Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex TV STAJ100 Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok, let's get something straight right away. The biggest thing I was looking forward to with this little device was if and how well it handled ISO files. I have great news, in that it does so very nicely. You basically browse to where the ISO files are located, and just click on the file. It starts playing immediately and at that point functions just like a DVD player. I would even suggest that it's better than a DVD player in that it has a very quick response to commands, such as chapter skips and fast forwarding. Video quality is fantastic. I have this plugged into a Panasonic 42" Plasma at 1080P and the up-conversion is very good.
So, that being said, I'm immediately happy with this device. For me everything else is just a 'nice to have' feature. Let's talk about those nice to haves...
The device is small. It has a door in the front that can open up to insert Seagate's FreeAgent's HDD's. Doing so isn't required to use the device at all. You can just as easily stream music/videos/pictures from a network device. However, on the main screen there are buttons associated with music/videos/pictures, that won't work unless you do have the drive installed and Seagates software sync'ed up with a PC (Win or Mac). At some point, I'll get around to installing that software on my Mac or my PC, but I haven't done so yet.
Plugging in and powering up was a snap. It took less than 30 seconds to power up and I was ready to go. There was no lengthy setup to perform. Literally plug and play. I was immediately able to click on some of the Internet features, such as Youtube and Flickr. Looking at pictures in HD is really amazing. Extremely clear and really a pleasure to look at.
The remote is small, but a bit cheap. This seems to be a common theme among these devices in that there's no real though put into the remote. It's not that complicated, so I feel it's very easy to use once you've learned the button layout. It has the common playback buttons, as well as arrow buttons and a home button. If you're ever lost, click on the home button to get back to the main menu. The one thing I hate is that the IR sensors aren't very forgiving. You have to firmly push on the remote buttons and make sure that you're pointing directly at the GoFlex. There's no feedback, so you essentially have to wait a few seconds to know whether or not it's going to work. I wish there was a LED on the device that blinked when it received a command.
The only other feature that I'm interested in is the NetFlix playback. It works very similar to others in that you can browse your saved queue and select the movie you want to watch. It's work very well. Video quality also is very good and is likely limited to what NetFlix is able to stream. There's seems to be zero strain on the device to playback movies.
The interface is very basic. I would place it significantly below the quality of the Roku box, but better than most other media players (aka PCH or NMT, if you know what I'm talking about) I've tested. There doesn't appear to be any way to modify or customize the interface. There's an options menu that lets you do very common stuff like check the network settings, change video resolution, etc...
Overall, I like the device and successfully met my requirements for ISO files. I hope that future updates improve on the interface as well as add other features. One feature in particular that I would like to see is Amazon OnDemand. I don't use that service that much, but it's nice to have when you want to watch some of the latest releases. That being said, I would have no problem in recommending this as a solid Media Player. It's probably one of the best values out there today.
Pros
====
- Plays ISO files perfectly
- Great up-conversion for movie files
- Excellent video quality (for 42" plasma @1080p via HDMI)
- NetFlix playback works very well
- Interface is pretty quick, even when browsing network devices
- Excellent value
Cons
====
- The remote is a bit on the cheap, but decent button layout.
- Not enough feedback when using the remote. It's hard to tell if the button you clicked is doing anything.
- Requires firm button clicks and direct pointing at the device.
Wishlist
========
- Add Amazon OnDemand
- Improvements to interface, such as better feedback when clicking remote buttons
- Improve the remote IR sensitivity
- Recognize folder bitmap images. Would be very helpful when browsing video folders.

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The Seagate GoFlex TV HD Media Playing Device allows you to view photos, listen to music, and watch your digital movies on your TV.

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GE 23292 Stereo Turntable Pre-Amplifier Review

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(More customer reviews)I was pleasantly surprised after hooking up the new pre-amp. I am converting my LPs to MP3 files and realized that I needed a pre-amp with my turntable. This one needed a 9 volt battery or a DC adapter (neither was included). I elected to purchase an adapter (it cost more than the pre-amp), hook it up, and start the project. It was fantastic! Unless you are an audiophile that always works with high end equipment, I don't know how you could be disappointed.

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Terk VR1 Automatic TV Volume Controller Review

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(More customer reviews)The TERK VR-1 Volume Regulator is an electronic device that automatically limits the amount of audio that can be fed to an external stereo amplifier or home theater system, so that variations in audio levels between TV stations on a cable system or satellite receiver will be more or less "leveled out". In other words, no more barely able to hear one channel, while being blasted out of your chair when you surf to the next channel. It acts like a brick wall to excessive audio levels; you can throw a goodly amount of audio at it, but it will only output a fixed level and that's it! And it does it's job extremely well and without noticeable distortion. That having been said, however, keep something else in mind ... the psychological aspects of sound. A lot of the audio we hear today on the air waves is compressed audio, meaning that there is less dynamic range and more sound power within the audio "package". The result is that processed audio (audio that's been compressed) sounds much louder than audio that has its normal dynamic range. That's why some commercials sound louder than the program material that they're inserted into, and why some musical segways between the program and the commercials sound so loud. In other words, it's not just the peaks of the audio that make for a loud sounding audio material, it's also how much the audio has been processed during its production. The VR-1 (or any other volume regulator) can do very little to uncompress intentional efforts to pack more audio power into a sound channel. That would be asking a lot!
A device like the TERK VR-1 Volume Regulator isn't for everyone, the buyer needs to have some familiarity with interconnecting home theater audio components to achieve the desired results. It's not that the VR-1 itself needs any adjustments (in fact, there are no adjustments), but rather, the individual doing the installation needs to put the VR-1 in the correct place within the audio chain, but it's not at all difficult if that person has a basic understanding of audio component interrelations.
Perhaps the simplest way to utilize the TERK VR-1 is to feed the earphone output from the TV receiver into the "Left & Right Audio Inputs" on the unit. The "Left & Right Audio Outputs" are then fed into your stereo receiver (or home theater amplifier) and that receiver or amplifier is then used to drive the speakers that will reproduce the TV audio at a higher fidelity than the TV receiver itself could normally provide. The reason that you'll want to use the earphone output from the TV receiver is because plugging a cable into the earphone output will automatically disconnect the TV set's internal speakers. If the set's internal speakers aren't disconnected, then you'll hear the "blasting" audio from some of the channels coming through the set's internal speakers, and that will negate the "regulated" audio being fed to your external system. The very brief manual that comes with the TERK VR-1 fails to mention this point, but it's a very important one. If you're using a TV receiver without internal speakers, or if there is some other means to turn them off, then you could use the audio left and right outputs on the back of the receiver without consequence. If your set doesn't have an earphone or headset output on it, you'll have to try to have one installed by a qualified service tech, but make sure that he knows what he's doing, you don't want lethal voltages on any of the leads coming out of the set!
Once you have the earphone output feeding the VR-1, and the VR-1's output feeding your external amplifier and speakers, then simply set the volume from the TV set so that the sound is comfortable coming from the channel with the least audio level. Don't use the volume up and down on the TV set's remote from that point on. Instead, adjust the volume that you want for a particular show or movie only with the remote for your stereo receiver, amplifier or home theater system. The reason is that once you set the level into the VR-1 for the weakest audio source (TV channel), you'll want to leave that level alone and only play with the output level from your external system from that time on, that will keep the audio levels from all TV channels pretty constant, unless the cable or satellite provider readjusts their audio levels on the various channels from time to time. If they do, then just readjust the input to the VR-1 for proper output on the channel with the least audio level once again. None of this is mentioned in the abbreviated manual from the manufacturer either, they very much leave the new owner out on their own. I'll bet TERK gets lots of phone calls!
To summarize, the TERK VR-1 Volume Regulator (limiter) is a very effective piece of equipment when installed and used correctly, but their manual isn't a whole lot of help in that area. From what I've read elsewhere, the VR-1 converts the analog audio signal into digital format, then uses a mathematical algorithm to achieve its goal. In addition to maintaining a consistent audio level, the VR-1 apparently also employs algorithms to reduce noise (hiss) and to process the bass and treble signals separately for improved dialog recognition, with a response action as fast as 2 milliseconds. When all of this processing is over, the signal is converted back to analog format.
The VR-1 is a small, nice looking package but it can also be tucked away and forgotten about if so desired. It contains no adjustments, but it does have a front panel "Bypass" switch if you simply want to convince yourself or your friends about the job that it's doing. It comes with one set of RCA phono plug (on each end) connection cables and a wall outlet power cube for powering the unit. Oh, I almost forgot about the manual, you get that too! You'll chuckle when you see that little piece of paper folded over 3 times, but hey, that's what they call it ... an owner's manual! What more can I say?


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Kenwood VRS-N8100 Audio/Video Control Center with Network Function Review

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(More customer reviews)After 7 years with my old Kenwood 1080VR, I was in the market for a new receiver to take me through the next several years of technology. This VRS-N8100 Networked receiver does just that. Its all digital processing delivers amazing sound and the ability to stream media files from your PC or home network is a great addition.
PROS:
- Sound performance is great, while auto-detecting all the major surround audio signals
- Network capabilities ... allows you to take advantage of your PC media files without the need for a media hub
- Extremely easy on-screen setup process!!!
- 4 digital audio inputs (2 opt, 2 coax) are completely assignable via the on-screen setup
- Composite, S-video, and component video ins and outs ... HDTV ready
- Fully 7.1 compatible with LB and RB pre-outs (Surr Back speaker outs)
- Slim attractive design
- Many gaming and headphone options to enhance game play
CONS:
- Could always have more inputs, but the slim design limits space. I had plenty for my setup, but it is fewer than other high end models.
- I didn't see this one coming ... but the remote now controls both the old 1080VR (which is powering speakers in other rooms) and the VRS-N8100 simultaneously. I don't know if there is a way around this.
In all, you will be happy with this receiver. Just with my 5.1 setup and Dolby Digital movie, I could tell a substantial difference in sound quality over the 1080VR Dolby Digital. Maybe it's the ease that you can adjust the speaker settings or the state of the art digital processing. But what is for sure is that this little receiver packs a lot into its small frame.
I highly recommend the VRS-N8100 as a truly future-ready receiver, already!

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The digital age has brought new forms of entertainment to your computer screen, but it certainly has not overshadowed the surround sound home theater experience. The Kenwood VRS-N8100 Audio/Video Control Center with Network Function seamlessly merges your entertainment system with your home computer. The rear-panel Ethernet connector lets you stream audio and video files from your computer to your home theater system. With the VRS-N8100, your entire family can enjoy the multimedia digital files stored on your computer through the sound quality of your home entertainment system.
Kenwood has thought of all the possibilities with this control center. Plug a game console into the front-panel game audio/video input (complete with a digital audio connection) and the VRS-N8100 will detect when you turn on the game console, and automatically select that input and the proper surround sound processing. The Single Zone Dual Source function lets you listen to your game's sound through headphones, while the rest of the family can enjoy music through speakers. Plus, this function features Dolby headphone processing that creates a totally out-of-the-box 5.1-channel surround sound effect through any pair of ordinary stereo headphones, so you won't have to sacrifice sound quality to play your favorite games. And the included universal pre-programmed remote control is ready to go with Xbox and PlayStation2 codes. With the Kenwood Control Center, your family can quit fighting over the home theater, and everyone can enjoy the system at the same time.
Of course, the control center is also a great general receiver with plenty of inputs for a wide array of components. When you watch movies, the VRS-N8100 puts you right in the middle of the action with Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES 96/24 surround sound, and Dolby Pro Logic IIx transforms ordinary two-channel stereo music sources -- CDs, cassette tapes, and radio -- into a 6.1-channel surround sound experience. The PurePath digital power amplifier delivers 130 watts to each of six channels, so your games, movies, and music will really rock the house. And with the ADI SHARC 32-bit DSP processor, high-resolution digital volume control, and rigid chassis construction rounding out the VRS-N8100's features, you can rest assured that this control center will deliver accurate performance at all signal levels.
What's in the Box VRS-N8100 control center, remote control, and user's manual

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Yamaha RX-V659BL 7.1 Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am an A/V novice, and this is how/why I bought this receiver:
I originally bought it while looking for a 6.1 receiver in the $400.00 range. Best B** had a Pioneer that was THX certified for about $475. I had them put a rain check on it, then went to another store to listen to what they had (Best B** has a new policy of 'upselling' by sending any customer who is interested in mid-level audio to a 'specialist' who wants to unload Denon etc. - usually in the Home Theatre room. This annoyed me mightily, as I didn't even get a chance to listen to the Pioneer.)
At the other store, I listened to the 6.1 Yamaha HTR-5850 and was happy with that. My wife pointed out that the 7.1 RX-V659 was only about $50.00 more, and wondered what the difference was. We gave it a listen and were pleased. My wife listened to a Luther Vandross CD, and I listened to a classical music CD, then we popped in a copy of The Matrix DVD (you know what scene). My main concerns were HDTV compatability (has 3 component video inputs) and the RX-V659's audio/video auto upgrade feature. As neither me nor my wife have an iPod, we didn't care about the docking station capability of it, but it is a pleasant upgrade for later. We bought it for quite a bit less than what is listed on the Yamaha website, and less than the Pioneer receiver at BB.
I hooked the receiver to a Bic America Venturi bookshelf pair as front ends, then went with the Yamaha NS-SP1600 5.1 HTIB set-up (yes, it's their low end model, but I listened to them and they sounded fine for our 20'x30' room with nine foot ceiling.) I replaced that Yamaha HTIB center speaker with a KLH 525 II Platinum-II 125-Watt center speaker. I bought a roll of 12 gauge speaker wire - avoided the Monster stuff - went with Lowe's. The CD's and movies sounded great already, but there's more to this: the front speakers still have to 'break in' and only recently did I discover what the Neural Surround Sound exhibits when pumping XM satellite radio through them. WOW! Incredible separation! Our little room now has an audio sweet spot that allows me to consider never going out to the movies again. I've spent hours going through the different sound fields, and continue to come back to Neural Surround. Also , listening with headphones is wonderful with the Night Listening Enhancer - listening to TV with headphones never sounded this good for me. Set-up was breeze - the YPA sound optimizing thing takes some getting used to, but I like that the menus are on your TV's screen, not the face on the receiver unit.
Now I 'have' to get a new DVD/CD player that has DTS output. If this receiver lasts for at least a decade, Yamaha has a fan for life...
Unfortunately, this receiver is not HDMI-ready, but that might not be a gripe if/when I get a new HDTV and can run the video line directly into the TV instead of the receiver. Otherwise, this is a 5 star review.

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PIONEER AVHP5700DVD In-Dash 6.5 Monitor DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I am not the type of guy who invests half (or even more) his paycheck on "pimpin' his ride". That said, plus the fact that I've a couple of toddlers that need to be kept entertained while daddy's stuck in traffic. So I went out shopping for a DVD player that would fulfill my necesities while keeping my budget balanced.
Enter the Pioneer AVH P5700DVD. I have to say this is a great head unit, excellent sound, nice crisp image, easy to learn your way around, and quite inexpensive considering all the great features.
I got this plus a "generic" 10" ceiling-mounted screen, and it's just great. I even got an iPod interface for it, and it was a nice surprise to notice how easy it is to control your iPod using the GUI provided.
Now..not the downside, but my wishlist:
- I wish it would take better advantage of the screen while displaying CD Text / iPod info. It only displays Title Track, Artist or Album, but not all of it at once. Keep in mind this is a 6.5" Display, but only uses one line of text limited to 31 Characters!
- "Screen Saver" is a bore...no only one choice, but boring. (No biggie anyways...just a comment).
- I installed this on a Lancer 2006 and even though it was installed with ease (by a pro that is), they could not fit the decorative frame on it because of the way my vehicle's DIN is designed (my car manufacturer's fault, not this unit).
All in all, it's a great choice...I still can install a TV Tunner, a rear-mounted camera, a video game, etc. etc.
If you're looking for a DVD unit and are on a budget...go with Pioneer!!!

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Sony DVPNS725P Progressive-Scan DVD/CD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)The picture quality of Sony DVPNS725P is better then SONY DVP-NS425P in 480i & 480p mode. No distortion or blurring is found even w/o the progressive scan, just a little gritty. Once you turn on progression scan the picture clears up. Sony DVPNS725P has only a 10% difference in sharpness/clarity/color/hue/contrast between 480p progressive scan & 480i non-progressive scan mode. However, I believe that the unit's 12 Bit Video DAC with 108Mhz processor, regardless of 480i to 480p mode is why you see such little difference. The vertical lines simply double using the same picture quality in 480i mode improving video clarity overall.
Equipment:
TV: Sony Grand WEGA 42" KF42WE610
Video Monster 3 Cable: 1-Meter Coax Cable, 1 Meter Monster Video 3 component Cable
WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!
Component/Coax wires do affect the quality of your home video experience. The best DVD player connected to the best Plasma/LCD/DLP/LCOS TV will have negative effects on picture quality if you are not using the best grade of Component/DVI/Coax cable. Yes, you will have to shell out more money for theses accessories (in my opinion Monster Cable has proven itself in my house). However, this is the only way to achieve your large screen TV's maximum video performance. It appears that it's not only necessary but simply required! I get mad every time I read negative reviews on this DVD player or my TV when they never invested in high-grade video cables or, their TV is only 480i compatible & not 480p compatible (they can't properly use the DVD player's progressive scan feature). Please check your manual to verify 480p compatibility for your TV, as some are only 480i compatible while others are only 780p to 1080i compatible!!!
Here is a tip to improve picture quality for analog cable/antenna viewers:
Use a A/C powered, 2 port, coaxial, Electroline Drop Amp to improve analog cable
reception.The 18 gauged Satellite coax cable runs from the cable co. to the Electroline Drop Amp in my house. The 1 Meter Monster Video 3 coax cable (gray colored wire) will run from the Electroline Drop Amp to the TV thus improving picture quality.
Summary:
If you own a 32" to a 19" TV the SONY DVP-NS425P is more then adequate. However if you have a TV larger then 32" you need this DVD player along with high-grade component/dvi/coax cable to produce the clarity/color/contrast/hue necessary for a great theater quality picture.

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High-end video performance can be yours with Sony's affordable, progressive-scan DVP-NS725P DVD player. The versatile unit plays just about any disc out there--including DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, and DVD+RW--and also plays hours of music from MP3 files burned to CD-R/CD-RW discs.Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the DVP-NS725P stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs through Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive de-interlacer (scanning) with 3:2 pulldown processing. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.DVD mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24-frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture. Composite- and S-video outputs bring compatibility with nearly any television.Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can also be routed through the player's digital-audio outputs (one each of RCA coaxial and Toslink optical) for a simpler connection to a compatible AV receiver (digital-audio interconnects are not supplied).Precision Drive 2 provides a mechanism for reading DVDs that are in less-than-perfect condition, eliminating errors in playback due to imperfect, scratched, or warped discs. DVD resume memory kicks in whenever you stop a DVD. Later, when you come back to it, the player will pick up right where you left off before. The player holds resume points for up to 40 discs.Other playback options include 10-second instant replay, quick setup, DVD/CD Text, a digital video enhancer, digital video EQ (equalization), custom parental control memory for 40 discs, Advanced SmoothScan and SmoothSlow Modes, and multidisc resume (up to 6 discs).What's in the Box DVD player, RMT-D153A remote control, two AA batteries, an analog audio/composite-video cable, and user's manual.

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