Video Reviews

We had been very happy with this camcorder - until we pulled it out to take Christmas pictures of our 15-month old son and the camcorder wouldn't record. It wouldn't eject the tape, and after repeated calls to customer service, we've been told that they'll pay for parts, but the labor to fix it is just over $200. Unfortunately even though we've only used the camcorder for under 15 hours, we're outside the 90 days for labor warranty (who'd have thought the camcorder would be unusable after under 15 hours of use?).

Still waiting on a callback from customer service, but having gone up 4 levels already, it's not looking like they'll fix the product.

Think our model will be headed for the trash - and we'll be looking at anything BUT Sony for future purchases. I would definitely steer clear of a Sony after this experience.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF DIGITAL8 a 520 line video & hi-fi stereo!!

The DCR-TRV140 Digital8 Video camera recorder (Digital Only). This camcorder is awesome. This is Sony's introductory level Digital8 model. The DCR-TRV-140 is a low price, high value, versatile and sophisticated video cam. This is all you will ever need.

Bottomline - This is what you get; uses Hi8 or Digital8 video tape (the simple difference is a 120 minute Hi8 tape converts to a 60 minute Digital8), 20x Optical Zoom (Most important zoom which maintains hi-res feature), 560x digital zoom ( loses hi-res feature when magnified - I recommend staying with OPTICAL ZOOM ONLY!), 2.5 hi-res color LCD screen (opens 90 degrees & can be rotated 180 degrees with an auto mirror image), built-in light with 5 foot range, remote control & sensor, Steady shot (stabilizer), USB streaming, DVIn/Out - Sony iLink (BEST FEATURE - A 4 pin 2 way FireWire(IEEE-1394) for direct digital video & stereo transfer with no signal loss), digital effects, frame recording, hi-fi sound, interval (lapse) recording, SUPER NightShot ( shooting in a dark room without light), backlit feature ( allows to subdue rear light to increase foreground subjects lighting) and much, much more.

This camcorder comes with a 3 hour battery (its real life is about 75 minutes using the LCD screen. The actual battery time remaining is displayed on the LCD screen. The stabilizer eliminates the camera jitter and the hi-res digital pictures are awesome. The supplied video cables allow you to hook up to a tv or vcr. The video transfer via USB (with supplied PC software) or the awesome Sony iLink (FireWire)allows a 2 way direct digital link to a DVD recorder (ie Philips DVDR-985, DVD+RW (rewriteable) or DVD+R (one time) SEE MY DVDR-985 REVIEW).

In Summary - this is an OUTSTANDING DIGITAL8 Video Camcorder. Again this a DIGITAL ONLY unit. The DVR-TRV140 is a great economical way to move into the hi-res (520 line) digital world. Transferring to PC or DVD burner is so simple and digital pictures & hfi stereo sound is the only way to go. Enjoy.

This is Sony's lowest level digital camcorder, but it is not low-level at all. It records picture at a stunning 520 lines of resolution and sound in PCM digital stereo. You can truly see the difference in picture quality between Digital and Hi8 or VHS-C. The Digital8 system records digital pictures on inexpensive Hi8 tapes. It's got an incredibly large 20x optical zoom. Optical zoom is the most importaint type of zoom because there is no loss of picture quality. It also has a 560x digital zoom which is less importaint because, the farther you zoom, the worse the picture quality gets. One of the most amazing features of this camcorder is the Infrared Super NightShot. What it does is project an infared light, invisible to the human eye, allowing you to see in no light at all. It comes with various special effects and fade options. The FM30 InfoLithium battery allows use for 3 hours (1 hour w/LCD). It includes an i.Link DV Interface (IEEE1394) for editing video on your computer. It also allows you to have streaming video via USB. This camcorder is a good, moderately priced introduction to digital video with features surpassing those of other brands.

The Screenblast Movie Studio is very easy to use and I had it doing video clips and transitions 10 minutes after opening the box. Installation was very smooth and the tutorial is quick and good enough to get you started. The manual that comes with the software is pretty good, but the HELP menu in the program itself is pretty much the way to go. Everything is drag-and-drop and making changes could not be any easier. I have used Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle 8, and a few other OEM bundled packages and Sony Screenblaster is so much easier to use and in most circumstances, has better looking transitions and effects.

You import video/pictures from any source and move it from the media pool to where you want it on the timeline. You can select transitions and view how each one works prior to incorporating it into your project. Doing that is drag-and-drop, just like everything else. Most of the production is just trial and error...select a transition or effect, drag it where you want it and hit play to see how it actually looks in the view screen. If you don't like it, click on it and delete and try something else. You will rarely need to use the help menu, everything is all laid out in from of you in a very organized and simple manner. I am totally in love with this product. The BAD side is the 3rd party DVD authoring from SonicFoundry. It crashes a lot and locks up everytime I select to burn a DVD straight from the camcorder. I have Nero 6 installed and it is not much better...most of the newer DVD authoring software is full of bugs. (I use Roxio and Nero and neither one works all that good either.)
Sony really has their act together on this product and I have already deleted the Pinnacle 8 program and will use this full time.
The Sony software is 5 stars. Because of the SonicFoundry DVD authoring software they choose to use, which has wasted a few of my blank DVDs, they loose a star for that. This is a great buy.

as an editing program movie studio can't be beat. i am constantly amazed at the feature set, and what is possible to do. it is very stable and never crashes. i rate the editing part of the package (the movie studio software itself) 5 stars. very good value for the money.

the dvd authoring is another story. despite the advertisements, authoring is not integrated and is handled by sonic mydvd v4.5, a very limited and disappointing program. that's why i marked the overall package 4 stars.

movie studio can almost handle 16:9 editing. all of the needed features for 16:9 are available during the editing process, the only hitch comes when encoding to mpeg-2 in order to create a dvd. this requires a workaround involving a free program called dvdpatcher to set the correct aspect ratio on the mpeg file before authoring. this only takes a second so it isn't a big deal.

i honestly think movie studio is the best "consumer" (under $100) editing program available.

I've used Adobe Premiere in the past, excellent but too expensive, I tried Ulead what a horrible experience, pinnacle reviews said crash after crash. Based on the reputation of Video Vegas I gave this product a try and it is really excellent.

I've used it so far to create 2 online projects for work documenting team meetings and posting the video online. It's easy to work with different pieces of the timeline and then output them in an appropriate format like Windows Media 9.
Excellent integration with external codecs - quicktime, wmv, mpeg1 and 2, and real video. The only drawbacks I've found so far are no control over the output only fixed templates. For example if you wanted to fine tune the audio bit rate, SB will not let you do that. Oh well I guess it is an entry level package. Secondly, the outputted MPEG is a little bit halo prone. It's supposed to be main concept encoder, but since you are not allowed to tune it at all, there's no way to fix it.

Lastly the NTSC mpeg2 video it creates is actually non-compliant for DVD production, since it only supports mpeg audio. In the US you really should output either PCM or AC3 Stereo. Neither of those are an option. I've filed a bug against Sony, but they have not responded. If sony would allow a little more control over the output I would definitely give this package 5 stars.

First the pros: excellent stability, very easy to use capture, good editing capability, easy to generate output.
Cons: lack of control over output.

The Intel PC Pocket Camera has the greatest webcam quality out there IMHO. It is affordable with a simple and nice design. The batteries last long. The USB connection is a fast and more efficient way for this came. Very user friendly and easy to install.
As a digital camera, it is best ONLY for beginners. The quality can be surprising wonderful in the right light. It's portability can let you take quick snap shots of anything quickly. It has 8MB of memory which is about 100 640x480 pics. A great digital camera for anyone starting out and to progressive onto the bigger names, like Kodak and Fujifilm.

This camera is great for quick snaps while out, webcam shots and netconferencing. Great deal!

what i needed was something simple, inexpensive but not cheaply made. i didn't really need megapixels because i post most of my photos on the web, so i prefer them to be a smaller size. the intel pocket pc camera fulfilled my needs.

this camera is a GREAT BUY if you want smaller images @ 640x480. it's compact and easy to take everywhere. downloading the pics is easy as a click away with its software. plus, it makes a great webcam so you can have video chats with friends on the 'net. also, webcam stills are very good quality!!

DO NOT BUY this camera if you want a camera that takes HQ images. there is no zoom and no flash, which is a setback because i can never take pictures at night. also, when objects are not in good lighting, images tend to be grainy and blurry. otherwise, images are usually sharp and clean during the day.

The Intel Pocket PC Camera is a great camera to own. I find the quality to be AMAZING. Sure it has no flash, but that's one thing i can live without seeing as to how i have ANOTHER camera with a flash that i use for backup. Anyhow, the CCD Sensor is probably the best thing about it. CMOS sensor cameras are usually [bad]and you can't see colors in shady areas (non-lit areas). The intel is very easy to operate and anybody could figure it out. The software is wonderful and the webcam is too. This whole camera is a great buy...the pictures will blow you away, just like it did to me. I have the rare black one so it looks less childish, heh. :o)

Tivo totally changes the way one watches TV...as a matter of fact, if basically forces the change upon you. The situation is as follows: if one uses a digital satellite system, such as DirecTV or Dish, then Tivo will not let one watch a program and record a different one at the same time...even if both programs that are coming from over the air antenna signals, such as the local affiliate channels - NBC, CBS, etc. This is because the stand-alone models of Tivo don't have a built in DSS decoder, and to prevent confusion, it totally forbids the ability to watch a channel and record another.

This means that if one sets up an extensive recording program - i.e. a lot of time slots are reserved for recording, or if Tivo is voluntarily recording a show that it "thinks" one will like, one can't change the channel without stopping the recording. Therefore, the only alternative is to either watch what is being recorded (of course one can rewind to the beginning of the show) or watch something that has been taped before.

Therefore, if one watches a lot of TV, Tivo will constrain one's ability to watch live TV and record shows. Of course, if one has little time to watch TV, then Tivo is a godsend (or a curse? - Tivo will definitely increase the time one spends in front of the TV) - program the shows that one wants to see, work all day, come back at night and voila, a whole menu of shows to watch. The downside to this is that it inhibits "channel surfing" - of course, this can be considered a positive.

Nevertheless, this unit has many merits. It has a very large storage capacity - 60 hours at the lowest setting, about 30 hours at good image quality. The interface is easy to learn. Set up is relatively simple.

The downsides are as follows. To actually prepare the unit the first time takes a long time...I left the unit cooking overnight, and it still didn't finish set up until about 10am the next day. This leads to a second problem. The CPU of the Tivo seems to be very slow. Sometimes it will take a long time (a factor of minutes) for it to accept an action, to load a menu list, etc. Furthermore, unlike the Replay, the Tivo does not have a skip 30 seconds function (the magical length of the standard TV commercial), so one has to fast-forward through the commercials. Thankfully, there are three fast-forward speeds, and at the higher speeds, when one presses Play, the unit automatically rewinds a few seconds to take into consideration the reaction time of the average user (which must be better than mine). Finally, the Tivo interface has many static frames, which can be on screen for extended periods of time while one searches for programs, edits the playlist, etc. This can pose a problem for those using rear-projection televisions, because of the danger of burning-in images on to the screen. Of course the people most willing to dish out [lots of money] for a fancy VCR are precisely the people that own large rear projection TVs. Therefore, be extra careful not to spend too much time with static images on the screen, even paused images from "live" TV, or the screen that appears while one is setting up the Tivo for the first time (my recommendation is to turn off the TV while the Tivo is number-crunching the initial set-up, and come back from time to time to see how it is progressing).

All in all, I am pleased with this device, even taking the short-comings into consideration. Also be aware that there is a monthly charge in order to download the Tivo programming, or a flat fee of $200, which is non-refundable. This makes the Tivo as expensive as the Replay units, which offer the guides for free. Of course, Replay is no longer making the units itself (I believe some large electronics firm is currently licesing the technology and has a couple of Replay-compatible devices out). One final note - one has to have a telephone jack near the Tivo (or have a free wall outlet to use one of those RCA electrice wire-to-telephone jack units).

It's impossible to put into words what TiVo will do for you. To most it seems like a glorified VCR. However, only until you spend some time with TiVo you will truly begin to see how incredibly convenient the product really is. I don't watch any more TV than I used to, I am just better at it. :) Now I really do watch what I want, when I want.

I bought the 14 hour Phillips unit when it first came out and recently performed a "custom upgrade" to 60 hours. The unit has been running flawlessly for well over a year now and I have had no problems. I'm currently running TiVo with a AT&T Digital Cable and a Motorola Cablebox without any compatibility problems (I'm not sure what the other reviewer was doing wrong).

Recently the TiVo operating system was upgraded to Version 2.0.1. This new version addresses the problem of a Season Pass taping shows you don't want and adds many nice features that TiVo users have suggested (keyword search, future program notification, season pass manager, etc).

I'm a TiVo believer.. great product, incredible convenience, can't recommend it enough!

I bought one of the early models of TiVo, and added drive space to make it a 110 hour unit. I wouldn't bother watching TV without it. It really is everything it promises. I don't know what time a lot of my programs come on, or what day of the week, I just watch them when I feel like watching them. I have a one year old daughter, and I would especially reccomend TiVo to new parents. Without the ability to pause, or just stop and come back to it later, a new parent can't expect to watch anything all the way through.

Setup may be a bit complex, but once it's in place, it is simple to operate. My mother in law can figure it out when she comes to town. She can't figure out our X-10 remote control lights, or her own e-mail, but she can set TiVo to record her programs and figure out what she wants to watch. If she can do it, anyone can.

We use our TiVo so much we are planning on getting one for the little TV in our bedroom.

After minimal use, it won't play a thing!

I purchased the JVC XV-N50BK DVD Player which plays all formats, including my below mentioned VCD, without any problems. I am very happy with the JVC XV-N50BK, and this is the best in the market. Incidently all my other AV components and TV are JVC, and which can all be linked and interconnected with the JVC Compu-Link control system.
Previously ten days before, I purchased the Panasonic S35S DVD Player because I needed a player to play ALL formats including VCD, WMA, MP3, CD-R, etc. Unfortunately, when playing one of my commercially produced VCD's, the Panasonic S35S Player would play for awhile, and then lock and freeze the screen forever, until I turned off the power. And the Panasonic kept on doing it, repeatedly. Sadly I returned the Panasonic for a full refund. (The VCD was not defective, because it plays fine on my older JVC player, and on my computer.). I then purchased the above JVC XV-N50BK DVD Player which plays everything, works great, and looks fabulous.

I just bought this player a couple of weeks ago and i am extremely pleased. I initially bought a Sony in the same price range (maybe 20 or so dollars more) and took it back because it wouldn't play some of my DVD-R's (although the picture and sound were decent). I'm glad I switched to the JVC. The picture is much better than the Sonys. The colors are WAY more vibrant and the blacks much sharper. Far superior picture quality. I also like the zoom and play at 1.5x features that the sony didn't offer. I have noticed absolutely no stutter. Those concerns seemed to have been adressed. As far as the light goes...I don't like it either so I turn it off by using the dimmer button on the remote. I believe there are 3 different settings for the light. The only problem being (for some) that it also dims the LCD. Personally I like the simple, sleek look (lights out). Also, if you buy this or any other high end player be sure to invest in some good component cables. You get a much better picture. I believe you can get the monster cables for 30 dollars or so. Well worth it.

tuner stoped working. buy a quality brand not RCA. RCA should be forced to repair these DWD490RE models free because you will have to buy another one.

I thought I would weigh in on UltimateTV debate. There seems to be a couple Tivo devotees who wrote reviews on here and I wanted to clear the air.

First of all, I think that this is a wonderful product and all my friends are insanely jealous. The pausing of live TV is awesome. You will find that you become annoyed when TV is live because you cannot forward through commericals (which takes 2 seconds and 3-4 presses of the "Forward Jump" button).

Let me respond to come complaints:

1) Slow response time. I agree. It takes a second to respond when you press a button when using menus or (to a lesser degree) when switching between channels. I would disagree that erasing shows takes 15 seconds. I would was it takes me 3-4 seconds, although I agree that the last screen is utterly useless. At first it may be annoying if you are used to controlling your cable TV, but you become used to it and I no longer notice.

2) Ability to record 35 hours of programming. I recently put this to the test during the winter olympics. I was recording all the Olympic coverage on MSNBC, CNBC, and NBC every day. This was 15+ hours of coverage a day. I did lose an episode of AliaS I had been saving after I was not able to watch (of fast forward through) my recordings one day. I didn't add it up, but it was at least 30+ when it began erasing previous recordings.

3) Recording. I am still not sure what I think of the recording system. Once shows are recorded it is great. Playback is easy. I have a couple complaints with the planning to record system. The recurring record feature is too broad. If you recvord a show like the Simpsons which is in synidcation, you end up getting the Simpsons every day, rather than just the Sunday first run episodes. Which I find annoying.

I think those were the main compaints. The control you have or live TV or recorded tv is wonderful. When you are fast forwarding, when you press stop becuase you saw where you wanted to be in the show ... it jumps back 2-3 seconds to match you reaction time.

Admittedly, I have not tried Tivo ... but I am in love with UltimateTV and it is helping convince some of my friend's wives that they should get satellite TV too, just to have UltimateTV.

One note, we all call it Tivo cause it's easier to say. UlitmateTV is too long and a stupid name. Funny.

This is so cool, I never watch "live TV" any more. I have had this for over a year now and it is so easy to watch your favorite programs. I can watch a football game in 40 minutes or so. It records entire seasons worth of shows with a touch of the remote (now put away because the wireless keyboard is "it").
The menus are easy to follow, and program guide is also. My VCRs are just clocks now, unless I want to record something to save (how long do tapes last anymore, bring on DVD-R)
Record two programs at once WHILE watching something you recorded earlier.
Pause live tv....you've read all this from others.
I recomend this for anyone who likes to watch tv and does'nt have time for commercials, time-outs, injured player breaks, green flag nascar races (in fast forward mode you can see when the yellow flag comes out) and so much more.

My friend bought a Tivo and this by far a superior product.
As much as I Love this I do have a few problems 1.
more record time, 35 hours is cool but double would be great.
2. sometimes when you fast forward it keeps on going no matter what you press. 3. web tv is sooooo slow and more often than not I can't even get connected.
Enough said, this product can only get better.

This camera may look ultra cool, but believe me, it's not. Unless you don't care much for how your picture quality is, then this camera may be ok, but if you do or eventually will, you are better off getting a better quality camera.

There aren't many options for your pictures that you're taking meaning you can't change the lighting effect (inside, outside, cloudy, snow, night, etc), size, picture type (black & white, etc) or many of the other things that you can on other cameras. I found that when pictures were loaded onto the computer, they looked grainy and dull, and if you used the flash, that also seemed to ruin the effect of the picture. There is also no zoom which is one thing I forgot to check out when purchasing this camera. I was not happy with this camera at all after a couple months when I needed better quality photos.

The video recorder of the camera was also a disappointment to me. The recording was very choppy and colors again were poor. On the bright side, it recorded the sound well.

I had no problem with the MP3 player or audio recorder, they both worked fine and were the quality that one would expect.

I now own a Sony Cyber-Shot camera which I am VERY pleased with. Basically you really need to think about what type of pictures you will be taking with your camera and if you want them to be the best quality possible, or if it simply doesn't matter to you to decide if you will be happy with this camera.

I bought this gadget for it's many functions although I mostly used it to take video and pictures, sometimes record audio. I really did like it, but after a while I couldn't justify the cost versus the quality... The video quality was ok, about what you get with a medium resolution avi file, but nowhere close to divx quality. Picture resolution at 640x480 was decent, but you'd definitely want better if you want quality pictures. Sound recording was good, but I could only playback on the unit. With SD cards you don't have to worry about memory. My main gripe about this gadget though is the absence of a zoom. I was using it one time when a friend asked me if it had a zoom feature. I told him "this is the zoom" and ran up closer to the subject. If Panasonic added a zoom feature I would definitely recommend it, but overall it doesn't excel in any area. You're probably better off picking up a megapixel digital camera that also takes video.

Ok, it may not take pictures/movies like professional digital cameras can, but it's still a good camera if you looking for something to do for fun. It's small enough to carry in your pocket, you can operate it on the fly when you need to, so its pretty reliable there. You have to mess around with the software a bit, and experiment with the camera a bit too but once you get the gist of how it works, you wont regret buying it. However, this camera is NOT worth paying full price for($200-$400). I bought a used one at Circuit City for only $125, I've had it for about a year and it still works great!

This camera may look ultra cool, but believe me, it's not. Unless you don't care much for how your picture quality is, then this camera may be ok, but if you do or eventually will, you are better off getting a better quality camera.

There aren't many options for your pictures that you're taking meaning you can't change the lighting effect (inside, outside, cloudy, snow, night, etc), size, picture type (black & white, etc) or many of the other things that you can on other cameras. I found that when pictures were loaded onto the computer, they looked grainy and dull, and if you used the flash, that also seemed to ruin the effect of the picture. There is also no zoom which is one thing I forgot to check out when purchasing this camera. I was not happy with this camera at all after a couple months when I needed better quality photos.

The video recorder of the camera was also a disappointment to me. The recording was very choppy and colors again were poor. On the bright side, it recorded the sound well.

I had no problem with the MP3 player or audio recorder, they both worked fine and were the quality that one would expect.

I now own a Sony Cyber-Shot camera which I am VERY pleased with. Basically you really need to think about what type of pictures you will be taking with your camera and if you want them to be the best quality possible, or if it simply doesn't matter to you to decide if you will be happy with this camera.

I bought this gadget for it's many functions although I mostly used it to take video and pictures, sometimes record audio. I really did like it, but after a while I couldn't justify the cost versus the quality... The video quality was ok, about what you get with a medium resolution avi file, but nowhere close to divx quality. Picture resolution at 640x480 was decent, but you'd definitely want better if you want quality pictures. Sound recording was good, but I could only playback on the unit. With SD cards you don't have to worry about memory. My main gripe about this gadget though is the absence of a zoom. I was using it one time when a friend asked me if it had a zoom feature. I told him "this is the zoom" and ran up closer to the subject. If Panasonic added a zoom feature I would definitely recommend it, but overall it doesn't excel in any area. You're probably better off picking up a megapixel digital camera that also takes video.

Ok, it may not take pictures/movies like professional digital cameras can, but it's still a good camera if you looking for something to do for fun. It's small enough to carry in your pocket, you can operate it on the fly when you need to, so its pretty reliable there. You have to mess around with the software a bit, and experiment with the camera a bit too but once you get the gist of how it works, you wont regret buying it. However, this camera is NOT worth paying full price for($200-$400). I bought a used one at Circuit City for only $125, I've had it for about a year and it still works great!

We purchased this camcorder in October of 2003, and by June 2004 the pause button has already quit working. We have only had light to moderate use of this camcorder since purchasing it. It is still covered under the one year warranty, but we have to ship it all the way to California from Arkansas (and yes we have to pay for the shipping and handling), and it will not be back before our vacation. They will not cover it unless it is shipped to them. I would think twice before purchasing this product.

I've had my camera for a few days now and spent the weekend really putting it to the test. First thing is you need to change the default settings to accommodate for the low light problem. Here are the settings you should use (I read this on digital camcorder forum):

* Program AE: Auto
* AE Shift: <= -1.0
* Shutter: 1/60
* White Balance: Indoor.

With these settings indoor filming is quite good, still not perfect, but according to everything I read, these type of cameras (mini-DV) are never going to be great low light performers. When I filmed outside or in my workshop (which has ALOT of light) the quality was amazing.

I love the 18x zoom on this camera. There are many different fading options as well as other effects (Black&White is cool). It also comes with a remote control that comes in handy. The LCD screen is a good size as well as very functional. Manual is good as well.

I have not downloaded it to my computer yet, but from what I read it comes with good software which makes it easy.

Bottom line, I do not feel you can get a better camera in this price range with all of the options as long as you do not use the default settings for indoor filming. Supposedly the Sony's are better indoor performers but they only come with 10x zoom (I really like the 18x) and they do not have any manual control buttons and the LCD screens are suppose to be pretty bad, plus they are more. Also, the battery that comes with this one only last approximately one hour.

I bought this camcorder when my daughter was born after I saw a short video my brother made. I had been thinking about getting one, but wasn't sure what I would be able to do with it. Six months after getting it, and recording hours of tape, I sat down to author my first DVD. After two days of working in the basement, I came up and showed my wife 5 short (3 - 5 min) videos (complete with transitions and music). She was crying. It was worth it. I burned several copies and sent them to family members who were equally impressed. All that was made possible by using this camcorder.

O.K. Now to the camcorder review.

This is a great camcorder. It is small (palm sized) and light. The controls are all easy to use/understand. I opted for this model instead of the ZR65 and up because of price, and I didn't need the ability to take stills (I have a Canon G2).

The picture quality is fine. I have used it primarily indoors and in low light. Admittedly there is some grain, but it is totally acceptable when you look at the benefits of going digital. In better lighting conditions, the grain is not noticeable.

I have opted for the next size up battery (Canon BP512) because the one supplied only last about 30 minutes. For $45 I can get close to 1 1/2 hours of recording time. Plus I have the original as a backup.

The fully functional remote is also a nice feature. It does everything for the camera.

This camcorder feels like it is a quality piece of equipment. It never feels flimsy, or weak. It has a solid feel to it.

Canon makes great digital optical equipment. I have the G2 digital camera, and a flat-bed scanner, and I have no problems with quality (image quality or build quality). I highly recommend this.

Purchased XM because radio stations in my area are poor, and wanted Fox Sports Radio. Unit works good outdoors as long as the antenna is facing South. Indoors, they are not kidding when they say the antenna must be in a South-facing clear glass window. Having to keep the antenna facing South can also cause some portability issues. Also, would have liked to use at the office. No chance. My cubicle has no South-facing windows, so I also have no XM at work.

I received a Delphi SkyFi receiver with a home kit for Christmas last year, and I was immediately hooked. There is a great selection of channels, and I love the fact that I can listen to hours upon hours of uninterrupted music.

I got to the point that I wanted to take my Delphi receiver on the move with me, so I invested in the boombox. I was hesitant at first, because I feared an inferior sound quality, but I discovered that I could control the bass and treble through the receiver itself, and overall I have been very impressed by the quality of sound produced by these small boombox speakers.

The reception of the XM signal has been quite good, even when I listen to it in my office cubicle, far from any windows. The system instructions recommend pointing the antenna through a south-facing window, but I find that there are enough terrestrial repeaters in the Denver area (even as far north as Loveland) that I can get a signal almost anywhere.

I love this boombox, and have very few complaints. One complaint is the price. After spending $100 on the receiver, I hate to have to spend another $100 on the box, even though I've gotten a lot of use out of it. My other complaint is the volume knob. It is not always very responsive, and is not good for fine-tuning the volume. However, the receiver's remote works very well for adjusting the volume.

Overall, I recommend this system.

I was trying to find reviews of the Boombox for the Delpi XM Radio, but most of the reviews listed in this product are for the receiver, NOT the boombox.

I went ahead and purchased the boombox so I can have my XM Radio portable style. I have to say, that after a week of using the boombox, it is EXCELLENT.

The sound that comes from the boombox is EXCELLENT as well!

The boombox works off 8 D Cell batteries (not included of course), or an AC Adapter that is included.

The boombox has a 'portable' satellite antenna, that does mount out of the way on the back of the box, and comes with a 20 foot cable that, very discretely, stores in a section of the batter compartment, out of the way.

You can swivel the antenna upwards while still mounted on the back of the boombox to get a better signal, or you can remove the antenna and extend it up to 20 feet away from the unit to get your best signal.

I have found no reason to do this (extend the antenna), as I live in the north Dallas, TX area and have gotten perfect signals both outside my house (by the pool), or even in my kitchen under multiple florescent lights.

Your XM Radio Receiver simply slides in the slot in the front and 'clicks' in place, you turn on your receiver and, presto!, you have all the same radio you have when it is mounted in your car, but you can take it on the run.

I highly recommend this boombox product... it is well worth the money for what you get!

Mike Heine ('winterstone')