Iomega ScreenPlay Plus HD Multimedia Player 1 TB - 34499 Review

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(More customer reviews)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.


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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.

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Optical Toslink to Toslink Mini Fiber Optic Gold Plated Digital Cable - 12ft Review

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(More customer reviews)This cable works just fine to connect the S/PDIF headphone-digital optical out port on my iMac to my Yamaha receiver's optical in port.

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Compatible with Digital audio equipment, CD, DVD, Dolby Digital DTS Surround sound receivers, MiniDisk.

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Iomega ScreenPlay Director HD Media Player, 2TB - 34653 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have never owned a multimedia player before, and I didn't think using one would be this hard. Technology has been around for a few years now and you would think manufacturers would have figured out some basic necessities. I wonder if Iomega engineers even looked at their competition before designing this.
Pros:
1) It works
2) Connections are easy
3) Looks good
4) Has buttons on the front for most operations - if you lose the remote, you can still use the device
5) Built-in hard drive
6) USB allows external drives (I have only tried a flash drive and it worked well)
7) Plays AVCHD files from Canon (HG10) without conversion
8) Plays Flip videos without conversion
Cons:
1) AVI Videos from my Canon (S1-IS and S2-IS) can not be played
2) MOV video files from my Panasonic (FZ28) can not be played
3) USB connection with computer is flaky. Some times the drive is recognized some times not. Win XP and Win 7 had the same issue. I am yet to figure out what causes it work - very frustrating issue.
4) Printed manual is only quick setup manual, has no useful information, and occupies less than a letter sized paper (one side only)
5) Manual is on a supplied CD, in HTML form, hard to use. WHY CAN'T THEY GIVE A PDF?
6) When connected to TV and turned on, it takes several seconds to boot up. I have a suspecion that it reads the hard disk contents while booting up.
7) Menu selection (using the remote) is hard to control. Push the button once - nothing happens. Push it again, skips twice.
8) When you navigate into a folder containing a large number of files, it will show first few files. There is no scroll bar and there is no way to know how many files are there. I couldn't figure out how to page-up and page-down. That function may not be there.
9) I couldn't find a way to randomize video playing sequence. If you have a bunch of home videos and you want to watch them, you must watch them sequentially.
10) When an error occurs (file can not be played), a popup box comes up and it wouldn't go away easily. Pushing the OK button performs some other unanticipated action.
Wish List:
1) I want a firmware update with a totally revamped menu design. Current system is very frustrating.
2) The device must play most popular file formats (MJPEG) without having to convert them first.
3) A printed manual.
4) Fix the USB connection issues
5) Speed up the boot up process
I was able to convert my video files successfully using MediaCoder software (free) into MP4 and the ScreenPlay Director played them fine.


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Enjoy a complete media experience with the new feature-rich Iomega ScreenPlay Director HD Media Player, USB 2.0/AV/Ethernet - With full 1080p high definition multimedia player connect easily to your home network to store and access your videos, music, and photo collections. Easily browse your network to select stored videos and view on your home theatre or access online content with the convenient remote. Compatible with the latest media formats such as H.264, MP3, AC3 (Dolby Digital Encoding), WAV, WMA, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI/VOB), MPEG-4 (AVI/XViD), DivX and JPEG. It supports the Iomega USB WIFI Adapter for wireless access (adapter sold separately). DivX Certified to play DivX video, including premium content. Available in 1TB and 2TB capacities, plus includes Iomega Protection Suite software with anti-virus and backup software solutions.

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Apple TV with 160GB Hard Drive - MB189LL/A Review

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(More customer reviews)Disclaimer: I am a huge (but no longer kool-aid-drinking) Apple fan.
It's good enough, and the rest of the reviews here attest to that, but now having my own, I have to touch on a couple of things that nobody has mentioned yet.
1) There is no way to shut it off. It sucks 18-22 watts down at all times. 22 watts when playing a movie, 18 watts in "hibernate" mode (which is obviously not the laptop-style hibernate mode one would think... I think it merely turns off the video output). You literally have to unplug it to get it to stop. There is no "shutdown" option or power switch. This I find a little ridiculous. Especially because they bothered to put in a neat startup movie- Did they expect you to watch it only once?
2) It runs very hot (no fan), even when it is "hibernated", and thus cannot be covered by anything or you will affect heat dissipation.
3) It is laggy sometimes. The worst offense an interface can have is to be laggy. If it's busy syncing, fine... just prioritize the user interface, please. (Edit: Even after syncing, it gets laggy sometimes.) A few times I'd hit a few buttons, wait 20 seconds, and then the audio feedback kicks in and does what I had commanded a half minute ago. This is pretty unforgivable. (Perhaps it's because it only has a half gig of RAM.)
4) No 1080p. Just to let you know. 1080i, yes. 1080p, no.
5) If you intend to hook this up to any sort of computer display via a HDMI>DVI cable, be aware that you will be unable to watch rented movies because your computer display will not support HDCP and you will get an error. Why it is still quite feasible to rent the very same movie on a computer via the iTunes Store and watch it on a non-HDCP computer display is left as an exercise to the armchair IP lawyers out there.
If you can get past those things, it's a nice little device.

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With the Apple TV, you'll have instant access to a whole world of entertainment. Whether you want to rent HD movies, buy HD TV show, listen to your iTunes music collection, or show off your photos, Apple TV will bring all of it into your living room and onto your television without any computer required.
Put more HD on your HDTV. HD movies. HD TV shows. HD podcasts. With Apple TV, they\'re all on demand. You get instant access to newly released Hollywood hits and popular classic and library titles, including the largest selection of on-demand HD movies. And now you can also purchase and watch your favorite TV shows in brilliant HD one day after they air.
The largest selection of on-demand HD movies. Apple TV gives you instant access to the largest selection of on-demand HD movies. Choose a movie, and in minutes, you\'re watching the opening credits with theater-like Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. HD rentals start at $3.99, and you have 30 days to start watching. Hit Play, and it\'s yours to watch as many times as you want in 24 hours.
Rent or buy standard-definitionmovies. Choose from the most popular Hollywood titles, from comedy to drama, romance to classics, independents to thrillers. Standard-definition movie rentals are $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases. Short films — including popular Pixar animated shorts — are only $1.99. And if you like the movie you just rented, you can make it a permanent part of your digital collection. Movie purchases start at $9.99, and most titles are available the day they\'re released on DVD.
Play your music through your hometheatersystem. With Apple TV, iTunes syncs wirelessly to your TV, so all the music you\'ve collected can now be played on the best speakers in your house. The new Genius feature studies your iTunes library to automatically create a playlist of songs that go great together. You can also browse and buy music videos on the iTunes Store. And sync songs and videos purchased on Apple TV to your computer and iPod oriPhone.
Now appearing on HDTV: Your photos. YouTubevideos.And podcasts, too. Your photos deserve a bigger stage. And Apple TV puts them on your widescreen TV, where everybody can see them in stunning high definition. Select My Photos to browse photos that are on your Mac or PC. You can also access your Flickr or MobileMe galleries. And you no longer have to gather around a computer screen to see YouTube videos and podcasts — Apple TV plays them big and bold on your TV\'s spectacularscreen.
Lots of Features in a Small Package The Apple TV features a 160GB hard drive for storing content locally, and has an HDMI port, component video, optical audio, analog RCA stereo audio, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, USB 2.0, and 802.11n wireless networking. All this in an elegant box that measures just 7.7 by 7.7 x 1.1 inches (WxDxH). A remote control is included so you can navigate all your choices from the comfort of your couch.
System Requirements Apple TV requires a Mac (running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or 10.4.9 or later) or PC (running Windows XP Home or Professional (SP2) or Vista), iTunes 7.6 or later (iTunes 8.0.1 recommended), and either an Airport Extreme, Wi-Fi 802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11n wireless network (wireless video streaming requires 802.11g or 802.11n) or 10/100BASE-T Ethernet network.
Apple TV is backed by a one-year warranty.
What's on the Box Apple TV, remote, power cord, documentation.

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Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with THX SB1095 Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this to use in place of my ThinkPad's built-in sound. I'd assumed for years that sound cards these days were not noticeably different at performing basic tasks like listening to iTunes, but this one is definitely better than the ThinkPad's. Perhaps it takes a better than average pair of speakers to tell a difference. It is working great and the M-Audio Studiophile AV30 Professional Reference Speakers sound much, much better.
My only minor criticisms are the size (there is a smaller USB stick available) and the top-mounted volume control - do we really need another one?? - which makes it difficult to stack anything on top.I allowed Windows 7 to install default drivers - which it did quickly and painlessly - rather than installing the Creative Labs software, so I have barely scratched the surface of what the card is capable of. I haven't tried any audio special effects/processing or 5.1 sound. But, I can recommend it if you just want good quality stereo sound rather than the surprisingly inferior sound that comes on a laptop or desktop motherboard.

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Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro turns your PC or notebook into a 5.1 entertainment system featuring THX TruStudio Pro technology with remote control. Easy to install, it replaces low-quality on-board audio with high quality connectivity and remote control. A convenient volume control, headphone and microphone inputs for a headset are close at hand. THX TruStudio Pro is specially designed to bring the same great audio experience found in live performances, films, and recording studios – to the PC. Dolby Digital Live! offers a single cable solution to your decoder for 5.1 audio from any content while PowerDVD (free download) with Dolby and DTS support turns your PC into a home cinema. Please note this item is not Mac compatible.

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Epson EX31 Multimedia Projector Review

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(More customer reviews)This projector works great; easy set up, clear picture, simple controls, and even easy keystone adjustment. The one thing I didn't expect was to hear it. If you're getting it for powerpoint presentations, it may be a little loud. I use it for videos so the volume of the video overpowers the projector, but I was disappointed because I do also use it in a small classroom setting where it would be nice if I couldn't hear it. I don't know Dbs, but it's louder than I had hoped. The Decibals weren't listed in the specs. That would've been nice.


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Epson EX31 Multimedia Projector

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