Comcast Xfinity OnDemand REMOTE Control for Motorola DCT3416 DCT 3416 DVR HDTV

I love everything about it. It's so wonderful to have a remote after not having one for a while. It arrived clean and came with batteries, it works great.

Worked perfectly. Make sure you unlock your cable box device so it will accept the code. setup...9-8-2..then cable box code.

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It works very well and was easy to program. I'm not technologically handy so was very pleased. It fits my needs perfectly. I would order it again.

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Comcast does not charge for remotes. Get it free from a Comcast store or a technician. Paying for it is stupid.

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Sony HDR-CX560V High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black)

My initial impression of the Sony HDR-CX560V wasn't satisfying. Upon opening the factory sealed Sony Handycam box I was met with a small, plastic, piano black camcorder. Funny how it looked so much heftier on websites. Coming from the line of Sony MiniDV camcorders I've shot on for over a decade this lightweight contraption I held in my hands looked & felt more like a toy than a high end Sony Handycam. Perhaps it was a mistake to sell off one of my older MiniDV camcorders in favor of this new flash-based model. Maybe I had let consumer marketing mislead me about the new line of HD camcorders. At least that's what I thought...before using it.

For anyone even somewhat interested in camcorders & video editing software it's inevitable to catch wind of the ongoing battle against flash memory & MiniDV. Since its arrival in 1995 the DV format has proven itself reliable among both novices & professionals in the video scene. Although long rumored to capture video in an uncompressed format, MiniDV is actually compressed using DCT compression. This is a lossy compression algorithm a la MPEG-2 at a bit rate of 35 Mbit/s. That 35 Mbit/s is comprised of about 25 Mbit/s for video, 1.5 Mbit/s for audio and 8.5 Mbit/s for error correction. This still makes for a very powerful master copy which proves very convenient in post production editing. This combined with the dependability of a sixteen year track record makes MiniDV quite the heavyweight.

Taking all this into consideration it's important to note that Sony no longer develops MiniDV Handycam camcorders. Perhaps this subtle hint is an early warning sign for the potential fate of MiniDV technology altogether? Regardless, the argument at this point in time is compression issues with flash-memory camcorders. Are the bitrates as high as MiniDV? How many Mbit/s do they use? Are the AVCHD files as hard to work with in editing as reported? Well, let's take one thing at a time.

Flash-based camcorders have made a quantum leap from where they were just a few short years ago. I think we can all agree DVD & HDD camcorders were a bad idea, fading from the scene almost completely. However flash-memory camcorders have not only stuck around, they've evolved considerably. One doesn't have to look far to witness what is quickly becoming an electronic epidemic. Flash-based camcorders are everywhere & spreading. The technology is in iPods, smartphones, pocket camcorders, racing cams and even key chains. But popularity doesn't always mean better quality. In all honesty it often times just means hype. This is not the case with the Sony HDR-CX560V, however. After getting past the overall plastic feel of the unit I was impressed with it's performance.

No, the Mbit/s on this model aren't as high as MiniDV. As mentioned earlier MiniDV uses a total of 35 Mbit/s 25 of which are dedicated to video. The HDR-CX560V uses a maximum of 28mbps on the 60p setting. After shooting an hour long sunset (see attached video) on this recording level I accumulated an AVCHD file of just under 12GB. For those wondering the MiniDV footage I've used over the years would be anywhere between 10 to 15GBs per hour upon uploading to my computer. As you can see the Sony HDR-CX560V is literally neck & neck with MiniDV footage in terms of megabytes. Quite impressive. Even after the footage was rendered three times & sped up to compensate for time the video still looks decent (as demonstrated in the attached video).

It should be noted, however, AVCHD files recorded at 60p have no real output source other than viewing on a PC. At the current time Blu-Ray & even AVCHD discs themselves don't support the 1080 60p files. What does this mean in plain English? Basically if you're planning on burning a Blu-Ray disc with 60p files you'll have to render them down first. Using Sony Vegas Pro 10 I have no trouble importing these files then rendering them onto Blu-Ray in 60i. I then save the original 60p file to an external hard drive for an optimal master copy. Of course the CX560V gives you the option to shoot in several different modes. These include:

FX Mode: Approx. 24Mbps (1920x1080)

FH Mode: Approx. 17Mbps (1920x1080)

HQ Mode: Approx. 9Mbps 1440x1080)

LP Mode: Approx. 5Mbps (1440x1080)

STD HQ Mode: 9Mbps (720x480)

The Sony HDR-CX560V also gives you the option of shooting in 24p (to replicate film) with a 1920x1080 pixel ratio. I've played with this option a little but don't personally care for it. To me the finished product simply has a slo-mo effect, not really a film-like effect. However, this is a personal preference, others may disagree & enjoy using it. Recording time on internal 64GB memory is as follows:

PS Mode: 5 Hours & 15 Minutes

FX Mode: 6 Hours & 10 Minutes

FH Mode: 8 Hours & 25 Minutes

HQ Mode: 11 Hours & 20 Minutes

LP Mode: 21 Hours & 30 Minutes

STD Mode: 14 Hours & 25 Minutes

Picture quality is very decent. Keep in mind I'm burning to Blu-Ray discs so the picture quality is expected to look good. For what it's worth my final cuts on Blu-Ray look twice as sharp as anything I've shot on standard definition MiniDV & rendered to DVD...but again, this is to be expected. I'm still quite a fan of the HDV files that other HD MiniDV camcorders produce and understand why serious editors wouldn't want to stray from that medium. The AVCHD generated by the CX560V files seem bulky in comparison, not so much in file size but in overall horsepower to run them. I'm running a quad CPU with a dedicated graphics card so it's not so much a problem on my end but is something I wanted fellow consumers to be aware of.

Battery life is decent when using the NP-FV100 battery (sold separately; of course) and is right on par with the estimated life expectancy on the package (roughly 6 to 8 hours depending on how you`re shooting). The unit comes supplied with a NP-FV50 which might give you an hour of recording time if used sparingly. I've found it's more convenient to use this battery as a backup. Shooting primarily on the NP-FV100 & keeping the fully charged FV50 in my bag for those "just in case" moments while on the road. It's always struck me as unfair when companies skimp on their included camcorder batters, but I suppose by now we all now the routine. Getting a new camcorder? Add a battery that actually runs the unit to the list of mandatory accessories.

There has been a lot of praise over the USB transfer system on the HDR-CX560V as opposed to traditional firewire (realtime) uploads. Simply drag & drop the files from your camcorder to your PC without having to play back the entire shoot. Well, that works well in theory, but the only problem is when transferring AVCHD files (especially the ones shot in 60p) it will literally take just as long to transfer on the 2.0 USB system as it would during a playback firewire upload. Case in point, the hour of footage I mentioned earlier took one hour to transfer from the CX560V to my computer.

The most common complaint about this unit is the lack of manual controls that can be used together & the unresponsive touchscreen. Being able to control only one element of exposure at a time might be frustrating to some who like to be at the wheel fulltime. One review mentioned "if you set the shutter speed to 1/60 you loose all other control. It is possible to set the shutter speed and then assign AE shift to the control dial which gives some control, but the camera decides what to do with gain and iris." Something to keep in mind. *see update at bottom

In regards to the touch screen, (which is 3.0') I personally haven't found it any more difficult to use than any other of the Sony touchscreen camcorders I've used in the past. Sometimes it takes one or two extra presses to get a response, could just be me not pressing hard enough the first time though.

The Sony CX560V is capable of taking still pictures of up to 12.3 mega pixels, although it's not a feature I use at all & is designed to be expanded with (I believe) up to 32GB of internal flash card memory. This feature is accessible with both SD cards & Sony Memory Sticks. It also has a GPS feature (which seems unnecessary to me) allowing you to view a map of where certain scenes were filmed on the unit's 3.0' LCD screen.

Equipped with a Sony Wide Angle G-Lens the CX560V has a superb range for capturing true widescreen footage. Finding a lens hood to accommodate it is a different story though. Don't be fooled into purchasing a lens hood advertising compatibility with the CX560V unless you read the reviews thoroughly. A lot of websites will list a 37mm hood as universally compatible with any 37mm lens camcorders. Translation: the lens hood ring will mount to the 37mm lens but because of the wide angle captured by the CX570V the hood will be visible around the edges of the shot.

Shooting in low light settings has often been bothersome for me. The HDR-CX560V has a 1/2.88" (6.2mm) Back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS Sensor for just this problem. Videos result in twice as much clarity as I'm used to with my old DCR-HC48 in dim atmospheres. Also if shooting in the dark the unit comes with a night shot infrared system, which means footage will have a green tint but at least it's there if you need it. Of course what Handycam would be complete without the image stabilizer which is also included, on this model, to reduce shaky video.

Overall I'm very pleased with the Sony HDR-CX560V. Converting to Flash from MiniDV was a cautious step for me, but from what I've seen the technology is only trailing by a nose. Although I'm still holding onto my Sony HDR-HC9 for reassurance (or paranoia) the CX560V has really impressed me with what it can accomplish.

Some specs of interest:

Scene Modes:

Auto

Twilight

Twilight Portrait (Photo Mode only)

Sunrise & Sunset

Fireworks

Landscape

Portrait

Spotlight

Beach

Snow

Convenience Features:

Quick On (Powered On By LCD)

Auto Lens Cover

Red Eye Reduction

Cinema Tone (To Deepen Color & Recreate Film-Like Color Tones)

10x Optical Zoom (14x Extended Zoom)

120x Digital Zoom

Wind Noise Reduction

What's included in the box? Here you go:

Rechargeable Battery Pack (NP-FV50)

Component A/V Cable

CD-ROM (with Handycam Application Software)

AC Adaptor

A/V Connecting Cable

Remote Control (RMT-835 with Battery)

Power Cord

USB Connection Support Cable

Operating Guide

*Update: (04/19/2012) It has been mentioned on other websites & consumer reviews that holding down the center button inside the focus ring for two seconds will allow the user to select which manual setting they want to change. For example: hold the center button down for two seconds then select your IRIS value, hold it down for another two seconds and you should see the message "IRIS control set". Press & hold the center button down for an additional two seconds to select whichever other setting you want to set.

I want to start off by saying this is an excellent camcorder. I absolutely love the video and audio quality that is produced. The setup is pretty straight forward but I find myself referring to the manual when I want to do special things like change the scene. It's supposed to do this automatically but I have yet to see my device change its setting from default automatically. The software guys did an excellent job with separating out all of the different functions. You can almost get away without ever using the user manual if you just want to do simple things. I am also very impressed with the Optical steadyshot feature. If you're going to be walking around or recording a live sporting game then this is a must have feature.

A few of the things I didn't like about this camcorder is that sometimes the touch screen can be unresponsive at time. I find myself pushing the same button a few times before the camcorder register it. This is not a major concern but it does happen from time to time. When shooting in very low light situations, I was not impressed with the Back-illuminated "Exmor R" CMOS sensor. Maybe I was expecting to capture footage beyond 8 feet but it works great if your subject is less than 8 feet away. I'm new to the camcorder world so maybe 8 feet is excellent. I don't know.

A word of caution for Mac users, you will be hard pressed using this device. As you know, the CD that comes with this camcorder is not compatible with a Mac. Furthermore, the certain video formats is not compatible with imovie either. You would need another program to convert these files if you want to use/view them in imovie. However, this is such an excellent camcorder that overcoming these drawbacks is well worth the superior video footage you get.

Overall, this is a top notch product. Anyone wanting to record their own events would be happy with this device. Items that I wish were included would be a Mini HDMI cable. Without this cable you will be forced to use the component video for playback on HDTV sets. If recording in 24p is not something you really need, then I would suggest going with the HDR-CX550

Buy Sony HDR-CX560V High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) Now

I purchased the Sony HDR-CX560v on March 30th and received it April 1st. When I got it, I started using it immediately to film some home movies of our new child (6 weeks old). I did tons of research on cameras before purchasing and I made the decision between this, the Canon Vixia HF21, and the Panasonic HDC-TM700K.

I wanted the following attributes in a new camera: HD, low lux capabilities, ease of use, shake reduction and large amount of flash memory.

Mostly all of my videos so far have been indoors. Our home tends to be dimly lit in most of the rooms and the camcorder has done exceedingly well in those conditions. Playback on our 56" bigscreen in HD looks brilliant. It captures sound wonderfully and it files the vidoes nicely for playback. The camera is also quite easy to use. I am by no means a professional videographer and I can point and shoot wonderful vidoes with just a push of the "record" button. I also love the built-in USB. It makes is easy to hook up to my computer and transfer the vidoes. Also, I tend to be quite shaky while filming and the vibration reduction in this camera is wonderful.

Some cons of this camcorder are: The screen can be a little touchy to use. I have smaller hands and even I sometimes have to push on the screen icons a few times to get them to "select". Also, I wish this model, like the 550v would have the view finder. The screen can be hard to see in the glare. Also, I would highly recommend purchasing a larger battery. The FV50 does not last an extremely long amount of time. I am averaging about 2.5 hours of HD record time with it and this is considering it is brand spanking new.

Overall, I rate this camera a 4 star. I knocked it a little due to the screen, the view finder and the stock battery. To do over, I will still purchase this camera in spite of those cons.

With your purchase I highly recommend a larger battery, a case, an HDMI Cable with ethernet A-C type (this enables you to easily hook up the camcorder and play it back on your HD devices and is NOT included in the box from the factory) and the sony Shooting Grip (once again, I have small hands and am shaky and it helps out tremendously).

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I got the camcorder 1 week ago.

The video quality is amazing. I played it on my 52" 1080p Sharp and the quality is stunning.

It is an upgrade to me fro 7 year old Sony DV and Flip HD. So I haven't compared it with the latest models from the leading brands.

I have decided to get this one as the wide angle is very important for shooting videos inside the home (which is what I mostly do).

I use Mac and there are some tradeoffs with how Mac handles 1080 60p. With 1080i or 24p iMovie works well. For 1080 60p I use Toast.

Overall the material quality of the camcorder, the LCD screen and the ease of use are superb.

I don't plan on using it for still shots, but one caveat is that you can't do stills with 1080p and you'll need to switch to lower video mode. That wasn't an issue for me.

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This camera and the Sony HDR-CX700V, are basically the same, the difference being the 700 has zebra lines, peaking, rear viewfinder, and maybe something else. I plan to record the 24p to an external recorder, so the rear viewfinder would not be on in that case. Get a viewfinder loupe to see a better image from the screen. To me that offsets the zebra and peaking upgrade.

The camera shoots an excellent image. Low light is fantastic for this class camera, best I have seen, and 24p clinched the deal for me. Best of all, you can shoot at the sun, headlights, streetlights, and not get the amateur star filter look on anything bright, including reflecting windows and chrome on cars. It shoots bright objects better by far then the Canon HF40 line, and Panasonic TM700 series. This camera also shoots a little on the warm color side, not to big of deal for me as I will capture the raw HDMI 8bit 4:2:2 externally, and color correct the rich data later. I do not like AVCHD, it's very bitty, but this is the best camera I have used in it's implementation of the codec. The Panasonic TM900, SD600, and TM700 series are also very good at this as well.

Initially the lack of full manual control outside of changing "exposure", which does not tell you anything about shutter, F stop and gain, is an operational drawback, it's the camera is doing stuff and you can just tell it lighter or darker, with a fixed exposure, but not shutter speed of F stop with fixed exposure.

This is a pricey camera, and the Sony HDR-CX700V is even more. It is to me the best picture, even with its exposure manual madness, I have seen in a compact form camera yet. Picture quality 5, manual operation 3, so 4 stars. If Auto is your style, I can recommend it as the best I have used. I also recommend using the "P" progressive modes, it's why it's top dollar, otherwise buy something much cheaper.

Lorex LW2401AC1 Add-on Wireless Color Camera for Lorex LW241 & LW2401

I bought this monitor because of a friend referral. I also bought the Summer 3.5 Touch, and the Motorola MBP35 (3.5 screen). I originally bought the Summer Touch but wasn't 100% sold on it. That is why i purchased the other two.

First off, the good:

Screen Clarity Seemed better than the Summer and about the same as the Motorola.

Night Vision This monitor had the best vision at night of all of the monitors. Everything was much brighter and easier to see. (also listed in the Negatives later).

Battery life It seemed to get around 5 hours on a charge. About the same or a tad less than the Summer, but about 2 hours better than the Motorola.

Ability to record and save. I only played with this feature, but I thought it would be great to have if a nanny or babysitter was over and you could keep track of the actual happenings with your baby. Neither of the other two monitors had this feature.

Lullaby function I'm not sure how much this would actually be used, but I thought it was a nice feature to have. The Motorola also had this.

Night Light Again, not sure how much it would be used, but another nice feature. Neither of the other two monitors had this.

VIDEO STAYS ON when off of the charger. I thought this was a great feature because on the other monitors you have to keep pressing the video button after it automatically times out after about 2 minutes to be able to see the screen and what is going on. They do this as a power saving feature but it is more aggravating than anything. The Lorex stays on and makes it easy.

The ability to add other cameras and be able to view them all simultaneously. The other two monitors allow you to add cameras, but have to view one at a time. Again, not sure if most parents would ever need this, but it is a nice feature.

Now, with the BAD.

No Zoom feature on the Lorex. Both the Summer and Motorola have this ability. It has a pretty clear picture, but there are times where I want to zoom in on my child and could not.

No Panning feature on the Lorex. Both the Summer and Motorola have this. While this may be ok with some who just want to see a certain area of the crib, or don't mind leaving the camera in a fixed place, it could be an issue for others. I thought I could easily get past this, but I couldn't.

Audio When compared to the Summer, you practically had to lay your ear on the back of the monitor (where the speaker is) to be able to hear the child. The Summer picks up the swing going back and forth, and allows you to adjust the volume to hear much more than the Lorex.

The Talk function. If you put your mouth right on the microphone, it works ok. However, testing it with my wife and the Summer, she continuously said the Summer's sound quality on the other end was much better.

Audio Alerts. a great idea for a feature, but it randomly worked and was more irritating than anything.

The Auto Mute, and Scan features. While these are great features to have, they did not seem to work. They randomly chose when to turn on and it usually had to come from a loud noise, but sometimes chose not to even come on then. And YES, I did adjust the sensitivity on the side.

Skype while this is a GREAT selling point, it has its flaws. First, you cannot plug the monitor into a Mac computer to use this feature. Second, even when plugged into a PC, the video is so far behind and lacking once on Skype, it takes away the usefulness of the feature all together. Sometimes it would not even show movements that clearly happened.

Inability to connect the monitor to a TV or other video source. The Summer allows you to connect the monitor to a TV through RCA/mini usb so that you can view it on a larger screen if desired. The Lorex and Motorola do not.

The Night Vision. While stated as a positive earlier (which it is), it also has a slight negative. The LED's on the camera are red and clearly visible at night, whereas the ones for the other monitors are not. This may bother or alert some children/etc., and may not for others. It is just a point I thought I should mention.

After wanting to love this monitor and replace the Summer with it (already sent the Motorola back due to lack of technical support and inability to plug into another video source), I am afraid I am going to have to send the Lorex back as well. I wish someone would take the good parts of each of these monitors and combine them, but as of now, they have not. For now, we are sticking with the Summer monitor because it had the least negatives of all 3. I think the main reason I wanted something instead of the Summer monitor is because they specialize in baby clothes, products, etc. Motorola and Lorex specialize in communications and surveillance, therefore I figured there products would be better. I was mistaken.

The LW2451 unit just arrived this afternoon, but since there are no reviews as of yet, I thought I would post one so people would have some initial idea of how the system performs.

The setup only took a few minutes. It started beeping right away. It turns out that it was the alert that the child is making noise. The loudness of that alert is configurable. It stopped once I stopped touching the camera.

The camera is small, about 4 inches tall. It pans and tilts, no zoom. The resolution of the image seems fine. I did see some noticeable color shifts (hue). I will try it again in daylight and see if that is still true. Given how far it tilts, it strikes me that it would work well with a wall mount (bracket not included.) I placed it on a tall dresser right next to the bed. Because of that, and my unwillingness to move the bed or dresser, I had to put a small box under the rear to get the 20 degrees I needed. Someone setting it on a lower table or one just a little further from the bed would not have any issue at all getting a full view of the crib/bed. The camera has an on/off switch, volume for two-way talk and a sensitivity control for how loud the child must be to set off alerts on the monitor. The IR LEDs are visible as very dim red lights. My daughter noticed it, but it did not keep her up. They are barely visible.

The monitor is a convenient size, about the size of a smart phone. It has dedicated volume buttons. Button placement seems well thought out. There is a mini-joystick for pan/tilt/menu nav, press to accept. The power adapter can be plugged into the cradle or the monitor directly, which appeals to me. There is a great deal of leeway when setting it in the cradle... Placement doe not have to be exact for it to charge. There is a stand so the monitor can sit upright without the cradle. There is a swing out antenna which does add a bar of reception, but I have not needed it yet.

It seems to be playing well with my wireless router, but I would not want to guarantee there is no interference at all until I run a few more speed tests.

The camera and monitor are made of the same white plastic that most nursery products are. It is lighter than it looks, which I know does not alway convey a sense of quality, but it seems solid enough and I would not want them to add weight just for that.

Pros:

System performs out of the box as advertised.

Has features of systems costing a lot more.

Night vision works well

Sound is clear

Cradle and charging well thought out

Temperature is always visible on monitor and is proving to be accurate.

Menus are simple and easy to navigate with thumb controller

Reception is great

Volume can be turned all the way of if desired.

Video can be turned off if desired.

Lots of buttons and functions

Cons:

Operating pan/tilt or moving through the menus causes beep which may wake spouse

Sensitivity control for alert that says child is making noise is on the camera, not monitor.

Would benefit from a few more configuration options such as turning button beep off.

My voice sets off the noise alert when using the two-way talk feature, so I have to wait for the 3 beeps to end before I can hear the person on the other end. That meeans I miss the first word or two of the reply.

No zoom other units that offer this supposedly get very graining, so I do not care for it.

The monitor has been runing for over 4 hours, so the battery performance seems quite good.

My experience so far has been excellent.

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There is a SERIOUS lack of reviews on this fine product, so I'm writing my first Amazon review to give people more information before they buy. I would give this a 4.5 because of the few CONS listed below, but since I can't, and there are so many PROS, I'm giving it "5 Stars"

We received it in the mail today and the camera is MUCH smaller than we thought it would be, which is great because it fits well on the shelf above our daughter's bed. The monitor is cool, sleek and feature filled...too cool in fact, we had to have a firm talk with our five year son old about playing with the features because it wasn't one of his disposable toys.

The last monitor we had was simply a static radio wave audio monitor which had not worked for some time, and with a new baby on the way we needed something. We had originally purchased the Motorola MBP36 which seemed great, but as a protective dad, I wanted something to watch how the baby sitters handled my two hellions while we were eating Thai Food. After hours of reviewing iPhone apps, cameras, monitors, etc, this seemed like the perfect fit. What sold me was the video: easy to use, set up, and was MAC capable. The camera doesn't have to be plugged into the computer (like some other baby monitors) but the monitor does (which is great because that's when we'd use it as a nanny cam).

With regards to the first review, you CAN actually turn the beeping of the buttons on the monitor down by turning down the Alarm Sound. So now my five year old and I can geek out swinging the camera around while not waking up the rest of the family. I wish the camera could be controlled from our iPhones, but as an engineer and a pilot, I think this product is overall pretty sleek. Here's the breakdown:

PROs:

Pan/Tilt all around the room

Auto IR night cam (no need to turn it on like some other cams)

Good quality video day/night (unlike other cams. Example footage from the Amazon product video is accurate)

Intuitive monitor and simple controls (My five year old gets it)

Camera Skype account was easy to set up with set-by-step directions

No white noise when monitoring. Just comes on when the kiddo starts cranking.

-Nifty features:

Talk through monitor (to sooth baby or freak out the dog...both work great!)

Musical soothing tunes

Skype dial up for mom & dad, or aunts, uncles, grand parents...but they can't see inside your house unless you hook in the monitor and turn on Skype.

Record onto a mini-SD. Don't have one, but neat.

Expandable to four cameras, can be the LW2400 ($50-$70) or LW2451 ($91-$150) prices from Amazon, any other cameras?

See all four cameras at once (control them one at a time if needed!).

Auto-sound detection so you don't hear static while you're trying to sleep.

Temperature monitor and alarms

Timer alarms, if you need it.

Extendable monitor antenna to walk down and get the mail.

CONs:

Green light is always on the camera (nothing a little electrical tape can't handle)

Auto-sound detection sensitivity is on the camera, not the monitor

Musical tunes rhythm is a little quick, and songs change automatically which is a bummer

Lack of zoom

Lack of tilt/pan through Skype (obviously. Hopefully Lorex will push a native app as a software update)

3 Steps to view on Skype as Nanny Cam (not bad, but if you do these out of order, and open Skype first, the Skype camera defaults to the iSight and you have to go back into PREFERENCES and re-select the Lorex camera):

1) Plug in Monitor

2) Then open Skype to that account

3) Call the Lorex Skype account your set up to view

Again, I understand the third party app requires help, but I think code could easily be added so that Skype automatically opens when the computer detects the monitor and closes down when the monitor is disconnected.

However, these may be considered Nit-Noid CONs to some, and, in fact, they are small potatoes, but some factoids that some may find interesting. Overall, great camera and system! I have to go, my son wants to play with the Monitor again!

Read Best Reviews of Lorex LW2401AC1 Add-on Wireless Color Camera for Lorex LW241 & LW2401 Here

I don't even have a baby -what I do have is a teen and a tween. I also have a finished basement where my kids hang out and I like to monitor what goes on down there. I can clearly hear and view from 3 floors up! The clarity is superb, the features are great. As the description states, you can hook this up to skype so you can even see what's going on if you are not even home. So when my teen is babysitting, I can see what's going on from my iphone via skype! How cool is that?! There is also a "talk" button so if you choose, you can use it as an intercom system. I have been playing around with it and so far, I'm super impressed with what this can do. If you have any place in your home you want to monitor, this is the item. This is not just a "baby monitor", it's an in-home surveillance system and can even give you peace of mind when you aren't home. I would think this would be a great item to keep an eye on a puppy as well. Highly recommend. It is expensive but the quality and features make it worth the price.

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We just received received this monitor today. We bought it to replace our Summer Infant Complete Coverage Color Video Monitor Set with 7" LCD Screen and 1.8" Handheld Unit. We have had the Summer Infant for about 3 years now. The main screen started going out so we decided to try something new. The thing we loved about the Summer Infant was the fact it came with 2 monitors (not cameras but the screen to watch the camera). This is important to us because we have the large one in our master bedroom and use the smaller one for babysitters (who stay the night when we are at work). When we get home from work we like to be able to still have the monitor in our room so we can check on our little guy. No other monitors seem to have this so we had to figure something else out. What lead us to this was the ability to view the cameras from Skype. Sounded like a great idea but here is the problem. The monitor must stay hooked to the computer in order to view it remotely. In my opinion it kind of defeats the purpose on why we purchased it. Set up is pretty straight forward pairing the cameras to the monitor and I love the ability to pan and rotate the camera. We also purchased an additional camera that we put in our upstairs loft. The quality of the picture seems to be good and the interference is much better than the Summer Infant was. Not sure if we are going to be able to keep this one because of the remote viewing issue. For anyone that this isn't important to you should love this monitor and I would recommend it. I will update the review as we live with it over time and hopefully I can figure out a way around the Skype issue.

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JVC SR-V101US S-VHS Recorder and Player

JVC has always manufactured the best S-VHS recorders. You get 400 lines of resolution when you record on S-VHS tape in the SP mode. This unit does have S-VHS ET capability but I still prefer to record on S-VHS tapes for best results. This is an exceptional unit. If you record off cable or Satellite TV the playback picture quality looks outstanding.

Excellent...more then satisfied with all it's pro features & above average quality. A welcome addition to my studio.

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We use the JVC SR Recorder and Player for professional Video Transfer service . This mashine work great and we are happy to purchasing the system.

We will recommend to anybody hu needs the Recorder.

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the product itself is fine but working with the company on returns or questions was awful. No response and if you have to return anything forget about it. It won't happen

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Haven't used it much yet but a professional grade VCR in a plastic box doesn't give me a lot of confidence.

Go Video Rave-MP ARC2.5c 2.5 GB MP3 Player

• Special Bonus: When ordered from Amazon.com, item comes with free DJ-style headphones valued at $49.95
• Stores up to 83 Hours of Music at 64 kbps; Plays for 10+ Hours with Included Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery
• USB 2.0 Connection for high-speed music transfer
• Plays MP3 and WMA Digital Audio files; FM Tuner with 20 presets; Records voice, live sound, and FM radio
• Includes 90 day warranty, 76 tracks with bonus music and free downloads from eMusic.com, Earbuds, USB Cable, Carrying Case, and Battery Recharger

I was amazed 2.5 GB for $79 after the rebate with a nice headphone to boot! Alas I should have read and trusted the reviews. So I got my MP and charged the battery using the charger unit. I left it chaging overnight and the next day I was able to download music to the player. Then I got the dreaded sad face with a mosquito bug next to it. I guess my son unplugged the USB cable from the Computer before unplugging it from the unit as recommended in one of the other reviews.

So OK I then used the phone number that another reviewer kindly gave out and pressed option 1 and 0 and only waited for less than 5 minutes to get a real live support person. I told him what happened and he ranted that I should never have charged the unit for more than 5 hours. It was my FAULT for not following directions and overcharging the unit overnight until it died!!

I went to the product manual and found out that they are making this up as they go. The manual clearly states to charge the unit for at least 5 hours not as I was told for ONLY five hours. I kindly mentioned the support moron that in my 30+ years of using electronic devices I never had a brand new unit die on me of suspected overcharging.

Anyway I'm glad I bought the unit at Amazon and I expect to get a replacement soon. I also bought the $9.99 extended warranty that will give me my money back up to a year from my purchase.

I will give the Rave MP3 another try and hopefully they will fix the battery charging problem and have a viable product.

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The only thing that is more of a joke than this product is their customer support.

After three weeks I started to get sad face and bug icons(Now its all I get). You email their technical support with the problem and they send you their e-mail FAQ to you.

I called the technical support line, which by the way is 877-772-8367-You'll be needing it) and waited for at least 25 min. before hanging up (It also took a good 4-5 min to navigate thier automated phone system).

I paid $119 new, and I paid $119 too much.

Buyer beware.

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I got this package upon its release because it had much more space and features than the iPod Shuffle (at the same price), and was significantly cheaper than the iPod mini.

Good features:

+ Built-in radio tuner is well integrated and works

+ Voice recording is a neat option if you want it

+ Included earbuds and headphones are decent

+ Sound quality is below average but decent for a portable device.

+ Driverless, no need to use proprietary software like iTunes.

Bad aspects:

Since it uses the computer directory rather than building its own index via proprietary software, be prepared for a lengthy indexing wait each time you change something on the drive.

User interface is "iPod-esque" but much clunkier and harder to use

Battery life is significanly less than the 10 hours in the specs

Doesn't charge through USB, requires a largish AC adapter

I could overlook the ergonomic and usability weaknesses in this item if the battery were just a bit better. As it is, I find myself wishing I had held out for the higher priced and higher quality iPod from Apple.

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I definitely don't recommend this product. When I record voice, it seems that there is a limit of 20 mins. If you inadvertedly record more than 20 mins the player freezes, so you have to reset it using the recessed button. The file system also has problems, I have several zero length files in the player that can not be deleted. I also hungs if you press the wrong key when recording from radio.

It seems that the firmware was never tested :-(

I had bought this in Nov for something to listen to on the bus and at work, about a week in I noticed that the screen had gotten really dusty and that there was nicks on the body, not much of a problem, then I found that to copy alot of music at once I would have to load everything....and then meet a error screen and everything gets all buggy. Still not to bad but annoying as hell.

ABC Products® Interface USB Cable Cord Lead for JVC Everio HDD Camcorder / Video camera GZ and G S

This cable is NOT the correct USB cable for the JVC Everio HDD Camcorder that was advertised. It does not connect to the GZ or G models!

I have a JVC Everio camcorder, GZ series. I ordered this cable based upon only two ratings; however, figured the higher price relative to other cables being advertised on Amazon was probably indicative of quality.

Unfortunately, the cable shipped does not interface with my GZ series camcorder.

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We lost our cable that came with the came corder. I was excited to find one online and now we were able to move the movies to the computer.

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The product that was provided is most certainly NOT compatible with the JVC Everio HDD Camcorder model GZ-MG130U to which I am trying to connect. Product was delivered in a timely manner, but given the inaccurate product description, I will not meet my deadline. Bummer.

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it is a simple item and it is more then serviceable ,it should last for quite a while, no complaints.

LightLINK Rechargeable Ultra-Bright LED Camera Light for Flip UltraHD , Sony Bloggie Touch , Kodak

Adding this light to my Flip Video really make a difference in my videos. I wish it had better documentation, but in general is easy to use and understand. The rechargeable battery even came pre-charged! I'm super excited to add this to my video gear.

My fiancee needed this light for his video camera to bring to functions it was a Christmas gift and he really loved it,.

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Gets the job DONE! 100% satisfied! You can also more lights to the light; what an ingenious idea! I received the item in a very timely fashion! I will be shopping here again!

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i like it it is very cool it shows a diffrence at night i am going to have to buy a nother one or 2 so that way it will be worth the money

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I made good shots with my flip camere using Light Link. Yet for optimum image over two meters distance from the subject I recommend at least two of these lights.

Andjelko.

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Olympus DS-2300 Digital Voice Recorder

Received the DS-2300 yesterday. The machine is a keeper. However, if you are thinking of buying this because of it's Mac compatibility, read on.

The DSS Player software installs OK but the first time you connect the recorder with the supplied USB cord, an error pops up that the system extension was not properly installed, that it should be either reinstalled or a replacement obtained from the vendor.

Many of the software functions do not work because of the issue with the extension. Although you can see the device as a drive and the file import function works, none of the functions in the download area of the software are available. You cannot download a folder from that menu, you cannot change the user name, rename a folder on the machine, set the time from the computer, etc.

I paid to activate DSS Player Plus so I can use the software to either split or join files. I tried to split a file a couple of times. It doesn't work, the software crashes and in the process only one half of the split is completed.

I spoke with Olympus tech support on the phone about this hoping to find out there's a replacement driver. No. They confirmed the DSS Player does not run well with Mac OS X (10.4+). No information on when there may be an update.

An email 5 days later from Olympus Tech Support in answer to the same question basically claimed the problem is Apple's fault.

Next question. I can find nothing in the documentation that indicates whether the unit will work with the new M-type XD cards larger than 512MB. On the phone, tech support said I could run the firmware update that's on the OlympusAmerica website and that the unit would work with the 1GB XD card.

However, the email from tech support 5 days later says there is no firmware update for the DS-2300 (it's on their website as an EXE file I could do the update with a PC), and that the M-type XD cards cannot be used with the DS-2300.

Today I noticed that the description for the firmware update on their website has been changed and now lists the 1GB M-XD card as one of those that can be used.

Sounds like a case of "your mileage may vary".

If you are doing professional dictation this is the best machine for the job. Each time you stop to listen and possibly edit or continue, this machine does NOT create additional files/folders! Many recorders automatically create a folder which becomes a secretaries nightmare. The 2300 is easy to use and the dss file format is a high compression which means the files are much smaller than wma. Quality of sound is superb. I would highly recommend this recorder. Mark

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I started with the DS-2300 a month ago. I have also been using the smaller WS-100 for some 10 months but let me confine my comments to only the DS-2300.

It is my habit to download instruction manuals and read them thoroughly before I buy them. The DS-2300 was no exception. At the risk of repeating what others have already written, let me be brief in my comments:

Pros many:

Sound quality, clear display of various info on the LCD, features like Appending additional recording to the end of the current or an old file, Inserting recording anywhere in the middle of an existing file, Reviewing recording while recording, Overwriting existing recording, CUE function, the extremely useful VCVA (no sound, no recording) function and the unlimited storage facilities by the use of xD cards.

I am not qualified to comment on the additional functions that are said to be available by the use of optional software as I have not bought any.

Cons only a few:

1. There is no choice of playing a file fast or slow in addition to normal playback. 2. One has to play the files one by one in a folder, but cannot play all the files in a folder continuously one after the other. This feature, available in the WS-100, would be useful to play songs.

3. The DSS-format is not suitable for sending recordings by email. It cannot be read by the universally available Windows Media Player. Although the recipients of the emails can download the free "mini-player" software from Olympus to open the emailed files, it is cumbersome. It would be ideal if WMA format is also made available in the DS-2300 or a firmware be made available to convert the DSS-format into .wma format.

I bought a one-GB xD picture card, type H. My DS-2300, which was among the later batches, recognized the card. However, the use of type H, which is very fast, is an overkill and waste of money. It is more suitable for DSLR cameras. I had originally thought that I could use it both in the DS-2300 and in my Evolt E-500 camera. I now find that it is not practicable to use the same card in both the equipments.

For the DS-2300, the M type card would be ideal if this recorder is also used to store songs and the recorder used like a music player. If only voice recordings are to be made, a standard type card with say 64 or 128 mb would more than suffice. Generally, it is advisable to download the recordings to the computer often.

Although, the DS-2300 is not meant to be a music player, I use it as one. I play a CD or a downloaded song on the computer, for example, and record it through the microphone jack of the DS-2300 connecting it to the computer. The DS-2300 records the music as if it were a voice recording in the DSS-format. I record several songs consecutively in each file. I enjoy the music anywhere I like. A one-GB card should accommodate a few hundred songs depending upon the sizes of the songs. I have already saved some 50 songs.

Incidentally, during my travels with my family, I used a cassette recorder to record the voices of my family members even some 25 years ago. I now replay some of the recordings, save them in the DS-2300, replay any particular file and add my comments where I want. It is not only fun but also recording of family history like photographs except in this case voice recordings.

Unlike camera forums, I have not come across any forum dedicated to voice recorders. It would be useful to discuss issues in such forums.

Summing up:

The DS-2300 has many features. I tested all of them. Everything worked fine. Print the manual and study it thoroughly. You can then squeeze the entire juice out of it. I like this model.

ameer

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The quality of sound and manufacture of this unit is unacceptable. It was made in China. Although it has an attractive design, the outside is made from the same inexpensive plastic that my $29 Panasonic DVR is made from. The recorder has two modes, SP and EP. SP is the highest quality, but playback still sounds cheap at the highest quality. There also are two microphone settings, Dictation and Conference. In Dictation mode, the microphone can only pick up what is said within about 12 18 inches. The quality is audible, but not great. Conference mode only works when one person is speaking in a completely quiet room, something that is not realistic with people shuffling about. Any background noise will render the recording inaudible. Even in a quiet room, the quality is muffled and unacceptable. The high price for this unit definitely is not indicative of its quality, which appears to be low. I have other, less expensive units, that are better built and have a higher audio quality. I do not understand the other reviews, other than to believe someone with less experience using DVRs would have a different expectation. Perhaps it works better with an external microphone or when used solely in a closed environment (such as a quiet, closed interrogation room), which I believe defeats the purpose of a small pocket-sized unit meant to be carried around.

A 1 MB XD card gives 168 hours in SP mode or 358 hours in EP, which would be great if the product worked. Similar to other brands, the controls are not intuitive, but can be learned easily and are not a drawback.

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I bought this DS-2300 to replace my DS-330. The 330 had internal memory and I had to download every night after my 3-hour lecture. The 2300 has external memory so that I can separate items (personal, school, work, etc) and it stores much more than the limited amount of memory on the 330.

It has a nice size that is thin and fits into your pocket. The memory life also seems to be pretty good on this. As I had read on other reviews, the placement of the buttons might be a tad tricky, but so far no problems.

My one complaint is that this recorder did *not* come with a case/pouch like the 330. I went to the Olympus site and they offer one to European customers, but not U.S.

Other than this drawback and the price, I am pleased on upgrading to the 2300.

Midland XTC-150VP2 480p SD Action Wearable Video Camera with Bow, Tree, Visor and Handlebar Mounts

First of all, I will say I am an avid hunter,and I am happy Midland is working hard to provide a comprehensive package for the sportsman and action junkie alike. I don't bash products normally, but I do have to give this 3 stars, and it probably only deserves 2.5 stars, really, but I'm feeling generous, I guess. I realize this is a $100 camera, not a $1000 camera. I have used several different cameras to record wildlife over the past 10 years or so, and generally speaking, the cameras and equipment have continued to improve. I have done early-morning, daytime, late afternoon, night vision shots, used starlight scopes mounted to my video camera, and infrared cameras, so I do know what I'm talking about when it comes to cameras and recording, altho I'm sure I don't know everything. I bought this one at Scheels a month or so ago, and that's where I will be returning it. As my article title says, the camera is only good up close, and the camera likes lots of light. If I can get the computer to cooperate, I will upload the video I shot this morning. If it doesn't upload, you'll have to take my word for it. The camera color is pretty good to excellent at times. The microphone is OK. The pixels are grainy compared to sharp. The "fish-eye" lens takes a little getting used to watching video. I attempted to video a 6-pt buck 30 feet from my stand two evenings ago right at sunset. I had no intention of shooting him with my bow, so I thot it would be great just to get him on video. The only thing that shows up in my video is the horizon, and everything else is black. It really stunk, because I thot I got to watch him working over a licking branch and freshening a scrape--all on video. He tore it up! I couldn't wait to watch the video. What a disappointment that I couldn't see anything! Then, yesterday morning, a coyote came thru right after sunrise, and I could see it was a shape on the video, but who knows what it is if I didn't tell you? Then, an hour later, my 6-pt from last nite came thru trailing 2 does in front of him. I can see something moving, but that's about it. Keep in mind these 3 deer were about 20-50 yds from my stand at various times. The camera switch does make a loud "click" turning on and off. The controls are very simple and rugged. It is also very lightweight and uses AAA batteries instead of specialty batteries. I just had it in my coat pocket, pulled it out, and started shooting yesterday morning, and I liked being able to do that. I am going to be returning this camera and buying something with a color viewfinder, a zoom, and an internal hard drive. I realize I will have to pay 3 or 4x what I gave for this, but this camera doesn't do what I need. I have been extremely impressed with Sony and Canon products over the years, so that's probably what I will get. If anyone has a recommendation as to what I should get, please let me know. I would probably spend up to $500. It needs to be able to function in cold weather, as my best hunting is usually in cold weather. I would prefer a color viewfinder, even if it's small, about a 10x zoom, and an internal hard drive or flashcard memory system. I have a Canon 650IS 12.1MP camera with 720 "HD" video capability, and it does a pretty good job, but it is pretty heavy to hold long-term, as it is supposed to be more of a camera than a video camera. The zoom also freezes up on it sometimes,(it's almost 4 years old) and it is a little fuzzy, and I have to stop recording and start over. But I'm not supposed to be reviewing that camera here... So, the bottom line is if you can get really close to your subject and have lots of light available, this camera is great for approx. $100. The mounting accessories are really good, too. It is also very easy to download videos to my computer as the computer recognizes the camera as an external hard drive. My video is about 60MB, so I suggest you have a high-speed connection (who doesn't anymore?) and some patience if you want to watch it, that is if it went because I think I exceeded the size limit. I shot it in the morning 11/6/11. It's of a squirrel about 20 feet in front of me. Decide for yourself, but this camera, in my opinion, is not for the serious wildlife video / photographer. You sometimes get what you pay for, and this is one of those times.

I'm not a hunter, nor do I really have a burning desire to capture video doing anything terribly serious. I bought this camera to mount on the handlebar of my ATV. It could not be easier to use. Using the included mount, it took about 10 seconds to install. I was actually surprised that the video wasn't completely shaky. No, it isn't an HD recorder, but the image quality was quite good. I have only used it during daylight hours, so I can't comment about low light conditions. For the price I paid, it has been fun capturing decent video. I have a Macbook Pro, and the device was recognized immediately. I also quickly found the spot where the files were located, which isn't always a given. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the camera for casual use.

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This camera doesn't have a zoom. I used it for paintballing and worked very good. Sound is pretty good on it. It was raining and still recorded. :D

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i received this camera and it was broke. It did not work. trying to get an exchange or a response from Midland or Sharp Gear was impossible! they pawned me off on others. Neither backed this product! I do not recommend buying this product at all

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I used it for bow hunting this year and this camera really sucks in darker places. If you hunt and usually get your deer right away in the morning or right before hours, dont buy this camera.

Voice Activated Relay

I bought this to trigger a doorbell signal through my whole house audio system. I tap the audio from the speaker of my doorbell and feed it to the Channelplus MDS6A and to the VAR-1 and the VAR-1 creates a trigger that mutes the MDS6A and plays the chime. This is a great solution for a whole house doorbell. It works as expected and was easy to setup.

Canon ZR850 1MP MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom

I did a lot of research before I settled on this camera. I was prepared to spend a fair amount of money on a better model, but I came to the conclusion that it was a better idea to spend less money and wait a couple of years for the HD technology to come down in price and the hard drive storage format to become more established. So this was, in my opinion, the best mixture of quality and price. There are certainly cheaper models out there but beware. There are three major bugaboos camcorders have to face: internal noise, image stabalization, and low lighting conditions. You can expect cheaper machines not to excell in these and to pay dearly for those that do. Canon's real selling point is its optics, but like most lower-end models, they don't "shine" in low light. They put external mike jacks only on their chapest models so they can sell to schools (the education market likes low prices and external mikes). Personally, I have a pocket digital recorder with a lavalier mike and I edit in a separate digital soundtrack to get around the noise problem, but not everyone wants to do that. Canon's image stabalization seems improved from the previous model that I've had, although while 35X zoom seems impressive, I've not yet tested it to see what the vibration reduction is like at the etxreme end. My biggest problem is the low lighting, so I bought a portable utility light at a home improvement store for ten bucks to help with that.

The reality is that even though you don't care to spend a couple hundred bucks every year on new ccamcorders, you should consider this a disposable camera. It costs almost as much to buy a new model as to fix them. I bought this to replace a ZR85. Which leads me to another pointif you have the option, you might consider an extended warantee. The earlier generations of camcorders seem to have had a habit of blowing out.

You will want to buy an extended life battery as wellthe battery that this model came with was good for only a short while.

I wouldn't bother much with still photography camcorders don't have great snapshot capabilities just as camera's don't generally have good video capabilities. It's tempting to try to kill two birds with one stone, but none of the models I've seen do both eaqually well. Even my cheapo point and shoot digital camera takes better pictures (but not nearly as good video). Also, copying video to the SDram card is a quick and easy way to slap a short video clip on your website or email it to friends, but you will get a compressed file with significantly poorer quality than the miniDV tape. On a PC you can use Windows Movie Maker (free download if you don't already have it) but it only saves in WMV format. To burn in DVD format you will need authoring software (that's another review, but I use Adobe premiere elements).

MiniDV is on its way out, but will probably still be around for a while. It has great qualitymuch better than a DVD, although you can certainly create DVDs from a miniDV tape. As far as storage goes, the tapes are pretty cheap13 gigs or so for a couple of bucks is pretty good. In the future though I think the hard drives are going to be the next big thing.

Copying your tapes to a DVD via a Mac is a breeze with imovie and iDVD (no, I don't work for Mac) although I generally do my editing on a PC. It is a bit of a pain (less so when you finally get the hang of it) but I don't have regular access to a Mac.

This is a really great starter camera if you are just getting into digital video and a real easy, convient, point and shoot workhorse. That being said, it is sophistocated enough that you can grow into it. My guess is that by the time you grow out of it the prices for more advanced technology will have come down and this camera will have reached the end of its lifespan anyway. I found mine brand new online for 260 bucks, and I got what I paid for and then some.

The following camcorder is the first camcorder I have ever owned. I purchase it because I am interested in taking home movies as keepsake. For that purpose, this digital camera will work perfect for anyone, However, if you keep your expectations too high, you will probably be disappointed.

Many people have complaned about motor noise on camera's along this line, if you purchase the zr 800, you can use an external mike of as high quality as possible, and avoid this background noise. If you are like me, and wanted the higher offered pixel ratio, then you can get the zr 850, which lacks the external mike and the possibility of preventing that noise. The noise, I might add, appears to me little more than a suddle white noise in the background, which can easily be filtered out with most video editing software.

When recording to the sd card (the plus of the 850), the movies shot are rather low resolution and appear a bit blurry for me. Part of this could be the videos I have shot this way consisted of a lot of close ups. This camera does not seem designed for doing much in the lines of close ups. The night vision does a very good job in pitch black. A small led on the front of the camera adds extra light. Unfortunately this is the only light you get, since any high powered light isn't available to attach to this camcoder. The led doesn't add very much light, and with any low light area, the picture resolution is severly hindered, but still seeable considering how dark it is.

The still pictures look decent, but obvious static that you would easily not see on any modern digital camera are very evident, so definately don't purchase this as a digital camera replacement. The battery lasts about 45 minutes, the guide suggestions you can buy larger batteries that will increase the life.

Since I kept my expectations so high, I expected the resolution to be a little better on the camcorder in general. It is decent enough, and so is the sound. I just expected more than I should have with a small handheld camera. The camera feels great though, it is easy to carry, easy to use. You run pretty much no risk of getting your fingers in the way of the view finder. It is very comfortable and easy to use. Very little instruction is needed to figure out just about everything you can do with it.

My biggest beef with this product, which really has nothing to do with the product itself, is that it didn't come with a firewire cable or capturing software. This means you can't transfer stuff to your compuer out of the box. Rather, you need to get a firewire cable (presuming you have a firewire port) for up to $35 as the price at best buy. You probably should order a cable with the camera. The capturing software is available from the canon website, just requiring you to register your product. After trying several programs, roxio seemed to work the best for me trying to capture video. At that capturing video is a breeze, although that has more to do with software than the camcorder itself.

Besides that, its a good product, it comes with a remote control if you happen to be filming yourself, and av cables so you can put the image on the television. Not the best on the market, but a pretty decent camcorder, especially at the discounted price.

Buy Canon ZR850 1MP MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom Now

I am a first time camcorder owner and decided to get this camcorder based on reviews on another website. Then, right after I ordered the camera, I began reading the reviews on Amazon and got worried--I should have checked here first. After further research, I decided to also order the Panasonic PV-GS80 to compare the devices.

What I found is that the Canon is just as loud as everyone has reported. When I played back the tape on my TV, you could hear the humming noise it makes while filming plus a clicking noise each time you zoom in or out. My other complaints are that it doesn't fit in the hand as well as the panasonic, it has a bottom tape loader, and the power adapter is only a couple of feet long

In comparison, the Panasonic was quite as a mouse. Images are also more crisp on the 2.7 inch screen and the power adapter is at least 5 feet long which is very helpful.

I am returning the Canon ASAP.

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By reading Canon's description of this new line of miniDV cameras, you would think you were getting a lot more than you actually are. Motor noise is once again an issue with this Canon. Not a problem in noisy situations, but definitely noticeable at home in quieter scenes.

I find the camera a bit awkward to hold and operate, due to the placement of some of the controls. My hand tends to cramp up because of it. The strap is on an angle, and is very thin, making the camera seem unstable in one's hand.

Before using, I charged the battery overnight. It lasted a big 25 minutes on the first use only half of what Canon claims for typical use.

The absence of necessary accessories is also a problem. So far, I have had to purchase a firewire card for my computer (which was my problem), a firewire cable for the computer, a separate one for the DVD recorder, and an extra battery. Suddenly my lower-priced camera seems more expensive.

It's not all bad news, though. The video and audio quality (minus the motor whine)are fair enough. The menu and features are nice, and easy to use. It will do for basic home movies, but don't expect much more than that.

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I did a lot of research on camcorders, and I mean A LOT!! I spent weeks reading all of the professional and user reviews, which left me even more undecided then when I started the search. I finally narrowed it down to the Canon Elura 100 and the ZR 850. The Elura was being discontinued and was therefore difficult to find as a reasonable price, so I chose this one!

First of all, the zoom works well on this camcorder. It is very powerful, and the image stays fairly clear until you reach about 80% of the zoom. The motor noise is not that bad, and it not noticable at all if there is other background noise. The image quality is good, just steer clear of low light situations. The image gets very grainy in low light.

The size of this camera is very nice. The available features suit me very well. Overall, this is a good camera for the money.

Update***

I have had this camera for a while, and still love it. It serves its purpose well and I have not had any problems with it at all.

VideoSecu 3 X 100 Feet Video Power CCTV Security Cameras Cable with BNC RCA connectors WG9

Recieved item Quick !! My second-order from this Comp.Will "Definatley" order from them-Again !! As Always "Thanx-Amazon"!!!

I chose three because i had to modify the power connection other than that everything was fine and it came on time!

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These cables came at a great price. The only danger is unraveling these cords can be difficult if it is not done in an area with lots of room to straighten them out, otherwise they easily get tangled.

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I like the thickness of the cables and they look like a quality product. I would buy more in the future.

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These cables work fine and did the job as expected. I don't have any squigglys or jaggys even though I was forced to run a couple of them past some power wires. I was a bit concerned because they are a bit thin but they still do the job well.

One thing to note: If you plan on splitting this cable like you might split a typical Siamese Coax you will be out of luck. These are "formed" into one cable and can't be split.

I will buy these again if needed. They are a great value for cheap cables.

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Direct TV Directv R16 black DVR Receiver

I've never been so disappointed in a product. I have had direct TV from 1996 to present. I installed my old DTV dish and receiver at my Grandparents so they could enjoy the luxury of satellite TV in 2007. That's when I got a Dish Network account with a DVR. It had reliability issues, but the Dish DVR has way better picture, sound, and features. I let the Dish Network account go 2 months ago and got a DTV DVR. I have never been so disappointed in all my life. There's never a week that goes by that I don't miss at least 1 scheduled recording because this thing either skips the recording inadvertently or it crashes or it looses the signal or all of the above. Then there's the issue with programming the events. DTV's DVR will only record a series on one channel. If a program comes on different channels you have to set up the DVR to record each channel separately. With Dish Network, you tell it you want to record every episode of something and it does exactly that no matter what channel it's on. The menu on the DTV DVR sucks really bad as well. When you tell it you want to record every event it highlights those events on the TV Guide. You assume those programs are going to get recorded because there is a big "R" in front of it.NOT!!! If this event was already recorded before it will skip it and leave you hanging. You go somewhere and come back thinking your program recorded and it didn't. There is nothing on there to let you know this ahead of time. IT REALLY SUCKS!! I can't come up with enough adjectives to put in perspective how lousy of a piece of equipment this is. For example:There is no SLOW MOTION PLAY BACK!!!! How can anyone design a DVR that does not play in SLOW MOTION?? This is a requirement if you are watching sports!! Dish Network's DVR not only plays back in slow motion, it does it in multiple speeds!!!! Get your head out of your 3rd point of contact DTV!!! Example #2: There is no instant commercial skip. Dish Network has a 30sec skip button that instantaneously skips 30 sec every time you hit the button. you can go forward or backwards 30 sec. Not with DTV....they only have a 10sec reverse skip. What good does that do anyone? To skip forward you have to do a 30 second fast forward. It fast forwards 30sec of recording in about 5 sec. So a 5 minute commercial takes almost a full minute to skip. THAT'S TOTALLY RIDICULOUS!!! Then there's the loss of signal every time a cloud blows over. It shows I have 97% signal strength. My old 1999 DTV receiver that I still have hooked up at my grandparents house only looses signal when there is ice forming in the clouds (hail storm, snow storm, etc...)so it only looses signal 2 or 3 times a year (I live in the South). I installed that satellite myself and it only has an 89% signal strength.

Now I'm stuck with this lousy DVR from a company that obviously has changed from one of putting the customer 1st and quality #1 to one that now only cares about doubling their profits. I have to pay $400.00 just to cancel this 2 year contract. $400.00!!!!! The receiver only cost $99.00 on Amazon.com. How can DTV charge me $400.00? This is ridiculous! I've asked DTV several times to give me a list of manufacturers and their model numbers of DTV DVR's that I can purchase separately and they tell me there are none. What a crock!! I know better than that. I see them for sale on EBAY....brand names like Samsung, Sony, etc..... I will never do business with DTV again. I'm seriously considering paying the $400.00 penalty to get out of this contract. I will simply do without a satellite for 4 months and that will cover the $400.00. Who knows, after 4 months of abstinence, I may decide to never have satellite TV again.

This DVR and the DVR service DTV provides truly sucks. This is coming from a loyal DTV customer. I have 2 DTV accounts!!! I plan to cancel both accounts.

UPDATE Well please disregard the 3 star review in fact this receiver is horrible. It has continually frozen, however the biggest flaw is the constant "722 Error" for some reason I get an error message saying that I am not receiving a satellite signal despite the fact I am able to watch TV (I have three DVR receivers this is the only model that gets the error message)? What is the problem? The error message takes up about 20% of the screen. I have spent HOURS on the phone with Direct TV without resolution. I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau ... with no resolution. Finally after three months I decided to cancel my Direct Tv Service

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Well all of us Direct TV users can sigh a bit of relief we finally have an improvement over the old DVR R15 which was a nightmare for all of its owners. In fact, (the previous model DIRECTV R15 Receiver/Digital Video Recorder--Up to 100 Hours) was so poor that it forced me to go to Ebay and buy an older Tivo model. The older R15 model had serious issues with its ease of use it was nearly impossible to fast forward or rewind with any kind of accuracy. It was a very frustrating experience. See the old reviews ...it was universally despised!

The new R16 has fixed many of the bugs, and is a truly functioning unit. In fact, I would compare it to my 2003 model Tivo. I guess that is both good news and bad... while it matches the 2003 edition Tivo (which was way ahead of it time) you would hope that 5 years could have added a few more features.

The pros -

100 hours of storage or roughly 50 movies.

Pause live tv for 90 minutes (60 minutes longer than my old Tivo)

Ease of use...rewinding and fast forwarding is a snap.

Direct Tv has built in features that allows the reote control to be used for gaming (using channel 110 I think). It is an additional charge but some find it worth the cost.

Areas for improvement -

This is 2008 WHY would Direct Tv introduce a new product that does NOT include Wifi access?

If you lose power the unit takes up to 10 minutes to reset. This is a major annoyance if your power "flickers" while watching your favorite show or sporting evenet.

Since there is no WiFi access you do not have the ability to rent or buy movies on Amazon.com and have them send it directly to the unit (like it does with a Tivo).

I wish there was a choice of colors Black is the only color.

FInal verdict, the Direct TV DVR R16 is strictly a functional unit that lacks the pizzaz of many the competing products. However, this is MAJOR improvement over the R15 model. In short, the R16 should not scare you... but there isn't much to excite you either.

0 Stars caused me to cancel my service with Direct TV

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My complaints with this receiver are:

1. When recording it cuts about 5 seconds off the end of the recording. Your only alternative is to adjust the recording to add 1 minute to it to get the last 5 seconds. Really, Who Programmed this? Does it take that much to test the programming before you put it in the equipment? Why cut 5 seconds off?

2. FF and rewind are hit and miss. I often overshoot and have to go back and spend just as long finding the spot I wanted to get to.

3. The guide is slow and you can forget using the Active button which gives you the weather and the most popular movies. It is SLOW SLOW SLOW.

4. Even though it is an improvement over the R-15 model it is LEASE ONLY. I was able to get the R-15's off of EBay and avoid the lease, but this model cannot be purchased reasonably. I was hoping to find a used one and avoid the lease but had no luck locating one so I ended up leasing one.

5. As warranties go this one is terrible. 1 year parts and labor. When you are forced to sign a 24 month contract it doesn't make sense. If you lease a car it normally comes with a 3-5 year warranty so what's up with DIRECTV?

In the end you may be better off buying a digital antenna to get over the air stations that are free.

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Poor quality ,sluggish ,difficult to operate ,does not buffer on both tuners. Directv needs to go back to tivo based dvrs. Absolutely awful

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BEWARE OF DTV Shell Game. When you purchase a DTV box from anywhere the box is the property of DTV. Along with this your contract will be extened for 1 to 2 years. Once again if you buy a DTV box from best buy, online retailer, amazon, your parents or your next door neighbor it is the property of DTV and must be returned to them when you cancel your service or you must pay a fee to DTV. RIP-OFF BEWARE

Denon DNC615 Pro Rack Mount CD Player with Digital Output

• Professional single CD and CD-R/RW player with MP3 decoder
• Instant start and auto cue (preset selectable)
• Power-on play
• Shock Proof Memory: Approximately 10 second
• ±12% pitch control

A review on Amazon of another CD player, the Teac CD-P1250, said that it was the only single-disc CD player on the market. Nope, there's two. Well, one and a half anyway.

The Denon DN-C615 isn't exactly consumer gear, but it isn't exactly pro gear, either. It's got rack ears and pitch adjustment, and it's set up for a wired remote and output cascading, but the outputs are unbalanced RCA plus SPDIF. It has auto cuing and audible manual cuing within a track, but doesn't allow you to save cue points. So I think "semi-pro" is a pretty good description.

It's aimed at DJs, community radio stations, and sound reinforcement applications, and it wouldn't be out of place in a small studio for applications like sampling. And, what matters to my family, it drops right in to a home stereo system, so long as your cabinet can manage the rack ears (which don't look like they're removable except with a hacksaw).

The sound (even before break-in) is typical Denon: clear and airy, with both good definition and satisfactory thump in the bass, free of noticeable spurious harmonics. The controls and displays are easy to use and understand and don't have any immediately obvious ergonomic problems or bugs. It plays CD-Rs fine, both audio CD-Rs and MP3 CDs, and it allegedly plays CD-RWs, but I probably won't find out because CD-RWs and my computers don't get along.

MP3 files sound as good on the DN-C615 as I've ever heard them. You don't need to burn a special MP3 CD: it'll take plain data CDs with MP3 files on them and even lets you navigate through folders. But if you do give it a disc that's been burned as an MP3 CD, it'll run the playlist in order, which is a big improvement over my DVD player which plays MP3 files in some strange order I have yet to figure out. And I have to admit, seeing the song titles change as it plays is positively decadent.

The price is a little higher than I'd have liked, and unless you want to build a wired remote or have your chair real close to the player, you'll need a special remote (another US$40). But I do like the player so far.

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I am not an audiophile but merely a lowly radio show host. I have been using this cd player at wwuh 91.3fm at the University of Hartford for the past year and have nothing but good to say about it. We use three cd players in our air studio and this one has withstood the test of time. Others have come, gone pfsst, and gone bye bye while this one remains. It is easy to use and functions flawlessly. We broadcast 24/7 so the equipment gets used relentlessly and sometimes ruthlessly. If you can tolerate a single cd player this one is great. The only flaw I find is the lag time between pushing play and getting output signal but I think that relates more to its integration to our control board rather than it being an idiosyncrasy of the unit.

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Kind of expensive just for a CD player, but this unit is well built, rack mountable, easy to use and, best of all, sounds great. I bought a previously well reviewed CD player from Amazon a couple of years ago and, while still being used, pales in comparison. The sound that comes out of the Denon is "warmer" but much more transparent than the older one. You hear more throughout the frequency range (perhaps, less distortion) with better spatial depth. The Denon is heavier, so I assume its heavier case and better power supply contribute to a better base for the mechanical and electronic innards. All of a sudden, the price is very reasonable.

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The sound quality on this Denon upholds the company's long-standing history of crystal-clear reproduction. I'd had my first CD player--an old Denon--for approximately 30 years, and had been nursing it along until it would no longer play a CD. I did this because I'd heard other brands over the years, name brands that had muddy or anemic sound quality, and I knew that I would be disappointed to downgrade from concert-hall reproduction to anything less. I can't express how happy I am to have a unit that is, if anything, even clearer than my old Denon.

The other reason that I held off so long on this purchase was that I'd read numerous reviews of other Denon units, and those reviews were very bad. Evidently, other players in the Denon line are not high quality; I cannot say from experience, mind you, only from what other purchasers have said. But this one is not like those. It is hefty and solid, not lightweight like so many others I've tested over the years. It loads and plays CDs without a hitch (other models evidently do what my ancient model did: fail to read the CD, and then refuse to open the drawer and let it go). The sound quality, as I've already said, is everything that one expects from Denon.

There are a couple of things that a purchaser should know in advance, however. First, this is a single-CD unit, not a changer. If you want a carousel style, this isn't it. Second, it does not come with a remote control. However, the remote from my old Denon works with this one--and it's 30 years old! So there's a chance that the remote from your old unit might work on this one. (I believe there is a separate remote available.) Finally, the case itself is normal size, but it has the rack-mounting "ears" sticking out on the front at either side. They add roughly 1-1/2 to 2 inches in width; that could be a concern if your space is restricted.

The $300 price tag is admittedly a shocker--especially for a single-CD player with no remote control. But you're paying for the very solid construction and the incomparable sound quality. If that's what you're looking for, you won't regret the expenditure.

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We've used Denon CD players in our Church and have never had a problem with them. This is an upgraded version of our old one, but the old one is still being used and works great. I would recommend.