Guy Low Price Electronic: 9 Jul 2011

Saturday, 9 July 2011

Lcd Wall Mount Bracket - tv mount, tv wall mount

I installed the mount last night and tonight I found my 32" LCD hanging up side down by one of the four plastic supports. All other supports tore open and came free from the screws. The mount comes with massive screws, much bigger than needed to support the weight that the mount is rated for. Why design the mount with such large screws if the plastic supports are so cheap. OmniMount OMF Mounting System for 13 to 42-Inch Flat Panel Televisions (Silver)

Unable to find these mounts in a local store I turned to the internet . Prices varied a lot but amazon was good . I used only two of the mounts to hang a 26 in tv on an RV wall Since I could only hit 1 stud with the screws I used a metal screw in wall anchor 1st in the wall and then installed the supplied mount screw. This would work very well in sheet rock as well. These anchors come in metal or plastic and have real aggressive deep threads about 3/8 outside dia. I plan to use the other two mounts to be able to hang the tv on on the out side under the awning when set up

In a word, WOW! I had been looking for a wall-mount for our 42" LCD since we bought it, and this was a point of contention between my girlfriend and I, since she was bent on thinking that the TV would fall off the wall. The bedroom in our townhouse isn't the biggest, so space is a concern. I didn't need an articulating mount, just something to flush mount my screen in front of the bed.

I originally wanted the Samsung Ultra Slim mount or something similar, but that thing was almost $300 for basically a cable and some screws. After looking around and doing a lot of research (force of habit as I don't like wasting money) I came across the Omnimount and didn't look back. I looked at the video from the site, read over several reviews from many different sites, and went with Amazon, who had the best overall deal.

Install was fairly easy, with the template doing most of the work, and the included drill bit makes this foolproof (now I have an extra). The only actual hard part was placing the TV on the wall with the cables connected to it. You simply match the pattern to your size, drill and screw the brackets in the wall, put the spacers on the back of your tube, and hang it like a picture. I've actually pulled down on my TV to test if it'll stay on the wall, and it won't budge...in drywall! I'm happy, my girlfriend's even happy. If you don't need a movable mount, want strong support and want your flat panel to hang like a picture frame, AND you don't want to spend a lot of money, this is literaly the best way to go.

I can and will definitely recommend the Ommimount to anyone.

Very easy to install. I used this on a small (21") LCD screen for my daughters bedroom. Not sure if I would've used it on a much bigger (heavier) screen, but seems very secure. Installed in a few minutes with no problems whatsoever.

No problem with the strength of the product. I have a 24 LCD TV which is held nicely by this product. No breaking plastic pieces as some other reviews complained of. On draw back is the inability to tilt or swivel, but for our bedroom where the vantage point is consistent, this is not a problem. - Lcd Wall Mount - Lcd Wall Mount Bracket - Tv Mount - Tv Wall Mount'

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Read At Night - book lights, reading light

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This is a great little gadget if you don't mind spending [money]on a light that isn't all that great for either bed side reading or traveling. The way it works is two light emitting diodes are built into the black handle of the unit. They are powered by 4 'AAA' batteries. The light shines through the plastic screen. Thus, much of the light is captured (not really, but it is easier to explain this way) within the plastic panel. When placed over the pages of a book, the light captured in the panel is sufficient to read the page.First, the Pros:-Great Design and well engineered.-Adequate light if you really share a bed with someone who can't stand even the smallest of clip on book lights.Cons:-Expensive. ... -The light weight plastic screen will scratch, as the unit doesn't come with a case. Throw it in a backpack or a briefcase for a few business trips and you are sure to scratch this up. It's best left on the bedside table, ideally in a book as a bookmark or in the box it came in. -Not great for mass market paperbacks. It is a pain to turn the pages and move the light. The smaller the book, as mass market paperbacks are, the more you have to juggle the book and the LightWedge. So, if you read primarily paper backed books or are a very fast reader, it will get annoying to use this product.-The light is adequate; I would not say it is ideal by any means. This book light is not nearly as powerful as the classic Might Bright and thus you may find that your eyes are strained when reading for extended periods of time with this little gadget. LightWedge Reading Light

I decided to buy this book light after being unhappy with the Itty Bitty Book Light. I felt the IBBL did not light up the pages enough, especially if I was reading a hardcover. I have used the Lightwedge now for about 2 months now and I am very happy with it. I find it illuminates the entire page evenly, and it is definitely enough light to read in the dark. Some have complained about the cirlces of light it produces, I have noticed this but after you get used to reading with this product, the circles are no longer noticeable or distracting. Although, you do need to be careful with this because it does scratch rather easily, being plastic. I noticed it had a lot after only using it for a very short time (the reason I gave 4 stars), yet when held against the page, you can not see them except for maybe one or two which are very faint and are not distracting or make it difficult to read at all . It only becomes noticebale when you hold it in the air while it is on. I do recommend keeping it in the box because that is the best way to keep it from getting damaged. I am also looking forward to getting the paperback version- this version is a bit difficult to read with mass market paperbacks- and it comes out late November 2003. The Lightwedge website says August 2003 but I think it was held off. Some websites now have pre-orders for November 28 of this year. If you are looking for a new book light, take a chance on this one!

I do a lot of reading in bed and tried the Itty Bitty Book Light. I could never get it to stay right where I wanted it, and it seemed like the bulbs burned out all the time. LightWedge is really cool! The light is bright white (there's a low setting also), never needs replacing, and it doesn't get hot. Since it lies flat on the page, I thought it might be a pain to have to move it when flipping pages, but it's really light (in weight) and I hardly notice. Actually I kind of like it because when I'm done, I just leave it in the book as a bookmark. It's thin so it doesn't hurt the binding. I highly recommend it. Really neat.

I love this thing! I've been driving my husband nuts for years reading in bed after he goes to sleep. I've tried every other book light out there but they would shine right onto his face. (He's a cuddler.) This light is great because the room stays dark while the page is perfectly lit. Even better, there's no electrical cord or light bulbs to deal with.I'm buying a bunch of these as Christmas gifts!

I think I've tried nearly every book light on the market, since I'm read in bed and my husband doesn't like the lights left on. The Lightwedge book light is the FIRST one that not only keeps his side of the bed nice and dark but illuminates the pages of my books without any harsh glare. It actually looks as though the book pages are lighting themselves, with a nice, even glow and NO distracting overly bright areas. I'm giving these as holiday gifts to all the readers I know. Would be perfect for college students who have room mates yet need to stay up late studying.

If you read, you will love this high-tech but low-maintenance gadget. If you know someone who reads, it's a wonderful gift. It's perfect for anyone who reads in bed (while someone else is trying to sleep), on a train, bus, airplane, or in a dark car (while of course someone else is trying to drive). The side-lit pane lights up the whole page, not just annoying bits and pieces like other lights. It doesn't get hot, and it's light enough to use as a bookmark and carry around in your current book. - Book Lights - Reading Light - Lightwedge - Read At Night'

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Camera Accessories

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After searching around for the perfect bag for my Canon Powershot S1, I found this one. The main compartment features a moveable divider which makes a perfect fit for the camera and a Panasonic BQ-390 charger. There are also several pockets for accessories, 2 side pockets, one front pocket, one lid pocket. Material is very high quality, and I like the cushioned grip on top of the bag. All and all a well designed bag from Lowepro. I highly recommend it. Lowepro Edit 110 Camcorder Bag

I was looking for a compact camera bag for my new Canon SX10IS - it seemed most were excessively bulky and purpose-built for larger full-sized DSLRs, or there was the leather one made specifically for the SX10IS by Canon, but it doesn't have a strap or any pockets for spare batteries / memory card.

This well padded Lowepro Edit 110 camcorder bag however is ideal. It's a very snug fit for the SX10IS, but the additional pockets provide space for a spare set of batteries, mem card, and even the cord for d/loading pics to a PC or printer. I can't see ever attaching it to my belt with the provided belt loop, but the shoulder strap is comfortable and the bag compact enough to not hamper movement.

The bag is very well made, extremely well-padded, water resistant, and can be closed with either a zip, or just by using the velcro fastener alone if you are wanting quick access. At just under $20 when I purchased it, this is an awesome deal.

Lowepro is famous for professional camera bags, but this bag proves it. The Lowepro Edit 110 is so spacious that you can probably fit just about any camera. The bag was meant for the latest models of small video cameras, but I'm using it for my Kodak EasyShare Z650 camera. It's one of those still digital cameras that has a reasonably big lens. I needed a bag that's not too big with wasted space, but not one that is too small to fit the camera and other accessories like cables and SD cards in it.

The main compartment has a foam divider that can be moved and velcroed to what ever size you want the items inside to be divided. I placed my camera on one side and an extra small lens on the other. The cover of the bag, on the inside, has a little zippered mesh compartment where I placed a couple of cables. On either side of the bag, on the outside, there is a velcro ear-flap compartment where you can store extra SD cards. The front of the bag, hidden behind the cover flap, is a zippered meshed compartment (really flat) where you can keep IDs or something flat in it. My camera came with a flat docking insert, so I put that in there.

What I like most about the camera bag is that you can zip the main compartment up or velcro it shut. This option makes the bag very convenient. If I know I'm going to take the camera in and out of the bag often, I just velcro it, and I have easy access. This allows me to take the camera out quickly for a picture that I would otherwise miss if I fumble around to get the camera out. If I plan on not using the bag much, and I want to secure the camera, then I can zip it up, especially to protect it from the rain.

The bag comes with a carrying handle on top and a strap for your shoulder. If neither of them is enough for you, you can also carry it on your waist belt because it has a velcro strap on the back of the bag that allows your belt to slide through it.

The Lowepro Edit 110 is very well designed. I recommend it for any one who has a slightly bulky digital camera or a compact video camera. The main compartment has an interior full size of 4" in height x 3" in width x 6" in length. Hope you'll enjoy the bag.

This bag is very compact, but it can take just about all you need. Got it for my Canon ZR700 camcorder. I can fit in it the camcorder, my Digicam Fujifilm E550, 8 AA batteries and remote controler in front pocket, 2 DVC cassettes in the 2 side pockets and extra memory cards in the inside pocket. If i take out the digicam i can carry the power and video cables of the camcorder in that space. This bag is well made, it protects your equipments very well. I had used Lowepro bags earlier and they have shown to be high quality products.

Edit: Got a new Fujifilm Finepix S5200 DSLR like camera and it fit just right in this bag, it's like it was made for this camera. Of course, only the camera can be inside the bag, no space for other digicam, camcorder or accesories. Maybe some filfers at most.

Bought this bag to use with my Canon HF100, and it fits perfectly. Can carry all of the accessories that come with the camera plus a few memory cards and an extra battery or two.

Extremely well made, tough materials, and makes me feel very confident that my expensive camcorder is protected. A great value!

Took the camera bag on vacation and it came in very handy. I carried both my camcorder and my regular camera in the bag. It has plenty of pockets for storage and the main space inside is flexible (has a divider you can place where ever you want) so you can secure cameras however you wish.'

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Canon Camcorder - hf10, canon camcorder

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I bought this book to go with my HF S100. As compared to the owner's manual, which several reviewers have done, it is definitely more colorful and of better quality. That should be no surprise to anyone who has a Canon manual; they're clearly low-cost publications that are basic at best.

Things to note about this book:

1. Very high quality; easy to read; well laid out.

2. Since it covers a number of different VIXIA models, you'll find a lot of "wasted" pages. If it was, for example, tailored to only my model, it would probably have about a third less pages. Then again, it wouldn't be as marketable to such a large audience and would not sell as well. I spend a lot of time flipping pages trying to find the section pertinent to my particular model.

3. You'll still need your Canon manual. I wanted to check how to format the SD card inside my camera, and when I finally found mention of this within the book, it told me to refer to the manual that came with the camera. Huh?

4. A lot of information within the book pertains to shooting video in general (shot composition, types of microphones, etc) and not how to use the VIXIA specifically. I would prefer to have it only focused on the technical aspects of my camcorder in greater detail, but maybe that's just me.

5. I would have liked to have seen more information explaing the various settings that are available for video resolution and frames per second, with the pros and cons for each.

Lastly, although the book is very well designed and colorful, I find myself taking the manual that came with my camcorder with me on trips/outings and leaving this book at home. Although the manual is very basic with no color photos, it does include the answer to most every "how to" or "what's that button for?" question I come up with, whereas this book doesn't. Plus, it only gives me information for MY camcorder model. The manual is also much smaller and therefore easier to travel with. I feel much safer having it with me to use as a practical "go-to" guide as opposed to this "field guide." Canon VIXIA HD Camcorder Digital Field Guide

I bought this book for my HG20, and it delivers. This Guide should be shipped with the camera, because what good is knowing that a camera has a certain function if you don't know how to apply it to everyday shooting? This book does a great job showing you why and when you would use your camera's features. It also explains what the camera can't do very well, and gives you solutions. This book is also quite comprehensive on the functions of the cameras. My instruction manual is in the trash.

I talked my local library into ordering this book and I am certainly glad I did. The book is very informative, gave me great information I didn't know, and useful information on subjects I thought I already new well.

The information on lighting and manual settings for my HF11 were especially helpful. My only complaint is that for a given setting, the author does not cover the differences between the different camera UIs. So a little extra searching on my part to find the where the settings were on my camera was necessary.

I found this book to be the easiest way to learn my camera. The instruction manual that came with the camera gives insight into nothing. This book tackles features one at a time and delivers clear and concise explanations born from the authors own experience as a professional videographer. Canon should put this book in the box.

I'm a teacher and my students use the Canon VIXIA cameras to gather their news stories. I have started using this book to help my students learn to use the cameras and for lessons in videography. This is a very thorough field guide for each camera and is not based on theory. The author actually shows you which buttons to push and explains when you would use a feature in the field. This is very important for my students. The section on sound has already improved the overall quality of their videos, by showing which internal settings to adjust, and how to properly use mic accessories in the field. We use the HF11, HG21, and HV30 and I found the explanations for each camera to be seamless. This book is very helpful.

Lonzell Watson's latest addition to Wiley's "Digital Field Guide" series is an easy-to-read and informative guide to using the new Canon VIXIA HD camcorder. Watson's chapters are neatly organized with bullet points, tips and lots of pictures. I especially liked the "cross reference" tabs throughout that point you to different chapters where a topic, mentioned in passing, is covered in-depth.

The Quick Tour up front will get you oriented right away. And for those new to videography altogether, chapter 4 is a great, basic primer on how to compose, white-balance and adjust your images for better results. If you want to capture nature/wildlife in particular, be sure to check out the section in chapter 3 on continuous shooting (you can move easily between still and video capture with this camera). Another plus: Watson details exactly what the various VIXIA models in the series can and can't do, so if you have an HF10 or an HR10, you're covered.

Anyone who owns a VIXIA should definitely own this book!

Beth Marchant

Editor-in-Chief

Studio/monthly

[...] - Canon - Hf10 - Canon Camcorder - Camcorder'

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Nervous System - neuroscience

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Out of the blue my completely healthy 12 year old son went unconscious, fell to the floor and started having what I now know is called a tonic-clonic (or grand mal) seizure. After a week of extensive testing and several doctor visits he was diagnosed with Primary Generalized Epilepsy. Like most parents I HAD to know more---how does this happen, what exactly goes on in the brain leading up to a seizure, what do the antiepileptic drugs do to his body, etc. This was the first book I found on the disease and it has really helped me gain a better understanding of what's happening with my son. It does get a little technical, which I liked & with my modest "medical" type background I had no problem following it. (I took several anatomy & physiology classes which probably helped me with that!) I'm now in search of a book that will explain it in terms my SON will understand... Living Well with Epilepsy and Other Seizure Disorders: An Expert Explains What You Really Need to Know

Albeit a few years old, Bazil presents an informative overview of the various conditions (which I do not personally consider a "disease"), although I wish he had discussed memory loss in greater detail. The text stresses working with the diagnosing specialist and gives a general overview of the drug treatments generally prescribed in 2004, including the still prescribed and apparently effective Keppra. As with any medication, a close read of the pharmacy paperwork, a serious discussion with the physicians concerning side effects and drug interactions is certainly in order. Good management of the condition is obviously imperative to the patient's physical and mental health. Readers may also find the general, albeit also dated, publication "Partial Seizure Disorder" by Waltz to be of interest. In addition to web information, periodic subject searches on Amazon for more current information is also in order.

This is an excellent book and helps you deal with the brain disease of a loved one. I read this book because my wife of 21 years suffers from epilepsy.

She was first diagnosed with it about 20 years ago, while I was an Army officer assigned to Germany. She only had one seizure then and the doctors said it was probably stress-induced, so she reduced her stress levels. She did not go on any medication then. The book talks about this type of seizure and how many people in this scenario will only experience one seizure in their lifetime.

She remained seizure free until about two years later when we moved back to the states. The stress of the move, coupled with two new babies (they are 14 months apart) triggered her to have another one. And then another one 3 days after that. She started having seizures every few days. One seizure even occurred while she was driving down the interstate with our two kids in the backseat in their car seats. She luckily could feel it coming on, pulled the car over, put the car in "Park", then had the seizure. The book discusses this phenomenon and I understand it better now.

The book also talks a lot about medications available. In my wife's case, the doctors were able to successfully stop the seizures by putting her on the anti-seizure drug called Tegretol. She still takes it religiously 3 times a day.

The book also talks about the history of epilepsy. How the churches have been telling everyone for 2000 years that it is caused by "demon possession". And about how in many parts of the world the churches are still doing this practice. I can understand this mistake. I mean, if you can't explain a phenomenon truthfully, why not just make something up, like "demon possession"? And then tell all your constituents that you better get in here so you don't get it, too! After all, it just makes good business sense. And their offerings went way up, after this little fib.

And it's really no big deal except that the "aura" of it still lives on today here in the US. That's why we haven't been able to tell our 18 year old daughter's boyfriend that her mommy suffers from epilepsy.

My wife has been seizure free for the last 4 years. But over this past weekend she was staying in a rental house with the family to celebrate her brother's wedding. With the stress from our daughter going off to college in a few weeks, along with my wife being in that wedding, she had another stress-induced seizure Saturday night. She woke up in the middle of the night in that rental house, and ran to what she thought was the bathroom. But she was confused and mistakenly ran into the room where our daughter's boyfriend was sleeping alone. She proceeded to have a seizure attack and fell and broke her ankle. This one was a little different from the other seizures she has had. With this one, she not only urinated herself like all the others, but she also defecated herself this time. All in front of our daughters' just awoken, startled and freaked-out boyfriend. Needless to say, she missed the wedding.

To some, this all might seem funny. But it's not all that funny if you are actually living it. And to the churches, I want to especially thank you all for the added "stigma stress" that she must also endure. Caused by your naked lies. And don't get me wrong, for I am a Christian, and a member of the Methodist church for which I have great respect. But you all have a reckless disregard for all of us who suffer from brain diseases, and you increase our suffering.

This book discusses this stigma. Caused by our churches. I just discussed it a little bit, too.

I believe a unified public apology from all our churches is needed. I hope and pray for this everyday. - Neuroscience'

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Kindle Devices - ebook reader, kindle 3

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When I wrote this review last August, there was only one Nook, which is now called "Nook First Edition." It continues to be available, but there are two new Nooks. The Nook Color was introduced last fall - it's basically a tablet computer, and runs the Android software that is popular on many smartphones nowadays. It's twice as heavy and costs twice as much as a Kindle, but compared to other tablet computers, it is a very good value.

And now (early June 2011), a new e-ink based Nook is coming out. It's called the "Nook Simple Touch." It is just now starting to ship, so obviously I don't have one and can't tell you anything about it that you can't learn by reading online reviews. But the reviews are very favorable, so if you're considering a Kindle, you should take a look at the new Nook Simple Touch, too.

But the Kindle is nonetheless still a compelling option. It's a mature product, very well designed and easy to use, performance is very zippy, it's competitively priced, and no e-ink based reader has a better, more readable display than the Kindle, not even the new Nook Simple Touch. Also, the Kindle universe is quite extensive: the Kindle store is great and has many thousands of free e-books as well as good deals on most other e-books, and once purchased, you can read your Kindle books on nearly any device you own (computer, phone, tablet), not just your Kindle. And there are tons of great cases and other accessories for the Kindle.

So, while my review compares the Kindle to the older Nook, I'll leave it here because it has a ton of information about the Kindle, a great e-reader that deserves your attention, and because the original Nook continues to be available. That said, I urge you to NOT buy the original Nook. It was a respectable e-reader when it came out in 2009, and still had some value when I wrote about it in August 2010, but it is clearly inferior by today's standards.

------------ my original review --------------

If you're trying to choose between a Nook and a Kindle, perhaps I can help. My wife and I have owned a Nook (the original one), a Kindle 2, and a Kindle DX. When Amazon announced the Kindle 3 this summer, we pre-ordered two Kindle 3's: the wi-fi only model in graphite, and the wi-fi + 3G model in white. They arrived in late August and we have used them very regularly since then. For us, Kindle is better than Nook, but Nook is a good device with its own advantages that I will discuss below. I'll end this review with a few words about the Nook Color.

First, reasons why we prefer the Kindle:

* Speed

In our experience, the Kindle is very zippy compared to the Nook. Page refresh speed (the time it takes a new page to appear after you push the page-turn button) was WAY quicker on Kindle 2 than on Nook, and it's quicker yet on Kindle 3. Yet, I read a whole book on the Nook and didn't find the slower page refresh to be annoying - you get used to it, and it's not a problem.

For me, the more important speed difference concerns navigation - moving the cursor around the screen, for example to pick a book from your library, or to jump to a chapter by selecting it in the table of contents. On Kindle, you do this by pushing a 5-way rocker button, and the cursor moves very quickly. On Nook, you do this by activating the color LCD touchscreen (which normally shuts off when not in use, to conserve battery). A "virtual rocker button" appears on the screen, and you touch it to move the cursor. Unfortunately, the Nook cursor moves very sluggishly. This might not be a big deal to you, but it really got annoying to me, especially since my wife's Kindle was so quick and responsive.

In November 2010, Nook got a software upgrade that increases page refresh speed and makes navigation more responsive. I returned my Nook months ago, so I cannot tell you if the Nook's performance is now equal to the Kindle's, but Nook owners in the comments section have convinced me that the software update improves the experience of using the Nook. If performance is a big factor in your decision, visit a Best Buy and compare Kindle and Nook side by side.

* Screen contrast

You've seen Amazon's claims that the Kindle 3 e-ink has 50% better contrast than Kindle 2 or other e-ink devices. I have no way of precisely measuring the improvement in contrast, but I can tell you that the Kindle 3 display definitely has more contrast than Kindle 2 or Nook. The difference is noticeable, and important: more screen contrast means less eyestrain when reading in poorly lit rooms.

In well-lit rooms, the Nook and Kindle 2 have enough contrast to allow for comfortable reading. But I often read in low-light conditions, like in bed at night, or in a poorly lit room. In these situations, reading on Nook or Kindle 2 was a bit uncomfortable and often gave me a mild headache. When I got the Kindle 3, the extra contrast was immediately noticeable, and made it more comfortable to read under less-than-ideal lighting conditions. (If you go with a Nook, just make sure you have a good reading lamp nearby.)

* Battery life

The Nook's color LCD touch screen drains its battery quickly - I could never get more than 5 days out of a charge. The Kindle 2 had longer battery life than the Nook, and Kindle 3 has even longer life: in the 3 months since we received our Kindle 3's, we typically get 3 weeks of battery life between charges. (We keep wireless off about half the time to save battery power.)

* Weight

Nook weighs about 3 ounces more than the new Kindle, and you can really feel the difference. Without a case, Nook is still light enough to hold in one hand for long reading sessions without fatigue. But in a case, Nook is a heavy sucker. The new Kindle 3 is so light, even in a case, we find it comfortable holding in one hand for long reading sessions.

Reasons some people might prefer the Nook:

* In-store experience

If you need help with your nook, you can take it to any barnes and noble and get a real human to help. You can take your nook into the coffee shop section of your local B&N store and read any book for free for up to one hour per day. When you take your nook to B&N, some in-store special deals and the occasional free book pop up on your screen.

* User-replaceable battery

Rechargeable batteries eventually lose their ability to hold a charge. Nook's battery is user-replaceable and relatively inexpensive. To replace Kindle's battery, Amazon wants you to ship your Kindle to Amazon, and they will ship you back a DIFFERENT Kindle than the one you sent (it's the same model, for example if you send a white Kindle 3, you get a white Kindle 3 back, but you get a "refurbished" one, NOT the exact one you sent them). I don't like this at all.

However, several people have posted comments here that have eased my concerns. Someone looked up statistics on the Kindle's battery and did some simple calculations to show that it should last for 3 or more years. Before that happens, I will surely have upgraded to a newer Kindle model by then. Also, someone found some companies that sell Kindle batteries at reasonable cost and have how-to videos that demonstrate how we can replace the battery ourselves. Doing this would void the Kindle's warranty, but the battery will probably not fail until long after the warranty expires.

[update June 2011: The batteries in the Nook Color and Nook Simple Touch are not replaceable, but the battery in the original Nook is.]

* ePub

Nook uses the ePub format, a widely used open format. Amazon uses a proprietary ebook format. Many libraries will "lend" ebooks in the ePub format, which works with nook but not kindle. However, a free and reputable program called Calibre allows you to translate ebooks from one format to another - it supports many formats, including ePub and Kindle. The only catch is that it doesn't work with copy-protected ebooks, so you can't, for example, buy a Kindle book (which is copy protected) and translate it to ePub so you can read it on a Nook.

* Nook's color LCD touchscreen

The original Nook has a small color LCD screen on the bottom for navigation. This could be a pro or con, depending on your preferences. It makes the Nook hipper and less drab than Kindle. Some people enjoy using the color LCD to view their library or navigate. I did, at first. But after two weeks of use, and comparisons with my wife's Kindle, I found the dedicated buttons of the Kindle easier and far quicker to use than the Nook's color touchscreen. I also found the bright light from the color screen distracting when I was trying to read a book or newspaper (though when not in use, it shuts off after a minute or so to conserve battery).

* expandable capacity

Nook comes with 2GB of internal memory. If you need more capacity, you can insert a microSD card to add up to 16GB more memory. Kindle comes with 4GB of internal memory - twice as much as Nook - but there's no way to expand that. Kindle doesn't accept memory cards of any type. If you mainly use your device to read ebooks and newspapers, this shouldn't be an issue. I have over 100 books on my Kindle, and I've used only a tiny fraction of the memory. Once Kindle's memory fills up, just delete books you don't need immediate access to; you can always restore them later, in seconds, for free.

A few other notes:

Kindle and Nook have other features, such as an MP3 player and a web browser, but I caution you to have low expectations for these features. The MP3 player on the Kindle is like the first-generation iPod shuffle - you can't see what song is playing, and you can't navigate to other songs on your device. I don't like the browser on either device; e-ink is just not a good technology for surfing the web; it's slower and clunkier than LCD screen technology, so even the browser on an Android phone or iPod touch is more enjoyable to use. However, some commenters have more favorable views of either device's browser, and you might, too.

* ebook lending

If you have a Nook or a Kindle, you can "lend" an ebook you purchased to someone else with the same device for up to two weeks. The Nook has always had this feature. The Kindle just got this feature as of December 2010. Most but not all purchased ebooks are lendable, due to publisher restrictions.

* PDF support

Kindle and Nook both handle PDF files, but in different ways. When you put a PDF file on your nook, nook converts it into an ebook-like file, then you can adjust the font size, and the text and pagination will adjust just like with any ebook. But you cannot see the original PDF file in the native format in which it was created. Kindle 3 and Kindle DX have native support for PDF files. You can see PDF files just as they would appear on your computer. You can also convert PDF files to an ebook-like format, and then Kindle handles them just the way the Nook handles them - text and pagination adjust when you change the font size. Unfortunately, some symbols, equations, and graphics get lost or mangled in the translation - even when viewing PDF files in their native format on the Kindle. Moreover, the small screen size of the Kindle 3 and the Nook is not great for PDF files, most of which are designed for a larger page size. You can zoom and pan, but this is cumbersome and tiresome. Thanks to commenters who suggested viewing PDF files in landscape mode on the Kindle (I don't know if you can do this on Nook); this way, you can see the entire top half of the page without panning, and then scroll down to the bottom half. This works a little better.

SUMMARY:

Nook and Kindle each offer their own advantages. We like the nook's user-replaceable battery, compatibility with ePub format, and in-store experience. But we strongly prefer Kindle 3 because its performance is zippier, its higher-contrast screen is easier to read, and it's smaller and lighter so it is more portable and more comfortable to hold in one hand for long reading sessions.

* Nook Color

Everything I wrote about the Nook in this review applies to the original Nook (which continues to be available), not the new Nook Color. To me, the Nook Color is in a different product category than the Kindle or original Nook. Nook Color has an LCD screen, like an iPad or most computer monitors. That's a big disadvantage for people like me, who get headaches from reading a computer screen for long periods of time. Amazon's Kindle product page has an informative section on e-ink vs. LCD displays.

But many people don't have problems reading from computer screens, and the Nook Color is getting glowing reviews in the press and by owners. For the money, it offers a lot of functionality such as a good web browser and the ability to play games and watch movies. But keep in mind: it costs a lot more than the Kindle, it weighs nearly twice as much, it doesn't come in a 3G version, and (unlike the original Nook) the Nook Color doesn't have a user replaceable battery. Kindle, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology - Wi-fi - Ebook Reader - Kindle 3 - Ebook'

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Raymond Weil

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I have always dreamed of owning a really stunning watch and this Raymond Weil watch made my dreams come true. It is absolutely gorgeous and I would rate this purchase as my "purchase of the year". It is perfect in every detail and looks a million dollars. I feel very pleased with myself for having bought it at such a great price too - in fact I would go so far as to say I feel a certain sense of smugness. Raymond Weil Women's 9440-STS-97081 Parsifal Two-Tone Mother-Of-Pearl Diamond Dial Watch

I love collecting watches and this is my favorite one! Rarely does it come off my arm. Beautiful and classy watch - perfect for everyday wear or just as a dress watch. The two-tone band and diamonds go with everything. I highly recommend this watch.'

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Wireless Printer - wireless, wireless printer

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This printer satisfies every gripe I have about printers. Usually there's some quality about one that makes you say, "It would have been perfect, but if only it didn't have this one problem." Each aspect of this printer is as good or better than pretty much all other printers out there at this time. And I'm a person who is relentless when it comes to researching products before buying them for myself.

Resolution: It goes up to 1200x1200, which is the highest out there currently. 1200x1200 is best for text. But it also does 2400x600, which is typically better for graphics. Most other laser printers only do up to 2400x600.

Toner: Cheap! You can pick up "compatible" cartridges for $30 now which will last 8000 pages. This is the cheapest of any printer I've seen. Other printers (such as HP) cost $70 for 2000-3000 pages even with a "compatible" cartridge.

Print quality: Excellent. I used a magnifying glass to try to detect any imperfections in text or graphics but didn't find much. No white raster lines, "jaggies", smudging, bleeding, noise or random dots printed anywhere. Large black rectangles are solid and consistent. Gray scale patterns didn't appear to have any defects.

Memory: 32MB. Most other laser printers only do up to 8MB currently. You need memory if you want to do full-page graphics. It lets you expand memory by adding an inexpensive ($30 new) 512MB memory card. Many printers don't even allow expansion, or they force you to buy their own special memory cards at a huge price.

Paper: Doesn't jam. Easy to load. Has a manual feeder also. Allows 2 extra paper feeders if you want. Most printers don't allow that.

Duplex mode: Fast, easy to use, saves paper. I'll never buy another printer without it.

Paper curl: You wouldn't notice it unless you were specifically looking for it. Barely detectable even with duplex mode printing and cheap paper. Even envelopes print with hardly any curl.

Rear output tray: Has it! Many printers don't. Its predecessor model didn't. This "straight out the back" mode allows you to print envelopes, cards, and special paper without ever bending it if you really want perfection.

On/Off switch: Has one! I mention this because many printers don't. Without one, a printer is left on all the time, which uses 10 watts of power (not much, but still) and reduces product lifetime somewhat.

Lifetime: The predecessor model (HL-5250DN) has great reviews. People said they're still using it 3 years later. The HL-5370DW has just about the same design, and I expect it will last a while. Not a cheap, throw-away printer like you often see.

Networking: Haven't tried it. But it has it, and it will become very useful when I get a wireless laptop to add to my existing desktop PC (both will need to share it).

Languages: It speaks both Postscript 3 and PCL. That guarantees it will be compatible with any OS out there, even older ones. And since it doesn't use "host based" language like cheaper printers do, it won't eat up your CPU and slow things down during printing.

In conclusion, this is a well-designed, high quality printer with low long-term operating costs, and I'm completely satisfied. I'll add an update to this review if I ever encounter problems with it.

- Steve Brother HL-5370DW Laser Printer with Wireless Networking and Duplex

This little boy is excellent. And you can't beat it for the price too. Also extremely easy to set up.

I am coming from an HP LaserJet, also 30 papers per minute. So I was comparing it to the HP when I shopped.

My HP, while it served me good, was not as sharp black as the Brother is. I like the print results from the Brother much better. Plus, the Brother have settings whether you're printing text only, graphics, general, or office documents, in addition you can choose "manual" and tweak the settings yourself to your liking. I also like that the size of the printer is pretty small.

The HP was a little faster from sleep mode (like 8 seconds), while the Brother 5370 takes approx. 14 seconds. Not a biggie. The processor was faster in the HP, but 99% of the time you won't notice the difference. Once it starts printing, it spits out papers like crazy. Very fast. One important note, though: The fast 32 ppm is only if you are printing in 600 dpi mode. If you need the higher quality 1200 dpi mode, print speed will be down by half! But there again, 99% of the time the 600 dpi is more than enough. Some higher quality graphics may require 1200 dpi, though.

Printing envelopes thru the multi-purpose paper tray is very good, and they're not getting curled (like many old Brothers did) as long as you open the rear output tray. It can not print thru the regular printing area (if you do, it will still print, but envelopes will get wrinkled). I miss the HP in that area. It's much less cumbersome.

The printer is quite noisy. But most fast laser printers are noisy.

The duplexer worked beautifully. You just select "Duplex" or "Booklet", and the printer does the rest. Very good job with that.

I did not use the wireless networking, but from the manual it seems to be a little complicated. Also from the manual, is the following: "...Although the printer can be used in both, wired & wireless network, only ONE of the connections methods can be used at a time..." So keep that in mind if you want to use both.

I would suggest the following improvements, if Brother is interested to listen:

- Make it quieter;

- Add a little high-quality display instead of all the lamps (also miss from my HP - all cheap inkjet have'em today!);

- If out of paper, it should beep, so I know to add paper (optional - not everyone will like beeps);

- Enable the multi-purpose paper tray to be opened with one hand (like my HP), not force me to use both hands.

Overall, though, it is a pleasure to use. Highly recommended.

**UPDATE**

I contacted Brother to help me setup wireless network. I must say I am amazed at the support I got. I can't recall if I ever had such a good experience with any other company! No waiting, knowledgeable staff, and helped me in less than minutes! And it works like a charm! - Wireless Printer - Duplex - Monochrome - Wireless'

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Portable Radio - boombox, emerson

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I bought this CD player for it's size. We use it on our kitchen, where it fits nicely on a shelf.

Aside from being a space saver, there isn't much to say about this unit. It plays CDs fine and hasn't had any trouble playing discs I've burned using iTunes. Being able to see the disc spinning is kind of cool.

There are only two things I don't really like about this player: the AM/FM radio tuner and the volume control. The radio tuner is not digital, so you have to manually tune in a station every time you want to listen to the radio. It does seem to get pretty good reception though. The volume doesn't go up very high. Don't get me wrong, it's loud enough, it's just not loud enough for me to hear well from the other room. Of course, some might see this as a positive thing.

Overall, I would recommend this CD player if all you need are bare bones CD player functions. Emerson PD5098 Portable Radio CD Player

I was quite disappointed with this product. I have owned other Emerson products in the past, and usually their products are of decent quality. The design and footprint were very nice, but the product didn't function as it should. I found that CD's (in good condition) will skip when the player has been playing for an extended period of time. Mine was playing steadily for about an hour or two when the CD's started skipping. I switched CD's twice, and the skipping just got worse.

Great sound and doesn't skip. Works great next to your bed because of the way it is designed it does not take up a lot of space.

The only thing it doesn't do is play mp3's.

If it did I would buy ten of them.

This is really a nice machine.

Buy one, you won't be sorry.

On a recent weekend getaway, when my wife and I arrived at the hotel I realized I'd neglected to pack one of our portable radio/CD players. Plenty of CD's but no player. Oh well. The radio, I figured, would have to do. I switched on the clock radio by the bed. It only got one FM station, got it rather poorly I might add and it was a country music station to boot. (pun intended) Nothing against all you C & W music fans out there but that music just isn't our cup of tea (cup of grits?) so we drove over to the local __Mart (oooh! good guess!!) to pick up a cheap FM radio. I already have two portable radio/CD players at home, expensive ones, and didn't need another. I just wanted something we could listen to that weekend, a cheap FM radio, a throw-away if you will. Was I ever surprised to find that for about the same price as we'd paid for breakfast that morning I could buy the Emerson PD5098 Portable CD System! In spite of poor in-room radio reception, as evidenced by the sorry little clock radio, the FM stations came through on the Emerson clear as a bell. Our CD's, even ones I'd recorded on two different PC's, played flawlessly. Is this unit a throw-away? No. No way. Being way smaller, lighter, cheaper and much easier to pack and to carry than our old ones it is now our official traveling radio/CD player. Will I use it every day? No. We'll only use it when we travel. It'll probably last forever! Did the three inch speaker do the trick? Yep, it sounded great and we could hear our tunes just fine even over the noise of the whirlpool tub jets and the sound of all the moaning. (Let's get our mind out of the gutter, shall we? The moaning came mostly from me. When I knocked the bottle over. And spilled the last half of the champagne.) Will I break down and cry uncontrollably (like with the champagne) if I ever accidently leave the unit behind somewhere? No. I'll miss it but at such a reasonable price I won't miss it for long. I'll quickly purchase another Emerson PD5098 to replace it. Good job, Emerson. Nice size. Nice sound. Nice price.

I've owned this unit for three years and it works flawlessly. The CDs don't ever skip, even when I move the unit. It has exceptionally good sound though the maximum volume could be a bit more powerful. I basically bought the unit for its portable size and smart design. It takes up little space on my nightstand or kitchen counter or out on the patio table and loading a disk is a snap. The radio tuner has good reception and it doesn't bother me that it isn't digital. However, I do wish it was a stereo unit. Its compact size, I don't think, would suffer terribly if another speaker were attached on the other side. The outlet for the detachable electrical cord is recessed and unobtrusive. It's built solidly yet it's light-weight. For the money you can't beat this unit but does any one know if Emerson has an upgrade stereo version of this item? If so, I'd buy ten of 'em!

There are 2 versions of this unit.

The first is what most people are reviewing.

It is distinguished by a red LED CD display.

This version was subpar and sold up until the end of 2006.

In 2007 the second version is distinguished by an LCD CD display.

The build quality is much better as well as the sound.

Apparently Emerson switched manufacturers as both unit s have different OEM

codes on the ID plates.

I have both versions and this is how I know this.

The first one I purchased at Walmart in December 2006 and it stopped reading cd's.

I returned it about a month later and received the second version.

The store had to have received new shipments and even the box looked different.

What a difference!

Much much better. And a bargain for $20 too!

Is it a high end model? heck no! but for the price it's good. - Emerson - Cd Player - Boombox - Portable Radio'

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Romantic Comedy - liv tyler, george carlin

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Jersey Girl is something new for writer/director/star Kevin Smith and, opening to credits, it's his first big-name all-"serious" flick, and it's wonderful. 10/10 material, in this reviewer's opinion. As stated elsewhere, this movie would have been box office gold if not for the media circus surrounding "Bennifer" before its release.

Jersey Girl stars Ben Affleck as Oliver Trinke (Trink-ee), a successful young publicist who falls in love with Jennifer Lopez (er, her character Gertrude Steiney). Tragedy ensues, and not to spoil the moment, but Affleck must raise their daughter as a single parent. Trinke's stress at having to be a single parent drives him to explode at work during a critical press conference, and he loses his job. Now depressed by both the loss of his job and his single parent status, Trinke must find a way to deal with life and love once again as he seeks out a new place for himself in the world.

Liv Tyler makes a splendid performance as a sort of love interest for Ollie, and it's a credit to Smith that Tyler looks so good. Somehow, he made all the makeup artists calm down and just let Tyler look like her natural self- it's a breath of fresh air, and goes a long way to showing how down to earth this movie really is. Look out for Will Smith in a wonderful cameo that's set up perfectly by events in the movie, and George Carlin in the most endearing role I've ever seen him in. There are actually a few near- tearjerker moments delivered by Carlin, a sort of range I've never seen from him before.

But the movie is really about Ollie's (Affleck's) relationship with his child Gertrude ("Gertie")- played by the amazing Raquel Castro. Castro is amazing in her role, and looks perfect as the offspring of Affleck and Lopez- something few movies of this sort ever manage. She's adorable, and she's perfect in her part. Also look out for baby Gertie. I usually HATE this sort of 'chick flick' movie in general, but I was cooing out loud at the wonderfully cute moments in this flick. Again, no spoilers, but there's one scene in particular with baby Gertie and Affleck that won't leave a dry eye in the house, nor fail to put a smile on each and every face. Cinema gold.

Many people will comment that the ideas in this movie are rehashed. A father feels out of place raising kid alone, father tries to get back to his life, conflict arises, ho-hum. But there's something more to that- this story doesn't just recycle ideas, it uses them. Sure, the plot elements have been seen before, but what movie doesn't? You know the action hero's going to get the girl, and you know he'd going to save the day, but you pay for a movie ticket because you want to be entertained on the way there. This movie accomplishes that in spades.

In short: Lots of the performances in this movie should have been Oscar contenders in this reviewer's opinion, even if this flick really is just a light family story in the end (baby Gertie scene!). Affleck demonstrates that his bad name in the press really is undeserved, and Raquel Castro is the perfect daughter to Affleck's Trinke. Marred by Bennifer, and disrespected by former Smith loyals who expected something more crude, this flick may never see the credit that it deserves. Do yourself a favor, round up the kids/spouse/signifigant other, and enjoy this dazzling flick with a box of Kleenex handy. Truly amazing. Jersey Girl

This is a comedy that does not present the viewer with novel ideas and that does not use innovative ways to make us laugh. But, even though the plot may be trite, the outstanding Raquel Castro, in her role of Gertie, gives a freshness to this film that makes it worth watching. This little girl captivates the hearts of the viewers, and allows us to enjoy the time spent on this otherwise average comedy.

Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) is a successful New York publicist working for the music industry. One day he meets Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez), a serious business woman, who right away makes him fall for her. Everything happens quickly; Ollie takes Gertrude to Jersey to meet his father (George Carlin) and then asks her to marry him, getting her pregnant that same night. Things are going great, the couple is in love, they keep up with their busy lives and they are fashionably late for every event they have to participate in. Everything turns south though when Gertrude dies after an aneurysm she carried ruptures during labor.

Ollie cannot deal with the situation and asks his father, Bart, to take care of the baby. But Bart is not willing to keep it up for long, and Ollie finds himself with a baby under his care and out of a job. That is when he decides to be the best father in the world, and seven years later he is working sweeping the streets of Jersey with his father and trying to get back in the world of publicity.

Besides Raquel Castro, I found the performances of George Carlin (I love this guy's humor) and Liv Tyler to be particularly good. I consider myself lucky by the fact that Tyler got the role of Maya, a graduate student who works in a video store and meets Ollie and Gertie during one of their trips for movies. This allowed Tyler to get much more screen time than Lopez gets, which I think helps the movie overall.

I'm a big fan of Kevin Smith's first five movies, but I was well aware before entering the theater for Jersey Girl that this was not View Askew's classic blend of dick and fart jokes. If I hadn't known that, I might have wondered what the hell was going on, as this is actually a touching movie.Jersey Girl has less similarities to Mallrats and more to Chasing Amy; it's about how love doesn't always go the way you think it should, but that doesn't mean it sucks completely. One thing that really took me by surprise was that the movie was less about Ollie Trinke and the video store clerk falling in love, but more about Ollie connecting with his daughter, and discovering what he really wants out of life, with a little help from Will Smith (ANOTHER big surprise there! Sorry if I ruined it for ya).The movie may not be as slapstick and vulgar as Smith's previous works, but that doesn't mean it's squeaky clean and straight-laced; plenty of laughs in this flick. I liked the fact that Gertie, rather than perform something childlike and cute at the pageant, chooses a scene from Sweeny Todd, of all things. The acting here is as top-notch as the cast that delivers it; Jason Biggs and George Carlin were great, and Liv Tyler is cute as a button. Also, the soundtrack deserves a nod, especially for throwing in that Cure song at the end, which fit in perfectly.The quabbles I had with the movie are few. The biggest one was the scene in which Trinke is talking to his infant daughter about her mother; it's a little too melodramatic. Afflek's acting just wasn't his best there, but it's still a good scene. The choice to include "Landslide" in the soundtrack was poor; not because it's a bad song, mind you (as it's not), but because I'm sure it's been used in plenty of soundtracks before, and it was a "safe" choice. Also, the scene with the diaper-changing was disgusting... though it was supposed to be. Actually, I just don't like watching the scene, heh.So I give this movie 4/5 stars. I don't think it's his best work ever, and it's dangerously close to chick flick status, but it's a really good movie that will warm your soul. View Askew has by no means lost their touch, and I hope whatever movies they produce in the future are this good or better. - Ben Affleck - George Carlin - Romantic Comedy - Liv Tyler'

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Poor Quality Everlast Med Ball - poor quality everlast med ball, medicine ball

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These Everlast leather balls are good ones, sturdy and tough. There are several good books avaiible now on medicine ball training and you can search online for medicine ball workouts too. I have found that the 8-9 lbs. balls are a bit heavy for most of my female students that are new to medicine ball training. They do better with a 4-5 lbs. or 6-8 lbs ball. The 8-9 will suit most men of average strength. The 12 or the 15 lbs are about as big as you need to go for a superior workot as you progress. With these Everlast balls I carefully remove the synthetic name tag which makes for a more comfortable catching surface all the way around. Everlast 6502 Leather Medicine Ball (8-9 lbs.)

As the other reviewer said, don't expect this to be perfectly round, if you want one of those get one that is balanced and not leather. I prefer this over the plastic or rubber because it doesn't slip when you are sweating. The only downfall I would note is the stitching is not leather, it is a rigid plastic. Not a big deal, but I have caught it just right before and it can scratch. Overall it is great for workouts and working muscles hard to get with typical free weights. Most places have this for much more money or really unreasonable shipping.

I like this product. It is not perfectly round like a basketball, so expect to see a little lop-sidedness. I think they're all like this because the one at my gym is like that, too. It can be a pretty good workout if you have an idea of what exercises to use it with. My wife and I just started making it part of our workout routine. This seems to be a good weight as I don't think I'd like anything lighter. The one at my gym is heavier and I think it's too heavy. We chose the leather medicine ball because we like the feel on the hands. I have not used any other type, but I like this one.

First thing I noticed: the label is not the same as in this picture. The picture shows a tag that is sewn on. Mine is painted. It doesn't look fake, just different.

Second thing: the box this comes in says "synthetic leather for superior durability." I don't know that synthetic or genuine leather is more durable, but Amazon said it was genuine and the box says synthetic.

I wanted to know if this is a fake Everlast ball, not just a fake leather ball. If it is real Everlast and synthetic leather, I'm OK with that. But it is made in China and China imitates everything so I thought it might be fake Everlast. But a lot of legit stuff is also made in China, so that's a toss-up.

The Everlast webpage does not have a synthetic leather medicine ball. I called their customer number and a guy told me they USED to sell a synthetic leather ball, not anymore. He said Amazon did not buy this from Everlast, but it could be they got it from someone carrying around old Everlast inventory.

It appears it might be a real Everlast medicine ball, but just understand it is not the one in the picture and it is not genuine leather.

I gave it 3 stars because I ordered it Sunday night and received it Wednesday afternoon with the free super saver shipping. I hope it lasts...

The Everlast 6502 Leather Medicine Ball (8-9 lbs.) is exactly what I wanted. It's perfect for tabata squats and for medicine ball push catch ( you'll need two for that!). In addition to getting exactly what I wanted, I think the truck pulled out of the dock the second I clicked my mouse completing the purchase. I paid for 3-day shipping and got it in 1. Fabulous!

Dead in under 90 days. Tore apart at the seam. The leather is not even broken in yet. It has only been used the way a medicine ball is supposed to be used. Amazon says there is a 1 yr EVERLAST manufacturers warranty, we'll see what that means.

I chose this ball because it was advertised in leather material. It is definitely NOT leather, but plastic - and smells quite strongly like plastic, too. Unfortunately, I cannot send it back, because I took it out of country. I will buy again from a company which advertised incorrectly.

I have had this model Everlast medicine ball for several years. It is synthetic leather (vinyl) and therefore a bit slippery. Everlast does not make leather medicine balls.

Now, as a medicine ball it does function. - Poor Quality Everlast Med Ball - Fitness - Medicine Ball'

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Digital Antenna - tv antenna, digital antenna

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This antenna is great. I wanted to add the local HD ATSC channels to my TIVO HD. I purchased a DIGIAIR antenna meter to find the spot in my attic with the strongest signal and optimized its position. This antenna did a fantastic job on both hi-VHF and UHF bands. I am guessing it has about 4-6 dB gain on both bands. It is truely designed to reduce multipath interference for digital signal reception. For example, the rear VHF reflector is fed into the antenna feed after going through a 180 degree phase reversal to enhance rear lobe rejection of unwanted signals.

The antenna DOES come with the J mount pole which makes it an even better value.

I live 42 miles from the transmission towers and this antenna is connected to a 60 ft run of RG6 quad shield to my TV. I get a S/N ratio of 23-28 db on most all the channels with a signal strength on the TV of 80-100. The DIGIAIR meter shows strong pull on the VHF channels.

From my knowledge of antenna design and looking at photos on the internet, this antenna appears to be the same one sold for twice the price called the EZ HD Antenna.

It is just large enough to get good signal, but small enough not to be too cumbersome. It was the only combination VHF/UHF antenna in this size that I could find that had multiple VHF elements for increased gain.

Now I receive all the local channels in HD PLUS I receive analog basic cable. My TIVO HD combines both channel sets into a seamless viewing experience. HD channels viewed off this antenna will always look BETTER than if you viewed them off cable because the cable company recompresses the HD signal downgrading it slightly to save bandwidth on the cable system. You just can't get this clarity without an antenna.

YOU DO NEED A SEPARATE RUN OF RG6 QUADSHIELD COAX TO YOUR TIVO BOX. YOU CAN'T COMBINE ANTENNA SIGNALS AND CABLE SIGNALS ON THE SAME CABLE. IT TAKES 2 CABLES TO DO THIS. Running this second cable down to my TIVO was the hardest part of the installation. After you do this, simply REMOVE the cable card from your TIVO to get the Comcast basic cable channels in analog and let the antenna handle your HD digital local channels. Saves cable bill money.

For connectors, I purchased the DataShark compression tool and compression RG6 connectors at Home Depot. I ordered additional connectors (better ones for quad shield) from Amazon. DataShark stuff is made by Paladin Tools.

I purchased the RG6Q (quad shield cable) as RCA brand quad shield at Lowes. Avoid the GE cable as it is of lower quality. Home Depot had some inexpensive QuadShield cable also, but if you look closely the center 18AWG conductor was only copper coated steel, not solid copper like the RCA cable.

For coax face plates, I made my own double gang wall plate. Using one of the "unbreakable nylon" face plates at Home Depot, I was able to drill two holes in it the perfect size to place two coax couplers. The modular data/coax/phone face plate systems from Leviton, and others are nice, but very over priced for what are custom pieces of plastic.

Most homes will be wired with RG59 coax which has a much higher loss of signal than RG6. If you installing an antenna you really need the RG6 to minimize loss of weak signals which come from an antenna. Since all the stations are now digital and digital reception is sensitive to EMI or interference, you need the quad shielded RG6 over the double shielded RG6 to reduce interference. When receiving digital signals it takes BOTH a strong signal and a CLEAN signal free of interference to get a beautiful and clean picture.

My reception is rock solid on all channels. I couldn't be happier. RCA ANT751 Outdoor Antenna Optimized for Digital Reception

We just moved to Santa Fe and wanted to get broadcast TV (I hate cable!) but most stations are near Albuquerque. According to [...], all of our stations are around 35-40 miles away. This antenna was very quick to install - it took my husband less than 15 minutes to install it on the roof, we then re-scanned our channels and picked up 26 digital channels. This includes all of the major broadcast channels including two PBS stations that are all crystal clear - a perfect picture. There are no trees or tall buildings around us, but there is a mountain range between us and Albuquerque so we were worried we wouldn't be able to pick up the channels. This was a great price, the antenna is not too large and obtrusive, and it works great for both UHF and VHF channels.

My wife and I were with Comcast for 10 years and they recently decided to make some major changes (triple the cost or only 20-30 channels almost ALL of which are local or shopping). Minor changes did take place during the time we were with them such as Price and Services (I would go into details but I would rather not bore you). We had always decided that Comcast was pretty much the only other option then Direct TV and such.

Amazingly we noticed (because Comcast wanted to make these recent major changes) that we didn't really watch that much TV, and when we did, it was the Local Stations that we were mostly watching. We then decided to cut Comcast completely out of the picture (no pun intended), and we started to shop for an antenna. Needless to say, we found this one. Reading the reviews on both Amazon and one other web-site (apparently I can't say which web-site that is, because "Amazon's" people will end up deleting it from this review "[...]") I was very excited to test this out, especially where Wal-Mart was selling this exact one for $30 more than what Amazon was selling it for at the time I purchased it.

The installation of this antenna was simple. It is very light and perfect to work with, just make sure that you have coax cable to go with it. The HD Quality is unbelievable. There are some stations that we receive in HD that we are now getting better reception with then what Comcast was providing at the time we had them. With this antenna, we get between 24 to 30 English stations and roughly 10 to 15 Spanish stations (I would only assume it is different in each State/County).

I viewed some of the reviews on Wal-Mart's web-site on this antenna and noticed that one reviewer had pictures where he placed this antenna in their attic. I recently finished our basement and did not want to drill more holes. I have my main connection to our Cable/TV runing next to my breaker box in our Cold Room (food Storage), and I placed the Antenna in their, a simple connection. I installed the antenna on the Ceiling of the room. I live in Utah County and we have Mountains that can easily block the signal. The closest tower for reception where I live is about 50 miles, it is also beyond the corner of one of the Mountains. Even with that and being in our basement the picture is great!

This Antenna is a must have!!! Very Simple to put together, very light and you really can stick it anywhere. I figured by putting it indoors, it will not get weather damage and should last us a very long time. Hurray for FREE TV! Also note that I do not have an Amplifier with this as other reviews do have and still getting great reception. It does make me curious though if I would get more channels or even better reception on those channels that don't have a 100% reception on. - Digital Antenna - Tv Antenna - Attic Antenna - Hdtv Antenna'

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Pioneer Receiver - receiver, av receiver

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My choices for an entry level replacement receiver were between this and the Sony STR-DH720. I picked the Pioneer as I was replacing a 10 year old Pioneer that had just recently started acting up and I was quite happy with. This receiver is plenty loud, but I do have two primary complaints. My first (and biggest) is the fact that it doesn't seem to support ARC or Standby Passthrough unless you enable "Control via HDMI" which only works with certain pieces of equipment as is only spelled out in the manual. On the website, they simply have a check-mark next to both features, so I didn't expect either to have caveats. Perhaps I am wrong in thinking that the HDMI signal should pass through the receiver if it is in standby regardless of whether "Control via HDMI" is turned on and regardless of the equipment being Pioneer-compliant, but I feel it was a bit misleading in my mind. Please note that I am no A/V expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt and please research for yourself. In the mean time I am considering leaving the HDMI switching to my display and making use of the dual optical inputs like I did with my old receiver. My other complaint is that the on-screen-display (OSD) is only output through the RCA ports and NOT through HDMI. After purchasing brand new 1.4 HDMI cables and attempting to rid myself of all of the other optical-toslink, etc. cables, I find it a bit retro that you would only allow menu setup to happen through RCA video out. Just my opinions, decide for yourself, but given the info I have now, I believe I would've went with the DH720 and hoped for the best. Pioneer VSX-521-K 5.1 Home Theater Receiver, Glossy Black

Wonderful receiver with the audiophile quality performance one would expect from Pioneer. It has clean stylish looks and not terribly complicated with all the audio features any home theater system needs at a fraction of the cost of the higher end receivers. The owners manual is fairly well written and easy to understand. It took me about an hour to setup and get all the internal settings to my liking. All the receiver functions are available via the remote control. Only a couple minor negative issues I could find was is the on screen setting menu is analog only and anything beyond basic control of the unit requires the remote so don't lose it! I believe the higher end units in this model line don't have these issues. Things like these are obviously left out to help keep it affordable for the budget minded.

Bought this receiver with Polk Audio RM705 5.1 Home Theater System (Set of Six, Black). The sound is great really easy to setup. The only issue is the need for a component cable to your tv for the on screen setup during the MCACC calibration of the speakers. I didn't have these cables but I was able to run the MCACC setup without the on tv interface.

This is a good unit that i was using for DJ-ing. I also got into the VJ (video jockey) while i was doing shows, so this unit got replaced with an all in one DVD and receiver amplifier. I don't really have anything bad to say about it, it worked great till the day that i decommissioned it.

received the pioneer vzx-521-k promptly from Amazon. with new LG TV it required a digital audio optical cable.... HDMI cable from direct tv box to lg and optical cable from 521-k to tv is all it took. however, to get menu onscreen, you'll need cable from 521-k to tv. menu must have been set up by upper management but i figured it out after a while. menu has to deal with all the different appliances you can hook up but i only need tv. remote control has buttons i still have yet to figure out what they do. AUTO SPEAKER SET UP HAD REAR SPEAKERS TOO LOUD WITH NO WAY TO ADJUST DELAY. I USED MY RADIO SHACK SOUND LEVEL METER TO SET SPEAKERS. all said i hope 521-k lasts 15 years like the sherwood 70 watt a/v receiver it replaced.

I purchased this stereo due to the fact it had the auto calibration which I employed with my last Pioneer and I needed to clean up the wires behind my system with the much better HDMI cables.

I ended up returning the 521-k due to the system not picking up the source format. If something was in Dolby Digital it would not register. Also, the sound was no where as rich as my previous Pioneer after running the auto-calibration.

I went ahead and purchased a Denon for $50 more and am so impressed with the sound quality and ease of set up that I am a fan for life. I never knew what I was missing for that price range.

Avoid this one as it is a swing and a miss.

Helped my parents select and purchase this receiver. They just needed a simple, quality receiver to accept HDMI inputs, and then output via one HDMI to HD TV. I had hoped that they would be able to use the advertised on-screen display (OSD) for setup and occasional settings changes. However, the OSD is not sent to the TV via the HDMI cable. Instead, you have to run a separate video component cable to the TV in order to see the OSD. Also, my parents have a good set of 5.1 speakers, but they didn't want to run the wires for the rear speakers. Supposedly, this receiver has Dolby Pro Logic IIz which will allow you to use two "front high" speakers instead of the two rear surround speakers. When we received the receiver, we realized that the "front high" speaker connections on the back of the receiver are "pre-amp," and you can only use this feature if you buy a separate amplifier. We were really looking forward to the OSD and the "front high" speakers. Without these features, I can only give 3 stars. Otherwise, the receiver is nicely designed, has simple controls on the remote and on the unit, sounds great, and includes a printed user manual that adequately covers most of the features. - Excellent Value - Hdmi - Av Receiver - Receiver'

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