Video Reviews

I have the AGP version of this card. It works great as a TV Tuner card BUT NOT FOR VIDEO CAPTURE. I wanted to use it for Microsoft's Netmeeting 3.1 and it does not work. PERIOD. Microsoft says it wont support ATI's NetShow WDM drivers.

I use the ATI AIW Pro just fine with Win2k since ATI made new drivers available from their website. Also, I capture video and tune with the card every day without trouble.

Don't buy this card if you have Windows XP or 2000, because u will have problems.
ATI site don't have support for these New Operating system!
Windows 9XX u be more than happy!

Well, after a bit of a wait I finally replaced my Sony hi-8 camcorder with this hc85. It is amazing the amount of features that are packed into this package. I've had it for 48 and here's what I like so far.

Very sharp stills (in still mode) and obviously very sharp video. It works well in low light and the touch screen is very cool. I thought it would show a lot of finger prints from touching it but they're not that noticeable. The ability to do a still capture while shooting video is nice but the resolution is only 640x480 & is kind of lousy (haven't figured out how to change that one's resolution...or even if you can). As for still captures, it has all of your typical controls (red eye, forced flash, etc). I also like that the lense size is the same size as my old camera so I can use my old filters & wide-angle lense. There are a lot of capabilities & features which almost feels somewhat overwhelming when you're trying to capture images so I'm not so sure about the various modes & usefulness. I do like that it has the ability to take in an analog input and convert to digital so I'll be transferring my old hi-8 stuff to digital for storage on DVDs.

As for any weaknesses, I haven't found it yet, and I look forward to several years of use. Some items to note: It is twice the size of the PC line but then again you get a better lense & more features. The memory stick w/ it is useless (8mb) as well as the battery (it has a 1 hr & I have done several recharges already). These last two items are why I'm only giving 4 stars instead of 5. I don't even know why they give you an 8mb stick when they know it'll be tossed as soon as you open the box!? It can only hold 8 pictures @ max resolution!

Good luck & enjoy.

I bought this camcorder about a month ago after I bought the DCR-TRV70 which was not working properly. This Camcorder is so much easier to use than the TRV70 and I like the larger LCD screen. I'm still learning about the camera but, I don't like the still pictures. My 8 month old is always drooling and the stills have silver dots on all his wet spots. Also you have to have very good lighting in a room to make the videos bright enough. the video always seems very, very dark indoors. The only time this does not happen is in the mornings and early afternoon. I'm going to try a video light for 40.00 to see if this will correct the problem. I'm also having problems streaming my video into my computer but the memory card goes right in and it's tons of fun to take my mpg video's and e-mail them to family. Nobody has had a problem opening any of these videos on there end. I love the video but, if your used to really sharp 4x6 or 3x5 from a 3 or 4 megapixal camera you won't like the photos from the DCR-HC85.

I'm quite impressed with the new Sony DCR-HC85. I had been looking at some of the Panasonic 3CCD cameras in this price range as well as the Canon Optura Xi (which is a little more expensive). In the end I chose this camera for the following features:
* very large (and sharp) CCD for the price
* 0lux night shot mode, though somewhat gimmicky. grainy, and green in practice, is very effective for taking sleeping baby shots
* reputedly much higher reliability and better repair services (vs the Panasonic)
* large reflective/transmissive LCD that's highly visible in both dark and light
* many videophile-oriented features (more on that below).
* can operate as a webcam

Upsides:
* Though many online reviews have questioned whether or not the touchscreen-based interface is a good thing, I found it to be more than adequate for my needs. One of the first things I did was rearrange the menus with my favorite features up front. Very easy to do and makes the camera feel "customized". If the camera weren't capable of these customized personal menus, however, I'd imagine the somewhat slow and bulky interface would get pretty annoying.
* True anamorphic 16:9 widescreen functionality works great and is easily understood by video importing tools.
* Nice shape, easy to hold. I have shaky hands and prefer a slightly larger camera to hold onto.
* Its optical image stabilization is amazing. Once again, I have shaky hands and was worried about getting steady video. Exceeded my expectations on this point.
* Setting it up as a webcam was straightforward and the quality was great.
* Nightshot Plus is eerily effective. The video ain't gorgeous, but it sure does do the trick. I'd imagine that the accessory shoe-based IR light that Sony offers would improve the functionality of this feature even more.

Downsides:
* Camera comes with an 8MB card that can only realistically hold 8 photos. Kinda pointless unless one is just test-driving the feature.

* Camera comes with just a single FP50 lithium battery which doesn't hold enough power to record an entire 60min DV tape (unless, possibly, you turn off the LCD, use just the viewfinder, don't use anything on the accessory shoe, and film straight through without stopping). I guess that's what keeps the price down.
* Camera doesn't come with a FireWire cable. I was not able to use Windows Movie Maker 2 using just the included USB cable (although USB streaming with MSN Messenger worked great with that). I had plenty of FireWire cables in my bin of extra computer parts, but just don't see how you can get professional results without one.
* Though the camera supports both progressive scan and true anamorphic 16:9 widescreen (both features helpful in acheiving a film look with a digital video camera), you can't use them both at the same time.
* Some default settings are questionable (but easily changed). Why default to 4-track 12bit audio vs 2-track 16bit? Why default to beeping melodies on key presses? Some odd buttons on the default Personal Menu (which is what you customize).

Overall, I'm a big fan of this camera and would recommend it highly.

We bought this camcorder to record our children. We went with it based on reviews we'd read here on Amazon. It has lived up to our expectations. It's easy to use and takes really nice shots. The best part is being able to hook it up to our iMacDV with firewire and edit the footage.

This camcorder is an excellent product, as are all of the Sony range. Basically, it offers easily accessible and professional features in the guise of a consumer Digital 8 camcorder. The Picture and Digital functions are amazing and offer a discernable edge to home movie making. The Digital 8 format is fantastic, as it allows you to utilise existing Hi-8 tapes, and reduces the cost of tape purchases, given that the new Mini DV tapes are significantly more expensive. My only criticism of the product is that aside from not being the current model, it seems that the primary extra feature that this model offers over the lower models is that it has a larger sized LCD screen. Aside from that, this is an excellent product and quite possibly one of the best Digital camcorders on the market.

This is the first camcorder I've ever owned, and I love it! I looked at camcorders in several price ranges, but this one had all the features I could want with a price tag less than $1,000. The LCD is crisp and bright and the picture quality is nearly flawless. I've taped two family weddings with quality that is as good as professional work. Because it is a Sony, I look forward to many years of high-quality performance.

Nice VCR that did what it said it would do; however, I was disappointed in the jog/shuttle operation (jerky, hesitant) and that the picture was slightly noisier than that of my 5-year-old Hitachi using the identical tape (You've Got Mail) and TV (32" Sony Wega). For Sony's top-of-the-line home VCR I expected S-Video output and a much better picture, but only the conveniences were superior to those of the Sony SLV679 I tried a few months ago. (I did not try Smart-Index because I wanted to return everything intact.)

This VCR is the best you can get. You will love the tape organization, and the online TV Guide. You can't get a better VCR for your money! And the look of it is very attractive. It's the nicest looking VCR out there. With Sony technology and design you can't go wrong.

This VCR gives you a free on screen display of all programs airing within the next week. I use it as my TV guide! I don't know how it gets downloaded into the machine, but it does! You can also just see a list of, for example, all movies showing within the next week, hit a single button when you see one you like and, voila, the VCR is set to record it.

I just scan through the list of movies, check the ones I want to tape, and I've got them. Easy as pie. You can also search on just sports (I like tennis and can find and tape tennis matches that air while I'm at work with ease. Try finding them in your tv guide- forget about it!)

With Smart File, the tape itself keeps track of where the programs are, their names and dates, and how much blank space there is. No more trying to fit a movie or show in between two others and accidently taping over a favorite or unwatched program. And you can see what's on a tape without sticking it in the machine. Just hold the tape in front of the VCR and it shows the contents on screen.

This is a VCR unlike any other. I highly recommend it.

I purchased this card last week and installed last night, my XP Pro system has not been stable since. Pulled the latest drivers from ATI and still have problems. Every 30 minutes or so the screen goes black and the ATI software resets the driver. Its a good deal, but the drivers may be premature.

I love this card I went from a Nvidia MX 440 to this and WOW.
Also what a GREAT PRICE 58% off retail.
I saved a bundle.

I was given this card for christmas and so far, it kicks ... Its got a higher graphics core, memory interface, higher nandwidth, and higher fill rate then any of the new FXs except maybe the 5950 Ultra...
Also, any of you fools who think this isnt an ATI card IT IS! so use ATI and Omega drivers!

Replaced my 100 Watt Kenwood Surround receiver with the Yamaha HTR-5540 receiver, and what a difference. The quality of the sound is incredible. This unit offers a optical input from my DVD player which really boosts power and quality. This unit has as much power as my 100 Watt Kenwood. I consider this an UPGRADE from the Kenwood. The sound options are numerous and the installation was a snap.

I have been useing this reciver for about 2 weeks now and i am plesantly suprized in its quality and ablity to push sound. I am an audio buff, everything has to be perfect. I run 2 sony mains both containing 2 10"subwoofers, a 4"main, and a tweet... they are 8ohm and run at 200watt max. The Yamaha is prefect for them! I have a total of 5 10"subs now and when i run movies like Twister I get such pounding bass that my father thinks lightning has struck the house! For my center and surround speakers I run boston acoustics, they are 100watt max all running 5"mains with tweeters. The ablity of the reciver to push sound to all 5 speakers with a loud volume is amazing. I ran a test CD after i finally got the thing tuned like i liked it and found absoultly no holes in the range, from 10 to 20,000 hertz you will hear a clean clear drive with no power loss. The pop and crackle from my old reciver is completely gone!

I wanted to replace my 2 year old Sony STR545 receiver for my home theater / stereo system and thought the price was good on the Yamaha 5540. I was stunned at how much of an improvement in sound quality and quantity the Yamaha made. The sound is so much fuller and substantial when playing both the dvds and cds. It's an extremely up to date receiver with Dolby Prologic II and Digital 6.1. I have both SACD and DVD-Audio so I wanted a receiver with the analog jacks which it does have. As others have said don't let the 75 watts listed concern you as the sound is much, much stronger and louder than my old 100 watt Sony ever was. I love this little baby!

Pros: look, features, picture quality
Cons: Programming

* lots og features
* good quality looks
* Excellent picture quality
* quiet operation
* Must keep pressing arrow keys to set programming times.

I have been a Sony buyer for a long time, but lately Sony seems to be slipping in quality. Since I needed a new DVD/VCR combo and wasn't willing to deal with Sony this time around I spent several weeks reading reviews and finding out the pros and cons of every combo device on the market. I have now owned the Zenith XBV343 for 2 months and I am pleasantly surprised by how much it really does offer. I create my own DVD from home movies as well as a tv tuner on my PC and this thing handles any disc format I throw at it. The optical output was also a must for me and it works with my DTS surround system flawlessly. For the price that I paid I feel like I ripped Zenith off for all the features that this has.

We ordered this to replace an inexpensive VCR that was being moved to an extra room. The combo and value first attracted us, as did other reviews on previous models. Set-up was simple, instructions are good enough that two non-techies can follow them. The remote isn't any more confusing/complicated than others - an industry-wide standard is the only thing that will solve this. Everything works fine so far - we've had the unit only a week. There was some confusion with shipping because of the back order status, but Amazon was great to work with and provided a most satisfactory resolution to the problem. Definitely a recommended product and source for purchasing the item.

Great picture, but rather small LCD of approx 4 inches only. Pretty decent frame rate of 15pfs.

I've used this easy to operate videophone (paired with an Aiptek 2000S) with highly satisfactory results in several applications. It allowed an elderly relative to stay in her home after she became forgetful about taking her medication. A slow speed, high quality setting allowed remote verification that she actually was taking her pills. After she moved into a nursing home, I used the system briefly in a business surveillance application. Now it's used by our elderly relative and a favorite niece to keep in touch via long distance. The system delivers surprisingly good image quality, given its POTS modem speed, which averages 28.8kbps (some wonder why it's not faster...33.6kbps is the fastest you can get in a dialup connection without an ISP). The unit's camera works in low light conditions, but in dim light the pictures tend to be noisy and lack color saturation. A little attention to room lighting produces surprisingly good, colorful pictures. Aiptek also includes a "PC" videophone mode, which allows the device to work modem-to-modem with some PC videophones (depends on the PC modem, which can't be a "winmodem", and the PC camera software). The system is indeed easy to operate: we purposely selected the 2000C unit with integrated screen, which requires no adjustment of operating controls at all, for our elderly relative. With new concerns about airline travel, now may be a good time to consider this product.

I purchased this product so that distant grandparents in NY can see their new granddaughter. After researching and testing all of the vendors (Starview, Motion Media, Metaeye, Infoview and Aiptek) I purchased this product. It is extremely easy to use and my computer illiterate parents had no trouble getting this hooked up. Here is the scoop on picture quality: All of the competing products are going to display the video at about the same speed. Since a standard telephone line is used for 2-way communication with video, a 33.6Kbps modem is all that is needed. Don't get fooled by the marketing gimmicks of 56K modems since they can only transmit at this speed in one direction and this is too much bandwidth for a standard telephone line. Picture quality of a TV broadcast is around 30 frames per second (fps). All of the products I tested broadcast at 15fps maximum and this quality looks good and is very clear (I was surprised!!). I could easily see my parents and the delay was only very slight. The key with this is, if you use the smallest picture size the video will transfer very fast and you wont notice any delay. I use the middle size and it works fine. Although the screen is 4" in diameter, you really can see a lot. Of all of the products I tried, the AIPTEK was the easiest to use and again picture quality was great for all of these products. Cost for AIPTEK was lower than some of the other units.
Bottom line: This product and concept is amazing and it makes my parents feel so much better when they can see their kids and grandkids 3000miles away on the videophone versus just a phone call. I was a skeptic at first but now I am sold and will be buying more

I just received my unit and had problems with the first five tapes I attempted to rewind. The lid opened before the tape was rewound and I would have to try again. This morning I successfully rewound two tapes. May have been operator error, but I don't think so. If I have any more problems, I will have to return it.

For the price this little rewinder is amazingly quiet. I've had it for a year now and it still has never given me any problems. Certain tapes will cause a little noise, but I think it's the tape, not the rewinder. For the most part this one hums very nicely and only pops up when it's either finished or encounters tape problems. I can't imagine paying more for any other model when this one works so well!

I've had 2 other tape rewinders in the past, and both of them sounded awful, clacking and whirring away like they were shredding my tapes. Also, the lids often popped up before the rewinding was finished.
This one, though, just has a pleasant, gentle little hum and does what it's supposed to.
It's nice to see that a company actually put some effort into this invaluable but mundane necessity of every VCR owner.
And the price is right too!

This isn't really a review of the product, but just as a warning, don't buy these headphones thinking they're for stereo equipment. These are metal detector headphones - I have no idea what the previous reviewer was talking about..

Consider this a fair warning for otherwise dubious equipment.

I AM SO GLAD I BOUGHT THESE HEAD PHONES.

QUALITY NO QUESTION

My husband and I got these headphones for his 9-year old son who lives in Ocala, Florida. He loves them. They aren't too heavy, and really allow him to listen carefully. When a 9-year old can concentrate on something for longer than five minutes, you know it's a good product! They took some getting used to, but after three weeks, he's doing very well, and doesn't even notice that he has them on.