NEC Display Solutions NP-M300XS 1024 x 768 3000 Lumens LCD Short Throw Projector 2000:1

I've purchased 2 of these units. One for work and one for my church. This is a really nice projector! The short throw lens has finally allowed me to mount a projector in a location that was impossible before. The specs on this projector state the largest screen diameter is 100" diagonal can't be mounted farther than approx. 3 feet from the screen. For my church I'm using this to display a 130" diagonal image about 5 feet back. I can't get the sides of the image completely straight but it's very close and hardly noticeable by anything less than a trained eye. The unit I've placed in the board room at work is mounted 3 feet away from the screen and mounted very close to the ceiling. Presenters never get blinded by the light or get in the way of the image because it's mounted a couple inches from the top of the ceiling.

With short throw projectors like this the lumens needed can be quite a bit less because it's mounted so close to the screen. For my church we almost bought a 8000 lumens projector for $8500 mounted 13 feet from the screen. With this NEC projector we could have bought 8 of them for the same price and the brightness is acceptable in a room with a lot of light pollution. If your situation allows for any sort of way to reduce the light on a bright sunny day this projector mounted a few feet from the screen will project very nice bright image.

NOTE: Our church has floor to ceiling windows on both sides with no curtains to stop the light as well as bright stage lights so finding a projector bright enough was quite a challenge. This unit did the trick for us. Ideally we'd like more lumens as some pictures that are a bit dark and/or with dark skinned people do not display that well but for the price this can't be beat.

The best LCD I have ever bought. Looks great on my 14' screen.I highly recommend it. Buy one. You'll like it.

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Own 4 of these units.

Use them for my entertainment company.

Great short throw and nice quality for a nice price.

I do own some SHARP models, but this one is the shortest throw and bright colors.

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Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 3-inch LCD and

This past holiday week-end I made the decision not to take my Nikon DSLR with me on a 3 day road trip to Minneapolis. The majority of my time was spent wandering the Mall of America, and the E-P1 was an absolute delight the entire time.

This little camera makes me smile each time I use it!

If you don't care to word a long, winding review let me summarize it. The E-P1 doesn't have to make any apologies for being petite, its a full fledged camera on its own merit.

Positives

* Great photo quality!

* Built in image stabilization (works pretty well too)

* Customizable and responsive interface/buttons

* HD movie mode with autofocus

* Low profile, doesn't get you noticed

* Quiet. I'd say quieter than my old rangefinders and way more quiet than my DSLR's

Could be better

* Battery life

* Perhaps almost too customizable (pretty good learning curve). Keep the manual handy!

I'm not a people shooter and certainly not a "street" shooter but my week-end was spent at the Mall of America, which is enormous but all in doors. It was an interesting challenge. I found that although I fumbled with the interface and settings a bit, it became very engrossing and almost mesmerizing to shoot publicly with the E-P1. It never drew attention, not once, where as I saw people clearing out from the obvious DSLR guys like fish around a barracuda in the reef.

Lens: My only lens is the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, which doesn't sound too exciting. However in practice it has been a great general utility lens that has rendered quite nicely, showing nice resolution and sharpness. I can only anticipate what the E-P1 will do with a quality, wide aperture prime. I'm up in the air about my next move, but the 50mm f/2 sure looks tempting. But then again it would be great to try OM mount too! Arg....

Auto-Focus: I've read some questions about the auto-focus performance of this camera, but in normal operation haven't see an issue yet. Granted I haven't tried to shoot a basketball game or dance recital yet so take this with a grain of salt. For my people shooting in the mall the AF performance has been wonderful and spot on. When I've gone to outdoor settings or even just trying to snap something quick from my car, I've found that the autofocus is quite a ways behind my D90. I think it is real world quick, but it is probably a step slower to focus than any DSLR on the market. Not saying that's a bad thing, some worth knowing.

Sensor: The sharpness I see from this camera is well beyond what I expected, so there may be something to the talk that Olympus removed the strong anti-alias filtering most DSLR's are plagued with. The jpg results thus far haven't required any post process sharpening and the Olympus color engine is a breath of fresh air in my opinion.

Handling: Coming form a DSLR will make you take a little time to get used to the difference. Getting used to shooting with a LiveView display will also take some getting used to. There isn't a front/rear two wheel control system as I'm used to with the D90, but there are two primary controls for manual shooting and they can both be worked while shooting one handed. Very nice design! The buttons and functions are all fully customizable but expect to be nestled up with the manual a wee bit to do it. All in all composing from the LiveView LCD became very natural and fluid after a day. High marks to Olympus in designing such a usable system. The only thing I still have to figure out is a button to disable auto-focus so I can go fully manual.

Results: The bottom line to any camera is what it can produce. The E-P1 is not a D700, A900 or 5DII. Those are different kinds of cameras that excel at higher ISO and extreme resolutions. What the E-P1 is to me is a system capable of going toe-to-toe with any DX sensor system on the market in terms of deliverable results. No it doesn't shoot 8 frames per second. Again not that kind of camera.

This is a practical camera whose size and form factor make it usable in places that larger cameras wouldn't work as well or possibly not at all. I'm seeing very detailed and sharp results up to ISO 1,250. After years of shooting 35mm, DSLR and even large format I'd have to say this is the most fun I've had with any camera I've owned. Its a camera guy's camera that the beginner can use as well.

First a little background. I have a couple of other SLRs and was mainly looking for something to give me close to SLR quality files but in a considerably smaller physical package. A couple of downsides you should already be aware of from the product description.:

1. There is no pop-up flash. Not a problem for me, I don't ever use them anyway (your mileage may vary).

2. There is no viewfinder. Again not a problem for me, got used to that very quickly.

Now some observations from having used the camera:

The sensor image quality is excellent. Dynamic range is at SLR quality. Noise levels up to and including ISO 800 is very clean. ISO 1600 has a bit more noise than the Rebel XSI (also 12mp)with the noise increasing relative to competitors from there.

The user interface is intuitive. I used mostly Aperture Priority and Manual and found it easy to use. Stuff in the menus were also easily found. Changing the settings were at times challenging (like ISO) because of the smaller buttons, but given the camera's small size its something I could forgive

Its heavy, almost as heavy as a basic, entry level DSLR. Now the lens is light as a feather, however I feel a lot of heaviness comes because of the build quality of the camera, which is superb

The RAW processing software that comes with the camera is useless. The interface is horrible and the stability even worse. Wait for your favorite RAW processing software to add support and use that.

The deal breakers:

The kit lens is slow. Really slow. So slow in fact that I found the system to not be very useful when the light levels got low or you were indoors. Now this could easily be fixed by having a series of fast pancake lenses, which I believe are coming, but sadly they aren't here yet.

The auto focus is slow and unreliable, especially indoors. I found the AF to be very slow and borderline frustrating. Again, this was mostly indoors and in low light levels, so a faster lens may alleviate the issue.

Overall, this is a fantastic start for Olympus and once the system is fleshed out a bit more (with lots of those fast pancake primes at various focal lengths) I may consider it again. However with the limited lens selection available today, its not for me. You need to figure out if you can live with the kit lens (or the 17mm f/2.8 prime) while waiting for more lenses to come out for yourself.

Buy Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 3-inch LCD and Now

I had been considering replacing my Leica d-lux 3 with the d-lux 4 when the EP-1 news came out. I immediately sold the d-lux 3 and ordered my EP-1. It is a little larger than I was hoping, but out of the box, the first results were incredible, RAW format on a par with my nikon d-90 RAW, requiring very little post-production. Feels good in the hand, responsive and fast auto-focus and much more satisfying to use than the leica which I loved. Initial results in RAW much better than the leica, which was always just a little noisy.

This is a top notch camera, that I hope will continue to deliver results. The only current drawback for me is that photoshop CS4 doesn't recognizethe Olympus Raw Format (ORF). I have to go through Olympus software to convert, which severely disrupts my work flow, and the software is slow and clunky. Shooting JPGs alongside Raw in case I need the results faster.

If they get the plugin updated soon, I'll be over the moon.

Very happy with this purchase.

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I needed something decent to have in my laptop bag when i wasn't lugging around all my SLRs and Lenses. This camera seems to be the perfect blend SLR and Point and shoot. The f/2.8 lens allow me to take great, non-flash photos in low-light situations without an obscene amount of noise. It has a great, solid build and with a decent amount of weight, it doesn't feel like it will fall apart at any minute like your point-and-shoot. I would say if you are in the market for something more advanced than a point and shoot, but nice and small, pick it up.

Also, I believe this is the smallest device to be able to take 720p video at f/2.8 (m4/3) with stereo audio. Great video device if you ask me.

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This camera has been a very pleasant surprise for me. The low light capability is extraordinary and as for framing pictures in bright sunlight I am very glad I got the optional optical viewfinder that fits in the hotshoe. But the picture sharpness and color quality are breathtaking. There is a learning curve on the menus but once you get used to it there are many in-camera scene types to fool with, such as old-fashioned grainy black and white. Most importantly, it is ultra-portable and unobtrusive in a good-looking way. I am thrilled with it!

PLC-XW250 2600 Lumens 1024 x 768 XGA 500:1 Ultra-Portable LCD Multimedia Projector

I bought one of these a few months ago, and I am absolutely impressed. The picture quality is excellent, and the price is much lower than almost any other professional type projector out there. I recommend to anyone that needs a great projector for presentations, trainings, or anything else. I have even used mine for photo slideshows. Works great.

25-400x 8 LED 2.0M AV Digital Microscope Endoscope Magnifier Camera TV-Out White NEW

• 100% Brand New and High Quality!
• Focus Range :0mm ~ 40mm ;
• MagnificationRatio :25 X~400X ( Manual ) ;
• LightSource: In-built White Light LED 8pcs;
• Color:White;

My wife has an at-home kindergarten. I have this connected to an LCD TV and she uses it as a video microscope to show her students magnified plants, bugs, and the tiny critters she has in a small aquarium. The composite NTSC AV output means you can use an old TV rather than tieing up a computer.

The first thing she showed me with it was beautiful. Thousands of rainbow colored hexagonal cells. When I looked over at the microscope, I saw it was just a dry rotted leaf! A grasshopper's head fills the screen even at lower magnification.

FYI, the control on it adjusts the magnification. You must move the camera itself to change the focus.

BTW, this is NOT an endoscope... we got a good laugh from that!

If you want screen captures, get a USB model.

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Swann SW244-BVD DIY BandW Video Doorphone

First of all, the item description is incorrect. This unit does not have an LCD screen, nor is the screen flat. It uses a mini projection CRT that projects up at the curved screen surface. Consequently, there is distortion of the image (stretched on the edges), and definitely not high-res. Also, the manual claims a larger field of view angle than it actually has. I'm an engineer and I measured it to be about 40 degrees across the center of the screen. Consequently, you won't see that much of your visitor and there may be a problem viewing both short and tall visitors. Well, the item is pretty inexpensive at just $92, so all this might be excusable, but there were also a serious functional problem. The doorbell button on the camera would not work correctly up to 50% of the time. I had to return the unit as defective.

The picture is good.

Installation easy.

My complaint is: Someone at your door must push the button for you to see them.

I would like to be able to turn the camera on from inside my house.

I would like to be able to start the conversation from in the house if they don't push the talk button. With this system I can't.

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Just installed it a few weeks ago. Works great. easy to install. I wish the camera tilt upward had one more step (I had to use the existing audio-only location for the outdoor module, it's a little too low) but this is my problem, not the device.

Not worth the extra $100 to get a color version, this is more than sufficient and half cheaper

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I don't review products often, if ever, but this video doorphone needs another good one. It's super easy to install and works great. I bought this one for my office and may buy another for my home.

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This is an excellent product and was very easy to install. I has it up and running in about an hours time. It's great security to see who is at your front door before you open it.

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Canon EOS Rebel T1i (500D) Digital SLR Kit w/EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens & Canon EF-S 55-250mm f

I've been an aspiring photographer for most of my adult life and always striving to get that better shot.I'll never be a pro, but always striving for a better photo. I used to have a nice 35mm outfit with multiple lenses, but then the digital age came into play. I've had a few digital cameras, but nothing with the capabilities of a true SLR. Finally, with much thanks to my Wife, I have a new Canon Eos Rebel t1i and couldn't be happier and am very impressed with the image quality of this camera. If you want simple, just run in full auto mode. After that, the capabilities with the various modes are as flexible as your imagination. I'm just getting started (had it for 3 weeks now), but each time I use it, I'm more impressed. Definitely a great camera for the money. I purchased with the standard 18-55 mm Kit lens and also the 75-250mm zoom. I would recommend doing the same, or at least plan on adding lenses down the road. These two lenses give me a very good range and I'm finding the zoom is great for candid photos and wildlife shots. Time will tell, but so far, I think I made the right choice.

So, I've been using point and shoots and becoming frustrated with the results. This is my first foray into DSLR land, and I have to say, I'm hooked! This has got to be the MOST versatile piece of equipment that I've ever owned. Of course there's a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you'll have problems putting this camera down. Eventually, I hope to upgrade, but for right now, this is the camera to have. If you're thinking about buying one, stop thinking about it and do it. You WON'T be disappointed, and the time you're spending thinking about it could be better spent taking pictures.

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I'm impressed with the pictures clarity and details! The autofocus works amazingly fast. Manual focus is very easy. I'm still learning to use the camera (my oldest brother had an SLR camera 25 years ago, when I was a kid, so it has been a while I don't use one of these). Changing the lense is not confusing. The 18-55mm lens works great for shooting wide ange photos. The 55-275mm lens works very for zooming.

I was able to shoot over 500 pictures before recharging the battery.

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I bought this camera about seven months ago. It has taken my photography to a new level. I went from 35mm film camera I've used for years, and wanted a taste of the digital age. I love the image stabilization, I have superb pictures.

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This is the best camera I have ever owned. The pictures are super sharp, even in low light. The only negative comment that I have is the movie mode. It does not work as well as a camcorder. Every other mode works really well and it is super easy to use.

Sony TX Series DSC-TX9/R 12.2MP Digital Still Camera with "Exmor R" CMOS Sensor and 3D Sweep Panora

First of all, this camera is not "red" as described. For guys who brought this hoping for Ferrari Red, get ready to be royally mocked. It is as pink as it is shown on the picture.

The TX9 comes with no memory card, but it does accept SDHC cards formatted to FAT32. With the 32GB card it the camera predicts that I can take around 6000 photos in 12M Pixels.

The touchscreen is not bad looking, it is reflective like the Ipod screen which makes image looks clear but at the same time it is also more prone to glare. The touch screen is resistive, not as responsive as the capacitive screen we are used to with the iDevices. This is conform by the fact that it came with a slim plastic dog tag looking contraption with a pointy end. My girlfriend ask what it was, we were puzzled until I went to read the manual... apparently it is a stylus. Only resistive screen can use random plastic object as stylus.

Besides the camera, the package came with a small docking station and a battery charger. This is a nice touch apart from the fact that is doesn't come will all the accessories for the docking station to fully function. It needs a separate AC adapter with Sony's own proprietary plugs which cost no less than $39.99 from Sony's website. Model AC-LS5. The docking station has a HDMI and a AV connector, the package only comes with the RCA cable, so again you need to buy your own HDMI cable. I ordered the Amazon Basic ones, since Best Buy loves to insanely overprice after Circuit City disappeared. With the HDMI cable, the TV out function is very nice. The picture displayed on the screen is amazingly sharp and clear in 1080i HD and you won't need to bring a computer to show your photos to your friends on HD Television. Update: I purchased the adapter, and it does not seem to recharge the camera's battery.

The basic modes of Photo on the Tx9 is Intelligent Auto Adjustment and Superior Auto Adjustment. The Intelligent Auto adjustment is the classic point and click and forget mode, the new superior mode take multiple photos at once then process it to improve picture quality. This does create noticeable clarity, but it needs around 5 second delay after each photo for processing. So this is not so useful if you have impatient friends that wants you to snap quickly.

There are only a few buttoms on the camera, as most of the controls can be done on the touchscreen, the physical buttoms are there for fast access. Photo Mode, Video mode, Shutter, power, zoom and thats it. There are some primitive editing tools on the camera but they seem way too simple to be useful on a small resistive screen. It is more of a gimmick.

There are 2 3D modes, the sweep panorama 3D photo which requires you to have a 3D TV to view and the Sweep multi Angle Mode which appears to changes prespective on the screen when you tilt the camera, similar to a holographic sticker. Since it depends on you to accurately perform the sweeping motion to get good photos, most of the time the 3D photo don't look correct. I also did not find a way to view the Multi Angle Mode photos outside of the camera.

The photos are automatically organized onto a calender very similar to the way Nintendo DS does it. I found this to be a nice feature. The include photo software for the PC was not so useful, it decided to scan all the photo's from my other drives on the computer instead of just the camera, which made a mess of things.

All the previous function are there, iSweep panorama,auto shutter on smiley face, etc, but unlike the TX5, the TX9 is not waterproof. I found it funny that Sony would called their trademark feature "iSweep" panorama. Without knowing the facts, if you have to guess which device the feature "iSweep" came from, Apple or Sony, which would you guess?

All in all the strongest Pro on this camera is the point and click photo quality. It can do 1080 HD movies, but it's not the best of quality, however it is very good for it's compact size (The sound seems to be too loud when recording movies). On the down side, it doesn't include everything you want right out of the box, it only includes what you need, (minus the memory card) and buying Sony proprietary accessories isn't cheap.

POS:

It takes very sharp & very clear image. It can use both MS & SDHC. The LCD screen is so good because the picture display in LCD screen is the same if you display in your TV or computer. It works perfect in low light area and without flash light. Specially in the low light restaurant and sometime I need to reduce brightness because the picture came out too bright. I love the blur the background function so much because it is just like DSLR. The picture will come out so good! It worth the PRICE!!!!!!!!!

CON:

The battery life is not long enough to fill my 4GB SDHC. So, better buy another battery when you travel outside.

PS. I bought this SONY TX9 camera after I returned Samsung Dual View TL205 12.2MP. I only use the Samsung one for 3 days and decided to return because the picture quality is so poor almost same as my old 5MP camera. I use my TX9 for a month already and still happy about it.

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i got this camera as a b-day present, but i used it a bit to try it out..and i was shocked...this cam is really amazing. what i was really impressed of was the low light pics and the 3D shots obviously...and with under water shooting as well, this cam got everything u need in one piece...the only problem i found in it was the short life of it battery which is why i gave it 4 stars instead of 5...the cam wont last long..so its better to get an extra battery with u if you are going out on a trip or just a regular outing because it wont last for more than 4 hours.

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What an amazing "toy"! I'm a novice technologically, but I do like to take good pictures. I don't have the patience or time to really play around with settings and learn/use all the functions of a many cameras, but point and click in the past just didn't have the quality for me. This one is incredibly user friendly, delivers high quality pictures and video, and is quite fun to use! I enjoy taking action shots of kids and pets in many situations, but also love to shoot landscape (like my evolving garden through the seasons.) The options to switch to different lighting or scenes are so easy to do!! The Panorama is pretty darn cool too! Thank you Sony for making this great little camera!!!

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I've only had this camera for a few days so I haven't gotten to really use it. But it is very cute, and feels well built. I really love the touch screen. I got it in the color red but to me it looks more like a rose pink. Out door pics are very nice. The colors are vibrant. In doors pics looks great too. Will update this review when I've gotten a chance to really use it. OH and by the way the manual that comes in the box doesn't really tell you much about the use.

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Pentax K-r 12.4 MP Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (White)

After extensive research, I bought this camera as my first DSLR. This camera is great. I could go on and on, but I'll just say that I am very happy with this purchase. It takes great pictures and is easy to use.

I would also like to point out that Pentax technical support is amazing. They are not just a bunch of yahoos in a call center reading off of the screen. They employ their own call center staff and have offices in North America so you won't run into the language barrier that many other electronics manufacturers have.

I've had this camera for about a year and I have no complaints. I am able to take professional looking pictures without knowing much about SLR Cameras. This camera is also very well made, heavy and expensive looking. Everywhere I go I get compliments on this camera and people with more expensive cameras want to look at it and compare the features. Most of the time they walk away knowing that they spent way too much for their camera. I had a film Pentax SLR for years and loved it, so this digital SLR was a perfect upgrade for me and I was able to use my lenses from my film camera with no problems. This camera will even take video which is a nice feature to have on a DSLR. I take thousands of pictures and do not baby my camera at all and this one has held up nicely with no problems. My 8 year old and 15 year old use this camera often and without any problems. I love the white body on the camera and get many compliments on it, not to mention that I can spot my camera easily when it is left on a table with other cameras at karate class or in my child's classroom. The high speed continuous mode is wonderful for sporting events and I have been able to capture a lot of perfect shots with this camera because it is so dependable and easy to use!

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I bought this camera about three weeks ago and it has blown past my expectations! Out of the box, it just feels good in my hand. The pictures taken with the 18-55mm and older 80-320mm were sharp and well exposed. Even an old Sima soft-focus lens that I've had for 30 years works perfectly. It's too bad that Pentax doesn't advertise it's cameras because this is a gem!

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I've always disliked DSLR cameras because I was not satisfied with the quality of the images, specifically in regards to color and contrast. However, the newer DSLR have rectified this issue and have a much more film-like quality to the images. It has been very easy to adjust to this camera after using Pentax SLR cameras for many years. I'm sure the next generation will be even better, but I'm very happy with the quality I'm getting from this new camera.

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I wasn't planning on giving this camera a five star review. In fact, I wasn't planning on reviewing it at all. However, Pentax has just really been impressing me!

This is their entry level DSLR…yet it is so professional. I bought it as a back-up to my other camera. My first impression as of just having received it (3 hrs ago) is that it is the fastest camera I have ever held!

I have extensive photography experience and this is an excellent entry level DSLR. I can go from nill to turning it on, auto-focusing and getting the shot, in 3 seconds. No start up delay, auto focus is phase detection, and I'm pretty good, but I can't get 3 seconds with my other cameras. I can't wait for Pentax to enter the pro-DSLR market!!!

ANYONE looking to buy this its light weight, easy to use and did I mention it's FAST?!?

Love it!

Acer Value DLP Projector

I've had this projector for over 4 months now and it has worked beautifully so far. I did a lot of research before buying a projector, I wanted something less than $500 or at least very near to that price point, something that would project a screen size 90 inches or bigger from about about 10ft or so since that's the distance in my set-up (rest assure that I checked out the distance calculators for other projectors that were about the same price or cheaper and the maximum size from about 10ft was around 70 inches according their respective websites).

When I bought this, there wasn't really any reviews or anything since this is a pretty recent model so this made the decision even harder, but I decided to go for it still.

Now to talk about the projector:

It has very nice native resolution of WXGA 1280 x 800 which makes it great for movies, the resolution does go up higher to 1080p if you connect the appropriate input device such as a Blu-Ray player, gaming console.

Set up was easy to understand and do

Turns on relatively fast

Image is really bright and clear even in Eco-Mode(which is how I have it right now so the lamp bulb last longer), no huge difference between regular mode and Eco-Mode. But don't worry, if the screen seems to bright for some reason, you can always decrease the brightness level as you please. I recommend Eco-Mode, it's better for any projector really

It has vertical keystone correction but no horizontal keystone correction. I knew it wouldn't have horizontal keystone correction when I bought it, and other projectors I looked at around this category or less didn't have it either. However I must say that when you're setting up the projector, make sure you get it at the right horizontal angle so the image comes up even, don't worry too much about the vertical angle since it can get fixed with the vertical keystone correction.

The on-screen menu is easy to understand and navigate through

No physical manual, it does come in the CD that it's included with the projector, comes with a quick start up guide and an VGA cable

The speakers on the projector are weak, then again most of the projectors out there have weak speakers, I'm just glad I have a home theater set-up so I don't need the ones in the projector, no big deal for me here

Pretty much has all the inputs you need: HDMI, VGA, Component, Composite, , RS232 mini, S-Video mini, USB mini-B, 2x stereo mini-Jack. I currently just use the HDMI input for it since that's all I need, makes this much easier and much much better since everything looks better in HD

It has manual focus, which makes it much easier for me to get the clearest image from distances, you also increase/decrease the screen's size manually

Still looks good enough even when the lights are turned on

Expected lamp life is great: Normal Mode 5000 hours; Economy Mode 6000 hours (which was a huge driving point in my decision to buy this projector), many projectors out there get less lamp life expectancy than this one, even some of the expensive high end projectors

Blu-ray movies just look wonderful, you get a vivid image, beautiful colors. Playing video games look wonderful as well, it makes gaming much more intense and a better overall experience.

I wouldn't say the projector is super loud but you can definitely hear it as you would for other projectors, if anything I've heard louder projectors before, you get used to it though so it becomes less of a problem down the line

It is recommended that this projector is used no longer than 3 hours per day, there have been several times where I've used it much longer than that in a day and it didn't give me any problems, the projector will even warn you you if it's overheating

Expect projectors to get hot when in use, this is normal for a lot of projectors, just know that projectors are designed for this case, but also know how to take care of your projector

As for the 3D part of this projector, you should all be aware that you won't likely find a projector around this category and price range that does 3D for all your devices straight out of the box especially for 1080p 3D, I sure didn't find one. You'll need a 3D converter box such as the Optoma 3D-XL Converter Box for 3D Video and Gaming or the View Sonic 3D HD Video Processor (VP3D1) to watch 3D devices and content without any problems and limitations. However, this projector can do 3D out the box but only in 720p, you'll notice that you won't be able to switch the 3D signal in the projector between ON/OFF if you're watching in any resolution that is not 720p. To be able to turn on the projector's 3D signal on make sure you go to your device's settings and switch the resolution to 720p. Also make sure you have the right HDMI cable (HDMI 1.4, those are the only HDMI cables I have, which are the one's you;'ll need for 3D support in high-end devices that support 3D such as 3D Blu-Ray players) and DLP Link 3D glasses. It is PC-3D Ready, so if you have the right PC setup, you can get a 3D signal to the projector without any problems and without the need of any converter box.

Pros:

-Clear and bright image

-Great interface

-Manual focus

-Great inputs

-Great screen size from distances

-Still looks good when lights are on

-Have used for longer than 3 hours in a day many times without having problems

Cons:

-Limited 3D functionality out of the box (expected)

-No Horizontal Keystone correction (expected)

In case if you're wondering how my setup is, I'm using this projector mountVideoSecu PJ2B 1C9 Universal LCD/DLP Projector Vaulted Ceiling Mount Bracket with 25.6-Inch Extension Pole Black. I have this Panasonic DMP-BDT210 Integrated-Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player, an XBOX 360 and Nintendo Wii and of course my laptop which I connect all through HDMI to my home theater's Onkyo HT-S5400 7.1-Channel Home Theater System AV Receiver which I then run an HDMI cable from the AV receiver to the projector. "But wait, how do you connect your Nintendo Wii through an HDMI?" you might be wondering, well I use thisWii to HDMI 720P / 1080P HD Output Upscaling Converter Supports All Wii Display Modes, HDMI Upscale to 720p or 1080p Output for that.

After narrowing it down to a few projectors, this was the better one in terms of specifications and price of course. this projector has met all my expectations and in many ways exceeded them, I'm surprised this projector isn't very popular, it definitely deserves its recognition. So if you're looking for a projector at this particular level, look no further and buy this one.

If possible, I'll be updating my review further down the line, maybe I'll even make a video for it one of these days.

Pros:

In 2D mode, it's bright.

Cons:

1280x720 is too low to run Almost every apps in windows 8 -and 3D mode only works in 720p.

It's remote needs to be pointed exactly at the IR receiver and the buttons must be pushed very hard

It has many light leaks some even very close to your screen, and many out the base of the projector.

It's obtrusively loud, and has a high pitched whine that can be very distracting (my 1000W 7.1 system does overpower it for most action scenes, but it's terrible in dramatic movies)

In 2D using an HDMI cable, the tearing artifacts are terrible (top half of your screen is one frame, bottom half is the next)

You cannot use NVidia 3D for gaming. It will NOT work with this projector.

You cannot watch 3D blurays.

You're told that you can if you buy a separate computer player ($50+) and a program that circumvents DRM (which is borderline illegal)

You could also buy a converter box to watch 3D, but those are very expensive.

I have semi usable 3D gaming setup working. It took forever to hack, including putting windows into test mode and various other hacks. But unfortunately, the projector won't enable DLP link, so I'm stuck with a bad 3D image with nVidia glasses.

Don't bother with this projector.

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I replaced a six year old projector in my basement.

I am so impressed with the brightness and clarity of the picture HD movies and TV look outstanding.

I love my new projector.

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This Projector does not support 3d As advertised in it doc's. They say on PAGE 37 you can plug in a 3D DVD player and watch 3D Movies with the DLP-Link Glasses. This is not correct. You have to buy a converter box to convert the signal to on the Projector will except. The projector will only allow a 720p 120Hz signal to to 3D and there Is Not one 3D DVD player out there that will do the Signal it needs. So to Use 3D you have to spend more money on a converter out use a 3D card on a computer to View it. The Doc's say different There on techs don't know anything. I have called them all the want me to do is send My unit to them at my cost and have them look at it and tell me what I already know that it does not work as advertised in its DOC'S so be worn. The Projector is a good Item for the price if you do not want to do 3D. I have desided to keep the item as I like the way it works for everything else BUT no 3D. I will have to buy a converter to it This is just a warning if you want 3D this one is the same as most the others and will only do 3d through a computer. Do Not buy a projector from this seller. They sell all Projectors AS IS. There is no returning them. So if it does not work as they advertise YOU ARE SCREWED. DO NOT BUY ANY PROJECTORS FROM THIS SELLER.

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i searched a lot before buying this product .Excellent product!this projector produce perfect crystal clear image. HDMI is built in so you can connect whatever device. I used DVD's, computers, blue ray player, etc. Everything looks perfect includinf with light in the room thanks to the 2700 lumenes. Remote control is incredible and allow pretty much all the functions available. A+.Started with AVTAR and so on....................

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Sony HVR-Z7U HDV Professional Video Camcorder

Sony HVR-Z7U Review

For the last 3 years I have been using the first Sony HDV camera, the Z1U, with great results. We took it in over 21 countries for the filming of a documentary and it preformed just great. However my Z1U, as much as I loved it, was growing old, so I went for the next generation, the Z7U, that I just got a couple days ago.

The first thing to notice as I unpacked it is that is noticeably heavier. I knew that from the spec sheet, but I thought I wouldn't notice the 0.6 pound difference. Anyway, the newness of the camera and the fact that is a lot shorter than its predecessor got me excited enough to get over it.

I also noticed and liked the new frontal design where the far reaching built in microphone of the Z1U is missing. This allows for bringing the camera much closer to the airplane or car window for instance, something I will value as a documentarian.

The Lens

The removable lens hood is easily removable by the push of a button, opposed to the screw system of the Z1U, a nice little touch, to be valued when you're strapped for time.

The main advantage that I went for on this camera is the removable lens. So first thing I did I removed the Vario Sonnar 12x lens that comes with it. The process was easy and intuitive. Upon my first field test, I got to like this lens a lot better than the built in Z1U. It seems that the new model achieves a much better shallow dept of field, the nirvana of any professional. I also really liked the "Digital Extender" function, built in this lens, that brings the subject 1.5x closer when you're zoomed in to the max. First I thought in might be a cheapo "blow up the pixels" trick, but while watching the footage on a 50inch HD monitor, I could not tell any quality drop while using the "Extender".

The focus ring is large and handy and must be pushed forward for "Auto focus". This is handy as you shoot, but it is guaranteed to move the shot if you're on a tripod shooting. I remember that the centrally located AF button of the Z1U could be moved without any jerk while shooting. The other disappointment is that there is no Autofocus push button, unless you go trough a convoluted programming procedure from the book.

The zoom is handy and smooth, and what I liked the most is that the servo zoom is a lot smoother than the older one. More than that, the servo zoom on the handle bar can be programmed to various speeds and once it reaches the upper or lower limit it will ease to a stop. Totally cool and professional.

The iris is located as third ring on the lens. I liked that too, and there is an Auto Iris button, but I like doing my own exposure.

The Camera

There are 3 ND filters as opposed to two and they work like a charm. I was able to shoot a sunset reflection on the water without closing the iris at all or being overexposed...

There are 3 gain levels and they are programmable as a new feature. I dindt change the DB levels but I used them all and could not see any image graining even on the "H" setting. I wish that was the case with the Z1U. So, yes, the low light performance of the new Z7U is net better, a Godsend for a documentarian that can't always control the lighting.

The white balance seems to be the same, not much to do there, same with the menus, and status check. The picture profile has a number of sophistication's such as "black gain" and color depth that were a bit above my comprehension without further reading.

The display and the outputs

The first major disappointment was the smaller LCD screen. More than that the colors on it were pale and while is it worked well in the sun, it was still simply too small. I got in trouble a lot in the past by not seeing where the focus was, so I was hoping on a larger display. Sony says that is superior since it has more pixels, but I'd preferred it bigger.

The VCR functions are the same, and the HDV tape is in the back facing the cameraman, not upwards. This is great if you're changing tapes in the rain or a sandstorm like it happened once while I was in Egypt.

The most valuable new output is the HDMI of course. I connected it directly to my plasma TV and it looks just great. I also liked the full size firewire connector.

The new Sony Compact Flash recorder unit is small and it fits in the back, over the battery compartment so you'll need to remove it first if you want to change the battery. That is OK I guess. The unit is small and luckily it takes the wide available CF card. Thank you Sony for not requiring us to buy your overpriced Sony Stick and other non-compatible "Sony Only" kind of cards. And thank you for having a dual kind of output storage. I am a "tape" faithful for storage and backup purposes, but it is nice to have the CF option. I have not tried it yet.

The biggest disappointment happened when I tried to playback on the new camera tapes recorded by the old Z1U. As soon as I put them in, the Z7U ejected them out. They were recorded in the "1080I 60FPS" a format fully compatible with the Z7U. This is highly troublesome since I have hundreds of tapes filmed on 5 continents that I might have to re-digitize one day should my hard disks crash. What am I to do, buy an $3000 VTR?

Sound

The included microphone is nice and sensitive, but I rarely record more than the ambient sound on the built in mic. There are 2 XLR inputs, nothing new there. I like that the mic is easily detachable and can save space while packing the camera. Also with an XLR extension cord it can be used for interviews on a table mount if you're lacking a lapel microphone... This couldn't be done with the old model.

The camera also has the capability to take still pics even while shooting. It has an SD Ram slot and a button can be assigned for picture taking. I never cared much for this feature since you can extract just as good pictures from the HD Video files.

Conclusion

The new HVR-Z7U is a pretty good piece of equipment for the $6000 USD price tag. Despite a couple of shortcomings I don't regret getting it. I really hope Sony will come up with longer lens soon that would make the main new feature "interchangeable lens" so much more valuable. So far Sony offers just some one wide lens for this unit. That's disappointing, great cinema and nature shots require long lens and none are available specifically for this camera. Sony offers some options that require adapters and reduced functionality for use of their still camera lenses with the Z7U, but I am skeptical about using such non specific products.

Mitch Anderson

Mitch Anderson is the producer of the film "The World Without US" . This feature-length documentary debates the implications and consequences of US military involvement in the world today.

The World Without US With Niall Ferguson

I recieved 2 defective JVC GY-HD110's from Amazon. Sent them back and fronted the extra cash for this one. Best decision I have ever made. Recording to Compact Flash cuts my editing time in half. The battery time is 4 times longer with the stock battery than the JVC too! I love everything about it.

Buy Sony HVR-Z7U HDV Professional Video Camcorder Now

I'm loving this camera. There are times when bringing a "smaller" camera into a clients business that this camera may not have the "pro-appearance" factor but none of the clients have been disappointed with the results. The footage I've taken with this have been on national broadcasts and look dazzling!

And, it has proven to be a workhorse by working in cold temperatures, long days, high altitude, and even me when I'm crabby! I'm psyched with my purchase close to a year now of this Sony Z7U and it has payed for itself many times over. I'm glad I have this camera over the Canon or Panasonic in it's class!

No problems (knock on wood)

Thanks Sony!

-jl

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Pros: Great footage in low light situations, after factory settings are changed.

I have two Z7Us and 2 MRU units, I have the same issues with both units.

Cons: MRU (Memory Recording Units)continually drop frames. I have to constantly re-synch videos. (I am using the recommended Compact Flash Card)

Out of the box settings are horrible. 1. Must change the internal settings on db (gain) or footage will be unusable due to noise. 2. Color is drab & lifeless until settings are changed.

Manual does not provide needed information to master this camera, or change the needed settings out of the box. I purchased a DVD to help setup this camera. Would highly recommend purchasing a DVD if you choose to purchase this item. Try the one by Vortex Media which is an excellent product.

LCD screen VERY inaccurate on exposure. If you purchase this product, plan to purchase a monitor and use the Zebra setting to gauge exposure. Otherwise you footage will be far overexposed. I lost my complete first shoot due to the inaccuracy of the LCD screen.

Computer will not recognize the cameras if the MRU units are attached. Therefore, when archiving footage while live streaming, you must record to tape. Two afternoons and two technicians later and after reading the manual cover to cover, I found this out on my own.

I would NOT purchase this unit again. Continually dropping frames is a deal breaker. Sorry Sony. My Panasonic camcorders with P2 cards are much better units, much more accurate LCD screen, and have had zero problems with dropped frames. I've had far more problems in the first month of shooting with these units than I did in 8 years of shooting with my Canon GL2s.

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I love it, man! what a difference, I just love this cam, got it about a month ago and shot about 4 weddings with it already.

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USB to MHL HDMI Video Audio Adapter Cable for HTC Flyer Sensation EVO 3D EVO 4G, Samsung Galaxy S2

I can say that this product works as described. Out of the box you'll get the USB to MHL HDMI Adapter nothing else not even a instruction manual to tell you how to properly use it. One thing you need to know about this product is that you do need an additional USB to Micro USB Cable to connect to the adapter in order to get it to work so basically you will need to connect your phone charger to the adapter and then connect your adapter to the smartphone and you got yourself a HDMI video out source to connect to your tv. The picture quality is decent. It fits the entire screen when you set it in landscape mode. However I did notice a little slowdown when you have the adapter connected but not too bad though. I have nothing much else to say about this product so overall I rated this product a 5* because of the price and it works.

Well I get this to complete the accessories for my Samsung Galaxy SII, so with it I will be able to share my screen with a TV, stuff that I do sometimes because the NBA.TV subscription, so I can share a game with my family and friends without using a computer for that.

Do what you expect, plug the mini USB to the multipurpose USB on the phone, hook the HDMI cable to your TV and the device and plug the power adapter on the mini USB on the side of the device, the regular power adapter or the mini USB to USB data cable that comes with the phone, so you can take power from the by using one of its USB ports.

I understand that the phone will run out of battery quick enough so you need to give it power, and since there is only one port for everything on the SII this is OK to make mandatory the use of a power source to make this work.

One of the reasons for me to not give this a 5 star is because of the cable length, is not a big deal but leave you with a little room to place the phone in a safe position with when you connect all the stuff.

Anyway there are a little options out there an this one is cheap, I also took the 5 stars away from this is because they mask the value of the device by putting a small value on the product price but almost two times that price in the shipping, so I found this like a trick, but I take my chances and there was nothing wrong, the device works as expected over a month of regular use.

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This is the greatest! The phone company must hate me but I'm watching Netflix everywhere I go now. Don't use it on a TV larger than a 32", the motion blur is horrible but that isn't anything wrong with this adapter.

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This item does not work with the Samsung Galaxy S3. I'm a computer systems engineer, so I'm confident it's not due to user error. Especially since there is no software and there are no options.

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I was actually satisfied with the adapter, the only real draw back it has is the sound tends to fall off during movies and videos other than that its Awsome 4 stars!