Showing posts with label multi room dvr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label multi room dvr. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Night Owl Security LB-8DVR10-8CM24 8 Channel H.264 D1 DVR with 8 Pack 420TVL Cameras with 45 Feet N

Night Owl Security LB-8DVR10-8CM24 8 Channel H.264 D1 DVR with 8 Pack 420TVL Cameras with 45 Feet Night Vision - BlackNo problems to report. The system arrived a day before expected. I plugged in all the cameras and everything worked perfectly right out of the box. A very nice system for a good price.

Great video system for the money, and cameras are fair.

The DVR is easy to setup, but as you would know you have to give up something for the price. That would be the cameras, simply replace some of the cameras with a good 600tlv camera and you will be over joyed.

Buy Night Owl Security LB-8DVR10-8CM24 8 Channel H.264 D1 DVR with 8 Pack 420TVL Cameras with 45 Feet N Now

Worked great out of the box. Was easy to setup. Even though the interface was a bit clumsy but all options worked. It was recording 24x7 and then after 4 months, it just stopped working. since I had installed it outside the US and the hard drive was working fine I just dumped the DVR and got another night owl DVR all is well so far! I had setup the LAN, ActiveX control, port forwarding DDNS, remote viewing using iPad etc perhaps that did it in! This time, it is just record and that is...will review after 3 months!

Read Best Reviews of Night Owl Security LB-8DVR10-8CM24 8 Channel H.264 D1 DVR with 8 Pack 420TVL Cameras with 45 Feet N Here

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Canon FS400 Flash Memory Camcorder with 41x Advanced Zoom and SDXC Card Slot (Silver)

Canon FS400 Flash Memory Camcorder with 41x Advanced Zoom and SDXC Card SlotI received this yesterday (22 Apr 2011).

INITIAL THOUGHTS

I wanted a basic camcorder to capture the typical kids events, vacation stuff, etc. I'm not trying to make pro quality videos, so the Standard Definition is fine...the widescreen format is a plus. Prior to purchasing this, my main concerns were what file type it would record as and how smoothly the transfer to my computer would go. Videos on the SD card are recorded as a .mod file which are converted to a .mpg during transfer (if you use the Pixela software that comes with the camcorder). Transferring to the computer was pretty straight forward and fairly intuitive...my old Vista machine with a 1.8Ghz processor easily handled the transfer and conversion. The size of the device is great; it truly fits in the palm of my hand. The ergonomics are laid out well. On screen menus are not overly cumbersome or confusing. The LCD panel is very bright and readable outdoors. Video quality is what I expected from a camcorder at this price not eye popping good, but not grainy and jerky either. Videos are clear and smooth. I haven't taken enough videos to judge the battery life or video quality in different settings. Overall, I feel like I got what I paid for. At this time, I'll say, "So Far, So Good".

This has been a nightmare! I called Apple, researched for hours, and still couldn't find how to make this camera compatible with iMacs and iMovie.

Well, it took a call to Canon where I spoke with a very pleasant representative after zero wait! Here's how you do it:

1) Open up iMovie

2) Turn on your camera

3) Display your recorded clip on the camera screen (don't play it just display it)

4) Plug the USB into the computer USB port (no firewire necessary)

Voila!! There it is. Just import it from the camera and you're on you way to editing fun. I had all this done and my video uploaded on YouTube within 10 minutes.

Have a good time with this wonderful little camera. It may not be HD but the pictures are sharp, the color is brilliant and I can't tell the difference. It's not hard to use and its not hard to carry. I highly recommend this little super priced camera.

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This is my first camcorder i found easy to use the instruction were excellent. Battery life was good, although I bought a battery charger, as charging with out one took a long time. Transferring onto computer was good, and the vision was good.

Read Best Reviews of Canon FS400 Flash Memory Camcorder with 41x Advanced Zoom and SDXC Card Slot (Silver) Here

Seemed to fit the bill for a small road-trip video camera. It zooms in pretty well and seems to stay focused ok for a camera in this price range. The software it comems with seems a bit goofy and it did not recognize the camera when it was plugged in to the USB port. I had to pop out the mem card and plug that in instead.

Overrall ... not bad for the money.

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I bought this camcorder because I didn't want to spend a whole lot of money.

Pros:

Inexpensive, great for first time camera owners, video quality looks pretty decent, handle of it feels good.Pretty sturdy as well, dropped it twice and held its own.

Cons:

The zoom is good however when you get to the further-est zoom it starts to look fuzzy and hazy..The focus up close does the same when you come from far then have to come back . I don't like where the button to record is, it should be off to the left not on the back. When you want to watch a video on your device its either to loud or to low.. nothing in between.

I guess I can't complain, it was like 60 bucks.

Safe to say though IT DOES THE JOB!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500MCE 2-Tuner PCI-Based Digital Video Recorder (NTSC)

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500MCE 2-Tuner PCI-Based Digital Video RecorderIt's great qualtity for the price. I had an EVGA dual tuner TV card prior to buying this one. The 500 MCE gives you a better picture and more connectivity. The colors are vibrant and the decoding is excellent. The only short coming is that MPEG decoder software is not included in the package and you'll have to purchase your own.

Word of wisdom: If your picture is choppy check if your hard drive speed is up to par. I wasted almost a week; formating my hard drive 3 times, replaced my tuner card twice and swapped my CPU. I was about to buy a new mother board before I realised my hard drive was the problem. I Bought a new SATA drive and it was smoooooooth sailing.

I bought this product for my linux based mythtv system. The great thing about this product (and the thing that really sets it apart from other models of WINTV-PVR) is the 2-tuner design. You plug in one cable connection into the card, within the card it splits the signal to 2 different tuners. This allows you to record two shows at the same time. This product works flawlessly. This card does support a radio tuner, however I really have found no use for it so I can't comment on that.

In short, even though this product might be more expensive then most, the cost is made up by great quality, functionality, and reliability. A must-have for anyone building a home-brewed PVR (Personal Video Recorder).

For anyone who is wondering, the awesome linux compatibility of all Hauppage products is why I will never buy anything other than hauppage.

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I'll preface that I came to this from a WinTV-PVR 250. The quality on that card is much better than on this one. I was a bit disappointed (even though I read the reviews that said as much). Basically, I had to, though, because I watch and record so many shows (and will soon be using it in a multi-person home), so a dual tuner has become necessary.

Not saying the quality is unwatchable or anything like that. It's just not as good as the 150/250. Oh well. It's very much worth the money for what it does (dual tuners), but for me, it's just going to function as a stop gap until another company (or Hauppauge) comes out with a better dual tuner -keeping in mind that I don't want to use Windows MCE since Beyond TV is more extensible IMHO (can you say Hydra TV server with a bunch of Beyond TV Links? see http://www.snapstream.com/Community/Articles/hydra/default.asp for what I mean).

Read Best Reviews of Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500MCE 2-Tuner PCI-Based Digital Video Recorder (NTSC) Here

I think this is about the best of the current crop (end of year 2005) of dual tuner video cards. However, I am still looking forward to the next generation as this card and many in the same category have somewhat "mushy" video, slightly washed out color. This particular model has audio problems on some channels about 5% of the time, so recorded shows are sometimes not watchable. New drivers did not help. You can only use one type of video input at a time: either the 2 tuner coax inputs or the 2 A/V inputs (this is probably a limitation of MCE, not the card itself). It installed flawlessly and setup in Windows MCE was effortless -perfect score on this count. The FM tuner works well, however for some reason you can't listen to FM while tuning a channel/recording (could be an MCE limitation again). Overall I love this card, but as I said, very anxious to see what the next gen offers.

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I have a souped-up SONY media center computer that worked great under Windows XP MCE, .... until I upgraded to Vista.

After a frustrating month trying to get tv back on my SONY RB60G computer, Hauppauge came through for me.

This card is built very similar to the SONY Gigapocket tv-tuner card. but this one has dual tuners and an FM radio too.

Vista saw the card right away, and had it integrated into Media Center in no time. No sweat.

It works great.

FM radio is nothing to brag about, but it picks up four clear stations, and I have StepVoice so I can now record songs off the radio too.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Panasonic RR-US450 Voice Recorder, Thin Style, PC Software 66 Hour Rec

Panasonic RR-US450 Voice Recorder, Thin Style, PC Software 66 Hour RecI've always respected Panasonic quality and reliability -but this was a shock.

It was onsale at Fry's for 39 dollars -1 day sale.

I returned it within hours.

The main reason was neither XPSP2 or Vista wouuld recognize it as a device in My Computer.

While it was detected and identified as an IC recorder in XP -one could never access anything saved on it.

Instructions took about 45 minutes of careful scrutiny just to configure settings necessary to record something.

Playback volume was weak; "buttons" difficult to identify and press.

I expected this device to produce an "open with" or "autoplay" dialog just as one would expect for a camera.

No such dialog ever appeared.

Vista never knew what it was. XP could not see it as a drive.

Their 1-800 support number was inaccessible from California. Their 1-905 number for Canada, was -but noone was available at 2:30pm on a Friday afternoon.

There is no support for this device at their site other than the Editing software updates -which are useless without the ability to detect the unit properly.

No help in the manual for transferring files -just a warning not to disconnect the cable when transfer is taking place.

Kind of cheaply constructed the controls are a bit weird and everytime I pick it up I wonder, "Is it broke yet?" I've been able to record conversations accurately and painlessly. The software is "crappy" but it does the job if you struggle to learn it. My task was to record the conversation, download their format, convert it to mp3/wav for distribution. I used their software to get to the wav, and Audacity to get to the mp3. Their software is pretty good at removing noise to clean up the recording. I've had it about 3 months now, and I still haven't broken it. I keep it in my back pack wrapped in a bandera. (Makes a better case than the sock I was using and people don't react to the bandera as strongly as they did to the dirty sock.)

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I've had this recorder for 3 years and use it for my job to record meetings, of which I then produce written summaries. It works OK, but I have a new laptop for my job and I want to install the driver software on the new machine. I haven't done that because I no longer have the original driver disc and Panasonic wants me to pay for a replacement (no free download). I don't want to waste the money doing that because the new machine runs Vista and the software doesn't work well on Vista. My recommendation is to get a recorder from a different company with better customer service.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic RR-US450 Voice Recorder, Thin Style, PC Software 66 Hour Rec Here

This is the worst bit of Kit I have ever bought, it records really well and plays back on the device fine, which ever record quality you choose it remembers when you switch it on. (That's if you can call it switch on, as you push the hold button to switch it of, and un hold to switch it on.) so if you select HQ for record quality the next time you switch it on its set to HQ. the controls are very good with a Jog Shuttle type joy control, but the main problem is when you plug it into a PC via USB it is unidentifiable, it requires the drivers from the CD. But even after that you cant access the files, it wont show up as a drive, the software cant see it, windows see's it as a Panasonic device but not a drive, I tried to access it via a dell laptop using Vista I gave it to a friend who tried it on a desktop using XP and this could not access the files, so for now its at the back of the draw till my brother goes Clay Pidgin shootingPanasonic RR-US450 Voice Recorder, Thin Style, PC Software 66 Hour Rec

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Monday, September 15, 2014

10 SLIM Black Double DVD Cases 9MM

10 SLIM Black Double DVD Cases 9MMGreat when not delivered broken.

Two of the ten cases are broken, and cannot be used.

Fortunately, I only needed eight cases.

But, next time, I will buy where I can examine the product first.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Sylvania SDVD9000 Portable DVD Player

Sylvania SDVD9000 Portable DVD Player
  • 9 Inch LCD screen, portable DVD player
  • Plays DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, VCD, S-VCD, CD, MP3, MPEG4, WMA, JPEG
  • SD, MMC Card reader, USB port to play all your digital media files
  • Built-in rechargeable battery, stereo speakers
  • Includes CAR BAG, stereo earphones, remote control, stereo audio output, AC and car adapter, user manual

the video player has good picture quality,and the size makes it just right for travel. battery life is adequate for a couple of movies.

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Recently purchased this and I have been truly enjoying this. I am a truck driver and so when I shut down for the night I just open this up and watch the dvds my son burns for me. Great screen size I got different headphones that were a bit better of a fit for me. But i really enjoy this.

Read Best Reviews of Sylvania SDVD9000 Portable DVD Player Here

I was really happy with this device, but about three months after I bought it, it just stopped working and would not read any disc. I assumed it would have a warranty...and it did 90 days:( We just missed it!

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Discs play very noisy...choppy video.....would not recommend at all. Would say to buy a more expensive or higher rated player.

It's been over a year since my purchase and I use it maybe 10 hours a week with no problems. When not using, I keep in a sealed plastic bag to protect electronics from dust. Before loading a DVD or CD, I inspect the surface for dust and use a clean paint brush to remove any particles on the data side of DVD/CD. People who report DVD player failure is likely unaware dust & particle contaminants on DVDs or CDs will cause premature wear and damage on the laser that reads the data. It also causes the scratches you see that are prevalent in used DVD movie rentals. Owners manual & manufacturers of DVD movies don't tell you because they want you to buy a new DVD player (or DVD movie) when your old one quits working or don't play right. When moisture in the air gets inside the electronics of DVD players, they cause premature failure and assume you'll buy a new one, which is why DVD player's owners manual don't say "keep in plastic cover to protect from moisture in air." I play mine over 10 hours a week and have owned it for over a year. Protecting from dust & moisture is why mine had lasted so long. Kkid14701 claims the sound is distorted and video not clear; I get the same problems when I buy bootleg pirated DVD movies. As for inferior speakers, you'll need POWERED external speakers like the ones hooked up to your desktop PC for better sound quality; or headphones with inline volume control to boost the volume. I tried headphones with no inline volume control and it was lacking, even with the player's volume knob fully turned up. Kyle_Jones claims "sudden-death" on his player. Maybe he's unaware someone (his teenage kids?) had dropped it without telling him? FYI most electronics are very fragile & easily damaged from shock resulting from a fall. This player will also recognize MP3 audio in DVD formats, which is how audio 1950s radio drama (complete collection) is sold.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

MINI DV HIDDEN VIDEO CAMERA SPY CAM CAMCORDER

MINI DV HIDDEN VIDEO CAMERA SPY CAM CAMCORDER
  • MINI DV HIDDEN VIDEO CAMERA SPY CAM
  • VIDEO RECORDER
  • HIDDEN CAMERA RECODER
  • SPY CAM VIDEO AUDIO
  • MINI SPY DVR

I ordered this a few weeks back, charged it (as the terribly translated instructions said to do), even purchased a SEPARATE mini-SD card that is necessary for the product to even work, and yet it STILL didn't. The lights flashed the same as if it didn't have the SD card. Toyed with it for almost 3 hours and it STILL DOES NOT WORK. I have no clue how to return it and get my money back, as this is a terrible and unrepeatable dealer. I e-mailed the dealer through Amazon and have yet to receive an apology or even a response. Save yourself the money and get something higher quality. If the price is too good to be true, it is.

CRAP CRAP CRAP

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Compared to a similar product that I had a few years ago this unit doesn't have the functions available and the one's it has don't seem to work...cannot download anything to even see if it works becuz computer doesn't recognize it...even with the disc and drivers downloaded! Wouldn't recommend to anyone! Can't contact seller as no information on package or bill of sale available!

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I bought one an i like the images, and I bought the another, And i just bought another, total I heve about eight diferent camaras they work great, for the price, i think is awesom

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works good i will buy from you again great products super great buy . . . . . . .

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Honeywell Ademco 5843 Wireless Relay Module

Honeywell Ademco 5843 Wireless Relay ModuleIf you have a 4 button ademco keyfob, chances are you have at least 1 extra button (normally there are buttons for off, on, panic, and then you run out of things to do). That 4th button activates this switch which has a normally open / normally closed output rated at 2A / 28VDC. The switch itself requires 9VAC or 12VDC to run, so be sure to have voltage present to operate it.

People often mistake that it can be programmed to operate from the 5800 series transmitter on your panel. IT CAN NOT. It only listens for unused buttons on the wireless devices (keypad, etc) and can enroll up to 8 devices to activate its one relay out.

I use it for a keychain mounted controller to my electric gate it gives me a handheld way to open the gate in addition to the pushbutton in car garage door opener design. It is handy if I am walking into a secure area and wish to open the gate partway to walk through then close it behind me and engage the 1200 pound mag locks to secure the gate.

Programming of that 4th button in your panel is an option as well (you could have it turn on lighs via x11 or some other feature) but be certain that the panel's receiver can hear your keyfob where you intend to use it. Consult the ademco vista series programming manual for further instructions here.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

DS-5000 Professional Voice Recorder

DS-5000 Professional Voice RecorderLess than 1 star

While the recorder is functional, the dictation software is not very good. endless problems, requiring frequent long calls to service line. unhelpful service people. Overall not a useful product in our experience, cannot recommend

My first one is still working great, so the rest of the office is getting them! Easy to send dictation.

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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Sony DVP-NS710H/B 1080p Upscaling DVD Player, Black

Sony DVP-NS710H/B 1080p Upscaling DVD Player, Black
  • 1080p near HD resolution Upscaling through HDMI Connection
  • BRAVIA Sync
  • Exceeds ENERGY STAR standards
  • Multi-brand TV remote control
  • Precision Cinema Progressive technology

This DVD player does an excellent job of upconverting in my opinion. I also have a far more expensive Oppo DVD player and I would say they are on par.

One 'feature' I dislike about these DVD players is in the manufacturer's quest to make the box look sleek and simple, there are only a couple of buttons: open/close, play and stop (aside from the power button). Why, oh why, do manufacturers not put skip or fast-forward buttons on the box? Is this to force us to buy new remote controls when the kids make them disappear? I just don't like the idea that a piece of equipment become less functional without the sometimes elusive remote control.

Still, it does provide a beautiful picture, very sharp and one I believe almost maximizes the contrast, color and clarity provided by our expensive plasma tv.

A very good value when considering the quality for the price point.

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Bought this to replace a Toshiba player that was nothing but trouble.

Good picture, easy setup, and unlike the Toshiba it plays everything I've tried in it. It takes a good 30 sec to a minute to lock on a disk. But once it does, it plays flawlessly. Even with some rentals that are in less than pristine condition.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DVP-NS710H/B 1080p Upscaling DVD Player, Black Here

We received this DVD player last week and hooked it up to a new Samsung 550 tv. I am not picky. I put the dvd in and it plays...that makes me fairly happy with the purchase. This player saves your spot after you take out the movie. That may come in handy when my little one has 6 movies that she is watching at once.

The sound is very nice for movies and dvd's. I like that it can hook up to my 1980's Sony stereo system.

The only negative and it is small The power and open/close button are designed to be hidden so the player looks sleek. They are kind of hard to push.

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Added the Sony DVP-NS710H/B Upscaling DVD player to our home entertainment center after acquiring a Sony Bravia LCD HD television. Amazing difference in playing older commercial DVDs, but best improvement on my home-made DVDs with both digital pictures & movies!

You might think (based on the model numbering) that when Sony replaced the DVP-NS700H with the DVP-NS710H, it maintained or improved the key features. Unfortunately, Sony has REMOVED the optical digital audio output that was present in the NS700H. This significantly limits how this player can be used. For example, my surround sound receiver (also made by Sony!) has ONLY an optical digital audio input.

BTW, as of this writing this product is being sold in stores and online but Sony still has not posted its support documentation on their eSupport website.

Make sure whatever you intend to use for Dolby Digital/DTS decoding has a compatible available input (HDMI or coax digital audio). Otherwise, look elsewhere. I say this as someone who has been nearly all-Sony for CE products, but this company is driving me away lately.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Motorola V555 Unlocked Cell Phone--U.S. Version with Warranty (Silver)

Motorola V555 Unlocked Cell Phone--U.S. Version with Warrantyi love this phone its simple to opperate, very durable great camera/ video recording. easy to text message. blue tooth. very hi tech but easy to use over all the best phone i have ever owned

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Dazzle Video Creator Plus

Dazzle Video Creator Plus
  • No prior video editing experience is required.
  • Simply transfer videos to the PC
  • Create a DVD backup of your video using Pinnacle instant DVD recorder or use Pinnacle studio software to quickly edit your movie.
  • Share your masterpiece directly on the web with the one-click upload to YouTube or transfer your video to your Apple iPod or Sony PSP
  • No prior video editing experience is required
  • Create a DVD backup of your video using Pinnacle instant DVD recorder or use Pinnacle studio software to quickly edit your movie

A powerful, albeit memory hog product but it does a great job.

And cannot beat the price!!!

I think (as usual) I only know 25% of its capabilities and I'm learning as I go along. Keep working at it and use the BURN DVD after you've spent some time experimenting with your "Projects" (keep saving them!!).

Adding titles and "buttons" in the opening scene is easy, once you mastered the nuances of the program. Converted 1:40 of tape to 3 DVD's so I can keep them separate.

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

Ten months and many DVD's later and in response to some of the Q's floating around this discussion:

Dazzle is not simple...the first time around, anyway.

There are three distinct stages: Capture (takes your analog video and converts it to an avi file...a huge one. Then you have the Editing, where you can cut stuff out, add titles, etc. AND THIRDLY you burn the final to a DVD. That the good way!

Now, if you want to transfer without any editing, there is a way (the lazy man's/woman's way) follow the instructions.

Free advice: Capture no more than 10 minutes at a time, then edit it and save it (better have a big hard drive, mine is a 160Gb, so I got a 250Gb USB Passport from WD and that drive is only for captured videos (AVI's). So get your short 10 mins captured video (avi) and play with it until you master Dazzle. Then you'll be ready for bigger and better things. The 10 minute segments also helps to eliminate any sound sync problems.

It is not that complicated, but it takes some practice. Personally I use it ONLY to CAPTURE, I use Windows MovieMaker for editing the AVI and saving it to a WMV file and then I use Sonic to burn it on a DVD. Why?? Because I am very familiar with both of these programs and I feel comfy using them. The results are great ask my five grand kids :-)

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I'm not sure about the negative reviews, especially those that don't give any detail as to the problems with the product. Just make sure it works with your operating system. I have Windows XP, and the Dazzle and Pinnacle software work well. My PC only has 0.5GB memory, so the Pinnacle SW can run slow at times. I blame the slowness on my lack of memory. I'd really like to give this product a 5. The only reason I can't is that I did have to recapture a couple video clips as the first captures had some bits of choppiness where the video and audio kind-of skip. That could also be my slow PC. I'm not sure. As for what I like: The Dazzle and the Pinnacle SW are extremely user-friendly. The video editing is very intuitive. There's a beginning tutorial after you first load the SW that is worth watching. After that, you're off. It's really fun, and I was surprised at how much you could do. For less than $100, I was not expecting the editing SW to have as many features as it does. It's really a terrific deal.

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I just got this device about an hour ago and Im already capturing great clips from videogames! Contrary to what a lot of people have said about this it works with Vista Home 32-bit right out of the box! Setup was simple and the software is surprisingly very good.

The device that came with mine was black, apparently there are also red and silver versions out there, so this review is for the black one.

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I purchased this product after reading mostly favorable customer reviews. Every product is going to have one or two bad reviews and one or two nuts you need to ignore. So I figured this product would be okay. HOWEVER, using the capture device and accompanying software to capture analog video from a VCR produces NOTICEABLE AUDIO DRIFT with time. The audio starts out in perfect sync, but over the 30 minutes of a camcorder VHS-C tape, it can be out of sync by over a minute by the end of the tape. I first thought the problem was with another editing program, but no. Playing back the raw avi capture through several video players confirmed it was the Pinnacle capture software.

If you choose video preview while capturing it, you can verify that the audio and video are properly synched all the way to the end as being delivered by the Pinnacle USB capture device to the PC. Once in a while, a capture will work just fine, but it appears to be random. I had to capture each tape about 3 times to get one with proper synchronization. Don't know if other programs running in the background inadvertently affect sync, but they shouldn't. And yes my PC specs are superior to the minimum stated requirements. FYI I am runing Windows XP SP3.

If you search on the web for "pinnacle studio audio sync problem" you will see that this has been an ongoing problem for YEARS. Incidentally, I have not had any problems with lost frames as others have. So buyer beware. If you have purchased this product and are happy with it congratulations. But if you haven't bought it yet, I would seriously advise finding another product, as I now have to. I hope this review halps those reading it. Thank you for reading this.

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If you don't want to go for an expensive HD video capture equipment then the Dazzle is the answer. The software works really well when you get used to it. I used this to recored gameplays from my PS3 and to get the best quality out of this product, use S-Video. For the price the quality and the software were great. It allows you to record it through the regular composite or S-video. S-video is better as it looks clearer especially for those recording gameplays from consoles. I recommend this product for those recording old VHS, DVDs, and or gameplays from consoles.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Lorex LH1361001C16B Eco2 Security Camera System with 16 Super+ Resolution Cameras (Black)

Lorex LH1361001C16B  Eco2 Security Camera System with 16 Super+ Resolution CamerasJust set this up .. and have to say Not bad for the money!

The web interface is really nice .. better then most expensive DVR'S

The Cameras are OK .. They do not seem to be what they state for the 660TV lines of resolution!

The cameras switch automatically to black and white in low light.

However seem to switch to black and white even if there is a lot of light.

Easy to setup .. nice unit .. cool interface .. low cost!

So over all I would say get it!

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Friday, February 14, 2014

Nokia 5300 XpressMusic Unlocked Cell Phone with Camera, MP3 Player, MicroSD Slot--International Ver

Nokia 5300 XpressMusic Unlocked Cell Phone with Camera, MP3 Player, MicroSD Slot--International Version with No Warrantythe product had a default,the back lid did not fit well.But when i conducted the sender ,i was sent a replacement immeadietally,good job.

Simple, rugged phone that my dad loves. Very easy to use, has a nice music player & a loud speaker.

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this is by far the best phone I've ever had, great sound, great durability. only one bad point: Battery life. I use it to sync with my pc and to handle my agenda.

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I love this phone. Recently I joined T-Mobile and received a free violet Nokia 5300 and a Nokia 2610. I kept the 5300 and gave the 2610 to my mother thinking that it would be an easier phone to use for an older person. The 2610 was an awful phone and my mother was unable to figure it out. To remedy this situation, I gave the Nokia 5300 to my mother and I took the 2610. She was able to use the 5300 with no problem. Of course, I had really liked the 5300, so I ordered this red one for myself. I love the fact that the phone is very easy to use that I can listen to music or audio books on it and it feels so comfortable in my hand. I'd have to say that it just fits. It's thicker than most slider phones but I personally like that. It's small enough to fit in my hand but not so small to be difficult to see or handle. My only difficulty with this phone is that the volume seems low; however, it is better once I move my ear around and find the right spot for listening. I have only had this new phone for a few days so far, so I need to adjust to it and also look in the book to see if the listening volume can be raised. With the headphones on, the music and audio books sound great. The speaker sounds pretty good with some static. All in all, I love this phone. This particular phone is an international phone, so just in case I do travel outside the country, I can use it. Maybe I'll have to save some money and do that.

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Pretty decent phone with good features, but this phone is very fragile. Lcd screen broke just being in my pocket, without dropping it. The warranty had run out. I only had it for two months. I had insurance with t-mobile, but the replacement phone was higher than what I paid for the phone. I got the phone on discount by entering a two year contract. I will never do that again. In short it was a bust. I feel I got ripped off.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Sony M-570V Microcassette Voice Recorder

Sony M-570V Microcassette Voice RecorderI almost did not buy this product after reading all of the negative reviews but my experience has been that you need to take reviews with a grain of salt.

I have much experience with many recorders over the last decade. I own a high end Olympus L250, Panasonic, and other misc analog recorders. I also own some high end digital recorders. I prefer micro cassette for their ease of use, easy archive, independence from other electronic devices such as a computer! And partly because of nostalgia.

This Sony is better suited for close dictation then for lecture. For lectures you might be disappointed unless your professor talks loud. For classroom use I would recommend either a higher end Olympus digital, the sound quality and sensitivity are incredible on those. An analog unit with an external microphone would be my second choice, this Sony model does not have a microphone jack. I also own the Sony M-670V which has better clarity and more sensitivity. It is better suited for classroom use.

This Sony unit has decent sound quality, there is slight motor noise but this is the case with most affordable recorders. I do not experience any problems with the sound quality as other reviewers have stated.

It was recently exposed that Belkin sales reps were paying people to leave negative reviews on Amazon of competitors products, I wonder if this Sony product has fallen prey to a similar fate? I can't imagine people being so disappointed with this unit!

The features of the unit are decent, I especially like the tape counter, a must have in my opinion. The unit has a nice solid feel, hinged battery compartment, attractive finish and nice compact size. Sensitivity is good, low background noise and an easy to use feature set without a bunch of gimmicks. I'm actually interested in buying another one to have as a backup. I recently bought an Olympus J300 and returned it and got this Sony. Compared to the Sony the J300 seemed flimsy and cheap but it did have an external microphone jack and performance was similar.

I would normally give this unit a four star because it does not have an external microphone jack or fast playback option, I gave it a five star to compensate for all of the ridiculously bad reviews that this unit got. I bought mine at Staples, although I really like Amazon I sometimes found that they seem to get some bad batches of certain products.

Sony designed an attractive, affordable recorder which performs well. I would spend a few dollars more and get the superior Sony M-670v, if you need it, otherwise for close dictation the 570 should work fine.

I bought this tape recorder less than a year ago and I am already in the market for another one. First of all, don't believe the product description. This would be terrible for recording lectures. Even if you are right up against your interview subject, if there is other noise in the room you will not pick his voice up clearly.

Recently, interviews have started to be cut off in the middle with the rest of the tape white noise.

And if you are outdoors, if there is a slight breeze, all you will hear is the roar of the wind. (But no voice.)

Yuck.

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I actually liked this recorder. I've been using it to record lectures for my AP US history class and its working pretty great. Although, I do agree with the issue of the motor making a buzzing noise, though I can still hear my teacher pretty clearly.

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My boss (doctor) loved this so much he wanted two. Works well for dictation. Great price.

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I just purchased this recorder and I am very dissatisfied. After taping something, the noise/static is almost louder than the material that was recorded. Being a Sony product, I thought the quality would have been better. Sorry I purchased it.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Philips 2236 Stereo Headphones for Transcription (LFH2236/00)

Philips 2236 Stereo Headphones for TranscriptionI am not an expert on sound quality and the like, so my above five stars might not be five to someone who knows more; but for my purposes, these headphones have done excellently! I have not had any problems with them, and all I have to do is plug them into the headphone jack and they work perfectly! They are lightweight and conform to my head very comfortably. They are so lightweight in fact that I keep thinking of them as more fragile than they perhaps really are. I use them soley for transcription and would definitely buy them again if I needed to!

OK but not great. Prefer the USB Spectra, superior sound and volume, but their OK, but if you want to get all your docs loud enough you have to have a set of plug-in phone jack speakers, which I also have.

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Saturday, January 18, 2014

VideoSecu Fake Security Camera CCTV Home Surveillance Dummy IR Infrared Bullet Camera 1RE

VideoSecu Fake Security Camera CCTV Home Surveillance Dummy IR Infrared Bullet Camera 1REBought 5 of these to put up around the house. Looks realistic enough to fool most people. However, not sure what effect it will have in darkness, since it doesn't have a blinking red light. I initially opted to get these because those with blinking lights required frequent changing of batteries & the areas that these were to be mounted presented a problem when changing batteries. I gave it only 3 stars because of poor design by the manufacturer. An electrical wire is mounted on the back of the camera but you have to use your imagination to determine what to do with it. I decided to drill a small hole into the plastic mounting base, stick the wire through that hole, tie a knot on the open end so one couldn't pull it back out of the hole & then mounted it onto the wall. Perhaps the manufacturer could have pre-drilled a hole or even supplied an instructional sheet with suggestions on mounting & placement of this wire to make it look realistic, even to the trained eye.

I also bought 3 of these to cover my carport/porch and driveway. They look very realistic. My only suggestion for improvement is something that draws attention to the camera, such as motion activated sound, movement or light. This would require changing batteries, so it's really a trade-off. But, without drawing attention to itself, the camera relies on an intruder seeing it. So, I also bought some signs and stickers.

The other reviewer's comments about hanging it from the ceiling are unfounded. The "camera" housing has mounting holes on top and bottom, so you can choose to mount it standing up or hanging down.

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Super easy to install and versatile mounting options. They do look very real. Yes, it is all plastic, but that is what I expected, especially for the price. It was a great value and I will probably buy more of them.

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Plastic but look real if placed 3-6 feet higher than normal vision. I tucked the wire into building siding to look like it is really wired and placed under an overhang so weather would not fade the finish. Then to get it noticed as it does not have a blinking light (similar products with a blinking light people complain the battery life is too low) I put some silver reflective tape on the "hood" of the camera so it would be more noticed in low light situations. Worth the few $'s if you are not installing at eye or close to eye level.

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Good quality for the price! It is plastic, and not exactly bullet-proof, but from a couple feet away looks plenty real. I like the loose cord attached to the camera, so you can run it underneath the trim of your house (or anything else) to look like a true hard-wired camera. Mounted easily and can be mounted in almost any position.

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Friday, January 17, 2014

Coby CXR123 Voice Activated Micro-Casette Voice Recorder

Coby CXR123 Voice Activated Micro-Casette Voice Recordertotal waste of $$$ . the fast for. & reverse work. that's all. normal play or record : no , the cassette doesn't feed. that's after like 10 min. use, max. of 2 dozen play cycles !! it looks like units from brand companies, but ...

This is a poorly made product (which I should have expected for $20). After 1 month of use the buttons have fallen off and it is not reliable. Spend a little more money and get a decent recorder that doesn't fall apart.

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Could not get the voice activation to work. The return policy requires it not be opened. How can you know how it works unless you open it.

Don't work with this company

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I am a doctor and use this device for an hour every day. I just threw away my second tape recorder in 4 months. I have a third one, and when it dies in another 2 months, I will NOT be buying another COBY product. Ever.

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First, the fast forward/rewind button fell off and I put it back on. I put in the enclosed tape and tested it. Seemed to be working. Then the tape would not play back. The fast forward/rewind button "sounds like it is running", but the sprockets are not turning the tape. I removed the tape to see what could be wrong, and when I went to put it back in, it would not fit into the recorder. I tried both sides, switched it around from A to B, turned it upside down and right side up. I have been using all types of recorders since the early 1970's, so I know what I am doing. I can truly say this is the worst piece of garbage to come out of China.

I saw a Documentary a few weeks ago about Counterfeit items being made in China faster than the real producers can get their products to market and how much they look like the real products. I think this one got past the federal inspectors. I thought the "blister pack" was too easy to get into when I opened it, so everything seems to be bogus. Will be sending the info to the Federal Inspectors. Only thing is, they say that once they are shut down, it only takes a few weeks for them to be back in business somewhere else. So, you may or may not get a real product. :-(

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Wildview 8 Mp Digital Game Scouting Camera with Infrared

Wildview 8 Mp Digital Game Scouting Camera with InfraredGot this for my grandfater down in south Texas for a Christmas gift to replace his old TGL2M. He was a little worried about the IR emmitters instead of the flash he had been used to after all these years. All his concerns were waved off after the first 2 weeks of images. Great day light photo and wonderful black and white photos at night. The only "difficulty" he claims to have had was in positioning. Seems the technology has gotten alot better than on his old camera so the old spot didnt give the same centered images at first. Once he readjusted for the newer and better sensor everything is great at his place. Now he wants me to get him 3 more for his birthday coming up in August.

I bought this camera to replace a flash version from the same company. The price was right and the day time pictures are good, but the claim of 40 foot flash range at night is not what I saw. The few deer that came within 15-20 feet took ok pics but any further and they were darks shadows. I also had a couple pictures that showed up as digital scramble. I am going to return this before I get stuck with it.

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Great Camera. We have been using it for over a month and it has taken some excellent photos, both day & night. So far, no problems.

Great buy for a great price.

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Biggest flaw: battery life. Be lucky to make it a week with C batteries. Sometimes every four days I need to replace the batteries. Very unexceptional! Make sure you buy the Stealth Cam 12V Battery Box. Supposedly will last a solid month maybe more.

Biggest pros: Does what it is intended to do. Captures anything that sets off it's motion sensor. So far, I've managed to get cats and birds, and was hoping for deer and bears. Patience is a virtue so don't lose it. Overall a solid device that is ideal as a game scout camera. Plus it is nice to see what is going on in the backyard at night. You never know, you might catch a thief!

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The Wildview is considerably more affordable than Moultrie models and has slightly shorter range. Mine malfunctioned (stopped taking pictures) after a couple of weeks in service. The Factory Tech Reps weren't able to resolve, so Amazon exchanged for me. So far the new camera seems to be working after a couple of days of service. Programming and set up are a little more limited than Moultrie, but the pictures are very clear. Mounting the Wildview is actually easier than the Moultrie models I have.

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Saturday, January 11, 2014

ARKON CMP212 Friction Dash and Windshield Mount for Cameras with 1/4 20 Screw Thread

ARKON CMP212 Friction Dash and Windshield Mount for Cameras with 1/4 20 Screw ThreadI used this mount to hold a Contour Roam video camera while driving through some national parks. It worked perfectly and was easy to conceal under the seat when stopping for hikes and lookout points. For lightweight point & shoot and small video cameras I wouldn't hesitate to use it. But I wouldn't mount a heavy DSLR and expect it to be stable while driving. I unfortunately forgot about it (under the seat) when I returned my rental car, lost the first one! I reorder another when I got back home for my next trip. The suction cup mount can detach from the base for other uses, well made and hard to beat the price on Amazon with free shipping.

I attempted to fashion my own dash mount, could not acheive a steady fixed platform. The arkon device filled the bill for me.

It stays put on my padded dash board when turning and seems satisfactory re vibration transmittal. Not rock steady due relativly

light weight, however is very handy and versitile. Not for weighty cameras, not expected to be. Item received well packed.

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I got this that I can mount the camera recorder on the windshield and the GPS on the dashboard. The heavy-weight seat of the dashboard mount stays in place well, even a hook is suppose to stick to the dashboard. The hook did not work but the seat does.

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Better quality than I expected. It is simple and high quality. Works great. I use it to temporarily mount a video camera to my dash, say, for example, during a traffic stop.

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Me and some buddies were taking a road trip and I had always wanted to film our shenanigans. I use a Panasonic HD Camcorder and I also have a Canon SLR. The mount did not move from its spot on the dash the entire 1,200 miles. No sliding when we took corners, no falling down when we would brake. So why the 4 stars? I had to deduct one point for the fact that the mount had a slight lean to it any time I had the camcorder mounted to the outer side. Not a huge deal, but it definitely was a bit of a letdown. But I definitely recommend it.

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