Video Reviews

This system has worked great so far (I've only had it 2 weeks). I decided on this model because I knew I was going to hook up an XBOX console to it, so the VBP 3000 would play my VHS movies and the XBOX would play my DVD movies. The two 5" screens that come with this system are seem to be good quality, with no viewing problems from any angle. Each screen has two built-in speakers that pleasantly surprised me, meaning the speakers are really loud and crystal clear. The screens plug right into the back of the VCR (which is powered by the vehicle's cigarette lighter), which in turn powers the screens. Each screen has a set of A/V jacks on it, which is where I plug the XBOX into. I chose to take this system out of the bag and place it under the driver's seat of my 2003 Saturn Vue, it is a perfect fit. My XBOX fits perfectly under the passenger seat, so niether the VCR or the XBOX are visible (hence no bulky, ugly bag dangling between the seats). The only reason this is not getting five stars is because I think Audiovox should have put a set of A/V jacks on the VCR. It's not really a big deal becuse each screen has it's own A/V jacks, but in my opinion a set of jacks on the VCR would eliminate unsightly RCA cables plugged into the side of the screen. I've had absolutely no problems with this unit, although the true test is around the corner when I drive 13 hours to Tennessee for Thanksgiving. As to not mislead anyone, you will need to buy a DC to AC "power inverter" to run any video game systems you want to hook up, but you'll need to do that with any mobile video system you choose to buy.

I have tryed it and it is great. The two screens it comes with are only 5", but it is still good to use

I bought this for a Sony 7" screen portable dvd/cd player. It is very well padded top, bottom & sides. The case is so well padded I feel that my expensive dvd player is safe from possible damage. My player fits snuggly and does not bounce around. The zipper access does make it so that I have to give it an extra tug to pull it out but I would rather it be snug in the case than loose. It fits the cable and remote control that came with the dvd player but not the additional cables that I have purchased to allow me to use the player attached to my cigarette lighter. There is one storage area for the dvd player with a zipper closure, one for the dvd/cd's with a flap over the cd/dvd's inside an open pocket and one for the cables with a zipper closure. The storage area for dvd's holds 5 dvd/cd's and has a flap that helps protect them. The bag has a velcro flap that covers the entire storage area. It has a detachable over the shoulder strap and a hand strap. If I were to leave the remote home it would fit the other cables that I use.

I recently bought this case to use for a small DVD player with a 4" screen. It fit perfectly except I can't fit all of the accesories in it. I tried several combinations and always had one accessory that wouldn't fit. I'm going to return this and try either the Case Logic PDV-2 or the PDV-1 case. These two are a little bit larger than the PDV-3. If you don't have that many accessories then the PDV-3 is perfect. Its very compact and has lots of padding for the dvd player.

For the price these speaker stands work great. Although they don't seem ver stable, they seem to be holding up pretty well so far (of course, I don't have a dog or any kids). You will need to purchase some double stick tape or velco in order to mount your speakers to the top of these stands. The stands appearantly didn't come with any. I improvised by using electrical tape and it's been holding fine. Take my word for it, spending an extra $50 for speaker stands will really improves the sounds of your Home Theater System.

Of course there are other stands out there that look better, but they all do the same thing. I price isn't an issue for you, then by all means go out and spend your hard earned dough. I wouldn't recommend any stands lower than 34", as it's perfect for ear level when sitting down to watch a movie.

I couldn't afford the other stands on the page after spending so much on the system itself so i purchased these and absolutely love them. They were affordable and are very complimentary to the system and its surroundings.

hmmm

pc-cam 750 has it all.. video, audio, webcam, pictures.

and it works fine.. with one exception

lighting!

pictures are either too dark or too bright
donno what is the problem
works ok in daylight but not otherwise
so you have to take care in that regard

also it is a 1.3MP camera.. only interpolated to 2.1MP
it has a good sensor.. still does not perform as well as expected...

i would suggest you better buy a HP model available for $180 with optical zoom, lcd and memory slots than this one at $110

My dad actually got me this thing for Christmas and I was immediately impressed by how simple the operation is for this camera. At 2.1 mega pixels, this camera delivers surprisingly crisp pictures. And not like most webcams, you can take this camera anywhere and take pictures. It runs on 4 AAA batteries (included), and it adjusts to even the darkest of conditions.

When I did a video conference with my dad, the video on his end came in crisp using cable connections on both ends. The video recording feature on the webcam is also great, but I have yet to find a feasible use for it. For the money, this camera is well worth it's weight in gold.

Finally there's a projector one can afford. I am quite pleased with the quality of the projection. In addition to 1024x768 VGA, it also handles HDTV 1080i as well as all other current video standards (NTSC-PAL/SECAM). Unfortunately, the image isn't bright enough to see in a well lit room; you'll have to turn out ALL the lights to see the output from this projector.
Great for watching your DVDs, making presentations, or just plain fun (surfing the web on a 200" screen is quite nice :-) .

Cons: The bulb is rated for 1440 hours of use before it supposedly explodes, discharging toxic mercury vapor into your viewing area. I don't like the price tag of the bulb either... for a projector bulb is simply outrageous! And if you use your projector like I do, expect to replace it every year (and you thought ink-jets were expensive to operate). My advice: wait for other companies to release 'consumer-priced' projectors and PRAY that the replacement bulbs will be more economical. *OR* buy yourself a []CRT projector, problem solved! 3-)...

As long as you're not working in a big theater, this is a terrific projector for everyday presentations. It is one of the least expensive on the market, and easy to use right out of the box. The controls are super-easy and the hook up simple and clear. A nice sharp, bright image in a very small and lightweight package.

I agree 100% with the previous comment.

I just wanted to add a few pointers:

- This is a nice interim camera at a reasonable price until the higher resolution stuff (2Mb and over) comes down in price.

- After some testing I decided that the highest resolution (1200 x 900, interpolated) looked much better than 800 x 600 so I'm only taking pictures in this highest resolution.

- As the camera doesn't save (all?) the defaults, every time I switch it on I have to press a button 3 times to go to the highest resolution. (Annoying)

- In highst resolution mode the built-in memory can only store up to 12 photos, so I bought a 64Mb CF memory card... that boosts capacity to 128 photos. (64Mb was probably not necessary []but 32Mb cards were only slightly cheaper)

- If you add CF memory you cannot use the video recording feature (I never intended to use it anyway)

- This camera has a solid feel, and fits nicely in the palm of my hand. I take it everywhere, and I take photos I usually wouldn take with a film camera, (thinking about developing, printing, etc.) once at home I download them using the provided USB cable and keep the ones I like. Quality is still short of that of a film photo, but I can place them quickly, and easily, in a web page for my extended family to see them.

This is a very good camera for its price. The CMOS sensor has 0.5 million pixels and is NOT a true megapixel camera as the name suggests. However you can shoot megapixel images (which it does by interpolating the pixels) and print them in 8x6 size. I haven't tried it yet and there might be pixels visible. The prints come out good in 5x3 (postcard) size though. So if you want an inexpensive digital camera and want prints from that too then this one is the best.

About the quirks.... the camera shuts itself down after 60 sec of inactivity and all the settings are reset to default. After switching it on, the settings have to done all over again. Not to mention the 3 second self-check that it does everytime you switch it on. Big pain!

The viewfinder is bright and has framing guides. But there is no macro mode for close pictures and they all turn out blurred. When using this camera as a webcam make sure you place it at least a meter away.

The picture quality is good considering that it is a CMOS sensor. Use flash liberally to avoid dark pictures. I got best results outdoors.

The bundled software is easy to setup and I got it working in a single attempt. If you have Paint Shop Pro or any other image editing tool that supports TWAIN you need to install only the camera drivers. The camera gets listed in the list of TWAIN sources and you can use your existing software to acquire the pictures.

Overall a good buy. This camera may not replace your regular film camera but is a great accessory when on field trips and to places where you might risk damaging your expensive SLR.

I have had my card for two years and if you are looking for a decent tv tuner for your computer, I would go w/ the Hauppauge Theatre. But. Yes, there is a but. When I got it, it was still relatively new and it was built for the 98/2000 operating systems. Since upgrading to XP I have had minor problems. First, you will have to download a new set of drivers from the website. That isn't an option as there are no xp drivers on the cd (maybe they updated the cd...dunno). Second, I don't know whats up w/ the audio. On 2000, its great, but on XP there are occasional problems like random muting (not too often), and the piercing noise after you close the application. That latter part is so bad that I don't even run the tv card anymore.

Final Assessment: Good card for XP but better for 2000/98 Operating Systems. If the price is still 130.00 - I wouldn't get it. This is an $60-80 at best at this moment.

Hauppauge products work great - 100% stable, great video quality.

I have used the USB version and was fairly happy with it, so I thought going to the PCI card would be enhancement (though I still did not have access to digital inputs). Well, yes and no. The picture is much cleaner and it provides stereo sound. The remote would have been great, but I cannot get it to work. The big disappointments are these. (1) It takes 90% of my 1.8MHz P4 CPU (apparently it is converting the analog signal to digital). What a joke! I had assumed this would be done on the card so that using the computer for other tasks would not occasionally interrupt the video. (2) The digital picture from the analog signal is limited to 640x480. The workarounds on their website don't work well for me (change resolution of the monitor to standard VGA when watching, or reset an option and go into TV mode).

I've been using this card for the past 6 months. This card is much better than the leadtek cards that i've used. It is very stable and picks up all the channels on my cable line. I use dscaler with it because it's a little better than the software that came with it. If you buy this card, you wont be disappointed.

This very light, portable projector is perfect for small conference rooms.

It is easy to set up and connects in a snap to your laptop. Don;t leave home without it!

InFocus Systems, Inc. is one of the leading manufacturers of LCD and DLP projectors. Yet the company is not known for high quality video products. Rather it has traditionally concentrated (very successfully) on the commercial "pie chart and spreadsheet" market. However, of late the company has begun to produce some noteworthy projectors that perform in video as well as they do in data. The LP755 is an outstanding example.

At 9.7 lbs, and with a solid comfortable handle integrated into the casework, the LP755 is intended for use in portable applications. It has a bright 1000 ANSI lumen rating, and is native XGA (1024 x 768) resolution. It is clearly a hybrid, designed for users who want both excellent data and video performance in a portable projector. Owners of the LP755 will be using it for business presentations during the week, and bringing it home for big screen excitement evenings and weekends.

The connection panel offers one each of a composite RCA, S-video, and standard 15-pin VGA port. There is also a second input to accommodate InFocus' proprietary Cable Wizard that enables connection of a second computer, as well as a mouse and audio signal from that computer. Finally there is a jack for an optional wired remote and an external speaker.

The control panel on the LP755 looks good and is intuitively laid out. However the tactile response leaves something to be desired. On our sample unit, buttons needed to be depressed firmly, and even then it sometimes took two or three depressions for the action to register. And the remote control lacked the range of the other three products in this review. During this test the projectors were set at a distance of 15 feet from the screen. The LP755 would not take a bounced signal from the screen at this distance; rather, the remote needed to be pointed at the unit itself. (And by the way, for those of you using a Sony DVP-S7700 DVD player, note that the IR frequency of the Sony's remote is close enough to the LP755 that commands from the Sony remote will scramble settings on the projector.)

Setting the projector up in table-top mode is easy. There is a single spring-tension foot under the front of the unit that extends with the press of a button. You can set the projected image to the desired height, release the button, and the projector remains in position. A manual leveling adjustment on the back of the unit compensates for any tilt in the image.

Observations and Comments

The InFocus LP755 has remarkable video processing logic onboard. It outperformed all three other projectors in the group in standard S-video. The playback of the montage of images in the Video Essentials DVD showed an excellent handling of motion artifacts. Dot crawl was non-existent, and the stadium pan scene was rock solid with not a hint of moiré pattern. In many respects, the LP755's internal image processing is superior to that in the DVDO iScan. In fact, when the DVDO is used to feed a 480p signal into the LP755's PC port, the resulting image is inferior to that available through S-video by itself. Thus, this is one of the few projectors that doesn't need outside help with NTSC.

The LP755 was the second brightest unit in this review, second only to the Mitsubishi. Brightness uniformity was average for an LCD projector, and there was no visible hotspotting.

The LP755 does not have the black level that is attainable with the Davis and Mitsubishi, although it was about on par with the Sony. Shadow detail was lacking in a manner consistent with most LCD products.

As with the Davis CinemaOne, the LP755 is limited in that it does not accept component video, nor is it HDTV compatible. So it doesn't have some of the features that the pure home theater enthusiast is looking for.

Fan noise on this unit is not objectionable. It is slightly more noticeable than the Sony or Mitsubishi, but quieter than the Davis.

Summary

If you need a dual-purpose product that delivers excellent performance for both portable business use as well as standard TV, satellite, and DVD video, the LP755 is worth a very close look. The S-video image from a good DVD player is an exciting and satisfying experience that will inspire the envy of friends and neighbors. For what the LP755 delivers, today's prices are a good value in today's market of lcd projectors.

I've had my player for a little over a month now, and I am largely impressed. It plays CDRs, CDRWs and pre-recorded CDs all quite well, and the sounsd quality is exceptional. Finally I have something to listen to MP3s in my home with some decent quality without being anchored to my computer.

My initial shock was the size of the system - the central section shown in the illustration is not much smaller than a 15" monitor. As such, it does not fit on most bookshelves easily. Have someplace where you have a good 18" of depth available for the unit and all the speaker connections.

For MP3 recorded disks, read time is slow, sometimes up to 80 seconds. This is especially frustrating when you go to play the same disk a day later and have to wait again - you'd think the machine would remember.

The scrolling display indicates song title, and allows you to browse the other ID3 information fairly easily. However the display of any of these indicators appears to be limited to 16 characters, which often makes the feature largely useless, especially as the norm I've experienced is to reserve 5 characters of the title for the track number (i.e. "01 - track"). As many of the CDs I've burnt to MP3 are compilations, it would be nice to have a continuous scrolling track number/artist/title display a la Winamp, limited to at least 64 characters. Similarly it would be nice to be able to see the full Artist/CD Title info without the display cutting it off. That would be my ideal. Again, more on-board memory would help with this.

My biggest complaint, though, is with the tuner. It is simply not possible to manually tune a station without the remote. This is thoroughly inexcusable, and makes the egregiously ill-thought assumption that the remote is used regularly. A remote for a shelf system is almost as useless as one for a car stereo.

I love this system! It's feature packed and looks great where ever you put it. I bought it mostly because I wanted a system that could play my MP3 cds as well as my purchased ones. It's great not having to use my computer to play loads of (my favorite) music on one disc. There is one thing I would like to point out, that the speakers are not as great as they could be. To tell you the truth, my computer speakers are better sounding than these (but then again, my pc speakers did cost me an extra $400. Klipsch Promedia 5.1 :-P ) and so I ended up using those speakers in place of the original Koss ones. Besides one drawback, I would definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for a system with MP3 playback capabilities for their home entertainment purposes. Otherwise, just get a portable cd-mp3 player and plug it into a powerful speaker system.