Archos Gmini402 20 GB Camcorder and Multimedia Player

• Multi-tasking 20 GB multimedia player with integrated video camcorder/still camera
• Capture up to 50 hours of video (MPEG 4 SP); 2x digital zoom; 1.2 megapixel still resolution
• Compatible with MP3, WMA, WAV, protected WMA, MPEG-4, WMV and protected Windows Media Video
• Plays back MPEG-4 SP video with B-Frames with stereo sound; displays JPEG photos
• Up to 10 hours of battery life for music playback, 4 hours for video playback, and 2 hours for video capture

I got this unit to use mainly as a camcorder. I've been looking for one that has a good size hard drive and this one meets that criteria with 20gb. The unit is very small and lightweight. The color is nice and attractive. But it seems that that design is driven by being snazzy rather than functional. While the LCD is located in the center of the unit, the lens on the other side is placed off to the left. It's hard to keep from blocking the lens while recording. I hope this problem will go away once I get used to holding it with my right hand only. The lens is covered by a cheap built-in piece of plastic which I think will suffer a lot of scratches over time. The buttons could have been bigger. There's no place to hook up a strap. I'd like to use one when I'm recording because with its size it's very likely to fall out of your hands.

The video quality is acceptable. Under the VGA setting, the pictures are sharper, but appear to be kind of grainy. It seems especially important to concentrate on holding the camera steady while shooting. Otherwise, the video looks a bit jumpy. Some of the buttons are not particularly intuitive. For example, there is no obvious "pause" button.

The drawstring pouch included in the package is thin with no padding, and doesn't provide protection for the camcorder. I got one from somewhere else and use the pouch for the cables.

The manual is not thorough. Some of the options and even some of the hardware aren't mentioned or explained. There's one adapter that plugs in the top of the unit with line-in on the one side and AV out on the other. It doesn't have any problem plugging into the TV to play the content, but doesn't record TV; I can only guess it's for recording audio. There's hardly any mention of this either. Also I still don't know what kind of rechargeable battery is used in this unit. It wasn't said anywhere in the manual. It just says the battery is designed to last for the life of the camcorder (whatever that means).

As a multi-media player it doesn't have a built-in speaker, which is a major omission.

If your computer has Windows XP, you can plug it in using the provided USB cable. Copying the the clips to the computer is basically drag-and-drop. I don't know with other computers, but with mine, if the file is lager than 500mb it doesn't let you transfer it to the computer; it says the file is too big. When I change the setting in the camcorder for it to be recognized as a removable hard drive, the transfer works fine. Maybe I need to update the firmware. On the Archos website, there's a couple of new updates, but I can't access them because I have to update to version 1.2 before I can use them. Version 1.2 was nowhere to be found. I haven't tried calling tech support yet. They do have the 800 number listed on the website.

Overall, I'd say the Archos 402 camcorder has a lot of room for improvement, but is nevertheless worthwhile in that you can record and store a large amount of video in very small package.

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I have had the Gmini 402 cam for about a week now, and I have been very impressed so far. I started off looking for a device that I could simply dump digial photos on, but the gadget monger inside of me wanted more than just a mass storage device for photos. This was the best option I could find that included the USB Host(direct connect with digital camera) and a good mp3 player on it.

It has a little smaller hard drive than devices like the Cowon X5 and the Toshiba Gigabeat, but to me this wasn't really a problem, 20 GB was fine. The design of the the Gmini is ok, personally I like the looks of the Gigabeat, and (while not an I-Pod fan) the I-Pod better. It looks a little too much like a gameboy or some kind of game only device. But function won out in that battle, and I had to go with the Gmini.

For those interested in the USB host function, after comparing devices for a couple weeks I found out a few things about the other devices that I didn't like; the Gigabeat for example can only use 2 GB of its 30 GB for photos dumped from your digital camera, and I am pretty sure you can not view those dumped photos either. The Cowon X5 does allow you to view images, but limits the size of individual pictures to 2.5MB each. The Gmini does not have any of these limitations, and has a great viewer for the images as well.

Aside from the USB Host function, all the other features on it have been great. The camera is obviously not real good, but I wasn't really expecting it to be. The camcorder on the other hand isn't bad, obviously its no sony handycam, but not bad. The video player is cool, but i don't foresee using it too much. And as I mentioned before the MP3 player, is pretty much all I could ask for, album art, ID3 compatible, good sound as far as I can tell. Battery life so far has been decent, though simply comparing stats with other devices, it is probably not quite as good.

Overall this has been a great device, and I look forward to using it a lot!

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I purchased this unit for a family vacation. I originally wanted a smaller digital camera that could easily fit in a pocket and would'nt be a problem to carry. I spoke with a sales clerk and he had a few sugestions which were ok, then he showed me this. As a techie I was instantly hooked and forgot what I originally came in for. The concept of having a camcorder that fits in a pocket intrigued me. I bought it, and could not wait to get it home. After a few hrs of playing around I've come to the following conclusions.

The good: Overall id say that it is an amazing little device.

* The video camera is excellent, especially at the lower resolution. When the resolution is raised to vga the video becomes a little grainy but is still pretty good.

* The video / audio playback is flawless.

* The MP3 playback is excellent, controls are intuitive, awesome sound with the right headphones.

* The small size of the unit vs it's fuctionality makes it a unique product.

The bad: My biggest problem with this unit is the lousy still camera.

* The still camera is horrible. DO NOT buy this unit for still pictures, it will disappoint.

* This unit is a little light on battery

* The storage pouch is useless, it may prevent scratches but if you drop it, it's over. Buy a better case.

* I agree with other reviews, the manual is less than informative, but, the controls are fairly easy to figure out.

* Headphones are not the best.

* line in recording is audio only, which is not a really a flaw.

* Lense placement takes some getting used to, my hand naturally wants to cover it.

I hope this helps.

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Archos makes a lot of products with great functionality, but they are also very unreliable and when they break, you have to deal with some of the worst customer service around. If it only takes a month to get a working replacement for your broken product consider yourself lucky. It took a month for them to send me another broken product which I had to send back. 5 weeks later I'm still having to call them up and listen to some lady who works part time complain about all the problems they have with their warehouse.

Avoid Archos!

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This is a great item that Archos designed poorly. The still camera isnt all that great, takes blurry pictures. The video isnt great either; nice FPS but the sound is garbage. Plays great video. Has useless games on it that are also impossible to control because of the location of the buttons. Awful multi-use buttons for scrolling through menus, you lose track where you are in the menu process because none of the buttons are labeled and theres no indication on the screen of what you're supposed to click next. From the factory, the back part didnt fit well against the middle & couldnt get it to fit better; could welcome in dirt or moisture and wreck it.

Great battery life; it lasted for 6 days and about 9 hours of use before I returned it to the store and the level indicator was at 50%+. There is NOWHERE to put a wrist strap or lanyard and thats the main reason I returned it.

If this was redesigned with a no-slip design, case, or wrist strap and better menus, this product would rock.

Microsoft Plus! SuperPack for Windows XP

• Easily create amazing slideshows with digital photos
• Personalize PC with 8 screen savers and 4 themes
• Take a break with fun and exciting games
• Easily create music CD/DVD labels and inserts
• 50 video effects and transitions for Windows Movie Maker 2

I purchased this software thinking that I could take my digital images, create a slide show with music, and then burn it to dvd for the family to watch.

Unfortunately, the disk that I got gave me some error messages that when I called tech support (one hour hold time)they told me that my error message meant that I could create files, but they'll only run on my computer, not on my tv dvd player. In addition, you need to buy additional dvd burning software, because the dvd burning software imbedded in this software package will only create dvds that will run on a dvd player with the Microsoft logo on them. (The package says the dvds will run on almost any dvd player)

So I asked for my money back. However, since it took me more than 30 days to find all of this out, they refused a refund.

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This software really shows off the power of your XP. Visually it is amazing. I am not so sure I would catagorize it as a must unless your computer is just for fun. For those of us with work to do the appeal wears off pretty quick.

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This is the first time I have ever reviewed a product and I do it so that no one else will waste their money on this. It adds virtually nothing to XP. Too bad they didn't make it as interesting as their packaged media edition. That would have been worth the money, but old Bill who doesn't want to be the richest man in the world would rather you spend money on a new PC to get that product. The themes are nice but far too few for the price. The games are a gimmick since you have to pay to play the real things. The DJ is dumb and the dancers are cute but after a while boring. Hard to figure out how to use the music converter and photo stuff. Too bad could have been something but in its present form, not worth the money.

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This software works great, was easy to install and makes recording my old albums and tapes onto my computer a breeze. This is exactly what I was looking for and would recommend it to anyone interested.

Plus! clearly shows off some great visual effects. I have to confess that I have not yet fully explored the entire package, but wanted to share the fact that this software comes incomplete ... they are clearly using this to entice folks to buy more via upselling. For instance, the games show lots of "potential" effects that become available only if you purchase the remainder of that game. I personally don't appreciate being sold a partial package.

Sony ECM-DS70P Electret Condenser Stereo Microphone

• Quality microphone for digital media recording; ideal for DAT, NT and MD recorders
• Plug-in power operation
• Uni-directional recording to capture stereo sound
• Gold-plated contacts for sure connection
• 1 meter long cord (3' 3")

I recommend the Sony ECM-DS70P stereo microphone.

This mic is great to use with the Sony Mini disc recorders such as MZ-N707 and up. Although it is referred as uni directional, I have found the stereo separation very good.

As you are recording yourself with other singers for example you distinctly hear the vocal separation or instrument separation on playback so, then you can get an interesting separated sound by adjusting the mike direction.

So, even though the L and R mics are close together they must be facing in different directions to get that quality of separation.

There probably are better mikes, and I am sure they cost more money. I am critical of what sound goes in my ears, and this is excellent for my needs, which is self recording, recording voice lessons, live performances etc.

I hope this review was helpful.

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I bought this mic for two reasons:

1. It is stereo not mono

2. I just bought a Kodak Zi8 Digital Camcorder

Although the sound is surprisingly good on the Zi8, it has an external Stereo mic jack. The Sony ECM-DS70P is highly regarded and works perfectly with the Zi8. There is a notable difference in the sound when I use the Sony mic. You can clearly hear the stereo sound difference when recording in a 360 degree environment (like outside in a playground or other event). I have also used it for voice recording and it does a nice job there as well.

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(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)This unit is not as compatible as compared to others. But, what it loses in compatibility it makes up for in features. It's wonderfully small and works great with Sony MD recorders. True, it isn't as versitile as the battery models, but it's a lot smaller too. If you just want to do MD recording, this is the unit for you.

The sound quality is sufficiently clear when recording, but is not sensitive enough to satisfy the most demanding users such as musicians or professional reporters. You need a relatively strong source.

Here's one MD player recorder that I know has the microphone jack and works great with this microphone:

'Sony MZ-NF810CK Net MD MiniDisc Recorder with Car Kit'

However, don't be fooled. Not every MD player has the appropriate Mic Jack. Double Check the technical documentation to make sure. Units that definitely do not have it are:

'Sony MZ-NE410 High Speed Net MD Walkman Recorder'

Notice the deceptive "Recorder" moniker in the product name. Don't be fooled! Very few MD "recorders" actually record with a microphone!

Not sure about these:

'Sony MZ-NF610 High Speed Net MD Walkman Recorder'

'Sony MZ-N510CK NetMD Walkman/Recorder with Car Kit'

'Sony MZ-N505 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder'

Do your research before purchasing any MD player. All in all, this is a good value and the ideal microphone for those wanting to record onto a Sony MD.

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I am a musician and own my own studio in Nashville, TN. I have thousands of dollars worth of microphones. This product is what it is and for the money is a brilliant little microphone. Even though I have a 250 track digital recording studio, sometimes I want to record without doing a major "studio" setup. I bought a Boss Micro BR and this mic to go with it. This is a fantastic combination. The sound is definitely studio quality. I did a location recording of a simple trumpet and piano. Rather than drag my whole set up I took the Micro BR and this mic and made a very fine sounding recording. I got a pair of windscreens that were made for a telephone headset. I put one over each side of this mic and never take them off. This mic does have its limitations and does not sound as good as my $650 studio vocal mic for sure, but that's not what it is intended for. This is for portability with clear crisp sound. With a Micro BR it's a phenomenal combination. I almost didn't buy the Micro BR because it only has a mono on board mic, but I ordered this mic to go with it and I'm so glad I did. This magic combo is a serious upgrade from a Zoom H2 or H4 and for less money go figure. Sony well done.

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Contrary to earlier review, this microphone works GREAT with devices other than Sony; just make sure that your recording device provides plug power. I use this microphone with my iRiver iHP-120 20GB MP3 Jukebox --records great stereo sound directly into MP3s. Fantastic for recording my kids' concerts. Highly, highly recommended.

Sony Dvp-f21 Dvd Player Silver

Sony DVP S560D DVD player black

DVP S560D, Worked Great until I joined the C:13:00 Error Club, Google "Sony C:13:00" to find out more.

I've used quite a few dvd players in my day and none have matched the picture and sound quality as well as this. If you have the cables to connect all 5 sound channels, you will experience DTS like you never have before. I have a surround sound setup and this was as clear as I've ever heard it before. These are getting sold pretty cheap nowadays with the advent of Blu-Ray but you should pick one of these up if you have the chance, it'll provide you with crystal clear picture quality for a fraction of the cost of the Blu-Ray.

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Philips SpeechMike Air

This microphone is a joke. I bought this expecting it to work with the built-in Bluetooth on my laptop for use with Dragon. It does NOT work with the built-in Bluetooth, but requires a stupid dongle hanging off your USB port! That means every time I move my laptop, I risk breaking the dongle or have to disconnect it.

Worse, the dongle is tied to only 1 instance of the software, so you can't even share this microphone with more than 1 computer!

Returned this immediately upon finding this out. Shame on you, Philips. You need to make a true Bluetooth dictation microphone that will work with any Bluetooth computer, not this joke.

There are two other reviews of the Phillips SpeechMike Air at the time of the writing of this review. I just bought this microphone, used, at a significant discount, and it works terrifically. I find that the recognition accuracy is better than my old wired USB Philips SpeechMike Pro, which I have used for probably five or six years. In fact, the recognition accuracy is simply terrific.

The freedom to be able to walk around my office with a wireless microphone, and dictate as I move around is wonderful. I had an extension cord on my old wired USB mic (and perhaps that was some of the reason for decreased recognition accuracy), but an extension cord is just not as good a solution as wireless.

Right out-of-the-box, it has worked perfectly. Setup was incredibly easy although I will mention that I am a long-time user of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and I am very familiar with the program.

One of the other reviewers criticized the use of a dongle instead of a straight USB connection, and certainly, if you plan to use the wireless microphone on a laptop, the dongle will certainly be less advantageous. But, for the tremendous recognition accuracy that this microphone provides, I certainly would be willing to try it on my laptop. My thought is that the improved recognition accuracy would be worth the inconvenience of the dongle. I dictate usually only on my desktop machine at work.

All in all this is a terrific microphone, probably the best I have used in 20 years with DragonDictate and then Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

I will try to check back six months from now and report on how well it continues to work at that point in time.

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I used the SpeechMike Air at my desktop for six months and was happy with its performance with Dragon Naturally Speaking software though it's not as good as a wired microphone. At 6 months, some of it's functions died and I tried to get support. Philip's website has support options but none of them led me to a person. Their internet support was a waste of my time. I next tried the vendor I bought it from and was told that the product has a 90 day warrenty...not much given the cost of the product. I don't think Philips thinks much of it either! All the usual fixes-uninstalling, reinstalling, changing batteries, plugging the base into a different port, did not solve this. While I like the cord-free idea a lot (I am always tripping over microphone cords)I would not buy another product from Philips unless their services are radically improved.

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TosLink to Mini Optical Cable, 2m

Acer Ferrari newbook wouldn't tell me from customer service but THIS is the proper cable to get digital audio output over to my outboad DAC. My little netbook now has place of pride in a second small but very "high end" audio system in my study. The tip of this headphone jack cable has a hidden fibre optic wire to send digital out of the Acer using spdif-optical. The other end is your typical optical fibre optic spdif plug for audio "in."

Top Quality Jensen 3-Speed Stereo Turntable 2 CD System with Cassette and AM/FM Stereo Radio By JEN

The system was nice but there was not enough volume output for my parents. They are older and the volume would only go so high. I am sure it was due to the size of the unit. Though an attractive system, it was just not compatible to what we were looking for as a gift for our parents. Thank you.

USB Cassette Deck Converter

I purchased this product and I received it earlier then it stated in the estimated delivery dates. I have converted some of my tapes already and it works great. I am using it on a laptop that has Windows 8 and have had no problems yet. I did have to download a file so I can export the files as mp3. I am very pleased with this product and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to convert cassettes to Mp3s or CDS

Got it pretty fast. It works great, would recommend it to those who want to convert cassettes. Got what I wanted. Thanks Amazon

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Sony RDR-GX257 Recordable DVD Player with HDMI Upscaling, Black

• HDMI output w/ up to 1080p upscaling for DVD/VHS
• Line Input Recording (Non-Tuner)
• BRAVIA Sync for Theater
• Compatible w/ DVD-RW/-R/+RW/+R/+R DL, & DVD RAM media
• DVD-Video/Video CD/SVCD/CD-DA (CD-R/-RW) playback

The Sony RDR-GX257 is a low-cost, tunerless DVD-Video recorder that manages good recording quality at the two faster speeds and isn't too difficult to use.

Normally, a recorder that performs its designed function well enough and with sufficient ease would, at least, deserve four stars. Unfortunately, in the case of this recorder, it earns two stars because, for the price, it lacks features that similarly priced competitive units have, such as the Toshiba D-R410 or, for a few more bucks, the Panasonic DMR-EA18K.

One feature that is lacking on the Sony is recording support for dual layer recordable discs. This problem itself may not be an issue, except there are units similarly priced that do support such media. Support for dual layer media on both -R and +R media would've added a bit more flexibility to this model that you get from the aforementioned Toshiba and Panasonic models.

Another feature that is lacking are s-video inputs, so you will never be able to record high resolution analog formats, such as S-VHS or Hi-8, to their fullest. On top of that, there are no s-video outputs. There are other players that have s-video inputs (and outputs) at the same price point, so why Sony decided to omit this from this model is baffling, especially since these inputs are included on the mentioned Toshiba and Panasonic players.

What is even more baffling was that the model that the RDR-GX257 replaced, the RDR-GX255, had these features! What in the world was Sony thinking?!

In all, because the features that were in the previous generation model did not get incorporated into the current model and that you can have more features at around the same price from someone else, it is very hard to justify this machine.

In all, I don't recommend this one.

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I read a lot of the reviews on this product and did not have very high hopes but seeing as all the stores that I went to did not have a large selection of dvd recorders I had to get this model. What I found that the setup was fairly easy if you are technical savvy, if you know what I mean. Well I got it set up to my satellite receiver and I said I was going to test the recorder first, so I got on of my dvds that I use from my computer, DVD+R, which cannot be re-recorded on once it has been recorded on. And what I got was a perfect picture with no 6 second record, like a previous reviewer said, it recorded everything that I wanted it too, it was fairly simple for me. I like to read the instructions that come with the product as it makes getting to know the product a whole lot easier. I suggest if you are going to set this up to give yourself some time to read the operating instructions, because you will not have trouble with this machine. Thanks and I hope this helps.

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This dvd recorder is somewhat hard to use, BUT it switches the cable box for you on a timer. The Toishiba 420 does not do that. That makes this recorder 100x more useful than the Toshiba, because I often want to record on several different channels in advance.

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I have owened one of these puppies for about a year now. I ran into this PRODUCT on your site and saw the reveiws. It really does not make sense. I have to say you need to know what you are purchasing. Once you know that, then you can actually see that this product does what it's supposed to do with ease. I have no issues with it at all. I use it frequently with no issues. As for the machine itself, it plays quietly, and would suggest it to anyone onverting old VHS or Hi-8 to DVD as well as someone recording digital satellite or digital cable instead of using a DVR.

Maybe it is just my machine.. but I bought this and a pack of DVD-RWs to replace my VCR, Big mistake! I set the timer for over the Thanksgiving holiday and when I got back I had all of 5 seconds of an hour long program recorded to the disc and nothing else (I had set the timer for 3 separate hour long programs). I tried again, set the timer, being more careful to ensure I wasn't making a mistake, and again I got less than 10 seconds of an hour long program. So I tried to manually record and found that the player would stop recording after a few seconds and I'd get a Huge: Cannot Record Copy write Protected error across my screen whenever I tried to record Anything! It wouldn't even record a 30 second commercial and when it Errored when I tried to transfer Home movies from VHS to DVD I gave up! I have had it for 7 days now and needless to say I am returning this machine first thing tomorrow morning!

4) COBRA CXR-925 2 Two Way Radio Walkie Talkies 35 Mile

I have had these for a few weeks and use them daily. They work as advertised although, as has been widely reported, the range is no where near what is advertised. They do reach across our small town and I have taken them with me to the store and been able to chat with home base. That is maybe a mile with houses and hills in between. Have not had them in the woods yet. They are light weight, small and easy to carry and use. We have put them throughout the house so we can conveniently contact one another in and around the home. (With five kids and a large house, it saves on the lungs or feet.) The "play back" feature is especially nice because my hearing is not great which also brings up my chief complaint (besides the range issue) which is the volume. They are not easy to hear (hence four rather than five stars) and my hearing is bad anyway so the playback feature is very nice. Given the good price on these, I think they are a very good value and recommend.

This turned out to be a decent bundle for family excursions. Purchased for a cruise and found reception to be okay. Reasonably compact compared to other popular radios. The replay feature is what pushes this review from 3 to 4 stars.

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I bought over a dozen of these for the staff at our school because the price was low and I'll admit: I don't know a whole lot about two-way radio. Well, most of them stop working almost immediately. Some began to transmit even when the person did not intend to transmit anything. I had the pleasure of listening to one teacher teach his class for 15 minutes before we finally found out whose radio it was. This is a joke! Avoid these at all cost! I gave two stars because the seller did ship them to me pretty quickly.

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If you want a two way radio that reaches further than motorola's two way radios, this is it. I'm not saying you can go across town with it, but I've been trying to get connected within a 10 block distance, downtown, lota of building, and all the radios I've bought simply didn't work. This is the only one untill now, that delivered what I wanted. That's why I'll buy other 8 pairs of it.

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The features are great but not worth much if you can only use them in your own house! Very disappointed!

Olympus DS71 Digital Voice Recorder 4GB (DS-71)

Works great as a recorder.

Unexpected benefit: I use this as an Audible.com audio book player and love it.

For audio books, it works far better than the Ipod because you can listen to multiple books at one time, with a bookmark in each.

This model is very easy to use and operates nearly identically to the DS-50, which keeps the learning curve low for those who are upgrading.

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Olympus markets this device as a professional dictation device, which apparently justifies the high price. However, it lacks the most basic file editing functions of append, overwrite, insert, partial delete. It's a nice recorder but not a dictating machine. If you make a mistake on a recording you have to start over.

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DS71 IS THE BEST VOICE RECORDER I EVER HAD BIG MEMORY WITH SPEAKER PHONE . THIS UNIT HAS GREAT QUALITY

I GIVE IT 5 STAR TO THIS RECORDER

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This is a handy item for recording just about any kind of situation. I am a court videographer and take a feed out of my mixer into the Olympus so I can have an audio recording just like on the video. I can download the mp3 into my PC and e-mail it to a court reporter without any hassle. It is small enought to carry in my pocket and the mic that comes with it is also very sensitive, however, I can remove it and plug into my mixer and get the audio exactly how it sounds on the video. Downloading is simple, the unit is very easy to use and will record an enormous amount of data. I usually download right away so it is unlikely that I would ever fill it up. It is made of plastic and feels cheap for the money, but I don't intend to abuse it and the recording quality is fantastic. I recieved the Olympus Digital Recorder very quickly and would purchase again from this company.

10 Pack 8cm/3" Inch Mini DVD-R Disc Disk for SONY HANDYCAM CAMCORDER DCR-DVD201

Shipped fast, but I'm disappointed. It says ''FOR Sony handicam'' However, they are NOT Sony discs like I wanted. When I place one in my Sony handicam of course it says ''Sony disc recommended'' so we will see how it works....

I had purchased my camera awhile ago. I was not able to find the 8cm 3" Mini DVD's for it. A friend advised me to go on Amazon.com and I would probably find them there. I was never on Amazon.com, so I wasn't sure exactly where to search. Amazon.com is a great website if someone is trying to find something they can not seem to find at a local retail store. I am excited that now I could use my camera again. It has been in the closest way too long.

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Panasonic RR-US360 Digital Voice Recorder

After reading other reviews and shopping around I elected to buy a Panasonic RR US360. I am very happy with the ease of use, size, and clarity. However, I will NOT recommend this item to anyone due to the extreme difficulty I have had trying to download the recordings to my Dell D600 using Win 2000. What you do not learn until you have purchased and possibly used the item is that Win 2000 will not recognize the device and you are told to access it via the VoiceStudio software that comes with the item. Great, except it has not worked and doesn't recognize the USB port, much less the device. I have tried contacting Panasonic help and I strongly recommend anyone thinking of purchasing one of these to call them at 1-800-211-7262 and cycle thru the options (1,4,2,7) as given to me by the 'audio technician' to get help with the US360. The minimum wait time I have encountered is 21 minutes, but have yet to get a resolution and having been told I would be called and left my number, after 2 weeks I have yet to be called, have sent in emails via their web, and have not received any response. Panasonic again, absolutely NOT!!!! Call for yourself before buying and save yourself the frustration later.

I am satisfied with the sound of this small voice recorder. However, I cannot install the Voice Studio software onto my computer. I noticed the problem at Circuitcity.com, and thought that was associated with Windows 98. However, I am using Windows ME. I have not had any problems with any other software. Therefore, be aware that this recorder may not work on your computer as well. I am giving a two star rating because 1) the claimed selling point is not working. 2) Panasonic has terrible customer service with this product. No support information on this product on their website. No response to e-mail inquiries. Called them, I was put to wait for 40 minutes and then kicked out. Their customer service let me feel angry.

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Very good quality sound recorder for professional (but non-jounalistic) use: dictation of ones ideas, taking interviews, recording what people say at trade fairs etc...

Takes good enough recordings of very long seminars at low quality settings (up to 8 hours), good meeting recording and interviews at medium setting (4 hours) and excellent recordings at dictation setting. However the latter means only 2h20minutes so you need a portable in the neighbourhood for transferring files so that you can delete and continue recording in this mode. The quality is good without a mic but is even better with a small directional mic that one holds in the direction of the interviewees (especially in noisy environments)

The major weak point is the file transfer soft. Voice Studio recently replaced by Voice Editor is a strange software. One has to stay within the program to transfer files to and from the recorder but also between storage devices. Using simple microsoft copy/pasting of files ruins the whole storage system and audio files become unreadable. So one has to make virtual disk-structures to copy onto backup storage devices. The advantage though is that within the Software one can do a lot with the audio file and if the data is sensitive, a common thief cannot do much with a lost/stolen storage diskette since they will need the panasonic software to listen to the content.

However manipulating the files within the software is easy and has some neat functions if one has to transcribe interviews: dividing of long recordings (so that they become more easy to transcribe or organise in subject classes), gluing two files together, flags in the files etc. Conversion to WAV is possible so one can copy the recordings to CD and play the interviews again on a walkman device.

For non-professionals I find the transmission of audio files to friends via e-mail very awkward: one has to send an replay-exe with the audio files which is a bugger now that everybody has a firewall.

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Practically everything I own is Panasonic rice maker, home entertainment system, vaccum cleaner, clock radios. I have three of their older voice recorders and this RR360. The device is great. What isn't great is their software. It's hideous. It's worse than hideous, it's the worst commercial software I've seen in a long time. It's the only package I know of that consistently bluescreens Windows 2000 Pro. I'd love to update it to the latest version and see if that helps, but when I use the VoiceStudio Help -> Update menu it stupidly tells me that VoiceStudio is not installed on my computer. They do not offer the software for download separately, you can supposedly only upgrade it through their menu. All attempts to contact Panasonic tech support are fruitless. The recorder uses a proprietary format and they don't release specs so you can't use it with Linux, older Windows versions or future Windows versions just the ones out now. Right now I've got a rather important 2 hour meeting stored on it that I can't upload because every time I try it bluescreens the two computers I've got their software installed on. I'm going to have to capture the analog audio as a .wav file.

I'm a huge Panasonic fan, but don't buy this one because they won't let you get to your own data and they won't respond to requests for tech support on it.

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I totally agree with Jeff. In fact, I wish he wrote his review before I purchased the RR-US360! My laptop has Windows XP and I can't download the driver either. Windows doesn't recognize the device and I can't even manually install the driver from the CD. I keep getting:

The specified location does not contain information about your hardware

Customer service is really bad! They keep you on hold for a long time and then don't even help you fix the problem. Ridiculous!

Other than the above, the voice recorder works pretty well.

Sony MZR70 Minidisc Recorder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Positives:

#GREAT sound quality (like CD)

#easy to set up, only takes about 5 minutes

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

#PC USB connected

#software is already on your Windows computer

#looks cool, and is very light and rugged

#regular AA battery last 17 hours!

Negatives (there aren't very many)

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

#Inserting title takes a few seconds

# included rechargeable battery last only 6 hours

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As soon as this item is available, get it!

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

Sony Blu-Ray DVD Player with Full HD 1080p Playback, DVD Upscaling to Near-HD Quality, Front USB Sl

• Blu-ray Disc Full HD 1080p Playback DVD Upscaling to Near-HD Quality
• Internet Video Streaming Instantly stream a wide variety of online movies, videos, TV shows, and music from Netflix, YouTube, HuluPlus, Pandora, and more
• Front-Panel USB Port Share your videos or photos on the big screen or listen to your favorite music. Simply connect your digital camera, USB-enabled MP3 player, or USB storage device
• Dolby and DTS-HD Audio Support Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD (Master Audio and High Resolution Audio) codecs reproduces high definition sound with 7.1 channels of discrete audio so you can enjoy uncompromised audio
• A/V Playback Formats - VideoBD-ROM, BD-RE, BD-R, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW - Audio - CD, CD-R, CD-RW, SACD

We like it very much. I'm 82 years old and had to get my 16 year old grandson to set it up. He immediately ordered one for himself.

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I chose this player because it was wi-fi capable. Once it was delivered I was concerned about the packing or lack of. This unit was shipped in its original box with a brown paper wrapping nothing else. I have photos of the damages the package went through getting here. I feel maybe this could have been placed in a larger box with more packing around it for protection. One puncture went completly through box putting a small scratch in side of unit. After removing it from its box i hooked it up and it seems to be working fine. All things considered I am happy with purchase.

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This device not only plays Blu-Ray DVDs but it also uses Wi-Fi to bring the Internet to your television set. It has built in links to not only well known Internet media sources (such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube) but more services than I have ever heard of before. I don't know how many, I got tired of scrolling down the list. Once I got it set up, watching shows on Netflix, Hulu, etc., is easy. And it's great to be able to watch these shows on a large TV, rather than a laptop. And that allows for group watching as well.

I would have given this device five stars, except I have two complaints.

the documentation included was insufficient to get it set up completely. I had to go online to get the additional information I needed. If you get one of these devices, have a tablet or laptop, etc., nearby when you set it up, you will need it. Not just for the extra info, but you also need to go to each media site you subscribe to (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) and register the device in order for it to connect to that particular service.

I do not think it's possible to use a keyboard with this device. Trying to arrow around the on-screen key-pad with the remote is very tedious. I did a bit of research, hoping to find a wireless keyboard of some type could be connected to the device, but I haven't found that to be the case yet. It does have software to link an Android tablet to it for input, but I do not own a tablet running Android at this time.

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Very, very pleased with this player. Had an LG blu-ray 3D player first,

and it really was a big disappointment. But this product really delivers

... or should I say, "So far, So good!" I feel very comfortable with this

purchase. Highly recommend it.

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I like this player. It does what is supposed to and that is play 3D movies but beyond that the wifi is nice. I have 3 standard blue ray players and they all require an ethernet cable. So either buy an AP or do without using it to watch netflix, etc. Having wifi built in stream netflix, amazon and some others. I took my Roku to the bedroom bonus :)

Pioneer Electronics USA Retail Slim DVD/RW Writer DVR-XD10S5PK

Bought this at a Best Buy store for $60 (needed it ASAP).

I like that it is a clamshell style, not a drawer-style, to open. (drawers seem to add unecessary complexity for an external drive.

It comes with a cable to plug into 2 USB ports, though I haven't needed the second port to access CDs. (just using it one night). I believe this second plug is merely to draw extra power, if necessary.

I'm using it on a MacBook Pro from 2008. I haven't tried burning with it, but read seems to be just fine.

The Software that came bundled with mine (NERO) is for Windows only. But the hardware works just fine on my Mac.

Plays and burns discs just fine. One usb connection will work fine. One minor point about this design is that the open button on the top, requires usb connection before you can open up the clamshell. If you really need to open it without plugging usb, there is a button to pull and manually open the clamshell lid. I find it strange that they design it that way. Slim square design is simple but extremely portable. Some other brands design them to be curved shaped. I find it unnecessary if I want to minimize space usage. It plays and burns fairly quiet.

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Am using with Windows XP laptop after built-in drive stopped working. Looks more slick than expected from pictures, and has been working great with reading CDs and DVDs and writing CDs (I have not yet needed to write a DVD). Is quite compared to past drives I've used, can tell when it's working but no obnoxious noise like with other drives I've used, even at full speed. Has been working fine with just one of the two USB plugs provided, and the top-open design is nice and convenient to use while not having to worry about keeping space clear in front of it as with a slide-out.

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This DVD/WR Writer is extremely lithe and thin. Excellent for use in ultrabooks or netbooks that didn't have optical drive.

The only problem is my Ubuntu 11 didn't recognize the device and I am searching for a Linux driver for it. Since I have due boot feature with my ultrabook, I can always boot up Windows to copy files over.

I am pretty confident that I will be able to locate a linux driver for this device soon.

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Had purchased 2 others that didnt work on arrival and sent them back.

I decided to try this top loading Pioneer and it works perfectly. I

didnt bother to load the Nero that came with it. I just plugged it

into my DLink powered USB hub and the computer recognized it immediately.

Its fairly quiet and smooth running.Works great on burning DVD-R videos.

It was shipped in only a padded envelope which I thought pretty stupid,

but it arrived in one piece. A UPS miracle.

UPDATE: 5/10/2012. I spoke to soon. Lately DVD's are "skipping".

Tried different brand, same problem. Oh well!!

More Chinese crap. Sent it back.

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Sony DVPFX780 7-Inch Screen DVD Portable

• 7-inch widescreen monitor, 4 hour rechargeable battery, unique design, 1 built in Headphone Jack, Car adaptor included
• 1-Year Parts and Labor Warranty

This DVD player from Sony is a good value for the price. It's a small unit with 7 inch screen, decent audio and basic features of any DVD player such as play, pause, menu, audio, return, options, volume, fast forward/reverse, etc. I do have to agree that the controls could be more sensitive, but are certainly completely functional. It also has a A/V out as well as a headphone jack. It's a bit "fat" but fairly light and portable. The exterior design has a nice feel to it, it feels better than plain surface.

Among my criteria for selecting a DVD player was a good brand, which Sony certainly is. It's been working well for me the few months I've had it. The other criteria for selecting this unit was the battery life. This unit has a 4-hour battery life and so far I can say that my battery has been holding up near that long. I've never actually ran it completely out, but used it for nearly 4 hours on a few occasions and battery still had a bit left in it. The full charge takes nearly 4 hours.

There is no doubt that there will be newer and better players coming out with newer features, longer lasting batteries, etc. but overall, this is a great value for the price.

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I bought this DVD player a week ago and I just love it. It's super light and has great audio. The screen size is just fine too. The battery life is wonderful. I was able to watch 4 hours of a 6 hr. movie and I watched the remaining two hours while the DVD player was charging. I would definitely recommend this item.

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First of all, I would like to preface my review by saying that I haven't gotten down to using the DVD player extensively. I just un-boxed it today and tested a couple of DVDs. So these are first impressions. The player looks nice and solid; I like the textured design which is meant to keep those finger prints at bay. The video quality wasn't exactly stellar but not bad either (which I believe is typical for players this size). The audio was quite clear though. The unit comes with an AC adapter as well as a Car adapter.But no remote; all the functions are on the unit itself. Please note that the Amazon description gives the battery life as 3 hours, but the unit box claims 4 hours of battery life, which was a welcome surprise! A few minor complaints the AC adapter has a very short chord and I wish the indents for placing the fingers while plucking out the DVD were better-positioned.

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I bought this product to keep my 8 yo son entertained on a long car trip. He loved it. He even dropped it once and it was fine. I prefer to change the disks myself because the center really holds on to them. I figure that keeps them from shifting while the device is mobile. When my son got cranky from sitting too long this really did the trick. I would also take it on a plane too. They don't usually have Scooby Doo movies on planes.

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This is a great DVD player for a child in the car, but my son uses his headphone's because the speakers are a little fuzzy at a certin volume. Ive owned a Ventura for years and it still sound better then this Sony. But all in all its a good purchase.

Vivitar DVR508 High Definition Digital Video Camcorder with 1.8" LCD Screen with 4x Digital Zoom (R

Here is what you need to know before buying this item (sorry about the length of this review, but some things listed here may help you with ANY camera purchase). Before purchasing this camera I read all the reviews. As you can see they range from awful to excellent. Most of the poor ratings have to do with expectations. Points to consider with this camera: 1. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A HIGH-QUALITY CAMERA! The camera has a fixed-focus (that means not auto). Think disposable photo camera. 2. ALL HANDHELD VIDEO CAMERAS ARE VERY EASY TO BREAK. The screens, in particular, are very easy to snap off and this camera is no exception. In fact, this camera is even easier to break than most, because its sole purpose for construction was cost-reduction to make a cheap camcorder available no matter what the quality. 3. THE TERM "HD" DOESN'T MEAN HIGH-QUALITY PICTURE!!! This is something most people don't seem to know. The resolution of a camera is not the sole factor that determines the quality of a picture. The lens construction (plastic vs. glass, precision-made vs. poorly made, etc.) and the chip size (no matter (the bigger the chip, the more picture data it is picking up for each frame) are two other HUGE factors determining picture quality. Think of your cameras when the lens is dirty, they don't take the best pictures. Well, if the lens is not the best, the picture will not be the best. FINAL REVIEW: I bought this camera for my daughter, who is 5. I didn't want her using my cameras worth thousands of dollars, and they are all too large for her to use anyways. For $50 this was an excellent purchase. She is very gentle on equipment (I don't know if I would have bought it if she was a highly energetic boy), so I don't have to worry about it being broken. It yields fairly decent video quality for the price. Quite a few people mentioned it did not work well in low-light, but that goes for most cameras. Cameras that people think work well in low-light are typically boosting the video signal artificially to get that picture, but you can do that in post-production after you have shot the video. I found that at night with our house's normal lighting, the picture was still fairly decent. I would NEVER use this as my main camera to document family gatherings and such, but for my daughter to get experience shooting and editing video without me having to worry about her breaking something that was really expensive, this is great!!!

I bought this as an early Christmas present for my brother who is not in the technology ages. He loves it and is able to use it with ease. It is small enough to take everywhere but not too small that it is hard for him to use. He really likes how easy it is to use the video and camera, download on the computer and share with everyone. The price was an excellent deal for the perks it has. It came with everything needed to record and use on the computer. The screen is big enough to see what you are recording and again, with the screen open it is not too big that it is uncomfortable to use.

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Got this as a gift and did not expect much from it. However, I have been surprised that is does a good job and doesn't run the batteries dead in no time, as I had expected it to. It is not much use inside, in a dark area or at night... and the so-called 'light' that is included is a poor joke (it does work if you are using it for something up close, like when I filmed my pet in the middle of a dream, apparently dreaming it was in a fight to the death with 12 Grizzly bears, and did not want to flick on the overhead light and wake it up).

The HD quality is pretty good but seems to lag just a little (when filming up close or LARGE items should be ok for sports where players are farther off, altho I have not personally tested this) so I prefer to keep it on a little lower setting, which really does not seem to affect the quality at all.

Due to the conflicting specifications as to it taking either a 4GB or 16GB SD card max (online says 4 and the manual says 16) I finally called the Vivitar service center and they confirmed the 16GB size is the correct maximum size.

Since a 4GB card shows it will hold 25 minutes and 28 seconds of HD video, a 16GB card should get me well past 2 hours of recording time in a lower quality mode.

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This is my 1st time buying camcorder, this one is easy to use and very light weight. You just need very bright lighting while recording.

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The Vivitar HD Camcorder is awesome! I had bought 1 for my brother for Christmas and he loves it! So I had to get 1 for my fiance for his birthday and DITTO loves it! It was supposed to be black, but I received a red 1 which was even better!

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Sony DCRTRV340 Digital8 Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD USB Streaming, & Memory Stick capability

After looking at what Sony had to offer on their digital camcorder line, I decided to buy a TRV340. I was impressed with all the features it had to offer. After playing with the shelf model for a while I purchased the TRV340. Once I opened the product at home and inserted the tape there was a hum or buzzing noise while recording or playing back a recording. In a quiet environment, this buzz is also picked up in the recording. The location of the buzzing sound came from the tapes drive mechanism. I returned the product two times and all subsequent camcorders aired this buzz. If you are looking to buy this product play with a shelf model WITH THE TAPE IN. This way you can judge if this will be a problem for you.

I Bought this camcorder after moving to Florida. My biggest use for the camera is capturing video to use as backdrops and watermarks on documents. A lot of beach shots and some low light and night shots.

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The Camera: Super. Very simple and straight forward to use. Use of the "digit" zoom (700x) is a bit precarious without a tripod but the "optical" zoom (25x) provides excellent video. Its size makes it easy to manipulate and the features are conveniently located. Quality of the video on playback is near DVD quality.

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The Software: When you buy the camera grab yourself a copy of "Video Explosion Deluxe" (approx. [$$]) and throw away the software that comes with the camera. The supplied software is cumbersome, not well documented and provides little (I'm being generous) meaningful help via dropdown menus.... The "Video Explosion Deluxe" (VED) installs in just a very few minutes and is well documented, expecially with the online tutorial (extremely well down) and the dropdowns. VED allows for complete control of the camcorder via the PC during video capture by use of the Firewire. The granularity of the editing feature pretty much removes the need of a memory stick and the video can be edited (and images captured) on a "by frame" bases. A really terrific piece of software.... My hat is off to the developers....

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After trying and hating the JVC camcorder my Dad lent us, we decided to go with this Sony Digital8 camcorder. Easy to use, and loaded with lots extra goodies, this camcorder is fabulous. It has the following features:

*MPEG movie maker (w/ Memory Stickallows you to email

your videos to friends and family

*ILINK interface (to edit your movies on your PC)

*Super Steady shot (for even the shakiest hand)

*Super "Night Shot" (for low lighting and night taping)

*Digital Still Memory Mode (to load and send still pics via

email

We have been very pleased with this camcorderno complaints here. Once you learn how to use the editing and emailing features, you'll be sending your videos to everyone you know! A good investment, especially if you have young children.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DCRTRV340 Digital8 Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD USB Streaming, & Memory Stick capability Here

The first thing that I think you should consider is the weight and size of the camera. If you like a smaller camera, go with a MiniDV, but if size is not a big deal, go with the Digital 8, mainly because it is more versatile epspecially if you have older tapes. If you plan to use this for trips, i recommend MiniDV, however I bought this to make Short films with, so size was not a big factor. One great thing about this camera is that you pay ...for features worth over 1400 dollars on a MiniDV with the same quality. However this model of the Sony left me with mixed feelings. I have used both its older brother the 740 and its younger brother the 140. THey are both excellent cameras. The 140 is great, it skimps a bit in features, but for 500 dollars its a great deal. Also the 740 is great with its megapixel ccd, but you will pay an extra 100 for it. This is a nice balance between the two, however the picture feature was subpar. I decided not to return it because I got an excellent deal on it. Great features of the camera include:

The super night shot (people complain becuase it is green, but it will record in 0 lux, and seriously, who needs to record color in 0 lux?)

The night shot is great (Color in 4 lux!!!)

The super steady shot (GREAT!!! NO TRIPOD REALLY NEEDED IF YOU HAVE A DECENTLY STEADY HAND)

Memory Stick (decent pictures if you need to send on the internet?)

... The quality on still pictures cannot be compared.

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i've owned the Sony TRV-340 for a few months now and so far have no complaints whatsoever. i've taken quite a few videos with it in various circumstances and light situations and have been very pleased with it's over all performance.

the menus and controls are very user friendly and easy to handle.

it shoots with amazing brilliance and picture clarity.

it's unfortunate that others find that the built in microphone picks up some motor noise because i have not experienced any of it. infact, the sound quality was one of the first things that i found remarkable about this camera. the mic is very sensitive and yet free from any unwanted hum you normally get from a camcorder recording. and believe me, having worked as a proffessional in the advertising industry, i am not easily pleased.

perhaps my only regret is that they didn't include a built in backlight or pop-up flash with it. but, you can always buy one put it on the provided intelligent shoe. oh and the software that comes with it is useless. it's horribly primitive!! if you want to maximize use of this great camera, i suggest you buy software that will give it justice!

if you are thinking on getting the TRV-340, don't hesitate. it's a wonerful camera that's priced just right!