JVC GRDVM80U MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode

I bought this one, and then returned it a month later. The main reason is that the GR-DVM90U is about the same price, and there are two features that are well worth the upgrade to the 90U. The first is the memory card for digital stills. The 80U doesn't have it -digital stills are stored on the Mini-DV cassette. This is incredibly inconvenient. The second feature is a flash for digital stills. It makes a huge difference, and I have taken some pretty good quality stills with my new 90U. If you already have a digital camera, and don't want to use this camcorder for stills, the 80U is OK. However, if you want to use it for stills, it's well worth it to upgrade to the 90U.

When I first saw this tiny DV camcorder, I said to myself, "wow, I can't believe this is so small! It must be really expensive." Wrong. In fact, despite the engineering required to reduce the size of this camcorder to something so small that one wonders how a lens, LCD, battery, and MiniDV tape even fit in it, JVC has managed to offer this for a really great price. Now, with amazon.com's $... price tag, this item is simply irresistable. While many buyers will not immediately appreciate the small size of the camcorder before actually using it, thinking that they don't mind lugging around something that is 2-3x its volume (as most DV camcorders are), what happens is that you find yourself able and willing to carry this thing around with you almost wherever you go, and suddenly filming becomes something that can be done anywhere, anytime rather than something you have to plan for in advance. This advantage alone is almost priceless. Additionally, the GR-DVM80U takes excellent video. The lens is tack-sharp, and the digital image stabalization, while slightly reducing image quality, works quite well. The 680K pixel CCD is not good enough to take decent stills but no DV cameras take good stills. Color saturation is excellent, with little or no chromatic aberation. So what's wrong with this little guy? If, as I am, you are into digital video editng with your computer (despite claims by many DV camcorder manufacturers, the editing function that are built into the camcorders are pretty much useless), the GR-DVM80U may not be your best bet. Unfortunately, this camcorder is not as compatible with the majority of editing software, both on the mac and PC side, as are many of the Sony and Canon camcorders. Many applications had trouble recognizing this JVC, including one which failed to establish any communication. My strong recommendation is that if you plan on using the camcorder for computer editing, please check with the software company to ensure that their software is compatible with this camera. In conclusion, this tiny, extremely low-priced camera is a simply fantastic piece of electronics, much better for its size and price than any other DV camera I have used (from Sony, Canon, or Panasonic). Image quality is excellent, build quality is superior, and even when I dropped it three feet on a hard surface, nothing resulted except for a minor scratch! If you plan on doing video editing, this may not be the camera for you, unless you specifically ensure that it works with your particular application. Otherwise, I stronly recomment this product to all DV enthusiasts!

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I've had the 50U for 3 years and it has never disappointed me. It is compact, rugged and handsome. The quality of the movies is excellent (mini DVs), and the quality of the still pictures is good (though not as good as any of the >2 megapixel cameras available). The drawbacks, as I see them, are the expense of the media (the mini DVs for film and the MultiMediaCards for stills are about the most expensive choices around), the limited still photo resolution (yields slightly grainy 5 x 7s), a fairly noisy motor, and an eyepiece cover that tends to allow blowing dirt or sand to enter the optics more frequently than I'd like. Nonetheless, the 80U, adding image stabilization, makes this camera an all-around winner, and at this price too good a deal to pass up.

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I got the camcorder about a month ago but only spend about 2 weeks with it because it was in the repair shop most of the time. It seems that this camcorder is incompatible with TDK tapes. There were no mention of it anywhere in the manual or in the packaging. They should at least include a recent updated notice on the problem. After using the TDK tape for 15 minutes, the picture became distorted and the message "Head cleaning required" appeared. I took it to the shop and the technician said the video heads were damage and need to be replaced. After calling JVC on the phone, they told me alot of people had call in about the same problem. I'm surprised no one mention it in their reviews or I would have stay away from the TDK tapes.

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Do not buy a JVC camcorder!!! Just a couple of months after buying a JVC GRDVM80U an "E04" error start popping in th screen. Apparently the machinery is very sensitive to tapes lubricants and other compounds. Cleaning the head is not enough the camara just becomes useless (Well, you can probably fix it for $350, but then it will break down again soon) Search the web for "E04 JVC" and you'll know how frequent and fustrating this error is and I was surprised to learn it is not restricted to this model. JVC just ignores the problem and blames the tape manufacturers. It might function as an average camera if you are willing to give up using a tape ... and recording.

ADVANCED HIGH SPEED DIGITAL 6 FT HDMI to MINI HDMI HIGH DEFINITION DIGITAL INTERCONNECT VIDEO CABLE

These are well made cables and at a CHEAP price. I dont know how they can sell such quality made cables at such a low price but somehow they do, and Im glad. With Fast shipping, I got the 3 cables I ordered quickly and as Advertised.

Really, you would have to be a complete Idiot to throw a Hundred Plus on some Way overpriced Monster Cable Garbage that uses lots of False advertising to get suckers to fall for it. Guess what, these cables are also Lifetime Warranty, not like youll ever need to worry about it. Stores like to display Side By Side Test Displays, and show one with Monster Cable in use and the other with a Generic cable, and of course the one using Monster is BETTER. What most people dont notice is that the picture on the Generic Cable Display and been purposely screwed up to look bad, or whats even better, they use a Composite connection on the Generic HDTV Display, (which means its not even showing a HD Picture) and a HDMI connection on the Monster setup. Most people arent going to try and see the cables and the hookups that are behind out of sight.

You could buy one of these new cables every year, for YEARS before you ever caught up to the price of buying a single Monster (Rip-Off) cable. HDMI is also a DIGITAL signal, as in 1s and 0s being passed though the cable, or as in On/Off, Power, No power. You either get a picture or you dont. Its not like a Analog single were the picture can get worse and worse.

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Case Logic High Zoom Digital Camera Bag with Deluxe Photo/Video Tripod + Nikon Cleaning Kit for Can

Awesome products... tripod works great with camera. We have a new camera and we were nervious about getting a product from a different source but to our surprise IT IS GREAT!!!

Esky C5700 Wireless IP Pan/Tilt/ Night Vision Internet Surveillance Camera Built-in Microphone With

here's how i rate the product:

(5 being good)

1 customer service = 0

2 hardware quality = 4

3 software friendliness = 2

overall rating = 3 STARS

i purchased this from Amazon.

as always, Amazon shipment always slow.

it took them 4 days to process my order!!

i wouldn't buy anything from Amazon if other place has it too.

now on with the details review.

i have owned a more expensive PTZ ip cam from Toshiba and Panasonic.

everything works there as advertised.

on the other hand, isn't there a law for false advertisement in the USA?

let me elaborate on the false advertisement.

the reason i bought this camera but didn't work.

1 FTP doesn't work

2 email doesn't work

do a search on the web.

you will see other people can't get this to work as well.

this is software problem.

i have the latest firmware for the camera as of today.

hardware firmware #: 11.22.2.38

device Embeded Web UI Version #: 2.4.18.17

the camera is excellent for day time and night time view either wired or wireless for this price range.

though, manual is average for imported product with bad translation.

you will need knowledge in networking and configuring the router if you want to view the camera outside of your home network.

as far as monitoring goes, it's all good.

that where it ends.

what if intruder in your house and you need to take a snapshot and email or FTP remotely?

you're out of luck!!

at the time of this writing, the product has email and FTP interface but they don't work!!

this is false advertisement!

the good news is that this is a software issue.

hopefully, Foscam will fix the problem in the next firmware updates.

if you need to contact support, there's a website for FOSCAM USA.

however, they only support the product if you purchase from them.

if you purchase from Amazon or other places, you won't get support from FOSCAM USA!!

i wrote an email to FOSCAM HQ in China.

they are on vacation until October 7th.

i bought this cam to test my ip recorder software.

as my intend is not to use FOSCAM software for recording, thus, the limitation of FOSCAM software doesn't effect me.

however, for those of you who doesn't want to spend extra money to get a recorder software, you might look somewhere else.

i would recommend Toshiba IK series or Panasonic KX series or above.

of course, you will be paying a lot for it with Toshiba and Panasonic but you won't regret the money you spend!!

no headache, no bs sofware like Foscam.

further updates will be posted on my personal website w w w dot sokha dot com

The video quality of this device is good to ok. But i was expecting to get audio when i accessed this device with my android phone. No luck. the only way to get audio is with IE using an ActiveX plugin. Not what the box says. If all you want is video, this is an average device. if you want anything more this device will just disappoint.

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It works, just use internet explorer and follow the setup manual. I don't know what others are complaining about. It can be complicated software but help is out there.

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Hardly anything worked on this camera

After two days of effort and reading blogs, it still would not communicate on my wifi system. The manual is terribly written -obviously a bad translation of some language. but more importantly, the instructions in the manual are not right and don't work. I'm sending them back.

Maybe if they redo the software, write a manual, and provide help and service support next year the camera might be a good one.

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DigiLife All-in-One DDV-C330 Camcorder

Bought one to give as a gift. Got it; checked it out it worked. Some time later I gave it as a gift. Did not work. There was no information in the box whatsoever. I went to the website. Still no info as to where to get it serviced or warranty info. Buyer beware !!!! Junk

I bought this camera back in 2005 or 2006. Originally I chose it over a normal camera because I primarily wanted a cheap video camera. Back then this had much better video than most of the "regular" cameras that had a main focus of still images.

In 2006 it was great and mine still works and gets use today.

However, I really can not recommend anyone buy it today since any regular style camera will probably take better video and definitely better stills.

As an example, I bought one of the lower end panasonic lumix for $90 new on amazon and it is 10x better than this thing in every way including the video quality (except maybe build quality).

Also, to note... This camera only has digital zoom and no continuous focus. So, any zoom will make it look like crap automatically and the focus is a 3 click mechanism on the front. Macro, portrait, or landscape. The problem I had with stills was that I would constantly forget to change the focus and its imposible to tell its out of focus on the low rez screen. Video didn't matter to much since it isnt really high quality enough to see the difference. But like I said I still use it today and it works fine. I put it in my car when I go to an autocross track to take video of my driving to help me improve.

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Bought one awhile back and i'm still using it. Works great and it wasn't to expensive.

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Astak DVR Security Surveillance System with 250 GB Hard Drive and 4 Weatherproof Cameras with Night

I purchased this from Costco for a little less than $500 to replace a Q-See DVR unit (Q-See QSD2304L 4 Channel H.264 Pentaplex Network DVR with (CIF) Realtime Recording per Channel) that produced blurry, pixelated images.

I was a little apprehensive purchasing this unit due to its cheap purchase price and little-known brand name however after a couple hours tinkering around with the DVR, I was impressed with its easy-to-use interface and good image quality throughput. Network setup is easy and the remote interface is very simple although much of the core menu options available on the DVR are not accessible through remote operation (one downside). Remote playback is slow (even on our broadband line) and not the ideal way to playback video, especially if you need to review more than a day's worth of recordings. The included USB mouse feels cheap although I'm glad it's at least an optical mouse and not the cheap mouseball-type that Dell gives you with their PCs unless you pay to upgrade. On occasion, the mouse cursor will jump around the screen like it has a mind of its own but I find that it's easier to just use the keypad instead of the mouse anyway.

Videos are searchable by event or time/date stamp. The DVR includes a built-in speaker for buzzer/alarm events such as video loss or motion detection although both alarms can be disabled within the DVR menu options if you'd rather not deal with the high-pitch alarm. Motion detection works well and I haven't come across any issues with it in the three weeks I've had this DVR.

The included cameras are CMOS and are suitable for mid-level security applications. For night-vision, I would definitely consider upgrading these cameras to more expensive CCD cameras. The bundle came with cables and the necessary power adapters so for most applications, you won't need to go out and purchase additional parts.

The buttons on the front panel could be positioned a little better (it would have been helpful to have the Enter key placed next to the Menu/Back key rather than having to jump back and forth across the keypad during initial setup). Our DVR came with a 250GB hard drive preinstalled so it's definitely an added bonus.

I would purchase this item again given the price although I would have liked to see more menu options during remote operation and better mouse control.

I would recommend that you purchase a different product. The first day I recieved and installed, the recorder stopped working so we called the number in the manual as it tells you to do. We had to pay to return it costing us $19.51 thru the P.O. The company told me they reinverse us the money but we havent seen that yet. It took them 14 days to ship it back to us and after having it two weeks it has stopped working again. Do yourself a favor and look into something else.

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The cameras are fine but I'm having trouble with the DVR locking up. Unfortunately, there's no where to download drivers, installation software or manuals. The link says "download center coming soon". Since the cameras are useless to me without the DVR I have to give this 1 star. It's unfortunate, but I can't imagine why any company especially a technology company couldn't have its drivers, software, and documentation available online. I'm guessing the only option is to buy another DVR. It won't be this brand I need something I can get support for.

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It's been a long time since I've bought a technology product with support as bad as ASTAK has. There are no drivers on line and no way to search a useful list of FAQs. Don't buy one of these.

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NIX Pro Series 12" Digital Frame with Motion Detection Sensor

This is my first digital photo frame. I just received it today and was playing around with it. Let me talk about the good parts first. The screen measures 12" diagonally so it is nice and big. The lightup side touch buttons are good looking and gets activated with a light touch. The motion sensor is an added bonus feature. Its brightness and contrast are adjustable. Here're what's great about this frame:

The quality of the photos displayed directly from the SD card / USB drive are fantastic. The color of the photos are quite accurate as well.

The borders do not take up too much space like other photo frames do. This is one of the reasons I purchased it. It is a full 12" diagonal frame.

Stylish glossy finish will look great in your room/office.

There's a clock and a calendar. I don't think they are mentioned in the product description. These are definitely bonuses.

Motion sensor great feature so you don't have to leave it running all night.

The credit card sized remote control will help you navigate the menu faster and give you access to the most common features quickly. You do not want to lose it.

The frame itself is well-built, definitely not cheap material. (The stand is a different matter, however, read below).

Here're some major annoyances that need to be fixed:

The frame does not remember the last photo viewed after it's been turned off. So the next time you turn the frame on, it will start all over again with the first photo in the queue. Because I have shuffle OFF, I have to dig through all the folders to find that last photo viewed. I have dozens of folders created and thousands of photos on the SD card. As you can imagine, this is a big hassle. The frame should remember the last file viewed. If it doesn't exist, then the frame should pick up from the last folder viewed. And if that doesn't exist, then we start from the very first folder, alphabetically. To me, this is a major annoyance. I want to view the photos chronologically. It's impossible with this frame. This should be the most basic functionality.

The folders I so painstakingly sorted and created on the SD card get scrambled when viewed in the unit. For example, I have folders set up like /2001.01.02 LA, /2003.04.01-12 Europe Trip, /2007.01.01 Canada, etc. When I first turn it on, it will start from the folder "2007.0.01 Canada". It should look at the folders by name in ascending order and start from "/2001.01.02 LA". This frame seems to have a mind of its own and decides to sort the folders its own way. Not good.

Images less than 800x600 in resolution gets magnified to fit the whole screen. The image becomes very pixelated. If the image is smaller than the resolution of the screen, the original size should be displayed. This is a bug.

I tried to delete multiple folders from the unit, but I cannot select multiple folders for deletion using the frame's UI. Also, I can only delete the files within a folder. The folder stays undeleted. You have to hook the frame up to the computer via the mini-USB cable in order to delete the folders.

If you decide to copy the photos directly to the frame's memory, your 4:3 photos will be resized to 800x600. They will look pixelated, I can see the quality difference when compared with the same photos displayed on the frame using a plugged-in SD card. Maybe it's a good idea to add an option to the frame's firmware that will allow the user to set a resize resolution. This will give the user better control of how the final images will look.

The resize process takes a very long time, especially if you have JPG files of large sizes (> 2 MB). Also, it should give you a progress bar of the percentage completed for all files chosen, but it does not. It shows the % converted for each photo instead, it's meaningless. It's better to just buy a SD card and plug it into the frame instead of copying the files to the internal memory. I bought a 32 GB SDHC card and avoided this headache.

The rear stand and the lock seem fragile and loose. It should be tightly attached to the frame itself when it's locked, but it is not. I am afraid these pieces would break if I drop the frame by accident. Perhaps they should build them out of metal parts.

I cannot comment on the video and music features, I won't be using them.

OVERALL: This frame is stylish and the display quality is excellent. It does a good job of displaying the photos. But they absolutely need to fix the firmware/user interface in this frame. It is such a pity because the display quality is superb... I might consider returning this frame. Hopefully the company will address and correct the issues above.

Update: March 2nd, 2011

-----------------------

I received a detailed response from NIX support, there will be no firmware to correct the annoyances mentioned above because it's "more down to re-designing the chip-set" as they put it. Therefore, I have to return it. If you are perfectly okay with the flaws above, get the frame. Otherwise, get something else.

Update: March 23rd, 2011

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I got a Samsung frame instead which addressed almost all the issues I had above, for a bit more money. Not trying to promote any other products, but you get what you pay for.

The NIX 12" Hu-Motion Digital Picture Frame is great! Briefly we purchased the NIX X08A frame earlier this this year and have found it to be trouble free. We particularly liked the auto rotate feature which allows you to view pictures in the portrait mode by simply rotating the frame 90 degrees. The only problem for my wife and I was the size of the image. We upgraded to the the 12 inch frame, the X012A but discovered that you could not view portrail mode pictures by rotating the frame. The files had to be manually rotated -This was a show stopper for us. The frame was returned for a credit. We decided to wait until a larger size frame became available with this feature. Well it now here! The frame automatically rotates pictures when placed in the portrait orientation.

The pictures are bright and vibrant and appear to "jump out at you". The ON/OFF feature works well although we do not use it on a regular basis. Setting up the time and calendar features were easy but you should read the manual before doing so. You can adjust brightness and contrast using the remote. The remote works okay but sometimes "chokes" if you push the buttons too quickly. We are using 2 GB SD memory cards with no problem. A full card does not seem to slow down the speed of the frame.

The one problem that I have not solved as yet is showing pictures in a specified order. THe NIX web site (under FAQ section) says this can be solved by numbering your files, 1001, 1002, etc. I will try this in the next few days.

All in all an excellent product and a good value. THe NIX customer service is excellent and of course the Amazon return policy is good!

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Overview

I'm happy to say my reviews and judgments of this frame started as soon as I got it out of the box. The frame came covered in nice velvet slip case and was very security boxed. All the components were individually wrapped and secured in their own compartment. This is an attention to detail you seldom see in consumer electronics.

Taking it out I removed second protective film from the face of the frame and pulled out the rear support. The design was a little unconventional, you have to line some tabs up with a slot on the back and push and turn. It required a little force, which with plastic parts is always a little scary but it soon clicked into place. The back support rotates 90 degrees and can be ratcheted to be long or short to support that frame. This allows landscape or portrait orientation at various angles with one part. Again innovative design.

Inspecting the rear of the frame there are a few plugs and ports. On the right had side we have the power switch and the card reader (SD/Multi-memory/Memory Stick). The power switch is a bit difficult to flick when reaching around from the front but that's no big deal.

The right hand side has a power indicator, the power plug, mini-USB port, Audio Out and full size USB port (to plug in a USB memory drive).

On the business end up front it s a very clean frame, no ridges or texturing. The manual controls are small white touch points along the right hand side of the frame. They are electrostatic so there is no tactile feed back or disruption of the clean lines of the frame. The only thing that breaks the surface up is the motion sensor in the lower left corner.

The unit also comes with a remote which has 32 bubble style buttons. Its messy and confusing but it is the best way to access the settings and controls. If you happen to loose the remote all functions can be access from the touchpoints on the frame without too much difficulty.

Turning the unit on gives you a NIX boot screen for a few seconds and then it will pull up your first picture. It always pulls up the same first picture (so make it good). After that it goes by file order unless you have it on random slideshow. Random seems to vary day by day. Some pictures are more "random" than others.

The unit has a image resolution of 800x600 pixels. Loading larger files doesn't help or hurt the image quality in a noticeable way or speed it up or slow it down. If you happen to copy a file into its internal memory it will automatically resize it.

Image

The image quality is pleasing. There is a minimum distance you'll want to be from it, any closer and you begin to see the pixels in long straight lines if you examine the picture closely. For me the distance is about 36 inches. You can adjust for brightness and saturation but its important to remember that this is a consumer grade photo appliance, not a professional processing tool. For the discerning viewer you will have all the issues you have with cheap, glossy oversaturated monitors. Color shifts, excess saturation by default, lack of dynamic range and other visual sins. These are not at all unique to this device, they exist in every photo frame I've ever seen. For the uncritical eye it looks sharp and colorful, better than most I've seen.

Controls

One thing that makes this unit a cut above other unit's I've used is the controls. While inadequately documented (anywhere, even on the website) they are easy enough to figure out. For best results use the remote, though the buttons on the frame are adequate for the job.

When you bring up the settings menu you have scrolling access to all the items. Video, Music, Photo, Settings, File, Clock and Calendar.

Video, Music and Photo are settings that let you select if you want to read off internal or external (card). Calendar gives you different options for displaying the calendar with or without a picture. Settings cover most of the other controls and settings including the motion detector.

Key Features

This frame has all the standard features as well as a few bonus ones.

Orientation sensor The frame knows if it is in landscape or portrait mode and automatically rotates your pictures. You have the option of shrink to fit or expand and crop for pictures that are not the 4:3 aspect ratio.

Good on frame controlsSeven touch points down the right hand side of the frame give you easy access to the menu system

Auto On/Off You can set the unit to automatically turn on/off every day.

Motion SensorThis units claim to fame. It has a motion sensor on it and you can set a timeout period. If it goes that period with no motion it shuts itself off. As soon as it detects motion it boots back up. Takes about 8 seconds and comes up with the base picture, then off to the slideshow. This feature was what made it stand out compared to others. The Lamps on LCD displays have a finite life and dim with use. This combined with Auto On/Off will extend the life of the unit (thus reducing E-waste) as well as saving electricity. I have it set up to be "On" only during working hours and if I'm away from my desk for more than a few minutes it turns itself off.

Other Features

MP3 It plays MP3's fine, just understand your talking alarm clock speaker quality. But you can set it up to play cheesy music for your slideshow. In this respect you use it as a presentation device.

Video It plays some MP4 video, just not very well. I loaded up a video formatted for an Ipod/Iphone (800pixels wide and 1 gig for a feature move). It played it, at about 1 frame every 2 seconds. It might do better with lower resolution/more highly compressed file. But playing movies is not its strong point.

2 Gigs of internal memoryThat's a lot by today's standards (2011), I'm sure in 5 years it won't be enough to blow your nose with. I keep all my photos on SD card so internal memory is no big deal.

The Cons

As much as I love the unit it's not perfect. Two annoyances I find are

VERY glossy finish. The screen has a super high glossy finish. It reflects light and other objects annoyingly well. It is also super sensitive to fingerprints. If you touch the thing it's going to leave a print. If you use the on frame controls you'll need to wipe it down afterward. Keep a cleaning rag handy.

The power transformer is attached to the plug prongs (which is common) so it fights with your cheap speakers, battery charger and other devices that want to suck up 3 slots on your power strip.

Service

I had the misfortune to find out how well their customer service worked. The first unit I took delivery off had a couple of glitches, the motion sensor didn't work properly and sometimes some of the controls would only show the green channel. I contacted NIX about the issue and their initial response was very fast (about 4 hours) and they recommended some good troubleshooting steps but it was ultimately a flawed unit (they said they'd check with the engineers and never got back to me). I returned it for another and the second works fine.

I think it's important to understand that with cheap consumer electronics stuff like this is the rule not the exception. As long as low price is the primary criteria consumers use to make their purchases quality is going to suffer. But few of us are willing to pay 50-100% more for the same thing to get a quality unit that will stand the test of time when something newer/faster/better and cheaper will be out next year. This is the reality of the current market, failures will happen so be sure to purchase from a place that has a good return policy. You may pay a few bucks more but it's worth the time/stress and frustration if you get the lemon (and eventually you will).

Conclusion-

I love it, it does almost everything I want it to do and does it well. It lets you enjoy your photos in a whole new way with increased value and reduced operating costs that are unique in this type of product. I highly recommend it.

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Just received the latest greatest version of the Nix 12" HU-Motion digital picture frame. All works well and pretty decent images except the function where you can play your images with background music. Checked and double checked to make sure I did everything correctly and still no music WITH images. You can get music without images though, why you would want to I dont know. Anyway I have put in an email request for technical support and am waiting to hear back. At their website they brag about 24 hour return support. So I will wait and see and update this review as soon as I hear back. Over and out. UPDATE: KUDOS TO NIX FOR RESPONDING IN UNDER 24 HOURS WITH A DOWNLOADABLE FILE TO CORRECT THE BACKGROUND MUSIC ISSUE. NOT SURE IF YOU WILL NEED TO GET THE DOWNLOAD ON NEW UNITS BEING SHIPPED OR IF THEY WILL BE FIXED BEFORE LEAVING THE FACTORY BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE DOES HAVE A DOWNLOAD TO CORRECT IT, SO I WOULDN'T HESITATE TO BUY THIS FRAME AGAIN, ALL ELSE WORKED WELL ON THIS UNIT.

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This is a nice frame but as of today 1/31/11 NIX has *confirmed* (after numerous e-mails back and forth to me) that there is bug that prevents the timer from turning the unit on by itself each day. It will turn on by itself exactly once the next day and never do it again.

If you use a different method of activating it then you don't need to read further but I am used to my frames actually turning on each day otherwise they get little use. The motion detector worked but in a home setting was problematic. Either turned on every time someone went by or it had to be in an area that made you approach it and that's not much better than just clicking a remote.

Everything else worked fine. The colors don't "pop" like my Viewsonic 10 inch and the resolution isn't particularly sharp as 1068 is spread over 12 inches (the Viewsonic is also 1068 but in a 10" frame so of course it's sharper). The whites are more yellow or tan... think very "warm" video setting. No way to adjust color temp or hue either.

Still after a while I realized this isn't automatically a bad thing as it made skin tones more natural. Some of your pics will look more drab but others look very natural. Not as over-saturated and harsh as some frames.

But it won't turn itself on everyday like virtually every other brand does. I suspected it was a software glitch as everything else was fine.

I was frankly amazed when dealing with their support. They didn't say mine was defective or know *anything* about the issue. Turns out every unit they have sold has this issue as they never bothered to actually set up a few at the office and see if they performed correctly... I told them (politely) that I expected BETTER testing from a British firm... not worse (or non-existent in this case).

Blew my mind when they verified the bug and that they never tested it.

They claim they will make a firmware fix "in the next 3 weeks"... because their guys "are working on other projects". I felt like telling them maybe they should concentrate on fixing the products they have already sold... but what the heck.

Anyways with this track record of non-testing I am returning mine. Amazon makes it easy and if they ever DO fix it so it turns on (like *every* other frame out there) then I may pick up one again.

Hope this helps somebody.

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Canon PowerShot A460 5.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (Silver)

I bought this camera (Canon A460) as a second camera and was looking for a pocket-sized, compact, digital camera that had zoom and video capabilities, took AA batteries and priced reasonably cheap The Canon Powershot A460 is all that.

It's small enough to fit into your palm and fits into the front pants pocket easily and is light enough that the camera is not really noticeable after a few minutes. It seems to me that Canon designed it to be carried without a camera case because there is a lens shield that pulls into place to cover the lens whenever it is powered off. (The lens retracts into the camera body when it is powered off, and the lens cover pulls into place automatically). The body is well rounded with no sharp edges anywhere that might catch parts of clothing. The LCD screen is exposed but I pasted one of those see-thru LCD screen plastic protectors (sticky on one side) on it to protect it from scratches. All the camera's openings are well protected by covers. The only cover that I thought had a little more play than it should was the battery cover.

The camera powers up extremely quickly. You can focus with either the viewfinder or the LCD screen. One thing that surprised me was that when using the viewfinder, there is no information shown on the viewfinder other than a green light to indicate that the camera is in focus or a blinking orange light to indicate it is not. The LCD mode shows a lot more info (eg, ISO speed, current resolution, etc). But, I guess it makes sense since this is a camera that is meant to be simple, and what could be simpler than knowing when something is in focus or not. That's pretty much all the info that's needed. (Switching to the viewfinder will conserve battery power).

I bought a 2GB Kingston Secure Digital card for about $13 on Amazon for this camera so there's plenty of space. The card can be removed and put into a SD card reader that comes with most modern computers and laptops. (My laptop, the Toshiba Tecra A5 has it, and it was bought about 2 years ago). The computer will recognize the SD memory card as an extra drive, and the transfer rate is extremely fast. If your computer does not have a SD card reader, then the USB connector can be used to transfer the images to your computer instead.

In video mode, the zoom works only when in the highest video resolution (640 x 480). (This was a surprise to me too. On my Canon Powershot S1, the zoom works in all video resolutions). The video is a little more choppy compared to the Canon S1.

There is no dedicated zoom lever. Two of the buttons normally used in menu navigation also serve as zoom controls.(The Canon S1 (my other camera) has a dedicated zoom lever, which is nice). I guess, one of the reasons for reusing buttons for zooming is a more compact design--no lever sticking out that might catch your clothing). Once I got used to it, I did not have any problems using the 2 buttons for zooming.

The pictures taken are the usual Canon quality. You do have to pay attention to make sure that your hands are not shaking when you press the shutter since there is no image stabilizer (I've gotten spoilt by the Canon Powershot S1 which has a image stabilizer). The buttons on the camera are designed and placed so that you could operate the camera with only the right hand if so desired. The left hand is used just to stabilize and steady the camera.

This camera uses a focus beam light that helps it to focus quickly and and has the much lauded Digic II processor. Both are technological improvements over the Canon Powershot S1 which does not have an autofocus light and only has a Digic I processor.

The camera uses AA batteries (either the rechargable or the normal type will work). Easily available power was an important feature for me.

I was very pleased with the Super Macro capability of this camera, which allows for extreme close ups. To access this mode, you have to set the camera to "M" (manual mode) on the dial, and then press the Func/Set button. This will open up a menu where you can set the camera to "Super Macro".

This camera (Canon A460) has a "SCN" mode in which you can choose different scenes (Portrait, Night, Kids, Pets, Indoors, Foliage, Snow, Beach). I've used the "Snow" scene setting and my pictures came out great when I'm skiing and taking pictures. (To access the Scene setting, turn the dial to "SCN" and then press the Func/Set button, which will bring up a menu that allows you to choose the settings).

I'm really enjoying the Canon A460 and it has filled its role in my camera arsenal admirably. I needed a camera that I could take with me when I'm skiing or snowboarding that was light and small and cheap. It fits into my pants pocket and is pretty light that it does not interfere with my balance, etc. (The Canon S1, though a great camera, was a little too large to fit into my pants pocket or in a fanny pack. However, it is still my preferred camera when I'm able to have a camera case or back pack with me.)

Update (4/11/2007)--I've had this camera for about 2 months now and have accidentally dropped it twice from about 2 to 3 feet onto a hard surface floor. Also, have dropped it into a foot of snow while skiing and using the video. The camera is still working flawlessly.

I'll only mention things that I didn't pick up or remember from the other reviews I've read. I also own a 4.0MP Canon A520, so it was easy to choose the same great zoom lens.

The A460 does not have the auto-rotate feature to save photos in the appropriate portrait or landscape modes. The battery and SD card are accessed through a common door, which doesn't have quite the snap and tight fit of the A520's smaller separate doors. The handshake symbol also tends to show up often when taking indoor pictures with the flash disabled something I don't even think about with the A520. The zoom buttons were actually more intuitive to use than I expected. But I do prefer the SET button in the center of the joypad on the A520, as I tend to forget to reach down and to the left for the SET button on the A460.

But I'm nit-picking here. Otherwise, it's a great point-and-shoot camera, with a great zoom lens, and at a great price.

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I've used a Canon G3 for about 4 years, and have always been pleased with the image quality. I've tested the A460 against it in several situations and can report that:

-it's faster the powerup and shot to shot speed are excellent.

-it's easy to learn and use.

-it focuses better and quicker in macro mode.

-The flash works well and quickly, and creates reasonably pleasing light in a variety of circumstances.

-The images in sunlight or reasonably bright cloudy circumstances are fine.

BUT the images at lower light, without flash, are unusably noisy a major drawback for me as my intended use is to take a small light camera with me on my evening walks and jogs. If low-light photos aren't important to you, it's a fine choice.

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We bought this camera for our grand daughter who is turning 15 in July. She took 200 pictures with it the first week...loves it. Video is subpar, but expected with a camera this price. It can handle up to a 2gig SD card, so she has lots of room for the cruise her grandma is taking her on this summer. If we had to do it again, we would probably move up a notch, to get better video. But in her case, as fast as video eats memory, maybe we did the right thing after all. Bottom line, it's great for the money, and Amazon's price beat almost everyone else out.

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This is my first digital camera. It can be used on fully automatic settings, fully manual, or a combination of auto and manual. It's very versatile that way. I didn't read the user manuals that came with it, I just started using it. It took me about an hour of shooting and two sets of batteries to figure out all the different options and features it has. So I'd say the controls are pretty easy to learn and understand.

It's pretty easy on batteries, as long as you don't use the flash. I put some cheaper Rayovac alkaline batteries (size AA) in it after the first set went dead and the camera has no problem with them. The flash drains the batteries quickly though I didn't count the number of photos, but I probably only got 20 or 30 flash photos before the "low battery" warning started blinking. But the warning comes early you can take another 15 or so photos after the low battery warning pops up. I don't know how many it'll take without the flash, but it's a lot more than when you're using the flash.

The upside is that this camera is VERY sensitive to light, so it hardly even needs a flash. Frankly, as on most compact cameras, the flash sucks. It's too bright and flattens images. But if you have decent lighting indoors, the thing is so light sensitive it takes good photos without the flash. I suppose you'd need the flash if you were taking photos inside someplace dark, like a pub or bar, but in places like houses where there are usually plenty of lights on, it does great without a flash.

It'll record up to an hour of video on a 1G SD card, which is great, because it also has a mic that works perfectly so you get good audio too.

The photos are great crystal clear and sharp. Most cameras come with a 3x optical zoom at this price, but this camera has a 4x optical zoom. It really helps, especially when you can't simply step closer to your subject for some reason.

Here's the one thing I didn't like about this camera. Out of the box, on the fully auto setting, it takes very bright, sharp, and high contrast photos. Great, right? Unless you're taking pictures of people.

Few people look their best with their foreheads, cheekbones, and chins highlighted by bright, high contrast photos while their faces are somehow oddly flattened. But if you play around with the manual exposure and color settings, you can pretty easily set it right so it takes normal looking pictures. And because you can adjust only those setting you want to change, you can still benefit from the auto features you want to use. Once I found the settings I liked, I left it that way and the camera remembers them, so it's still a point and shoot camera, but with my customized settings.

It seems very sturdy, much more so than many of the cameras I looked at in stores before buying this one. It's too heavy to carry in your shirt pocket, but it's no problem in a cargo pocket or in your pants pocket if you're wearing pants with big pockets.

I think this is a high quality, versatile camera at a great price. It's great in almost every way, but just be aware that there's a bit of a learning curve at the outset to find the combination of settings that'll allow you to produce more "natural" looking photos if that's important to you.

Fosmon® High Speed HDMI Cable Gold Plated Digital Audio / Video Cable Premium Quality (15 feet)

Cables are working perfect at a significant savings when compared to to retail chains such as best buy.

It is not durable. I had mine about a month and it broke, so I bought the same one, and sure enough it only lasted about 2.5 months. So then I bought a THIRD one, and it broke AGAIN! The metal piece bends sooo easily...the cord is strong, but it the two ends of it cannot be touched. I had mine going from my computer to my tv, and it would get plugged and unplugged a few times a week. Only get this product if you do not plan on touching the cord after it is installed.

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Using these HDMI cables on a 7.1 Surround Sound receiver will make you feel like you were deaf before you used them. The channel separation is supreme with ZERO bleed over. I hadn't realized how much I had been missing.

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This cable by Fosmon is a thick, high quality cable which is far more reasonably priced than many HDMI cables you will find. In my mind, it strikes a very good balance between price and quality. The cable itself is thick and heavily shielded against interference, yet it is supple enough for one to work it into whatever configuration is required. The HDMI connectors on either end, along with the fittings surrounding them, are of very high quality, and you can immediately feel the quality of the material used to mount when you pick them up see the closeup images provided here to get a sense of what I mean).

These cables are available in a variety of lengths, so make sure you order a cable that is long enough to meet your needs. This one is 15 feet long. Five stars for quality, four stars for price (you can get much cheaper cables, but they won't be at this level of quality).

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When you never had one what do you say. send me one and I will try it. that would would work

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Q-SEE QD6004B-N 600TVL 1/3" 2.8-12mm Varifocal Sony Effio-E Super HAD CCD II Weatherproof Outdoor I

I have a QSee system installed at my house. One camera in the front over the driveway had a problem at night seeing in darkness. When our floodlights came on it would washout the image and either way (in darkness or with the floods on) the previous camera we had didn't work. So I checked Amazon and found this one. Great camera for the price. Plug and play installation bc I had already installed a camera in this location. Make sure you check which type of connectors you have. Installed the new camera in 20 mins. Has some cool features I didn't have before like zoom and focus which made it nice to customize for my driveway. Great night shots now in total darkness, iris works well when floods come on, and has enough detail to see who and what in dark situations. Only issue was the zoom and focus knob is located with the camera. My monitor is in a different room so it was tricky to zoom, focus, and position camera by running back and forth to monitor/outside, etc.

For $137 the quality of the picture is not what I was hoping for. Picture quality is about the same as that of less expensive units I have.

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Sony Handycam DCR-DVD101 AV Cable - TV Video Cord for Sony Handycam DCR-DVD101

I needed this cable to make a medical video documenting my child's condition & couldn't find one anywhere. This is the exact cable for the handycam model listed & works perfectly! Thank you!! Super fast shipping too!

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