Showing posts with label compare video baby monitors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label compare video baby monitors. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

eForCity 50 FT Premium HDDB15 15-Pin VGA Male to Male Monitor Cable, Black

eForCity 50 FT Premium HDDB15 15-Pin VGA Male to Male Monitor Cable, BlackI'm running high-quality music videos to two HDTVs from a clean, efficient laptop. I'm using this cord and a 12' HDMI cord. I'm noticing no signal loss and excellent AV sync. So, good job, manufacturers and distributors.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH10 16.1 MP Compact Digital Camera with 8x Intelligent Zoom (Pink)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH10 16.1 MP Compact Digital Camera with 8x Intelligent ZoomI bought this camera right before vacation, so I didn't have time to really learn to use it. It was easy, and it takes really clear pictures. It's easy to download pictures to the computer.

This is a great sleek camera that does not weigh a ton and looks good! It was not very costly and has excellent reaction time. It even plays muic when its playing back a slideshow of your pictures! I recommend this camara to anybody that enjoys taking pictures!

Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH10 16.1 MP Compact Digital Camera with 8x Intelligent Zoom (Pink) Now

Regarding THE LUMIX FH10

Instructions on the small chip you insert in the adapter card are not clear at all. What is its purpose, when do you take it out,etc.

It would have been very helpful to have included a picture showing all the steps and benefits of using this chip.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH10 16.1 MP Compact Digital Camera with 8x Intelligent Zoom (Pink) Here

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Aqua - Vu AV740 7 inch LCD Underwater Camera System

Aqua - Vu AV740 7 inch LCD Underwater Camera SystemWhat a awesome camera. I saw so much on it the first time i took it out. Not to mention how much i learned about the lake. Loving everything about it. Amazon is the best.

One day, I dropped down the fishy looking camera down the edge of a dropoff, and BAM! a musky took it. I should have installed a hook on it and maybe some fireline.

Buy Aqua - Vu AV740 7 inch LCD Underwater Camera System Now

I'm definitely happy with my new camera. Upgraded from the Aqua Vu scout 2. The picture is clear, function keys are in a good spot. Allows you to adjust the picture with easy visibility of the terrain below. The plug in's are in an area that causes concern due to the distance they stick out. I will be very careful with them. Top notch quality!

Read Best Reviews of Aqua - Vu AV740 7 inch LCD Underwater Camera System Here

Friday, September 20, 2013

Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black)

Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000Managed to snag this camera for $19.99 from J&R, and purchased an 8GB memory card for $14 at the local Target. The instructions indicate the Coby camera accepts up to an 8GB card, which would give it about 2 hours of recording time. When I inserted the 8GB card, the camera froze. It would start up, then freeze, and the only way to turn it off was to remove a battery. I did this 5-6 times, with the same result. I called Coby and was told my camera might be defective and I would have to return it to receive a replacement. It would cost as much as the original price to return, so I declined. The camera worked fine with no card, but with minimal internal storage I got about 20 seconds of recording time. I tried again with a 4GB card, and the camera still froze. I had an old 512MB card around, so I tried it. Lo and behold, the Coby accepted it. It gives me nine minutes, 3 seconds of recording time. Bottom line is that my camera is not defective, but it does not accept 8GB cards as advertised. When working properly, this is an amazing little camera for the price. Very easy to use, acceptable picture quality, decent sound. Not sure the small light on the front would help in any situation, but it's nice to have. USB is true plug-and-play (no installation required) with all my PCs (haven't tried with a Mac.) I'm going to continue to find the largest memory card it will accept, since 9 minutes is not quite what the product promises.

Even though the Coby CAM3000 has a puny 1.3 MP pixels (1280 x 960), I'm pleasantly surprised that the quality of the video looks very descent on my 21" monitor (@ 1680 x 1050 screen resolution); it looks only very slightly pixelated. Considering how affordably priced this mini camcorder is, I'd say it's a real bargain.

Build Quality

The build quality is really quite good -this mini camcorder does not look cheap to be sure. Although it has a shiny, not rugged, plastic exterior, it seems to be fairly scratch resistant. All the buttons are firm, not jiggly.

SD Card Expansion Slot

The mini camcorder has about 20 MB of built-in memory, which is sufficient for only a few seconds of recording (makes me wonder why they even bother including the built-in memory). No problem it has an SD card expansion slot. I have no trouble getting the mini camcorder to recognize my high-capacity SD card. I'm using a Kingston 8 GB microSDHC Card with an SD card adapter (came with the Kingston package).

Digital Zoom

This mini camcorder actually has digital zoom-in/out, as opposed to optical zoom (better). The trouble with digital zooming is the image gets pixelated when you zoom in. The zooming is also a little choppy.

LCD Screen

The display on the LCD screen is very clear. The LCD screen is somewhat smallish, but it's perfectly adequate nonetheless.

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For the price, this mini camcorder produces some very descent 1280 x 960 videos. The quality isn't on par with that from a regular camcorder, of course, but it is more than adequate if you're planning on using your videos on y0utube. It's ultra portable and perfect for some quick and casual takes.

Buy Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) Now

I picked this up after hearing Dick DeBartolo and Leo Laporte review it on the Daily Giz Wiz podcast. It was on a 1-day sale for 20 bucks. Can't beat that! But even at the regular price it's a steal. Surprisingly good video quality for the price IF you're outdoors. It has a tiny little light on it, but that's useless other than to use up the batteries. But I took some videos of my kids at Halloween outdoors and they came out really great. Just right for uploading to YouTube and sharing with the in-laws in FL.

And for this price I'm not afraid of letting the kids have a go with it. They watch these inane YouTube videos and play around pretending they're making their own. Well, do it for real now!

I love that it can be expanded with a regular SD card too.

Eventually I'd like to get a nice HD handheld camcorder, but this is a nice starter.

Read Best Reviews of Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) Here

I also bought at a lower price from J&R, and am now waiting on my return shipping label... this thing is a piece of junk! All I wanted was YouTube-quality video, and the CAM3000 doesn't deliver. Details follow:

Pros:

Inexpensive.

Small and light.

Fast wake up.

Control buttons seem sturdy.

Incredibly simple to operate.

Impressive 4X digital zoom.

The LCD display is bright.

Video quality is adequate when recording outdoors.

Cons:

Feels like cheap plastic... I fear breaking it when opening the battery compartment, etc. I wouldn't trust a child with it.

The memory card and USB covers are difficult to open.

Requires 4 AAA batteriesno internal or rechargebale battery.

An additional SD memory card must be purchased; the 32MB memory is good for only a few seconds of video (a 2GB card records 35 minutes of vid.)

Low light/indoor recording is very, very dark... to the point of unrecognizeable video.

Without operator narration, the mike picks up ambient noise ("wind" noises and unknown clicking) very loudly.

The specific reasons for returning this camcorder are that the recorded video is choppylots of starting and stopping for no reasonand sound cuts in and out. Some video was even "damaged " (?) and unable to upload to my PC. Basically, it doesn't work as advertised, and I'm not sure I would have kept it even if it had.

Want Coby 1.44-Inch TFT LCD SNAPP Mini Camcorder/Camera CAM3000 (Black) Discount?

I picked up two of these for family members and they love them. Really good value for your $$. Easy to use and decent quality videos. Don't expect HD for $30, but you can't beat it for the price. Will take up to an 8GB SD card which will record over 2 hours of video. Also will take stills. Small size makes it easy to carry around. Do your kids always want to use your expensive video camera to make their own videos? Does that make you nervous? Get them one of these instead. Simple to use, even young kids can operate it and it is fun to see the videos that they make. Putting the videos on YouTube could not be simpler. I took a video and then put the SD card into the card slot on my computer and uploaded directly off the card to YouTube. Easy peasy!

Friday, September 6, 2013

C2G / Cables to Go 29354 TruLink Wireless USB to HDMI Kit

C2G / Cables to Go 29354 TruLink Wireless USB to HDMI KitI may have made up the word 'updateable', but oh well.

We have 3 of these in our office, all purchased at different times. They seem to load on Windows 7 64-bit laptops without requiring a driver to be installed. When plugging the dongle into 32-bit laptops (XP or Win 7) it loads as a thumb drive containing the drivers to be installed. Simply install the driver and it connects to the screen wirelessly. Very handy of TVs mounted on a wall across the room.

The difficulty seems to come when you have multiple devices of different versions. I had one person why had previously connected to our oldest wireless HDMI device that couldn't get the newest one to work until he uninstallled the driver. Once that was done, the dongle mounted again as a thumb drive and allowed him to install the (presumably newer version of the) driver. I went to the Cables To Go website, but the support section was horribly difficult to navigate and I was unable to locate any way to update the drivers or firmware on the device.

In a corporate environment, you may also run into the issue where visitors are leery (or not allowed) to install the driver for this device that they'll likely only ever see once.

Product arrived on time and as advertised by supplier. The wireless USB to HDMI works as advertised. It is extremely light weight and well constructed. Connecting the device takes under a minute (as long as you have admin rights to your PC) and automatically displays your screen to your projecting device. It is not a connection with no driver load effort required, but you do not have to have the CD unless you are using a MAC. However, once loaded you do not have to load the driver again. The video and audio are in sync with no noticeable delay in what you are watching on your PC screen vs. your larger projection screen. You do have to have unobstructed line of sight communication from the USB dongle antenna to the receiver antenna. The range is at least 30 feet without degradation. Great product for business or personal use.

Buy C2G / Cables to Go 29354 TruLink Wireless USB to HDMI Kit Now

The unit works wonderfully, and actually i bought a second one as well.

When installing the software for this, my advice is to turn your internet connection off.

Read Best Reviews of C2G / Cables to Go 29354 TruLink Wireless USB to HDMI Kit Here

This item did exactly what I needed it to without glitches. No complaints here! The installation was easy as well.

Want C2G / Cables to Go 29354 TruLink Wireless USB to HDMI Kit Discount?

I bought this to play media across my living room from pc to tv without running a cable. The distance is only 7 feet between transmitter and receiver. The audio won't stay buffered causing it to crack. Video loses quality intermittently throughout playback, also. There is clear line of sight for the transmitter/receiver and are within 7 feet from each other. Product does not meet expectations. The quality seems to be satisfactory but the transmitter just doesn't seem to be powerful enough for A/V playback. I guess running cables will have to work unless someone has a better option for me. Hope this saves someone a $140 experiment and hassle.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Canon VIXIA HF11 AVCHD 32 GB Flash Memory Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom

Canon VIXIA HF11 AVCHD 32 GB Flash Memory Camcorder w/12x Optical ZoomLong review: 10 min.| I got the HF11 video camera in urgent need for a specific occasion.

The 60th fireworks event of Suwako lake / Nagano Prefecture in Japan on 15th August 2008.

(official sale start in Japan)

As the overall package Canon with its long term experience in Imaging seemed like "The natural Choice to make".

The video camera integrates a huge amount of intelligent functions that ensure the quality of your video experience.

image stabilizer,

light sensitivity sensor,

profiles

variable zoom speeds,

remaining battery status info,

alignment markers in the screen

smart replay functions (slow motion, freezing , advancing frame by frame etc.)

On top of that the video cameras body weight with 380gr. and the size of your favourite beverage is well acceptable even for ladies or kids hands.

The HF11 does come with a few usability hitches in terms of inconsistency, bugs etc. (see my how to guide for details), but besides that, the HF11's navigation is intuitive and exactly as the digital camera products. So, that was not a showstopper for us.

Most users are able to use the product within minutes !!

For video editing features you might want to look into additional software editing and codec converter solutions like Divx, Xvid etc. to be able to share the joy with your friends on DVD etc. The package contains all possible cables but NOT the ultra compact HDMI cable connection.

The major salespoints of this video camera are

Imaging quality (resolution and smoothness of video)

Canons colours

Usability

Usability and

Usability

The Imaging quality is unlike anything I have seen before and easily justifies the product alone.

HF11, HF10 or HF100, which one should I get ?

If you cant compromise video quality for anything get the HF11 with its 24mbps recording mode and be rest assured you have the extra stretch when you need it f.e. in low light scenarios and the best model on the marcet in the personal camcorder class.

Otherwise, if you can life with good quality and the same usability and other features as the big brother than you can make a deal by getting the HF10 or the HF100.

The intelligent functions and the exceptionally good design make the HF100, the HF10 or the HF11 the natural choice for beginners, amateurs and entry professionals.

This is the quality customers are expecting from a long term Imaging company like Canon !!

Additional Notes:

Vibrations:

Note that other camcorders with moving parts f.e. HDD's might not be working in extreme situations with strong vibrations f.e in concerts due to bass vibration. The camcorder makers do specifically NOT recommend taking videos in live houses as they formulate it. So you might find yourself having to record onto the memory card while the HDD is NOT usable.

(I mention it because its not so obvious from the product descriptions of camcorders.)

Fortunately with the HF11/HF10/HF100 or any flash memory based camcorder you dont have to worry about this too ;-)

Memory usage:

8GB of memory will provide you with 1h of best quality Full HD pleasure. So even if you just use the 32GB internal memory it means that the HF11 has enough storage for 4h of best quality Full HD video.

Thats plenty f.e. for your best friends wedding ceremony, the wedding party afterwards and even your kids school ceremony the next day.

Also memory usage is the same when actually comparing, this video camera has at least 3.5 times more details on the screen than the best digital camera out there with video function.

Please see my How to guide for more details and all PRO's and CON's.

I've had this camcorder for 7 months now and have been somewhat pleased with it overall. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is for some annoying issues I have with it.

First off, you can only transfer your video clips if you have the power cord attached. This is inconvenient if you want to get one or two clips onto your computer and have a fully charged battery on the camcorder. Also, once you have your camcorder connected to your computer (via USB cable), you cannot turn the camcorder off unless you disconnect the USB cable. I'm guessing Canon felt it was necessary to protect interruptions during transfer of your video clips. But who would be dumb enough to disconnect or turn off their camcorder in the middle of a transfer?

Another issue I have is that if you don't want to use ImageMixer 3 SE software program to access your video files via your computer you'll have to follow this path from your hard drive: G:\ (or whichever drive it's assigned to) PRIVATE\AVCHD\BDMV\STREAM\00000.MTS. If you use the ImageMixer 3 SE software it basically adds another set of steps in order to view your clips on your computer. Because once you copy your video files using ImageMixer software, you must open the ImageMixer 3 SE Player if you want to view your video. Another step. The ImageMixer 3 SE Player doesn't display which video file you're viewing. That is such a simple thing to have showing that I wonder why it was left out. So you click File then Select File. Choose a file and click Open. The files are number like this example: 20090622091442 (Year, month, day, hour, minutes, seconds). That's great if you can remember which clip number among many is showing in the viewer. Note: the long number is automatically generated from using the ImageMixer software to copy the video to your computer. If you go directly to your hard drive (see above path) then you won't get the data (long file number). It will just be 00000, 00001, 00002.MTS, etc.

From here I must give this camcorder a big plus. I've dropped this camcorder twice. It was on a tripod and the tripod fell down on a ceramic floor. The camcorder still worked and with no visual scars. Then it fell off a handle bar mount on a bicycle and tumbled into the street. It's scratched up but it works fine. I think good construction and a little luck kept if from imminent death.

Buy Canon VIXIA HF11 AVCHD 32 GB Flash Memory Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom Now

While Adobe Premier Elements 7 is a big joke for the MP4 AVC/H.264 formats...it is a superstar with the AVCHD / .mts files this Canon HF10 generates.

Before I bought my own HF10 I was asked by a buddy to edit and burn some youth football footage from his newly acquired Canon HF10 with SDHC card. I was excited. Although I had no clue what an .mts file was Adobe PE 7 not only recognized it and imported it quickly...but I proceeded to edit both video and audio (together and separately)as well as burn to a regular DVD (not BluRay). My jaw just dropped and I said WOW!

I will add that while I am not a big fan of the GUI of Pinnacle Studio Plus 12 it also handles the AVCHD / .mts from the Canon HF10 just fine...and also handles those other MP4's just fine too.

The really important part is that while I have a nice amount of ram (4GB) my computer is nothing special at all. I am running Vista Basic on a Celeron 1.60Ghz processor (Dell Inspiron 530 desktop) with the 4GB of ram.

Now that I have purchased my OWN Canon HF10 AVCHD camcorder Adobe PE7 is my go-to program for this type of footage. Again, it handles the AVCHD / .mts file format flawlessly. Check out my other reviews for some other programs I have tried like Corel VideoStudio X2 and Magix Movie Edit pro 14. If you are going to be working only with AVCHD, specifically from any of the Canon HF series camcorders that put .mts on sdhc flash cards...then I believe Adobe Premier Elements 7 is the best option.

Warning: If you are going to rely on ONE software solution for multiple formats other than AVCHD, Adobe PE7 is not the way to go! I use several little camera/camcorders other than the HF10. They all use the MP4 AVC/H.264 format...while the previous version of PE handled them fine, Adobe PE 7 HATES the MP4 format! You can't even add them to the time-line without it crashing! If you are looking for a single editing program to handle not only the AVCHD from the Canon HF10, HF11 or HF100 but other formats as well...specifically the MP4 AVC/H.264 format then I would go with Pinnacle Studio Plus 12. Like I said before, the interface and work flow is nothing like Adobe's but it works fin with the multiple formats.

Read Best Reviews of Canon VIXIA HF11 AVCHD 32 GB Flash Memory Camcorder w/12x Optical Zoom Here

I am all about my kids playing sports and being able to record the games. I was reluctant in purchasing an AVCHD camcorder with the fear that the motion would not be sharp. This camcorder is of excellent quality. I am using the camcorder with its default settings and have recorded my son's soccer games, my other son's indoor basketball games, birthday parties and am very please with the camcorder. There is a setting to record at 30P which is designed for fast action, but the default 60i is perfect. I will play with 30P soon and can only imagine that it would be even better.

I also have used the ImageMixer software that comes with the HF11. The software easily allows you to copy your recordings to the computer. The player is of high quality and is my preferred software for watching the videos on the computer. With this software, I burned a copy of one of my sons basketball games to DVD and when viewed using a DVD player on my TV, the quality of the video went down. I then used CorelVideo Studio 12 (VideoStudio Pro x2) (downloaded free trial version) and burned the basketball game in AVCHD mode onto a DVD. I then watched the AVCHD (DVD) on my PS3 and the quality was excellent. The DVD burn took about 30 minutes for a 6 minute video on a Dell Intel Core2 Duo desktop computer with 2 gigs of memory.

I also purchased the cheaper extended battery BP-819 and this gives me hours of recording time. There is a slot for a memory card, but I find the 32 gigs internal memory to be plenty.

If you want a quality camcorder, this is the one.

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I just finished my vacation where I used the Canon HF11 that I purchased about 6 weeks ago. The HF11 performed flawlessly. I am super pleased with the quality of the video images. I did some editing and created a DVD using iMovie and iDVD. The results are very good. I am pleased with the overall ease of use and quality videos that can be produced by this camcorder.