Video-Cable Reviews

Good cable. Gets the job done at a fraction of the cost of the expensive Best Buy or Circuit City cables. Can get a set a Home Depot for even less than here.

I tell ya, friends can be a real pain some times. Oh sure, they're cool to hang out with and talk to and stuff, but there are those moments when they'll drive ya right up a freakin' wall! Take last week for instance: one of my buds finally returned my DVD player and remote control to me. It was nice to finally get my stuff back... but it was the stuff that was MISSING that had me miffed. For one thing, the remote control was lacking both the battery cover door and the batteries! When I asked him 'bout this, he gave me some weak song and dance about the batteries goin' dead on him. Which was really strange, 'cuz I'd put in a fresh set a week before he borrowed my player! As for the missing battery door, he claims he's "still on the lookout" for it. Yeah, and O.J. is "still on the lookout" for the real killers...

The other thing that came up AWOL was the player's audio/video connector cable. Having absolutely no desire to hear his pathetic attempts at explaining this omission, I grabbed a new one (this particular make & model, 'natch), and reconnected my player to my TV set, threw in a fave Trek-flick platter, kicked back, and watched the show. I was somewhat disappointed that I paid a few bucks more for the new cable than I did the old one, and there wasn't any improvement in picture and sound quality. But hey, at least I'm able to actually view my digital platters again; what more can a DVD-phile ask for?

Needless to say, if my friend ever wants to borrow my DVD player ever again, he's gonna hafta provide his own freakin' remote batteries and hook-up cable! And a security deposit, just to be on the safe side...

'Late

Like someone else, who posted a review here, I went through 2 of these. I ordered one online and when I recieved it both the circle button and d-pad were stuck. I couldn't repair it without taking it apart and I didn't want to do that. I returned it and decided to buy another one.

I purchased a second one at Best Buy and it had the EXACT same problem. I took this one apart and fixed the problem and began to play with it. It's easy to fix once you remove all 20 screws. I suggest if you have the problem to just return it and get your money back.

The analog sticks are slick and they don't have any gripping power like the original Sony controller. My thumbs were sliding off of them during gameplay. I found myself stretching my thumbs a little bit in order to move the stick all the way forward. They probably changed the specs for people who have huge hands.

The 8 direction d-pad is horrible. It's a big circle that is terrible for simple up/down & left/right movement. It's only good if you need 360 degrees of movement. I really hate these circle d-pads because they never have good response. Nintendo has it right with their 4 direction d-pads especially the SNES one.

The vibration feature was a good idea but since the Netplay is so heavy the effects are weak. The keyboard portion of the controller is ok. It's basically a laptop sized keyboard. Seems pretty sturdy but I noticed that sometimes letters would get repeated 3-4 times. Maybe it was caused by some lag. For some reason you can detach it.

Don't buy this. The controller portion doesn't compare to the original PS2 controller and it breaks easily. The buttons get easily stuck and it's a pain to take it apart to fix. Two other people here had the same problems as me so I'm sure it's more than just a bad batch or a coincidence.

It's a shame ASCII didn't make something like this. They are great at replicating original design specs when it comes to controllers. Their GameCube keyboard/controller is awesome and works perfectly.

I got a brand new replacement (...)P>It seems the keyboard was out of warranty already, even though I got it new from another retailer (whom I won't buy from again.) Perhaps there was a bad batch of these?

Anyhow, the keyboard is great, and one doesn't have to switch keyboard and controller anymore. It's contoured nicely to sit on one's lap.

My only complaint is that some of the keys could be bigger. Like the tab key, and all the punctuation keys around the return button.

Can this be used for PC too? How does it connect to PC?

I thought the battlehub required 6pin cables from the picture, but when it arrived, it needed 4 pin cables the same ports as the playstation has. It didn't look like the picture either.
It works fine, It just made me have to send back the cables I bought for it.

Ummm well it is ok i mean it works but it isn't worth the money the people will spend on it so...it works but i wouldn't suggest it!!

Si tienes amigos que juegen GT3 a un alto nivel pueden pasar noches enteras jugando en red... garantizado!, esperen que venga GT4...

This is a standard a.v. selector, made by monster cable. Monster cable does make some of the best cables around, they are all I use for my audio, even though they are a lil pricey. But monster means quality. But.... Its just not worth the price tag on this thing! For top of the line quality nothing beats this, but if you can afford this then you can afford a t.v. with 4 s video inputs such as the top of the line sony wega, so why not spend your money on that? Its good quality, but I think I'll spend my money for the $50 rca one, or even find another one for less, but if you got money to burn on a selector, go ahead, but the money can buy alot better things.

As a conventional S-video/composite video and analog audio switcher, the Entech Director AV4.1 may be a bit over-priced.

However, this is a high quality stuff with very wide bandwidth. Just how wide is it? Both composite video and analog audio signal path can switch HD component video with very minimal degradation (confirmed by Monster's engineer). Yup, this thing can double as a HD component video switcher (just plug in your Y, Pr, Br into composite video and analog audio pair).

As an automatic component video switcher, I think it is an attractive buy.

This is the best S-video switcher out there with the least degradation, period. What they didn't tell you is that it can also be used as a coaxial digital audio switcher (by using the video composite outputs & inputs), as well as a component video switcher (as suggested by the other reviewer) as long as you use high quality component video cables. In short, this unit is upgradable and for some TV which has only one S-Video input like mine, this is a must equipment.

o.k let's face it. these cables are about one step up from the free ones that come in the box. i recommend these to someone with a weak, starter system. basically, they'll do the job until you can spring for more sophisticated cables , i highly recommend audioquest by the way. the key to a good sounding system is to keep it simple, meaning the less components you have hooked up to your amp or receiver, the less distortion will be made. i have two jbl 10's, a harman kardon stereo receiver, and a sony mega changer cd player. cablewise, i have a paire of audioquest coral analog connectors, and audioquest midnight speaker cable, a ten foot pair, the shorter the better when it comes to speaker cable, also, less expensive. i consider my home system low end and a starter system at best. while i have sunk about 2300 dollars into it, and to most people, non audiophiles, that is a lot ogf money, it really isn't when you look at all your options out there. one could easily spend 25, 30 grand building a system piece by piece, of course, using middle to high end equipment, not the junk that they want to sell you in best buy or circuit city. remember, when buying expensive audio equipment, especially online, make sure you are buying new, factory sealed product with manufacturer warranty. you'll see some insanely low prices out there on decent items, and chances are that they have been used, demoed, or factory refurbished at some point. all in all, these cables got me through about 6 months of listening and they sounded well enough, until i could afford better ones.

I am one of the great audiophiles of the world. I have spent over $7.5 million in the past 5 years on super-duper high-end equipment by high-end manufacturers that are so elite that you can't find a single reference to them anywhere on the internet, that's how high-end they are, let me tell you. And I have purchased many gold and platinum tipped cables, 10 foot cables which cost up to $120,000 each, searching for that magic cable that will take me to that next level of audio perfection. And I must say that these little $15.00 cables match the performance of any of the high-end thousand dollar cables I have used before.

For the perfect demo, there's a little 12 second, high-pitched, hyperactive yet quiet acoustic guitar solo on John McLaughlin's Shakti album, track 2, about 30 seconds into the track. And with these cables, that little solo is opaquified and, if your sitting in the sweet spot, you will see that the chrome tips brighten and transperify the treble to a such point of perfection, it is like seeing God. Of course, I have to add that I am using these cables with super-duper high end audio equipment valued at nearly $68 million. I admit that I enjoy listening to my system more than I like listening to music. I am constantly just sampling 10 seconds here and 15 seconds there on a Sade album, or on a Paco De Lucia album, just to demonstrate the high-endedness of my system. I have never listened to more than 15 seconds of a song on any of the hundreds of Super-Duper Audio Format CDs that I own. That's just me.

Anyway, I still recommend that you spend $100,000 on your primary cables, but these little $15.00 cables are something to try out, just for giggles.

Since the reviews for these products are all tied together, I'll lump all four of them together in one review.

Several recent additions and upgrades to two home theater systems necessitated several new audio and video cables. For overall quality and pricing, I found the following cables by Acoustic Research to be perfect for each particular connection that they are intended for:

Acoustic Research AP031 6-Foot Stereo Analog Interconnect - These are your standard red/white audio cables that are integral to connections such as receiver to tape player, receiver to CD player, receiver to television, receiver to DVD player and receiver to VCR. In each case, I found the quality to be perfect in these connections with Audio Research's AP031. They're so high in noise reduction that if there are any extraneous noises, I'm certainly not hearing it.

Acoustic Research AP064 A/V RCA Audio w/S-Video - These are the perfect cables for your standard receiver to VHS player with S-Video capability. With these particular cables I'm receiving the highest quality picture and audio one can expect from a VCR.

Acoustic Research AP071 6 foot Coaxial Digital Audio Cable - This particular cable is outstanding in the capacity of receiver to DVD player in covering both digital audio and digital video signals!

Acoustic Research AP091 3 Piece, 6 foot Red/Blue/Green Component Video Cables - I'm using this particular cable in the capacity of receiver to television set and simply put, one would be hard pressed to receive higher signal quality, color saturation, black level, picture detail, all leading to a sharper, clearer picture!

Overall, I highly recommend these and any other cables from Audio Research as I've found, with few exceptions, that one would be hard pressed to find better cables in the same price range! You don't necessarily have to spend a ton of money on a name when you can spend far less and receive the same quality such as that delivered by Acoustic Research's products. {ssintrepid}

o.k let's face it. these cables are about one step up from the free ones that come in the box. i recommend these to someone with a weak, starter system. basically, they'll do the job until you can spring for more sophisticated cables , i highly recommend audioquest by the way. the key to a good sounding system is to keep it simple, meaning the less components you have hooked up to your amp or receiver, the less distortion will be made. i have two jbl 10's, a harman kardon stereo receiver, and a sony mega changer cd player. cablewise, i have a paire of audioquest coral analog connectors, and audioquest midnight speaker cable, a ten foot pair, the shorter the better when it comes to speaker cable, also, less expensive. i consider my home system low end and a starter system at best. while i have sunk about 2300 dollars into it, and to most people, non audiophiles, that is a lot ogf money, it really isn't when you look at all your options out there. one could easily spend 25, 30 grand building a system piece by piece, of course, using middle to high end equipment, not the junk that they want to sell you in best buy or circuit city. remember, when buying expensive audio equipment, especially online, make sure you are buying new, factory sealed product with manufacturer warranty. you'll see some insanely low prices out there on decent items, and chances are that they have been used, demoed, or factory refurbished at some point. all in all, these cables got me through about 6 months of listening and they sounded well enough, until i could afford better ones.

I am one of the great audiophiles of the world. I have spent over $7.5 million in the past 5 years on super-duper high-end equipment by high-end manufacturers that are so elite that you can't find a single reference to them anywhere on the internet, that's how high-end they are, let me tell you. And I have purchased many gold and platinum tipped cables, 10 foot cables which cost up to $120,000 each, searching for that magic cable that will take me to that next level of audio perfection. And I must say that these little $15.00 cables match the performance of any of the high-end thousand dollar cables I have used before.

For the perfect demo, there's a little 12 second, high-pitched, hyperactive yet quiet acoustic guitar solo on John McLaughlin's Shakti album, track 2, about 30 seconds into the track. And with these cables, that little solo is opaquified and, if your sitting in the sweet spot, you will see that the chrome tips brighten and transperify the treble to a such point of perfection, it is like seeing God. Of course, I have to add that I am using these cables with super-duper high end audio equipment valued at nearly $68 million. I admit that I enjoy listening to my system more than I like listening to music. I am constantly just sampling 10 seconds here and 15 seconds there on a Sade album, or on a Paco De Lucia album, just to demonstrate the high-endedness of my system. I have never listened to more than 15 seconds of a song on any of the hundreds of Super-Duper Audio Format CDs that I own. That's just me.

Anyway, I still recommend that you spend $100,000 on your primary cables, but these little $15.00 cables are something to try out, just for giggles.

Since the reviews for these products are all tied together, I'll lump all four of them together in one review.

Several recent additions and upgrades to two home theater systems necessitated several new audio and video cables. For overall quality and pricing, I found the following cables by Acoustic Research to be perfect for each particular connection that they are intended for:

Acoustic Research AP031 6-Foot Stereo Analog Interconnect - These are your standard red/white audio cables that are integral to connections such as receiver to tape player, receiver to CD player, receiver to television, receiver to DVD player and receiver to VCR. In each case, I found the quality to be perfect in these connections with Audio Research's AP031. They're so high in noise reduction that if there are any extraneous noises, I'm certainly not hearing it.

Acoustic Research AP064 A/V RCA Audio w/S-Video - These are the perfect cables for your standard receiver to VHS player with S-Video capability. With these particular cables I'm receiving the highest quality picture and audio one can expect from a VCR.

Acoustic Research AP071 6 foot Coaxial Digital Audio Cable - This particular cable is outstanding in the capacity of receiver to DVD player in covering both digital audio and digital video signals!

Acoustic Research AP091 3 Piece, 6 foot Red/Blue/Green Component Video Cables - I'm using this particular cable in the capacity of receiver to television set and simply put, one would be hard pressed to receive higher signal quality, color saturation, black level, picture detail, all leading to a sharper, clearer picture!

Overall, I highly recommend these and any other cables from Audio Research as I've found, with few exceptions, that one would be hard pressed to find better cables in the same price range! You don't necessarily have to spend a ton of money on a name when you can spend far less and receive the same quality such as that delivered by Acoustic Research's products. {ssintrepid}

I recently bought these speakers for a finished attic with a nice tv. I intended to use these for gaming and they were of the best quality you could expect. The sound was quite impressive. I was depressed though, when I found out that I could of gotten these speakers much cheaper. I paid $190 and I thought they were a great deal but then I found that you can get these for only $130!!! If you need relief from the mediocre TV speakers you are currently using, get these.

Don't waste your time checking this out. This is truly a horrible buy, take my word. The sound is horrible. It sounds like someone put a metal box around it so you can't hear it well. Plus they charge too much for it. On my part, bring something better please.

Don't break or lose the remote controller.
It's the only way you can adjust the front, back and side speakers.
You can control the volume on the subwoofer and turn on/off the master switch on the back. But you can only do serious adjusting with the remote, which has very small buttons. Other than that it's a great sounding system for this price range.

i have the veo advanced connect ,it has worked one time,when i'am on a web site everyone esle can see but i can not see any thing that is being shared they can see me but i can not see my self on the screen?can some one let me know what the problem is????????

I own two smooth running Windows PCs. One runs Windows 98 First Edition, the other runs Second Edition. The Veo Advance Connect Camera worked on neither of them.

In fact, upon installing it on one computer, a blue screen-fatal system error automatically popup and persisted as long as the camera was plugged in. Perhaps this problem could be solved- I wouldn't know' tech support never e-mailed back. After 7 days, I gave up on this cheap, hopeless camera and returned it promptly for a Logitech 310 Webcam, one that has decent quality, but at least works.

I have been with the web cam for several months and I
love it very much. The picture quality is pretty nice
in both online instant message programs and local pic-
taking application. Well, the only thing I would
complain about this camera is the looking: not that
pretty :-) Well, it is not web cam not a decoration for
my room.. So no big deal for me.. And plus I like the
"spider" stander which fits my LCD monitor perfectly.
And you can switch the spdier to a flat stander as well.
I video-conversated with my friends and they are impressed
by my image quality and several of them even got the same
one for themselves..

I am usually a fan of DLink products but they really dropped it on this so called bridge. This is absolutely not a bridge. If you are looking for speeds slower than 802.11b this would be perfect but DLink insists on using terms like "turbo" and "extreme" Two tin cans and a piece of string communicate more effectively than two of these relatively pricey units.

Having this DWL-G810 Wireless Bridge is a great addition to any network ready device. I have this wireless bridge configured to connect to my network with 108Mbps speeds, and I can plug and unplug this into any network ready device. For example I've plugged it into my Playstation2, my computer in the garage when I want Internet access, a laptop when my friend came over, and even my Dad's PDA with Ethernet adapter installed.

The setup is rather simple, just follow the instructions, reboot the box and plug it into whatever you want. Just make sure it is within range, and sometimes fiddling with the antenna helps with the signal.

OK. I have DI-624, DWL-G650 and DWL-G810.
I connected my KISS DP-500 Network DVD to the DWL-G810 and everything is working perfect, but you will need to work with settings for a few minutes.

DI-624:

Firmware - 2.42
Open System
WEP Disabled (#1)
TX Rate - Auto
Transmit Power - 100%
Beacon - 100
RTS - 2346
Fragmentation - 2346
DTIM - 1
Preamble - Short
SSID Broadcast - Disabled (#2)
802.11g only - Disabled
CTS - Auto
Super G Mode - Super G with Dynamic Turbo

DWL-G810:

Firmware - 2.12
Static IP
No Gateway Address (#3)
Infrastructure mode
WEP Disabled (#1)
TX Rate - Auto
Authentication - Open System
Super Mode - Super G with Dynamic Turbo

#1 - First you can try with security settings disabled and later you can enable security.
#2 - Guys: broadcast SSID is NOT necesary! No security issues!
#3 - this is the key!

Unplug both devices and it's done!