Haier DVD101 DVD Player

• Compatible With Dvd, Vcd, Cd, Cd-R/-Rw, Hdcd, Dvd-R/-Rw and Jpeg
• Progressive Scan
• 5.1-Channel Audio Output
• Led Display
• Dolby(R) Digital Ac-3 Decoder

Like it. Light, solid and looks good. Run quiet and smoothly. Worked well. Worth each $ $ $ $.

Highly Recommend.

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We ordered the DVD on February 2, 2010. It has been over a month and we still have not recieved the DVD player, even when they had said that it would be here in 3-7 days. I myself don't know why it is not here yet because we gave the correct address and everything. It doesn't make sense.

Panasonic DMP-BD10 - Blu-ray Disc player - upscaling

• Plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution
• Plays DVD-Video, DVD-R & DVD-RW, DVD+R & DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM
• plays DVD-Audio, CD, audio CD-R & CD-RW, and MP3 CDs
• Plays digital photo CDs (JPEG)
• Selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for DVD (upconverted video available through HDMI output only)

I have recently purchased the Panasonic Blu-Ray Player, and have been blown away by its picture and sound. Right off the bat, I downloaded and upgraded the firmware, carefully following the instructions, and it greatly improved the boot up and load speeds for discs. Aside from an poorly-designed cheap-feeling remote, Panasonic has really produced a stand out product here.

My journey into the world of Blu-Ray began with a PS3. I purchased a 60GB PS3 initially to play games and movies, thinking that it was a great bargain $600 for a fully featured Blu-Ray player and game system. The PS3 locked up three times during playback of "The Guardian". The add-on remote for the PS3 is Bluetooth, which otherwise would be great, but could not be programmed into my Universal Remote, and was extremely counterintuitive to use. There was no upconversion of my existing DVDs (I have a lot, so this was really a downer). The game on the PS3 that I was interested in purchasing (Resistance: Fall of Man) was a 720p title, and so it downconverted to 480p on my 2 year old 73" CRT HDTV.

The online service for PS3 was woefully inadequate compared to the XBOX 360 very little of interest to download in movies or games.

So I returned the PS3 and bought the Panasonic. I didn't feel that sinking in my stomach at having to return something cool it was much more like a relief to unload this turkey.

I fretted a little at the cost of the Panasonic, but elected to purchase it after seeing a demo, and knowing that I had a 30 day return window. I hooked it up in less than an hour, and fired it up. A big smile attached to my face when I started watching "Blackhawk Down" on the Panasonic. The image and sound were stellar. Same with "Flyboys". Same with "Stealth". Popped in the "Fifth Element" and expected a crappy picture, but except for some very early shots having lots of dirt, the rest of the film's picture quality handily blew away my Superbit version of the film. I also have the HD-DVD add on to the XBOX 360, and I can not see any appreciable difference between a well mastered HD-DVD (I would cite "Superman Returns" as an example) and a well mastered Blu-Ray.

Have not looked back on the decision with regret only joy.

Pros:

Astounding Picture and Sound Quality

Great Upconversion of Regular DVDs

True Theater Experience

After upgrading the firmware (1.4), much quicker boot up and load times

Worth twice the price of the PS3

Cons:

Remote should be lighted for this many $$$

Jog wheel TOO sensitive

Buy Panasonic DMP-BD10 - Blu-ray Disc player - upscaling Now

Forget about what others say about Blu-ray not having a great picture. There were some problems with the early Blu-ray titles released by Sony/Lion's Gate as they were poor transfers that used old Mpeg2 encodings. In some cases they even used dirty prints (The Fifth Element). They were simply rushed out the doors to make it to market the same time as HD DVD.It was a bad decision on the part of the BDA. Since then studios such as Disney, Paramount, and Fox have moved to encoding in Mpeg4/AVC and VC-1, the new advanced video codecs. Also, the first Blu-ray releases were on lower-capacity single-layer 25GB discs, which meant the video quality suffered. Fortunately, those days are over, and over quickly they were.

Now the dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray discs have finally arrived, and the 'BD-50' releases are beginning to pour out. 'Click' was the first, and there are more coming or out already from Fox, Warner, Paramount, and Sony. This higher capacity (HD DVD tops out at 30GB for a dual layer disc) will allow for higher quality video encodings, and more advanced interactive features and bonus features, also helped out by the higher bandwidth allowed on Blu-ray (48Mbps) as opposed to HD DVD (~ 32Mbps).

Now, on to the player itself:

This Panasonic player is not only far superior in picture and sound quality than the Samsung Blu-ray player which was also rushed to market, but it suffers from far fewer bugs and glitches than any high-def player on the market, and that includes the two Toshiba first generation models, which required a whole slew of firmware updates to run properly and they still have problems. This Panasonic when playing back Blu-ray titles that use the same encodings as the HD DVD release (speaking of the few titles that actually appear on both formats) looks identical, not almost as good. In some cases, it looks slightly better. This is most likely something to do with the hardware, and not a software issue. The blacks are black as coal, colours pop off the screen. Great Blu-ray titles look almost three-dimensional. The copy of Eight Below included in the box looks stunning!

The standard DVD upscaling also works quite well, making the DVDs look very good though not as good as HD.

The sound is superb . The player can playback 192/24 uncompressed PCM audio in 7.1 channels, but it also supports new audio formats like Dolby Digital+ and, soon as the registration card inside the box states -through a future free firmware upgrade (some say around January) the player will decode the new, lossless audio codecs Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, both up to a resolution of 192/24 at 7.1. This will allow for true high resolution sound well beyond Dolby Digital and DTS, and equal to uncompressed PCM, but utilising less space and less bandwidth than PCM, once again making more room for better video transfers and more bonus features.

Also for the audiophiles out there, it is worth noting that the Panasonic also plays DVD-As (and CDs), and the video circuitry can be turned off for pure audio listening delight.

This is a great player, with perfect picture quality when playing back well done Blu-ray titles. Don't blame the player for a bad title, just like you can't blame a DVD player for a bad DVD transfer. This player is well worth the price.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DMP-BD10 - Blu-ray Disc player - upscaling Here

Due to be replaced late summer with DMP-BD10A. Next gen player at $600.

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This is indeed a very fine Blu-ray player. The machine has the stability/reliability of a regular DVD player, and it also loads pretty quick compared to other hi def players. Excellent picture quality too.

The previously review mentions that new 10a model makes this one obsolete, but the 10a is the exact same machine as the 10 it just comes with the new 2.0 firmware, 5 free movies, and and MSRP of $599.

I purchased this Blu-ray player because I am a movie fan and I have a fairly large collection of DVD-audio CD's that this player will handle. The picture quality when playing a well mastered Blu-ray disc on this player is awesome! It also does a great job when up-converting standard DVD's. The sound quality is outstanding when playing movies or just listening to music. It has individual user adjustments for picture quality or you can just use any of the preset modes such as cinema, normal, fine, etc. for viewing. In other words you can tweak it as much as you like or just use the easy setup mode for your viewing and listening pleasure. It seems to be well built and plays everything it is designed to play without any problems. It is expensive but if you shop around you can occasionally find it discounted. In this case the old saying "you get what you pay for" is true.

Sanyo VPC-FH1 HD 1080p Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 16x advance zoom (Black)

If money is no object and optical image stabilization is your primary concern, then I recommend you buy the Canon HFS10 or HFS100. Now, with that out of the way, you have to temper your expectations with what you paid for. This camera is at least $600 less than the HFS100 for basically the same image quality minus image stabilization. You will see that I compare this with the Canon a lot because Canon has been king of the camcorder scene for a few years now.

Pros:

The image quality is almost as good and even better than the Canon in some aspects (based on online reviews as I don't own the Canon). The low light sensitivity is excellent (there is an option to turn up the sensitivity level). The thing we need to keep in mind is this: camcorders are best when used in areas with plenty of light. There is really no reason to film at night unless you absolutely need to. For the times when you want to film the night light or night scenery, this camcorder does its job very well. When hooked up to my 1080p television, the video was spectacular. I can't imagine how much better the Canon would be but I'm very satisfied with this. I know that it's impossible for the Canon to be twice as good as this camcorder for twice the price, at least for me.

It is small! I can definitely take this with me on vacation every where I go and not tire out my arms. It's much smaller than I expected, almost like a toy. Having used 5-pound camcorders in the past, this is definitely a good thing.

I can now leave my point and shoot camera at home as this substitutes as a regular still camera, hence the dual camera moniker. It takes 8 meg stills (don't use the 12 meg option as that's interpolated) which is impressive for a camcorder this size/price. There are ISO adjustments which I believe is lacking in the Canon.

Cons:

Image stabilization. If you like to film videos without tripods, monopods then I suggest you stay away from this. However, for under $500, I was able to buy this camcorder and a tripod, 16GB SDHC, and a camcorder bag. No optical stabilization can match a tripod/monopod. If you're serious about creating timeless videos that you can view 20 years from now, you need a tripod. Period.

Yes, it would be nice if the image stabilizer was better for the times when I don't have a tripod with me. However, it's serviceable if I hold the camera very steady so it's not as bad as some people would lead you to believe. I don't plan on filming while walking very often so it's perfectly fine. If you have a shaky hand problem and hate tripods/monopods then stay clear.

You can mitigate shaking with (1) a tripod, (2) steady hands, or (3) deshaker software (free online). You cannot mitigate $600 or low light sensitivity. No matter what camcorder you buy, you will need a tripod eventually if you're serious about taking good videos. So budget that into your purchase plan.

Normally, I would deduct one star for the bad image stabilization, but for a camcorder with superb image quality, low light sensitivity, and the fact that I can throw in a 16GB SDHC, tripod, and camera bag (all bought separately of course) for around $500, it's absurd to dock a star for it. This is the best camcorder for the money.

The test footage (starts around 2:07 in the video it was shot hand held) has been HEAVILY compressed and resized from 1920x1080! But hopefully, you can still get a general idea, especially the zoom capability. (the open boxing is obviously from a different camera)

This camera is really easy to use. I did not have to read the manual, it's really user-friendly, but it's nice that they include an actual manual book for you! (Funny how when I wish I could use a manual, some manufacturers only include it on a CD!) However I did later read it to understand more about a certain feature; the manual is just as easy to follow.

What I love most about this camera is the ability to set custom shortcuts to the 4 directional buttons on the camera. I love having greater control of the camera, so I set the shortcuts to quickly set manual focus (you can toggle between focuses), focus lock, exposure lock, and exposure compensation. This way, you can really have more quick controls of the camera than using the auto focus.

It's simple enough, but if you want it more basic/restricted, you can set it to simple mode (not something I would use or care). All you get then is:

video: select between HD and web quality

focus: automatic and macro

flash mode: auto, forced, off

For video options, you can choose from:

* Full-HR 1920x1080 (60 FPS HR) you better have one powerful computer if you want to edit these files. But for simple cut/join edits, you can do that through the camera of course.

* Full-HD 1920x1080 (60 field/s) same reasons with above

* Full-SHQ 1920x1080 (30 FPS SHQ) recommended

* HD-SHQ 1280x720 (30 FPS SHQ)

* TV-SHQ 640x480 (30 FPS SHQ)

* Web-SHR 448x336 (240 FPS SHR) limited to 10 second-recordings

* Web-UHR 192x108 (600 FPS UHR) limited to 10 second-recordings

* Voice Memo

For Photos:

* 12m 4000x3000

* 8m-H 3264x2448

* 8m-S 3264x2448

* 6m 3264x1840 (16:9)

* 2m 1920x1080 (16:9)

* 2m 1600x1200

* 0.9m 1280x720 (16:9)

* 0.3m 640x480

* 8m 3264x2448

* 4m 2288x1712

Focal = 5.95-59.5mm 1:2.0-2.8

Filter size: 37mm (this is the size that you need if you want to attach a wider lens)

Some pet peeve:

In the menu, it shows at the bottom in this order:

(MENU) EXIT (SET) OK

but on the actual buttons, the Set button is on the left and the menu button is on the right, so I think that's how they should display it on the menu as well.

I wish the SD card door would just be a slide open mechanism instead or just not have it at all for quick removable. Somewhat annoying to have to open the LCD, which also happens to turn on the camera, just to remove the memory card.

Even though Sanyo is a Japanese company, ironically, there's no Japanese in the Language Option.

I also have the TH-1 (720p) model, which is QUITE disappointing compared to this camera, but this one is definitely worth shooting with besides the obvious higher resolution; it performs much better in low lighting (quality is no comparison). On the TH-1, it's REALLY horrible when you shoot in low lighting. Low lighting is where most HD cameras hurt in quality; it's definitely not the best, but it's not the worst either when it comes to shooting in low light with this camera.

The TH-1 model does not warn about not having an SD card inserted (because it has 43MB internal memory so it will show an internal memory icon), but this camera (FH-1) will constantly nag you about it because it has no internal memory. I noticed there are two extra options with this camera versus the TH-1: Photo Wide-D (compromises both dark and bright areas) and Photo Stabilizer

I don't know if I received a broken remote, but the ON/OFF button did absolutely NOTHING. And yes, I've tried holding it for several seconds and from different directions. However, every other button seemed to work.

Unless you hit record, the actual image on the screen is actually not the full sharpness quality; I believe they do this to prolong battery life when you're still setting up your shot. So it's better if you don't always rely on what you're looking at until you hit record.

If you hold the MENU button while in playback mode, it will get rid of the display text on the screen and just show a seekbar of the video.

If you press the SET button while you're setting up your shot, it will get rid of all the display text info on the viewing screen; however, there isn't seem to be a way to get rid of all the info text display once you hit record.

Pros:

1080p excellent video quality. It's HD!

I love the 4 button custom shortcuts!

Compact! (smaller than a soda can) yet has a large 3" LCD screen and amazing what it can produce despite its size

Impressive 16x zoom!

Image stabilizer (not bad... I can see it functioning, although it's not optical for greater stability)

Excellent battery life (it's also nice that it displays the actual approx battery life time left instead of just a generic bar)

Comes with standard composite(yellow; red/white)+S-video AND component (RGB HD)

Comes with a small remote

It takes photos (definitely usable unlike the photo feature with the TH-1, which was horrible)

Files play smoothly on PS3! (take SD card out of the camera and use a card reader to it)

Cut/Join videos within the camera

Transfer directly to hard drive without a computer with the camera.

You can create new folders within the camera and set where you want the recording to go to.

Can fast forward up to 15x and can display 21 video thumbnails (by pressing the zoom out button; default shows 8 thumbnails) that you recorded on the screen

Can take snapshots frame by frame of recorded video

Cons:

Not Touch Screen (then again, the 4-direction button control makes it very quick to do everything)

No automatic lens cover

No built-in memory

No external mic

I wish it would have an option to keep recording even if you close the LCD (it ends up stopping the recording because it automatically goes to standby mode)

Preset manual focus distances (but at least they have auto focus lock)

Can't manual focus once you hit record. (however, you can still focus lock/unlock)

Tripod stand hole is not centered! (Why do they have to do this?!)

The set button has somewhat of a cheap feel

Overall, I give this camera a SOLID 4 star rating. (And I am a pretty harsh rater and rarely give 5 stars) I am happy with the quality and the quick access to the manual controls. The price is just right too. I hope they will make a waterproof version of this (I know they have it for 720p). Definitely would recommend. Avoid the TH-1 model (even if you're on a budget).

Buy Sanyo VPC-FH1 HD 1080p Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 16x advance zoom (Black) Now

This is my fourth HD camcorder... I own a higher-end Sony (HVR-A1U), a Canon HV10, and formerly a Hitachi BD70A Blu-Ray model. I have been "doing video" since the 80s.

First of all... do keep the price in mind. This Sanyo VPC-FD1 was never intended to be confused for a professional model. Neither are the $1300-$1500 units from Canon (S10/S100/S11) or Panasonic (TM300). However, they are all symptomatic of the reality that the line between "pro" and "consumer" is blurring, at least with regard to picture quality.

The quality of this camera's HD image is quite good. It holds up well in low light... much better than any other consumer model I have used myself. It's also very good at capturing fast motion, which has until recently been a big problem for AVC based models, rather than DV or MPEG-2. It's not without some artifacting, but quite a bit better than earlier models, in my experience.

Some places claim the lens is 16x... it's really a 10x zoom lens, optically speaking. The 16x comes, as with many consumer camcorders, from "digital zoom"... that's when the software just uses a small bit of the whole sensor. They claim to be doing this intelligently... could be. In normal use, there's an 8Mpixel sensor here being cropped to about 6Mpixel... that's three times the pixels you need to create a 1080p image. That's also useful... you get better color and better light sensitivity, but if you cut out 2/3 of these, you'll still have decent HD video. More than that, and you'll get noticable pixelization. Which you do see in the viewfinder using digital zoom, but I have yet to look at it in finished video. Just something to be aware of.

The Great Big Feature of this model is 1080/60p video... you have to go to a pretty high-end professional model to get this anywhere other than in the VPC-FD1 or VPC-HD2000. Pros would like a higher bitrate than 24Mb/s (it's actually variable bitrate, peaking around 28-29Mb/s so far as I've seen), but it's not bad... the software clearly knows how to avoid macroblock distortion by adding a bit of low-pass filtering (slight blurring when necessary... don't worry, it does improve the video quality... compression mastering engineers do the same thing on DVDs to ensure that high speed video looks a good as it can on DVDs).

There are some caveats. One is the whole flash meets video meets FAT32 thing... like other current flash-based camcorders, this one uses the FAT32 file system. That offers big storage on 16GB and 32GB flash cards, but the maximum file size is 4GB. This means that, after about 21-something-minutes at 1080/60p, the camcorder needs to close one file and open another. That wouldn't be bad, only that the Sanyo doesn't pipeline this, so there's a delay of a few seconds between the end of one file and the start of another. Sure, it's better by far than changing 8cm DVDs every 20 minutes on a DVD camcorder, but it's an issue. They could fix this in firmware... they ought to. You get more time in a 4GB file as you drop to lower video modes (1080/60i, 1080/30p, 720/30p).

I have shot a number of High School soccer games with this in 1080/60p, and I get great results. Last year, I used my Sony in 1080/60i mode; this is overall better video. For one, I can downconvert to web video without interlacing artifacts. I can decide, after I shoot the video, if I want to make a 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p, or 720/60p Blu-Ray disc, assuming I target Blu-Ray for delivery. That's pretty nice.

The other big issue is edit. Know this now: your PC is probably going to struggle just to play back 1080/60p at full frame rate. Neither Windows Media Player nor VLC had a prayer of playing this back on my Q9550-based desktop (that's 2.83GHz, quad core, 4GB fast DRAM, etc) on a 1200p monitor. Splash Lite did play it back, but used 65-75% of CPU power... that's all four CPUs. Using Nero Showtime with GPU acceleration enabled, I was able to play this video back with under 50% CPU on my desktop, and just about 100% CPU on my laptop (both using nVidia 8600 GPUs).

So when it comes to editing, you're in trouble. I don't know of a video editor yet that uses either multithreaded rendering or GPU acceleration during editing (most use the former for rending a final video... at least one also uses GPU acceleration). I opted to buy CineForm NeoVision for this. CineForm is an "intermediate CODEC"... you convert from your shooting format to CineForm for editing, then render to MPEG-2 or AVC or whatever you want for delivery. In theory, this means a loss of quality, in practice, nothing you can see. In fact, CineForm interpolates the 4:2:0 color of AVC to 4:2:2, so if you're doing lots of compositing and effects, the quality could actually improve. You need a ton of space for CineForm.. it runs over 100GB per hour of 1080/60p video.

The video format is MPEG-4 AVC in an MPEG-4 transport stream wrapper (.MP4). This is similar to, but not the same thing as, AVCHD, which is MPEG-4 AVC in an MPEG-2 transport stream wrapper. AVCHD is a full consumer standard, MP4 isn't, really. However, Sanyo's choices here should work with most software.. they're using MPEG-4 AVC at Level 4.2, and AAC audio, which is the usual MPEG-4 compressed audio format (AVCHD uses AC-3, formerly known as Dolby Digital, which is one of the Blu-Ray and DVD standards... the AVCHD standard really comes from Blu-Ray). I believe Sanyo has been making MPEG-4 camcorders longer than most companies, so they do have their act together here, even if they're not following the current popular standard to the letter.

I have not used still photo mode. They claim it's as good as a typical P&S still camera (that's the "Dual Camera" thing). I used my HV10 as a still camera, for about 300 photos, on a backpacking trip, and would have liked something better... I would be surprised if the Sanyo didn't do better stills. But it's not usually that important to me.

The battery is inside the camera, so you can't really get a much larger one. But unlike many kits, the stock battery delivers 150-180 minutes, which is ok. Also good is the fact this battery has been used by both Sanyo and Kodak for awhile... they didn't feel compelled to have to create a brand new cell here. So you can find 3rd party cells, chargers, and all.

The lens takes a 37mm filter/accessory, which is fairly standard. I was able to fit a polarizer from my Canon and a wide-angle lens from an old Sony SD camcorder... all good. There's no automatic lens cap.. there's a real lens cap that stows in the cloth handle when not being used.. fine with me. Those mechanical shutters generally break.

The image stabilization on this is digital (like my Sony), not optical (like my Canon).. that means it's inherently not as good. Optical these days always wins. With that said, optical can get confused by vibrations, and it can break if you drop the camera (so can other things, but that's one of the first to go). I usually shoot video from a tripod or monopod anyway, so this wasn't a big deal for me.

If you're buying just one camcorder, and plan to use it for video and audio, you probably don't want the VPC-FH1 (you might consider the VPC-HD2000, which is much the same, only in Sanyo's pistol form). The reason is simple: the mics are built-in, no plug to add an external mic. Microphones built-in on camcorders are general bad. The FH1's aren't noticably better or worse than anyone else's, they're just typical built-in mics. Not very sensitive, no wind screen, and ... well, at least they won't pick up tape noise like similar mics on similarly small DV and HDV camcorders. I have a Rode mic for my Sony that cost nearly as much as the FH1... you can imagine it does a bit better on the audio than any built-in. But it you're using this as a "B" camera, or using a field recorder for audio, that's not such a concern. The mics are located just below the lens, which is a superior location... many small camcorders put them on top somewhere, where your fingers will undoubtedly antagonize them no-end.

Read Best Reviews of Sanyo VPC-FH1 HD 1080p Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 16x advance zoom (Black) Here

I was lucky enough to receive this on Thursday and able to use it over the Easter holiday. I made several test videos and pictures to check out all the features before using it on Easter get-togethers. I strongly recommend buying this a couple weeks before using it on big events so you can test out features and set it up to get expected results. It's a great point and shoot camera/camcorder as long as you know what you're doing. It's not much bigger than a computer mouse and fits easily in a clip case. It came with a component video, S. video, mini USB and mini USB adapter (for the hard drive). It did not include a mini HDMI cable.

For the Easter recordings, I used it in the full HD mode 60fps with noise reduction on because it produced the best video on a true HD television when checking out the test files. The quality is extremely good. as good as and in many cases better than actual HD TV programs. A nice feature is being able to take still pictures from video by playing it back and pausing on the frame you want. The still pictures from the video files were very clear and plenty good for printing. The still photos were all done in the eight megapixel mode with excellent results. It was easy to switch between recording video and taking snapshots. I took a few snapshots while recording video and everything worked OK but the picture quality of the snapshot wasn't that much better than taking a frame snapshot from the video during playback.

I tried a few of the features but haven't had a chance to really analyze them in detail. The image stabilization feature has its limits shooting video. It does a good job when zoomed out, but you'll need a tripod when zooming in halfway or more. When zoomed in, it's hard to hold the camera steady enough for the stabilization feature to work. It is very important to hold the camera steady except if purposely panning. When the camera jerks, it causes the entire image to move which causes the MPEG-4 compression algorithm to create a whole new picture instead of just the small portion of actual action. This comes across as sort of a strobe effect on a large high definition TV.

The standby mode works great. When you're finished shooting, just close the display. When you're ready to record again, just open the display and it will be ready before you can remove the dust cover. The face chaser had a hard time locking in on more than two or three faces. This might be because nobody was standing still for a very long period of time. When it did lock in it seemed to be good at correcting. This will need more experimenting.

The display brightness was good and adjusts well between direct sunlight and indoors.

A useful feature is the ability to edit and merge video files right on the camera without the use of a computer. You can also connect the camera to a hard drive without a computer. The downside is that the drive has to be formatted to fat 32 and can't be over 1 TB. File transfer is very easy on any computer with a USB 2 connection.

Want Sanyo VPC-FH1 HD 1080p Flash Memory Camcorder w/ 16x advance zoom (Black) Discount?

I purchased the Sanyo VPC-FH1 for a trip to New Zealand and Australia.

Everything worked to near-perfection. I made over 80 gig of HD recordings, which I now have to edit down to presentable programs.

Here's the setup I used:

I bought two 32gig SD cards (adata SDHC class 6) and two "unknown brand" replacement batteries. Have you heard of "Wasabi" batteries? I hadn't, but the batteries worked acceptably, in addition to the Sanyo battery that came with the camcorder. I also bought a stand-alone battery charger (I forget the model and brand). It came with an all voltage power supply.

I used a Manfrotto monopod (676b) and Manfrotto micro ball head (482). A thread adapter is needed to attach these two items together, but it can stay inside the ball head. This monopod assembly is very light weight and fits inside my overnight bag with the ball head removed. I recommend the "3 clamp" 676b monopod over the "4 clamp" model that collapses to a shorter length. The 676B is sturdier in use, even with the trifling weight of this ball head and camera.

I own a USB multiformat flash memory reader/writer that plugs into my Dell XPS 1330 laptop, so I never attached the camera directly to the laptop. I just removed the SD cards from the camera and plugged them into the reader. The laptop was light enough that I never regretted having it.

I never came close to filling up one of the SD cards in one day, even though I recorded at 1080p most of the time. I used a second battery frequently, which was no real inconvenience. I averaged about two and half hour's worth of video in a day or less.

I downloaded each day's video to my laptop via the card reader and put the other (empty) SD card into camcorder.

If needed, I could edit the files quickly with Nero 9 Ultimate (Nero Vision module). I used this program to create some quick edited 720p programs, plus some PAL DVDs of the recordings for my friends in New Zealand. I'll use it at home to make the final edited programs.

Sanyo VPC-FH1 Picture quality:

I can't say the image quality matches that of more expensive cameras (maybe yes, maybe no), but I strongly doubt any camera at this price is any better. Low motion scenes in good light look terrific. With more movement and lower light, the picture degrades, but never horribly. Strong backlighting would make the foreground subject a dark shape.

For perspective about quaity, I played the raw files on a large LCD panel, using Nero Showtime and the HDMI connection from my laptop. I was pleased. Anyone else that saw the videos thought the results were much, much better than any other camcorder videos they had previously seen. Everyone asked how much it cost. Most agreed that the circa $450 cost was more than fair. Most were more impressed by the small size, commenting that this camera was small enough for anyone to tote around and use.

Likes:

Very light

Small

Closing the LCD flap forces standby

Adequate low light performance

Easy to hold and use

Real button controls--After having used a "touch screen" Sony camcorder in the lo-rez past, I much prefer the real buttons and clean LCD of the Sanyo approach.

Dislikes:

Lens cap noise--the remove cap/attach cap process annoys some people, but it doesn't bother me. However, the cap makes distracting clicks and clacks against the monopod while hanging on its tether if you forget to stow it in "slot" in the back of the handstrap provided for this purpose.

Also, you have to attach the tether when first prepping the camera. This is relatively easy, but I see many people skipping this step and soon losing the lens cap. This would be very bad, as the lens is not well shielded from errant fingers.

Lens flare: Shooting anywhere near the sun causes obvious flares. I'm going to look for an after market lens shade to mitigate this problem. I presume this is no worse than other camcorders with fast, multielement lenes, but I can't be sure.

Card Read Failure: After about 22 days of use, the camera reported that one of my SD cards was unreadable and asked to format it. But when I pressed "yes" to the "format card?" prompt, the format failed. After repeated insert/remove cycles (about four), the camera reported the card was fine and had no more problems that day or later.

I don't yet know if this problem will persist. If it does, it might be a fault in the specific Adata SD card (I hope it is) or a defect in the camera's internal card reader/writer (sigh).

**update**The Adata cards were the problem. Any other flash memory works fine. Avoid the 32gig Adata cards. The contact quality is unacceptable.

I am quite happy with the purchase of the Sanyo VPC-FH1.

GSI World's Smallest/Lightest, High-Definition Digital Camera, Ultra Video Camcorder, Voice Recorde

This camera has no viewfinder, so you have no idea what you are shooting. The directions for the camera are in microscopic print and poorly translated into English. The driver is in an oriental language with no translation at all, so it was impossible to get it to work. I sent it right back.

learning to operate it is a little hard but there is a video on youtube with the url:

this HD camera is amazing. it is super light weight and you can mount it anywhere.

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Sony MHS-TS20K/S Bloggie Touch Camera 1920x1080p MP4 HD Video with 12.8MP Still Images (Silver)

This camera serves every purpose I want it to. It's small, easy and quick to use, and it's high definition. You can pull it out of your pocket and within two seconds you're shooting HD video. With the lowest resolution setting you can get about 4h15m of record time. Even at the highest setting(1080p) you still get almost 1h15m, not too shabby for such a small camera. The 360 degree attachment is great as a novelty item but you won't want to take serious video with it. Disclaimer: I have not used the 360 degree attachment outside yet but inside even in a properly lit room it is really grainy. Also if you move the camera too fast side to side it takes just a moment for the auto focus to catch up. It does have a nice zoom feature as well. I can't say how it performs outside yet because I'm in the middle of a blizzard and don't want to go outside. Last thing: THIS CAMERA IS COMPATIBLE WITH MAC. IT SAYS IN THE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION THAT IT IS NOT BUT WHEN I PLUGGED IT IN FOR THE FIRST TIME YOU CAN CLICK ON "SETUP FOR MAC" AND IT TAKES YOU TO A WEBSITE TO DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE FOR IT. The software is really advanced on how you can just click and drag your videos/pictures to facebook, youtube, or saved e-mail recipients. Great buy for the money. One last thing, it is really tiny. I was thinking around the same size as an iPhone but it is a lot smaller. If you have big hands like me it will take some getting used to. Hope this review helped

This camera is easily the best pocket camcorder out there. I work in a photo studio and I`ve tried most pocket camcorder including Flip Video,Kodak, and others. This camera shoots gorgeous pictures thanks to its 12.8 mega pixels and the video quality is superb with 1080p unlike others. For me this is the best because as stated before it offers great videos and pictures which is something no other camera of this type does. Most pocket camcorders are crippled, when they offer good video, they can`t shoot pics and vice versa. If you want a camera to cover all of your memories this is the one to get. Besides it has a great touch screen to watch your videos and pictures without needing a PC. The user is very polished also.

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Finally a video camera so simple that my mother could use it. I got just what I paid for. While 360 degree mode is more a toy than premium class, you get good casual takes. Funny mode to play with.

Excellent HD videos. Good still pictures (though you`ll miss the flash).

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This video recorder is simple and easy to use. i find the picture quality is not quite as good as a flip video but very close. I think the feature to take a snapshot as a video is recording more than makes up for any small quality difference.

The software bundle is good at only one thing; easily sharing videos. You will have to learn windows movie maker or similar to make composites. Flip includes a free movie maker which i think is the way to go

Pros:

Good video quality

Can take picture while videoing

simple to upload and share videos

Cons:

No movie software

Very poor in low light ( but probably all these ultra portables are )

JVC GR-SXM520U Palm Size Compact Super VHS Camcorder With LCD Monitor

I really like this machine. The owner's manual is good and the features are useful. For VHS-C format, one has the option of standard-play for 30 minutes of recording or extended-play for 90 minutes of recording. The night vision feature is good I recorded shots in almost total darkness and the camera made it look like the lights were normal in the room. The LCD screen is really good so that the user can use it for shooting or for playback viewing. The zoom freaked me out at how sharp the picture could be at about 50 or so yards. The price seems okay and this camera is a pretty good deal for my purposes anyway.

it is very difficult to tell but i think it good

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Emerson GQ756 CDG Karaoke Player

• Mix and Record Music and Voice
• 20W Speaker
• Includes 100 MP3G Songs on Disc
• Remote Control
• Digital Echo & Digital Key Control

I bought this as a gift. Needless to say I was quite embarrassed as I watched the birthday boy open it up. When he opened it up I immediately noticed that the box looked like it had been already opened and used by somebody else. In other words somebody returned it and I bought it. Once it was plugged in, none of the features worked including the USB drive which is the reason why I bought it in the first place. I kept getting errors and it even had difficulty reading the CD player. The karaoke player has a "cheap" feel to it as far as quality. I know it isn't exactly pricey but you would think it would have a more durable feel to it. I returned this the very next day! Save yourself time and money and look at different ones!!!

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My kids love this Karaoke Machine, but within one week the power connection and the microphone connection shorted out and would not work consistently. My girls are not hard on things (ages 11 and 7). Emerson just didn't make a high quality product.

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I was very excited to receive this machine. In fact I gave away one that was working fine in anticipation of receiving this model. It never worked. It powered on but nothing worked. Had to return. Bummer... :(

I would love to give more stars. Wished I had received a working model to really evaluate.

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I'm so disappointed with this machine! I bought it for the main purpose of recording my singing and making cd's. It skips, cracks and distorts the words on so many songs. Sometimes they play and the next time they don't. My cd's are perfect with no scratches or fingerprints. I'm on my 4th machine since Christmas from Kmart and I will be returning it this week. I used an sd card and did manage to make one cd from the 4 machines and it sounds great! I had to connect the machine to a larger tv and speaker because if you don't your voice sounds distant from the music on your recording. The machine is very easy to use and if it wouldn't skip I would give it 5 stars and buy an extra one.

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My experience is with the GQ755 which is no longer available. The GQ756 looks like an upgraded replacement. The 755 was purchased from Amazon less than a year ago and should still be covered by the 12 month warranty. The unit no longer reads CDs neither CDG nor plain CD. This is Emerson's response to the online request for assistance via their website:

"The GQ755 was discontinued and out of stock last year. No repair or replacement options exist for that player. kevin"

I have read that others had similar problems with that unit. It is obviously cheaper for Emerson to drop a defective model and stop honoring the warranty rather than fix or replace the defective units. Their warranty is not accurate as written. It should read: "Warranty is good for 12 months or until the model is discontinued, whichever comes first." Before you purchase an Emerson karaoke machine, make sure that the model has been out long enough to have a good history of reliable performance because the 12 month warranty may not be honored if the model has extensive problems.

Memorex MB005 Digital Voice Recorders

Voice Recorders allow you to capture ideas wherever you are and then do something about them instead of forgetting! I have done this for over 5 years now and this is the best machine I have seen out of many I have owned. It has the best mix of everything I would want.

Practicality: One of the few machines with intuitive controls where your thumb is! Size: Perfect for palm and pocket. Weight: Light! Small, easily available batteries too! Memory: 32 mins is ample for many, many ideas.

Features: All the things you would want and none that you wouldn't. It replaces my need for one pocketable machine and another larger one with more memory and features. Manual: Simple, short, understandable. Functionality: Excellent LCD with comprehensive information.

Cons? I don't like things that beep! It does.

Why not five stars? Hey, things can always get better!

If you are looking for a machine that will allow you to always be on the ball and never let inspiration get away, then this is the machine for you.

Still not convinced? Next time someone (attractive!) offers you their phone number, pull this out instead of the old pen (if you have one!) and paper. It's very cute and you look very savvy!

this is the first micro/digital I've purchased. Level of quality is about low to average, but the price is right. The on/off switch could be easier to engage/disengage and the other buttons require a good amount of pressure too, but depending on where you keep it, that may be a plus if you don't want it to do things accidentally.

Size/weight is perfect, mostly one hand operations. VOX works well, although the on/off resets to the (VOX) off position every time you turn the unit off. Another nice feature is the intro.scan, but you have to turn on the function and it also resets itself (to off) every time you turn the unit off. It will take about 20 minutes to learn all the functions.

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good things:its lightweight, -----thin,---------capable of recording many short or long messages.-------volume control has good range of levels.-------read-out has large numbers and handy information------- easy to use and understand -------external mic can be added-------plug for device to hook up to phone and record telephone conversations.--- -------------------------------negative things: sound quality is awful. Long messages sound worse than short ones-----

buttons are too small for big fingers, or for others who have long finger nails.-----Does not come with a case of any kind, in my opinion requires a thin, fabric, or anything type case to avoid small scratches and scuff marks that appear so easily, I got an edge scuffed just getting it out of the package!----

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Truly poor sound quality, inconvenient controls and low-end materials made this a regrettable choice.

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Truly poor sound quality, inconvenient controls and low-end materials made this a regrettable choice.

Livescribe 8 GB Echo Smartpen

I love my Pulse 4GB. This Echo 8GB is just that much nicer more comfortable to hold, more memory, better uplink connection than the Pulse's standard cradle, which is a little too easy to knock the pen off from. The Pulse's pro cradle (upright) is very nice, though. The new Mac Desktop update (2.2.1) is a very good one, with a much easier interface for sharing pencasts, pdfs, and AAC files. Like the previous reviewer, I had difficulty at first, but ended up manually downloading and installing the latest software update (my software kept telling me I had the latest, but it was 2.1). It replaced my previous version(keeping all the Pulse files intact), and after the quick install, it began to recognize the Echo without any problem.

The new pen cap is little and fits tight I suspect it will be lost quickly. It is different than the Pulse caps smaller, and fits on differently. I don't notice much difference at all in using the Echo vs the Pulse, but I do find it more comfortable and less dorky-looking. I never considered 4GB to be too little storage, but 8GB certainly allows me to record everything at the highest quality without concern. Interestingly, this pen didn't come with the recording headphones which are nice, but way too dorky to actually use. If you are looking to buy a first Smartpen, you really can't go wrong with either the Pulse or the Echo. If you are a student or an attorney or anyone who needs to recall detailed discussion points, you won't be sorry. The variety of notebooks now is fantastic.

Note: EVERY high school and college student with learning disorders involving processing speeds, slow writing, Asperger's Syndrome, or attentional issues should have and use this product. I suspect this will replace "note takers" eventually, as this is FAR less expensive and more effective (see 2008-09 research study from Rochester Institute of Technology).

I received my pen yesterday and installed the software onto my Mac. I could not even setup my pen because I keep getting the following message on the pen's lcd screen, "Please update your smartpen's software to use this dot paper". Well, when I go to update software it says that I can the most current firmware/software installed. After thinking I received a defective pen and doing lots of research, I found out that there were a lot of reported problems with the latest firmware so the company had to take it down for the time being. As of last night, they said that we should expect to see it back up within the next 48 hours. In the meantime, we are stuck with an extremely expensive inoperable pen that can barely function as a paper weight! I'm extremely frustrated and wish they spent sufficient time testing the latest firmware before bringing it and the pen out to market. If you are looking to purchase this pen, I would hold off for a little bit until the firmware issues have been resolved. Once this issue has been resolved, I will update my review.

UPDATE: So it looks like Livescribe acted fast on the firmware issue. The latest firmware was posted as a manual install option on the forum site a little while ago. It installed properly and is working flawlessly so far! First impression, FANTASTIC! The pen does exactly what it is supposed to do. It syncs the audio to your writing so that when you go back and tap on a word you will hear the audio that transpired at that moment in time. I have yet to test out the audio in a lecture hall setting but general conversations are picked effortlessly. Sound quality is even better when the 3D headset, which was purchased separately, is plugged into the pen. The feel of the pen itself is also terrific. The new rubber grip on the Echo is very soft and comfortable. I thought the pen would be a little too wide for comfort, but in fact I find it to be the perfect size. The fact that the Echo, unlike the Pulse, was made in plastic does great things for its weight. It feels substantial like a good quality pen should without feeling too bulky. The shape of the Echo is also an improvement over its predecessor, as it is designed to sit flat on a desk a feature that I think a lot of previous Pulse owners would be happy about. I would definitely recommend the Echo over the Pulse pen. It provides a much more comfortable writing experience, which is important when using for extended periods of time, in addition to an anti-roll design feature, a larger hard drive, a new standard micro-usb port, new standard 3.5mm audio jack for utilizing any pair of headphones, and the ability to protect your pen from unauthorized use via password protect. You also no longer need to carry around a charging cradle in order to remove the ink. In fact, the Echo has completely foregone the need for a cradle given its anti-roll design so it doesn't even ship with one. With the Echo, you can easily replace the ink cartridge by pulling it out with your handsa terrific improvement over the Pulse. I am now a very happy smartpen owner!

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I originally ordered a 4 GB Pulse from . Upon receiving it I immediately noticed that it was really thick and because it was a polished metal type of pen, it was very unstable to hold in my hand. That prompted me to research Smartpens a little more and I elected to buy the 8 GB Echo two weeks ago. The Echo is far superior to the Pulse in terms of comfort and stability.

I'm blown away by the technology advances and this pen is, to me, a cutting edge technology. I'm 55 years old and retired but if I were a student or still working and regularly attending meetings then a device such as this would give me a tremendous edge. The other reviewers have written accurate descriptions of the attributes and flaws of the pen (e.g., the cap could get easily lost). One other thing I think the pen could really use is a clip so it could be held securely in a shirt pocket. My biggest concern with an item like this is that it could be easily lost. For practical purposes, I recommend buying the Livescribe Smartpen Portfolio Livescribe Smartpen Portfolio, as it has a pen holder in it will hold the Livescribe Journal Livescribe ANA-00004 Lined Black 1-2 Journal 2 Pack or the A-5 spiral notebooks (Available from Brookstone or Livescribe's online store.

Another great accessory if you are going to use it in large meeting rooms or a college lecture hall is the earphones Livescribe AAA-00014 Echo 3D Recording Earbuds, well really they are microphones and they record the event exactly as you hear it but they are smart microphones and they eliminate much of the ambient sound that you don't need or want.

This technology is truly amazing. It's like having a perfect memory. I used it at a doctor's appointment last week. My wife always asks me "What did the doctor have to say" and I usually remember about 25% of the appointment. Well now, she and I both get total recall of what was said and, furthermore, the audible recording synchronizes with the note taking so you can watch your notes being written while listening to what was said at the time you wrote the notes!

It will be interesting to see how this product and competitor's products evolve over the next few years. I am confident the smart pens will end up being owned by a large percentage of the population, much like the iPod and the PC.

One more thing, the paper refills are reasonably priced but you can print your own paper if you have a good color laser printer.

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I was an early adopter of the Pulse, the first product by Livescribe, after seeing it at the DEMO conference. I convinced at least a dozen people to buy one. One of the (few) problems with the Pulse was it was round, and unlike a regular pen it weighed more on one side than another. That meant it would roll off flat surfaces like desks. Ultimately, my Pulse died from the resulting impacts to the floor.

Given how satisfied I was with the Pulse's ability to capture my notes digitally and the reliability of it's software/hardware I decided to go with the latest model from Livescribe, the 8GB Echo as a replacement, noting that the Echo's new design solved the rolling issues. Sadly, it was a mistake. Here's why:

First, the Echo would not synch with the latest version of the Livescribe desktop. After many long hours troubleshooting, including dealing with a disorganized set of responses from their support organization (telling me to do things that I had already done, or asking me the same questions every time I spoke to them), I figured out the Mac version of the desktop was not upgrading the firmware and that it would not synch with the Mac app. The firmware on my new Echo was clearly buggy, it wouldn't react to the dot paper correctly right out of the box. In an act of desperation, I installed the desktop on Windows and sure enough the firmware upgrade worked and I could actually use the thing. So I kept it...

Now the next problem. Assuming all was good, I started again trusting the Echo to capture my business and personal notes (the Pulse never failed to do so). Now I find after reviewing my notes that two problems exist that didn't with the Pulse notes. Sound captured with notes now has gaps in it, a problem the Pulse never had. Worse yet, many of my notes now have what looks like scribbles all over them, like someone crossed things out. These scribbles do not appear in the paper copies of my notes. This last problem renders my electronic copies of my notes illegible.

The main reason I purchased Livescribe's Pulse and Echo is that I wanted to have a way to capture notes that I normally don't capture via a computer. I don't want to have to fire up a laptop every time I'm trying to make a note, and many of my notes contain drawings that I would prefer to sketch quickly, in context with the text. Finally, I wanted to convert those notes to digital. While I've often scanned notes from my paper journal, that's time consuming and I liked the idea of just synching the pen when at my desk and having a reliable digital backup of all that paper, with the intent I could even throw out the paper when done.

The Pulse worked well. The Echo does not. I'm not sure how others Echo's are working but mine does not. Hopefully the same people don't screw up the Pulse. I may try to sell my Echo via eBay and buy another Pulse. However, I'm tempted to just give up and try another solution. I've lost faith in Livescribe's ability to ship quality products.

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I have used the Livescribe Pulse for about 10 months and quickly became a huge devotee. I am a journalist, and think anyone who takes notes as part of their work should pick up a Livescribe pen.

I was torn however on whether the Echo upgrade is worth it. Based on some of the reviews of the Echo, I held off when it first came out. But after the recent price cut on Amazon, I picked one up.

I am happy that I did and was pleasantly surprised by some of the small improvements with the Echo.

The pen feels noticeably lighter, and is more comfortable to write with over a long period of time. This may have less to do with the overall weight and more to do with the balancing of the internal parts of the pen. Whatever the reality is, the result is good. I have a huge writing callous from the Pulse. I think the Echo will be less abusive on my hands over time. (One think prospective buyers might note: The pen appears to have a rubberized grip, but it is still a pretty hard plastic. So do not expect a squishy feel.)

The quality of the recording, particularly with the new headset microphones, seems to be better. I am not a fan of in-ear headphones, I find them uncomfortable, but it seems to me the microphones work better, and that is what I mainly care about, since any headphones now work for listening. (Note the headphones are now sold separately. Mildly annoying, but I suppose some people do not require them. I think all journalists and students recording class in a large lecture hall will want to get the Livescribe recording headphones.)

The pen turns on much quicker and the power button easier to click. For someone who has to start writing quickly, at sometimes unpredictable times, this is very helpful.

As frequently noted, the Echo is not as nearly as prone to rolling. It also does not look quite as dorky as the Pulse.

Moving away from the cradle to a universal Micro-USB connection is a critical improvement.

Some things that frustrated me with the Pulse still need to be fixed on the Echo.

The lower barrel of the pen is still too think, and hopefully will be shrunk in the next model smartpen.

The ink cartridges still do not fit in snuggly enough. If you have a heavy hand, as I do, the slight give contributes to excess pen on paper scratching that is picked up by the recorder. The headphones avoid this problem, but are not appropriate for use in many situations.

The ballpoint ink cartridges are not the world's finest writing instrument. I would love to see a rollerball cartridge option in the future, if the technology allows it.

It would be great if there was a way to turn off the illuminated display all together, for times you do not want you pen to glow. Hopefully a firmware upgrade will add this in the future.

Still, none of those complaints is a deal breaker. If you use your Pulse everyday and are a fan, I think it is likely you will be enthusiastic about the improvements introduced in the Echo.

Aiptek IS-DV2.4Blue MPEG-4 Digital Camcorder with Video Stabilization (Blue)

I am giving a review based on what This camcorder should perform based on the price. Too many people expect a $100 camcorder to perform like a $500 one. Compare apples to apples, people. This is great to stick in your pocket or purse and have on hand for those moments you wish you had SOMETHING to capture a surprise or unexpected moment, because it is quick and simple to start up and use, and SO small!. I find the screen size for something this small to be unbelieveable too, over 2". It does the basics and will record those precious memories, especially the ones that come and go pretty quick. No, the sound or picture quality is not superb, but better than NOTHING! It takes 2 AA batteries and uses them pretty quick; within and hour to hour and a half. I only use rechargeble batteries so this is not a problem for me. Only get regular ones if you're not "charged up" and need them right away. I plan on getting a Canon in the $250-$300 range when I have saved up for it; I refuse to put one on credit, that's why I got this for now. That's about it!

I received this video cam/camera last year for Christmas. I've not experienced any problems at this time. But like most people say you get what you pay for. It's not a $500 camera but its good for a good $100 camera. I would recommend it for basic use and good for traveling. If you wanna pay more for a more advanced thats your choice.

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I got this camera at bestbuy last year on sale. It is made for XP so I can easilly import all the video into windows movie maker. Windows movie maker wouldnt let me import quicktime video to make movies or do editing so I was happy to get a camera MADE for XP. The picture quality is ok, I leave mine set to 8 mp. It has a stabilizer for taking stills but it doesnt really work well. I use it to capture video of my son since I cant afford HD yet. The video picture is much better. The picture comes out great when you burn it to dvd for playback on TV after using windows movie maker (I use roxio dvd burning software for my home movies).

SUPER PLUS: I have a son who is going to be 15 months soon and I can give him this camera and not even worry about it breaking. I have a kodak that I dropped and it caused a leak in the screen so even though it works still its basically useless because you cant see the preview screen. This aiptek camera has fallen from my hands (I am almost 5'10") onto CONCRETE and STILL works perfectly.It has at least one dent from hitting the ground! I even bent the screen that flips out and it went back into place. This is the most durable camera Ive been around.

If you dont mind not havning HD then this is a great camera.

Peace in Christ

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I picked up this product on sale at my local Kmart and was thrilled for the price, however the first one I got the screen kept freezing and wouldn't stop. I continually had to remove the batteries and try new ones. The second one that I got after returning the first seemed to work better, however the MP3 player was confusing on how to get the music and the screen kept freezing again. Just was not what I was hoping for.

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This camera may seem like a good deal at first, but you may want to think twice before buying it. First of all, it uses AA batteries instead of coming with a rechargeable battery. It burns through them like fire through paper. There's no lens cap, so it can be damaged easily. When mine came, the battery cover did not fit on properly, but that seems to have fixed itself now that it's been a few months since getting it. You need to be outside or in a very well lit room to get a decent picture. Even slight movement of the camera makes the video shaky, and just slightly tapping it while filming makes a loud noise. So if you rustle around with it, there's quite a bit of noise, which can get annoying. Most of the features it comes with are pointless or don't work very well (Night Shot is terrible, but that's sort of to be expected; the video light is pointless and looks like a flashlight, and the mp3 player is useless). Worst of all, the stupid designers made it so that once the battery is below half, you can't film anymore. And that usually happens after the first ten minutes. The camera also doesn't feel very sturdy. Also, it's difficult to make the camera stand upright by itself, because of the unbalance the flip out screen makes. Also, the viewing angle is very narrow, so it looks like it would already be halfway zoomed in on a regular camera. The digital zoom feature is terrible.

On to the pluses: the screen is 360 degrees rotating, so you can see yourself while filming. The camera takes decent pictures, but you have to be standing perfectly still. It comes with a flash for taking pictures, which is good. You can change the focus of the lens from close up to far away, but that's sort of to be expected. The camera is simple and easy to use. The camera takes decent video as long as it's standing still (at least, decent for it's price). It comes with an SD slot, a plug for viewing on your TV, and a USB cable (obviously). The sound quality is better than expected, but still not great. And that's all I can think of.

The camera is half-decent for it's price, but you may want to look into the Creative Vado or the Flip Mino for budget camcorders.

Apogee Toslink Optical Digital Audio Cable SPDIF - 2m 6FT

It's digital. It transfers data. That means it works as well as any cable on the market. The build quality could be better but I don't expect any problems since it will remain behind my tv where it won't be stressed. I'm happy.

Griffin Technology 4020-TALK iTalk Voice Recorder for iPod

• Sleek microphone/speaker turns iPod intoportable voice and memo recorder
• Automatic gain control adjusts signal level to improve recording quality
• Multifunction pass-through jack for connecting headphones or external mic
• Attractive housing perfectly fits seamlessly on top of iPod
• Compatible with any iPod with dock connector; requires iPod software v 2.1 or later

I bought the iTalk to take memos when I'm out in the field. Camera in one had, iPod in the other. I read the reviews first so knew it would be risky but it sounded ok for my uses and I got it cheap.

* Files are about 1 minute per Mb, stored as wav.

* Sound quality is understandable but not as good as AM radio.

* For a fully charged iPod, I got about 90 mins recording before the battery showed empty.

Pros

* Recording works fine, and I can dictate captions for photos as I think of them on site. Typically these are 1-2 minutes at most. I have also made an hour-long recording as a test without problems. I tried recording conversation in a cafe but it picks up too much background to be understandable.

* The best feature for photo memos is that files are time stamped, so I copy each memo to the same folder as my photos (which are also time stamped) making them easy to match up.

* iTalk can take an external mike which cuts out background white noise.

* Files are automatically sync'd to iTunes Voice Memo list and stored in the iTunes unknown artist folder. (If you have this feature set in iTunes)

Cons

* Software glitches randomly lock up the iPod under almost every condition except for the initial condition (more about this below).

* The iTalk covers the iPod lock. This is a serious design flaw given how quickly the battery drains. It means that you can't carry the iTalk connected to the iPod and easily lock the keys.

* The line that takes a mic also doubles as a line out. If headphones are connected and you try to record, the recording light shows but nothing is recorded. It creates a file but it's empty.

Hints

Prevent freezing: If the iTalk is in place when the iPod is turned on, it will often freeze. To prevent freezing, remove the iTalk before turning on the iPod every time. Under these conditions I've never had it freeze. If the iPod does sleep, to prevent freezing, remove the iTalk then insert it again (i'm not sure how often this is necessary, but I haven't had to reset the iPod since the first day).

Reset: To reset the iPod, remove the iTalk and hold down the iPod's MENU and PLAY '>||' buttons for 10 sec. I used this 5x the first day with the iTalk but haven't needed it since.

Locking: Slide a laminated card (my credit card is too thick) between the iPod and iTalk to lock, or carry the iTalk separately (annoying, but not as annoying as rebooting every time).

Saving: It's not enough to pause a recording, you need to remember to stop and save it before removing the iTalk. The MENU button will also save files.

Finding the files on PC: I have iTunes set to automatically sync files. To find the files in iTunes, look under the Voice Memos list. It's a trifle disconcerting when they disappear from one list and appear elsewhere unless you're prepared for it. On my PC, they can also be copied from

iTunes music/unknown artist/unknown album

Battery: I tried letting the battery run out while recording. It ran for ~50 minutes while the battery was showing empty then shut down with no warning. The file appears to have been saved ok.

Battery life: Check out the apple web page for battery tips (...) (I know this comment is outside the scope of iTalk, but if you use a voice recorder with the iPod, you're going to be dealing with battery issues.)

Summary

Despite the glitches, I like having a handy memo system and will keep it til something better turns up. Doesn't sound like Belkin is any better in terms of software glitches or battery life, but it looks like it would be possible to lock the iPod with the Belkin in place which would be a plus. The minus is that Belkin doesn't take an external mic.

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I use a Samsung digital recording device to record oral history interviews. My interviewee has Parkinson's and slurs his speech. He also is prone to mumbling. I spend hours trying to decipher what he's said when I use my Samsung voice recorder.

Enter the Griffin iTalk. After downloading the 2.2 iPod software from Apple, it worked without a glitch. I especially like the ease with which one can start and stop a recording session without starting new files each time. It's simple and easy to use and gives the user a great deal of control. The built-in organization when it syncs with iTunes is also extremely convenient.

The playback quality right out of the iTalk itself isn't great. It's about as good as my laptop's speakers. But I always play back through small Sony speakers anyway. The quality here: perfect. It's actually quite amazing. I was stunned.

I haven't experienced any freezing of the iPod. I haven't experienced any problems at all actually.

I never write reviews on Amazon, but I was so excited by the utility of this little (yes, very attractive) device that I was compelled to come online and share my discovery.

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I've had OK luck recording conversations with this, but there are better solutions available elsewhere. Here's my advice:

First, read the warnings of others here. This product, and Griffin's products in general, seem to have strong limitations, in my experience.

First off, if you plan on moving to a new iPod with video anytime soon, then you won't be able to use this. Fortunately, there is at least one MUCH better option available for new (video) iPods. It is the MicroMemo (XtremeMac). Sound quality is MUCH better because it can make 16-bit (as opposed to 8-bit) recordings. I'll bet that other alternatives will be available soon, so do a search for iPod digital voice recorders before buying.

Second, I, like many others, am not too thrilled with the sound and the reliability of this gadget (yet another sub-par product from Griffin, IMHO). Also, the extra jack for a microphone has led to mixed results. The whole gadget will sometimes pop out of the socket in the iPod, if you aren't careful (which is the only reason I know of for not tossing my old microcassette recorder).

Don't bother with Belkin's Voice Recorder--it sounds even worse, quite frankly. I haven't seen or tested the Maxell P-7 recorder, but I hear that it is comparable to Griffin's product, with a slightly better microphone. Other products that I hear are comparable/sub-par are SterlingTek's iRecorder and DLO's VoiceNote.

I think the best solution for these older iPods is to use Belkin's Universal Microphone Adapter along with any decent recording microphone. It WILL sound better, but it will still be an 8-bit recording and the sound quality won't knock your socks off. If you want to record telephone calls, use the UMA with something like Radio Shack's Wireless Phone Recording Controller.

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I'm sure this is a great product. But if you have a 5th Generation iPod, it will NOT work. If you have an iPod Mini, it will NOT work either.

The description for this item is unclear and should really be revised.

I'm a pre-med student and searched the internet for something to record my bio-chemistry lectures. Somthing small, portable, and something that wouldn't give me any hassles. I bought an ipod in february, and teamed up with the italk it seemed the perfect solution.

The italk came in a black box, in white packaging characteristic to all apple products. When I attached the itrip onto my ipod, it fit perfectly onto the top, so much better than its 'belkin rival'.

I first saw the Belkin recorder at Walmart, it was priced at $40, (circuit city price $50). The Belking was flat out ugly, the quality sucked and I took it back. Walmart is real lean on returned items and they promplty refunded my purchase.

When I saw how much griffin cost and the reviews it received for it's sound quality, i made no mistake about it and put my order in with amazon.

When i received it came in the mail, I told my sister to stand on the far side of the living room, and start yelling at me. (I was trying to simulate a biochemistry lecture). The griffin italk picked up beautifully her voice.

I brought my nifty gadget to work and everyone kept asking me how much i got it. (They could hear the jimi hendrix grooves blaring from my ipod via the griffin italk)

My coworkers were suprised when i told them i had bought it for only $26. It looked much more expensive to everybody.

I loved. I didn't get ripped of with the belkin recorder, which didn't even have an external mic output (the bastards sell it seperately).

So if it's so perfect and beautiful and beats competition, what are all the bad reviews for?

Ahhh the freezing.

The ipod is programed to recognize the italk if the ipod is already on, and THEN the italk is plugged in. If though on the other hand you plug the italk in and then turn on the ipod you risk freezing your player. I've had no problems with it doing it the first way.

Five stars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Andjelko.

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Esky Wireless Infrared Motion Night Vision Network Color Camera Pan & Tilt, 2-way audio

The product does not work, the wireless connection works only for 5 minutes, after that you have to reset the camera to reconnect to the wireless network.

After 3 days it stop working at all.

Buy another brand or product, dont waste you money in this.

I was actually surprised at how good this camera was for the money I paid. Other, more expensive products weren't as good as this unit. The day and night vision abilities are pretty good considering it's not an HD cam. It's wireless setup was very simple, easy and quick, and the unit has a 270 degree field sweep side to side and 100 degrees up and down. I use my camera for front door security and seeing what's up in the front yard. Day or night it has a good range, and for night vision it will see 100 or so feet. I'd definitely buy another of these if I had need. It was well packed and quickly shipped too. All in all, I'm very satisfied with this product.

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It is a good camera. It has the best picture quality among four I have. One problem is that the preset locations are not saved permanently. When the power is cut, they are lost. The other problem is that the motion detection is quite poor. One can not create a subframe within the viewframe for motion detection, like one could do with the linksys cameras. In addition, when the motion detection is on, and you move the camera, it starts recording as if it detects motion! That is, the hardware is good, but the software sucks big time...

New: I also noticed that video recording and ftp uploads do not work simultaneously. More than a year I did not see any improvement on the software either.

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I bought this camera a couple weeks ago. It had complete packaging, but the manual is garbage. It's too hard to understand and has too many broken English. I spent several hours trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with the camera since it kept showing 404 error page whenever I tried to view it using a web browser. It turned out the camera itself was missing the Web Interface firmware. So, I had to go to easyn.com website to download the latest System firmware and Web Interface firmware. Then, I used the camera installation software to update both firmwares in the camera. The installation software kept saying firmware update failed, but it actually took it. The FAQ section on their website also sucks. In conclusion, you have to be a genius to make this camera work.

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This camera is really great, I would have given 5 STARS but my daughter clicked the same link and got two of them one had different name (HOOTOO) in the software instead of EasyN. I have the EasyN and love it. The HOOTOO version came with software that looks the same but keeps trying to open an Internet explorer window. DON'T allow this to open, my Anti-virus software on multiple computers identified this as a malicious TROJAN!

We love that we can visit our grandchildren and see them and they can see us on our's. Product has audio too, but we haven't had any success with using that for video conferencing. Has Listen button and talk button but feedback is terrible if you enable both at the same time (we tried using just one Camera for the audio, while using both for two-way video). We now just use Cell phone on speaker phone mode for audio and the video is excellent.

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TiVo AG0100 Wireless G USB Network Adapter for TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRs

• Enjoy TiVoToGo and multi-room viewing transfers, music and photos, online scheduling
• Eliminates the need for a phone line, if used with a broadband connection
• Works with 802.11g and 802.11b wireless networks
• Real brushed metal base; flip-up antenna with TiVo badge
• For use with a TiVo Series2 or Series3 only; not for use with a TiVo Series1 or DIRECTV DVR with TiVo

First, thank you to the previous reviewers: I had several questions regarding this product such as "does it support Wireless Encryption?" and the previous reviews really helped...by the way yes, it supports WEP.

What you will need if you want to use this:

1) Wireless Internet Access (Wireless Router and Connection to Internet) within range of your DVR

2) Series 2 DVR (with USB plug)

3) A computer for some of the advanced features

Once you have these two things then using this product is amazingly simple to set up for about 80% of "Lucky People."

1) Plug it In

2) Follow the Instructions

3) Enter your WEP key (alphanumeric or hexadecimal --alphanumeric is much easier)

4) I had to restart my DVR

5) If you're connecting a computer and using TivoToGo, you have to install the software on your computer...which also has to be connected to the network for your TIVO to see it and for your computer to see your TIVO and you'll need your Media Access Key.

Benefits I received from this product:

1) I don't have to use a phone line to get updates (no dialing)

2) TIVO updates come much faster over Broadband (Faster updates)

3) I bought TIVO to Go Plus --extra $$ from TIVO for the license key that you use with the computer software and I can listen to my iPod music through my Bose in my living room

4) I have my picture library shared....baby pictures are nice on the television....but caution, the quality of the pictures will only be as good as your TV....ie HDTV is still not as good as a good laptop screen and if you don't have HDTV, they'll only look as good as your TVs best resolution. Its still very cool to show baby pictures on the big TV.

5) I have a huge Attached Hard Drive array on my computer...its really a Server...so I offload movies I plan to keep and they're always there when I want to watch them so the 180hour DVR size limit kindof doesn't apply.

Issues / Challenges:

1) You have to know a little bit about computers if you want to get some of the more complex benefits such as share pictures, music, download movies.....ie you have to know about firewalls, how to install software, IP addresses and things like that.

2) If you have wireless access already set up and just want to use it to connect to the internet and get program updates instead of using your phone line, its pretty easy but you'll have to a) have DHCP turned on or b) assign it a static IP......for those of you who think I just typed in Greek, chances are that you have DHCP but if you happen not to, you could bump into problems.

3) If you want to listen to your IPod, share pictures, download to your computer, please make sure to read the software/hardware requirements for your computer.

Overall, these are my thoughts on the average person installing this easily:

A) 80% of the people who buy this should have Zero problems installing this product because you have a standard network configuration, know your way around networks, or are just lucky.

B) 20% of the people who buy this who don't have a standard Wireless network configuration AND don't have some knowledge of networking....you could become frustrated at trying to connect this product ESPECIALLY if you want to use some of the advanced functionality.

My Luck:

1) Start to finish it took me 5 minutes to install this to get its updates through the wireless network.

2) It took me about 30 minutes to install all the other software and get everything configured to share music, pictures and enable TivoToGo on my computer.

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Experience was as follows:

1 ) Plugged unit into TIVO USB port.

2 ) Went to TIVO network setup menu.

3 ) Network immediately recognized.

4 ) Clicked on network name.

5 ) Entered WEP password using alpha-numeric alternative.

6 ) Network link established.

7 ) Used on-screen signal strength to reposition Adapter and router antenna.

8 ) Connected to Tivo service.

Good product. Recommended.

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This Tivo Wireless Adapter is way better than the D-Link usb wireless adapter I was using on my Tivo. The performance increase (transfer speed from Tivo to PC using Tivo Desktop software) was about 25-40%. Signal reception also improved as displayed on the Tivo itself to "Good 70%" instead of "Fair 50%".

I highly recommend this adapter if you are interested in taking advantage of some of Tivo's more advanced functionlity like transfering programs to your PC to burn to DVD or transfer to other Tivos in your house.

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For the last 10 months I connected my Tivo's wirelessly, using a Netgear and a Linksys Adapter I had nothing but problems, the signal strength in the network did not remain constant, resulting in one of the boxes not communicating. I tried using two Linksys, the same problem.

Tivo customer service suggesting I invest in their branded Adapters and since installing them (which was a breeze), I have had no more problems.

I just wish Tivo had released these at the same time they launched Series Two Tivo's, that would have avoided people like me wasting time on adapters that were really not compatible.

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The Tivo AG0100 makes hooking the Tivo up to a PC Network so darn easy I could do it in 15 minutes.... and that's saying something.

It has a very small footprint and is powered by the Tivo Unit not another AC power-supply behind the TV, of which I have tons.

One great benefit of this is that now the Tivo service can check several times a day instead of just once every 24hrs or so using the phone-line. This seems to keep the Guide a lot more up to date.

I am very satisfied with it's ease of setup, functionality, and even it's esthetics.

I would highly recommend this to someone who is " Network Illiterate " .... As I am.