disc Burn button and it included both video and pictures.

I am able to quickly make DVDs using Nero without converting the files. This cam also connects directly to a printer using Pict Bridge feature.

This is an expensive camera that had everything I wanted: easy to use; good quality video; compact size; and good still pictures. Sometimes you need to spend the extra to get what you want.

I also bought the Sony ACC-FH60 accessory kit that includes a camera case and a second battery, check it out.

I've been using it for a couple of days, and I love it. The harddisk is a gift, once you get used to it, you'll never want to use tape again. The USB 2.0 transfer to your computer works like a charm and it's pretty quick even for very large files, also because the video file types are mpeg, dvd authoring software doesn't take forever to compile a dvd, it's very quick.

There are a couple of simple, yet powerful editing features using the camcorder itself. The interface is pretty intuitive, and the touch screen is very accessible even for my thick thumbs. The video picture quality is excellent in medium light, but weak in low light still 'far better than my previous Canon ZR70 though'. The stand still camera is not that good, compared to my current Sony P8.

I love the slow motion feature, unfortunately it can only capture 6 seconds, also taking photos while you're video taping is an excellent feature, but you can only take 3 photos during shooting videos. All in all, I'm very happy with all it's features, also the surround sound works pretty well.

I didn't give it 5 stars because the camera doesn't come with a USB port, or video output options on the camera itself, I have to dock it in the docking station and then connect it to my PC, which leaves me with a choice to either put the docking station beside my PC to move the files, or beside my HD TV to watch the movies on the Camera, not sure why Sony at least didn't put a USB port on the camera directly, pretty annoying! Also, there is no way to capture video using this camera, although that was kind of a standard feature in any cheap mini DV cameras, now I have to think of getting a video capture card for my computer if I need to copy any of my recorder programs from my DVRs or previous tapes to DVD!

Buy Sony DCR-SR300 6.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Now

I'm not a professional, so this camcorder is the best thing since sliced bread.

I'd rather write a review that someone can actually read and get some value from, so if you're one of those people that insists on comparing everything to an extremely expensive pro camcorder, just stop reading now and go away.

If you want something that will shoot crisp clear video footage of your family and life experiences, this is the camcorder for you. No, it's not HD but I honestly don't feel that it's worth paying 2x as much for the marginal (if even noticeable since this camcorder shoots video at 3.1 megapixels) difference in video quality. 6.1 megapixel stills are the icing on the cake, and I have yet to deplete the battery (if you're planning on shooting hours and hours of video, just get an adapter or the optional battery that will give you up to 6 hours of life).

Read Best Reviews of Sony DCR-SR300 6.1MP 40GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom Here

The DCR-SR300 is a very good BASIC camcorder. It's basic in that it includes very few manual controls. The camera is designed for ease of use. With that said, it takes pretty good videos... not nearly as good as the high end high definition DV models, but still pretty good.

What is nice about the camcorder (and all of Sony's HDD line) is that you can treat the camera as a storage device under USB. Unlike other camcorders, Sony stores its data as mpeg2, so they are likely to be immediately useful (if you can play DVDs on your computer, you can use the files).

Another nice feature is the camera. This is probably the first mid-range camcorder with a decent still image capability, mainly because it boasts of a 6M pixel quality. The camera will allow you to store up to 3 camera stills at 4M pixel while filming (which is also a nice feature).

What's not to like? No microphone input apart from Sony's proprietary boot... so you HAVE to get your add-ons from Sony. Also you have to put the unit into its dock (included) in order to pull files from it.

The build microphone is only so-so.

Image wise, it's not a 3 CCD, it just uses a pretty large CMOS and does support Optical Image Stabilization. My thoughts on those features.. yawn. I'm sure it makes some difference, but it wasn't jaw dropping in my opinion.

The lens is an excellent Zeiss Sonar T* ... one of the best, but the optical zoom is merely 10x... if there is any good news, the camera only goes up to 20x digital zoom, but digital zoom is ALWAYS lousy, so this is actually a good thing (and you can disable the digital zoom of course).

The camera has a night vision mode. This is also a nice feature for shooting in complete darkness. If you don't mind the typical green night vision look, this can be really nice for capturing very hard to see things.

I purchased the larger capacity battery... one things good about an HDD camcorder versus DV-tape is that you can't shoot hours and hours of video... but IMHO, Sony ought to included the higher capacity battery because of this. Definitely a recommended upgrade.

Is this the best HDD camcorder out there? Possibly. Is it perfect? No. If you need the convenience of the hard drive, then I recommend this camera. If you want a really good quality camera, you might want to look a high definition DV like the Sony HDR-HC7 or similar (or their more expensive professional line of course). If you are a newbie (like me), then the simplicity of the SR300 is appealing... lack of features can equate to ease of use.

The SR300 beats the SR100 spec wise except on features where the SR100 (if you can still find one) has the SR300 beat... this is typical of most Sony devices (1st generation devices tend to be packed with features).

In conclusion, this is a good easy to use (if not a bit pricey) entry level hard disk camera. If priced a bit less, this camera would be easier to recommend.

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I have been shopping for over a year looking for a nice digital camcorder, and finally had decided to get the SR-100 only to find it was discontinued. Then I found this Sr-300, purchased, and have never been happier. I'll break it down for everybody:

40g Hard Drive is a dream come true. Instant orginization, instant viewing, and, if you so choose too, instant deletion. No media = no hassle, the only media you really need is a Computer with a DVD burner in it and a blank DVD and your set One Touch Burning is very quick and easy.

Image quaility is excellent, except in low lighting, however this has been a common problem for camcorders since the early days. The picture comes out a bit grainy, but overall does not affect the quality of the video. This problem can also be resolved with a simple video light. (See the pictures that I posted for examples.) I believe sony makes one that will automatically turn on if the lighting level is low. The camcorder also acts like a digital camera, in that you can choose you scene selection, anything from beach to snow to twilight. You can also do black and white as well as other neat settings.

Still Images are even better, 6.1 megapixels is awsome for a camcorder, and you can set it just like any other digital camera with scene selection, etc. Easily switches between camera mode and recording mode with the flick of a switch. The camcorder can also take 3 stills WHILE recording, without messing up the video. Awesome if ya wanna capture the moment on both film and pictures. This cam in handy for me when I was filming some seals at the Zoo the other day.

The one thing I have heard complaints about from many sites is the handycam station. This thing is actually a blessing, not a curse. It is very small, lightweight, and it extends the life of your camcorder. it does this by allowing you to plug into the staion itself for charging, transfers, etc, instead of plugging directly into the camcorder, which I think cuts down on wear and tear. The cam does have A/V output and a D/C input on it, so it is still possible to plug in directly.

Provided software is ok. Not very much editing power to it, would reccomend seperate software if you really want to edit your videos. the main thing is the one touch software, which is very nice if you wanna burn a quick dvd.

The touch screen is nice. Allows for easy navigation through all the menus, which all give an explanation for what each setting affects/does. Plus using a touch screen is really cool :D

The only other con is that the battery does stick out, however you must remember this is a small camcorder, they did the best they can, and it really does not get in the way at all. Sony does make a smaller battery thought, so there is some hope for that.

All in all, its great and I highly reccomend this to anyone wishing to just film life's funniest and awkward moments. If you are not trying to be a professional cameraperson, and just want something easy to use, the Sr-300 is it for you. If you are trying to be a professional, then they make a $3,000 one which would probably suit your needs.

5 stars for both quaility and price paid.

RCA VR634hf 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR

• AccuSearch 4-head double-azimuth system with HQ video processing
• VCR Plus+ Silver programming with end-time adjustment
• Commercial Advance and Movie Advance
• Master Touch universal remote
• Front and rear audio-video inputs

This is my fifth VCR unit. I've had an old dependable 50 pound Magnavox back before remote control when VCRs were new, a JVC, a Sharp, another Magnavox which I still use, and now this RCA. This RCA unit is not nearly as easy to use as my Magnavox. Here are the biggest drawbacks with this VCR. First, you can forget about commercial advance. After recording, it spends several minutes trying to locate and mark all the commercials. The problem is, it never seems to differentiate any commercials anyway, and so it never skips the commercials during playback. You have to resort to manually fast-forwarding thru the commercial breaks using your remote control, which is a real nuisance considering that is a sales point of this VCR. I remember that it did skip one commercial during part of a commercial break one time, which probably accounts for less than 1/10th of 1 percent accurate commercial recognition! Maybe modern commercials don't make themselves easy to detect by these units. Whatever the problem, that feature needs some major work. Problem number two, there is a large bright green backlit button on the front panel -the power on/off -which stays lit all the time and is annoying if used in a bedroom, which mine is.

Third problem -there is no TV/VCR button on the remote control, which is a problem if you just put in a tape and sat down to watch a movie, and you happen to be in the wrong mode. The unit is supposed to determine which mode it should be in automatically, but most of the time, I would say 75%, for whatever reason it does not determine that you need it to be in the opposite position, and you have to jump up and go push the button on the unit itself. Not too smart. Fourth problem. You know how on the newer smarter VCR units you never have to watch static or listen to white noise? Not so with this unit. When changing tapes, or changing between tape and TV, most of the time you will find yourself subjected to plenty of both. Fifth problem, and this is a real irritation with me: The remote control may look rich and full-featured and colorful with all its dazzling buttons some of which are nicely backlit when you press a button, but the buttons you need to use the most are at the bottom of the remote, not at the top where you need them, and where your fingers usually are when holding a remote control. So it takes two hands to operate. In fact most of the buttons on the top half of the remote are not needed during normal TV and VCR operation. Talk about ergonomically located. I guess that's a 90's idea that just hasn't hit the RCA labs yet. I would think that RCA would want to make a simpler, easier to use and maybe even fun remote control to keep their customers from getting so frustrated. I just don't understand their logic here, or lack thereof.

The one exceptional feature on this unit is the clock, which sets itself by downloading a clock signal from the first television station it encounters that includes a time signal in its broadcast. This means that you won't ever have to set the time again, or watch a blinking 12:00, or worry about the daylight savings time change. Nice, but hardly worth all the other trouble you'll have to put up with. It also has VCR+ which is a plus. That works nicely. Programming to record TV shows without using VCR+ is a cinch also. However I'd sure like to see some big improvements on the above mentioned problems with this product before I would consider buying another RCA product.

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I've had three VCR's before this one.I don't want to mention the other VCR's brand name,but RCA has the best one.It's very simple to program,and when the time change takes place in the spring and fall,it does if for you on its own.I've never had my tape distroyed,and at 119 bucks,you can't get another VCR cheaper with all the extra's this one has.

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I have bought a few of these vcr's from Amazon and my biggest complaint is that they don't last very long because the rubber belt in it stretches and I can't find them (rubber belts) to repair them. I tape a lot and then transfer to dvd, so a good working vcr is a must. It dosen't matter what brand name is on them, they all are the same, but for the price I will continue to buy them until they no longer have them.

Sony CFD-F10 CD / Radio / Cassette Recorder, Silver

• All new low profile design
• High energy bass reproduction system
• High power 4.5 watts per channel power output
• 2-way mid/tweeter speaker system
• Digital AM/FM stereo tuner

To begin with, I've never been into "boom-boxes". Now, however, I do lectures on classical music and opera, and I needed something "portable" to take with me on my lectures, but something that had good sound, since I play music with a full symphony orchestra, as well as a lot of opera. When I took this little machine home, I was a little skeptical. When I put on a cassette tape of Verdi's "Aida" no less, I was completely shocked

at the sheer vividness and sharpness of the sound. Even on full volume, there was no distortion. This machine is amazing, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is on a budget and who wants to have a portable machine with great sound.

Buy Sony CFD-F10 CD / Radio / Cassette Recorder, Silver Now

If you're looking at SONY boom boxes, you may be considering both their black CFD-G500 and their silver CFD-F10. I bought both and would like to share my impressions thus far.

Appearance: I really love the sleek even elegant lines of the silver F10.

Portability: The silver F10 is lighter and more stream-lined, so if you want a unit that you can move around, this is an advantage over the heavier and bulkier G500.

Sound: I listen almost exclusively to classical music. Both models do a great job of providing a full rich sound. The MEGA BASS and MEGA Xpand of the silver F10 give it a sound quality comparable, at least to my ears, to the larger and somewhat more expensive black G500 (which has a power drive woofer).

But the black G500 has two advantages I really appreciate over the silver F10:

1. It has a feature that allows me to select 5 different audio emphases: one is good for the whole dynamic range (great for classical), one is best for vocals, one for percussive sounds etc.

2. When I'm playing a symphony at fairly high volume, and the orchestra reaches a real crescendo, the black G500 conveys the full blast of music with great clarity. The silver F10 does a good job of handling a high volume but not full blasts without losing some sound definition.

Bottom line: I'm delighted with both. I bought the silver F10 for use in my den, where I want to hear full rich sounds played at low to medium high volumes. I bought the black G500 for use in a corner of my living room, where I need higher volumes to reach into my kitchen and dining room as well.

Read Best Reviews of Sony CFD-F10 CD / Radio / Cassette Recorder, Silver Here

This is the absolute best 'boombox' on the current market. I looked and waited for 2 years before this one came out on the market. The sound quality is excellent. Just wait until you play a CD.

The mega bass and sound expansion along with the extra speakers combine to create a sound that no other boomboxes can out perform, and certainly not in this price range. It also makes excellent audio tape recordings.

Sony suggested price is $79.99. I think Amazon is not truthful in marking it down from $110.00 to the selling price, but I would buy from them any way if you cannot find this boombox in your local audio store.

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I bought this item after returning the Panasonic RX-D29 CD / Radio / Cassette Boombox with MP3 CD Playback (see my review). This box IS different in that it doesn't have MP3 playback. Other than that missing feature, this Sony is a far superior machine. The sound, especially with both the Mega Xpand and the Mega Bass turned on, is wonderful. The physical design is lovely. The buttons (on the box and on the remote) are much more user-friendly and intuitive than on the Panasonic. Also much larger. So far, I only have one small complaint (my only reason for not giving a rating of 5 stars): the rather tiny display doesn't have a back-light. It is positioned in the middle of the front, rather than higher up, so if you have the box placed on a table, you have to kneel down and get pretty close to read the display. The ring of pretty, neon-blue lighting behind the display actually makes it harder to see the display because the display appears darker in contrast. This is unfortunate because the display provides much useful information, and I'd like to be able to see it better. In summary, this box has one design flaw and many wonderful audio and cosmetic features. An extremely good value.

This Boombox is the best sounding box in it's price range. Sony put a system together that is easily a best buy under $100.00. This unit has it all, CD, Cassette and an AM/FM digital tuner. I shopped for Units at less and more money, But I always came back to this Sony. The speakers consist of 2 low range and 2 tweeters. the bass is aided by a center mounted passive radiator and a rear port, A feature use in home speakers. This boombox has "MegaBass and Mega-Xpand modes that gives deep and clean bass and the xpand spreads the higher frequencies around the room, making you look for the rear speakers. You will be very pleasantly surprised by the sound this unit has, and the blue light around the center mounted passive speaker looks like a neon light, very nice. And there is the remote control, something a lot of like priced boxes don't offer. Try this Sony, You'll be happy You did.

TASCAM PS-P515U AC Adapter for Select Portable Digital Recorders

• AC Adapter for DR-05, DR-07 mkII, and DR-08 portable digital recorders

This adapter works fine with my TASCAM DR-05 recorder and should do so for a decent product lifespan, earning at least three stars. As a one-size-fits-all solution for many TASCAM recorders, it's overpriced and oversized for the DR-05. Per the tascam.com DR-05 specification, the DR-05 is "Powered by 2 AA batteries, AC adapter (optional: PS-P515U), or USB bus power." USB 2.0 (max load for DR-05 jack shape) bus power draws a maximum of 500mA (0.5A, per Wikipedia). The PS-P151U is simply a 1.5A USB adapter, with a bulky AC cord, marketed as "the" TASCAM power solution for the DR-05 recorder, which really just needs a normal 0.5A USB adapter. Amazon has all sorts of competitors for this product, once you know what you need. For use with other TASCAM recorders, go find out from their specs how many amps you need, and then find the adapter that best fits your bag and budget. For some TASCAM device, this adapter is probably the ideal answer. Not trying to corner the USB adapter market, I can understand why TASCAM has just one solid, reliable, if bulky adapter to support up to their most power-hungry product. For my DR-05, the PS-P515U is overkill, wasting money, space and power. Be green, save green and shop for a better fit.

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Works well with my TASCAM DR-07MKII. No more wasting batteries. Because it is plugged into the mini USB port it asks you if you want the port to be used for "power" when you turn it on. Press select button and you are ready to go. It is a little expensive but I guess it will pay for itself in the batteries it saves.

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If you own a Tascam DR-40 digital recorder then you must get this power adapter .... it is a must have accessory and works silently when using it ... no hums or buzzes etc ... highly recommended.

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This charger is described as a charger for your Digital recorder.

However if you buy the recorder, and this charger, you cannot power the device until you go and get another USB to USB cable.

I was disappointed that it is incomplete.

I was surprised this unit doesn't come with a USB to USB cable. Look closely at the picture -all you get is the adapter and a power cord. You have to fend for yourself on the USB to USB cable. With a price tag in the high twenties, that's a real disappointment. If Tascam is going to charge such a high price for this, they should at least make it a turnkey solution so the poor customer doesn't have to add a trip to the store to get a cable before using the adapter.

This is my second adapter -because I have two recorders and need two power sources. The adpaters work fine, but I only give two stars because of the price.

Also, another review indicated the power supply is 240 Volts, and indicated that is a problem because America is 120 voltage. Mine is a 240V adapter and I have not had a problem using my first adapter in America.

Navin miniHomer Waterproof GPS Position Finder / Data Logger with built-in Compass

I have been searching for a GPS logger to use for Geo tagging with my new Canon Rebel T2i. I researched the Amod AGL3080, I-GotU GT-120, GiSTEQ Phototracker and the USGlobalSat SiRFIII Data logger. A co-worker had the Navin Minihomer and let me borrow it to try out.

Comparison Chart(forgive the formatting)

---------------------Price--GPS-Chipset---------------Compass-Display-Battery--Battery-Life---Rec.-Len.-PC-Conn

Navin-MiniHomer------$55----"Latest-66-Channel-GPS"--Yes-----LCD-----Builtin---8-12 Hours-----165K------Mini-USB

Amod-AGL3080--------$65----SiRFIII-------------------No------LED-----3-AAA---15-Hours-------256K------USB

i-GotU-GT-120--------$70----SiRFIII-------------------No------LED-----Builtin---?--------------64K-------Custom-USB

GiSTEQ-PhotoTracker--$73----"Latest-66-Channel-GPS"-No-----LED-----Builtin----32-Hours-------250K------Mini-USB

USGlobalSat-SiRFIII---$70----SiRFIII-------------------No------LED-----2-AAA---20-Hours-------60K-------USB

Contrary to the another review here, the MiniHomer DOES perform GPS location logging natively along with direction finding due to the LCD display and digital compass. It also will give you approximate speed and altitude. The software provided online gives you the ability to Google map routes, setup the MiniHomer, analyze GPS data, and export into multiple formats. Unlike the single or dual LED displays on the other units, the Mini Homer has a superior backlit LCD display that includes the ability to display text in different modes and a battery "fuel gage" indicator along with compass arrows and distance.

I was not really interested in the ability to find your way back to a marked waypoint, but this seems very functional giving you both an indication of the direction and distance left to go to your marked destination.

I have not yet had a chance to test the battery life of the unit, but if it proves to be reasonable the MiniHomer seems like a better option than the others on the list due to the LCD display and standard USB connection/charging. A quick test shows that the MiniHomer gave very accurate GPS data while being worn around my neck driving in a car.

UPDATE 9-15-10:

Used this on a long trip and was happy with the results. Battery life was useful but not great, probably 8-12 hours, but when we were driving I left this connected to power port in the car and placed it on the dashboard. During the 9 days that I recorded GPS locations the only time it didn't record was when I forgot to take it with me.

I used the export features of the Navin software for GPX files, then used Microsoft Pro Photo Tools to embed the GPS data into the EXIF data for each photo. This combo worked perfectly.

I bought this item for hiking Camino Santiago on September 2010, I was completely pleased with its functionality and on more than six occasions I was stopped and asked about it.

Is a Hiker/Walker cheap response to having a full blown GPS of $300. I wanted the item to trace my daily routes in Spain, but I got more than that,It creates a file that you download to the PC software, its interactive on a Google Map, the software lets you convert the daily files to GPX or KMZ, the software is compatible with Google Earth, so this means I was able to create a kmz file and send as 3D movie or normal track to any Google Earth user.

Also, it lets you see the elevation graphic and the speed graphic of your travels, I walked over 8 hours daily under heavy foliage and I never lost a signal or battery power. When I got to my Alberge I was able to see all my route and speed data. Like if this was not enough, I was able to set my Cheap Sony Cybershot Camera to Sync the daily Pictures with the Data, and the program lets you export directly to Flicr, Picasa or Locr. Last but not least, from the software I was able to Pre-Program 5 Points of interests with GPS coords the night prior to my next walk. There was no way I could miss an Important landmark or my Hotel..Man...I don't really know why are people giving bad reviews for a $54 dollar item that does all this. In Galicia it rains hard, and I had it on my day pack soaking wet, It does resist water. I love this item, it should be praised, if not spend $500 on a Garmin Oregon

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Small and convenient; tested as follows:

1Local parking lot; guide back to car = Okay

2Guide back to Hotel in Athens after walking streets = Okay

3Guide back to Hotel in Rome after walking streets = Okay

a) Takes less than a minute to lock on to satellite (usually less than 30 seconds if in open space)

b) Accurate distance indicator upon returning to set location.

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I bought this to do geotagging of photos. Out of the box it does not have this feature but there is a firmware update that adds it. After applying firmware I was able to use device to record locations and then use the nTrip software to export the GPS data to a file which I then use in Aperture to assign locations. This is a little complex but worked well.

One nice thing about the GPS track is it was consistent, no odd data points where the device lost satellite. The compass feature also turned out to be handy but it does require calibration.

The nTrip software and drivers are Windows only as far as i can tell but worked fine on Window 7 64bit. The unit easily lasted several days on a charge; has a auto off feature based on lack of movement but once you enable the tracking mode it seems to record as long as there is a charge.

One issue importing to Aperture is of 4 tracks (1 per day) one of them I had to adjust the time zone of the track in Aperture, after that is was able to assign locations to photos.

Did not use the way point feature but the software provided allows you to set the way points from a map instead of through the device. The device controls are simple, only 2 buttons, but to get to each function you need the cheat sheet till you get used to it. Navin site has the manual and the firmware zip includes a new manual showing the new features.

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The miniHomer is small and very well built making it an ideal instrument to geotag images out in the field. The nTrip software which is included with the unit works exceptionally well to import the GPS datalog data, and then use it to update the GPS EXIF fields of your photos. The nTrip software is only available for Microsoft Windows, and hence there's no Apple software support for the miniHomer.

The basic procedure to geotag photos with the miniHomer is to:

1) Using the nTrip software, initialize the miniHomer by clearing its data log memory and set the sampling rate (a 10 second sampling rate is normally used for this)

2) Synchronize the clocks in your camera and the miniHomer. Note: I prefer to do this, but it's not necessary since the nTrip software is able adjust for any delta time between your camera's clock and the miniHomer clock.

3) Start the data logger in the miniHomer

4) Put the miniHomer in your pocket, and then go out and take your photos

5) When done, stop the data logger in the miniHomer

6) Using the nTrip software, download the datalog from the miniHomer

7) Using the nTrip software, select the photos files to be geotagged

8) Using the nTrip software, write back the geotag EXIF data into the photo files

9) Using the nTrip software, export to either a GPX file for use by GPS units such as Garmin nuvi, or to a KMZ file for use by Google Earth

Zing 571-222 MPEB1 Medium Electronic Belt Bag (Blue)

Don't get me wrong. The otterbox defender is one tough cookie. But, bouncing around coming down steps, getting in and out of a car (carry on left hip) and it wants to pop out of the belt clip. Got this because of the price.

With the rubber of the defender case, it "will" go in and out of the case, with some work!

With a naked Dell streak, works fine.

I needed a bag to hold my Dell Streak smartphone. This bag has plenty of room to accommodate its larger size. I have worn this bag on my belt daily for almost 2 months and it still looks almost brand new. It has taken a number of small bumps and brushes while still protecting my phone. Overall, I am very satisfied with the product.

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Ordered the Zing medium belt bag. It was a perfect fit for my Dell Streak 5. Been carrying my phone in my front pocket for years and wished I knew about this bag sooner. With the Otter protective case it is a very snug fit. Without the Otter Box the Dell Streak 5 slips very easy in and out with a little room to spare. The belt bag is very well made with a very strong secure belt loop. I expect to get many good years of use out of it. The "Zing" label name is acroos the front flap on the bag I received. I just took a black permanent marker and colored over the label and that made the "Zing" barely noticeable. Overall, I am very pleased with it.

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This is a perfect case for the Dell Streak and the Samsung Galaxy note for which I bought it. Its excellent quality. Just make sure its the right size for your needs and you can't do better.

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Very good fit for Dell Streak 5. Almost can't feel my Streak.

A little bit tight when I have the "Otterbox Impact Series Case" on the Streak, but I could not find another belt clip (loop) case for the streak.

Not sure how long it's gonna last, it seems very well made.

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Sony MZR70 Minidisc Recorder

• 40-second shock resistant memory and high quality recording with digital automatic gain control
• Dual headphone jack allows use of remote control while listening
• Up to 17 hours of playback with one AA battery
• Digital bass-boost for richness of sound
• Includes a remote control, connecting cable, AC adaptor, rechargable battery, carrying pouch and battery case

I've been putting off buying a portable listening device since my last '90 Aiwa tape player. But after seeing the Minidisc in action it's a definite buy and constant use gem.

First, do the math if you're seriously comparing MP3 format vs. Minidisc. A single MD at 74min costs 2 dollars at most Read/write capabilities, move tracks, edit, `tMark'=index songs, etc. You don't need a computer either use your existing AV setup to record while having the option to use PC, DVD, etc.

Sound quality? Can you say OPTICAL input. You cannot get any better sound resolution than this; any decent DVD player has an optical out; decent CD players too. RCA IN is a plus (not included) and the PC IN option is mediocre it is convenient with all the CD-R/PC/MP3 formatted music. It's got a two-stage added-bass feature that works quite well. The standard headphones are excellent an updated version with position detents for fixed fit. The remote fob device is essential for total playback+record control once your MDplayer is tucked away in the pocket. (look for the RM-MZR55 remote with backlighting if you want to upgrade)

The unit has never skipped even with major motion, jostling, or shock. I haven't done a drop-test, but I'll skip it for now. The biggest drawback is the lack of a custom case/holster for the unit; it does come with a bag, but it isn't adequate for protection or carrying with any confidence. Plus, the lack of backlighting on the main unit is a bummer.

It comes with it's own AA ni-cad battery and charger, and runs for a prolonged period of time ~ 6 hours playback, 1.5-2x as long on a regular AA. The half-sized ice cream sandwich form kicks the CD portable players to the curb. It isn't as ubiquitous as some MP3 players but why would you want to drop several dimes on something invisible. Personally, the anodized blue colored one has more impact than the silver, but the form and interface overall is a delight. The battery bulge just slightly cants the display up, the button separation and placement works great for easy access. I find excuses to block the world out and listen to high-fidelity music on the go.

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This mini-disc player has to be one of the best on the market today. (if not the best)It is easy to use, small in size, and much more practical than a CD burner (it's like a portable burner/player)

Positives:

#GREAT sound quality (like CD)

#easy to set up, only takes about 5 minutes

#it makes recording simple, without the need of a HUGE system attached to your home stereo

#PC USB connected

#software is already on your Windows computer

#looks cool, and is very light and rugged

#regular AA battery last 17 hours!

Negatives (there aren't very many)

#long recording time (but it goes by faster than you'd expect)

#Inserting title takes a few seconds

# included rechargeable battery last only 6 hours

Overall I give it a 5 because it was well worth the money and is better than a CD burner, MP3 player, and definitly better than a tape player!

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This is an excelent little machine. I bought mine from a friend... with 20 disks, and it's worth every penny. This little rig is small, light weight, and has excelent sound and battery life.

To start, it's small. It's about the size of the palm of your hand, with a bump on the back where the batery goes. it fits in ANY pocket, unlike most CD players. it weighs very little, so it doesnt bother you by pulling on your cloths like some CD players.

The sound is great. The only problem is that it has a low record volume, and gets fuzzy when you turn it up too much. If you have the mega bass on while you recond on high, it gets fuzzy also. At low and medium volumes though, it's got crystal clear sound (that also depends on your headphones, and what kind of music... rock is less fuzzy than Rap) I like my music LOUD. I ride a bus one way to or from school, and that gets awfull loud. I have several "buss disks" that are recorded on high volumes, and they work fine when you are being bombarded by background noise, but are a little fuzzy when you run it through a car kit or stereo. This machine has over all good sound though, and with a little fine tuning of bass and volume you get great sound.

Battery life... what can i say, it lasts. Even on regular duracells, i can get almost a whole school week on and off, and the provided rechargable battery last even longer.

Besides the sound glitches here and there, it also makes some noise. When skipping tracks, rewinding a few seconds etc. it has to think for a couple of seconds. It's not a major problem, but it is somewhat slow here and there. It will skip too. If it is riding in your pocket where it can bounce, it'll skip. Not as much as a 40 sec asp cd player though. it'll freeze for a second, then you will stop, wondering what went wrong, then it goes again. not a mojor problem, but if you jog or run, i suggest you upgrade to an MD with the same G-protection of a CD player.

For the money... it's a great buy for people who want small portable music, that can come from anywhere, (even MD to MD.)Hope this helped

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I know the item is currently out of stock, but this little machine works up to its name. The outer shell of my player/recorder is blue like the MZR90 model. I do all my recordings in half the time I'd do them with an audio cassette recorder. There's no comparison in quality and efficiency with the latter equipment.

Best features are: 1) Is very compact, it fits in my shirt pocket 2) The remote comes in handy when my coat is closed 3) It fits in a standard discman accessory case with discman 4) Included phones are enriched with amazing bass boost sound 5) The best of all is for skipping a track takes about 3 to 4 seconds. This feature is convenient for me when I only want to hear certain songs. 6) The shock absorbtion is great. Never to worry about a song skipping again. 7) The adaptor comes in handy for recording while saving on batteries 8) With accessories, you can record from phono, CD, cassette, and from your VCR hookup on the stereo. With all that, you can't go wrong. SONY has lived up to its name in quality.

My MZR70 works like a charm. I won't upgrade yet, as this machine meets my expectations. I quickly bonded with such a quality item. For someone looking for a unit with the equivalent in volume to a Discman, the Minidisc has a softer sound. You can't obtain with this unit the same volume strength as the Discman, but for the amount you can get, you have the most out of the 1.2 volt battery provided with it. If the volume is up to about 85%, it's enough for me. I say this because some songs are recorded louder than others. The battery life is normally ( 7 to 8 hrs. ).

In my accessory kit, included with the player was among others, a rechargeable Ni-Cad battery ( NC-WMAA DC 1.2V 700mAh ) that lasts the said amount. SONY does offer a DRY battery, not available here in Montreal. IF SOMEONE CAN LET ME KNOW WHERE I CAN GET ONE??? at mailto:woof1@sympatico.ca .

As soon as this item is available, get it!

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I'm surprised that mini disc hasn't caught on. It's small, you can record MP3s (the reason I wanted this in the first place), and it's easily concealable. The only problem I have is that recording takes forever, it's second-for-second (meaning that the time it takes to record is the amount of time the song lasts), and pre-recorded mini discs are hard to come by. Not even Amazon sells them. Other than that, it's a great player. I don't have this particular model, but mine's very similar. I like the fact that you can assign names to each song. Another big, big plus is the cost of the discs: $2 a piece. It doesn't skip and you can record and re-record several times over. I could go on and on about how great mini discs are...

iLuv i1166 8.9 Inch Portable Multimedia/DVD Player with Dock for iPod

• Compatibility: iPod nano 3G, 4G, 5G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G, 2G; iPhone 1G, 3G, 3Gs (in "airplane mode")
• 8.9-inch widescreen digital TFT LCD screen with convenient on-screen display
• Play iPod audio/video content, DVD/CD/VCD discs, DivX/MPEG4 video, MP3/WMA audio, and JPEG images
• AC adapter and car adapter included; about 3 hours DVD video or 4 hours iPod video on a single charge
• Remote control and user friendly graphic interface

I've been closely tracking this item ever since it was announced back at CES earlier in the year and I was fortunate enough to get one of the first shipments that came out. Here's a brief look at some of my pros and cons with the item.

Previously I had bought a Philips Model: DCP850/37 DVD/iPod portable player and was very happy with it. Albeit the screen was only 7 inch, but it was relatively portable and fairly light and easy to use. Unfortunately it did not support the later generation 160 GB iPod classic, where I store most of my videos (I could only use my 60 GB ipod for the Philips) so I decided to upgrade to the iLuv i1166.

My initial impressions are the following:

The look of the iLuv 1166 is superior of the Philips. It has a nice, sleek black frame with a very nice large 9" widescreen panel on the face of the gadget. Unlike the Philips, which has the screen on the inside of the clamshell design, the iLuv's screen is on the outside, with a little stand to support it on the other side. When you open the iLuv clamshell, that is where the DVD drive and the iPod cradle is. Like most other ipod/dvd hybrids, there are different adapters you can use for your nano, ipod, itouch or iphone. One definite plus of this item is that it supports many of the current gen ipods, which was lacking in the previous model (i1155) and the other philips players. So if you're like me and you have the 160 GB classic, this is the player for you.

I was only able to test the gadget with my ipod and a test DVD. It is very easy to operate (either via remote control or the menu buttons next to the screen) and the menu options are quite simple. The menus are easy to read and it's quite nice to have a battery indicator which gives you a heads up that you're going to run of of juice soon.

The picture quality was quite nice. I ran a DVD video and also ran movies, music videos and tv shows from my ipod. The image is crisp and the 9" large screen is definitely a plus. I have yet to test the SD inputs though. But from my experience there is definitely a noticeable improvement in terms of image quality from my philips player.

There are also 2 headphone jacks that allows multiple people to watch the same video. The battery took me approximately 3 hours to charge in the first run and I ran 2 movies to drain it out as a test. After running it for about 3 hours (before falling asleep) I noticed it was working fine, so that's definitely good (vs a roughly 2.5 hour play time with my philips).

I did have a few gripes that kept me from giving this 5 stars though. First, there is an annoying lack of a chapter search for the ipod movies. So if you're watching a 2 hour movie and want to fast forward, it ain't gonna happen. That's sort of annoying if you want to try and speed through 2 movies on a long trip.

EDIT: (I switched up a few movies to test and found that the chapter search worked on one or two of the 6 I tried out. Not sure why this happened and seemed like the rewind function worked more than the fast forward. Not sure if this is another glitch like what I saw with the ipod videos, which I addressed below)

I also noticed a strange glitch in which for some reason the menu on the ipod wasn't able to read my music videos in sequential order. Say if you had multiple videos of Michael Jackson in 1 category, for some reason I couldn't access MJ's videos in the order I have it on my ipod. Rather, every time I open up one category, every single video in my ipod appears on the list regardless of category. Again, annoying but doesn't impact the performance of the item.

Also there is no video out option (one plus of my philips was that it had a video out that i could connect to my tv). Not a deal breaker for me, but it is a bit irritating for those of you who want to use the DVD option for say, an extended stay at a hotel or at your other home and don't have a DVD there.

If you're a gadget freak like me, I think you'll enjoy the item. I also recommend purchasing a cover for this item (I ordered mine from the iLuv/jwin site) as the screen seems very easy to scratch given its location on the outside of the clamshell design.

In summary:

Pros:

1. Cool, sleek design

2. Works with most ipods/iphones including current gen

3. Decent battery life

4. Huge screen, great image quality

5. Great variety of inputs (dvd, ipod, sd, usb, multiple headphones)

6. Can play in car with car adapter

7. Easy to use menu, remote control

Cons:

1. No video out option

2. No chapter search for ipod movies/tv shows

3. Kind of heavy

4. Screen location makes it potentially easy to scratch/damage

5. Gitchy menu at times (at least for me)

6. Speakers not exactly useful (tinny and not really good for playback)

But net net, it's a pretty neat item on the go

EDIT: So on extended use during a recent vacation ... I would like to add the following notes:

1. After taking extraordinary efforts to keep the screen protected (I bought a cover from jwin), I still noticed surface scratches upon repeat uses. This despite being very careful in placing the item carefully in the storage case. I also didn't drop the unit and didn't scratch it during usage so not sure where they came from but just wanted to offer a heads up about the potential for easy screen scratches.

2. I noticed the battery life was about 3 to 3.5 hours when it was used with the ipod for movies. That seemed a bit shorter than what was advertised, though I did have the crank up the volume substantially at times since it seemed somewhat low for certain movies or clips. I didn't have the brightness cranked up, but perhaps the volume at max at certain times (I was using headphones) may have contributed to the shorter battery life.

3. Video quality is excellent and having a widescreen does make the experience a lot better!

4. I tested the unit with an SD card, and it functioned just fine. Given the design, it can also serve as a nice picture frame of sorts, albeit a big clunky frame. I noticed that the slideshow of the pics also moved somewhat slow. Nonetheless plugging an SD card to view pictures were relatively easy and painless.

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Item feels very cheaply made and came out of the box with a cosmetic defect. Screen attracts dust and dirt like a magnet and if you even breathe on the screen it scratches. If you turn the screen even a little it becomes difficult to see and the quality is lousy unless you look at the screen dead on. Player can't recognize SDHC cards so the biggest card that can go in there is a 2GB card. That will hold one whole movie (written with sarcasm) so what's the freakin' point of the SD card slot. And, if you have updated your 2nd generation iPod touch to version 3 software it is not recognized by the device. You would think that a device that was the innovation of the year for 2009 would have been designed by individuals who were more forward thinking.

My advice is to save your money and don't buy this. That is unless all the other electronics you own are from the early 2000's. Then you should be OK.

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I recieved my iLuv yesterday. I immediately plugged it in so to charge the battery. As most of the guys I know, I used it 1st then read the instructions. This puppy is a dream come true. It played the movies in my 160GB iPod classic flawlessly. As far as the sound goes, this is the only flaw in the ointment. I plugged it in to my Bose Portable iPod dock. Hence, the sound is awesome. This is truly a match made in heaven. The screen is quite BIG. I got on line and ordered a screen saver from iLuv. This is an inexpensive must have. I screamed thru the play lists very easily and as I aid before the sound is fantastic. The remote is handy and very useful indeed. All in all, this was a gr8 purchase and it works very well. It's a keeper. I have also found the screen to be quite good for viewing the movies on my iPod. It's larger then I imagined. The color is very good and the entire viewing experience is a gr8 one on this terrific new toy..

Danny-N-Oregon

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this product although it has some great PRO's it also at the same time has many CON's it seems that it's design and construction were somehow rushed into production

you know how these companies are when a NEW (other companies') product comes out, they all wanna be first to address the new technology (IE the IPHONE)

anyway. here we go

PROS

1 it has the largest screen of all DVD players 9"

2 it has a nice remote control (most don't have remote)

3 it accepts and plays movies from IPOD/IPHONE

4 it accepts and plays movies from both USB and SD card

CONS

1 you can't flip the screen when you turn it off to protect it (it opens and closes to protect the DVD and the IPOD/IPHONE

2 the screen is very sensitive and subject to scratches, a finger nail will leave a mark

3 the remote seems to have more functions than the onboard buttons perform

4 there is no menu feature when you have multiple movies on a USB or SD card, no fast forward or jump either

5 the SD card slot only accepts up to a 2GB SD card (not HD compatible)

6 the IPOD menu's from the screen are so plain and slow reacting, not to mention hard to navigate

7 it only accepts a SINGLE format (DIVX) on the SD and USB movie inputs, and no where is it noted

what format and video encoding to use (i had to spend 3 days trying to figure this thing out)

8 the tech support is CRAP, the people who reply back to you don't even know what this product is. ALL they do is

read to you from the supplied manual (and it's crap too)

in my opinion wait for a better model to come out

JWIN is not the best of companies to create technology

my built in ALPINE DVD head unit does more than this. I did pay $1000 for it though

This product is almost there and I like it a whole lot it plays the dvd's, almost all ipods and ipod touch including the videos on your iphone and can be used as a picture viewer with an SD card or USB Drive. So for software it has it all, now for the Cons no video output, sound could be louder coming out of speakers, should have had a matte finish instead of the shiny surface because it shows to many fingerprints, the screen scratches easily and should at least come with a screen protector and the build quality seems flimsy so don't drop it cause I don't think it could take not even 1 fall and product is a little on the heavy side so basically for the price they could have put a little more work in to it but the product is definitely usable as long as you are careful. I think the next generation of this will be a great improvement because so far each one has been better than the last.