Digital Cameras Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘System Compatibility’

Flip MinoHD Camcorder 60 Minutes Black

Here it is! A 720p HD camcorder that fits in your pocket. The Flip MinoHD has 4GB built-in memory to record and store up to 60 minutes of high quality video. A 1.5″ TFT lets you preview and view videos on camera. A USB connector lets you transfer and share videos. Advanced playback, pause, fast forward/rewind features Records high-quality H.264 videos that work with iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto Child Safe mode to prevent accidental deletions of clips Fast lens – great low or bright light results, 2x digital zoom 1.5 color high-brightness (transflective) display for easy recording and super-clear viewing in bright sunlight Silent mode for recording in sensitive situations TV connector cable included to watch videos on television Tripod mount fits any standard tripod Video – 16 – 9 widescreen, HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames per second progressive scan Built-in FlipShare software for email, edit, and more Includes Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder w/ built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery; Protective carrying pouch; Wrist strap; TV cable; Quickstart Guide Internal Memory – 4GB (60 minutes) Screen Resolution – 528 x 132 pixels / Video Resolution – 1280 x 720 progressive Video Bitrate – 8.8Mbps (average – auto adaptive algorithm) Video Format – H.264 video compression, AAC audio compression, saves as MP4 file Lens Type – Fixed Focus (1.5m to infinity) Aperture – f/2.4 (fast lens for great results in low-light environments) Zoom – Smooth multi-step 2x digital 8 Touch-Sensitive Capacitive Buttons (Power, Play, Delete, Record and 4 way navigation) Unit Dimensions – 3.94 x 1.97 x 0.63 (H x W x D) PC Connection – Built-in flip-out USB arm (up to 2.0 USB speed) TV Out – NTSC (cable included) Battery Life – Rechargeable lithium ion battery, charges using built-in USB arm Operating System compatibility – Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OSX

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Software is a disaster
I received my Mino HD on October 3 and returned it to Amazon on October 5. I own an earlier Flip Video camcorder and I have been very satisfied with it. I bought the HD Mino to take on our upcoming trip to Europe and to stay with the miniature theme, I wanted to use it with my compact Acer Aspire Notebook. However, the newest software will not allow snapshots to be saved on this computer running Windows XP SP3 because the screen will not resize to allow the “Save” button at the bottom to be visible in order to click on it. The resize arrows just do not work. Tech support’s answer was simply “Your system does not meet the minimum requirements…” and their solution was a very complicated process to transfer all of my videos back from my computer to the camcorder and attempt to load an earlier software version. It was so convoluted that I just gave up and returned the camera. Further, the clarity of the video images are sharp but man are they jerky. It was like watching the old silver screen movies before the “Talkies”. I had high hopes for this camera but I was extremely disappointed.

1 Star great concept, but nearly impossible for mac users to download
Even though iMovie uses this camera as a sample of what you can connect, mac users should be very, very wary of buying this product. There is no way to end-run around the built in Flip software, which may prohibit you from importing it to iMovie. Tried numerous time with support from both Flip and Apple (Flip was nice, Apple was “flippant” (sorry for the pun, but imagine that). Great camera for kids to take some vids and use the crappy software included, you can only use six of their songs for background music. Not all your iTunes can be used, out of 1200+ songs I was able to use one obscure Bach organ work as a background. In short, this is a great concept, but really is just a step above a disposable camera.

3 Stars Fun while it lasts, camera proves unreliable in the end
I really like my Mino HD. Sure it has it’s faults. The microphone is subpar, the lens should be more wide-angle, etc., but for what it is, the Mino HD is a great little camera. However, I’m afraid Flip let this one out without enough testing. I’ve had random glitches and problems with it since day one. I constantly get a solid black screen for the first 15 seconds of recording, which is annoying because you have to guess what you’re shooting. Now the camera has taken to freezing up every time I turn it on. I get a black screen with distorted red and blue lines running through it. The camera remains on and unresponsive until you reset it. Sometimes when I turn it on, I get a strange firmware info screen, then it freezes.

Fine, if you want this camera. It’s got nice picture quality, and what it does, it does well. But know this … the time will come, probably days from opening the box, when it will not work correctly. Sure, it’s an inexpensive camera, but even for $200, I expect to get something that works more than 30 percent of the time. My Flip Mino HD does not. It is a very poorly-constructed, camera with glitchy firmware, that gives a lot of people random problems. Do a google search and you’ll find similar complaints. I can generally get my camera to work, but it’s not without some effort: resetting, turning it off and on again, waiting, resetting again, etc.

5 Stars Love it!
Have been using the new mino-hd for a few weeks and so far I love it. For me, portability is everything and this camera fits in a cell phone case. The quality is also pretty surprising. The one thing I miss is the ability to connect it directly to an hdmi capable TV. The non-mino hd camera I had before this one did that, and it was very handy.

5 Stars Great camcorder
it was cheap, but preforms at its max. no regrets dropping $200 here! the only thing i didnt like was that they gave you a composite video cable. WTF!

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Western Digital My DVR Expander 1 TB eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDG1S10000VN Black

Instantly add up to 60 hours of high-definition TV or up to 300 hours of standard-definition TV to your Scientific Atlanta 8300, 8300HD or TiVo DVR. You’ll have plenty of room to save your programs longer and never miss your favorite shows. Just plug My DVR Expander into the external SATA (eSATA) port on your DVRs and start recording even more TV shows, sporting events and movies. My DVR Expander has been tested for compatibility with Scientific Atlanta 8300 series DVRs. The unique no-fan passive cooling system and special hard drive design make it quiet for the living room or bedroom. Designed with a soft amber LED indicator, My DVR Expander is ideal for the living room or bedrooms. Dimensions (HxLxW) – 6.78 x 5.63 x 2.23 Weight – 2.60 lbs.System Compatibility Tested for compatibility with Explorer 8300 Series DVRs 8300, 8300 HD, 8300 MR, and 8300 HD-MR Digital Video Recorders. TiVo verified compatible with TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD Digital Video Recorders. Check with your cable service provider to confirm compatibility with their system.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A “must have” device for HD DVRs
This Western Digital external hard drive is recommended by TIVO and worked seamlessly with my Series 3 HD TIVO in minutes. Set up is a breeze. TIVO recorded for nearly two weeks filling up the system with suggestions. If you have an HD TV and HD service you must get the expanded memory. No worries about what to record, what to save or what to watch. It was cheaper to buy it from Beach Camera, than from TIVO direct.

5 Stars WD My DVR Expander = a match for DirecTv HD DVR
I bought the 500 Gig at the start of summer, and promised my self when I saw the 1 Terabyte on sale, I’d upgrade to that and gift the 500 Gig to my son for use with his HR20.

This unit works great with a DirecTv HR21. Power up the My DVR, power down the DirecTv, attach the eSATA cable to the My DVR and the DirecTv unit. Power up the DirecTv, which goes through boot process, taking an extra 30 seconds to format the My DVR for its first use. 10 Minutes later after booting, the DirecTv is using the external WD My DVR Expander instead of its internal drive for storage. You lose access to recorded programs, movies, and program settings on the internal drive, while the external is attached. SO you have to recreate all your season passes, which you can’t do until the Program Guide gets repopulated (maybe 6 hours).

This unit is super quiet not needing an internal fan.

I also bought the SIIG eSATA cable, as some have reported issues with supplied cable. I placed the unit on top of two 1 inch pink erasers, so as to allow ingress of air from the bottom for cooling.

This unit is selling as fast as WD can make them apparently, and price varies from day to day, depending on which vendor has it in stock.

5 Stars An Essential Object
This is exactly what I needed. Easy to use and total relief from Tivo constipation…

We now have enough space to record and review everything we want to see on Tivo.

5 Stars Works with DirecTV R21
My DirecTV R21 HD-DVR was having the popular problem of the screen freezing. Finally, the hard drive gave out all together. Checking with DirecTV it was going to cost me a service call plus the cost of the replacement box. On DirecTV’s website they suggest the My DVR Expander for use with their equipment. Being the lower cost compared to the service call and new box I purchased this DVR expander and the SIIG cable. I removed power from the DirecTV box, plugged in the DVR expander, reapplied power and I was back in business. The DirecTV box reformatted the hard drive on boot up and it was instantly in service. As this replaces the existing hard drive, everything you had previously recorded and settings are lost. Not a big problem since my hard drive failed completely. Now I have 3 times the recording capacity and the reliability of a Western Digital drive.

5 Stars Making Your TiVo HD Better (If That’s Possible)
Within the first week or two of installation, our TiVo HD DVR started sending warning messages of limited memory. I was pretty surprised until I realized that its capacity was being taxed by the number of HDTV broadcasts being recorded, whether or not we wished to view them in that format (many childrens’ cartoons and shows are being broadcast in HDTV).

All was not lost, as we found the Western Digital “My DVR Expander” on the Amazon.com site adjacent to the TiVos (they’ve since moved it, so you’ll have to search for it). Hook-up was easy and the warnings of low memory are a thing of the past. We’ve outfitted each of our two TiVo HDs with these 1TB memory expanders.

The only thing that I can really find to complain about are the set-up instructions which are weak. The instructions that accompany the unit are centered around the WD unit itself. The TiVo manual doesn’t make reference to it at all. I had to hunt through the TiVo menus for mention of external memory device set-up, as there was no automatic notification of “external device detected”. Only after set up has been completed does the TiVo provide a message asking if you want to set up the external device when it’s already been done. In the scheme of things, not a big deal. Once installed, you can just forget about it, as the TiVo manages its use. We’re very satisfied with the product.

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