VIZIO 8-DEVICE UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL (XRU300)

This remote is pretty decent for the money. I didn't get mine at Amazon, but I don't want others to be deterred by the only other review on this product. He rated this remote with only two stars yet the person states in their review that the remote worked perfectly for every single one of his devices?!?!

Funcionality:

This remote works perfectly with all of my devices I have a Samsung plasma TV, an LG soundbar, a cable/DVR box, and an Xbox 360. Yes, I did have to use the "learn" function for most of the programming, but seriously it took all of 10 minutes to set up all 4 of my devices to work perfectly with all functionality without a hitch. Yes, you do have to press each individual device mode to power on or off, big deal...the other reviewer states this is one of the main reasons for the low rating this remote doesn't have MACRO capability. Seriously?! Did someone expect that functionality in an 8-device universal learning remote that costs under 20 bucks? Perfect example of champagne taste on a beer budget. If you want Macros, automatic device switching, etc you have to spend more money. Period.

I did take of 1/4 star due to the fact that there is no "master volume" setting where you can have the volume always control a certain device no matter what device mode you're in. That would have been nice, but overall not a big hinderance.

Look and Feel:

First, this remote is fat. At first I thought it had a slide out keyboard or something because why else would it be so fat? It doesn't. It's just fat. I didn't take off any stars for it or anything, because due to it's relatively small size, the fatness actually helps it feel rather comfortable in the hand.

Second, the responsiveness and feedback "feel" of the keys is spectacular! This is probably one of my favorite things about this remote. When you press a button, there is no doubt about whether you pressed it there is a very nice, non-audible, non-distracting and yet satisfying "click". Every time. Love it.

Third, the backlight is white. Very white. Not blue, not orange, not red, not yellow-ish, but instead a nice vibrant white. And everything is backlit except the little "V" smart button in the middle, but it's the most tactile of all the buttons.

Fourth, 1/4 star because the buttons other than the four-way keypad and the "V" smart button are indistinguishable from each other by feel alone. In time, muscle memory will take over and you'll know where every button is without needing to look, but still a little bump on the "5" and on the "Play" buttons for example would have been nice.

UPDATE 2/15/13:

Had to downgrade my review to maybe four stars but let me start by saying that I still really like this remote. Reasons for the downgraded rating:

1) I have noticed that as the batteries start to degrade, my "aim" needs to be better obviously not huge but I have found myself having to click 3 or 4 times to get it to register. And this is just as the batteries are "starting" to fade. When they get further along you actually have to get closer too.

2) The battery life. Could be worse, could be better. I'm sure it's the awesome backlighting, but two months is about all I get out of a pair of batteries before the "aim" and the "get closer" issues become too bad to deal with any longer. I haven't actually used the remote until the batteries completely died, but I have the feeling that by that point you'd have to have the remote 2 inches away and clicking 5 times to get it to register.

3) Annoying but relatively harmless, the "V" button on the remote for TV special features (like smart TV menu) doesn't do anything for my TV AND it can't be programmed. Maybe if you have a Vizio smart TV it'll work, but on my Samsung it does nothing.

When I upgraded to Time Warner Cable, I thought I would be able to program their remote to control everything, but their remote sucked pretty bad. It wouldn't change the volume or power of my Sound Bar, it wouldn't change the Input of the TV. I decided to get this because I have a Vizio Sound Bar and felt pretty confident I would be able to control it using this remote.

The remote is easy to program, once you find the correct code, and depending on what equipment you have that's either very easy, or a little harder. I have a Sharp TV which has around 6-7 different codes, so it took a little while to find the one that set the buttons up correctly. Same issue for the Time Warner DVR too, it took a while to find the correct code. I couldn't find one perfect code for the TWC DVR so I had to use the Individual Button Program feature, which allows you to point your old remote at the Vizio whilst pushing the function you which to program and the Vizio will learn the function and assign it to a button you choose.

Overall, I was using Four Remotes before buying this (TV, DVR, Sound Bar & Apple TV) and the Vizio works perfectly with them all. I can now all the hideous remotes and just use this great looking singular remote. One small kicker, you have to point the remote at the equipment, it's not one of those ones that you can point anywhere. Small price to pay for ultimate control of all your devices for virtually no expense.

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After wearing out several of the cheap remotes that Time Warner gives out with their cable boxes, I decided to try something else and bought this remote. Overall, it's a good remote. All of my devices were easy to program and, while there were a few buttons on my TV and cable remotes that didn't work on this remote after doing the code-based programming, they were all easy to program using the smart learn feature. Basically, you just point the remote you are replacing at this remote, press the button on the first remote with the corresponding button on this one and this remote learns the signal.

The only downside is that the shape of this remote is fairly semetrical, so it's easy to grab it and point it at the TV the wrong way which can be a little frustrating.

Unlike the Time Warner remotes, which I seemed to need to replace every 3-6 months, this one's been going strong for about a year now with no problems.

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I have a vizio 42 lcd tv that came with the smaller remote that I did not like,so I ordered this one and it works fine

and I love the light up button feature. And it arrived at my house within 4 days.

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Would not work all my devices. Had to go back to a Logitech harmony to get everything working. Seemed cheap and the layout was really weird. Wouldn't even work my vision TV correctly. 2 stars for trying though. Logitech has never let me down. Even on the hardest to find devices.

JVC SRDVD-100U ProHD DVD Player for the GY-HD100 or 110 Camcorder

With the advent of the sub-$200 HD-DVD players flooding the market, the honeymoon period for this nasty little beast is long-gone. Don't be tempted, as I was, by its ability to play JVC HDV files natively. It is spotty at best and truly unnecessary given the alternatives available.

If you do dive in, be prepared for the laugh-riot butcher job of the English language that is the manual and the remote is hopelessly arcane. Boot time for this makes Haley's Comet seem all too frequent and simply navigating the menu is enough to drive all but the strongest of us to anti-depressants.

A/V connectors are loose and unreliable and the DVI output is severely crippled. Front-side buttons are cheap and flimsy and seem to have a high false-positive ratio.

This has been on the market for some time and is ready to be retired. It's time to let it move on. Let go.

this product is good for standard DVD disk as well as Divix,, it is best kit for college kids and person who like the Divix thing

$70 is not so bad,, especially if you can play Divix movie, I love it!

strongly recommend this player

thanks

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Pacific Digital U-30182 4X Internal Dual Format DVD Burner

I was skeptical when I chose this one, since it was milti-format, and could get for only 100 bones, but it works great! I have had mine for a couple of months now, and I have burned a LOT of DVD's with it. Works great, I would recomend this to all who need a reliable DVD burner, that doesn't degrade the post burn picture.

Have had issues from the start. Only a 4x, very picky about using DVD-, prefers DVD+. Now after 2 years it has quit reading discs at all. Maybe I got a bad one, but go with better brand and you will be better served.

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I have no idea why everyone's all mean to this Pacific Digital product. I mean, it's a pretty cheap price, but a good product for what ur paying. I refurbished a desktop, and added this DVD Burner, and it's been working fine ever since. I have no complaints whatsoever. I think the people who are whining about it should've paid more money for a better name-brand product. But, as I said, for the price, it's a good burner.

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Buyer beware must be Pacific Digital's mantra. The USB 2.0 dvd burner I bought from them died in under six months. The burner, a lite-on, was fine it was their enclosure that failed. Their customer service was horrendous as was the shipping that I was forced to pay to receive replacement parts, which still have not arrived. If you are looking for a product that will give you reliable service and lasting performance STAY AWAY from pacific digital!!!!

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Panasonic VDRM50 DVD Camcorder with 2.5-inch LCD w/18x Optical Zoom

I've had this camera for a few weeks now and have filmed over 10 hours without any problem. I film a lot of kid's sports (football, sailing, etc.) and the picture quality is excellent. I went with the Panasonic over the Sony because of the 18x optical zoom and I just don't think that the Sony name is not what it used to be. The last two Sony products I've bought had problems (computer is a piece of junk and the camcorder's viewfinder stopped working after a year).

If you are going to buy a DVD camcorder, I would recommend using a DVD drive to transfer video to your computer. It's simple and fast. I bought a LG burner and it works great. Editing software programs are a different story but this is a problem with and digital camcorder you buy.

Panasonic's technical support is definately not the greatest but neither is Sony. In conclusion, I'm very happy with this camera and love the DVD concept. I gave the camera 4 stars because of the lack of support from Panasonic and the included software is useless and the instructions are unclear. The software that came with the DVD burner is better but not perfect. At least I could edit and produce a video with music.

As far as DVD players, even if you buy a Sony, not all players support DVD rw, so you have to do your homework no matter what you buy.

I bought this as a gift to my husband before he was deployed to iraq so that we could take dvd's of the children for him to watch. The manual is useless. It is very vague and difficult to follow in most areas. Using the camcorder was easy but when we went to use it with the PC we had all kinds of trouble. The usb cable is really nonfunctional. Panasonic reccomends that you back up your discs to pc...we couldnt even get the hardware to work right on our pc (the tower is brand new) and after calling tech support for help..well..he gave up too and we lost all of the video in the process. (so my husband went to Iraq with just pictures and a major let down.)Then we couldnt uninstall the hardware that was installed improperly and tech support could not help. I am so disappointed with this product that I am returning it to the store where i bought it and trying a different brand.

In short..if your not mechanically/or computer inclined this product will be difficult to use and the directions even harder to follow. And dont dvd record anything you want to keep on this product. It has a problem with erasing or locking you out so you cant get to the images and those precious moments are lost.....

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The camera functioned well, but is in no way compatiable with Vista or and newer systems. Drivers are not available, so thusly this camera is an peice of junk. Would never recommend it or Panasonic to any one.

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PROs: Very easy to operate, even my wife handled it well :). Using DVD-RAM disks saved my budget since I've used a single DVD-RAM disk (app 20CAD$) for the last three years. Software that came bundled ('DVD Movie Album SE' and 'My DVD') is easy to install and easy to learn. Battery life could be better, but it works fine for me (about 1-1.5 hours, screen was on all the time). All cables (TV connection, PC connection, charger) are nicely marked, no confusion here. They even included an S-video cable for TV, so you have a choice of composite or S-video connection. Neat. I like that I can put the small DVD-RAM disk in my laptop, and do all the editing, I don't need to daisy-chain the camera itself to my laptop.

CONs: As you know, DVD-Ram disks need cartridges. For many people this is a hassle, but I'm used to it. I love the additional protection that cartridge offers. Original recordings are in 'raw' DVD format: .vro and they need to be reformated to .mpg. Not a big deal with DVD Movie Album SE, BUT: the size of finished movie in MB is huge. A 2-minute movie takes well above 100MB if you keep the default settings in the software. The price of recordable DVDs keeps dropping, but anyway, the movies could be smaller in size.

Overall, this is an excellent camera if you are an average computer user and know how to get around with movie encoding/decoding.

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Simple to use, great picture quality, and overall a good camcorder for amateurs! I've found the tiny dvd's that it uses to be compatible with most other systems, although not all. You can also re-film over the dvd's and use them as many times as you want before "finalizing" them. I would recommend this camcorder, even for users today. Great product, long-lasting and durable.

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Denon DBP-1611UD Universal Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Player, Black

• Exclusive Denon technology provides universal playback of popular audio and video disc formats, including Blu-ray, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD and music CD
• 3D-Ready via firmware solution (planned for Fall 2010) BD Profile 2.0, BD-Live enabled via Ethernet with 1GB on-board memory, expandable via USB port
• DLNA 1.5 Certified for audio/video/photo streaming over the home network. Netflix* and YouTube streaming (*subscription required)
• Wide range of picture adjustments for optimum player/HDTV matching
• 12 bit video D/A conversion. 24 bit/192 kHz Burr-Brown PCM-1781 premium audiophile D/A converters. Dedicated 2 channel output with multi-channel mix down

Without a doubt, Denon rasied the bar with this product, but it is readily apparent they rushed production without proper Quality Assurance. The player suffers from a persistent bug that is quite enfuriating it simply will not turn on once powered off. Multiple owners have reported this issue on AVSForums. Long story short, the player can be revived with a hard reset (via disconnecting the power for five minutes), which is a bit absurd considering the price and its the third generation of blu ray player released by Denon.

Additionally, as of January 2011, the player does not have 3D playback capability despite its promised release via a firmware update in the fall of 2010. This is a big disappointment considering it is actually well-advertised on denon's website as a key feature.

Lastly, the power-up or initial ready times have nearly doubled from its predecessor (the 1610) from 14 seconds to 26 seconds. In layman's terms, the player now takes nearly half a minute to open the disc drive when powered off. This is the longest time I can remember in a modern blu ray player.

Outside of these two complaints, Denon has made strides in more compotent DVD playback; the 1611 excels with deinterlacing and cadence recognition, although most cadences require a momentarily lock-on. Video deinterlacing is still mediocre and aliasing does occur, but it's head and shoulders over the 1610. The player's source direct function is ideal for mating with an AVR with a proper video processing chipset (like the Denon AVR-2311ci and above models).

That said, after a week of ownership with this player it is clear Denon rushed production and did not "work all the bugs out." Bit disappointing considering many lower-priced players offer 3D playback, more streaming options, wifi connectivity, and do not require unplugging for five minutes when you want to turn it on.

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I bought this unit because of Denon's reputation and because I have a Denon receiver that I like. It's convenient to be able to control the player on the single receiver remote. The player is simple and handsome in appearance. The picture seemed really good on my 54" Panasonic plasma TV.

There were a couple of annoying things about its behavior, though. First, the disc drawer is very slow to open and close. I realize that there might be a lot of thinking that the electronics has to do, but it's exasperating to have to stand there with the disc in your hand for so long ( almost 10 secs sometimes). Second, this player has a noisy transport. You can hear the thing clunking from across the room. Finally, it had a strong smell of burning plastic when operating. I thought sure it was burning up, but nothing happened--for four months of light usage--until finally it died and would not power up. I guess it was burning up -slowly.

Then when I went to get service repairs, I found out that Denon contracts its warranty service to a TV repair shop across town that was only open on weekdays. The shop said it would be one month minimum to even find out what was wrong with it. They said that Denon does not support "board level" swap repairs which as a result requires that the faulty components on the circuit boards be identified and replaced with... whatever components the shop can find that will work--Denon does not provide their warranty shops with factory component parts for repairs. Overall, this unit was not worth the headache and I would not buy it--or any other Denon product again.

I think that the quality is generally good for the money, but I would suggest that if one wanted to buy it, it would be wise to call the local Denon warranty repair shop and find out what kind of repair support Denon is providing to them--and to you the buyer, just in case.

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Pros: A Netflix-streaming 3D-ready Blu-Ray player that also plays Super Audio CD's and DVD-Audio disks, plus a USB port to play MP3 files from external storage. Great sound and picture. Great value for the money.

Cons: Does not decode playlist files, FLACs, WMA lossless or Apple lossless codecs. Youtube not yet working (but firmware upgrade expected). Outputs limited to HDMI, Coax, and stereo analog (as opposed to discrete outputs for each channel).

I have been waiting for the release of the 1611UD for several months, having missed my shot at the Oppo. Denon is a great brand, and this unit replaced my older (and much heavier) Denon SACD/DVD-A/DVD player because we needed Blu-Ray and Netflix in the living room. The new player had to be compatible with an existing library of SACDs and DVD-Audio disks. (I download high-rez music tracks from HDTracks.com and Bowers & Wilkins' Society of Sound, then burn those tracks to DVD-Audio disks.)

The unit was easy to set up, and my first action was to test the surround sound with some favorite movie scenes, including the lobby gunfight in "The Matrix" and the truck chase in "Terminator 3." Though these were just regular DVD's, the sound and picture were terrific. The only Blu-Ray discs around were "Amadeus", "Fool's Gold" (stupid movie, but beautiful scenes), and "A Single Man." All played flawlessly. Sound and picture were terrific and I quickly forgot about the system and just got into the movies without further adjustments. I did test the picture quality of the HDMI cable against a full set of HD component cables, and saw no difference. That was great because I was able to pull all of those component cables out from behind the system. This unit is making me a believer in the sound and picture quality capable with just an HDMI cable.

For SACD's, the 1611UD lets you choose between multi-channel output (through the HDMI or Coax), or stereo output through two analog jacks. If the disc is multi-channel (like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" 5.1), the Denon will step it down to stereo if you want, or you can listen to it in multi-channel surround. (If you just want a pure 2-channel analog experience, there is a "Pure Direct" button on the front panel that shuts off all digital and video output, and will even shut off the display, so that the Denon is working solely to produce the clearest 2 channel signal.) My home-burned DVD-A's also worked without a problem and sounded great.

While playing stereo music, I jumped back and forth from the HDMI output to the analog outputs, and the analog signal was louder, though not necessarily any clearer.

We don't have a 3D television, so no comment about that.

The network hook-up was truly plug-and-play. I use a Linksys Powerline system (using the house's internal power wiring). All I had to do was plug an ethernet cable into the back of the Denon and it took care of the rest. I activated the unit for Netflix and was streaming a movie inside 5 minutes of set up. I do not yet have a home network set up, so have not tested the Denon for playing files directly from my PC.

My only real gripes are with the functionality of the USB jack. The jack is on the front panel, which makes it very accessible. I plugged in several thumbdrives and even a 250GB external hard drive that were loaded with music files. While the Denon takes a few seconds to analyze each folder when you open it, 320kps MP3 files were played without a problem. In fact, they sounded really good. The Denon would not play FLACs, WMA lossless files, Apple lossless files, and would not play high-rez m4a files, even though WMA and m4a are listed as supported codecs. (Denon is not alone here. Other devices that claim to support WMA always fail when I try the WMA lossless. Glad I spent a whole week ripping my CD library to WMA lossless.)

Also, if you create a playlist on your computer and put it on the external drive, the Denon will not recognize it. (I tried both WinAmp and Windows Media Player to make playlists.) You can create a playlist on the Denon, but as far as I can tell there is no way to save it. Once you unplug the USB storage device, your playlist disappears.

Come on, Denon! Let's fix these things with a firmware upgrade, especially if we could use these great processors to play high-resolution FLAC files. If Denon fixes that, then this unit coupled with a 250GB external hard drive would be the perfect media server. Sit back and call up 600 CD's worth of music from the remote control.

Still, as it is now, if you're having a party and know the songs you want to hear, just load a bunch of MP3's in the same folder on a thumb drive, plug it into the Denon, set it to random, and you're good for hours of music with no CD's to fuss about.

For and free shipping, this unit is a great value.

Edited to add: the HDMI signal is actually louder when listening in 2 channel. I've discovered the one main advantage to putting out 2 channel music through the HDMI cable (rather than just the analog cables) is that it includes the subwoofer in the mix (so it's really 2.1 channel). So, you have all the versatility you could want for your own particular system.

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I had an opportunity to pick up one of these as an open box at Best Buy for a great price, so I decided to replace my Sony BDP-S580 in my AV system. I wasn't wild about the SQ from the Sony model and I have a collection of both SACD and DVD-A discs the Denon is a universal disc spinner (i.e. it plays everything).

As it was an open box model, I had to 'reset' the system to erase the Best Buy demo account settings, but the System menu has a nice feature to 'reinitialize' the unit, as well as to de-authorize the Netflix account. Right away, I was asked to upgrade the unit. That went smoothly, but a second upgrade was required, which I have to manually check for (I suspect that eventually, I would have been prompted after the first update).

The updates make all the difference for this review if you read the reviews on Amazon and/or any of the AV forums (I am active on AVS), you will know about the horrendous issues with this device, prior to the updates. For example, not powering back on after switching to standby. Anyway, I had no problems using this unit over the weekend to play discs of all types (DVD, BD, SACD, DVD-A everything worked fine). Update and you can ignore the previous reviews about quality issues.

Blu-ray Playback I was pleased with the video quality with both BD and DVD playback. The BD playback looks as good as anything I've seen (from my experience, all of the current generation BD players play Blu-ray discs with similar and stunning picture quality). I watched the new Blu-ray release of Alien and was really impressed with the image (nice transfer, BTW, for that film).

DVD Playback I was satisfied, if not impressed. I have looked at a number of spinners and this unit has pretty good DVD upscaling. I don't have a large panel a 32" Samsung LED/LCD) that I sit about five feet away from so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. However, I have a critical eye and I haven't seen *any* DVD upscaling that I was really impressed with there is just too much missing information on a standard definition video and there is no pixie dust that will correct for that, IMHO.

I will say this: the Denon DVD upscaling was noticeably "better" than what I was used to watching on my Sony BDP-S580 fewer artifacts, less fuzzy but not really sharp either. There are controls to adjust the image (BNR, MNR, et al.) but I never felt the need to play with these. I watched "Underworld" on SD DVD and after a few minutes forgot I was watching a DVD something that never happened with my Sony unit. I also watched "Fish Tank" on SD DVD (a newer release in 4:3) and loved the look of the image.

DVD-A Playback wow... this is where this device earned its pay. I have a small collection of DVD Audio discs and I've never heard the high-resolution layer on these discs. I have a Yamaha RX-V667 with Klipsch Reference speakers (RB 61 II/RC 62 II) and I cranked Metallica's Black Album to reference volume. Yeah... this spinner does a nice job of transporting bitstreamed audio for high-res music via LPCM.

SACD Playback again, the Denon was able to read and transport DSD to my AVR and it sounded wonderful. My SACD collection is almost all classical, however, and my listening system upstairs does a much nicer job the Klipsch speakers are incredible for movies and Metallica; not great for Hillary Hahn (you can read my review of the RB 61 II for more details).

Device Build and Noise Issues well, I guess you get what you pay for (and I didn't pay much for this box). The box looks nice, like a real AV component and the display and buttons are easy to see/use (unlike my previous Sony). However, the box is surprisingly light when you pick it up. And, all of that empty cabinet space resonates / amplifies internal mechanical sounds. On the positive side, the spinning disc sounds are minimal less than my Sony, which had been driving my crazy. On the negative side, the fan noise and the sound of the laser tracking is louder than I've ever heard on a Blu-ray player. It's infrequent and acceptable, I guess, but something that could have been corrected with some internal buffering material.

Usability Issues OK, some negatives here: activating 1080p/24 play back took some time to figure out (not on by default), in addition to the 'Auto' HDMI setting (which was also not on by default). These are settings that should be enabled by default and I had to read manual to turn these features on. My Sony, on the other hand, had an 'Auto' setting for just about everything. Lastly, the 'Media Player' is almost unusable, due to lack of responsiveness.

Don't buy this player for external (USB or DLNA playback); buy this player because it is a great universal disc spinner at an attractive price.

Bought this Blu-Ray player as an upgrade (Sony BDP-S500) hoping for faster load times on Blu-Ray's,I did get what I wanted,

but was missing optical and 5.1/7.1 analog outputs. Loading time is faster than my 3 year old Sony,Picture/Audio quality is just about the same as well,

the CD tray is nothing like it used to be on DENON,it's super thin and and bends crazy (would not recommended if you have toddlers who can reach it).

It will play DVD Video in no time but when it comes to Blu-Ray it will load fast but with one very annoying feature,

the player is giving out a high pitched buzz that messes up all the quiet scenes in the movie. Remote controller is nothing like Sony wish it was,

Denon has one of the worst remote controller of any high end machine.

DENON 2 Decades ago was something else,they were not cheap like today for a purpose, you could not buy cheap made DENON like today.

I still own old Denon components that sill work today like out of box from dates when DVD's did not exist.

The old Japanese Godzilla machines with gold plated connectors were just about bulletproof,something you can't expect today.

Panamax M10-HT-PRO Home Theater Management

Don't buy it from Amazon thinking that it's going to provide insurance for your equipment. Panamax

will not honor that protection for their products bought online except from a list of authorized

dealers, which can be found at panamax.com. I do wish this had been mentioned somewhere in the

product description or even on the outside of the packaging, instead I found it in the fine print

of the little booklet packed with the unit, after my husband spent some hours carefully attaching

everything. It's a good unit, but if you, like I, are buying one of these with the insurance as

a feature partially justifying the expense over cheaper protectors, get it somewhere else.

Many folks on here talk about the power strip, it's size, whether or not it actually improves sound quality, etc. Well, I agree it is big, heavy. Build quality from the outside appears to be top notch. But one unnoticed/misunderstood, but very useful feature is the 12v Triggering capability. The bank of three outlets nearest to the power switch (opposite end to the coax connections) can be (switchable) controlled by a 12v triggering mechanism. For folks who have remotely placed HT components such as sub-woofer, power amplifiers, etc. this a tremendous value. Running a 12v trigger cable (25ft Ir Emitter 3.5mm Mono Extension Cable By Infrared Resources) from the back of your HT receiver/pre-pro to this unit, will trigger those remote components on/off as needed, without you have to either a) leave them on all the time, or b) have to remember turn them on/off. This one feature is in itself worth the price of this unit, which is frequently discounted 50+% here on Amazon. Comparable 12v triggering devices from Niles CS12V Current-sensing 12-volt trigger and XANTECH AC1 Controlled AC Outlet run well above the price of this unit, and do not also have the ability act as surge suppressors and/or power conditioner in themselves. All in all, for those who are looking for this type of functionality, as I was, this represents a huge value.

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After doing some research on different power centers/conditioners, I ended up deciding on this one based on a few things.

First off, the price. I'm glad I got it when I did, it was a little cheaper during the gold box deal. I knew I didn't want to spend $200+ on a power conditioner at this point. It was an upgrade from the 8-outlet Belkin surge protector (which featured no clean power feature). Secondly, I wanted to get better audio and video performance (which it delivered). And finally, I wanted more reassurance that my components were safe from a surge. Since Panamax is a highly respected brand in the Home Theater world, this fit the bill perfectly.

Since other reviewers have done a fantastic job of describing the physical unit, I will focus this review more on the audio and video improvements I've experienced.

The video is improved quite a bit it seems like a layer was taken off of the front of the screen, much like looking through a window after it's been cleaned with Windex (but don't use Windex on your TV!). There is less noise than there was before. Even my wife saw a big improvement, and she can't tell much difference between Blu-ray and DVD.

The audio is also greatly improved. It has a similar effect to what the video was: it sounds that much clearer. You could swear the sounds were in the room and not coming from the speakers. We watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Blu-ray and the fight scenes sounded more clear than before.

I would highly recommend this to those who have the space for it. The video/audio improvement is worth it alone! Take the time, measure and make sure it will fit where your TV/home theater is. Then get this power center!

Equipment and Plug Location:

PS3: Filtered

Receiver: Filtered

Samsung HDTV: Digital Video

Subwoofer: Delayed

DVD Player: Normal

VCR: Normal

Cable Box: Normal

EDIT: I forgot to mention one more nice feature of this power center. It has two diamond shaped cut outs on the back side of the strip, so it is wall mountable. I know that at some point I will make good use of that and mount it behind the TV, out of sight!

Read Best Reviews of Panamax M10-HT-PRO Home Theater Management Here

This is my 4th Panamax product and I love them all. I live in FL where lightning and power surges happen frequently. Sometimes the power will go on an off 4 times in a row from the power company. Lightning hits always seem close. The surge protectors react immediately and shut down power until power comes back. All my electronics have survived. Prior to going on a buying binge with panamax, a lightning hit blew out a High Def DVD player, receiver and a cable signal amplifier. I took 3 months to get the receiver fixed properly with a dozen trips to the electronic repair shop that was 25 miles away. Very frustrating and something I would not wish on anyone. I've seen all my panamax units react well with power surges (nearby power transformers cycling on and off) and nearby lightning hits. Nothing will protect your electronics from a direct lightning hit, but so far panamax technology has dealt well with nearby hits. I highly recommend panamax products.

P.S. I've read comments on the large size of this unit. When I saw it for the first time, I just smiled ear to ear. I loved the large size and design of the power surge protection strip. Go figure.

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I play electric guitar with numerous effects pedals and one amp for guitar as well as another one for vocals. Everything was plugged into either the wall outlets or a power strip. I had HUGE problems with ground loops, which would cause unlistenable amounts of hum, hiss and buzz to come from my amps. I found that the only thing that worked for me in reducing all the noise was to whittle my system down to the two most essential and noise-less pedals, but I still had some hiss and I missed having all the other cool effects to play with. Then a friend got me one of these, and I bought a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 Plus to power the pedals instead of using AC adapters. Oh my God, night and day difference! I have tons of effects pedals back in the chain now, and I can go from a screaming monstrous roar to instant dead silence just by muting the strings on my guitar with my hand. Amazing! This thing makes me love playing guitar again. I highly recommend the Panamax M10-HT PRO -and the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 Plus -for any musician who plays through electrical gear and has issues with unwanted noise getting into their system. The Panamax is bulky and expensive, but it is no ordinary power strip and it is well worth the extra coin.

KWorld ATSC Digital HDTV USB 2.0 TV Stick KW-UB435Q

Testing Configuration

Motherboard: ASUS

Processor: AMD 5600 (dual core 3 gHz, X2/64)

Memory: 3 gB

I ordered this USB stick from Amazon and received it in four days. Good service!

Software install went exactly as listed on the sheet that came with the install disk.

I attached an RCA flat plate antenna with internal low noise preamp to the USB stick. I am using the USB extension cable. I then scanned for channels (as part of the setup), and got all 13 available channels. The scan took about 4 minutes or so, updating the screen to show me what it had found.

Tuning the various channels in a windowed (not full screen) mode displays a signal level meter. Most stations are running between 80 and 100%. I am located 27 miles from the transmitter complex. I love the signal meter display. It is large and responsive when I move the antenna around. The tuner appears to be quite sensitive. I was able to get 8 channels with nothing more than the included whip (magnetic base) sitting on top of a lamp shade.

The display of channel numbers is crude. No use of "-" or "." for subchannels. Channel 13-2 is displayed as 132. This is a very minor point, but can be disconcerting at first. The fastest way to change channels is to just enter the numbers, 132 (from the keyboard), in this example.

The software is very easy to use. I never looked at the manual, just clicked around and was easily able to follow the program flow. After installing, be sure to go to the Total Media setup screen that lets you enable hardware acceleration. (if your graphics chip supports it). With hardware acceleration enabled my processor loading is less than 20%, even while recording HD.

The ability to record, and schedule recordings using the EPG (electronic programming guide) is a nice plus. Playback of recordings looks very good. This software basically gives you a DVR, and you can burn DVDs of your recorded programs if you like. The GUI is not as smooth as my DirecTV DVRs, but it is easy to use and functional. After playing around for a while (that is why bought this thing, isn't it?), you should have no problem navigating.

I like the ability to save the channel list (Export), so it can be imported later. You can save several lists if you like, and only import what you want.

Summary:

1. Very sensitive tuner with excellent signal meter.

2. Feature filled and stable (no crashes) software.

3. Easy to use, intuitive software.

4. Low processor loading on my machine.

5. Picture Quality is Excellent (of course, it's HD)

6. Playback audio is in sync with video (recordings)

7. Live View audio is in sync with video.

Operational Note: If in full screen mode, using all your display area, you can go back to the windowed mode by hitting the escape key. You can also use the menu mode to do screen captures, etc. Placing the cursor at the bottom of a screen will bring up a menu.

It will be interesting to see how reliable this thing will be. It runs warm, and for only 39 bucks, I'm not expecting it to run forever. For now, I'm very impressed!

I bought this product so I could get 1080i local channels through my cox cable provider. The channels are crystal clear. However, the channel set up is a little annoying. It also has a record feature that will make a MPEG file. The burn to dvd disc feature will not work for some reason. I downloaded a copy of EASY MPEG and I now am able to burn 1080i channels to a dvd-r. Overall I am very happy the price was right, I bought mine on NEWEGG for $29.99 + shipping.

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I ordered one of these and was so happy with it I ordered another to use at work. The second I received was "version 2". The case is the same but the LED was a different color. After I installed the drivers and software, it seemed to work OK at first. I then noticed it would not receive half the channels the version 1 was able to. I also noticed the software locked up a lot when version 2 but didn't with the version 1. Because of Amazon's great return policy, I returned it and ordered an "Avertv Hybrid Volar Max Tv Tuner Kit for Windows MTVHVMXSK" as a replacement.

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Works good in Windows Vista 32bit SP2 and Windows XP SP3 and Linux Xubuntu 11.10 "Ocelot"

for ATSC "over the air" viewing -had some trouble with aborted timed recordings.Using "HyperMedia Center" or "TiVme" software for Windows and Kaffeine Media Player for Linux.

With Xubuntu 11.10 "Ocelot", my Kworld ub435-q USB TV tuner works great in Kaffeine Media Player v. 1.2.2 and KDE v. 4.7.4 for "over the air broadcasts" without any modifications.

A) Simply open up Kaffeine

B) choose "Digital TV" in the Start Menu

C) hit "Configure Television" option icon

D) Click on "Device 1" tab

E) Choose "Source" which for me was "us-ATSC-center-frequencies-8VSB" for over-air broadcasts

F) Close window, go back to Kaffeine TV window and click "Channels" option icon

G) In "Channels" window, make sure "Source" is set to "ATSC", then hit "Start Scan" button -the scan took about 3 minutes and 17 channels were found -I believe all that are in my area.

H) Once the scan is complete, highlight all channels found in the right-hand box "Scan Results" (or all that you would like to save) then click "Add Selected" and those channels will then appear in the left-hand box called "Channels"

I) Hit "OKAY" to get out of "Channels" window and you will return to Kaffeine "Digital TV" window with your selected channels appearing in the left margin column.

j) Double click on a channel to select -and now hopefully you are watching !

Thanks Ubuntu and Kaffeine for programming for this tuner.

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Many competing products also work as analog tuners perhaps so you can record analog cable signals on digital. I however bought this so that we could bypass cable TV entirely and since there are no longer analog OTA signals in the US, there was no reason to pay extra for a tuner with analog functionality as well as digital.

Installation? This was the first USB product I have ever tried that Windows (Windows 7 64-bit) didn't recognize and find drivers for. Instead I had to use the CD that came in the package. I didn't bother with the crapware on the CD. I just use Windows Media Center.

Result: it works great. Since all it's doing is getting MPEG-2 files encoded by a broadcaster from radio waves into your computer's hard drive, it'll either work or not. There aren't really any issues of quality to discuss. So far, it's been fine, and a small computer with Windows Media Center has replaced our Tivo HD box in the sitting room. The only thing the Tivo has that this doesn't match is a second tuner; I suppose I could just buy another of these and plug it into another USB port, but so far I haven't felt the need to try that.

Save 48% Off

Ematic EM638VIDRD Touch Screen MP3 Video Player with 5MP Camera with LED Flash and Video Recording

This ematic 4gb player is so cool. I got this for my work outs specialy, I have used this instead of my bulky old player. The Usb Cable was great. just Plug And Play. It was perfect all my file folders opened and i started placing my music on it right away. I put about 150 songs on it. 9 albums and 4 list. It came with the cd to install. Tha Packaging was very easy to open. I like the light weight of it.

The package came with:

1 usb wire

1 video cable

1 stylus

1 install mini cd

1 cool comfy ear bud

1 microfiber cleaner for the screen.

Over all it was very easy to use.

I even used the web cam feature as well to skype.

This is more than a MP3 its a All in 1

I would recommend for any one who likes great priced and easy to use products.

Bought this for my soon to be 13-year-old son. He wanted a "touchscreen" mp3 player for Christmas, but no way are we in the market for an iPod. He is thrilled with this. Touchscreen, takes photos and videos and plays music. Also has Minesweeper game included and a notepad/drawing feature. A good little device for the price.

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This was a gift for a teenager. Very glad that they loved it! Good price and features, especially since this is considered "disposable technology" because new model/versions are created several times a year.

Read Best Reviews of Ematic EM638VIDRD Touch Screen MP3 Video Player with 5MP Camera with LED Flash and Video Recording Here

My granddaughter got one of these for her birthday last year and it worked fine for about 5 months and then died and would not turn back on. Seems very unreliable. I wouldn't recommend it.

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Sounded perfect for my son, but the touch screen stopped working. The company said that after 90 days, I would have to pay 40 dollars to get it repaired/replaced. I asked their representative, why they list their warranty as being for one year, he said between 90 days and 1 year they would replace the Ematic E6 8GB for $40.00. On top of all this my son was constantly having to reset it and even though it has 8GB of memory built into the device, that memory is worthless because it get's wiped when you reset it the E6, so you are stuck with keeping everything on your purchased separately microSD card. Why would anybody want to pay $40 to replace an item that costs $40-$60 to buy new, and I would have to pay shipping and handling both ways, what a bargain. I absolutely DO NOT RECOMMEND the Ematic E6 8GB MP3 Video Player or purchasing any of this company's products. The telephone customer service representative did not seem surprised that it did not work or that I was unhappy with Ematic's products, this not a good company or product. F.Y.I. Ematic and XO Vision are the same company, so don't let them trick by slapping another name on the same bad product.

Besides all that there isn't a 16GB E6 and even under "Product Features Technical Details" right on this page it says.

"Flash Memory 8 GB, stores up to 3000 songs, or 34 hours of video or thousands of photos"

Coby CXR190-1G Digital Voice Recorder with Integrated Speaker

I bought this after looking at tons of reviews of other Digital Voice Recorders. Most of which were priced from $50 to $200. This one had the better features and I got it for $35 shipped.

I received extremely fast shipping. I think it was here in 2 days. I bought from the seller (UniversityStore.com) because they were the cheapest, even though the 93% positive results kinda scared me.

Pro's for buying this Recorder over ALL others (regardless of prices)

-1 gig of onboard memory

-Has a MicroSD slot up to 4gig

-Comes with a USB connector AND automatically converts to .WAV format for immediate listening and storage.(unlimmited storage this way)

-shiney :)

-has a HOLD lock button for when it is stored.

-has a headphone jack for better listening

-Microphone is PHENOMENAL

-Speaker is PHENOMENAL

-Requires 2 AAA batteries (ALSO A BIG DEAL)

-Can pause and resume while recording or while in play back mode

-Cheap and affordable for the price. I would have easily paid $50-$80 for this type of quality and mobility of recordings.

Con's

-The Pause/Resume button is the same as the Delete recording button and is hit twice to either pause/resume or to delete. If you aren't paying attention, you just deleted your recording. (major drawback, but is the only con I could find.)

So honestly, I was also put off that no reviews were written and decided this would be the first review I ever wrote and wanted to make it a good one. Trust this product. My wife and I love it so much, she is having me buy one for her. (I'm writing a book and I hate to have to sit at the computer the whole time, so I record it in 1 minute segments and type it all out later.)

After recording lectures for a few hours, the device refused to save anything I was recording with a mysterious error code 002. The frustrating part was that the problem surfaced not during the recording but after the fact when I tried to stop recording.

To their credit, their tech-support was readily available (at 8-9pm!) and was very helpful. Re-format the internal storage device per their instruction apparently resolved the problem. For now, though, I am carrying around an old fashioned tape-recorder as a back-up. I wish I didn't have to do that.

Other than this minor glitch, the sound quality is good enough for recording lectures and the device is easy to operate. I would prefer, though, a little more responsive buttons: You'd have to hold down a button firmly for about half a second.

Update on the glitch I had: The device failed with the same error code 002 for the second time after using only once for about 2 hours with the re-formatted internal storage device.

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It worked great. Great sound. Great playback. Plenty of storage.

I already used it to tape a meeting. It offers different file folders to place

my different tasks in for storage which is a plus. It is small but

powerful. Buttons are small but I used the head of a ball point pen

and it is no problem.

Read Best Reviews of Coby CXR190-1G Digital Voice Recorder with Integrated Speaker Here

I liked this when I first got it. No problems for the first 2 weeks. But the longer I had it, problems started occurring and more frequent with time.

Thats the problem. If it decides to turn itself off, then everything on that recording is lost (6 times a day). Or if it freezes up (twice a day), then the only way to unfreeze it, is to remove the batteries and lose the recording. The hold button doesn't work either. It refuses to delete single entries and skips directly to the delete all option.

I am happy with it and the sound quality, when it records and saves. But find it very irritating when it stops for no reason with full batteries. Which seems to occur at random. Sometimes after 2 min, sometimes after 43 min of recording, or any point in-between.

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I just bought this digital voice recorder and it works great!

Pros

It is easy to use, looks good and the speaker is great when you hear back what you recorded. The USB is very easy to use, when you plug it into the computer. Tells you the Day, Month, Year, and the Time, which is great! Also, the microphone you can set it to either "HIGH" or "LOW" setting. High for farther away, and Low for closer up. That is a great feature because the sound quality will be better depending on where you are recording.

Con:

The only con that I can think of is that when you move while using the digital voice recorder when your recording, it makes a static noise, so you cant move that much, or it will make a static noise which is hard to listen back to what you reordered.

I would recommend this digital voice recorder. It's cheap if you don't want to spend over $100 dollars for a nice one, that does just as great of a job for less expensive!

Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (3rd Generation)

===============================================================================================================================================

===> Please read important updates at the end of this report (the main part is as I wrote it on October 28, 2010) and CONSIDER VERY CAREFULLY before paying more than $20.00 for this 'ORPHAN' (manufacturer no longer in business, product no longer made) camcorder Here is the latest press release from Cisco (Flip):

FLIP TRANSITION PLANS EMERGE

By Greg Tarr -TWICE [This Week in Consumer Electronics], 4/25/2011

San Francisco Cisco issued a statement Friday outlining its transition plans supporting its Flip camcorder business, which is being shut down.

A company spokesman told TWICE that "account teams are meeting with our channel partners to discuss the transition plan and selling inventory."

According to a statement posted on the company's website, "Cisco will continue its focus and commitment to deliver best in class solutions that extend the network as a platform, from businesses into the home through its Linksys products and consumer TelePresence solutions."

As for Flip, the company "will continue to provide technical support for Flip video cameras until Dec. 31, 2013 and Flip cameras will be available through our online and in-store retail partners as well as our Flip store while supplies last."

The company said it will continue to support consumers who purchased a Flip camera within the terms of its 1-year warranty. Issues not covered by the warranty or that are beyond the warranty period will continue to supported "for a nominal fee" until Dec 31, 2013.

E-support will also continue to be complimentary and available until that date.

Details and updates about support, service and the warranty policy are posted on the company web site.

The FlipShare software service will continue to be fully functional and will be supported until Dec. 31, 2013.

After that time Cisco will no longer support the application online though it may remain functional as software for offloading videos, editing, organizing and archiving.

Additionally, video sharing will no longer be supported past Dec. 31, 2013.

The company said it will continue selling Flip cameras through online and in-store retailers as well as through the Flip store, while supplies last.

Orders for customized Flip models will also remain available for a limited time on the Flip website.

===> Now isn't that 'nice' of them? December 31, 2013. They'll support a one hundred fifty plus dollar item for two and one-half years. After that, you're on your own.

Twenty dollars: that would be my firm target price for this camcorder. Twenty dollars and one cent? Nuts! Twenty dollars and not a cent more should be the firm close-out price. To me that would be all it would be worth. (I'm sorry for Amazon and other retail dealers who have paid full wholesale price for this unit. I should HOPE that Cisco will compensate them fully but I'll bet they won't!)

If you buy it at that close-out price and it breaks (after the warranty period), you could afford to just throw it away; I certainly would not pay Cisco's 'nominal fee' for any repairs.

You may feel differently about this model and this brand and it is your right to do so. But I suggest that ANYONE considering ANY Flip model camcorder think long and hard about buying an 'orphan.' If you can get it 'cheap,' well, if that's what you want, go ahead. But I recommend that NO ONE should pay 'serious' money for these products.

Other manufacturers make better (in my opinion) camcorders and, especially in the case of Creative and (hopefully) Kodak, they will be around for quite some time to support their products.

Thanks again for reading this and for considering my opinions.

===============================================================================================================================================

Update: March 2, 2013

If you buy one of these now, you are taking a big chance. This camcorder, indeed all Flip items, has not been manufactured for almost two years now. This means that if you buy one "new," the battery will have been sitting there uncharged for almost two years.

It's pot-luck as to whether or not the camcorder will even power on, much less function for any reasonable length of time.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!

Flip MinoHD Video Camera Black, 8 GB, 2 Hours (3rd Generation) NEWEST MODEL

The presentation after opening the outer box is really nice and certainly makes for a great gift!

We didn't even have to read the directions. My 13 year old just started using it right away. The set up (time and date, etc) was a breeze. I love the fact that it had a charge right out of the box and is immediately ready to use. No media card needed.

We played around with it for quite awhile and the video here shows the quality and zoom.

The size is so convenient and easy to hold, it fits in the palm of your hand. All you have to do is turn it on and click the red button to start recording. Even though the screen is small (approx less than 2 inches) it has a quality display to see what you are taping. The sound quality is excellent as well.

You can zoom with this but I don't know by how much. It didn't seem like a lot to me. I show that on the video attached here.

Also, every time that you plug in the camera it automatically turns itself on and charges.

As far as the software goes, it allows you to make a movie and edit it by adding a title, credits and music. You can add more effects with Windows Movie Maker. You also use the software to share videos by emailing them or putting them online.We emailed a 48 second video and it took 6 minutes to send using the Flip software. There is also an option for making greeting cards. You can select holidays, birthdays, new baby, love and friendship, travel, etc The video is placed in the greeting card and then you can share it. All this is done with a couple of clicks.

I absolutely love this flip video camera. It is simple to use and makes sharing videos super easy. I think the quality of the video is better than some regular cameras and definitely better than my cell phone.

If you go to their website you can purchase the Flip and customize your flip's look. I love the idea that you can customize it with your own picture. If you have any questions feel free to comment and I will answer them as best as I can.

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FLIP video has done a great deal to prove to me as a repeat customer that they heavily weigh simplicity and ease of use when designing their products. My family owns two FLIP camcorders and it is clear to me that the previous version:

-Flip MinoHD Video Camera Brushed Metal, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL

is a much better value for the money as I do not believe the minor updates on this "new" model warrant a $70 plus price increase (a nearly 50% premium!!!!)

The new generation has maintained the small size and easy use of the second generation. They have added a new sensors and image stabilization to 720p video at 60fps. (Second gen-720p 30fps)

I bought the 2nd generation flip minoHD (ASIN: B002R5AM7C) as a present for myself and my family to use for many different applications. The kids have used it for making YouTube videos with their friends. We have used it to record Birthdays, Christmas and many other random filmable occasions all with great results. It has become a favorite of all of the members of my family and me.

My son recently moved away to college and I decided to give the second generation family minoHD to him for school. Conveniently for our Flip-Lacking family, the new 3rd generation minoHD just came out so I ordered it to replace the second generation.

I would be kidding myself if I did not acknowledge that the new features do add some recording benefits but the basis of this review is that my family and I have decided that these improvements just ARE NOT worth the extra $70.

The recording quality is still 720p; the fps increase is hardly noticed. I would feel much better about the price increase if 1080p recording had been incorporated but with the newest round of cell phones producing HD video now, FLIP needs to give us more upgrade for the money.

For now, IMO, the 2nd generation Flip minoHD is a much better value.

Read Best Reviews of Flip MinoHD Video Camera - Black, 4 GB, 1 Hour (3rd Generation) Here

I have several nice cameras and camcorders but anytime I ask my wife to take a picture, I have to go through a minor training program explaining what this is and what that is. By the time I get it all explained, the photo opportunity is usually lost. I have given up buying her cameras since even the simplest ones seem to baffle her.

I have a smart and very high tech friend, who has many excellent cameras, but often uses a Flip Ultra and loves it. When Amazon offered the Mino HD as the "Deal of the Day", I read a few reviews and went for it. I frankly find it to be an amazing and unique piece of equipment. In this day of cramming more and more features into smaller and smaller packages, Flip has taken the "Keep it Simple" route and I applaud them for that. There is no choice of several video formats, just the one that many of us consider the best. There is no separate still image feature but the software allows you to grab stills of pretty good quality quite easily. Essentially, there is one button to turn the unit on, one button to extend the USB connection, and a large red button to begin and end recording. There is no memory card and no battery, instead, an internal battery and built in memory that will give you two hours of HD recording. It has an image stabilization system, probably electronic that does fine. The LCD screen is beautiful and adequate in size.

In short, this is exactly what I wanted for my wife, something that turns on, takes videos, and turns off. The videos viewed full screen are very good. The sound is excellent. This camera is exactly what it was meant to be, fast into action and good HD quality with good sound. Videos are simple to get on the computer and play beautifully.

The Flip software loads right from the camera, no disc to keep track of. As soon as I loaded it, I was offered a chance to update the software and did. One of the new features allowed me to import my contact list for email. The email program, for the most part, is excellent, but more on that in a minute.

The software is excellent and very intuitive. You can shorten videos from either end and save the new video separately or replace the original one in your camera. You can take stills from the videos with the click of one button. A couple of times my videos were a little jerky, causing a dialogue box to appear that said something like,...."You seem to be having trouble playing your video from the camera. We suggest saving it to your computer and playing the saved copy" That was a one click operation and worked perfectly. I have tried stills, shortening, etc, everything except making a movie. I'm sure that will be easy.

emailing is a snap. All you do is click the email symbol. It lets you drag and drop any video or still and emails them easily. There is no sizing or changing of anything required. I love this feature! Although the emails do not appear in your sent mail file, the Flip software has it's own sent mail file. You can always find what you sent to someone.

So, why not give this Mino HD five stars? It is what it claims to be and it exceeds my expectations. I'd love to give it five stars but I find that the emailing feature, one of my favorites, is mishandled by Flip, at least in my opinion. The person receiving the email will feel that is has been sent by Flip,...and there are ads and invitations to click on this or that for more. It is very easy for the email recipient to find himself in the Flip store with many items offered for sale. Really now, Flip, should you attach your ads to what you call privately shared email? I don't think so. We all get enough spam without it being attached to our personal email.

Anyone wanting something small enough to have with them and simple to operate will love this Mino HD. I'll probably check back after my wife tries it Christmas day. I'm betting she'll love it.

Flip, if you see this, please consider changing your email presentation. You really don't need that with the excellent products you have. It wouldn't surprise me if people found your email ads more offensive than enlightening.

Jack

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I got one of these as a gift and wasn't sure I'd use it much since I have accumulated an assortment of digital cameras big and small. This little powerhouse of a camera has become the go-to for all my video. It's very small and light but comfortable in the hand and I've been able to use it with ease without ever opening the instruction book which was a big plus for me. I also love that there is no power or USB cord that I have to keep track of because I'm terrible about keeping those handy for my other cameras. The video plays back crisp and clear even on the full-screen. It rivals my much larger and more expensive Canon HD video camera, which takes amazing video but I rarely use because it's such a hassle. Overall I think this new Flip is an amazing piece of hardware -stylish, compact, powerful -that couldn't be easier to use.

Pioneer DV-410V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Featuring HDMI

• HDMI Terminal for Digital Audio/Video Out
• HDMI Upscaling (to View on 1080p) WMV (Windows Media¿¿¿ Video) Compatible
• HD JPEG Playback JPEG PhotoViewer(Fujicolor CD) Video Adjust Func
• PureCinema 2:3 Progressive Scan
• 1 HDMI Terminal ,1 USB Input, 1 Coaxial Digital Output, 1 S-Video Output, 1 Audio/1 Video Output, Component Video Output (DVD, Video CD)

I purchased Pioneer DV-410V dvd player to replace a low-end Sony model that I have been using for a year. The Sony DVD player does not have a HDMI port, so I have been relegated to watching my Panasonic LCD TV via component video cable. I narrowed my choice between Pioneer and LG DN898 players. They are the two top rated DVD players according to Consumer Reports. Pioneer, with the score of 86, tops LG player (which gets 82). I saw no reviews for LG DN898 on the Amazon web site; Pioneer (Amazon's second bestselling upconverting DVD player; LG was #7) got 15 mostly positive reviews. So I went for the Pioneer player.

Pioneer DV-410V has a very handsome form factor. There are more controls in the front panel of the player than most other DVD players (even though I probably would not use any of them). Disc tray is very solidly made. The display is easy to read. Pioneer comes with plenty of connection options. Composite A/V, S-video, component video, HDMI, plus coaxial digial audio out. The notable omission is the optical digital output (fortunately I do not need it), which is available in Pioneer's higher-end models. The set up was very easy. Connect the HDMI cable, went through various settings in the Home Menu, and I was ready to watch my first DVD.

The Home Menu is a model of efficiency. It is divided into five major sections: Audio Settings, Video Adjust, Play Mode, Disk Navigator, and Initial Settings. It is very easy to navigate through each section using cursor buttons. I especially like the Video Adjust Menu, which give you control over such settings as Sharpness, Brightness, Contrast, Gamma, Hue, and Chroma Level. This may be redundant with many TVs, but my Panasonic LCD display has minimal picture settings, so some of those settings are still useful.

The picture quality is much better than what I have been used to with the Sony, at least due to using HDMI instead of component video cable. The picture is more lively and rich than what I have been used to. The picture quality difference was most evident when viewing JPEG photo files. They were like viewing them on my computer display, except on very large scale. I gave up watching JPEG files with the Sony because the images were so pixelated and the resolution was so terrible.

Audio was very rich and clear, although this only happened when I disabled surround and other special audio features. Sometimes less is more. Too many special settings actually have opposite effect. The player remembers last five discs, and it resumes the play automatically. When I stop a DVD and then press play there is no delay; on my old Sony there was a considerable delay

So why only four stars. Any man-made product has at least a bit of imperfection, so this DVD player is no exception. My major gripe is that Pioneer is noisy. It is not a problem when I am watching a DVD, but when I first turn on the unit or when I pause or stop the noise level is perceptible. Next, the display in front of the unit is fixed at displaying chapter and elapsed time (for DVDs). I rather have the flexibility to change it to the remaining time, which is more useful to me. I can view the remaining time and other informations by pressing Display button on the remote (and I have to press the button two more times to get rid of the onscreen display), but that's not as convenient as just looking at the unit's display. Time format is in minutes and seconds, so 1 hour 25 minutes will show up as 85:00, instead of 01:25:00 which I am accustomed to viewing. The remote control is not a universal remote, so I cannot control my TV with it. It does not even have volume or mute buttons. This is no problem for me because I use Sony RM-VL600 8-Device Universal Learning Remote, which I would recommend very highly. Lastly, it only comes in black, if anyone cares.

My next venture into this field will be for a Blue ray player. I wanted to wait purchasing it until blue ray becomes the de facto standard. I would not mind if I wait a year or two until prices of blue ray players come down to around $100 level. Until then, Pioneer DV-410V will serve as a useful bridge. It's picture and audio qualities (the two most important factors) are very impressive. Pioneer has a long history of making quality audio-video products. As I mentioned earlier, it tops all DVD players in the Consumer Reports ratings. The negative aspects of this DVD player are very minor and in no way diminish the appeal of owning this fine product. Therefore, I would highly recommend Pioneer DV-410V to anyone who's shopping for a DVD player.

Buy Pioneer DV-410V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Featuring HDMI Now

I have been buying all kinds of DVD players (2 years searching) with no luck for the HDMI to DVI. Until this one. It works!!!

Works in 1920x1080p 1920x1080i 1280x720p 720x480p 720x480i

Even tried the Pioneer DV-400V-K. Pioneer said that one would work but it did not. Pioneer also said the only difference was the USB on this is in HD and the DV-400V-K is standard definition.

Pop in a USB key and it lets you scroll through videos and pictures in HD.

The picture is fantastic and the multiple adjustments you can do in the settings for picture and sounds. There are so many settings, you will not believe it.

This is "THE BEST" UP-Convert DVD player.

Read Best Reviews of Pioneer DV-410V-K Multi-Format 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Featuring HDMI Here

Update, this is an older model now, I think I paid $100 new last year.

Pros:

Full controls on front panel

Excellent image quality (no blocking)

Slim and quality feeling

USB 2.0 content with HD images

Cons:

No optical audio out

Some graininess to dark scenes

Who should buy this player? Anyone looking for a full featured upconverting DVD player for a reasonable price.

I like the DVD player. The main reasons I bought this model is that it is upconverting for my HD TV and that it has full controls on the front panel. My TV is only 32" so there is only a slight improvement in image quality over standard DVD. Those with larger TVs might notice more improvement. The quality is nowhere near HD or Blu-Ray of course, but still an improvement. The full controls on the front panel are important to me, because any function can be performed without the remote in case it is lost.

Menus are intuitive and easy to use, and the HDMI output is handy to reduce cables. I run the HDMI cable to my TV and the Digital Audio out to my Amplifier (it doesn't take HDMI at all), and that works great. I just disable the audio output in the HDMI cable (through the menus) and no sound comes out the TV (which is what I wanted).

Overall, this is a great DVD player, and I hope it lasts longer than my previous players from other brands. I like the feel and function.

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I did my research prior to buying this player. For those who are looking for an affordable DVD player that plays ANY region disc as well as UPSCALING...look no further. I have done both of these things with the Pioneer DV-410V-K and it works perfectly. The remote is user friendly and the menu/programming is simple and easy to navigate. IMPORTANTLY when it comes to the upscaling feature there is a little programming however which I contacted the seller and received instructions on this procedure machine will not automatically do this and this makes a big difference! Here are the intructions :

Here are steps:

1) You need to connect both RCA cable and an HDMI cable both together first time.

2) Confirm that you are getting picture using RCA cables.

3) Change the input source on your TV from RCA to HDMI.

4) Take the remote of Pioneer DVD player press the Home Menu Button.

5) Select the Initial Setting menu.

6) Go to Video Output and choose the resolution what ever you want.

Once you do this quite frankly you will get optimum 1080i or 1080p upscaled image quality. I do not have a Blu-Ray player but the cost of these and investment in the discs are only really worth it if you are using a 70" TV. I have played old BBC TV series in PAL as well as newer discs that are currently released and the Pioneer is outstanding. For around $100+ you cannot go wrong!

The Pioneer DV-410 is a very solid performer, but it has one fatal flaw: an inexcusably unresponsive remote. I can't really complain about the video quality or the array of features, but when you're trying to access a menu or even turn the unit on and the remote just isn't working, it gets pretty annoying really fast.

Here are the good features: You get a USB jack right on the front. This is incredibly useful for connecting your digital devices. I also really like the presence of buttons on the front of the unit. Judging by the utter lack of controls on the face of DVD players, I must be in the minority, but I really like to not rely on the remote for essential tasks like play, stop, and chapter skip.

I don't have an amazing TV, so I can't really speak to its upconverting capabilities. If you want flawless video, you probably want a Blu-Ray player anyway. For standard definition DVDs, I'm very satisfied with the image quality.

The strongest feature is probably its compatibility. I've encountered so many DVD players that are picky when it comes to DVD-/+Rs, DIVX, DVDRW, and whatever else you can think of. Amazingly, I've not had a single disc not play in the DV-410.

There are so many great features, but again I have to return to the terrible remote. Seeing as you'll likely need to use the remote every time you use to DVD player, it *will* annoy you every single time. My recommendation is to consider where you'll be placing the unit. Anything beyond a 30 degree angle is not going to work and that is just unacceptable. If you'll have a straight shot with the remote, you'll probably be okay, and if so, you'll get a great deal of use out of the Pioneer DV-410.

Exclusive Hello Kitty KT2028A Stereo CD Boombox with Cassette Player/Recorder and AM/FM Radio By SP

Notice how I said WE like this! This is my daughter's radio but I think I use it just as much as she does if not more!

WHY SHE LIKES IT

She likes it because she can play CDs and have dance parties with her friends. It's also very easy for her to operate. She does not read yet but given it's simple design it's easy for her to figure it out. There are only two knobs on the radio so if this one doesn't control the volume that means the other one does.

WHY I LIKE IT

I listen to radio stations that are hard to access on digital radios. I guess they don't have a strong signal. This has a manual tuning dial so I can move it a smidgen to the left or right to get less static and more station. It also has a tape deck! When was the last time you saw any new radios with a tape deck! In fact it was one of the reasons I went with this model. Why you may wondering. My daughter is a performer and I thought this was a great way for her to record her voice without much assistance. Sometimes she likes to practice her performance before she let's me hear/see it.

OVERALL

This is a great product! We had this boombox for 6 months and it's still working just fine. Not to big, great volume, and easy to use!

Canon ZR85 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

My husband and I purchased the Canon ZR85 MiniDV Camcorder about a week ago in preperation for the birth of our first child in April. We were either going to go with this camcorder, or purchase a Sony camcorder. We thought long and hard in the store, and we really believe that this is a much better camera. Not to say bad things about Sony, but their camcorder only had a 10x optical zoom, while the Canon ZR85 has a 20x optical zoom. The picture quality also seemed to look better on the Canon camcorder. When you are moving the camera from side-to-side the image on the LCD display kind of floats. It was much more jerky with the Sony. We absolutley love this camera. We had fun taking pictures with the still shot last night and I e-mailed them to a friend of mine that I haven't seen in years. The quality of the pictures is excellent. But as with any digital camera, printing the images out on a photo printer might not look as good as on the LCD display or on your computer screen. I do not know, because we do not have a photo printer or plan to get one. But for e-mailing pictures to friends on the computer, I can testify that this camcorder takes beautiful pictures. I even saved one of the pictures to the desktop on my computer, and I swear it looks like a magazine photo. My husband and I were surprised how good the pictures look. We didn't buy the camcorder for the still shot feature, but we love it now and are so happy this camcorder can take digital pictures. The video quality is excellent as well. We haven't done much filming yet, just playing around the house with it. But we have hooked it up to the TV to watch what we have recorded and it looks even better on TV than on the LCD screen when you were taping. The image is very steady, clear, and crisp. Colors look amazing. My old maroon/auburn couch really came to life when taping. It looks better recorded than it does in person. I love the zoom, it is amazing how far away you can see with this thing. I also love how it self-adjusts. You can look at a bright window and the camera will focus and adjust the lighting, then you can turn away from that window and look at a dark corner and it will quickly re-adjust. It's really awesome. We are very pleased with this camcorder. The only thing we are unhappy about is the memory card that was included with the camera is very small and canon put a lot of trash pictures that look like wrapping-paper on it that you cannot delete. This takes up almost all of the memory space on the card, only leaving you with enough room for about 10 or 15 pictures. But no biggie. That is the only complaint that we have, and that is such a nothing-problem. We plan to buy a bigger memory card anyway, so that we can take more still pictures. This camcorder is really great. Make sure you purchase a bigger battery, but that goes for any camcorder. You will love this camcorder.

I am really surprised by these other reviews on lighting. When shooting in the dark I used the night mode button and it allowed me to take great footage in the dark. I also found the DV Messager software to be extremely user-friendly. It allowed me to import my footage for editing (gotta love Final Cut Pro). Overall I think it is a great buy for the buck.

Buy Canon ZR85 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Now

I had my concers at first about this cam. I've read in several places that the stil pic quality wasn't good, and that the quality of the film was poor in low light. Well I'm glad to say that I have not had those problems at all. There are all sorts of tweaks that you can do with the cam that will make it look great in most places. I've had the cam for about a week now and both the Wife and I find it very easy to use!

Read Best Reviews of Canon ZR85 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Here

I agree with the 12 year old. I have used this camera for three weeks and think it is just great. I have been to two birthday parties indoors and the lighting was great,I used video and still pictures. I love that it is so quick and easy to go back and forth between the two.I have also used it in a Butterfly Museum and the pictures were so true to color that my friends want copies sent to thier computers.When I first bought this I was just looking for a plan digital camera and I'm so pleased that I chose this instead.When I bought it my children and I (ages 12 and 15)took a tape and the book and learned how to use it and tried every feature indoors and out and had such a good time and now we know how to use it.I suggest to the people who didn't read the book to go and open it and learn something.We think it great and will let our friends that are looking to buy a camera to give it a try. Also a great price for the features.

Want Canon ZR85 MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Discount?

I bought this camera about 21 months ago; I have only used it a couple of times but without a problem. When I tried to used it the other day I was able to record sound but no picture. I was prepared to buy a new camera, until I found that Canon has a repair notice on it for this problem. They will fix it free of charge even if out of warranty; I could not ask for more!

New Headband Head Mount Forehad Camera for use in Skydiving

This camera met my expectations it takes decent video, is easy to use, and was very reasonably priced. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was that the headband size is pretty large, so if you want it to fit a small head (like a child's) you need to use an elastic band or have the person wear a thick hat.

Lexar MSDP4GB-40-664 4GB Platinum II Memory Stick Pro Duo

We have a Sony DCR-DVD610 Handycam and this memory card works great in it. No need to mess with mini dvd's when you can stick a memory card in and go. Good value here.

It works perfect. It's a great product for the price. I recommend it. No problems with my sony camera.

Buy Lexar MSDP4GB-40-664 4GB Platinum II Memory Stick Pro Duo Now

The LEXAR 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo provides the same quality and construction that Sony provides. There simply are no issues with the back-up and replacement when your device needs such media. Great price and great reliabiltiy.

Read Best Reviews of Lexar MSDP4GB-40-664 4GB Platinum II Memory Stick Pro Duo Here

I was a bit skeptical about ordering wasn't sure if it was legit but i completely retracted my thoughts i got exactly what I wanted for a great price and fast shipping. completely satisfied

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works with my sony camera..disappointed with the seller though coz i paid for it to be expedited and i think it took a week before it got delivered.

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