Opteka CXS-500 X-Cage Pro with Handgrip and Rail System for all DSLR cameras

There must be more designs for DSLR video rigs than there are fireflies on a summer evening in Texas. Many are more than the cost of the camera, and many are 'me-too' copies of those high-dollar, high-quality video rigs. The Opteka CXS-500 has a very down-to-earth price, and surprising quality and versatility. A DSLR cage is a building block, a scaffold on which to attach some (or most) of the 'add-ons' which transform a DSLR designed primarily for still photography into a system that can overcome many of the DSLRs short-comings, and enable the user to shoot video in a professional and productive manner.

A cage's primary role in life is to provide a solid, lightweight, adaptable anchor point for items like follow-focuses, video lights, video monitors, microphones, sound recorders, HDMI splitters, wireless receivers, and other small accessories that can be attached by either 1/4"-20 bolt, or cold shoe. There are thirty-four (!) 1/4"-20 holes spread out on all surfaces of this lightweight cage, and they are all threaded and the threads neatly chased.

The holes are both its greatest asset, and the only disappointment. The box proclaims "numerous 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 mounting holes." But the model I received had only 1/4"-20 holes. A few 3/8"-16 holes would be most helpful, specifically for mounting microphones which often have 3/8"-16 holes in their shock mounts. One tip for using the holes to their best advantage; if you have any extra screws of the kind that come on Manfrotto mounting plates, they can be threaded through one of the holes on the rig and then they can turn freely to make mounting an accessory easy to get tightened down snugly.

Overall, the build quality is very good for an item in this price range, the versatility excellent,and the possibilities in constructing your own customized video rig are extremely broad.

The included handle is a nice touch, though the choice of blue rubber on an otherwise all black rig is questionable. The handle can both be reversed and mounted on the front or the back of the cage, though the rear location is slightly off-center. The handle is very firmly mounted, and the rig seems to be balanced well from the front mounting.

Hex wrenches are included for the hex head bolts, a nice touch.

Remember when buying an item like this, that you need to also budget for the many other parts that you will need, or want, once you have the cage. A cage usually is incorporated into a bigger rig, perhaps with front handles, a shoulder brace or shoulder mount, or other means to stabilize the whole rig. You may find you need a follow focus, a matte box, video monitor the list goes on and on. And don't get so caught up in the equipment that you forget why you got all this stuff it's the stories, silly! Go use this wonderful piece of equipment to tell stories, to make us laugh or cry or ask why.

As other posters have noted, the short 15mm rods are a welcome addition for those just starting out, though for those of us adapting this cage into an existing rig, they may become useful extras or back-ups.

47th Street Camera has the best price on this cage, and it was both shipped quickly, trackable, and delivered on time. I am already a repeat customer because of their combination of price and good customer service, and will certainly buy from them again.

The product has a nice finish and it's very robust. The problem is that I have a Canon T4i and I am not abe to remove the battery from the camera without having to unmount the camera from the cage. Also, I can't flip out the LCD screen from the camera as it bangs against the frame. As a solution to this I had to cut out this part of the cage so I can use it with my camera. I am still trying to find a way to fix the battery removal issue. So I guess they should change the description to Not for all DSLR cameras.

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I have been using this cage since Sept. Out of the box it was a great product. Well built and priced right.

Until yesterday. Both screw holes for the rail mounts decided to strip out. Maybe I overtightened? Don't know. No tighter than before. Disappointing that such a well built item, would have such a weak point.

Still using it as a base on my tripod rig. For hand held action cammy type stuff, I'm going to find a different solution.

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I just received my Opteka CXS-500 X-Cage Pro from 47th Street Photo to use with my 7D.

The Cage is made of sturdy aluminum and is built very well. All metal is smooth, burr free, and everything has a tight fit. With a price of just $99 bucks you really get a lot of bang for your buck with this rig! The rods and mount are also built well and look great. The mount has both large and small threads for your tripod quick release plate. Easy access to everything on your dslr.

My only concern with this rig is related to the access of the battery door on my 7d. When opening the door, it hits the adjustment knob used for the the rod below it. You can squeeze the battery out, but it is really tight. So be careful. I will just find a smaller knob or hex bolt to solve this issue.

Opteka, if you are reading this, please check this out with a 7D, and maybe just ship this awesome rig with smaller adjustment knobs and all will be good.

I have given 5 stars because this really is a great rig for the price. I have recently purchased other gear from Opteka and I am very happy with everything so far. Just great film making products at reasonable prices.

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Well you may be thinking, woah $100 for a metal rectangle, some poles and a handle, right? Well if you're interested in videography with DSLR cameras this is a must have. With this cage you have limitless possibilities for when it comes to rig arrangements. Once I got this I realized I made a great investment. This is the key item if you're ever thinking of getting a follow focus or matte box. Without it you have a mess of a camera and you'll a have mediocre look for when you go in for that video gig. We obviously know you don't need a huge rig to shoot amazing video, but the customer you're shooting for does not know that. There are tons of people now a days that shoot with a DSLR and its getting less rare with each passing day, so why look like everyone else? You'll never be able to get a decent gig if you have just a DSLR and say you shoot great video, you must look the part. I know it doesn't seem that way, but try it, show up with a small consumer camera like the t3i, I'm pretty sure they'd be like, "Man, I could have hired my 15 year old nephew for half the price, he got one of those cameras for x-mas..." Then try showing up with a huge dslr rig (matte box, follow focus, lcd monitor, microphone, and so on) you look the part and have the proper equipment to do the part. I hate saying this but it really does take money to make money, I have been slowly investing into my camera equipment and it has paid off. You will not regret making this purchase!

Thank you for reading-

MiamiFilmerGuy

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Flip Video USB Cables

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)These extensions or 'patch cords' make it easy to download your videos from the Flip Camcorder. BUT, they should have been included in the original packaging of the Flip Camera. The Flip is just too bulky (even at its small size) to "hang" onto the USB port of your computer. Plus, I think these are overpriced. You only need one. You only need one color.

This was the worst thing that I have purchased all year. To my misfortune, I threw out the box before I had a chance to see what a piece of garbage this was, and my chances of returning it were gone. First of all, they give you three extension cords of different lengths when all you really need is one. Secondly, all three are a little too tight to plug into the camera. I found out that the camera itself is not at all that heavy and stays suspended in the USB port without tension all by itself. Safe your money... its just unnecessary and not worth it!

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I bought these color-coded USB extenders to go with the matching camera sleeves and THEY DON'T FIT! The USB ports don't connect to the camera ports. I couldn't believe it, so I tried all 3 cords with both of the cameras and none of them fit. I saw an earlier post that said they're too tight, but I don't want to force it. Basically, they're useless. They're also too short for their purpose; even with the extension cords, the camera hangs off a desktop computer. Completely worthless.

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The cable is too tight for the camera connection. I'm concerned that it can damage the flip plug

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Ok, I read the other reviews before I bought this and went ahead and bought it anyway. For starters this is something that should come with the camcorder, you only need one. For seconds they are all too short unless you lay the camcorder on the tower. For thirds the fit is a bit on the tight side and makes me worry that I will break the arm off the camcorder.It's a nessary evil.

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JVC FS-7000 Executive MicroSystem

• Compact size
• Line-level subwoofer output
• 3-mode gain control
• Clock-timer
• Compu Play

Recently I purchased the JVC FS-V5 for the bedroom, and now I splurged on this one for my home office. I admit I prefer the styling of this unit over the FS-V5, and the wooden speaker boxes with quality speaker cable are very worthwhile.

The sound is fantastic it is quite amazing to hear what those tiny speakers can do. The sound compares very well with my main audio system.

However, the display is not as well designed as that of the FS-V5. In addition, the clock irritates me: the display settings are NOT remembered, so each time you turn the unit on or off, your preferred settings are reset. For example, suppose you prefer only the analogue clock face when the unit is on. Turn the unit off, and then on again, and the radio frequency or cd track information is back.

Another problem is the loudness of the cd transport system both the spinning of the cd, and the movement of the optical head is noisy. Since I tend to play my music relatively loud, it does not bug me, but the noise is definitely audible during the quiet between tracks. I would suggest that someone who prefers their music at low volume had better use headphones or buy something else (like the JVC FS-V5, whose transport is much quieter).

All in all, it does everything I want it to do, in style, and I am certainly happy with my purchase.

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After owning the FS7000 for a couple of months, here are my conclusions that I hope will aid in your purchasing decision:

CONS: 1. Unit gets VERY hot. 2. Luminescent clock is annoying in that it does not "remember" the last display option that you selected. Also, I do not like the orange-coloured display. Mine cannot be changed. 3. CD drive is a bit loud 4. Remote's infra-red beam range and range angle is not that great: I literally have to stand in front of the 7000 to make it work via remote. Off to the side? Forget about it. Maybe mine's defective. Brand new batteries make no difference 5. The unit is quite long. Dimensionally speaking, the width and height is tiny but the length, I had problems in my cabinet with all my cables attached. Most likely not a big deal for most. 6. Only one CD

PROS: 1. Very good sound quality/clarity. Very crisp mids and highs, but does lack low-end punch. Recently purchased a subwoofer to compliment the bass, and it makes an incredible difference. Don't be fooled by the FS8000, because for the difference in price between a 7000 and 8000, you can buy a better quality sub than one that is provided with the 8000. I would definately recommend a subwoofer to "complete" the sound. 2. Aesthetically pleasing: unit's champagne colour ,cherry-wood speakers and glass lid look more expensive than it really is 3. Coolness factor. Lets face it, as with PRO #2, it looks really cool 4. Separate BASS/TREBLE controls 5. SUB output 6. No built-in cassette deck. 7. Digital/optical out provides expandibility for MD 8. Reasonable price

In conclusion, I would recommend the FS7000 for anyone looking for a small/desktop/executive system with above average sound quality. People wanting to buy this unit must first consider what the intended use is and also where. Do not expect the unit to completely fill a large space but for small to mid-size rooms, it is fine. Don't forget to try it with a sub...you will truly be impressed. I was.

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I first heard the FSseries from JVC in Florida and when birthday time came, so did an FS-2000. I immediately started a search for a suitable Sub-woofer to enhance the system. I tried a "Bass-bite" unit and was very pleased at how perfectly matched it was. Since then I have purchased several more sub's for computer's. The real plus is that JVC was on the "cutting edge" when they engineered the system with a sub-woofer output in the first place. Now you find several other brand names that are marketing the same thing with their name on it. What a neat form of flattery! The magnet structure of the speaker is as large as the mounting hole opening. As JVC has made a few changes in newer models such as the FS-7000, the basic features are maintained. The speaker has received such huge acceptance based on its performance that JVC is using it in their boom box line with unmatched performance from competitors. I have demo'd and highly recommended this unit to others for several years. I have found no other product that I would rather have invested in.

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I returned mine for a couple of reason: The transport makes too much noise, especially when I listen late at night (I don't want to hear the machine, just the music); and the alarm does not allow you to set volume, so unless you remember to listen at night at the level you want to wake up to (so much for the sleep function) it may be too lound or too quiet in the morning. I found the Sony CMT-ED1 to have better sound, and to be more intelligently designed, for less money.

My everyday beside alarm for 20+ years. Mine might be the earlier FS-5000 but clearly it's the same system. Wakes me to my radio station unfailingly. Excellent sound quality particularly for classical and similar music. I'm finally going to look for a replacement because at long last the display is starting to fade out, and the lack of USB/iPod connections (not needed in 1992!) is starting to pinch. JVC = Quality!

Q1C1 Day Night High Resolution 1/4" color CCD, 420 TV Lines, 24 IR home surveillance camera

i can mount the camera on the wall or on the celling. the camera looks good.

reasonable price for a very good camera.

plus the seller was very helpful.

Plextor PX-TV402U-NA ConvertX PVR Personal Video Recorder for PC

I was nervous about getting any converter after reading reviews of quite a few of them here. I have never done any video conversion or editing before, and I had about 2 days to transfer an analog videotape and clean it up for a work project.

The Plextor installed and ran perfectly under XP with absolutely no problems. Since I had the unit, I also took the opportunity to convert about 15 VHS tapes I had to DVD :) with no problems on any of them, even older ones. Specifically, I had no video or audio sync problems with anything, commercial or non-commercial origin. If I could give a separate rating to hardware, I'd give it a 5 and give the included software a 3.

Intervideo's WinDVD comes with the product and is generally usable, but has installation issues, at least one persistant bug even with the current update, and a generally non-intuitive interface (YMMV). Please note that, contrary to common practice, the product serial number contains the letter "O" and alphas *must* be in upper case. I couldn't get font size changes on title screens to stick--they looked right on author playback, but reverted to the default (huge) size when the DVD was actually recorded. Otherwise, most basic stuff appears to be there if you click around, and the help isn't bad.

Completely met my needs. Thanks to prior reviewers for the info I needed to make my decision.

Still embarking on spooling off all the Hi-8 tapes I have, but I've been VERY satisfied with the Plextor unit so far. First thing I did was to spool one Hi-8 tape and then make a DVD, using the functionality of the bundled WinDVD Creator software. Good news: it worked, and a few hours after I started, I was watching the DVD I created, on my bedroom DVD player. Bad news: the software is full of minor and sometimes more than minor annoyances. It may be that I'm still climbing the learning curve with it, but I think it's just not very good. I'm looking into other solutions, such as Pinnacle, Adobe Premiere Elements, etc. Meanwhile, I keep spooling.

I haven't yet tried the TV capture in any depth. It looked like it worked, but again, with some annoyances on the software side. Plextor could improve this offering vastly with the addition of some better bundled software.

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I was seeking a fairly inexpensive method of doing it all with video capture: getting cable televsion, VHS tape, and old DVD footage into the computer. After some tweaking and playing, I've successfully accomplished all of the above using this products' HW and SW package. Although DivX is the best format for recording off of cable TV, remember its 4 GB file-size limitation. The biggest concern for most home video editors is the ability to edit your footage in the common editing software applications. So far, I've not been able to edit my VHS-now-PC-(MPEG 2 & 4)footage in Pinnacle 7, but I'm hearing it might be possible in Adobe Premiere and Pinnacle 10.

Nevetheless, the product works, and has proven itself reliable.

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The hardware is very good. Software is easy a bit buggy and leaves room for more control. I can watch TV on my computer with the USB2 connection and capture like a VCR. I can capture 3 hours of video input on a DVD with OK quality. With the best quality of capture to DVD directly you can fill two hours on one layer DVD much better than I as able to do with my JVC camcorder software.

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I have been looking at these capture units for a while. I have only used one before this. [Dazzle] As mentioned before the Ulead software is a flop. I'm using Easy Media Creator 8. My DVD 8 sees the capture unit, and works great with it.

One little quirk is that there can be nothing else USB plugged in while the unit works. It will not work on a hub. But I can work around that. I have had no audio sync problems and the video quality is as good as the tapes I have been feeding in. I have noticed that if I feed in more than two tapes at a time however the size of the output file often exceeds 5-6 gig. This for a 100 minute tape seems excessive. I can restart the computer and do it over and the output file will fit a DVD-R5 disk. Someone smarter than I will have to figure that out.

Overall this was money well spent and I would do it again.

MyGica iGrabber Nano USB 2.0 Video Capture

I have vhs home movies that I want to digitalize and have on my computer for keepsake. I was so excited to see this product priced so well. With research, I found the reviews to be both ways, so I tried it. It was obviously too good to be true. I have a 2011 macbook pro running iOS 10.7 and thought this would be plenty good enough for this. Initially it took literally 4-5hrs to upload 1 T-120 VHS tape and I cannot get sound to work. The instructions are only set for PC, although it raves that it works for MAC. It also does not easily download from the disc.

This being said, there are other genius' on the internet nice enough to write reviews and give very good info to make it work without having to pay more. Here is what I learned to make it work for mac:

1. When putting the software disc in, a window will pop up (if it doesn't pop up, just double click on the CD icon titled "video capture"). A window will pop up with 3 choices: auto run, mac os x, windows. Double click on "mac os x." Another window will pop up showing 2 choices: iGrabber instructions and iGrabber OS X. DO NOT click it, instead RIGHT CLICK. A pop up window will show and choose "show package contents." Another window will pop up with "iGrabber OS X 1.4.6.pkg." Double click this and it should begin the process of being downloaded onto your mac.

2. Once done, it should place a "iGrabber" folder in your Applications folder in your finder. Click this and a choice called "iGrabber Capture" should be in the folder. Double click this. It will most likely open a blue window or start your iCamera and will pop up another window asking for a "serial number." On the back of the sleeve the CD came in, are two stickers. The bottom sticker should say "mac os x igrabber." Use the code under that... this is the serial number.

3. Since I am doing this for VHS, I connect the black RCA cables to the VCR (any VCR will do, you do not have to get a recordable one). Then place the other side into the white "male end" iGrabber cable. The white cable then connects into the actual iGrabber remote with the USB cable. The USB cable then goes into your computer (duh). :)

4. Once iGrabber Capture is open, MAKE SURE to change these settings!!! First, go to "digitizers" on the menu line and choose "iGrabber." Then, go to "Record" on the menu line and choose "video settings." A window will pop up. Click "source" and make sure the DV Video is set appropriately (aka. if you are using the RCA cables for sound use "composite" or if you are using the larger round s-video click that. Hit "OK." Then, click "record" again on the menu line. Click "sound settings" and another window will pop up. If you are doing the sound through the USB cable, MAKE SURE you go to "source" and click "USB Device." IF YOU DON'T THE SOUND WILL NOT BE RECORDED with the video!!! I wasted so much time figuring this one out!!

5. Be ready, however long the video is, is about how long (or even a little longer) it will take to record the video onto your computer.

6. Now you are ready to record!! So, a blue window should now be up. If you hit "play" on your VCR, a picture and sound should show. (yeah!!!). In order to record, make sure the VHS is set to where you want it to start and hit pause. Hold the iGrabber in your one hand and have the VCR remote close. When you are ready to record, hit the big round button on the white iGrabber connected to your USB. This should pop up a window saying something like "double-click here to stop recording" (not exactly what it says). This means the computer is recording. Hit play on your VCR and it will start to "stutter" (for lack of a better word) and you will not hear sound anymore. This is okay. It will not be like this once it is all done. Now, you can leave your computer and let it keep recording until the VHS stops. Make sure to double click that window when it is done or you will have a lot of nothing at the end of this recording.

7. The program is set to automatically put the recording directly onto your desktop when done. If this is not where you want it to go, click "snapshot" on the menu line and then "snapshot auto-name setup." Here you can choose where you want it to go.

8. Sometimes when finishing one tape, the iGrabber Capture App will freeze or stop recording the next tape correctly. If this happens, just "quit" the program. Give it a few minutes and then reopen it. It should work again.

Hope this helps... if these steps are followed... it should work!!! Good luck!!

4gb Mini Voice Recorder with U Disk Function Silver & Black

I bought this USB because I needed a cheap way to record audio for long amounts of time. This product does just that: all you do is switch it on, and it'll start recording about three seconds afterwards for up to four hours.

The biggest disadvantages are:

* Between the time you turn it on and it actually starts recording there is a delay;

* You can't play audio unless you insert the device into a computer

The audio files are in .wav format, which is a fairly common format -it works with audacious and other Linux audio-editing programs.

If you need something more customizable or something that will play back audio you'll want a different device, but for general purposes this device is great.

This product was okay once it started working. I charged it for the recommended time and the light still flashed saying that it was charging. Then it wouldn't open on my computer but I got it to work on my laptop. It records well.

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You definitely get what you pay for with this item. I liken it to a basic PC mic in terms of audio quality. If you're going to use this for a class, you definitely have to sit as close to the instructor as possible. Even with that, there's quite a heavy rumbling and background noise despite being in a reasonably non-noisy area.

Interesting thing is that this is one of the few recording devices on Amazon that had USB-uploading capability, which many, including myself, find more convenient than listening directly from the device. It's also an extremely discreet object, since it looks like a simple flash drive.

(EDITED October 02 2012)

After using this device for some time, I can give a more thorough review. I would notice this would not record my lectures after I'd arrive home, brain-fried, looking forward to reviewing what was said in class. If you want a recorder for important things, LOOK ELSWEWHERE. I thought that it wasn't capturing because I wasn't it charging it correctly. Not so. Even with fully adequate charging, fresh-off-the-juice, I'd arrive home to find nothing in the file, and I had powered it on properly.

This product only works when it feels like working. Horrible buy, even for the price. :\

Four stars down to one.

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I gave it 5 stars, because it works well for the price. The recording is a little scratchy, but that's expected has it tries to pick up sound from all over the immediate area. What's nice is that even if you walk 10 feet away from the device and talk in a normal voice volume, it will still pick up what you say clearly. I'm using it to record my social conversations so that I can review them and see where I can improve.

A couple of the reviews here are a little silly and clueless, like "This recorder does not have the ability to go backwards or forwards within the recording while the recording is being made". Um... This is a COVERT recorder. NOT for school work and the like-please buy a normal recorder with all the bells and whistles if it's for doing work. This recording has a very specific function... to be covert. Putting extra buttons all over it or a mike jack would defeat the purpose.

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Small, portable, accessible (if worn around the neck) and has long battery life. Records very well for one-on-one meetings or small classrooms. Recording volume could be a bit low, so I need to increase playback volume in computer. Records in WAV format, which can be easily converted to smaller MP3 format using free software. I have had it for about two semesters now, and it has replaced both my previous USB drive and my $50 voice recorder. The rechargable battery saves plenty of hassle since it charges automatically when connected to a computer.

Franklin AnyBook Reader - 60 Hour Edition (DRP-4000)

Last month, a new product from Franklin Electronics called AnyBook Reader was launched. It is aimed at the working, busy or traveling parent, far-away grandparent, or any other long distance relatives, who want to bond with a child even when they are apart. It's an interactive reading device that allows you to read & record any book in your personal library in your own voice and then allows your toddler (who may or may not know how to read yet) to follow along with their favorite books and your voice, so that you're reading the book instead of the Nanny!

AnyBook can be purchased through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. There is a 15-hour version ($39.99), and a 60-hour version ($59.99).

Ok, now that you have seen the press release let me tell you all about it.

AnyBook comes with a selection of blank stickers for recording your voice. There are also stickers that have sounds recorded in them if appropriate to the book (dog, firetruck, rain, crying, etc). The stickers are made to be removed and won't ruin your pages. You can even re-record on them or order more if you run out.

You touch the button on the pen to start the record mode. You hear a few beeps and it is ready for you to record. That's it! So easy!

Last week I quickly and easily recorded two books so that I could carry it everywhere with me. My first stop was the school where I was meeting with my son's teachers and therapists.

I opened the first book and put the reader to the sticker. They heard the book being read through the pen and then I opened the next book to show them how the reader will read anything I record into the sticker. They all looked at me in amazement.

I was asked, "how do you get the recording". I explained that I touch the pen to a sticker that I place on the page, the pen counts down and I record the page into the pen by reading. They actually thought it was Ruby on the Max and Ruby book so they were at first confused. When I told them it was me doing characters that is when they were all amazed.

Everyone stated the same thing; they have seen other readers out there but you have to literally buy books from the maker of the pen. That is what makes this pen so much better! You can literally read/record your children's favorite books and they can hear you read to them anytime.

It is the easiest thing and so personal. I love this idea for military families especially but I think this is great for anyone. Perhaps your children don't get to see their grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends often. They visit you once or twice a year. They could read a book or two for the child into the pen and your child can hear them anytime they want.

Another friend had asked about the stickers and if they can put on other things. Sure, why not. This got me thinking how great this would be for a baby learning speech or perhaps someone trying to learn another language. Place the sticker on anything, record what it is and the person can actually learn speech.

What a great gift idea. Imagine a child on your Christmas list opens a book of books with the pen that you have already recorded the books on! This pen says "love".

Finally! ... a reader that is not limited to buying those special reading systems and the accessories for them. This is like the reading pens, but you can use the books you already have or would rather have for your children AND you record your own voice into it. So, you can personalize the story using your kids' names or by using your own character voices. It comes with sheets of removable stickers that are used to identify your recording. For example, you adhere a sticker on each page of your book. Then, you turn the reader on, touch the sticker with the reader to activate the sticker and then you record your voice reading the page. It also comes with an assortment of pre-recorded stickers with sounds on them (animals, phone ringing, clapping, etc.) to add to the story. My kids have fun with it. You can get creative with it, too. I can totally see myself eventually using this for their school items, crafts, albums, etc.

Buy Franklin AnyBook Reader - 60 Hour Edition (DRP-4000) Now

Now there are not many nights that I miss storytime with my boys before bed, but there are the few nights I do and there are times when they want to read a book by themselves. I am not saying there is a total substitution for a parent reading to their child, but their is a device that can now help out a little. The AnyBook Reader by Franklin Electronic Publishers is a device that allows a parent (or another significant adult) to read a book into a microphone-like device and record themselves reading the book. What is nice about the AnyBook Reader is you can use it with any book in your child's library and you can use it with multiple books at one time! (There is a 15 hour and 60 hour version.) You place a small sticker on the corner of the book pages and record each page individually, then your child can tap the sticker and hear you read the story! So no more buying special books and/or cartridges, just buy new stickers when you run out. The stickers use a special glue that won't damage a book and can be removed at any time. A pack of stickers is $9.99 and contains 10 sheets of ready-to-program stickers, each containing 20 stickers for a total of 200 stickers. You'll also get 4 new sheets of sound-effect stickers (80 more stickers).

Setting up a recording and deleting a recording is very easy, almost too easy that I thought for sure I was forgetting something! The stickers are easy to remove but unless your child really picks at them they should stay on just fine. There is a little feedback in the microphone so make sure the room you do the recording in is very quiet (like naptime or after bedtime!) I really though like this idea and it is so easy and quick to do. I could have a basic book done in minutes from adding the stickers to the pages to recording it. What makes this product really unique though is that it is your own voice that you are recording, so not a strangers or a robot voice. This would be especially great for a grandparent to record (and easy for them to use), a deployed military parent or other family member. My sons got a kick out of hearing my voice and now its funny they look for the white stickers in all their books! The AnyBook reader may be a little bit more upfront than other readers (about $60) but its your voice and its any book your child wants! Really you could use these stickers on anything you want to record a message on the possibilities are endless!

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"AnyBook reader uses a simple touch, record, and playback process. A special optical reader, built into the tip, reads unique codes imbedded in the designs of the stickers included with AnyBook reader. It's similar to the way a scanner at the grocery store reads barcodes. Each sticker code is unique. When a voice recording is associated with a sticker placed on a page, Anybook-Reader stores the recording and "remembers" which sticker has been associated with the recording. Touch the sticker again and AnyBook reader plays back the correct recording."

It takes a little time to get this going, but once it's done, your child can have a book 'read' to him any time he wants!!! It's easy for my kids to use and they love being able to play with it on their own. They even like to just record their own voices on the reader.

If your child doesn't know how to read yet, the Anybook reader won't help them follow along. It isn't like a tag reader where you run the pen across a word and it 'reads it'. You simple touch the reader to the sticker and then the whole page is read to your child. But if your child can read even a little bit, this Anybook reader will be a helpful teaching tool.

It comes with a bunch of stickers, and you can always record over a sticker if you are done using it in a certain book. But you can also buy more stickers if you don't want to record over any of them. The stickers don't damage our books and we can easily remove them if needed.

This is a fun tool.

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I can't believe I haven't heard of this product before, it's genius! My son is learning to read and constantly wants my husband and I to read books to him. We were happy to do so, until my son got turned on to the 100+ page per book "Captain Underpants" series. It's a cute series (we bought them all), but requires quite the time commitment to read through, and my son wants to read them constantly. I searched online for "reading pen," and found this. All the other systems required special books, so they were not Captain Underpants-friendly.

To record, you turn on the pen, hold the power button for 3 seconds to go into "recording mode," touch the sticker, then hold the volume-up button while you record that page (I only put stickers on the left side and read both pages to conserve stickers). Then you let go of the button, put the sticker on the next page, and repeat. Then hold the power button 3 seconds again when you're done recording to exit recording mode. Very simple. Directions for deleting recordings are equally simple, and the stickers can be removed/changed so you can move them if your child gets sick of a particular book. The stickers are reasonably priced, though, so I already ordered some extras. Only the white ones and pictures of faces can hold recordings, the others contain sound effects that you can add as desired. They seem to be easy to move/remove from pages as the company claims.

The only cons: the sound quality isn't great, especially when you're reading louder or making loud sound effects. It helps if you don't hold the pen too close to your mouth while you're talking. Even then, not super quality, but my son doen't seem to mind. When you're holding the button while recording, sometimes it "rocks" back and forth a little which results in a loud clicking sound on the recording. This is the biggest problem I've encountered so far.

Overall, it's a great value. When you consider that it costs $25-30 for those "record your own" Hallmark books that contain only one story, and you can record about 10 with this depending on length of the book (it comes with 22 sheets of 20 recordable stickers, I think), it's a much better deal. When you add the fact you can use it on any of your child's favorite books, it's a slam dunk. It's also a great gift idea for a child that can't yet read or has parents who sometimes travel. A+++!

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jWIN JDVD143 2 Channel Progressive Scan Compact DVD/MPEG 4 Player with USB

• Compatible with NTSC/ PAL System
• Progressive- and Interlaced-Scan Video Outputs
• Capable of Dolby Digital Decoding
• Coaxial digital and 2 channel audio output
• Front USB port

I bought this DVD player because it has a USB port and can play DivX movies. Keep in mind that is not a high quality DVD player. However, it does work, and I have been using it for 4 months without any malfunctions.

DVD player: works fine with U.S. and Chinese DVDs. No problem. It detect subtitles that are not accessible from the DVD's own menu, which is a definite plus.

USB: works ONLY with flash drives NOT with portable hard drives. I have a hard drive full of movies, but that doesn't work. I have to transfer movies onto a flash drive before using. Some subtitle formats work, others do not work. Also, this player will NOT accept any DivX movie that is higher than 420p. In fact, it has trouble with some standard definition DivX movies. It prefers low definition DivX movies. Only AVI format will play on this thing. I tried to play some MOV videos I took on my camera, but they wouldn't play.

My next purchase will be a high quality Blu-ray player with a USB port. This DVD player is okay, a solid 3-star product. Don't expect to get more than your money's worth!

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Best investment I've made in years!!! Plays all disc,(NTSC & PAL) The price was so good,$35, I bought another one. You can't go wrong by purchasing one of the fantastic little players.

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For the price, the USB function is great and also reads subtitle very well, it takes a while to load the AVI but it works. For regular DVD discs it is VERY picky, a lot of DVD-Burner made discs failed to load. The good USB can save you discs.

Reads 4GB USB drive well, but do not read 8GB USB, beware of this.

Edit: Reads commercial DVDs very good

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I have a hi-def DVD player, so I didn't need that functionality. I DID want a player that had the digital audio out so that I can play my CD's on it and I also wanted to view pictures, play music and videos using the USB function.

For both of those functions, this player was perfect. It plays the CD's with the best sound quality you can get out of a CD (hooked to my surround sound system via the digital audio output), and it allows me to share with the family items that I have on my computers without having to drag everyone into the office to see it on the computer!

Wasn't expecting a great DVD player and for what I wanted it for it's great!

I knew when bought this player, how affordable it was. And I read a lot of reviews, so I really didn't expect much. Gotta say though, it's been two years now. I've been using it almost daily (couch. Potato.) It still reads my mp3 player pics & flash drives just fine.

I'm very pleased with this prdouct. I don't buy bootlegs or use home made discs, just the commercial ones and it really plays them fine.

I never expected this unit to perform as well as one that cost $500 or more. Which to me, is part of it's charm. Nuff Said.

Sony DVPCX995V 400-Disc DVD Mega Changer/Player

• 400-disc mega DVD and SACD changer; measures 17 x 7.8 x 21.1 inches (WxHxD)
• Up-converts video to high-definition (1080i/720p) resolution
• Compatible with SACD, DVD-RW/-R/+RW/+R, MP3, JPEG, CD-RW/-R, VCD and SVCD formats
• Outputs: 1 HDMI, 1 component, 2 S-Video, 2 composite, 1 coaxial audio, 1 optical audio, 1 multi-channel
• Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel output

I have had the previous version (985V) for about two years now, and most of this review will refer to differences between the two. I have enjoyed the ability to store all my DVD's in one place (I have three children; and this prevents them from having to sort through the movies by hand).

The software is mediocre at best, though a large improvement over the 985V. The menu is much faster and allows scrolling by page. The folders (A, B, C, & D) now support labeling of more than three characters (a plus), though getting to the custom folders is a bit more cumbersome. Labeling remains nearly the same; a PS/2 keyboard is an obvious MUST. The remote control layout has been slightly redesigned, though I am not yet sure it was an improvement. I have read others reporting on the quietness when compared to the 985V, though I haven't noticed much difference. The load and disc change speed seam unchanged.

Several others have reported issues placing this monster into their entertainment cabinet, shelf, etc... due to its massive size. It is quite large and homework should be done to eliminate a VERY aggravating experience.

The video set-up functions are useful and probably similar to the much more expensive 777ES; though this may not be useful to an individual who has the ability to set up their TV specifically for this input.

Ok, so it is a great idea and a bit short on the software (disc explorer), but it is very functional. I don't think anyone will complain too much when only spending a bit over $300 for this monster.

Sony has a long history of maintaining proprietary connections and connectivity. This until does NOT support RS-232 connection, Ethernet connections, firewire etc... These players will NOT connect in series, nor will the software support multiple players. The 985V had a selectable switch in the back to allow up to three players to operate independently with the remotes (not very useful, but at least it's there if you need it). The 995V does not have that function.

The video quality: Yup, the HDMI works quite well with my Sony 50" LCD TV (KDF-50WE655). I've verified functionality of 480P, 720P, and 1080i via the HDMI connection. The video quality from the 480P and 720P are nearly identical (I can't tell a difference). The 1080i produces a grainier picture. I have done tests with several motion pictures (Lord of the Rings, Monsters Inc, Spider Man) using fast motion pictures and still images. ALL tell the same tale; No difference between 480P and 720P. The 1080i setting consistently losses the quality comparison. To be honest, this is no surprise, due to the native resolution of the DVD (480). It's just a novelty to see 720P or 1080i on the screen with a DVD input. The video quality is very good.

My recommendation: This is NOT a player to consider IF you are considering upgrading from the 985V, unless it is based solely on the software upgrade. It is an improvement. Video quality remains the same. I do NOT recommend using the very expensive HDMI cable. Use the component video out and you will not be missing anything (unless you're a gadget freak like me). Audio quality remains excellent

If you are considering a DVD Mega-Changer, then within this price range (there are no competitors yet) you will not be disappointed. This unit is far from perfect, but is a very functional player.

Addressing the DVD Changer Myth's:

"My data (titles) will all be lost if the power goes out." NOPE... It will hold them in memory for at least 30 minutes (that was the longest test I'd seen)

"The search function will not find any titles... what a piece of crap" Sorry, not a problem with the player, this is caused by the retail manufactures of the DVD's not placing this data on the DVD. Back-up you copy and use titlewriter. Then burn it. You will have your title automatically recognized.

"High Def from a DVD will look awesome on my TV" Sorry to disappoint you but you will find that the native resolution of the DVD is 480. This unit "upscales" the resolution to provide the high-def image. It is not truly high def. Many TV's actually have scalers built in to upscale the image. This may be the reason for no noticeable improvement on my system?

"This player automatically starts the last movie selected when powered up". Yup it sure does... and that really stinks. If you stop the movie while rolling credits, just hit the stop button once. Once your player powers up, it will begin where it left off. You can immediately Stop the video from that point. If not, you will be forced to view the FBI warning, THX audio scene, etc...

I hope this review helps others make a bit more informed decision when it comes to this specific player. Overall I am satisfied with my purchase and would buy again.

Buy Sony DVPCX995V 400-Disc DVD Mega Changer/Player Now

One small but potentially important correction to Bill's review for those who (like me) have or want to have multiple changers: this unit *DOES* support multiple command modes, allowing for up to three players to be controlled independently. Bill is right that this unit doesn't have the command mode switch on the back to control this behavior -instead, the command mode is set from the front panel. (See page 16 of the manual in the link above.)

Read Best Reviews of Sony DVPCX995V 400-Disc DVD Mega Changer/Player Here

The Sony DVP-CX995V. Hmmm. Let's get the obvious out of the way.

Yes. It will play your movies, your CD's and MP3's. The picture and sound is more than acceptable.

Yes. It will hold a lot of discs in a relatively compact space and eliminate clutter in your A/V / Home Theater Room.

Saying that, the product falls short of being truly usable for its intended purpose. The interface is horrific...and that is coming from a confirmed gadget geek who loves to play with the latest electronic wonders. I am very disappointed that Sony would put a product like this on the market.

Some of the simplest things you would expect of the DVP-CX995V are missing or very cumbersome. For example, it would seem obvious that with 400 discs, there would be some quick and efficient method to select a disc such as keying in the disc slot from the keypad. Wrong. You either manually turn the disc skip control on the unit, or repeatedly press the "disc skip" on the remote while the player sequential spins the carousel (or repeatedly paging through screens of titles on a television). Thankfully, on the player there is a button that allows you to skip 100 discs at a time so that you only have to manually go forward or backward, may be 50 slots. Yes. It is that primitive.

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UPDATE 2/03/2006 I learned from another user the following shortcut (which is not documented): With the remote switch set to "DVD", press the "Display / File" button on the remote. This will bring up the Control Menu 1 screen with the number of the disc currently playing highlighted in the first entry. Pressing the "Enter" button on the remote will clear the number and allow you to key in a new disc number. Press the "Enter" button and the player should now begin the process of changing to the disc you selected. Press the "Display / File" button until the menu screen toggles off.

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The unit does not allow you to enter and save programs for favorite CD's. The closest you can do is to categorize the discs by artist, genre, etc and then select that group to play. This information needs to be keyed into the player. However, a disc (slot) can only be assigned to one category. This leads to the next item.

The highly touted ability to enter and create a library of title information is flawed because the player loses its memory if it is without power for less than 24 hours. I live in Florida...this is an issue. Even if you live in an area which has stable power, what if you want to move or unplug the unit? It boggles my mind that in an era when you can buy 128MB of non-volatile flash memory for less than $20, why does this unit have this problem?.

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UPDATE 2/03/2006 I have started the process of entering disc information of my DVD collection into the player. You have two options: (1) Insert all your discs into the player at the same time and hit the "Load" button on the front panel of the player. The player then sequentially mounts every disc in the player and attempts to read disc information if it is available. As others have pointed out, probably less than 10% of current discs have any information so this doesn't buy you much. You will then need to use a keyboard to enter title information for the remaining discs, as well as artist, genre and selecting a folder if you want to use that options. BTW, you cannot just select a slot number and begin to type in data and then put the disc into the slot. The player must load every disc first before it will allow you to enter any data. Apparently the player must know what type of disc is in the slot first (it will categorize disc type automatically DVD, CD, CD-Data, etc.) If you have been following this process, you should recognize a problem...how do you know what disc information to enter (unless you have already written it out and carefully inserted the discs into the proper slot number)? This means you will have likely have to wait for the player to again mount the disc, wait through the interminable FBI warnings, etc before you can determine what disc is playing in order to enter the title information. (2)The second option which I have been doing is to load 10 15 discs at time, hit play and wait for the player to spin the discs around to the back and allow it to mount and begin reading the disc. At that point, with the remote selector switch in the "Disc Explorer" position, I hit the "Stop" button and then press the "Folder" button which brings upon the "Disc Explorer" menu. I keep the empty disc cases in the same order as I loaded the discs and then enter then disc information for the current disc. Once the data is saved, you index down to the next slot on the "Disc Explorer" menu , press play, wait while the player dismounts the current disc and then mounts the new disc and starts reading. Etc. Etc. Etc. Expect to spend 2 minutes total for each disc you want to file. I currently have approximately 300 DVD's in my library. An Excel spreadsheet is starting to look pretty attractive. One other oddity, if the disc does have text information, the player will not allow you to edit or override it. My DVD of "Independence Day" has a title of "ID4" which the player picks up and will not allow me to correct.

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By the way, the DVP-CX995V is s-l-o-w to mount and read a disc. Forget about shuffle play of tracks between CD discs.

I was disappointed to learn that this player will not read MP3's from DVD media like the other current Sony players do. Given the slowness of the unit, it would be nice to collapse 30 or 40 albums of music onto a single DVD but it is not there.

Yes, the player forces you to wait 20-30 seconds upon startup while it loads and reads the information from the last disc played....whether you want to play it or not. This is such a simple bug...why doesn't Sony fix it.

Yes. You will need to read the manual. This must be the least intuitive machine I have ever used. "Steep learning curve" would be an understatement. After playing with it for over a week, I don't understand what Sony was thinking about when they designed the DVP-CX995V. It doesn't have to be this hard.

Not really a weakness but be sure your cabinent or shelving is strong and large enough. The unit is over 21 inches deep. With video component cables extended out the back, you should allow at least another 1-2 inches. Think about how heavy 400 DVD/CD discs weigh and add-in the weight of the player.

Prior to buying this player, I read some of the negative reviews and thought they were written by the sort of person who gets confused setting up a VCR or using a remote control. Well, I was wrong. In fact, I don't understand the positive reviews that you will find listed.

Bottom line. Unless you must have a player that can store 400 pieces of media, avoid the DVP-CX995V. Save your money and peace of mind. You will thank me. Hear me now...believe me later.

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UPDATE 02/03/2006 After owning for over a month, my opinion hasn't really changed much about the DVP-CX995V. Video and audio performance are OK but nothing to get excited about. Although I am starting to learn and get use to its quirks and limitations, I'm not sure if it is worth all the trouble because it is so unusable. Definitely a niche product. On the other hand, when you consider all that it does, at $300 it isn't a bad deal. Still, I would not recommend this product without reservations.

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Just to set the stage I know my electronics as I have been dealing with this stuff for over 25 years in all categories. In my Home Entertainment System I have a big screen HDTV and a Yamaha AV system with a set of Klipsh speakers and this is my first review on any product. I own 4 DVD players (3 are Sony's). I have over 300 DVD's with 7 kids. You can see why I wanted to protect my investment.

I think we all recognize that over the years, electronics has become more and more disposable and I have certainly cycled through electronic equipment. This is certainly the case with this product. After loading all the discs and information on the discs which took one Saturday, we started to enjoy the convenience of having all the discs in the player. Then it happened. One day all the data was gone. There was no power outage. Fortunately I have the DVD information on the computer. But I was bothered. I called Sony and after 3 hours of talking to a number of people (mostly telephone receptionists who are paid to screen out calls) knew less about the product than my 75 year old mother. I finally demanded to talk to a technician who talked to other technicians (and so-on) who finally concluded that I probably had a bad memory chip on the mother board. Whew!

After that bad experience, I debated for a day as to send it back for a (a refurbished unit in exchange for my near new one) this is Sony's idea of a full one year warrantee. I thought that if the physical RAM is bad then it may lead to other problems; so I reluctantly unloaded my machine knowing the task ahead when I get the replacement. I then had to ship it to Texas which cost me $35 of which Sony will not pay. I was the told the turnaround time, once received in Texas would be 5 days.

Two weeks later I had heard nothing from Sony so I called. After spending another hour on the calling tree, I finally found someone who could update me which was they had lost my machine and had no record of receiving it. Fortunately I had my UPS tracking number and proved to them that a guy named Gomez signed for it at their shop. This caused them to search more until they finally realized that they sent my broken machine to some poor chap in Arizona by mistake. I stated that I simply want a replacement and that this is there problem. There response was that we need to first get your machine back from this guy (of which they wasn't sure who it was) and then they can repair it and send it back. I reminded them of their policy and demanded a replacement to be sent that day their response was I'll get back to you. No one did so I called the next day you can either send me a replacement or a refund.

This type of discussion went on for hours as I talked to different people (they do not have direct numbers at Sony's Customer Service). Each time I called I had to review the whole story because they wouldn't note it in the computer.

To make this long story shorter, I might get another machine or I might not time will tell. I'm worn out and I've noticed that the price of this unit has dropped $100 in 4 months what does that tell you.

I don't care what other reviews say, I will never buy another Sony product of any kind. The company has become so large they are out of touch with their costumers (just talk to their employees I've gotten to know them well). This is a company that has diminishing quality and services.

I have answers to many of the concerns raised regarding auto play, disc explorer, auto loading, etc. But who cares this is not the point. Sony is the point and I do not feel that we as customers need to put up with it otherwise we all loose. So tell your friends!

I've seen the reviews of others with their title information being wiped. Well, I found my personal solution which works better than it ever could.

Use Excel or a DVD library program (like DVD Profiler). Use that to store your DVD titles, along with the disc slot number where it was stored at.

Then get a 880 or 890 Logitech Harmony Remote (don't know if the lower models work). Export the title information to a .csv file (basically a comma delimited text file). Then upload that .csv file to your Harmony remote. With that, you can store all the title information on your remote and press a button on it to play the movie! If for whatever reason the remote memory gets wiped, I can easily upload the info again using the .csv file.

Another benefit of using a program like DVD Profiler is that I can just input the UPC number to get the title information. Don't have to waste time inputting the title information manually with the keyboard into the dvd player.

Oh yes, the Sony DVPCX995V is a great jukebox DVD player also. :)

Panasonic VDR-M53 DVD Camcorder w/24x Optical Zoom

I just bought this camcorder and am not a good reader of manuals. I had it recording in a matter of minutes. You do have to format the mini dvds, but that is easy to find in the manual. The quality of the recording looked great on my computer screen. I bought office depot mini dvds and they worked fine, for the great price. This Panasonic is great and recording straight to mini dvds is a wonderful idea. I would have given it a 5 star rating, but the finalizing of the mini dvd took a while and you have to plug it in, you can't do this using the battery. Also I was warned, that if you use the dvd-ram instead of the dvd-r, they will not work on all players and they prefer to work on Panasonic equipment. This is why I opted for the non re-writable mini dvd-r from office depot. I also bought the PNY SD card from them and the card reader, all very affordable and easy to use.

It does not have any USB connectivity. There is no way to hook this up to your computer except through the TV type of hookups. Other than that it works great.

You need a software to convert the DVD to something els to be able to edit it on your computer though (to edit movie and make copies)

I like that it write direct to DVD so if you don't want to edit it, there is no need to bother with the computer.

Be aware it only works with certain types of DVD's. Won't work with DVD-RW. Has to be DVD-r and only a certain typre of RAM disk.

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If you buy this camera, remember to buy also additional DVD copy software (IntelVideo Copy around $70), plus only Panasonic DVD-Ram mini DVD disks (also expensive). Also, after my experience, if you erase one DVD-ram disc at least twice, on the third use the movie will have many video or audio problems. Not knowing this problem, I ruined my friend's baby shower video. Panasonic customer service is not helpful at all. A representative was even surprised that my camera does not have USB cable!!! Other then that let's say, once you cannot return this camera to the store, because I opened it and used it, you can still enjoy lightness of the camera. One more thing: you need to purchase the light also; this camera does not have built-in light you will need it. ... So, how much does the camera cost after all???

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Has good features, but the biggest downsides are it does not have a USB port and it uses DVD-RAM discs (re-writable) which do not work on most of the DVD players.

Note that it does not use DVD-RW discs that come with most notebooks and desktop computers and allow re-writing.

So there seems to be virtually no way to transfer your videos to your computer, other than buying a DVD Multi drive that can read DVD-RAM discs.

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I bought this camera because of consumer reports great reviews. But I'm bound and determined to get my images onto my PC. I purchased a DVD-RAM compatible drive for my PC and still can't get it to recongnize either DVD-RAM or DVD-R disks. Do I need special software? And if so what? Roxio DVD builder is not doing the trick.

Other than that, the camera works great, images and sound are clear, and camera is easy to opperate. If you figure out a new cell phone, you can figure out this.

AVerMedia C283S HD EzRecorder Plus- Record Off Your HD Set-top Box 1080p

Article first published as Product Review: AverMedia HD EzRecorder Plus on Blogcritics.

My first experience with AVerMedia was at the Show Stoppers event at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, earlier this year. Probably best known for their PC game capture devices, the Taiwanese company recently released a capture device for gaming consoles. Often used for capturing the action in games or for walkthroughs, the game capture device, which came with adapters for the three major consoles, received mostly positive reviews. Building on that success, AVerMedia has now released a DVR device, the HD EzRecorder Plus.

AVerMedia's HD EzRecorder Plus is a standalone video capture box which allows users to preserve HD TV shows, or record your own content in 720p or 1080i. As an added feature, the recorder also allows the user to take snapshots with the press of a button. Standalone however does not mean that it is usable straight out of the box. The EZ Recorder Plus does not include storage however, there are a few options. If you flip the box over, there is a door where a standard 2.5 inch SATA hard drive can be installed. The box also has a front USB port where a flash drive or external USB hard drive can be plugged. The device also allows transferring from the installed hard drive to the USB device.

Once you have your storage situation straightened out, you can hook the device up to your system. While not designed for gaming applications, anything with component video outputs can be plugged into the device and recorded. What the HD EzRecorder is designed for, is working as a DVR. The package includes an infrared blaster to control whatever set-top box you own. Though only a couple of devices are preloaded, the EzRecorder will learn your remote well enough to turn on and change the channel on your set top box. The HD EzRecorder Plus offers a cyclic schedule recording function so, it can independently handle the whole video recording task without using a PC. You can of course just use the included remote to record on the fly.

At the max resolution of 720, the HD EzRecorder Plus did an impressive job of capturing video. Leaving the setting at optimal or 15 Mbps will allow recording a little over an hour on an 8GB memory stick or 125 hours on a 1TB hard drive. The still pictures will be captured at the same resolution of 1280 X 720. Dropping down to 480p will nearly double the recording capabilities. Besides the six resolution options of: 1080i, 720p, 480i/p, and 576i/p, the bit rate has two lower settings, as well. With a 1TB hard drive at the lowest resolution and bit rate, users could record 650 hours. If you want your TV shows for your phone, that setting is probably fine.

The pretty straightforward menu makes pulling the files off of the HD EzRecorder fairly easy. The problem most users will have is that the avi file format is incompatible with most other software and devices. The AVerMedia website does contain links to file converters so that the media can be played on mobile devices. The native H.264 compression is also incompatible with Real Producer and Sony Vegas or Vegas Pro and will need to be converted before editing, which is bound to result in some loss. It is also worth noting that as good as the captured video looks, the audio is only captured in stereo.

I must confess that I like the HD EzRecorder Plus more than I thought I would. The box is nice looking and the menu system is straightforward and easy to use. The remote, while basic is better than others I have seen and used too. The biggest problems that I found with the device are a terrible adhesive for the IR blaster and an HDMI input would have been useful. Actually considering the cost and additional equipment necessary, HDMI really should have been included. That being said, the component pass-through works fine. Most users most likely have a DVR in the living room, on the main TV in the house and this would be used on a secondary setup because the STB must be playing whatever it is you want to record. With that in mind, the HD EzRecorder Plus works very well in that type of usage and produces great video and sound quality for smaller TVs and mobile devices.

Hi

I see this product is new and I am the 1st reviewer.

I just received the device and hooked it up. One thing to note with the hookup which is annoying. It is component cables and not an hdmi cable. I didn't know this but I had to disconnect the HDMI cable from the cable box in order for the component cables to work. If both are connected then your HDMI cable has priority and the component cables will not work. I did a couple of tests and it worked well with a USB connected hard drive. It does change the channel as requested and is in HD. I do think the HD quality is a tiny bit worse via the component cables vs an HDMI. This may require additional testing though. It is basically a digital VCR. While it records shows like a TIVO or your cable company's DVR it does not have the advanced features of the other 2 (more expensive options). If you are happy in setting the date and time for your recordings manually without being able to do so from your pc or phone then this works fine for you. Also, it saves the file as an AVI. so you can watch it on a laptop if you are traveling.

I have 2 TVs (living room and bedroom) that I watch often. I may get a 3rd (less expensive tv for the 2nd bedroom) for this unit since I fear it may affect my HD broadcasts.

I hope in the next version of this device that they scrap the component cables and add HDMI ports. I would like to see 3 inputs (cable box, video game, laptop, video camera, blue ray) and 1 output (TV).

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FIRST THE GOOD:

The picture quality that can been recorded is great. It gives you 3 quality selections.

You can play them back from this box.

It does the job of recording from a set to box, even a Tivo.

I have even recorded those programs that have copy protection on them.

It takes a hard drive. (up to 2 TB) and it has a USB port that can accommodate a pen (flash) drive or a USB hard drive. Either one can be used to record to. (Not both at the same time.)

The AverMedia box can output a IR signal to change the channel of the set top box. (It has a setup that learns from your existing remote.)

NOW THE BAD:

You setup the scheduled recording time MANUALLY and the length of the recordings can only be set in hourly increments.

Only 1 hour or 2 hours or 3 hours etc. There is no way to set it to 1.5 hours or 30 minutes etc.

Because of this you have recordings that are always too long and you have to edit them to make them right.

All recordings are named something like REC-1155130413 which is a Time & date name. There is no way to change or edit this.

USB IS 2.0 SLOW!

You can put in a USB Drive and copy from the internal one you installed to the USB drive, but the file copy progress menu is always displayed on the screen and this prevents you from viewing any TV while it is copying.

I contacted Avermedia about this and the said that there is no way to get rid of the copying display that covers your tv screen

They said it was there to let you know that the copy is going and if it was successful. They could hid the copy dialog screen and pop up a finished message when it was completed but they don't see it that way and wont make the change. They should at least make the display very small and put it in the corner of the screen.

With USB 2.0 this is very slow. I have a very fast SSD drive installed and a fast Flash pen drive installed. (Still slow.)

It has no LAN connection so you can not Move, Copy or Watch the shows from your computer.

I brought this unit to copy programs off my set top box (Tivo) and keep them on my computer to share on my home network.

This box makes it hard to do that.

MY WORKAROUND:

I HAVE COME UP WITH A WORKAROUND FOR THIS PROBLEM:

I use a 1 TB USB drive connected to the USB port.

I don't even put a drive in the internal slot in the box.

I record to the USB drive and I have a USB switch that lets me switch the USB Drive to my computer.

I then can rename and copy the program to my computer. No more copying screens blocking the TV and much faster copying into the computer. You could just unplug the USB drive and move it to your computer for the renaming & copying but my setup is right next to the computer so a switch works well for me.

I guess if you just want to record from a dumb set top box this unit is OK . You will have to remember the file name it creates because it will be hard to select 1 of many to play back later.

If they come up with new firmware I will update this review. Review data 4-13-2013

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Hooked it up, pushed in a external usb hdd, set it up and it worked. Simple to use, great recording quality, pull the external HDD, hook it up to the pc and make blue ray movies! I defintely recommend this for those that want to record television programs to play back or make DVD's with. The only negative is the IR until doesn't stick to the set top box well and covers the window on mine so much that it affects my remote. Oh yeah, the channel option is only 3 numbers long, so if I want to record channel 1301 I have to manually change the channel and start the recording. I suspect there's a firmware update coming, but who knows?

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Moving away from DVDs to hard drive to save space. Component video quality is excellent. Would recommend this to my friends.

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Tascam DR07MKII Digital Recorder w Stereo Case and Accessories

Great product and a life saver if you need back up audio. This is a clear sounding device. Small and compact. Easy to bring and set up anywhere. came with everything you need to get started. How nice...

Panasonic DMR-EH59 250GB HDD Multizone DVD Recorder - PAL

The good:

Excellent picture quality up to 4hrs/SL DVD, great HDMI upconverting.

Quick to burn and finalize DVDs.

Records to DL media.

FR, a flexable speed where you can fit anywhere between 1-8 hrs/DVD. I just love FR to match any length movie to the disc.

Nice size HDD for many hours of good quality SP or LP.

Phrase save and shorten title features.

Multi voltage/frequency power supply, auto switching.

Region free playback, but doesn't convert systems.

The Bad:

No US tuner, use line inputs to record NTSC from a VCR, STB, DVR, DVD player, etc.

Slightly elevated black level when feeding line outputs from a US standard +7.5 IRE device. This device is looking for a IRE of 0 but N. American devices output +7.5 for SD, most DVD players have a DARKER setting that will correct this. It's very slight but I notice it.

Warranty only 30 days and only from seller, but truthfully it's a very reliable recorder and I haven't had any issues and I've had mine for ~1 year.

This DVDR is almost identical to the EH-69 which has a larger HDD and USB and SD card READER(not for recording).

Greetings,

I have been using the unit for the past couple of weeks now. I previously had a Panasonic recorder that I used heavily over a 5-yr period. The panasonic units are the only recorders that allow you to create DVDs that auto-play. How parents can manage with anything other than DVDs that auto-play when inserted, I have no idea (especially in car situations).

Panasonic doesn't make these recorders for the U.S. market any longer, so it is great that Amazon offers this one offered normal to the European market. It's a little more expensive than the those sold here by other manufacturers, but it is worth the extra cost, IMHO.

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Our old DVD recorder died and my wife wanted to get another one to replace it. I thought we should go for one of the HDD units as long as we were going to spend the money.

Some things about the interface could be better -hence 4 stars. It's annoying that it always starts up with its menu screen. The procedure for deleting portions of a video is quite clunky. On our old Pioneer unit adding chapters splits and deleting chapters could be done all from the same interface. On this one, to delete portions of the video you have to go to "delete partial", and that requires you to specify both a start and end time, which is annoying since one of the most common things to do is trim the beginning of the video off. When you go to the "delete partial" screen it starts playing immediately (why would you want it to play if you're trying to delete things?) So if you want to delete the first bit you have to press pause, skip back, then press "ok" to select that as the start. They could have just automatically selected the beginning of the video as the default start. But no. Typical idiot design decision that you seem to get out of every electronics manufacturer besides Apple. It's like they hire interns to design the on-screen interface.

But the box works. And I'm very happy we paid the extra money to get the HDD. I never really used our old box to do recording, because it's quite a mental drain to make sure you have the right DVD-RW inserted at the right time so that your recording works. But with the HDD, I've already added a few weekly recordings, and they just work -no hassles!

We use this with DVDs from Japan and the US. I also tried a PAL DVD of Mary Poppins I have that's from France. It played fine too. All that is using the HDMI output. That's the only output I've used.

Having just a single composite input on the back is also a bit disappointing, but not the end of the world. There is a composite input on the front to plug something extra into.

Oh, and I was so delighted to find that it works with our Toshiba flat-screen TV through some HDMI AV.link thing (see ). So that when we turn on the Panasonic and do something like pressing the main menu button, it automatically switches our TV to the right input.

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This item should not be sold in the U.S.

When I called the vendor to return it ,even he told me it is designed for use in Europe.

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The Panasonic DMR-EH59 250GB HDD Multizone DVD Recorder PAL is not for use in the US. Panasonic told me that they did not provide a warranty for this product and it was for use outside the US. Amazon said that my purchase price would be refunded but, so far two weeks later, no refund. Be very careful if you intend to buy this product. Other items purchased through Amazon were great.

Pioneer DV444 Progressive-Scan DVD Player (Silver)

• Progressive-scan ouput reduces flicker and artifacts for a more filmic image
• 10-bit video DAC for excellent video quality with analog devices
• 192 kHz/24-bit audio DAC for superb sound quality
• Dolby Digital- and DTS-compatible digital output
• MP3-CD playback

Bought this player in September/2001. It has an excellent range of hook-up options including a full range of digital and analog alternatives. This means that it will fit whatever configuration you have and will take advantage of the top end features of your other units (monitor/TV/amplifier/receiver). It also means that it will be able to grow along with your system. The manual is well structured and steps you through the hookup and basic setup quickly. You can then move into the custom setup to mix and match to your preferences and the other components of your system. Once you get used to the on screen menu with navigation through the features and options then finer tuning of your setup is a piece of cake.

The player features are as advertised including the Audio CD (off-the-shelf and burned) and MP3 playback and navigation functions. I was looking primarily for progressive scan DVD features and was not disappointed. The quality of image is excellent and it is able to drive my Hitachii projection TV better than the older Pioneer DVD/LD player that it replaced (being retired to another room with our LD collection).

The slimline features and easy to read display make this unit easy to fit into any setup. If you have a TV/DVD setup in mind, then the feature of being able to control both the set and player from the one control will come in handy. The unit does a good job of self identifying the features of your components as well as the media that you have fed it. It takes the guesswork out of setup and operations.

Bottom Line: I'd highly recommend the Pioneer DVD-444 if you are looking for a first time DVD/CD unit, an extension to your existing setup or an upgrade to a DVD unit that can deliver a higher quality image.

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I have had this machine for three months now and have a high end home theater system. I have been using laser discs since the invention of AC-3 and had two other DVD players before this one. I can say that this has been the most solid player to date the the sound and video output are awesome. I would highly recommend this player to anyone seeking a high quality player that supports most new and old formats in the DVD universe today.

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This DVD player is nice looking. Very thin and the remote works well. I found the picture to be a little bit grainy on a 57" Sony widescreen HDTV. I dont know if I expected too much or what. It does look better than my laser disc player, but not much difference between the xbox and the dvd player. I think for the price, you cant go wrong.

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BUYERS, BE AWARE.

I had 2 DVD players made by Pioneer. They are nice machines... for a little over a year. Then the warranty expires. The problem these players seem to have has to do with poorly designed dual laser pick up (one for DVDs, the other one for CDs and Video CDs). The first player I had stopped playing CDs and Video CDs, I got the other one this one stopped playing DVDs.

On the positive side the picture is very good, so if you are after a short-term buy go ahead, otherwise look for another brand.

Pioneer DVDR software suck! stay away. they need to actually hire interface designers to redo the software.. its unusable.

AVerTV HD Bravo - PCI-E ATSC/ClearQAM Digital TV Tuner

I use it with an antenna and windows media center. It was easy to install. My computer acts as a DVR now.

I gave this 5 stars because of the card itself.

Software that comes with it is horrible, but there are other free alternatives, including WMC.

But the quality is great, I get close to 20 channels with a simple old antenna I had from 10 years ago.

HD quality is amazing, both sound and picture.

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Works as advertised. I have windows 7. just needed to go to Avertv site to download latest drivers. Works extremely well with media center.

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I cannot get it to receive my cable channels. and the channels that I do receive they freeze up I don't know if it's because I'm using

windows xp or maybe i need to update my operating system to windows 7

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I worked with intensely for several days, but it was difficult to change channels, and I found it impossible to record a program.

Sent it back and received a prompt refund.

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