Fotga Mini Camera Suction Mount Tripod Holder Car Wind Screen

The tightening knob on the one I got was useless, even after tightening it all the way down it still would not tighten

As a side note the seller spammed me some 10 times trying to bribe me with a $3 offer to remove my feedback.

Go ahead, send me another spam and I'll report you to Amazon

Update this spamming inconsiderate seller continues to spam me to change my review some 15 dam times now and has been reported to Amazon in violation of seller rules

I will NEVER purchase anything from this jerk seller ever again!

This holds on to my windshield pretty well most of the time. It has fallen off a few times, but for the most part its a great buy.

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The top came off and the ball moves no matter how tight the screw is. Waste of $5. No reason to buy this.

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In itself the mount is OK. The real problem though is that because of the length of the mount all car vibration is grossly magnified making my recording very shaky. The idea behind the mount is good, I guess it's just not suitable for mounting a video camera which is attempting.

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I give it 5 stars no complaints what so ever. decent product and it gets the job done. I use this for my car, I have it mounted on the upper part of my windshield near my rear view and it hold my camera no problem. Midwest weather approx. 30 degrees right now. ps it holds up to vibration, I have a 150+ db sound system = everything flexes

VideoSecu Day Night 540TVL Outdoor Night Vision CCTV Home Security Camera Weatherproof Vandal proof

This camera has a great image and is much better than the cheaper camera that came in the kit I bought. The only issues I have with this camera is that it requires you to manually focus, zoom and move position.

I bought this camera to add to my outside cameras and general daytime performance is fine though not much different than the 420TVL. The added features over the 420TVL, including zoom, focus, more IR LEDs, aren't worth the extra cost to me. First, zoom is so small a range that it isn't worthwhile. I have the camera looking at my driveway and there was very little difference in the captured frame with zoom at either end of its range. Second, focus only is needed if you change the zoom setting. Finally the addd IR LEDs may help if the area is totally dark and there isn't anything nearby in frame but I leave the garage lights on and there is a car parked about 15' away. The car causes a hazy flair in the middle of the display... Unless you are aiming this camera at an empty area in near total darkness at night, stick with the 420TVL.

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Icarus Silver Halo Component Video Cable (6.5 Feet/2 Meters)

I didn't know anything about Icarus brand, and actually picked them up together with another thing I was ordering to make up the amount for Amazon free ship. Cabled are good, came bubble wrapped, connectors are solid metal as described, clean solder with shrink wrap tubing protection inside, good dense shield, thick yet flexible, classy looking finish. The combination of three wires is separated at the end and wall connected inside the lengh so one can rip-divide the 3 cables into double plus one or singles if needed. Shields' outside cover looks vinyl type and is clear so you can see silver shine of shield. Connectors' ends appear gold plated as promised, fit is good with close tolerance finish, smooth and can be taken apart and re-soldered if needed, so not one of those that cannot be ever reused. I like them.

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New Kamerar Tank TK-2 cage with rods support

This was my first camera cage. I run a small video production business as a hobby-gone-horribly-wrong, so take this all into consideration.

PROS:

* Affordable...This is the best cage I could find for the money.

* As the name "Tank" implies, it is very tough and sturdy. Nothing feels cheap or flimsy.

* The fit and finish is very nice and I noticed no scratches or overly sharp edges. The packaging was decent and it was really easy to figure out how to set it all up.

* The Tank will fit a T2i/T3i/T4i with battery grip or camera-only on a quick-plate. I hear it will fit a BMCC although mine is still on back-order so I was not able to confirm it.

* This beast has so many attachment spots that you will never outgrow it.

* The rods and tripod assembly are great quality just like the Tank. The rods are threaded on both sides so you can attach longer rods or use them in conjunction with other 15mm rigs.

* The Tank is very versatile and configurable. I was able to flip sections, subtract rods and configure it to my specifications quickly and easily. You may need to get a little creative to make it perfect for your camera.

Cons:

* The red twist knobs are not ratchets, they are static and may stick out depending on how much you need to twist them. Ratcheting twist knobs would be awesome, but you can always upgrade them later.

* This may not be the best rig for a Canon T2i/T3i/T4i (although it's what I use it for and will keep using it) for a few reasons. The battery cut-out on the bottom plate does not line up with the battery door on the camera (not sure what DSLR will work, maybe 5d/7d?), the Swiss rods interfere with the HDMI cable placement when using an external monitor,and the Swiss rods do not allow enough room to open the SD card slot. I was able to make all this usable by mounting the camera backwards on the Tank and removing one of the Swiss rods from the SD card slot side to fix all these issues. The Tank is still very stable with only three Swiss rods holding it together. The only problem I have not figured out yet is changing the battery while keeping the camera in the rig, I think an external battery option may be the best solution.

Overall the Tank is an awesome affordable cage to build upon. The rods are very usable and allow for a follow-focus and matte box in the front and you will need another set of rods with an adapter for the rear if you want to turn it into a shoulder rig. I have a 7 inch monitor on a magic arm, a zoom recorder, matte-box, follow-focus, and there is still plenty of room to spare. The possibilities are endless. The pros outweigh the cons. I am certain this rig will outlive my camera.

I hope this review helps you.

This cage is quite solid and large enough to fit my d800 with the zacuto zfinder pro guerrilla plate.

Made in the USA, at china prices. What else can I say?

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Yep it's true. Very solid aluminum construction and works great. Nice finish. You can attach almost anything you want and then some! Would be kool if it could accomodate a battery pack for my DSLR not tall enough. It is very solid and works with just the camera and has a spot to change the battery. 5 Stars for a taller one.

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Audio Technica AT-LP60USB Fully Automatic Belt Driven Turntable with USB Port

• USB output: no special drivers required for direct connection to your computer
• Built-in switchable stereo phono/line level pre-amplifier. Permits use of turntable with stereo systems having either magnetic-phono inputs
• PC & Mac compatible
• Fully automatic operation keeps LPs scratch free
• Two speeds: 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm
• 2 speed turntable - 33 1/3 and 45 RPM

This has recently gone up in price, even apart from the Gold Box Special that greeted me. In a way, I wish I'd seen the higher price, which would have discouraged me from ordering so quickly. I remember when, in the '70s, it cost more to replace a Shure V-15 Type II cartridge than to purchase this turntable, which comes complete with cartridge, stylus, and 4 different connecting cables to cover just about all situations, even those for customers without a receiver/amplifier. It wasn't long before, in the '80s, the elliptical stylus itself went for over a hundred, eventually taken off the market by Shure due to the scarcity of its rare and costly constituent.

The point: for 60 to 90 bucks, you should not expect anything close to a genuine audiophile turntable--even though the machine includes auto tone arm lift, two instruction manuals, four well-made cables, cartridge and stylus. But the feature missing with this turntable, the one reason I wish I hadn't ordered it and had waited to purchase the next model up, is a counterweight for achieving precise tone arm balance as well as an anti-skating control for reducing pressure (and distortion) on the inside grooves of the vinyl LP, especially the tracks closest to the middle hole.

Nevertheless, given the absence of a counter-weighted tone arm and anti-skating control, this turntable does a highly competent job of tracking most recordings. In fact, it performs better than both of the ailing industry-standard, professional Stanton turntables that were proving increasingly problematic at the station. Also, the tracking pressure that I measured is less than 2 and a half grams, light enough to prevent the stylus from eating up your vinyl (at least not until after 2-3 playings).

The unit comes with built-in preamp, so not only does it not require an amp with a phono jack, but it doesn't require any amp beyond the one in your computer if your primary consideration is converting vinyl to digital. A couple of things to be aware of: the lift on the tone arm is too small to be of use for manual placement. You'll need to be comfortable with the automatic lift mechanism or forget about picking up and dropping down the tone arm with any semblance of accuracy. Also, in back is an all-important lever that switches the unit from "phono" to "line" connection. If you're using the unit without an amp with phono jack (beginning in the '90s, cost-conscious manufacturers began leaving them off of receivers and amps, though with the comeback of vinyl we've seen the reappearance of phono jacks), be sure to set the switch to "line." The same holds true if your connection involves use of any of the optional cables and connectors that are included with the turntable.

The turntable tracks quite nicely from what I've seen, and is worth the low cost. Still, before investing in a USB unit--without or without phono connectors--you may simply wish to save up for the best "conventional" turntable along with an amplifier or receiver that has a phono jack. That way you'll have a better chance of scoring some of the audiophile niceties mentioned above, and connection to your computer will be no problem--whether you have an 1/8" familiar audio jack or an adapter that will transform RCA into USB cables.

The software included with the turntable is Audacity--a respected freeware program that's capable of doing an excellent job but is not known for being the most user-friendly program. Other possibilities are Cool Edit (for PC users); Spin Doctor or Sound Studio (Mac users). Once you've converted a couple of LPs, it's a piece of cake--except for the potential of allowing the process to consume all of your time and life. (Try to resist the temptation to make up your own CDs, complete with jewel cases, printed front and back covers and spines, disc centers, booklets, photos, inserts, etc. Another not inconsiderable expense--in time as well as money.)

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Have been waiting and watching and after my first use, download to the computer, and mp3 file creation, I'm happy enough to recommend this product.

For under a hundred bucks the quality seems great. The manual for setup of the system and software is well done with step by step pictures.

I have mine connected to both the computer and external speakers. I'm able to listen to the music while recording thru the external speakers and listen to playback of the downloaded music thru head phones on the computer.

the software has lots of options to play with. but the basic " push the red button to record " and file save as and file export, get the job done to make your albums digital.

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Purely as a turntable, this is a satisfactory unit comparable to any other at the $50 to $80 range. The features that should have set it apart (and for which I purchased the item) are all woefully disappointing.

1) USB-Direct Recording: The true purpose of my purchase was to update my current phonograph configuration to a more convenient way to convert my LPs to MP3. When using the USB connection, there is a dull but constant power-cycle hum from the moment USB Codec is selected as the Recording Device. After attempting to avail myself of this feature with multiple computers in my home I have concluded that the USB connection should be considered unusable by even the least discriminating among music lovers (Perhaps power filters could be used to isolate potential ground-loops but even then, you would still have to contend with issue number 3 below).

[Updated: 03/28/2013]

Although I can't begin to account for what may have possessed me to try this, I've given the USB recording another attempt after upgrading my Notebook Computer to Windows 8. While several other hardware systems on my Notebook (bluetooth, fingerprint reader, blu-ray) have ceased to function due to a lack of driver support, the USB feature on this turntable now functions perfectly. No hum, just right.

I still can't give the turntable 5-stars because of items 2 and 3 below, but at least I can now take full advantage of primary reason I made the purchase.

2) The software: Always in search of audio recording software that would work well on a PC, I was eager to test the claims of Audacity as proclaimed in the included accessory description for this turntable. As it turns out, Audacity is open source freeware. Anyone can get a more recent version of the software for free online.

3) Pre-amp: The ability to play this unit directly through a sound system with the boosted "Phono" inputs of older receivers was a major draw. Having held on to an older receiver for the single purpose of bridging between my turntable and my newer AV receiver, I was looking forward to eliminating one large and superfluous component in my rack. Given the tragic failure of the USB connection, I had also expected this to be the viable alternative to converting to MP3 on my laptop. Sadly, this too was a failure. The pre-amp in this unit is unable to cope with the low input at the end of any track that fades out. The result is a very abrupt cut-off followed by a series of unpleasant audio events as the pre-amp cuts in and out. These events seem to indicate that the db level at the end of the song combined with the surface noise usually experienced between tracks rests squarely at the bottom of the volume range necessary for the pre-amp to engage. As it turns out, this is also the case with USB recording but one might not notice as the aggravating hum covers most of the audio at this volume level.

At this point, my only remaining choice is to use the non-amplified output and run it through the mic input of my Creative Labs SB1090 USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Audio System external sound card (a delightful purchase from Amazon which will be reviewed separately). Of course, I could have done this with my existing turntable as could anyone else who purchased a comparable unit at a comparable price.

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Starting with assembly, I must say it was very simple! The included instructions are clear and concise (including the connect-to-computer instructions).

Now onto the player itself.

The player's output to stereo (and phono) are wonderful! The quality is amazing! My only issue is that the length of the stereo cord is irritatingly short--about one foot long!

Ripping record to your PC or Mac is simple! Just install the software, press 'record', and start playing your record! The rips are wonderful quality, too (IF you convert to a lossless format. MP3 is obviously going to be of a lesser quality)!

Overall, I must say that I love this. Besides the short stereo cord, this is a great, easy to use, and compact record player.

Also included with the record player:

* A USB cable

* A stereo (female) to headphone-jack (female)

* A stereo (female) to headphone-jack (male)

* Installation disc for Audacity (the recording software)

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I was a little concerned about buying it because one user complained of a humming noise from not being grounded properly, but it worked great. I've recorded a dozen albums and am very happy with the purchase. Lots of options on the software that I am still figuring out, but overall, I am very happy with this.

Sylvania 5.1 CH Blu Ray DVD Player, Home Theater System, Supports BD-Live

• Blu Ray DVD Player; and 5.1 CH Digital Channel Stereo System
• Supports BD-Live and USB 2.0
• FULL HD, 1080P playback
• Playable Media: BD-ROM, BD-RE/-R, DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-R/CD-RW, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264 FOR BD
• Total Output Power: 600W (PMPO) & 40 W (RMS)

Very pleased with price and quality of the item but... it doesn't come with the cables that are required to connect the blu ray player to the sound system. Or the cord (either hdmi ot YpBpR) to connect the blu ray player to the TV. So if u buy this be prepared to drop 40-80 DOLLARS on necessary cables.

Again love my system just wish it had everything in one.

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This was a Christmas gift. After it was installed and we played a new movie, the speakers began to hum after 30 minutes of it being on. We turned everything off, and back on and it did it again. So we then reinstalled, and just turned the amp on, it is the amp. The amp is crappy and not worth the money. Also does not have any inputs to connect other things into it. I am very displease with this product and would not recommend it to anyone.

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When I purchased this home theater system, there were few reviews available. I purchased it because I needed a new set home theatre system to watch my blu ray DVDs on and did not have much money to spend. I set this up and while I was not completely satisfied (the highest volume was still too low, slow loading time), the product was working fine. Then, however, the DVD player started turning on and off by itself as if it were possessed. Mind you, the return period window had just expired by one week when this started happening. I could not use this product at all. I then came here to write this review and have since found several new reviews complaining of similar problems.

This product is fundamentally defective and I do not recommend it. While the return period had expired, I took my chances sending it back to Amazon with the hopes of receiving a partial refund (I still had the box in which the product arrived). I was expecting to receive next to nothing but I really wanted this defective product out of my sight and out of my home. Thankfully, I returned it to Amazon.com and received a very generous partial payment, which was very close to the price I had paid for it (since I selected free shipping). I thought I would be out of luck (and out of $140 for good) but Amazon helped me tremendously. I suggest those who are disappointingly stuck with this defective product do the same. Thank you Amazon.

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I'm excited of this product, its everything said it would. Easy to set you and quality misa superb will recommend to everyone.

I am very Pleased with this system,since setting i i have enjoyed my movies a whole lot more than i used too :)

Olympus WS-110 WMA Digital Voice Recorder

I bought this recorder to record music. I am a cello major at college, and needed something at least to record lessons. I sorted through many recorders before buying this one, here's my advice:

~Look at the specifications; if you are buying an olympus recorder go to their website to look up the sampling frequency and other specs. For instance you'll find out that the sampling frequency is 44.1khz (cd quality) on hq mode

~Think about how much space you will need. For me, I will not be saving anything on that recorder; it will be moved quickly to the computer or my ipod so there was no point in buying more space on it.

My thoughts on the recorder so far:

~Good quality recording, almost cd quality. Works best of course with an external mic.

~I love the ease of use. The best thing, is that it works just like a usb device; you take the batter compartment off to reveal that in essence, this is a fancy usb stick. No additional software ... just drop it in the folder you want :)

Recording is easy too; click the big red button and you shall record

Update: I've had this recorder for WELL over a year, and I love it. With the external mic and good placement of the device, I get high quality recordings. I use it most for my lessons, and it's both discreet and efficient. Would recommend highly to anyone.

I bought the Olympus WS-110 WMA Digital Voice Recorder after researching quite a few brands and models (on Amazon and elsewhere). As I've used the device for about 3 hours only (since I got it yesterday), my feedback here will probably be revised after a few days' use.

Pros:

1. Ideal size lightweight; not heavy/bulky like most microtape recorders

2. Simple and intuitive user interface the buttons are sized correctly and the on-screen prompts are useful

3. Quality of recording at the highest quality is simply superb. I am still amazed at the high quality of audio.

4. Connectivity to the PC is straightforward (through the USB port) and finding the file within the folder structure is effortless.

5. The price I paid ($60 + free shipping) makes this device a fabulous buy.

6. The in-built speaker is quite good considering its size

Cons:

1. File format is limited to WMA/Windows Media instead of mp3 or a more Microsoft-independent format; I knew about this limitation when I bought the device but figured I could live with this limitation.

2. In-built mike is supersensitive (this is a disadvantage if the device is being used in an environment with substantial background noises). For my purposes, the sensitivity is welcome as I am currently using the device in environments with minimal background noise. I don't plan on buying a noise-cancelling mike as it might not be necessary.

Overall I would rate this voice recorder as a 4.5/5.0. It loses 0.5 points for being too MicroSoft-specific (WMA) as opposed to using a non-proprietory format.

Will edit this review (if possible) after using the device for a few more days.

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A buyer needs to know that this is just a recorder and not suitable for dictation use. The device is slim, light, but just the right weight to feel right in your hand. The USB connector is a great idea. All audio files generated are accessible as a USB drive that you plug into your computer.

The way the controls work is that when you press the "rec" button a new file is created that stores the audio. You can pause recording and restart by pressing the "rec" button to keep recording in the same file. If you press stop the file cannot have anything else added to it. What you cannot do is to pause the recording then listen to the recording to see where you were in your dictation. If you want to listen you have to press stop then play the file. You cannot add to the end of a file.

For recording discussions, music, events, or interviews it is fine. Good audio quality and low price. However, for dictation it is not appropriate. I returned the unit after purchase (at Office Depot) due to the limitations. Olympus has dictation appropriate recorders, but these are quite expensive. I'll be looking at the Sony brand dictation recorders to see if what I need is available there.

Now, as far as a recorder, the thing works fine. Easy to connect to the computer, there is no need for special software. It looks like a USB drive to any computer.

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This thing sounds really good and is actually compatible with my Mac (though since the files are in WMA format, you'll need a free app like VLC to play them in OS X). There are a few things listed in the product details that just aren't true, though:

it says there are eight playback speeds, when there are only three (.5x 1x, and 1.5x speeds). You can set these as permanent playing modes, which I suppose it how they somehow came up with the fictitious number of modes.

if you record at a decent quality, you only get 17-36 hours of recording. The lower qualities sound ok when they are played back, but if it's a loud room, you'll want to use the higher quality mode to be able to head the specific sound you're recording.

I love that I can plug it straight into my Mac and it appears as a drive. Very easy to interact with, and no need for messy drivers or cables.

I'm considering trading this one up to the Olympus WS-311M Digital Voice Recorder, which is only $20 more and has twice the recording time. But overall, this product seems to be a decent quality.

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I bought the Olympus WS-110 mainly so I could record my college lectures. I previously own a microcassette player, but I just got fed up with the cassette tapes and its limited capacity.

Anyways, I thought this little hardware little great. Like everyone mention in the other reviews: it's small, light, sturdy, and has a pretty decent audio quality.

The only problem I had with the Olympus WS-110 is the fact that it wasn't simple as I thought it would be, or "no manual reading required." But I had to resort to reading the manual for simple tasks such as turning on and off the digital voice recorder. But after 10 minutes of using this recorder I felt really comfortable with it.

The only thing I have left to say is, Olympus WS-100 does what it was made to do, record and playback audio, its not an MP3 player, it was never meant to be one. But if you do own an Olympus WS-110, and what music you pretty much have to convert your audio files into WMA. You can do so with this converter software:

http://www.download.com/Free-Mp3-Wma-Converter/3000-2140_4-10442362.html

(Note:I personally think its worth the trouble of installing this software. But just be careful, during installation you will be ask to install other unnecessary softwares such as a toolbar, and set yahoo as your homepage, just decline them all.)

Zmodo 8CH H.264 Security DVR Home Surveillance CCTV Camera System With 4 Bullet 4 Dome Sony CCD Sec

I installed this for my new shop. It has a great color view also great price for 8 cameras. I have a little problems for remote location access. So I gave a 3 stars but most of all I satisfied. I recommended this item if you are good to installed on the wall by yourself.

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Sony DSR-20 DVCAM / DV / MiniDV VTR Player/Recorder

We have used this unit for about 5 years and it is a very Professional piece of equipment. We used our unit to transfer our DVCAM Digital tapes to our Editing Computer and it provided us with a very detailed picture perfect footage for editing.

Terk FDTV1A Flat Digital Omni Directional Amplified Indoor Antenna-Black

• Optimized for HDTV reception and designed to blend in with high end components
• 360 degree reception pattern eliminates constant adjustment
• Removable ELN amplifier for outstanding reception without saturating the signal
• Patented reception technology outperforms traditional antennas
• Comes with easy 3 way mounting bracket

First some stats. I live about 45 miles from the primary source of all the local stations, in an apartment on the second floor, with a glass door to the balcony in the room with the TV. Also, the TV (and antenna) is in a recessed nook, with walls on three sides. I had been dealing with a boosted rabbit ear antenna setup from Radio Shack for the past 4 months. I could only reliably receive FOX, CBS, PBS, and the CW, and each of these required fiddling with the ears, circular antenna loop, and gain on the boost (too much or too little lost the signal). I could get other channels unpredictably and with a lot of work, and that was enough until I just got fed up with it all. Purchased three TERK antennas at Best Buy to try out, this one, the smaller version (FDTV2a), and a directional antenna (HDTVa).

All three completely blew the Radio Shack antenna out of the water, though they were very close to one another in terms of performance. This antenna was slightly more capable in receiving the weaker signals than the smaller version. While the HDTVa was the overall leader, the only one that picked up NBC while on top of the TV, it is on the large and cumbersome size, and takes up way too much space with the rabbit ears out (which were necessary for NBC). However, once optimally positioned, the FDTV1a picked up NBC and many others, and required NO adjustment.

I had to stand the antenna upright, next to the TV, and of course use the boost to get the best results. After a re-scan, I now get all of the channels I got before, all of the ones that were spotty, and a couple I didn't even know about, all with perfect clarity and sound, AND WITHOUT NEEDING ANY ADJUSTMENT. It also looks much more stylish than the rabbit ears I had before. I don't get ABC, and none of the TERK antennas were able to change that, but I am still thrilled with the results. I was seriously considering basic cable, and now I have no need for it.

Superb product. Excellent price here on Amazon. Highly recommend.

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I bought a Terk TV-55 antenna around a decade ago (still sold today), since it was one of the most expensive antennas around, and I was hoping there was something to it.

It worked, but I've never been convinced it does any better than more traditional antennas. It does do a better job since the digital transition, but I had to play with it's positioning quite a bit to get everything to come in.

Originally I figured I'd pick up another one of those, but when I saw this, I thought I might as well take a chance on a newer design.

Pulling it out of the box, it's amazing how small and light it is compared to my TV-55...it had me skeptical that it could really do as well.

Before hooking it up, I used the signal strength indicator on my Tivo HD to check how well each station was coming in, so that I could see if this antenna really did better or worse...

I swapped antennas, threw this FDTV1A on a chair near where I have my TV-55, and checked again. To my pleasant surprise, EVERY channel comes in stronger. Channels that were above 80% already are now maxed out at 100. Channels below that have all gained at least 10+ to 30 on the signal meter. I even seem to be able to pull in one station from another market decently that didn't come in at all on the TV-55.

And all that was without doing any more positioning than just throwing it on a chair next to my TV-55 (which is by an outside wall). (I should note that I have channels coming several different directions, so on my TV-55 it's challenging to find an orientation that gets all of them decently-this model really does seem to be omnidirectional, or at least far more so than a normal antenna).

So I'm very happy with this thing's performance so far, and would absolutely recommend it. For YEARS I've wondered why someone couldn't make a better antenna, with all the technology we have now...and it looks like they actually did.

The small size, and small AC adapter are nice too.

One note-if you're already getting channels in super strong, I've heard there's a chance that amplifying them may actually make them worse. I didn't have that happen in my situation at all. Even the channels that were already at 92 or 96 on my signal strength meter just bounced up to 100 without issue, but possibly some people might want to try it without plugging in the amplifier, if their signals are already super strong.

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Bought to replace a pair of good old fashioned bunny ears for the DT converter box. It doesn't get any more channels than the bunny ears were able to pull in, but I've gone from repositioning the bunnies every time I change channels to only repositioning this antenna for the one channel whose tower is the opposite direction from all of the others (In North Tampa, everything but Channel 10 comes from the south, channel 10 comes from the north)

A definite improvement, but I wish I could get everything from the same position.

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This is an excellent little antenna.

I have a great picture, lots of *free* (non-cable) channels, and some temporary respite

from the ever-constant exercise of dipole/loop manipulation.

Before purchasing this antenna, I tried two others: The RCA ANT1251 (Digital Amplified Indoor Antenna),

and the RCA ANT121 (basic loop & dipole-extendables) Indoor Antenna.

The problem with any loop/dipole antenna is obvious: Unless the antenna is (somehow) technologically superior,

many moments will become hours spent adjusting, re-adjusting, and re-re-adjusting those dang dipoles, adjusting the 'loop', and repositioning the antenna base. And when a loop/dipole antenna also includes additional 'switches' and/or 'fine tuning knobs' (such as the RCA ANT121 above), the number of potential positions for successfully orienting the antenna for optimal reception is limitless... and quite exhausting.

I've only had the TERK for 3 days now, but sweet Jesus... the damn thing actually works, and that is the ONLY reason

I'm spending precious moments of my life, writing this silly review. (yes i just wanted to give something back.)

I gave this product '4' stars (rather than '5') because... no product is perfect, and that includes the TERK.

Small Issues:

When I first installed the TERK and powered everything on, I got... absolutely nothing.

There were terrible, broken, pixelated pictures, and yes ~ heartbreak. Then, I added the signal booster/amplifier, and voila!! I got strong signals, excellent pictures, and little in the way of the need for repositioning the unit.

But for my apartment layout, area of town, distance from town transmitters, etc., etc.,

my TERK unit won't work without the adjoining booster/amplifier. (which, for the energy conscious amongst us, could be an issue.)

Booster/Amplifier Design: The design of the booster/amplifier unit is a tad inconvenient.

When the amplifier/booster is connected to the antenna, there is no 'on/off' switch; one must either connect or disconnect the amplifier from the antenna, and then plug/unplug the amplifier from an outlet. Basically ~ once the amplifier/booster is connected,

the antenna won't work without it (and the amplifier must be plugged in, for use).

It's just a tad inconvenient, but the excellent performance of the antenna is worth the inconvenience.

Booster/Amplifier Design: Also... for my particular layout, the design of the booster/amplifier presents another challenge. The booster itself is a tiny little black box, connected via cable, to both the antenna, and my digital converter box. The connecting cable (for the booster/amplifier) is *just* short/stubby enough, and the little booster box *just* heavy enough, so that it threatens to pull my antenna and/or converter box backwards off of my TV set. This is not a big deal, and a little repositioning solves the problem, but to date, the set-up is still a bit awkward. (i have a thick, table-top analog TV; my electronic accoutrements sit atop the TV, for convenience). Optimally and ideally, one will want to place both the main antenna, and the tiny booster box connection, close together, on any flat surface.

(note: the prime antenna cable itself possesses plenty of slack for moving the unit around, but not more than 2-3 ft.

from your television set. when the amplifier/booster is connected, an additional 1-1.5 ft. of cable slack is created,

for moving the unit around.)

I'm able to pull in every local station/channel offered by my municipality... except one. This is interesting, because positioning the unit in almost any spot will pull in every channel (for my area), reasonably clearly... except one, little channel that refuses to be watched.

Basically...

This unit was simple to install, installed easily to my analog APEX TV and digital converter box,

has a simple design with no knobs or switches, and requires very little in the way of adjustment/repositioning.

My current unit sits atop a pile of clean laundry, on a couch next to my TV, and has required little movement or repositioning to receive a great signal. By day, the unit sits atop one pile of clothing. By night (apparently signal positions 're-orient' themselves or something), I move the unit 1-ft. away, to sit atop another pile. Occasional corrections to improve picture quality have been few, and required only the slightest turning of the unit to the left, or right.

I will return my $100 Best Buy version, and re-order it here for 1/2 the price.

(bless you Amazon...)

Additional Reminder: For most, it might be helpful to purchase an additional 6-20 ft. of coaxial cable,

just to find that perfect spot for signal reception.

Also: Don't forget to test the unit with AND without the use of the booster/amplifier box.

Lastly: Don't forget to test the unit in BOTH the flat, and upright positions.

Good luck.

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First of all I am more of a reader than writer of reviews, however I feel compelled to share my experiences in finding a suitable antenna. My original intention was to get rid of cable and watch the OTA stations. So began my journey.

I tried out four different antennas before making my final selection:

1) RCA ANT1500 Superior Flat Antenna (White)

2) RCA ANT1650 Flat Digital Amplified Indoor TV Antenna

3) Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception

4) Terk FDTV1A Flat Digital Omni Directional Amplified Indoor Antenna (Black)

I was really impressed by the RCA 1500. For a non-amplified unit, it brought in a lot of stations 18(counting substations) on the first scan and 28 after some repositioning. The position I had to hold it in to get those stations was unsustainable. There was no way to mount it on the wall at that angle. Too bad though, since I couldn't get NBC or CW. It had a nice clean design and it was flat and wall mountable, which was important for my setup needs.

Next was the RCA 1650. I figured I would have better luck with an amplified unit. No way, though. It was flimsy, light and cheap feeling and very weak. The performance was way behind the cheaper 1500 (which I consider a great value by comparison).

Ok here goes... one of the best selling antennas on Amazon: The Terk Hdtva. Despite its somewhat garish looks and ungainly stature, man this thing rocks!! I see why it's so popular. It did a great job picking up the stations I wanted, and for someone with the counter space it is absolutely worth a try. Inevitably I returned it because it would not fit properly on my window ledge,due to its bulky design.

So finally I tried the Terk FDTV1a. For my needs this is the bomb. The convenient three way mounting bracket, the black and silver finish, everything about it looked right to complement the looks of my TV setup. And then I plugged it in and BAM! Stations galore, very little fidgeting to get a good signal, and it fits neatly on my ledge. Magic. It was a little more than I wanted to spend but it was worth it. I am very satisfied.

MV-8GBP: i.Trek Polarized Sport Sunglasses with built-in dual mode HD 720P Video Recorder and Pictu

• Spy camera sport sunglasses with High-Quality Polarized Lens with UV400 resistance
• Built-in HD 720P Video Recorder Video format: AVI HD 720P 1280x720 @30fps
• Built-in Digital Camera and Highly Disguised Control Buttons
• Super Strong Frame made of Swiss Imported Material
• Memory: Built-in Nand flash 8GB (80 ~ 100 minutes of video) Battery Life: 1.5hoursUSB 2.0

I bought this to film the hunts. Well I am disappointed. I am not sure what angle the actual camera is in, but the only thing I got on video is about 20 feet of the ground in the front of me. On all 20 or 30 videos that I record that day. So if you want to get anything you have to keep you chin pretty high, which is not natural.

I also had an issue when glasses stop responding and I have to reset it.

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Archos Vision 15 4 GB MP3 Player with 1.5-Inch Screen (Black)

• 4 GB capacity for storage of about 2000 songs
• Up to 10 hours of audio playback on a single charge
• 1.5-inch color TFT touchscreen with 128 x 128 pixel resolution
• Supports MP3, WMA (non-protected), WAV, FLAC and APE audio formats; MPEG-4 AVI video format; JPEG and BMP image formats; TXT and LRC text files
• One-year limited warranty
• 1.5-inch TFT LCD display
• 4 GB capacity for storage of about 2000 songs. Up to 10 hours of audio playback on a single charge
• Touchscreen with 128 x 128 pixel resolution
• Supports MP3, WMA (non-protected), WAV, FLAC and APE audio formats; MPEG-4 AVI video format; JPEG and BMP image formats; TXT and LRC text files
• One-year limited warranty

I own an Archos 5 and I was very satisfied with the quality of the player, so I picked up one of these as a backup. So far it is a great little unit. It is extremely small and portable, very light feel in the hand. The controls are easier to use than I thought they would be. Very responsive and intuitive. The syncing worked really well as it does with my other Archos. The one drawback is the quality of the screen. It is very small, and the resolution is poor. Pictures are hard to see and somewhat slow to load. It plays videos, but I couldn't imagine watching a movie on this and enjoying it. If you are looking to watch movies, this is not the player for you. If you are looking for a small and affordable MP3 player with and FM radio, this is a great choice.

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I purchased this player that I might have something to listen to while I work and it's...well, it's alright in some ways I guess. I like the radio feature and the support of FLAC audio format. I haven't really used the video or photo capabilities (the screen is only 1.5 inches), so I've got nothing to say in favor of or against them.

But there is one major drawback that really makes me angry, considering that this product is billed primarily as an mp3-player, and it is something everyone should know about this product before buying it: during playback the player cuts the first 3-6 seconds of the majority of the mp3 files I have transfered to it. This is not the result of faulty file transfer as far as I can tell. I've tried to transfer the files to the player using both Windows and Linux, but got the same results. I tried transferring each mp3 file individually rather than copying whole albums. Same problem. I even tried inserting 3 seconds of silence at the beginning of each mp3 track before I transfered it (which was a royal pain in the ass), but the player still cuts them off in the exact same place.

Really, I probably would have returned the player if it had cost anything more than $40, but I have a fair quantity of FLAC files which play back perfectly and I use the radio feature, so it still gets the job done for me more or less, albeit in a slightly dissatisfying, semi-functional way.

UPDATE: Had this thing less than 2 weeks and the screen already broke when I was trying on clothing at a resale shop. The player was in my pocket when my shorts, laden with wallet, cell phone, etc. fell the two feet to the floor. Apparently this was too much for the little Archos.

Read Best Reviews of Archos Vision 15 4 GB MP3 Player with 1.5-Inch Screen (Black) Here

I bought this little baby from the Archos site with a $10 off code.

I have had it for about 2 weeks and I am loving it. The only problem I have with it was, as mentioned in a previous review, it cuts off the first few seconds. The problem here is the firmware. When the original Archos 2 was released some people had the same problem while others didn't. The people who did not appeared to have had newer firmware than the other. Since there is a update option I am sure Archos could release a fix, but the tend to not give much attention to their less popular releases.

Overall it is a nice player, the only other problem is that it can be hard to control in the dark, it could have used back-lit buttons, but it is just a minor thing.

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The Archos Vision 15 4 GB MP3 Player is a decent value for what it is. It's a "value" type MP3 player that doesn't hurt the budget while attempting to look and act like more upscale models.

Downloading files to the Archos is very easy, and I managed to upload over 1900 tracks to it so far. The FM radio option allows you to listen to local stations (and a few that not even my car's radio could pick up) and store favorites in a list to find quickly later on.

The sound on this unit is very clear as well. The included ear buds work quite nicely too.

The sound recorder works pretty good too.

The only major drawback is the video screen which, at only 1.5 inches, doesn't lend itself very well to tracking songs or looking at photos. The screen is dark and blurry and not much to look at.

Overall, as a budget MP3 player, the Archos is a good option. If you want better quality, expect to pay more.

Mildly recommended.

On the positive side, this device is inexpensive, has great acoustics, it is as easy to use as other MP3 players and I am able to pick up many FM stations with quality reception. It is light, small, has lots of storage space and looks great.

On the negative side, the ear plugs are a bit hard and uncomfortable, I am only able to get about 1.5 hours of battery life and can only charge the battery on my computer. The screen is small and hard to see at night; however, I am not interested in using this product much at night, watching movies or viewing pictures on such a small screen or using it for long periods of time.

I feel like this is an excellent product and would recommend it for those interested in a light, easy to use, quality and inexpensive device for listening to music. Enjoy!

Toshiba SD9200 Progressive-Scan DVD Player

• DVD-Video/DVD-Audio/VCD/CD/CD-R playback; DVD and CD Text compatible
• DVD-Audio decoding and playback via 6-channel analog outputs; 24-bit, 192 kHz PCM audio
• HDCD precision filtering and decoding
• 10-bit, 54 MHz video digital-to-analog conversion with Super 4:4:4 Processing
• Super ColorStream Pro progressive-scan component-video output (540 lines horizontal resolution); built-in Dolby Digital decoding

I love this machine. It looks great. The slide down display that conceals the tray. The simple facia and clean lines make it stand out in my rack. But most importantly, the quality. The picture is brilliant. Rich deep colors and no obvious digital artifacts as seen in earlier players. Sound quality is second to none. I now us the Toshiba as my CD player. It's that good!!! The sound from both DVD-A & CD's is excellent. You would have to spend a lot more money than what is being asked here to improve on this unit. My only complaint is with the remote control. It could have been laid out better and include built in backlighting. But my universal remote solved that problem. I would recommend the Toshiba to anyone looking for a 1st rate DVD player & the capability to play all current CD formats including MP3's with the same, if not better, quality of other flagship models.

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I've been enjoying my SD-9200 since 2001 and it plays as well today as the day I brought it home. It is built extremely well. I use it for both DVD's as well as music playback with DVD-audio and CD's. Not quite a universal player (no SACD), but very close to it. The quality is far and above 95% of what you will find on the shelves of most big box electronics stores. If you find one used (and not abused), it would be a great buy, even today.

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This player is the worst piece of eletronics I've ever laid hands on. The settings in the setup menu keep changing all on their own. Also, the video cuts out about a third of the way through about 2/3rds of my dvds. I consisder this player to be unusable.

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After dealing with repeated Sony woes, I bought this unit because I believed that it would last a long time. After two years of ownership the spindle vibrates, it skips, and freezes. This unit has been a complete disappointment. What a terrible waste of $1500. I'll never buy another item again from this manufacturer. Toshiba and Sony both make JUNK. God, I wish there was a unit made in good-ole U-S-A!!! Seems like all you see these days are Chinese and Japanese junk in the stores.

This is absolutely the best player out there. It plays everything that I've gotDVD, VCD, and CD. It have a very crisp look and feel to it.

Recommendation: Strong Buy

Tascam US1641 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface with digital Connection - Macintosh and Windows

• 2 XLR mic inputs with phantom power ^S/PDIF Digital Input & Output^2 analog line inputs (1 switchable to high impedance for use with guitars, basses, etc.) ^1 MIDI input, 1 MIDI output^USB 2.0 equipped (also supports USB 1.1)
• 2 XLR mic inputs with phantom power
• S/PDIF Digital Input & Output; 2 analog line inputs; 1 MIDI input, 1 MIDI output; USB 2.0 equipped
• 2 XLR mic inputs with phantom power; S/PDIF Digital Input & Output
• 2 analog line inputs; 1 MIDI input, 1 MIDI output; USB 2.0 equipped

I looked at virtually every multiple mic interface on the market and couldn't find anything to touch this in features and/or price... so I bought it.

Wow!This thing rocks! I connected up 8 microphones for Kick, Snare, Hi-hat, Tom 1, Tom 2, Tom 3, Left Overhead and Right Overhead... all those mics plug into the 8 XLR mic sockets at the front of the unit. Got some really great 20ft XLR mic cables from Amazon for only $6.95 each (Whirlwind LowZ Microphone Cable (20 Foot) I then plugged in my bass guitar into one of 2 switchable line/guitar 1/4" mono inputs on the front.

Each of the 10 front panel inputs has a volume control knob and red/green led. The drummer hits each drum individually one by one so I can adjust each vol control so that it just occasionally clips red but mostly stays green.

After adjusting the six individual drum mics I now get the drummer to play the whole set and I adjust the left and right overheads mics so they don't clip (go red). That's it! The mics are setup ready to record.

I took the main output from the back of the unit to my monitors and there's a volume control on the front of the unit to allow you to turn down the monitor while recording... then you turn it up to listen back... so in effect, the unit has it's own monitoring control.

Two headphone jacks would've been nice, but I used a Y-adapter 1/4" Headphone Splitter to split the output allowing me to plug in the two headphones for me and the drummer.

I now setup recording on my laptop (HP TX2500z) using the supplied Cubase LE4 software which is really easy to use buy yourself the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Recording with Cubase. There's no specific book for version LE4 but this idiot's guide worked great for me.

A note about my notebook It's a tablet PC laptop HP Pavilion tx2500z 12.1" TOUCH-SCREEN Notebook with a great touch screen so you can arm/disarm or mute/unmute your record channels/tracks just by touching the screen buttons with your finger it's just like a real mixing desk with real tactile switches it's really cool!

You may need to tweak your laptop for audio recording to get the best results otherwise you will hear artifacts (odd noises) when recording if the laptop is struggling to find the necessary processing power. I tweaked my laptop and it was just amazing to see the difference in performance. You can Google "Tweak Vista for audio recording" to find the information on how to tweak.

I also replaced my 5400rpm drive with a 7200rpm drive Seagate 500 GB 7200RPM 2.5" Drive it's real easy to do... Google "Upgrading laptop hard drive". As well as getting a faster speed drive I also made it a 500GB to replace the 320GB drive that I had so lot's more space... and very low cost too!

RESULTS!!!!!!!!!!!

Well... Let me tell you, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the results obtained with this unit! The Tascam 1641 is an amazing piece of gear and Amazon's price is just out of this World at only $299...

It's like having a whole recording studio in a box the mic pre's, the mixing desk (vol controls), the signal LED's, the monoring vol control, headphone controls, etc... AND the software all for $299 You can't beat that!

The actual sound that I got was totally professional I couldn't have done better if I was in a top-notch recording studio. I am 100,000% satisfied!

GO FOR IT!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!

Buy Tascam US1641 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface with digital Connection - Macintosh and Windows Now

I'm a drummer and I've been looking for something to really record my drums with. I knew I wanted to go with a 7 mic kit but the problem I faced was I couldn't find an interface that would handle 7 xlr inputs and wouldn't drain my bank account. This one certainly seemed to fit the bill once I found it. I've only had it for a few days now but it delivers on it's promise. It's a nice professionally put together piece of equipment. I'm running 7 mics into it and using GarageBand to record each to it's own track. I plan on using something more complex in the future but the Cubase 5 LE (I know the description says Cubase 4 LE but since that's an old version this now ships with version 5) this comes with is confusing and overly complicated. You can use this interface with any DAW or Digital Audio Workstation, like GarageBand, Logic, Cubase, etc. There are a whole bunch out there and this piece of hardware is compatible with all of them as far as I can tell with the exception of Pro Tools, which uses it's own hardware only.

I did have a minor problem setting the system up and I'll write here how I got around it so anyone else having a similar issue can correct it. I started out by installing the drivers on the disc that came with the interface, but there have since been several upgrades to the drivers and the firmware that are available to download on the Tascam website. I immediately updated to the latest driver (I'm running OSX Snow Leopard and using this on an early 2008 MacBook Pro) and then went to upgrade to the latest firmware. But the firmware refused to install. Basically it doesn't place nice with the newer drivers. What I did was uninstall the drivers and go back to the disc version, then install the first firmware upgrade, then update the drivers with the first update (1.01 I believe) then install the second firmware upgrade, and finally updated to the latest set of drivers. It takes a bit of time but it's worth it.

There's a couple of things on this that it'd be nice to have and Tascam addressed them on it's newer Tascam US2000 USB Audio Interface. Like it'd be nice to have an LED meter bridge instead of the single light you get on this model and also it'd be nice to have an individual 48v phantom power switch for each xlr input instead of the 2 switches which apply to 4 inputs each on this one. But that model is double the price and essentially those are the only real differences between the two models. So half the price to sacrifice just some lights and a couple of individual switches? Sounds like this is a better deal.

A quick warning about that phantom power. There are two toggles on this, each one applies to 4 xlr inputs at a time. Meaning you can have phantom power on for ALL of inputs 1-4, ALL of 5-8, or ALL of 1-8. So if you're using a mic that should not be phantom powered (like a ribbon mic) make sure you don't group it with mics you need to power.

Read Best Reviews of Tascam US1641 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface with digital Connection - Macintosh and Windows Here

If you're serious about recording your music and you need a great audio and midi interface for your projects at a reasonable price, this is the one for you.

Packed full of features and power and capability, it more than gets the job done, whether you plan to record with just a keyboard, or your whole band.

The product literature lists the features, so I won't repeat them, but as a new user, the performance I have got from it has been great. Also it's easy to install and set up and integrates easily with any Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) you may be using for your project.

I recommend 100%

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I'll preface this review by stating that if you have any kind of digital, multi-input recording interface...you'd better have a good working knowledge of your computer and your DAW. If so, this will not be very painful...if your knowledge is limited, you may incur some significant growing pains before you are comfortable with your equipment.

I'm a drummer by training and an electronics addict, so I figured this out pretty well.

My recommended computer specifications are:

Multiple Core processor @ 2.8GHz per core (or faster)

4+ GB RAM

500GB 7200rpm hard Drive

Dedicated USB 2.0 card.

17" or more of screen (for your DAW to render properly)

Setting up the US-1641:

Download the latest drivers from TASCAM's site (especially for the 64-bit drivers, use ver 2.02)

Download and update the firmware for the interface

As for the interface itself:

8x XLR (w/pre-amp) inputs on the front. Good pre-amps no distortion or weird noises from them. All 8x with 48v phantom power (switchable in bundles of 4x channels). These are inputs 1-8 when visible in your DAW and have gain knobs on the front of the interface.

2x Guitar pre-amp OR line inputs (1/4"). Inputs 9-10 and have gain knobs on the front of the interface.

4x Line-in (1/4") on the rear of the module. Inputs 11-14. (I use an external microphone pre-amp to feed additional mics into the US-1641)

1x stereo SPDIF input on the rear. Inputs 15-16.

1x 1/4" stereo headphone output; volume knob as well as a knob to mix how much input signal you want to hear vice playback signal from your DAW.

Also has stereo monitor out on rear of the module with a knob on the front for control.

At first I had some dropout problems with this...mainly because I was using an archaic computer, did not upgrade the firmware, and did not have the latest drivers loaded. I bought a new computer, performed the upgrades, and with Sonar Producer 8.5, I am smoking! No dropouts recording 9x inputs simultaneously.

This unit comes with CUBASE 5LE...I'm not as familiar with Cubase as I am Cakewalk, so I stuck with my DAW of choice. Also works with Reaper (shareware). With Audacity it will only feed a stereo signal into the program (because the US-1641 uses an ASIO driver to talk to the DAW, Audacity uses a WDM driver). Make sure in the audio options of your DAW, you're using the ASIO driver!

I am real happy with this interface. I've recorded a 6-song EP for a local musician with it, record my own songs, and am beginning to take on session projects for other musicians using this. It's very reliable and the sound is incredible. I would compare it with some of the mid-level DigiDesign interfaces, but with a significantly lower price point (I bought this, the 8x channel pre-amp, rack case, headphone amp, power conditioner, M-Audio monitors, and a new computer for the price of a single DigiDesign 002 Rack unit).

I've recorded 9x inputs simultaneously without a droppout. I'm betting I can use 14x inputs without a droppout (I don't have any device that uses SPDIF, so 2x channels are useless to me). Oh and if I had a MIDI controller, I'd be rocking that through this as well!

I don't see how you can beat this for the price and quality. As long as you have a dedicated, high quality computer, this interface will do you very well.

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Zero regrets and I am a solo player doing home studio recording. I looked at the high-end consumer gear which was about $100 less. The TASCAM US-1641 is, at a *minimum*, low-end professional gear. That's my opinion but I've used plenty of music gear over the years. You just get a feel for things that are well made, and this product thoroughly qualifies in that realm.

If you have studio engineering in your blood and are very technically oriented, the Cubase 5 LE software that comes with the unit will be right up your alley. I am very techincally oriented but do not have studio engineering in my blood -so I went ahead and spent the extra $75 to buy Acoustica Mixcraft as my recording studio software. Ecstatic with the combination of the Tascam & Mixcraft would be an understatement.

You would have to have an awfully big reason to need more than what the Tascam US-1641 can deliver. At this price, even a solo artist should demand no less.

Hughes HDVR2 DIRECTV Series2 Digital Satellite Receiver w/ TiVo Digital Recording & Remote Control

I just learned the hard way that DirecTV no longer is activating older DirecTV Tivo units that don't have an 'RID' number on them. Bought my unit through Migelectronics here on Amazon (the listing for the unit made no mention of RIDs) and when I tried to activate, was informed that only units that have the RID number (sometimes imprinted by the access card slot, sometimes on the back of the unit) will be activated as of July, 2010.

So I have a semi-working DirecTV Tivo unit that can't be activated (pretty useless). If you are thinking of buying a unit through Amazon or eBay, make sure you get the RID number from the seller FIRST and confirm with DirecTV that it will be activated if you buy the unit.

Very frustrating when the product information is incomplete and there is no one to contact. Could the sellers PLEASE specify whether or not the receiver has an RID number?

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It did not include the remote control which is necessary to operate the equipment. It was shown in the picture but did not arrive. I requested expedited shipment but it took a week to arrive.

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Great price on the receiver. This was a replacement for one that finally wore out. Tivo makes a great product. It arrived in just a few days.

Jim

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Verbatim 97536 50 GB 2x Blu-ray Double Layer ReWritable Disc BD-RE DL, 1-Disc Jewel Case

Have written/rewritten this disc at least 4 times by now. The erase and write process takes FOREVER (on the order of a dozen hours for a 48GB write) but it does in fact work. Haven't had a problem writing to it yet!

Using it for burning small test projects and checking in a Blu-ray player. So far it is working well. Have burnt and erased around 10 times and have not noticed problems yet. If there will be problems, I'll come back and revise this review. Equipment: PC with Win7 Pro, Pioneer 206DBK writer, Panasonic BD45 player (this player does not state an ability to play BD-RE DL version, but in reality it does play this type). Tried with Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 and Adobe Encore and it worked fine too. The box states that it is "Made in Japan" just in case if it's important for you.

Buy Verbatim 97536 50 GB 2x Blu-ray Double Layer ReWritable Disc BD-RE DL, 1-Disc Jewel Case Now

I got this 50GB blu ray rewrittable disc but to write data (video file) on this disc at 2X is painfully slow. I might try some of those newer 4X 0r 6x later on.

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I tested this bd-re dl out as soon as it arrived and i was amazed with its quality. Also no errors.

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Great b/c you can put several videos on this and then delete them and then put different ones on it. Several other uses you could also use this as a backup for files etc.

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1x RCA Composite Video Subwoofer Digital Coax S/PDIF Patch Cable 50 feet 50ft

great cable at 50 ft /and shielded from Electrical interfearence /using it for a security cam video feed / i had a bunch

of spliced cables which had a lot of niose--this shielded cable cleaned the feed right up----------------------G

Defender SN500-4CH-002 Feature-rich 4 Channel H.264 DVR Security System with Smart Phone Access and

I setup the 4 cams and used my tv as the monitor, had it up and running in about 30 min. Mounting the cams and getting the view I wanted and installing the cords to where they were hidden took me 2-3 hrs. Daylight images are pretty good quality. The cams are not waterproof and as other said over 20 ft details get fuzzy. I have cam 1 overlooking the driveway set under the eaves above garage, cam 2 in mudroom overlooking main entrance and garage (cam1), cam 3 inside looking at back sliding glass door, cam 4 inside living room looking at main entrance. I installed the outdoor wire through a 25 ft long 3/4" diameter plastic conduit to prevent someone cutting it (use a lubed up electician's fish wire tool helps).

-1/2 star for during the night mode the LEDs cause too much reflection to have the cam setup to record vid through a window even with an antiglare shield. I recommend when you get the cam angle you like, use a bit of lock tight on the clamp screw (the temporary kind, not the permanent) I can see the clamp getting loose during natural cold and heat cycles.

The settings I use are best quality recording and only on Alarm mode (movement). The motion detector is fine during the day, a bit buggy during the night mode (-1/2 star). car lights shining will activate the recording, moths and bugs also are attracted to the IR light during night mode even with the sensitivity turned down. During the night mode also there is about a 1-2 second delay from detection to start of recording... the suggested setting is 24/7 record on low quality unless Alarm or movement mode activates a higher quality record setting, but this will eat up a lot of HD space and you end up with a lot of nothing video.

I use about 1% of HD space a day on Alarm only record mode on Best quality so it will possibly record up to 100 days before rewriting, which is pretty darn good.

-1 star is converting the vid (H.264 format) you want to web friendly or any computer viewable (AVI format) requires a few steps and you end up with a pretty large file (the option to convert to MP4 or other format can be done with a secondary converter, will give you a smaller file with decent quality). You can use USB thumb drive or an alternative you can have another external HD and dump your vid there, then use a PC and the provided AVI converter. You can only convert the one cam vid at a time, so if you have 20 some events on different cam views it will take a while to convert. Practice this step a few times just in case you need to do it for an incident where you have to submit video as evidence to police.

The remote control is very cheaply made and if you have a fat thumb like me it was a bit cumbersome to use... I only use the remote because it has the easiest to find PB button (playback) compared to going through the menus manually. I mainly use the provided mouse to navigate otherwise.

If you want better night vid, there are other better quality waterproof outdoor cams available (any brand with a Sony CCD is good or Panasonic).

***Updated in the comments section 1 year into owning the system*** (K.H.)

This is a video review of SN500-4CH-002 which is Defender's feature-rich 4 Channel H.264 DVR Security System with Smart Phone Access and 4 Indoor/Outdoor Hi-Res CCD Night Vision Surveillance Cameras.

This all-in-one system contains everything you need to setup and record a 4 camera surveillance system in your home or business.

For my installation, I did not need to buy anything extra or subscribe to any monthly service to use the system. I can now access the system through any computer in the world as long as it has internet access. I can also access footage by using my smart-phone when I am on the go.

I really do recommend the Defender SN500-4CH-002 system for anyone looking for an affordable 4ch DVR security system with web and smartphone access.

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This is a great system as a beginner system goes. It is limited to 4 cameras which is the only drawback, really making it applicable for home or small business use.

I installed this on the outside of my home.

The system came well packed, directions were detailed and a snap. It took just over 2 hours to get it all set up. I would say that I am expert at handy man type jobs, so if you aren't comfortable on a ladder, with a makita drill and spade bit, better leave installation to an expert.

Picking the location of the cameras was the toughest part, as I wanted them to have the best views and yet somewhat un-obtrusive. We have had 3 friends come over since I installed the system and none of them had any clue there were cameras around.

I have not tried the web set up yet, but will soon.

The software allows you to fast fwd at an 8x speed so you can search easily. The night vision is awesome as well. The cameras work well in ambient lighting, so no issues there either.

I have a friend who is a police officer take a look at the video quality and he said if anything ever happened, the quality is good enough for law enforcement as well.

Bottom line: If you can drill and route wires, you can install this. Maybe the best $500 I have ever spent.

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After 3 years of researching for a system to place in my home and with my needs of Web/Smartphone ability this company is highly recommended. My line of work allows me to see alot of professional DVR security systems in Corp. and private retail industry. I truely believe in camera security over just an audile alarm for homes. More crimes are solved with a picture over an audible alarm which is monitored. I bought the system due to the cost and features. Once received it was out of the box and running in 10 minutes (No camera's mounted or internet connection at this time). Internet connection took me about 45 minutes (Now I could do it in 5 minutes if I did it over). When it comes to setting up the router read carefully I have Linksey G wireless and everything works using DHCP IP address mode. I also use a first generation iPhone which does allow me to see the cameras in real time. This unit has capabilities to record on different days, hours and or an area of motion can be set within the cameras view to activate. The system does have a notification setup for emails which sends a still photograph if the camera is activated (Would be nice if updated software was to add notifications to phone numbers). Added features in the back of the DVR allow setup of an audile alarm. For around $500 one time fee with no monthly service to monitor or cost to maintain, who can beat this product. Four cameras with IR are very well made with metal bodies and 60ft of cable. Video quality is great, clean and crisp.

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We ordered an SN-500 to use in an outdoor application, to monitor a calving barn. This unit was a great value for the money and is working extremely well for this application. It was easy and quick to install, but took me some time to understand how to make the unit accessible via the internet. Once it was up an running, we have had no problems. It works o.k. with a dynamic DNS service, but does not update the DNS address when it changes, only on a set schedule. This makes the unit go off-line for a few hours before the update occurs if your service provider changes your DNS address on occassion. This is my only complaint and I can live with it. The cameras have worked well in sub-zero temperatures with clear pictures during daytime hours. Night vision also works well and by adding a little light, the picture quality improves greatly. I would highly recommend this unit for the price.

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Samsung DVD-HD941 Up-Converting DVD Player

• 720p, 768p, and 1080i upconversion from conventional DVD-Video images (for use with high-definition and HD-ready TVs)
• Faroudja DCDi technology eliminates jagged edges along diagonal image lines
• High-resolution audio performance with Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD-Audio decoding
• HDMI digital-video output, including an HDMI interconnect and an HDMI-to-DVI converter
• Discrete IR codes ensure that the unit will function properly with your other home theater components

When I purchased my new 61" Samsung DLP 6163W set a month ago I knew that the HD-941 DVD Player was a must have because of the HDMI Connection. Well I finally got it at Harvey's in NYC and as soon that I turned it on I noticed a significant difference in the quality of the sound and video compared to the HD-841 model. After watching DVD's for the pass 4 days I am 100% satified with this DVD player and immediatly returned the HD-841

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My 941 is region free and HD security free at last. To avoid video problems get the latest firmware update from Samsung. Then go to ebay and buy an Aiwa RC-6AS14 remote control for

Philips DVP5990/F7 DVD Player with 1080p HDMI Upconversion and DivX

• 1080p upconversion
• HDMI digital output for easy connection with only one cable
• DivX Ultra Certified for enhanced playback of DivX videos
• Create MP3s directly from CDs
• Plays DivX- MP3- WMA and JPEG digital camera photos

I bought one of these, and it's AWESOME! For the price, the versatility is unreal. You can burn a CD, DVD or put your files on a flash drive or even an external hard drive, and it plays them all! Not advertised is that it plays .mp4 [iPod / iTunes music]. It does not play m4p songs purchased of of iTunes, but it will if you burn a regular CD, then rip the songs back in.

The delay to play any file is short. It recognizes discs in about 5-8 seconds, and flash drives even less. A video file with a large bitrate does take longer to load, but it's well worth it.

Everything listed here was tested with 2GB and 4GB flash drives...

Will not play a .mov file, but it will play the file if it is renamed with a .avi or a .mp4 extension and both audio and video streams are supported.

Apparently it will not play an AAC audio file or audio stream within a video file if bitrate info is missing, or if it uses an ADTS muxing mode. One or both of these are true, could not isolate which.

Does not play MJPEG video [like from a Kodak digital camera], but it does play the 88.2 Kbps 11.025 KHz LPCM audio stream within a MJPEG .avi file.

Did not play the H.264 stream within an .avi or mp4 container, but it did play the AAC stream.

Played several AAC files created by iTunes, all encoded at various bitrates and sample rates [41 & 48 KHz, 96-192 KHz]

Does play WMV 9 with WMA 9.2 audio

Does play .MPG MPEG 1 video with MPEG audio

Does not play .MKV file with x264 codec

Plays WMA and MP3.

Plays files off an external hard drive as well, but it must be formatted as FAT16 or FAT32.

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you have to go to setup>preferences and press 138931 on your remote > press 'up' arrow to select '0' and hit setup again to exit and you can play any region dvd.

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Philips DVP5990/37 DVD player is good for a mid-range, priced player. Compared to sister company, Magnavox's MDV460/17, the 5990 is far superior and demonstrates why you should spend a little more for quality. The 5990 reads multiple formats including Divx, MP3, and WMA which has become fairly standard for DVD players, but there are two features that set it apart from the competition: flash drive port and online firmware updating. The 460 has none of these features.

Also built into the 5990 is limited memory, so when you turn off the player and go back later to finish your movie, you can start where you left off. The 460 does not. The 5990 is also relatively fast from the time you press the "open disc" button, to the start of the movie (about 15 seconds). The 460 is slower than molasses and doesn't always recognized disc formats (30-40 second start up).

The 460 does a good job of presenting options in the setup menu, offering more optimization than the 5990, but the 5990's simple setup allows you to plug and play, right out of the box, and start enjoying your movie. Both have component video, but only the 5990 has HDMI the new standard which offers faster, neater setup.

For those of us that hate having to get up off of the couch to eject the disc, the 5990 offers a handy "lazy person's eject button" on the remote. The 460 makes you work.

The flash drive port options are a little akward on the 5990, but offer a range of options for a variety of multimedia. And the online updating requires you to register, then has trouble finding the unit you are trying to update.

All in all the 5990 is far superior, but you are paying 3 to 4 times the price of the 460. Best Buy and Walmart have recently offered the 5990 for about $60, while other vendors are asking for $80 or more. However, for the price, few offer better than the Philips 5990/37. This is a good buy: the moral being, you get what you pay for. (writen 7/23/08)

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I bought this product hoping it would be region free but when I put in a region 2 dvd it didnt work. I was quite upset, looked at the back of the unit, and saw that the player was a region 1 only player. I went onto amazon to put in my warning when I saw another comment from another consumer. I didnt think it would work given my player specifically says its region 1, but if you press setup on the remote, press the right arrow until you get to the "preferences" menu, and press 138931 it will ask you what region you want to set the unit to. Go down to 0 and you are all set. Thanks, whoever it was that put that comment in. I have no idea where you found that out, but a great little secret.

This is a fantastic player which most certainly does play PAL discs without a problem. There is also a superb modified firmware available at videohelp.com which gives longer filenames and some other interface improvements.

The person who claims they had trouble getting discs out of the thin tray and lost discs into the player is...shall we say...less than truthful. It is impossible to push discs into the guts of the player without tripping the door close sensor. Even so, the tray will retract and the disc will fall into the recessed portion of the tray. The cover is held on with screws. How tough would it be to remove the cover if you needed to do so? Not very. I suppose you could turn the unit upside down and shake it to dislodge the disc from the tray. The player is designed for use under regular gravity and in a somewhat stable physical location.

MP3 and WMA support is very good, supporting up to about 650 MP3s per directory. The USB port is in the front which is convenient but somewhat ugly, to be honest. For homemade data discs, I recommend using the freeware program FolderSort (Windows) as the files are sorted by the raw 8.3 format which does not always give the same order as the long filenames.