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Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Multimedia Player 1 TB - 34499 Discount. Compare & Purchase Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Multimedia Player 1 TB - 34499 at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: $169.99 Amazon Price: $139.67 Click Here To Purchase At Amazon!

Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Multimedia Player 1 TB - 34499 Description:

Set your media collection free! Enjoy the convenience of watching digital files on your home theatre or TV without being connected to the computer (PC only)! The Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Media Player is a cost-effective, high definition multimedia player plus a high capacity digital storage device. HD playback to 720p/1080i and DivX certified! In a compact, sleek black style to complement your home entertainment system, the ScreePlay Plus HD Media Player includes an HDMI connection and is compatible with the latest media formats such as MP3, AC3 (Dolby Digital Encoding), WAV, WMA, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI/VOB), MPEG-4 (AVI/DivX 3.11, 4.x, 5.x, 6.x/XViD) and JPEG. Plus, software is included to backup your media files and protect your computer from viruses. Available in 1 TB capacity.

• Color: black
• Brand: Iomega
• Model: 34499
• Format: CD
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 8.88″ h x 6.06″ w x 4.44″ l, 3.62 pounds
• Hard Disk: 1TB

Features

• Enjoy watching high definition videos on your HDTV without being connected to your computer
• Large capacity saves your entire photo, video, or music collection
• Easy to use remote for browsing folders, creating playlists, playing slideshows, viewing subtitles, and more
• Iomega Protection Suite software is included (download) to backup your media files and protect your computer from viruses
• DivX Certified to play DivX video, including premium content

Customer Reviews:

Does what it does, but that isn’t much
I know that I shouldn’t be disappointed by a unit that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, but I can’t help feeling that this player is just too limited to deserve a recommendation. It’s a little slow, which is not a huge problem, and the interface is very simple, which is both good and bad in that it’s easy to use but feels archaic. The real issue is that it doesn’t support very many video file formats. (It plays audio files and displays images just fine.) It supports MPEG-1, 2, and 4, and some DivX and Xvid formats, but the specific codecs supported are a bit of a mystery. I downloaded a movie trailer — that worked. I downloaded a .m4v (MPEG-4) episode of a web series — “Invalid file.” I tried an .AVI of a video I took with my camcorder about 4 years ago — “invalid file.” I have over 30 years of computer experience and some good video-editing software, so I could probably work around this by re-encoding the videos, but that’s a lot to ask of the average consumer, which is the likely target market for this sort of product.

Again, it’s extremely easy to use, and it handles all standard audio and image file types. You plug the USB cord into your PC, and the computer sees a new hard drive. Copy over the files, stop the device, and plug it into your home theater or TV. Fire it up, and select what you want with the remote. Then hope that you don’t get that dreaded “Invalid file” message. If you want to use it as a music or picture server for your home theater, it’ll work fine. But for video it can be a hassle. Including a wider range of video decoders would have made this a very nice product. Maybe it’s best to wait for the next generation of ScreenPlay and hope that it’s more versatile.

junk. just junk.
I got this item while testing several of these devices for a friend on a budget. Of all the items we tried out for my friend, the Iomega Screenplay rates just about the lowest in every category. Unfortunately, this isn’t a product that was quite ready for public consumption yet.

On the plus side, set-up was relatively simple. The device connects, as advertised, to your tv through a variety of connections. We were pleased to see an HDMI slot, which many media players skip. Likewise, connecting a USB device to the Screenplay was simple, as was connecting the screenplay to my computer for file transfer. The positive notes end here.

Upon booting up, we were disappointed with the Screenplay’s primitive and unintuitive menu system. The options are few - for the most part the device simply displays the file names of movies, music and photos on any attached drives. There is no tagging, nor are there any thumbnails. Those who meticulously name their files (like I do) will be rewarded, those who name their files in a similar fashion to how iTunes tags them (as my friend does) will find themselves lost in a maze of files.

The second major issue came when we discovered how limited the file playing codec was. The device WOULD NOT play our m4v files, nor would it play our mp4 files. Since this is primarily what we needed it for, the Screenplay was given a major demerit. In fact, of the eight file types we tried to play, we found the Screenplay capable of handling only three of them. This is simply unacceptable on a device at this price point - we felt if we shelled out this much, it should play anything Qicktime is capable of playing.

File playback quality was limited and jerky on the files it could access, and the audio quality was subpar. We found the device to frequently freeze for several seconds when we came out of fast forward, but this wasn’t nearly as annoying as the substandard image quality we got out of it.

The only really nice thing we had to say about the screenplay was that it came with an internal 1 TB drive, which really beats the competition in terms of size. Most of the other media players had no storage at all, so they required buying a separate drive. However, 1 TB drives only cost around $60, and since this device is $60 more than the other devices, there’s no tremendous value to the internal drive other than the convenience.

For those who want a serious media device, the Apple TV is still the best in terms of features and capabilities. For those who want to steer clear of Apple and its generally high prices, we liked the Western Digital HD TV Media Player much better than this one. While the Western Digital was also a little quirky with our m4v files, it still played them and looked much better than the Screenplay.

Great storage for music media and playback through home theater system
Let me say upfront that my needs and motivations for the Screenplay Media Player are probably a bit different from many users — I was not really interested in the ability to play back movies or DVDs since I have a ROKU box which allows streaming of movies directly from Netflix and Amazon. I do not shoot movies so playing back home videos was not a priority.

So why do I love this device? Music! I have a very LARGE CD collection — my husband has a huge collection of “modern music” and I have a large collection of classical music. I wanted a way to play our collection through our main stereo system without having to feed a CD player or pick and choose which play lists on an IPOD.

First, a bit of background about our home theater system (since that cause some readers confusion):

We are not playing the music through the TV — we don’t even play the TV through the TV. We run the audio portion of the TV and other video components through an Acurus home theater pre-amp, Marantz monoblocks which are driving Newform Ribbon speakers and a transmission-line sub-woofer in order to achieve full sound quality — which using to play MP3s is a bit of overkill.

I had the Philips NP2500/37 WiFi Internet Radio Network Music Player with Rhapsody (Black) which would play my collection that was sitting on my computer. However, there were a couple of things I wasn’t wild about the Philips solution. First, Philips only really supports MP3 which is a lossy format. Since my music had been ripped to Lossless (or near Lossless format), I had to convert my collection to MP3 format into another folder in order to play back my collection via the Philips Music player. Second, the Philips requires that your computer be up and running (along with network connection and additional “server” software running on your computer in order for it to work). If I just wanted to playback the music but wasn’t using my computer, I was out for luck.

So I was attracted to the Iomega Media Player as a way to solve the things I didn’t like about the Philips solution and it is a much better solution for me. Things that I think are much better about this solution:

1. Since the iomega Media player is essentially a disk drive (and a BIG one at that!), you have a backup of all your media files. Very good!

2. Cost… TeraByte drive for one hundred fifty bucks! While there may be cheaper hard TB hard drives out there, they do not support the home theater playback that the Iomega system supports.

3. Ability to playback my library in any format I throw at it — I don’t have to convert to MP3 or sacrifice sound quality by going with a Lossy Format.

4. Once you have backed up your files, you don’t have to worry about special software on your computer, having your computer running all the time, having a network connection going to the device.

5. Ability to view home pictures (jpgs) on the big screen… I have to admit that I didn’t think I would really care about this feature. However, I remember when I was a kid, some of our best times as a family was when my dad would set up the slide projector and slide screen and go through old pictures. With the Media player, this is the modern day equivalent.

Things I’m not wild about:

1. The only way to transfer files from the computer to the hard drive is via a USB connection. So if you get a new CD that you want to add to your collection, you have to either disconnect the Media player from your system and bring it over to your computer, or you have to take your computer over to the media player.

2. As someone else pointed out, only one power supply despite the potential need to move the media player back and forth from the media center to your computer — it would be nice to just unplug from one place and plug in near your computer or even have some battery life for short-term transfers.

All in all, I really like this system because it does what I want it to do — play my music library without needing to make sure the computer, network, and server software are all functioning properly. It actually does more by creating a way to simulate “slide shows” that brings our family together for some good laughs and memories. I haven’t really tried the video capabilities but really don’t need that since video is really going more towards real-time streaming from sources like Amazon. And if you use it for nothing else, the price for a terabyte of hard disk space is phenomenal and worth the price of the device by itself.

[NCJVR]

From the Manufacturer
Enjoy watching digital files on your TV without being connected to the computer! The Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Media Player is a cost-effective, high definition multimedia player, plus a high capacity digital storage device for your PC. It has high definition playback up to 1080i, is DivX certified, and has a compact, sleek black style to complement your home entertainment system. The ScreenPlay Plus HD Media Player includes an HDMI connection and is compatible with the latest media formats such as MP3, AC3 (Dolby Digital Encoding), WAV, WMA, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI/VOB), MPEG-4, JPEG and more. Plus, software is included to backup your media files and protect your computer from viruses. Available in a 1TB capacity, the ScreenPlay Plus is powered by an Energy Star qualified adapter for a better environment.

Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Media Player, 1TB

Watch your Digital Media on your HDTV!

Viewing your stored photos and videos has never been easier!
Enjoy stored movies, photos, and music on your HDTV instead of being confined to a small computer monitor. The ScreenPlay Plus offers easy high definition video viewing and enough capacity to save your entire media library. A convenient USB port is included on the front of the player for easy access to media content on other external USB storage devices when plugged into your HDTV and the device sits horizontally or vertically with included stand.

Enjoy your high definition media in two easy steps. First, save your media files from your computer to the ScreenPlay Plus HD Media Player. Then, plug your ScreenPlay Plus into an HDTV in your media room and enjoy your videos, photos, and music with family and friends. It’s so easy. The simple to use remote offers plenty of options for viewing videos, photos, and listening to music—easily navigate through folders, zoom in on photos, create audio playlists, play slideshows, subtitles, and more.

A cost effective media player AND storage device with software included!
With high capacity storage and viewing capabilities, the ScreenPlay Plus is a great value. A 3-year limited warranty is included to protect your investment when you register your product.

Plus, valuable Iomega Protection Suite software is included with your purchase and available via download. This includes a free six month subscription of McAfee VirusScan Plus software to protect your PC with anti-virus, anti-spyware, 2-way firewall, and web security protection, Iomega QuikProtect for simple scheduled file-level backup, and EMC Retrospect Express or Express HD to back up your data, plus applications and settings. You can also choose MozyHome Online Backup for the convenience of backing up online (2GB free!).

Energy Star Qualified for a Better Environment

Product Features

• 1TB of capacity for your media files
• HDMI connection to easily plug into your HDTV
• Convenient USB interface on front
• Multiple TV/AV connections on back
• HD playback up to 1080i
• Supports MPEG1/2/4; DivX; XviD
• DivX Home Theatre Certified
• Iomega Protection Suite Software (via download)
• 3 year warranty with product registration
• Energy Star qualified adapter for a better environment

What’s in the Box
ScreenPlay Plus HD Media Player, remote control, stand, power supply, USB cable, composite video cable, component video cable, Quick Start Guide, Iomega Protection Suite Software (via download)

3 Port Smart HDMI Switch Product: 3 Port Smart HDMI Switch Lowest Price! List Price: $59.95 Amazon Price: $13.39 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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HDMI 3 Ports Switch with Remote (3X1). This is a kind of high performance mini HDMI Switcher. It is compatible well for HD-DVD, STV,PS3, Xbox36etc. The multiple resolutions is can be up to 1080p. This kind of the HDMI Amplifier Switcher not only has the key-press-switching function, but also has the IR remote control and intelligent function.That is to say, as soon as the power supply of the source equipment is switched ,this switcher will respond automatically. The 3×1 HDMI Switcher routes high definition video (in multiple resolutions up to 1080p)and digital audio from any one of the two sources to display unit. Two inputs accommodate the simultaneous connection of up to two high definition video sources, such as satellite systems and HD DVD players. The output sends the high definition audio/video signals to a high definition display. Switching is done via it self automatically when signal present on the ports. FEATURES: IR remote (included); IR extender receiver (included) ; Support HDMI 1.3b; Full HD 1080P High Performance up to 2.5Gbps ; Supports 25Meters HDMI Cable on both ends of the Switcher Switch easily between any two HDMI sources automatically. Maintains high resolution video - beautiful, sharp HDTV resolutions up to 1080p, 2k, 1440p graphics and computer resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 are easily achieved; Up to 24 bit color depth. Up to DTS Master Audio and Dolby Digital TrueHD support; HDMI pass-through; HDCP pass-through; Compatible with HDMI1.3 devices;No external power needed. SPECIFICATIONS: operating temperature range0 to +70? Operating humidity range5 to 90 % RH (no condensation)Video Amplifier Bandwidth2.5Gbps/250MHz; Input Video Signal0.5-1.0 volts p-p; Input DDC Signal5 volts p-p (TTL)Maximum Single Link Range1920 x

• Brand: Game Infinity
• Model: HDMI-3X1SWITCH
• Dimensions: 1.00″ h x 3.00″ w x 4.00″ l, .1 pounds

Features

• Connects three HDMI inputs to a single HDTV
• Automatically switches when you turn a product on
• Compatible with all High Definition resolutions
• Compatible format support: DVI, HDCP
• No AC Adapter required

Exceeded all expectations!
I have to say this the no-name switch outperforms the pros. I needed to connect my ps3 (hdmi) and dish receiver (hdmi) to an hdtv which only had a dvi input (using an hdmi to dvi cable). I tried the sony str-dg720 receiver for hdmi switching, then the monoprice hdmi switcher. Neither worked (the sony manual says it doesn’t play well with hdmi-dvi cables, so I was going out on a limb there).

Now this little baby on the other hand, comes with extremely poor written instructions (think google translation of a foreign language manual), so I connected it not even expecting it to work. But wonders! Not only does it switch flawlessly between the ps3 and the dish receiver (producing a perfect output), it even has a “priority” function which works perfectly.

Basically, the dish hdmi port always outputs a signal, even on standby, so I keep it on a lower priority input (port 2). I’ve connected the ps3 to port 1, so if I turn on the ps3 this switches automatically to the ps3. When the ps3 is powered off, it automatically switches back to the dish receiver.

It’s great to find a product which actually performs as advertised. Kudos to the manufacturer and CE compass (the amazon seller I bought this product from). 100% worth the money.

Works great, even better value
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R36QNGH0IXL0TH If you are reading this review you have probably shopped around and studied the various types of HDMI switches. I am happy to report (and show) that this could be the switch for you. Installing is easy (as you would expect) taking less than 5 minutes. Video quality appears to be great (I can’t tell a difference between using the switch and directly wiring the HDMI and bypassing the switch).

The best feature is the price! This unit is about 50% less than any other HDMI switch on the market.

- The automatic switching does not work for me - mainly because one of my devices is an Apple TV which tricks the HDMI Switch into thinking that it is always on.

- The automatic switching is not a problem since the HDMI Switch comes with an IR remote - while the remote is flimsy it can be easily programmed into a smart remote.

Final Verdict - I am very happy both in the products functionality and in the price.

5 Stars

Surprise! *****
This is a very small plastic box that has an ominous connector for power. No power supply is provided. No matter. It works without it.

It comes with a small remote control and receiver. I’m not sure why you would need it. The priority scheme lets you power up a device to switch to it. This is what you want and need.

It takes a few seconds to stabilize but then works fine.

This doesn’t look like much but it works great!!!

I have a DVD player and a Tivo HD, both with HDMI outputs. My 1080i TV has only one HDMI input. By connecting the two with the Tivo having priority, I’m able to turn on the DVD player and it will switch to it. When I’m done, I turn off the power and I’m back to Tivo. What could be more elegant!

Update: I wanted to change to 5 stars but the software won’t let me.

Tiffen 72mm UV Protection Filter Product: Buy Tiffen 72mm UV Protection Filter At Amazon! List Price: $51.99 Amazon Price: $31.95 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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Film, as well as video, often exhibits a greater sensitivity to what is to us invisible, ultraviolet light. This is most often outdoors, especially at high altitudes, where the UV-absorbing atmosphere is thinner; and over long distances, such as marine scenes. It can show up as a bluish color cast with color film, or it can cause a low-contrast haze that diminishes details, especially when viewing far-away objects, in either color or black-and-white. Ultraviolet filters absorb UV light generally without affecting light in the visible region. It is important to distinguish between UV-generated haze and that of air-borne particles, such as smog. The latter is made up of opaque matter that absorbs visible light as well as UV, and will not be appreciably removed by a UV filter.The UV Protector shields lens from dust, moisture, scratches, and breakage.

• Brand: Tiffen
• Model: 72UVP
• Dimensions: 1.00″ h x 4.10″ w x 4.30″ l, .35 pounds

Features

• Most popular protection filter
• Provides basic reduction of ultraviolet light
• 72mm diameter
• Helps eliminate bluish cast in images

Good quality product, but not what I wanted.
The product felt strong, solid, and well put together. The glass was clear with no visible tint or imperfections. Although this and another filter (same type different size) both arrived with smudges on the glass. The smudges were fairly easy to wipe off, but I suspect the items are either not cleaned before packaging, or I received someone’s returned item. However, I had to return this item since they DON’T contain any anti-glare/reflective coating on them. When shooting towards a light source (light bulb, tv, sun, etc) a green reflection of the light source would appear on the recorded image. The green reflected image was caused by a reflection bouncing off of my lens’s green tinted anti-glare coating which was bounced right back into the camera by this filter. If your lens isn’t coated in an anti-glare coating the result will be even worse.
Instead I picked up Quantaray filters from a local Wolf Camera that were coated with the anti-glare. They only cost a little more, and the green reflection is now gone. Make sure you look for a filter with the anti-glare

Camera: Canon 20d, Lenses tested: 18-55, 28-135, 70-300

cheap filter
People are getting reflection with this filter because it is not multi coated. Coating kills reflection and keeps colors correct,a non coated filter on a multi coated lens is the worst thing you can do to a fine lens. Spend a little more to get a good one. Look for the term MULTI COATED !

Far from perfect
I bought this filter for my Canon 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens. The price was right, and I thought it would be a good way to protect the lens, which this probably does well. And while I am shooting under normal lighting conditions (flash or natural) the filter stays out of the way, but as soon as the lights go down this filter will ruin more photos than I can bear, due to an abundance reflective artifacts. If you take a photo of Christmas lights for example you will see the lights again in a faint green glow on the opposite side of the photo… VERY ANNOYING.

MIDLAND WR300 Weather Radio Lowest Price! Compare & Purchase MIDLAND WR300 Weather Radio at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: $79.99 Amazon Price: $48.16 Click Here To Purchase At Amazon!

MIDLAND WR300 Weather Radio Description:

Marketing description is not available.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Midland
• Model: WR-300
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: 2.25″ h x 5.50″ w x 7.00″ l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Receives All NOAA Weather Channels
• S.A.M.E. Technology
• AM/FM Radio with Clock and Alarm
• Memory system for 30 Counties
• Ability to Add & Remove Alerts

Customer Reviews:

A weather radio saved our lives.
I purchased 2 of these to replace the Midlands I lost in a tornado on July 13, 2004. The old radio saved the lives of myself, our 5 yr old and 3 of our grandchildren. If the radio had not been gone off, we would likely be dead. I never would have looked out the back door in time to get us all in the basement before an F4 hit our home. We live in the country and I have always had a weather radio. I tell everyone I know to get weather radio .
This is a nice model and I like the AM/FM feature. The problem I continually have had with every radio is that we live in the middle of the coverage areas and don’t get the best signal at times. I have solved this by putting a Chore Boy stainless steel scrub pad on the antenna. It definitely improves the reception and seems to do better that foil. Other than that I think this is the best one I have had.

Nice SAME Technology Weatheradio
After having tried just about every SAME technology weatheradio out there, I found the WR-300 to be one of the better ones, and definitely the best of the Midland weatheradios to date.

One of the best features it has is that it allows you to disable the audiable alerts for every watch/warning except life threatening ones like tornado warning, or biological hazard warning, etc. Other brands and models will only allow you to disable the most harmless events. I do not wish to be alerted at 3am because of a severe thunderstorm warning, or tornado watch. With the WR-300, I won’t be alerted unless there is actually a tornado warning.

The blue LED backlit LCD display is pretty sharp looking, too! There is a menu feature that allows you to continuously keep the blue backlighting on, although I think it would be too bright in a bedroom at night, especially if the WR-300 is right next to the bed on a nightstand.
Some people have complained about the beeps for every keypress, and I did not find that to bother me. Maybe a softer “click” sound for every keypress would be better. Also, others have reported that their WR-300 leaked audio when the WX is muted. I did not have this problem at all; it worked fine for me.

Things I really liked about the WR-300:

1) Extensive audiable alert disable ability
2) Form factor and relatively small size
3) Blue backlit display
4) 4-AA battery backup (instead of 9v transistor batt)
5) Am/Fm/clock/alarm features
6) Menu flexibility (although not that intuitive)

I gave the WR-300 a 4 instead of 5 star rating because of the following minor issues:

1) No display of event(s) remaining time(s)
2) Menu navigation and master alert disable/enable operation was not intuitive.
3) No visual indication as to whether or not the master audible alert is enabled or disabled.

Be notified when the news stations are notified…
I purchased this unit 6 months ago with the fear of “tornado season” coming. I live in an area where a tornado is likely with almost every storm. In past years, Easter weekend has been ruined by the destruction of houses in the path of a tornado.

We hear the alarm and listen to the weather service warning BEFORE the news stations can announce the warning on t.v.

The WR-300 has been great. The alarm is clearly heard by everyone throughout the house and the display gives a read out of the alert while the alarm is sounding. You can hear the local weather service with the touch of a button or press the AM/FM button and listen to local radio stations of your choice. The use of this radio is very simple. My kids know how to turn off the siren and how to press the weather radio button to listen to the verbal warning from the National Weather Service. The alarm is a great asset to have during night time hours.

The radio can be plugged in for everyday use and then when power is out for whatever reason, the backup batteries take over so that you can hear announcements and further weather warnings.

Many people have complained about the beeping while pressing the buttons. Yes, there is a beep but it is not that annoying. We do not do very much button pushing in the middle of the night and it has not bothered us.

There is a weekly test that can be a little annoying if you are asleep during the day. My husband is military and his schedule changes regularly, sometimes causing him to work mid-shift. When he is sleeping during the daytime hours, the alarm sounding during the weekly test can be disturbing but it is a small price to pay for safety. On the other side, the weekly test is a nice option. Each week we are assured that the radio is working and the alert will come through during an emergency.

This is a great item and wonderful purchase to make for yourself or a loved one. You really can not put a price on safety.

Amazon.com Product Description
Stay alert to conditions that affect you with Midland’s WR-300 weather/all-hazard radio. The unit offers S.A.M.E. technology (Specific Area Message Encoding), which preprograms the device to receive only those warnings that apply to your local area–you can choose state, county, and/or nearby counties. The single-speaker radio offers 30 programmable county codes, AM/FM tuning, date, time, alarm functions, and even auto switch from AM/FM to pertinent all-hazard alerts.

For tuning, the radio employs drift-free PLL (phase-lock loop) technology and an easy-to-read blue, backlit LCD. You get a convenient, 10-alert memory, and you can add, edit, and remove unwanted alerts at any time. The radio uses the supplied AC power adapter or four AA Batteries (not included).

What’s in the Box
Radio, AC power adapter, and a user’s manual.

Opteka X-GRIP Professional Camera / Camcorder Action Stabilizing Handle with Hot-shoe for Flash or Video Light Product: Opteka X-GRIP Professional Camera / Camcorder Action Stabilizing Handle with Hot-shoe for Flash or Video Light Lowest Price! List Price: $59.99 Amazon Price: $34.95 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

Compare Prices on Opteka X-GRIP Professional Camera / Camcorder Action Stabilizing Handle with Hot-shoe for Flash or Video Light

The Opteka X-GRIP handle can be used by both a professional or amateur user. This incredible support offers stability and control. The hot shoe attachment enables you to add a video light or flash. Extremely useful product for skateboarding and other extreme sports.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Opteka
• Model: X-GRIP

Features

• Provides stabilization for action video shoots
• Fits most compact camcorders, digital cameras, and entry SLRs
• Hot shoe allows attachment of a flash or video light
• Foam padded handle alleviates the stress of lengthy filming
• 1 Year Opteka Warranty

Not bad
At first glance, this looks like it can only be used for filming skate videos, although that is not the case. It’s advertised as a great way to keep skate footage stable, but it also works great for stabilizing your every day shots. What I do is put my camcorder on (Any consumer camcorder size will fit, I use a Canon VIXIA HG20) and then I push the x-grip against my shoulder and hold the camcorder like you usually would. This way, you have full control over the zoom and record buttons, and you get a stable shot. It’s like holding a professional camcorder (the ones that go over your shoulder)

Holding the x-grip the way it was meant to be held… well… it’s alright. Still a bit shakiness here and there but it definitely is a lot better than just holding the cam itself. Since you’re holding the grip, you dont have the option to zoom. I haven’t used it for any skateboaring videos yet, but I plan on doing it in the near future, and I can imagine that it’ll prove to be quite helpful.

One problem I’m currently have with the x-grip though is the fact that my mic is always getting into my shots (whenever the mic is connected to the hot shoe). I use an Azden SGM-2X. Great mic but it’s quite long. I have a fuzzy windscreen on the mic to reduce wind, but it’s hard holding the x-grip in a way that doesn’t have my mic’s windscreen creeping in from the top. If you have a long shotgun mic and plan on using it on the x-grip, keep that in mind. And I’m fully aware that the SGM-2X can be made shorter if you remove the long barrel, but then the mic’s range wont be as good/it’ll look sort of odd.

Overall, great product. Stabilizes my shots quite well. No real problems, I just need to spend more time working with it.

Incredibly useful.
The video description doesn’t do it justice. This is useful for way more than just skateboarding/biking videos. Put it up to your chest or shoulder, it functions like a full-sized camera mount. Swap out external microphones and lights without fingering the camera itself. Put it on a mobile/rolling platform, interesting shots. I can even attach the entire thing to my tripod, and it is way easier to use the big oversized grip to maneuver the camera than to use the tiny tripod handle.

The curved form of the grip makes it really fun/easy to manipulate in any direction. Over your head, upside down, at your shoetops, etc. With a compact microphone, nothing intruded into the shot. I completely did not understand how cumbersome and awkward it is to shoot with a camcorder hand-grip or with two hands on a DSLR until I tried this.

Plus, it’s small enough that you don’t like a complete and utter dork using it. Well … maybe not quite that small. But it’s fairly unobtrusive.

Relocates the center of gravity - and adds a real hotshoe
Today’s AVCHD cameras are going pro. Pros realize that the advantage of inserting a memory card over reading hours of tape into a nonlinear editing system can mean the difference in making a deadline or just a wasted effort. As such, AVCHD cams are being used in production. I’ve used the Modosteady and this unit, and personally I like this better.

First off, shots from a a low angle with a medium zoom are dramatic. Using a lanc remote and this mount with a 14oz camera you can take some very nice shots on the move from a low angle making the subject appear taller and more a part of the framed shot.

Secondly, the new small form factor cameras LACK the normal (or what I would call normal) hot shoe. The canon series has gone to a very powerful mini-shoe that will NOT accept all of our old goodies for on camera lights, wireless receivers, and shotgun mics. This fixes the problem giving you one dead shoe to mount accessories close to the camera, almost where they would be on a normal camera. If your camera is fortunate enough to have a regular hot shoe, then this gives you mounting for those valuable accessories and keeps it neat. If you have a min-s shoe, you can put a shotgun mike on the camera and put a light on the grip, giving you two accessories where only one would have gone before.

My overall impressions using this were that I could be more artistic with it without breaking my back for the best angle. Tripods are great for podiums, but going mobile for baby steps or bicycle rides dictates a new way to hold your camera. With 1920×1080 AVCHD 24Mbps cameras weighing in at a comfortable 14 oz, this is an excellent tool. Both the camera and the accessory (if used) can be moved forward and rearward for optimal balance - you’ll know when you it the sweet spot and trips through the garden will be effortless like a cat on the prowl. Of course, it’s made to the high quality standards set by opteka which makes it doubtful anyone will be disappointed.

Wagan 2295-6 Smart AC 210 USB Inverter Product: Wagan 2295-6 Smart AC 210 USB Inverter Review. List Price: $49.99 Amazon Price: $37.74 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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Wagan Smart AC 210 USB Inverter provides compact mobile power to convert 12 volt DC to 110 volt AC for your electronics. Provides 210 watts continuous power and 500 watt peak surge power. Includes 2 grounded AC outlets plus a USB port to power your appliances. Also includes an adjustable swivel head for use at multiple angles and a built-in thermal cooling fan. Loaded with safety features such as overload protection, auto-reset short circuit protection, low battery indicator and low battery shutdown.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #971 in Automotive
• Brand: Wagan
• Model: 2295-6
• Dimensions: 2.25″ h x 6.25″ w x 11.75″ l, 1.14 pounds

Features

• 2 grounded AC outlets
• 1 USB port
• Adjustable swivel head for use at multiple angles
• Built-in thermal cooling fan
• Built-in safety features

Compact and useful
I bought this inverter because of its compact size. Since my car only has one power point (cig lighter), it’s like a 3-way adapter.

I’ve used it for awhile now and works well for me. I mainly use the household outlet for keeping my laptop topped off on the road and sometimes the USB port to recharge my iPod after a long day. If I had to, I can also plug in my cell phone charger into the second household outlet.

Most other inverters were much larger and would have been messier.

Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Laser Mouse 5600 DPI-Retail $129.99! Sale Only $109.88! Compare & Purchase Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Laser Mouse 5600 DPI at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: $129.99 Amazon Price: $109.88 Click Here To Purchase At Amazon!

Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Laser Mouse 5600 DPI Description:

The Razer Mamba features gaming grade wireless technology with a hybrid system that enables instant wired/wireless functionality. Coupled with an industry leading 1ms polling rate, it is the fastest performing mouse both on and off the cord. Delivering true wireless freedom, lag-free speed and ergonomic comfort, the Razer Mamba is in a league of its own.

• Color: Black
• Brand: Razer
• Model: RZ01-00120100-R3U1
• Format: CD
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Dimensions: 9.50″ h x 4.75″ w x 4.75″ l, 2.05 pounds
• CPU: AMD Athlon 1 GHz
• Memory: 128000MB DRAM
• Hard Disk: 1GB
• Processors: 1
• Native resolution: 640×480
• Display size: 669.2913385827

Features

• Gaming-Grade Wireless Technology
• Dual Mode Wired/Wireless Functionality
• Razer Synapse¿ Onboard Memory
• Charging Dock

Customer Reviews:

Everything and More
Pros: This mouse does everything that I’ve read in all the reviews including the slight jittering of the mouse. However that is easily fixed by removing the silver/embossed ring around the sensor that reads 5600 dpi sensor, etc. A quick e-mail to the support at Razer will net you a teflon ring to place into the ring (the mouse however will work fine with nothing there). I have always preferred wired mice being a very competitive gamer, I would never have chanced my batteries going out on me at a key time in game play. However this mouse allows you to have the best in both wired and wireless gameplay.

Cons: I wish it weren’t so expensive, but you can’t always have it your way. I’m a little leery of having the Razer software update the onboard mouse memory, Synapse, every time I open it to make a change; but that is a fairly minor problem as long as it works.

At the writing of this review, a firmware update is available from the Razer website that solves the problems that many have been experiencing with the battery not charging to full capacity. I can confirm that this update solves the problem. Thumbs up to Razer.

The “DREAM” mouse I have been waiting for despite it’s quirks and bad reviews
This is the mouse I have been waiting for. One that has the body of a Razer DeathAdder, and the high customizable DPI of the Razer Lachesis.

Pro’s
-Highly customizable DPI
-Wireless
-Can be used as a wired mouse
-5 Stage Sensitivity Changes (i.e. 800,1600,1800,2000,5600)
-Sensitivity change buttons can be re-mapped to key buttons
(if you don’t know what the buttons are they are the two small one’s next to the left click)
-X & Y DPI can be changed to increase vertical or horizontal DPI speed of your choice (this is great to move your mouse down to hold gun recoil down with machine guns and STG44/BAR recoil in Day Of Defeat Source or any other FPS game)
-Software can manage multiple profiles for different games
-Software can create/record macros (I haven’t extensively tried it so I can’t comment on this yet, just got the mouse today from Amazon)
-You can turn off the lighting for Charging Dock/Mouse Wheel/& Battery Level indicator
-It turns off the battery indicator lights and lights on the wheel when you are not using it to preserve battery life
-Jitter problem is fixed if you use a well flat textured surface, I can confirm it works nearly perfect on a Razer eXact Mat (I use the speed side)

Con’s
-It jitters on the Razer Destructor mouse mat, I own the Destructor Special Edition white version and it jitters a lot
-Jitter is caused by poorly textured surfaces so the laser doesn’t track well, this is why people are complaining about the jitter and when they left click the mouse jitters
-1.02 firmware has problems with battery life, update to 1.03 firmware, I had a problem updating in Windows XP so I updated my firmware in Windows 7
-Cost, most people will not be able to afford this mouse,this mouse is purely marketed towards the hardcore FPS players, it’s not a mouse that you would use to play World of Warcraft or online Bingo on a Saturday night with your grandma
-Thumb buttons, this might be bad if you have big hands, I have small hands so I find the placement of the thumb buttons to be fine but if you have large hands you might complain that the buttons are placed too high

I believe if you contact Razer they will give you a teflon ring to fix part of the jitter problem. I suggest a well textured surface to use with the Mamba. I created my own ring using lamination sheets and used a dime to trace a circle and cut it with a scissor. What people don’t understand about laser mouses is that lasers are PRECISE. Any little movement will cause the laser to move, this results in jitter because many people don’t have a solid steady hand so they complain about a technology they know little of and if you think you have a steady hand I dare you to think again. Hopefully Razer will continually release firmwares to correct the jitter problems even further.

I don’t think anyone needs a mouse over 2,000 DPI. Don’t believe the marketing hypes of any company that advertises a mouse with high DPI, not even Razer’s competitor. Not many people can control 5600 DPI. I have used Razer mouses since 2005, so that’s about 4 years of usage. It took me at least 6 months to get very good at 1600 DPI. After that I went to 1800 DPI and 2000 DPI; as far as I can tell it’s very difficult to control anything over 2000 DPI. I find 1800 DPI to be the sweet spot for gaming.

I own 1 Razer Diamondback Red (Original non-3G), 1 Razer Diamondback (Original non-3G) Plasma Blue Limited Edition, Razer Diamondback Chameleon (Original non-3g), 1 Razer DeathAdder 3G, 1 Razer Copperhead Laser Mouse, 1 Razer Lachesis, 1 Razer eXact Mat with Gel wrist pad, 1 Razer Destructor Special Edition White mouse pad. So you can see, I have a trailing history of Razer products. If you loved the DeathAdder then you’ll definitely love the Mamba.

Again, I will stress this again, this mouse is for the hardcore only. Don’t cry saying you wasted $130 for a mouse. Know exactly what you are buying before you buy it. But I will say this, it works excellent with eXact mat and a custom ring around the laser. The boxing of the product is clever and very nice. You have to see it for yourself. Don’t be discouraged by other reviews to buy this mouse. Buy it and try it out for yourself. Buying a mouse is like buying a car, we all like different things, some like Lamborghinis, some like Ferrari’s, some just want something to get from point A to point B. Even if you don’t like it and want to return it, Amazon has a great return policy.

*UPDATE* APR-19-2009
After further testing I was able to update my Mamba to firmware 1.03 by running the 1.03 executable file in Windows 98/ME compatibility mode. Running the software in compatibility mode was the only way I could get rid of the InstallShield 1628 Error which says that the application wasn’t able to install itself. You have to manually install the firmware which gets extracted to C:\Program Files\Razer\Mamba\Mamba Firmware Updater from there you can manually run the updater and follow the directions. I tested it on the Razer Destructor Special Edition White Mouse Mat and the jitter is now gone. I can confirm that it works without jitter on Razer eXact Mat, Razer Destructor Mouse Mat, and tested on two different colored cloth mouse pads (blue and black) and there is no jitter at all.

Papa Loves Mamba
I was one of the first (literally) to purchase the Razer Mamba when the pre-order went up on razerzone.com. There was a slight problem with the early shipments and the pre-order was pulled for about a month, though I still received my Razer Mamba. There were no drivers, the initial 1.0 firmware did not charge the battery fully causing the light to blink continuously, and it seemed my scroll wheel had a tiny hair in it causing it to squeak when scrolling. All in all, I was impressed with the mouse (minus the annoying squeaks).

I received an email (one that went out to those who bought the first batch of Razer Mambas), which said they were disappointed with the quality of the first batch and would be sending us a second Razer Mamba for free while letting us keep our first Mamba. The second Razer Mamba that I received came with a newer 1.02 firmware and the scroll wheel had no ear-piercing problems to complain of.

I recently upgraded both mice to firmware 1.03 and updated the drivers to 1.03 and it has been smooth sailing ever since. I set the polling rate to 1ms (1KHz) and the sensitivity to 2000dpi (anything higher is pushing it and is only useful if you’re sniping in a game). Performance is great paired with a Razer Destructor Professional Gaming Mat or any other hard gaming mouse pad surface. The 3.5G Laser is very precise and using a cheap $5 Fry’s mouse pad just won’t cut it.

Once you get used to the Mamba it’s hard to use anything else for gaming. I’d recommend the Razer Mamba to professional or hardcore gamers since all the mouse settings are saved on the local memory of the mouse and you can take it to tournaments and simply plug it in, preserving all of your settings and sensitivity stages that you customized in the drivers.

From the Manufacturer
The Razer Mamba features gaming grade wireless technology with a hybrid system that enables instant wired/wireless functionality. Coupled with an industry leading 1ms polling rate, it is the fastest performing mouse both on and off the cord. Delivering true wireless freedom, lag-free speed and ergonomic comfort, the Razer Mamba is in a league of its own.