Canon FS200 Flash Memory Camcorder w/41x Advanced Zoom (Misty Silver) - 2009 MODEL

This review is for people who have common sense about this technology and have done even a TAD bit of research before buying. I have been in the video/film/animation industry for 15 years and have used tons of equipment for everything from multimillion dollar productions, to rogue gorilla documentaries. This camera is for people who want to flip open something small and compact, shoot some video for memories and thas that. Pretty much ALL camcorders under 800 dollars are going to shoot interlaced video, and this one does as well. it has complete manual overide for focus and exposure. I read a review where a lady was complaining about filming a recital and the camera was going in and out of focus. No problem, set it to manual and problem fixed. There is no more .MOD file problems.. all files are read as .mpeg files now (you can download the newest software from the website) **EDIT** its come to my attention that some people are still getting the .MOD files extension. I am running windows XP service pack 3 on a PC and the program it installed is pixela imagemixer 3 version 4 and it automatically shows up as .mpeg 4 files.. so i dont know whats up and why that works for me, as i did nothing special or extra for that to happen..

now onto quality.

It is acceptable. Low light gives you grainy pictures and some ghosting. You will get this on pretty much ALL camcorders in this class. do NOT expect that if you spend another 100 dollars you will get a difference. If you want to see a noticable difference you will need to step up to the 800-1200 dollar range. Im sorry but thats just the facts. Another thing to be on the lookout for is called a frame buffer. Which EVERY camcorder over 100 dollars Should have.. you know, that telltale sign in video where when the camera moves back and forth the picture starts "waving like a flag in the wind".. we're good with that. The zoom on this camera is CRAZY good.. in general, optical zoom is good, digital zoom is bad.. this cameras optical zoom rivals most everything out there.. things i dont like. When you play your recorded videos on the camcorder, it will just play the next file without stopping, in one long stream.. this is cool, but i dont like not having the option to view one at a time. you HAVE to plug it in to the wall power when you transfer files to the computer. i dont like the record button on the end of the barrel.. the way i ALWAYS end up holding this camera is like how you hold a glass of water if you were pouring it out.. with my thumb on the top of the barrell.. i NEVER hold it "properly" (like a glass of water that im drinking).. its so tiny that holding it like that is almost cumbersome and unecessary.. In short i LOVE this thing for the convenience.. on standby it will boot up in 2 seconds.. AWESOME.. no tape, the small size, good battery life, relatively big LCD screen,external mic input and headphone all good.. needing a plug for computer connection, bad low light performance, bad management of video playback not so good.. all in all i REALLY like it...

if you want the convenience of a TINY camcorder available at a moments notice, recording to a card instead of tape, a regular def video (most everything i shoot is for web or regular DVD which is regular def anyway) and a price thats not bad. this is for you

Now, if you want a video camera for capturing high def home videos for permanent memories to keep forever and possibly burn to blu-ray, seriously, buy a high def, 3ccd progressive scan camcorder. Expect to pay around 1000+ dollars, but thats what you get. i dont understand the complaints that this is whats expected from this camcorder. You cant drive a civic around complaining it cant go from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds..

I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago and it is small. Smaller than I expected, but that is not a bad thing, it is easy to carry around in a vest pocket or coat pocket. I didn't download or use any of the software provided with the camera, I have Sony Vegas on my computer. One thing that I do recommend is downloading the free SDCOPY software you can find on the net. Check the widescreen box and it will convert your .MOD files to mpg files lightning quick. Now you should be able to work with them in just about any editing software. Use a card reader for the SD card instead of connecting the camera to the computer, makes life easier. I use a cheap one that came with my SD cards.

Zoom is good, and a steady hand or tripod is highly recommended for longer shots. Quick to start up, the auto lens cover is great, battery life also great.

I really see no problems with this great little camera, other than low light filming could be better, but not many of these cameras are great in low light.

Buy Canon FS200 Flash Memory Camcorder w/41x Advanced Zoom (Misty Silver) - 2009 MODEL Now

I have several Canon digital cameras, so when I decided to purchase a camcorder I immediately went to Canon. I waited a month for this new version. I wanted a small camcorder--and this is definitely small.

I am a bit disappointed in the quality of the videos. For movies taken in full light I can hardly tell the difference between these movies and the ones I take with my Canon PowerShot A570 IS digital camera! Although, the sound is definitely better with the camcorder. For movies in dim light (I filmed my son's Jazz concert), there was a huge difference so I decided to keep the camera.

I would agree with the previous reviewer in that the control buttons on the LCD screen are practically useless in dark settings. I couldn't see them during the concert I filmed.

I also have a bit of trouble holding the camera because it is so small. I removed the "grip belt" strap it came with because I could not get it to fit securely and still allow me to adjust the buttons at the same time. It felt like the camera was going to slide off my hand. I now use the extra wrist strap that comes with the camera and while it doesn't look as "cool", I'm not worried about dropping the camera.

My biggest hassel has been that the camera saves the movie files as MOD files which are a pain to work with! They will not import into most video editing programs (including Adobe Premiere Elements!), and the widescreen videos will not play correctly in Windows Media Player unless you convert the file.

The camera comes with a software program to transfer, edit, and view the movies--but it is awkward to use and even with the conversion I still could not get the movies to import into Camtasia Studio 6, which is the program I use the most. So, after two days of internet searching this is what I found that works for me.

1. I use a card reader to transfer the movie files onto my computer. This is much easier for me than using the program that comes with the camera.

2. I downloaded a free copy of SDCopy, and I use it to convert the MOD files to mpeg files. If I check the "widescreen" box on the converting window the converted movies will play widescreen in Windows Media Player.

3. The converted movies will import into Adobe Premiere, but they will not import into Camtasia Studio 6 (which is my goal). I can use Adobe Premiere to convert the files to avi files, but the process takes too long for me so I found a better and easier way.

4. I purchased a MOD converter. The one I decided on was Daniusoft Mod Converter for $29. It works well. With a MOD converter, I can convert the MOD files to a bunch of other types that will import into other programs as well as play on other devices such as an ipod. I use it to convert the files I converted with SDCopy into .avi files that will import into Camtasia.

Bottom line: Do your research and decide if this is for you. The FS100 received so many good reviews that I can't help but wonder if the video quality of that camera is better than this one. Perhaps someone will post information that answers that question.

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I ordered this so I can record our vacation to the beach on my husband's leave from Iraq. I'm not terribly familiar with various camcorders but after much research I decided on the Canon FS200 and I'm quite pleased. I LOVE that it has flash memory as I can easily carry extra cards and swap them out as needed. It didn't take too long to charge and has a great battery life. The picture quality is great, mic picks up sounds well and the zoom is fantastic. I love how small and lightweight it is. The price is good too. I'm very happy with this camcorder.

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I bought this camcorder on May 15, 2009 to replace my Canon ZR200 camcorder that stopped playing tapes about 5 months ago. I loved my ZR200 and the plethora of tapes that I filmed using it. I still believe that tapes are the best form of archive known today!

This review will focus on the features outlined at the product's web-site. I congratulate Canon's marketing staff at providing this outline.

1. Ultra-Sleek, Compact and Lightweight Design

The product is very sleek, compact and lightweight! The UPS scale at my office weighed the camcorder, battery and SDHC card at a mere 9.8 oz.

I love the Red color and waited an extra month until this color was available. Due to it's light weight, I recommend that you always use this w/ a tripod or monopod to provide the best video quality.

2. Canon Exclusive: Genuine 41x Advanced Zoom

This zoom feature is only available in the wide screen mode. It provides a wide-screen effect, giving you an extra 20% viewing area w/out an additional lens. In std (4:3) mode, you the best optical setting is 37x, which is almost as good.

3. Canon Exclusive: DIGIC DV II Image Processor

This processor has been around for several years now and delivers a superb shot and video using the optical zoom settings. Using the digital (2000x) zoom settings it does not seem to help as much. However, I was able to capture some good video at approx. 500-1000x zoom using the digital setting. Thank you canon!

4. Superb Shooting Control Video Snapshot, Quick Start, Quick Charge, Dual Shot and More

The shooting control is superberb. However, you have to turn the dial to change between video and photo mode. I believe my last canon allowed simultaneous filming and picture taking.

5. Stunning Digital Photography

The photo's I took were as best as I could have hoped for at 1024x780 resolutions. As you would expect from Kodak, the colors were fabulous and the light recognition was very good. I still haven't figured out how to get the 5 pics / second (burst mode) working.

6. 2.7" Widescreen LCD

This helps a lot in video play back. I have 20/20 vision and can clearly see the clips I just took. I also LOVE the replay mode, which moves from clip to clip until you press the pause button or reach the end.

7. Pick the Color to Suit Your Style

Sunrise red is HOT. I'm glad I waited a few extra weeks for it.

8. Additional Features...

The lithium Iron battery lasts 3-5 hrs, depending on camera use. I still bought 2 extra batteries for $35 total and don't have any plans to start using them soon. 3-5 hours is amazing in comparison to the HD camcorders, which give you an hour of footage at best.

The USB high speed terminal is nice, but it took me a few hours to figure out that you need to put the camcorder in PC transfer mode. The default mode is DVD burner mode, which I find to be an oversight by the focus group. They should know that 90% of US customers want to import the clips into their PC, not Canon's DVD burner. This oversight dropped my review from a perfect 5 stars to 4 stars.

I discovered that the headphone terminal outputs a mono signal, causing the right earphone to emit an irritating buzzing sound. Thank goodness I was not wearing a head set.

I have not tested the audio input jack. However, I anticipate better results than their output jack.

I only tested the Pixel's software video capture feature, which failed to capture my wide screen video correctly. Thanks to the SDCopy shareware utility, I was able to capture my Wide Screen footage correctly. I hope they provide this feature in their sofware soon!

After doing some testing I discovered that you can film almost 5 hrs. in low quality (3 mps/sec) mode, lmost 3 hrs in st. quality (6 mps/sec), and approx 2 hrs. of footage at high qualify (9 mps/sec) at the setting on an 8GB SDHC card.

I did not purchase the extended warrantee because there aren't many moving parts.

I congratulate canon's product design staff for providing a product that I will enjoy using for years to come.

When you capture the video into your PC, you need to have it plugged into the power jack. Otherwise, it will not work. Hence, I suggest that you purchase a USB/HD Card reader with this device.

With the cost of a 16 GB class 6 SDHC card at $40, I don't know how canon expects to sell their FS22 (32 GB internal memory) or FS21 (16 GB intenal memory) at the price they are asking.

This is truly a fabulous product!

Toshiba DR560 1080p Upconverting DVD Recorder with Built-in Tuner

• DVD Recorder
• Progressive Scan
• 1080p Upconversion
• With Built-in Digital Tuner
• JPEG Photo Viewer

This is a review of the Toshiba DR560 Upconverting DVD Recorder with built in high def tuner.

BACKGROUND:

I bought this unit to handle a few needs with one piece of hardware:

1. I wanted a high def tuner for my tuner-less Sharp Aquos 26" LCD TV (purchased in 2007 before the new rule requiring tuners in TVs!)

2. I wanted to be able to take old analog home movie footage and transfer it directly to DVD with no editing. My old VHS tapes were approaching their shelf life limit.

3. I wanted to upconvert standard 480 resolution DVDs to make them look better on the Sharp TV.

SETUP:

The setup of the device was simple. I hate the fact that manufacturers still don't include HDMI cables with hardware that costs this much. So I grumbled for a minute and then purchased an HDMI cable for it (don't get me started on how most electronics stores charge an obscene price for digital cables! I bought one at a large discount retailer). All I had to do was connect the HDMI-out from the Toshiba to the HDMI-in on my high def Sharp. That's it. No audio plugs needed. I like having just a one wire connection.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

For the remote control I don't have many complaints. It does not appear to be capable of controlling my TV I didn't see anything in the guide about programming other devices. Someone please comment and correct me if I'm wrong on that. The keys are not lighted.

When I first started the player I went through the simple setup prompts. The instructions said I might need to hit the HDMI button on the remote to match up to the display of my TV, but it automatically selected 1080 for me. (there are lighted 480, 720, and 1080 indicators on the player itself, so you can tell what mode it is in) If you are not connected via HDMI then these lights don't function. I initially tried a component video connection and noticed that the resolution selection was not available.

When I first opened the DVD tray I thought I had activated a paper shredder! It is the loudest, oldest sounding motor noise I have ever heard from a DVD player. To me it sounds like it is straining just to open the tray. I hope that holds up long term.

I found the disk read and startup time to be a little long.

SPECIFIC IMPRESSIONS:

UPCONVERTING DVD PLAYER:

I put in a DVD "Star Wars Attack of the Clones" to test the upconverting video quality. I was immediately concerned with how loud the motor was in spinning up the DVD. But my worry went away once I hit "play". Once you start playing the movie the motor noise goes away and is very quiet.

To test the upconverting quality I played a scene from the movie on the DVD player, and then switched over and played the same scene on an Xbox 360 connected to the same TV via a component video connection. To my untrained eye the upconverted picture was brighter and had a slightly higher level of detail. So I was satisfied with it.

DVD RECORDER:

I have only used DVD-R recording media. Once I try a DVD+-RW disk I will update this review. But using the DVD-R was very user friendly. You pop in a blank DVD-R disk and the machine has it ready to go in a few seconds. No interaction needed.

I then hooked up a VCR using the RCA video and audio ports (the recorder included RCA and S video cables). There's one set of inputs on the back and one on the front. I used the back ones because it was just as convenient for me.

Before recording I went into the DVD recording options menu and selected it to do automatic 5 minute chapter breaks.

All I had to do what hit play on my VCR and hit record on the DVD recorder. A little red disk of light displays on the panel so that you know it's recording. Going from memory I believe the recording quality options were 1 hour, 2, 4, 6, and 8.

I was able to record successfully from both VHS and a HI-8 Camcorder feeds (both using the RCA jacks).

Once the tape finished I hit stop on the recorder, and it finished writing the recording very quickly (less than one minute for 2 hours of recording). I then had the option to edit the title that appears on the menu, which is not the most intuitive process using the remote control. I had also expected it to create a DVD menu with chapters for every 5 minute break, but it only had one menu selection. When playing back the disk it did skip 5 minutes every time I hit the Chapter+ button.

As a final step I "finalized" the DVD to make it able to play on other DVD players. I tested the disks on a circa 1997 Sony DVD player, and also a 2005 Toshiba. DVDs that I created from VHS played fine on both players, but the DVD I recorded from the Hi-8 tape source would not play correctly on the 1996 DVD player. It played fine on the 2005 player. I still need to test more Hi-8 recordings to see it that was an isolated problem or not.

UPDATE 05/30/08: I think it's just my 1997 Sony DVD player that just can't handle DVD-R media very well. After replaying VHS source and HI-8 source videos, they are both hit or miss as to whether they play correctly. I don't think this will be an issue for most people with newer DVD players.

I still need to test recording from a mini-DV digital source.

HIGH DEF TV TUNER:

I have a large UHF antenna mounted in my attic receiving local HD quality broadcasts (see my other reviews for that). I ran a coaxial cable from that antenna down to the DVD recorder and connected it to the antenna-in port. Then using the same HDMI-out feed to the TV I was able to tune in and watch local digital broadcast stations. I watched the season finale of American Idol on it (David vs David), and the picture quality was excellent. Changing channels does take about 2 seconds, as another reviewer said. That is a little slow, but I am willing to put up with slow channel changing for free high def!

Overall I would rate this DVD Recorder 4 of 5 stars. It certainly does serve the three needs I outlined at the start of this review.

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Got my Toshiba DR560 on Amazon, shipping was quick as usual, been using it for 2 weeks and is hooked up to my Samsung LN37A450 37-inch 720p LCD HDTV via HDMI cable. I'll focus on my user experience:

Pros:

IT WORKS. Easy push-button to setup one-time recordings

GOOD WITH COMCAST CABLE. Picks up my Comcast channels both the regular Analog *and* the Digital TV (DTV) cable broadcast channels. I'm not sure why the other reviewer said it did not work with Comcast digital?? It works just fine and tunes to both the analog and digital signals from Comcast cable, DO NOTE that there is an "EXTENDED SCAN" mode to learn the digital cable channels maybe the reviewer missed that option and just did the regular analog cable Scan.. I have not tried tuning into the FREE OTA (Over the air) HDTV programming since I get weak air TV signals in my area.

DECENT UP-CONVERSION. I did find a better picture quality in the upconversion of regular DVDs compared to my regular DVD player, however my old DVD player was connected via cheap RC/A AV cables not composite not S-video so just by nature of HDMI there would be a difference already!! In any case I now get deeper blacks, less noise, and sharper details. Can't complain.

HDMI CONTROL. here's a pleasant surprise.. the Samsung "AnyNet" HDMI control actually recognizes the player and now I can use buttons on Samsung remote like the Play/ Pause / Stop/ FFW / REV to control basic functions on the DR560 which is great since the Toshiba remote totally SUCKS as mentioned earlier! Tip: you do have to activate the HDMI Control on the DR560 in one of the setup menu settings.

Cons:

POOR MENU. the system setup menu navigation is very poor and reminds me of the old DOS programs before there was a Windows operating system! You can't see the live TV picture when you enter system setup menu to program recordings, set the date/time, etc... However there is another shorter settings menu called "Display" which brings up a semi-transparent menu-bar on top of live picture and you can tweak most things like audio, black level, etc.. so it's OK for most things during playback you don't have to enter an archaic menu system.

TIME SLIP RECORDING. The "Time Slip" Tivo-like recording mode only works on DVR-RW (the minus "-" RW) media, so i'll need to buy new disks to try that feature. I addition the manual says you can't tune to other channels while recording.. bummer. However the regular recording mode (without time slip feature) works on both DVR-RW and DVR+RW so no big deal if you already had DVR-RW media in your home or if you don't miss the Time Slip functionality.

BOOT TIME. The thing takes forever to boot! Longer time if it has a disk inside the tray. Afterwards there is no noticeable lag it's response time is decent.

NO EPG. No EPG (Electronic Progamming Guide).. but you should already now that most manufacturers of DVD recorders after 2005 dropped this functionality since the whole thing was a fiasco.. the greedy Cable companies were blocking the free programming guides or charging subscription fees, and the existing EPGs feeds were coming from public stations like PBS that sometimes shut the feeds off by accident. For those of you that must have an EPG note there's only like one brand/model out there a Samsung DVR model with built-in Tuner that still includes EPG but apparently was discontinued this year and it's very hard to find one also reveiws are mixed saying EPG sometimes not work at all.. the model is Samsung DVD-AR650. Oh well.. it's time for Sunday paper TV GUIDE for everybody i guess.

POOR DTV TUNER PICTURE. Ok.. here is the final catch: The DR560 digital tuner works fine, BUT the picture quality is noticeably inferior compared to the native Samsung HDTV built-in digital tuner. I tuned to PBS 11-1 digital 1080i broadcast on both the DR560 tuner and the Samsung HDTV built-in tuner, switched back-forth, and no matter what the DR560 HDMI output set to 480p/ 720p / 1080i/ 1080p the native Samsung's HDTV digital tuner is waaaay superior in sharpness, detail, and color rendition. It almost felt like DR560 was downscaling the image to SD 480p and then trying to up-convert to 720p or similar.. there's quite a visual difference from both tuners. The DR560 lost many fine details and colors were not as punchy as in the native Samsung HDTV digital tuner no matter what the color tweaking I did on the TV.

------Bottom line: i'll keep it until something better comes along at this price point that improves the menu system at the minimum (I would have chosen the Panasonic-? brands but users complained of very sluggish controls..). For now, it will happily replace my archaic VHS tape recorder (VHS.. tape.. what's that?? LOL !!) which was second reason I bought it for. And the main reason the playback video i get from both DVDs and TV recordings is still decent quality so i'm happy with it. I really don't mind the digital tuner output since I use the TV one instead. BUY IT I Recommended it for the price of about $178.

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I waited for the release of this new model (end of March) and it was WELL WORTH IT! Setup was easy and the ATSC/NTSC/QAM digital/analog tuner produces a clean, crisp, 3D-like picture on my analog TV from over-the-air broadcasts. We were blown away by the HD-like quality! I use an outdoor antenna and bought this mainly for the digital conversion and recording of TV shows. Recording quality is awesome, even recording in LP (4hr) mode produces DVD quality video with perhaps a hint of fuzziness on the edges of numbers/letters. I will use this mode most of the time because of the quality and 4hr record time. SP (2hr) gives superb quality all around. It's hooked up to my 36" Toshiba TV with a component video cable for best pic quality and I am using optical cable for audio to my home theater amp. It does have HDMI for those with HD TVs. Power up takes a few seconds if there is a disc in the tray as it scans/loads it. Formatting is very quick. I use DVD -RW's but it can do DVD +RW as well. When changing digital channels there is a 1-2 second delay but I can live with that. Only con is with the remote. The lettering should be done in bright-white to make it easier to read in low to moderate lighting conditions. Because of this I would give the whole package a 4.5. Highly recommended this product and think it's one of the best on the market to date.

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Does as advertised. I primarly picked this up for its DTV tuner. I am getting away from cable and their year to 2 year contract agreements. This in combination with the DB2 antenna has changed how I watch local TV.

Sure, I don't get HBO or comedy central, but with the DIVX playback on this DVDRec. all I need do is download my favorite shows and burn them to a dvd-rw/r. Please, don't download movies, it's illegal. But as far as I know, TV shows broadcast on tv are fine. :)

As the DTV tuner was my main reason of purchase, that is what I'll focus on. Reception with an decent antenna (DB2, I can't recommend it enough) quality is great. DTV channels take a few seconds to load, but that has been the case for most OTA DTV set top boxes. I can't compare times, but it is roughly 2-3 seconds for the channel to display. Nothing drastic. One touch recording works perfectly, so long as you pre-load a DVD-r/rw. Recording starts withing a half second of pressing record. And this model has a live pause feature called "time Slip" which lets you pause where you are watching and it will continue to record.

This combined with the "Play" while recording feature, is essentially a DVR. I've done this 2 times in the 30 days of ownership. It works as advertised. There is a one minute gap in what you can watch, as that is the buffer of recording.

Example: Program a show to record (yes, DTV broadcasts in HD can be recorded)for best results so that it will stop automatically. Now, press play and the recording will return to the beginning of the show, yet still continue to record in real time. Another option is the "Time Slip" function. The time slip will let you jump back to where you pressed Time slip and continue where you stopped.

Toshiba delivers again.

Only negative, like some have said, the DVD drive is loud on opening and closing, but I had an old RCA which sounded like a metal door opening under hydraulics... so this isn't too bad. The gears do sound shaky, so use the eject button at all times, even when closing. Pushing the drive in feels as though it will crumble.

DVD playback, is upconverting. 1080i over component and 1080p on HDMI. The front display will show you what resolution you are displaying if you have HDMI, but not with component (RGB). It makes my current DVD collection look amazing. Currently my Toshiba rear projection (5 years old and still looks great) does not have HDMI, but my Next HDTV will be a model with HDMI and it will be a Toshiba again. :)

Sorry for the long review.

This unit has about every feature you can imagine & then some. It has a built in tuner for both analog & digital. Something you want to have for a number of reasons. Automatic channel scan; add or delete channels as you like. Beware the cheap ones that are just players. Read the reviews; most are pretty negative. The Toshiba has input & output connections for all kinds of devices so you can connect other components you have. All brands of DVD-R & DVD-RW blanks work. I've had no problem playing commercial DVD's or ones I made off my computer. DVD-RW's automatically format when you insert the disk. The set-up menu allows you change most anything to suit your specific needs, but the defaults will do just fine. You're good to go from the time you plug it in. The complete list of defaults is in the manual so it's easy to find & change anything to your liking.

Don't be intimidated by the 117 page instruction manual. In case you think it's long because it's multi-language, not so. The reason it's long is because each feature is treated separately & explained in very simple instructions with diagrams. The manual has index tabs so you can find what you're looking for very easily. Unlike most, you don't have to read all of it to do the task you want. The topics stand alone on one page. Best manual I've seen. There's also an index of terminology. Not needed to use the machine, but you can impress your friends.

You can select recording quality just like on a VHS machine. The higher the quality, the less recording time you get. I use the middle setting which gives 3 hours, 45 minutes with excellent quality. I can't see a difference versus the highest Q that gives only 1 hour recording. But, the low end Q, 8 hours recording time is poor so I wouldn't recommend it. Remember, the maximum quality is dictated by the source not the recorder so adjust according to what you're doing.

There have been comments about the lettering on the remote being hard to read. Yes & no. For all the primary functions (channel, play, record, fast forward), the keys have bold white on black which is very easy to see. The lesser functions (set-up, program timer) are harder to read but that's the same on all remotes since black became the popular color. But, the keys are logically placed & after a week of use, I was able to use all functions on the remote at night with no lights on. The objections are overstated.

The second big objection I noted in these reviews is that you have to add the closing code to the DVD to make it transportable to other players. That's the same with CD or DVD off your computer. Computer software does it automatically as default. Not so with the Tosiba but it's mentioned on every applicable page in the instruction manual & very easy to do. You can set the Toshiba to do it automatically, but you don't want that on a VCR because it complicates the erase of recorded tracks on DVD-RW's. Read the manual. Do the disk closing by your command.

Negatives. None major. (1) On DVD-RW's, the track recording has to be consecutive. So, if you have 4 programs recorded, deleting # 3 will not allow you to record a replacement in the empty space. Deleting both # 3 & # 4 will allow 2 more. (2) The video screen format can be adjusted using the "zoom" key to cover various source material. But, what you enter isn't retained. Have to set it each time. (3) An HDMI cable isn't included. But, you may not need an HDMI cable depending on what TV & cables you already have. A quick look saves time & money.

I like it. Best deal was on Amazon. From the mouse click to my door took 48 hours so I'm really satisfied.

Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite 40GB Picture Viewer

Just got this product and inserted an SD card to view the pictures taken with my NIKON D80 camera taken on RAW format. Surprise!!! The small LCD Screen on my camera has better resolution than the much bigger Screen on the Picture Porter.

If you want a product to store and better view your work while on the field, then this is NOT what you are looking for. Images look blurry at best, 0 detail and 0 sharpness...

LCD Resolution on this prod is 320x240, and the worst is that no information on resolution is available here for similar products.... SKIP!!!

I have just received this Digital Foci ppe 360. Have only tested it at home but am very happy with it function. I got it because it reads my raw camon 5D and 20D perfectly.It tested perfect as to loading into computer. The other unit I have would not show raw on the lcd screen. Its an A in my books.

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The Digital Foci arrived at my daughter's house on schedule and in great condition (Xmas present for my wife). When I looked at the Foci I could not get it to turn on ... even after charging it. An email to Digital Foci stating the problem was responded to in less than an hour and I found there was a user error ... lock was on so the Foci could not be accidentally started. Great people to deal with!! Now I hope my wife likes it.

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This product is excellent! All my photos and memories are now on the device I can share and remember. I had photos from 1997 when I went to Belize birding. I scanned them all and downloaded them into this device.

I can even watch the slides while music plays in the background. This is

the best gift my husband gave me.

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Panasonic DMR-EZ27K Up-Converting 1080p DVD-Recorder with ATSC Tuner

• Multi Drive Ram + others Receives all HDTV/SDTV broadcast formats -- records and displays in standard definition only
• DV Input for transfer
• HDMI out put, SD card slot
• 1 Sec Quick Start
• Recording Time Slip

I bought this from Best Buy not Amazon.

Things I like:

1) Scheduling for recording programs is pretty intuitive

2) Creating the DVD top menu is easy

3) Playback of DVDs with HDMI cable is very sharp with upconversion

4) XP (1hr) and SP (2hr) are very good...better than VCR quality

5) Has Flexible Recording mode (FR) which you assign the hours to record.

6) To my surprise, when I record a 16x9 broadcast on a +RW, it actually plays in 16x9 on my TV. It's not supposed to per the manual.

7) Although not advertised, it has a QAM tuner. Will deciper any HD/digital channels from my cable connection. The quality isn't as good as the built in QAM tuner on my TV though.

8) Remote layout is good and feels sturdy.

9) Can use TIVO like features if recording using a DVD-RAM.

Things I dislike:

1) LP (4hrs) mode is very pixeling when played back on my 56" widescreen. Way worst than VCR quality. I don't even use this mode. EP (6 or 8hrs) is practically garbage. My old reliable VCR could tape 6hrs which was good for a week of shows. Now since I only use the 2hr SP mode, I have to keep remembering to switch out my DVD+RWs and label them. A big hassle, which I'm not sure outweighs the benefits. Very bad if you have to tape 4 hours or more during a day...i.e. a long sporting event.

2) If I set the recorder as hooked up to a 16x9 TV, which it is, and I record a 16x9 broadcast, it plays fine on my HDTV. However, if I play back the recording on a 4x3 TV, the image is scrunched into the 4:3 TV making everybody appear narrow. No setting on my 4:3 TV or DVD player can change how it appears. Can't get it to go widescreen on the 4:3. If I set the recorder as hooked up to a 4x3 TV, then it will play back okay on a 4:3 but won't go 16x9 on my HDTV. Ugh.

3) The QAM tuner when auto programming channels isn't intelligent. It will pick up every digital channel going through the cable feed, whether encrypted or not. Thus, you'll end up with about 100 digital channels that are encrypted and you can't view (blue screened). You have to manually deleted these channels from the recorder, which after doing about 10 took way too long and I stopped. Slow channel changing.

4) No Open/Close button on the remote.

5) Cable signal quality on analog channels through this tuner isn't the greatest.

6) I have a Samsung 1080P DVD Player and when playing back recordings with the Panasonic, I can't get my "instant replay" or "instant skip" features to work on my Samsung.

7-15-07 UPDATE:

Two weeks after purchasing this recorder and 1 week after posting this review, my digital (HD) channels disappeared from the unit. Resetting or re-auto programming the channels didn't work to get them back. I called Panasonic tech support who's supposed to send me a firmware update for the unit. Supposedly, I'm not the 1st to report this issue. The firmware update isn't on the panasonic website though. This now lowers my rating to two stars. If the firmware doesn't fix the issue, I will update this.

7/30/07 Update: Well lame-o Panasonic finally mailed the firmware update about 12 days after I first called them even though they promised it with 3 days. The firmware update has brought back my digital channels. I'm crossing my fingers that they will continue to remain. The firmware update's biggest feature, however, was that it made the LP (4hr) recording mode much better. Before, I couldn't even tolerate the quality of the LP mode because there was too much pixelation. With the firmware upgrade, it's actually tolerable...at least when watching a regular TV show. I have to test it on a sporting event before I give my final opinion. I'm taping the Giant's game tomorrow (in case BB ties HA) so I'll let y'all know later.

8/6/07 and FINAL Update:

Well, I lost my digital channels twice since my last update. Once after the unit froze on me...another time for no apparent reason. I have to goto through the tedious 10-15 minute process of reloading the firmware update and the the long auto-channel setup to get my digital channels back. I have no faith that my digital channels will remain indefinitely. There seems to be quite a few bugs in this unit. I called Panasonic Tech Support and they told me to ship the unit back for their Techs to inspect and repair. Although the shipping and repair is covered under the warranty, I've already paid this unit in full and will be out of a recorder for at probably 3-4 weeks if I went this route. Unfortunately, I've owned this thing over 30 days and can't return it anymore. I'm crossing my fingers that my digital channels won't mysteriously disappear anymore or that Panasonic will come out with yet a better firmware upgrade....but I'm not holding my breath. It's been very disappointing that this unit has a lot of glitches.

Buy Panasonic DMR-EZ27K Up-Converting 1080p DVD-Recorder with ATSC Tuner Now

Finally, DVD recorders with ATSC tuners have arrived. For those of us who receive our TV over the air, and who want to (a) upgrade to digital (b) replace an old VCR and (c) reduce component count, they seem like the perfect solution. I bought the DMR-EZ27K with high hopes.

Well, I'm a bit disappointed. On the good side, the unit has an excellent digital/analog tuner that has no problem pulling in local stations via my rooftop antenna. It downscales digital broadcasts to 480i over the S-Video output. As I understand it, it also downscales digital broadcasts even when using the HDMI output, i.e. it doesn't pass the broadcast signal through unscathed. However if you are using the HDMI output, you probably have a TV with an ATSC tuner in it anyway, so this seems like a minor quibble.

Also on the good side, it plays just about every 5-inch silver disc format out there, including DivX. I tried the DivX functionality and it worked very well.

The unit makes excellent quality recordings off-air and has a clever feature that fits the recording to the disc space available, maximizing quality.

However, the unit has problems. Here's why I'm not planning on keeping it:

(1) Changing channels is incredibly slow about 5 seconds. This becomes quite tiresome.

(2) There is no electronic program guide. You have to set the recording manually, VCR-style. There are other DVD recorders which have EPG for about the same price.

(3) Chasing playback only works with DVD-RAM discs. They are very hard to find, so I haven't been able to try out this feature.

(4) Many (idiotic) broadcasters broadcast in 16:9 constantly. When the program material is 4:3, they put black bars at the sides, so there's a huge bar all the way around the picture when watching on a 4:3 TV! This DVD recorder offers no zoom to deal with this you are stuck with a postage-stamp-sized image in the middle of your 4:3 screen.

(5) The unit has frozen up on me, requiring a power cycle.

(6) Sometimes the channel being shown and the channel information are out of sync. This happens quite often if you are trying to change channels faster than the unit. And this happens a lot (see (1)).

(7) There seems to be a bug in the firmware which causes the 5.1 mixdown to switch modes unexpectedly. Sometimes it will be a genuine stereo downmix, and other times it won't be. This leads to strange audio artifacts.

This is all rather unfortunate, because the concept of a DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner is great. My impression is that these early units (and this may apply to other manufacturers as well) are a bit half-baked, and that the next round will be better. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic DMR-EZ27K Up-Converting 1080p DVD-Recorder with ATSC Tuner Here

It being a Panasonic product, I had high expectations from this DVD recorder and waited few months for it to come to retail stores. I was expecting the digital tuner to be HD tuner, however it only display pictures in 480P (EDTV) format. If you want a really good HDTV tuner, then go for a dedicated external tuner like Samsung DTB-H260F.

Overall it has not meet my high expectations. Here are some of my findings:

1. Although the Digital tuner is rated as 480p (EDTV), picture quality is definitely not as good as commercial DVDs (also 480p). I would rate the picture quality of Digital channels (HD broadcasts), somewhere in between analog channels and DVD quality.

2. Quality of DVD recordings is pretty good and sharp. As I said earlier, not as good as DVD quality, but much better than a Analog broadcast.

3. I have a Canon MiniDV camcorder and could not record my miniDVs to DVD using built-in firewire interface. Recordings would stop intermittently without finishing.

4. Non Random mode for playing MP3 files.

5. Product build quality looks good overall and supplied remote is good too.

6. A Sample DVD-RAM media would have been good to include, to test those advanced recording features.

7. Unit is bit pricy and the price difference of $50 between models EZ17K and EZ27K is not justified.

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This product quit working 20 days after it was received, will not show on TV and the DVD door will not open.

0 Stars if amazon offered that choice

fortunately amazon took it back

the unit froze during recording with a good commercial dvd blank (memorex) which is advertised on the amazon site.

I did everything that the manual stated and then called panansonic, the tech department told me the unit needed to be returned;

I can see from postings that other people have had this problem,

The unit goes into power cycle every two minutes and then goes off and on and recylces; according to the manual this is supposed to be self correcting; after 2 days it did not correct; the drawer would not open to eject the disk.

Something is wrong with their software.

agree withn other comments regarding the long delays in firing up

had pioneer recorder for 3 years excellent but was unable to find one on line possible change of models or they decided to get out of the market

VideoSecu 4 x 150 Feet Audio Video Power Security Camera Cables with Free BNC RCA Connectors for CC

These cables shipped and were in new condition at a great price compared to what I could get them for locally. The only issue with these cables is that they are extremely long and did not come on a spool, so they can easily get tangled if you do not carefully unwind them.

These are very nice cables that have the 3rd plug for audio and seem to have good quality connecting ends. I would recommend and also would purchase again in the future.

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Go outside and work on a field that is at least 75 feet long without obstructions. Go to one end of the field and with the bundle of cables in your hand separate the ends that have the connectors in a big V, one end to the right (camera) and the other end to the left (VCR). Now walk backwards toward the other end of the field unwinding the bundle in a rolling matter until you get to unwind the whole thing. Make sure that when you are walking backwards, you keep the lines separated. When you arrived at the end of the field, your whole 150 feet will be laid in front of you, now grab one end and get to work on your installation...ask your wife for a recompense ...lol ;)

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Pyle Home PHDMF2 Dual HDMI Wall Plate

Neither HDMI port worked on this when it arrived. I tried it on two tvs with many different HDMI cables. I would avoid this product.

USed this to wire my DVD and satellite directly to the TV throught the waal.

Works great and i'm happy with the item.

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I wanted a wall plate to put in a media closet and this worked great. I ran 50' of HDMI cable through my attic and connected it this piece. After two months of use, it is still working great. This wall plate is a great option for people, like me, who like clean connections.

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Best price on the web. Very easy to install. I used this to cleanup the ugly clump of cables running down the wall and over the mantel. Works great.

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Purchased two of these and both ports on both parts are very sensitive. Plugs inside the wall are nice and tight and work well. The outside ones though are a different matter. You have to make sure and seat the the cable connector firmly all the way in, then make sure you don't move it. Any movement at all and the picture, sound, or both will quit and you have to take it off and reseat it. Tryed 3 different cables, same result.

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Sony DCRTRV8 Handycam Digital Camcorder

Having just emerged from camcorder-purchasing hell, I will share my thoughts with my pals as Amazon. I may keep this one because it is a good compromise and has the best sound I've found, but I may take it back. Here's why: 1. Picture--not nearly as good as the Canon Elura, similarly priced, or even quite as good as the Canon Ultura, $300 less. The colors aren't as saturated, and the image isn't as natural (The Canons, however, have sound pickup problems, severe in the Elura, which make them unacceptable. What does Canon think? We don't want to hear the tapes we're recording?). 2. The battery charges inside the camcorder, a particularly dim idea since you can't charge and record at the same time. External battery charger is an extra $150 accessory. 3. How can a camcorder at the turn of the millenium not come supplied with an S-video cable? This one doesn't have one.4. The still photos aren't as good in quality as either of the Canons (with or without progressive scan) or nearly as good as the high-end JVC model (with progressive scan). 5. The digital image stabilization, crucial to non-annoying video playback, is better than any JVC, but not close to as good as the optical stabilization in the Canons (the only ones which do it optically).6. The zoom is only a measly 10:1 optically, the equivalent of high-end JVCs, but not as good as Canon's 12:1 and 16:1 optical zooms. And don't let anyone fool you about a zillion:one digital zoom. The quality of the picture deteriorates so rapidly that it's virtually useless. Frankly, our 5-year-old Ricoh 8mm has better, warmer microphone pickup--and hence audio playback--than any of the digitals I've tested, and its picture quality isn't that bad. I think I've just talked myself into saving a thousand dollars or so. Maybe in a year, the digital crop will be more promising.

I bought this for distributing family videos. Since this camera contains a IEEE 1394 adapter, it's very simple to transfer video to a computer. It has lived up to it's promises.

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Great camera with large LCD screen. Takes great pictures

in bright light. Not bad in low light with slow shutter.

Problems

No shutter speed control above 1/30.

No pass through of RCA/Svid to IEEE 1394 for capture use.

No line level audio input while taping.

Focus controls right next to microphone.

Zoom control fragile.

Camera forgets last mode when shut off.

No histogram of exposure.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DCRTRV8 Handycam Digital Camcorder Here

Great picture. Wonderful features. Easy to use. Terrific 3.5" LCD screen. Goes in my pocket. Firewire for my computer. I am very lucky to have it. A great investment! Can you see me smiling?

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I would actually give this camera a 4.5/5, but since there isn't the option, I will just round up. This camera is fantastic for what it does for its size and price. I couldn't decide whether to go for the PC-1 or the PC-100 (the little rectangular cams.) or this camera, which holds true to the "standard camcorder shape"; but, after trying out the alternative designs, I found them to cramp my hand and just be awkward to use with such tiny buttons and strange button/control placement. I am glad I went with this design instead. The quality of the picture and sound on this camcorder is simply great! The colors are well balanced and contrast is handled quite well. When watching what has been recorded with an S-Video cable (another review mentioned that one wasn't included in the box he's right, but I would recommend getting one if you're going to use this camera the way it was meant to be used a decent S-Video cable is only about $5-$10 anyway), you can really tell there are about 500(!) lines of resolution. The picture is almost DVD quality it seems. Also, the stereo mic does a great job in picking up voice or other ambient audio. For instance, during one filming session, we had a CD playing in the backgroud and the music ended up sounding as if it were dubbed onto the tape; it was not overpowering but actually added to the "atmosphere" of the recording. Very nice in my opinion, but it my be bothersome for some users that the mic can be a bit touchy sometimes. This camera is loaded with features and I would recommend it over the TRV10 with a savings of about $200. While this camera doesn't have the memory stick option [and a few other bells and whistles], you really won't need the TRV10 if you a) have a digital camera already or b)plan on connecting your MiniDV camera to a PC/Mac. However, I wouldn't really recommend using this camera for stills. While they are okay, an actual digital still camera would be better. It should also be noted that the build quality of this unit seems very good. This camera, while fantastic, is not without its subtle flaws. One small problem I have noticed is that when recording in low light conditions, the picture tends to be a bit "grainy" on playback. The picture is still good, just not exceptional like those taken with this camcorder outdoors or in well-lighted conditions/rooms. I haven't tried the "Low Lux" mode to see if this will compensate for or reduce the grainyness, but it will probably help a bit. Another problem with this camera and the MiniDV format in general is the price of the media. It can get a bit pricey if you don't plan on transfering recordings to VHS or SVHS tapes with your VCR. Sixty minute tapes can run you anywhere between $8 and $25 depending on what brand/quality you purchase. I usually use Sony tapes that end up costing about $11.50/hour. And the last problem I have is that the use of the 3.5" LCD screen can really eat up your battery charge (almost cuts it in half, it seems). The screen is great, but just expect to charge a bit more often if you use it regularly or buy a spare battery. So, to sum up: for the money, this camera is absolutely superb. It provides a *fantastic* picture outdoors or in well-ligthed areas, and a good picture in dimly lighted rooms. This camera is also LOADED with features that will make any user happy. I highly recommend this camera to anyone in the MiniDV Camcorder market.

DVD player region free DVD player play all regions DVD player muli region DVD player(Lets you play

I am not technically savvy, but this had very straight forward instructions! Watched a film made in Italy and it worked perfectly!

the dvd player is perfect i have no issues with it .it works fine thank you. very much thank you again

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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.

Read Best Reviews of Sony RDR-GX257 Recordable DVD Player with HDMI Upscaling, Black Here

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!

Tivax HiRez7-DS Docking Station for HiRez7 Widescreen 7-Inch Digital LCD TV (Black)

• With boosted speakers
• Recharges the TV when plugged in
• Can fit 8 AA batteries to provide up to 2-hour playtime when no power source is available
• 0.45 lbs weight without the batteries

Does what it's supposed to do to power the little TV when you don't have any other power source other then AA batteries. Also, the sound is enhanced.

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So far this product works as advertised. It is unique in that you can use rechargeable or non-rechargeable AA batteries. This feature makes the Tivax HiRez7 a "must have" during power outage or other emergency situation. The docking station provides a sturdy platform for the TV and improves audio output. I have not tried with AA batteries yet, but would give 5-star rating if it works as advertised. I would most definitely recommend this TV and the shipper (5 stars).

Read Best Reviews of Tivax HiRez7-DS Docking Station for HiRez7 Widescreen 7-Inch Digital LCD TV (Black) Here

The ability to use AA batteries is nice, and the extra speakers are ok as well. Calling this a docking station is a bit of a stretch, though. It is more a "setting the TV on the top of it and manually connecting the power and sound cords" station. A little disappointing at the $28 price, but at least it didn't cost more.

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Recently purchased the TiVax HiRez7 Portable TV, the optional Antenna, Docking Station (herein), and even the TiVax Carrying Case to protect the TV while using it away from home. This review is about the Docking Station only, I have other things to say regarding the TV itself for another Review. This Docking Station is a "must have" item. Primarily because it is the ONLY way you can Power Your TiVax TV from a source OTHER than the TV's internal Batteries, external AC120/12vdc adapter, or a Vehicle 12vdc adapter. This Docking Station holds (8) eight AA Batteries to provide that extra source of power if all your other means of power are either gone, or not available. This Docking Station unit also "charges" the large squared NiMh Batteries that come with the TiVax TV when plugged into an AC adapter, or 12vdc Vehicle outlet.

So, now you have (8) AA Batteries, the (2) NiMh TV Batteries, and an Audio Cable that goes from the TV to the Docking Station which incorporates two (2) small Speakers on the front face L/R sides for an additional Stereo effect. When the TV is placed in the Docking Station, and you are getting power from the (8) AA Bateries, or the charging Squared NiMH Batteries inside the Docking Station, power is sent to the TV via another small cable that comes out of the Docking Station, and into the TV itself. All in all it is very versatile. Only one drawback... it is made rather cheaply. The "tabs/flanges" that lock the covers/doors for both types of Battery compartments are "paper thin". They do not allow the covers/doors to fit very tight, and they are so cheap that I ultimately expect them to break at some point. BOTTOM LINE this device has many positive features of utilization however, the quality of the Plastic Materials used, and their fitting is so poor that even the Chinese must be embarassed. Also hope that the (2) LiIon Batteries that come with, and power, the TiVax TV can hold their CHARGE. These Batteries are made of POOR quality even though they physically appear substantial.

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I bought this to have the options of running the TV on AA batteries during a power outage. It works great and I checked it out, by taking out the batteries in the TV and then running on just the batteries, great results.

1 Input to 2 Output Video Distributor

I had a project at work that needed a full time, faultless video splitter that was small and inexpensive, but reliable and this product fits that bill. I have used it before so I decided to use it again and was not disappointed.

RCA Lyra RD2317 1 GB Personal Digital Audio Player with Voice, Line-in and FM Recording

• 1GB built in memory, stores up to 32 hours of WMA music or 640 songs encoded @ 64 kbps.
• Multiple recording option; Voice Record, Line in Record and FM Record
• Digital FM Tuner with FM Record.
• Full Dot Matrix backlit display for navigating through this product's different features and for navigating through your music selections.
• Dual orientaion LCD screen

Overall, this could be a great mp3 player, but they left out one very critical option. Each time you turn on the player, it starts at the main menu. You have to navigate to the album and song you want. In other words, it doesn't remember where you were last time you used the player. This is annoying when listening to music because there is no natural progression through the albums. It is intolerable when listening to audiobooks. It takes forever to find the place where you left off.

Other than that, the controls are easy to use, the player looks good, audio quality is good, and you can expand the memory with SD/MMC memory cards. It has a line-in jack for making your own recordings. It has an FM radio built in, and comes with an FM transmitter for playing through your car radio. I haven't listened to the FM radio much, but it seems to work well. The transmitter also works pretty well unless you are in a large city. It can broadcast on about 6 different frequencies, half at the extreme low end of the FM band and half at the extreme high end. You just need to find a frequency that is not in use in your area.

Also, this player does support Audible format for audiobooks. If you use Audible, this would be a good choice as these files are bookmarkable. If your books are in mp3 format like mine, I recommend getting almost ANY other mp3 player.

You should also be aware that there is no printed manual with this player.

I tried writing to customer support about the issue I have with this player, but their support page has a canned set of topics geared to sales rather than support. I still would have left something, but they want too much 'required' information about me before I can even do that. Hopefully, they will read this review and take it to heart.

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I read the other reviews and they had some good points.

Yes, when you switch on, your previous audio selection is not remembered, but I have not seen many that do. And I use many Audio book mp3's. Upon power up it takes a moment to read files, this is irritating. My purchase did not come with an fm transmit adapter (as per other reviews). My first issue upon purchase was the firmware. It needed to be upgraded from v1.xx to v3.11. This took me some time to figure out, if you did not read all the small peices of paper in the package. If you don't upgrade the firmware the Lyra does not recognize any subfolders on the SD external card. It was very simple to download and execute the upgrade from the given RCA website. I did write to RCA to fix this v3.11 though. It only supports 520 files. I can easily fit many more files (I tried to load over 800 files). All my mp3's are compressed to 64kbps and Audio books are broken down into many pieces (sub directories). I have been using a 2gbyte sd card with no prob. be carfull not to overload the line-in. the mic is also very sensitve. My overal opinion of the Lyra is great. Not many MP3 players have these features for this price range. A biult in fm transmitter would be nice though.

Read Best Reviews of RCA Lyra RD2317 1 GB Personal Digital Audio Player with Voice, Line-in and FM Recording Here

when looking for my first mp3 player I made a list of requirements my new device should have. I wanted a flash drive with at least a gig of memory, an fm radio, not apple specific and the capability to menu different play options. This player does all that at a very good price, especially consdering the inclusion of an fm player-adapter for the auto. It is surprisingly small and yet the controls do not feel flimsy, however the unit sometimes needs to be commanded a second or third time especially when skipping songs on an album play. The sound is terrific compared to regular cd players when songs are downloaded at 128. The song capacity is only 250 or so at 128 but that is plenty. Music can be downloaded as album folders and played as an album or you can shuffle everything. The battery life seems adequate enough. The controls and menu are all very easy to use and I figured everything out without the manual. The fm radio has decent reception. The car adapter only comes with 3 low and 3 high stations to choose from and in a place like san antonio with stations up and down the dial there was some static bleed through. It has the capability for another gig with an additonal sd card but I have not tried that yet because it looks like the memory card is not too secure in the player and I don't want to lose it. I put songs on it in mp3 and wma formats and it only played the mp3 format for some reason. The only reason I do not give it 5 stars is because I don't have anything to compare it to

SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip 4 GB MP3 Player (Lime)

• Plays music, audiobooks, and podcasts
• FM radio and Voice Recording
• New stopwatch feature
• Plays content from nearly every source (MP3, WMA, secure WMA, Ogg Vorbis, and FLAC)
• AAC for DRM-free iTunes compatibility

I am a big old fat geek that recently got into doing...(GASP!)...exercising.

I have many MP3 capable products and reasons why I am very fond of this little one for my new found effort. I have the following list of products and have tried my:

Nexus S (too big and heavy for running, no physical buttons)

iPod touch 4th Gen (Big, expensive at the storage size i wanted and no buttons for music controls)

iPod Nano 4thGen (little, has a clip, but why the hell can't they include buttons?)

iPod shuffle (not enough storage and I don't want to mix in my metal songs from lifting weights into my up beat running songs...)

Likes:

The clip Zip sounds great, is very small, has a clip and has physical buttons.

It fits every need i want. The bonus is the MicroSD slot, I can not stress this enough. Skip the 8GB version and get the 4GB and pair it with a 16 or 32GB card. Bam 20-36GB of storage, insanely small and still clocks in under $100.

FLAC support.

Low rez color screen does what it needs to. Won't knock people over but tells you whats playing with album art.

As for the other areas, the stop watch works like a stop watch...It keeps time and does splits. Not a huge thing and if you are using a polar watch or at a gym, the machine you are on will do just as well and be more convenient. In a pinch it works.

The FM radio works fine. I live in a rural area, so my station choices are limited. From my experience, it works just fine if you are in an area with good recption.

Dislikes:

*UPDATE* MM works on updated firmware...still broken on stock firmware. Drag and drop also works, so you have that going for you.

General gripe: The included headphones are perfect for giving to people you hate. You can use them, i guess, if you want to torture yourself, but like any MP3 player, Apple or otherwise, get some better phones...your ears and your music will appreciate it.

Considering you would need to pay twice as much for an iPod with fewer features, no physical buttons and no storage expansion, just to run in a hampster wheel, save your scratch and get this guy. You will be glad you did, as it looks good, sounds good and does a it in a small package that just screams to be used in your fitness routine.

Update of an update: A new firmware patch was released, make sure to update your new Clip Zip or you will experience the "Static Blast" between some of your songs...not fun, but it has been addressed, so make sure to update right away.

Buy SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip 4 GB MP3 Player (Lime) Now

The pros:

- all the benefits of the Clip+: great sound; small; microSD card support; FM radio (with record capability); recorder; gapless play; optional folder navigation; multiple formats support (mp3, wma, ogg vorbis, flac); file drag-and-drop capability; ad hoc playlist creation; cute and appealing

- new: aac file support for DRM-free aac format files; small color screen with album art display; time-of-day indication; "sports mode" with timer and lap time; fast alphabet scrolling in lists; menu customizability; enhanced contemporary feel and, perhaps, sturdiness; improved microSD card fit; improved EQ

The limited cons:

- internal memory maxes out at 8GB; limited what's playing screen information; underlying folder art can make screen readability harder; missing some play-all options; for some users: battery life remains rated at 15 hours; no video capability; greater functionality could be provided to the user (could be handled in future firmware upgrades)

The Clip Zip, the latest in the SanDisk Sansa Clip line, is firmly committed to the Clip line's proven success: a small, cute and attractive, easy-to-use player with great sound. Not much more can be said about the sound: SanDisk got it right with the original Clip and wisely has not tinkered with that, keeping the Clip line at the top of the audio player field. With one exception: while the Clip Zip's EQ options sound improved to my ears, they still can sound harsh--as a general matter, best to leave the EQ options alone.

Physically, the Clip Zip is only a trifle larger than its predecessor, in its long dimension. As before, the body is an attractive, sturdy 2-piece plastic shell that angles out, with a large, permanently attached, sturdy plastic clip occupying its back. The one-piece directional pad on the front of the Clip Zip has been reduced in size to the bottom third of the player's face, with a thin, rectangular select button in its center--some larger-fingered users may have to exercise some care. An inset postage stamp-sized screen occupies the top half of the face of the player. Available in a variety of pleasing colors, my player is an attractive platinum color with a silver-colored directional pad and silver volume rocker and power switches at the left and top sides. The headphone jack remains on the top right side of the player, with a microSD card slot below that, at the bottom; an inserted microSD card now sits totally flush with the player, helping to avoid any inadvertent ejection (although this could make removing the card a trifle more difficult for some). The Clip Zip adopts the micro USB standard for its data and power port at the top left of the player, and comes with a handy short USB/micro USB cable.

In the end, the Clip Zip has a perhaps slightly more contemporary, and sturdy, feel than before, including with its modernized screen graphics and opening and closing exploding screen logo. SanDisk includes with the player a pair of its standard earbud headphones, which many users like--I swap them out for audiophile in-ear phones that complement the player's well-tuned sound.

Beyond these basics, the Clip Zip, like the earlier Clip+, includes microSD card support, making it possible to increase the player's storage five-fold from its maximum 8GB internal storage to a total of 40GB, with a 32GB microSD card. Amazing, for something so small; microSD card slots should be standard in all audio players. All content nicely is seamlessly merged in the Clip Zip's database, or separately can be accessed by folder, as on a computer. The Clip Zip also includes a well-functioning FM radio, with presets and recording capability; new, the display automatically shows the currently-selected radio station's call letters. As before, the Clip Zip has a recorder; gapless play between files--a necessity for live performance recordings; simple drag-and-drop file transfer capability as well as compatibility with music players and aggregators like Windows Media Player; and ad hoc playlist creation (limited to a current, temporary playlist). The Clip Zip also continues Replaygain support to equalize volume between files, and speed control (slow, normal, fast) for podcasts and audiobooks (but, unfortunately, without pitch adjustment, which would be a welcome addition).

With this pedigree in hand, the Clip Zip then takes off. Firmly inviting iTunes users in, the Clip Zip now is compatible with DRM-free aac files (the iTunes standard), in addition to, as before, mp3, wma, protected wma, ogg vorbis and flac formats; iTunes users no longer need convert their aac files (hurting it in the process) to mp3 format. Reflecting the visual age, the Clip Zip trades in the mostly monochrome, text-oriented small screen of its predecessors for a full (albeit postage stamp-sized), well-functioning color screen with album art display and muted album art backgrounds; where album art is not available, the Clip Zip substitutes varying tasteful designs rather than a dry, static picture (no more pictures of a music note for album art-less files). And then, perhaps listening to its audience's earlier suggestions, SanDisk adds in the time-of-day to the player's what's playing screen (many thanks!); a "sports mode" with timer and lap time; fast alphabetical scrolling for content lists--very welcome for those users with lots of content; and the (limited) ability to customize the Clip Zip's top menu to show or exclude function categories (Music, Radio, Books, Voice, Card, Sport).

Users of earlier Clip players will find the operation of the Clip Zip familiar, and largely instinctual. Newcomers will adapt in minutes.

All of this is done in an evolutionary manner, still within the Clip lineage; this is not a new player line. Some users will be disappointed by the 8GB internal memory ceiling; 16GB and 32GB models would be appreciated at this point in time--as well as beyond that for us jukebox users. The player's battery remains rated at 15-hours, typically enough for a full day, but some users would like more; the battery is not user replaceable, given the player's size (some users would prefer otherwise). And there is no video capability (although this only would be minimally useful, given the small screen--but it still would be welcome).

Seemingly as a result of the adoption of album art display, some informational functionality has been lessened on the Clip Zip's what's playing screen: there is no current track number and total tracks information; the current song/file time position is only indicated by a progress bar--there are no elapsed or remaining time indicators; and some of the on-screen information can be a bit harder to see, depending on underlying album art. Also, for some reason, a play-all option, apart from in shuffled mode, has gone missing from most of the playback options--album aficionados will be limited to choosing 1 album at a time or creating playlists. These issues are important for many users--perhaps (hopefully) SanDisk will consider them for future firmware upgrades. (Speaking of which: how about a separate time screen with a clock face, with a few style options?) And the database hindrance from earlier Clip models remains: when files are added to or removed from the microSD card or the card is removed and replaced, the Clip Zip needs to refresh its database, which can take many minutes, depending on the size of the card's contents, during which the player cannot otherwise be used.

In the end, despite some limitations (some of which could be addressed in the future), the Clip Zip is an attractive successor in the Clip line, with enhanced functionality especially of note for those with a library of aac files and for those wanting album art or timing capabilities.

9-12-11 UPDATE as to Audible compatibility with the Clip Zip:

Apparently, people have been finding it impossible to transfer Audible audiobooks to the Clip Zip. In trying myself, I found the same thing--frustrating! In following up, it turns out that Audible needs to update its Audible Manager software, used to transfer Audible audiobooks, etc. to a device, and is working on it. In the meanwhile, see the comments section below for a couple of easy ways to transfer Audible content to the Clip Zip: simple drag-and-drop/copy-and-paste; or using Windows Media Player. In fact, personally, I actually prefer using the drag-and-drop method to having to fire up the Audible Manager just to transfer content over--simpler.

Read Best Reviews of SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip 4 GB MP3 Player (Lime) Here

The Sansa Clip Zip sounded like just what I wanted -a small, inexpensive, clip-on mp3 player to use while I exercise. I was wrong. I listen to audiobooks while I exercise, and despite Sansa's product description the Clip Zip doesn't do that.

When I manually load audiobook mp3 files on the Clip Zip, it classifies them as songs on different albums by one artist. If I select "artist" it plays all the 'track #1s' in sequence and then all the 'track #2s', etc. If I choose "album" it plays that set of files but then I have to search around for the next cryptically-named "album" in the book. That works, sort of, but who wants to stop exercising to fiddle around with an mp3 player for 10 minutes searching for the next section of a book?

When I use Windows Media Player to make a playlist of an audiobook's tracks and then sync them with the Sansa, the process fails -no playlist is on the Sansa and the book is organized exactly as it was using drag-and-drop.

Same thing happens with iTunes, except iTunes itself crashes half the time too.

Audible.com books? Sorry, the audible format is not supported.

If you want to listen to music on a cheap mp3 player, buy the Clip Zip. If you want to play an audiobook, forget about it -it's useless.

Addendum:

Several people have offered comments and work-arounds that have been very helpful. First of all, the problem with Audible compatibility apparently belongs to Audible.com, not SanDisk. Second, Windows Media Player does work with the Clip Zip. Third, even without built-in Audible support, you can manually add Audible books to the Clip Zip.

I've added one star to my rating. It's OK as it is now and when Audible.com (an Amazon subsidiary, BTW) changes the Audible Manager it should move up to "pretty good" rating -actually a "good for the price" rating.

Second addendum (December 15, 2011):

1) I'm told that Audible.com now supports this device.

2) There's a workaround for the problem I had with playing mp3 audiobooks. Both Andy Sexton and John R. Ridley came up with the workaround and posted it in the comments to this review. Quoting Mr. Ridley: "If you put audiobooks into the audiobook folder, or set the genre in the MP3 tags as "AUDIOBOOK" the Clip Zip will handle them properly, with proper resume points and no need to make playlists or anything." Thank you Andy and John!

Third addendum (April 26, 2013)

Apparently here are workarounds for the mp3 file order problem that I experienced.

Fred Langa with WindowsSecrets.com says: "There are other tricks and workarounds, too, that enthusiasts have developed for copying and playing audiobook chapters, MP3s, or other media files in a specific order. For example, see the AnandTech forum thread, 'Tell Windows the order in which to copy files?' (http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=1493981), or the MurrayMoffatt.com article, 'Sort MP3 files on MP3 player' (http://www.murraymoffatt.com/software-problem-0010.html)."

Want SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip 4 GB MP3 Player (Lime) Discount?

I bought this little guy to replace a 6th Gen iPad Nano. My main complaints about the Nano:

1. No buttons, difficult to work with it when you are running or working out. Difficult to pause when a co-worker arrives at your desk.

2. I'm a Linux guy. The 6th gen iPod nano is not compatible with any Linux drivers. Will not work with gtk-pod. Running a VM just for an iPod is a drag.

3. You're stuck with the storage size you buy.

Don't get me wrong, I really did like the Nano, but for my usage patterns it was not ideal. The Zip Clip takes care of the above problems and then some.

1. Buttons are easy to find and navigate, even when you are not using your eyes.

2. You can load it just using your raw MP3's or MTP mode using Rhythmbox on Linux, and lots of other music managers on other platforms.

3. Stick a microSD card in it and bam, you now have a 36 GB portable music player.

4. Bonus, the Zip Clip has a custom EQ mode as well as presets, so you can make your music sound just the way you want.

5. Bonus, the Zip Clip supports the leveling encoded in your MP3's or albums. Yes, the iPod has sound check but that's all secret voodoo stuff and only works with their own files.

The size is a bit bigger than the nano but it's made of plastic and is nearly the same weight (Zip Clip is 25 grams, nano is 20.) I clip it on my watchband when I'm working out. It also dangles from my lanyard when I'm working. My RSA fob and badge weigh way more than the Zip Clip.

I'm really happy with this thing, it does exactly what I want it to do. Dealing with the iPod was becoming rather frustrating to a non-Apple guy and I find that the Zip Clip has a couple added features that make it work and sound better than the iPod. Me like.

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Let me start off with the bottom line. Buy this player. Period.

Ok,with that out of the way let me tell you why. I am a complete tech geek. I built my own computer AND server and have the usual assortment of laptops, mobile phones, netbooks, and other assorted tech items. I decided I wanted a compact music player because there are times I don't want to use my mobile phone as a music player. Sometimes I want something really small and light. With my tech background my standards were pretty high for what I wanted out of an MP3 player and of everything I looked at, including the various iPods, this was the ONLY player that met all my criteria.

PROs: Super small and light. In fact, if it had been any smaller it would have been TOO small. One complaint some people have with the newest generation iPod is that it's so small they have a hard time manipulating the controls. The Clip Zip has actual buttons you can press which makes control very easy. And don't worry about accidentally hitting a button and screwing up your music. If you tap the power button on top it locks all the buttons except the volume control so that won't happen.

Has a small screen so you can actually select what you want to hear and displays album art if you have it installed.

All the usual music selection options. You can search by artist, album, song, genera, or even by folder or playlist.

SD CARD SLOT!!! This was the most important feature to me. It will take up to a 32 GB MicroSD card. 32 Gigs. Do you understand how much music will fit on that? I have every CD I own installed to an SD card, over 7500 songs, and it only takes 18.5 GB using Windows Media format. Even better, when you pop in an SD card the player takes only a few seconds to scan it and update its internal database. So even if you have 50,000 songs you could just copy them all to a couple of different SD cards and switch them in and out. There are only a small handful of players on the market with this feature and it gives you AMAZING flexibility in using your player. Want to just cram a ton of music on there? Go for it. Want to use a lossless, high quality format like FLAC so your music sounds perfect but don't want to be stuck with only a handful of songs on your player? No problem, grab a few cards and take as much as you like.

When you first get a blank card install it in the player and go to "system settings". Chose "format" and select "external card". The player will format your card for you and install a folder titled "MUSIC" on it. Just drag and drop any music folders you have saved on your computer here and install it in your player. The player reads the card, organizes the files, and you're ready to listen to music.

File Options. It accepts an amazingly wide range of file formats. MP3, WMA, Flac, even the various iTunes formats.

Built in FM radio. Less important these days but still a nice option to have sometimes. And it even does autoscan for stations.

SANSA Updater. If you go to the Sandisk website to the clip zip page you can download their installer. First, it upgrades the firmware on the player. DO THAT. But more important it also installs a small updater program. When you connect your player it pops open and gives you different options including syncing with different folders or just dragging music onto your player. You can use it to create playlists right on the player. Or, if you already have playlists on your windows media player you can sync with those instead.

CONs: Nothing is perfect and this is no exception. First, it is a very light plastic player. If you step on it or sit on it you WILL break it. Duh.

It seems to have a problems with songs recorded in iTunes format. Checking on line it has to do with the way iTunes tags certain songs. A few years ago iTunes adjusted the way they tag songs based on if they were DRM protected. I had a mix of old and new songs in my iTunes folder and if I tried to install them the player would hang up. Deleting the music from the player solved the problem. There is no such problem with ANY windows based format. Personally, I have seen this as yet another problem with Apple being not quite compatible with everything else and not a player problem.

Slow file transfer. Dragging music onto your player is kinda slow. Not a huge deal since you are unlikely to do it very often. It's even less of a big deal because you can take the SD card out and copy music directly to the card, then just pop it back in. In truth, even burning directly to an SD card can take a while if you have a lot of music. I copied 12 GB at once at it took almost an hour. But again, how often are you going to need to do that?

CONCLUSION: The bottom line here is this is an amazingly good MP3 player. Is it perfect? No, obviously not. But there are a lot of players on the market with fewer options for a lot more money. I spent several days researching every player on the market and the Clip Zip has the best combination of options at the best price, hands down.