SVAT CVP800 Mini Portable DVR Digital Video Recorder with MPEG4 Compression Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased the SVAT CVP800 with the CCDCO camera.After some minor initial bumps, I am very satisfied.When first received, the camera had a defective video cable.It took a while for me to figure out the problem, but once done, SVAT customer service was very responsive and sent a replacement cable immediately.The only significant negative comments that I have are that the CVP800 does not include or offer as an optional accessory a 12VDC plug-in car power supply; also the instruction manual is not very helpful in several areas.On the positive side, the CVP800 is extremely small (easily fits into a shirt pocket), light weight and consumes very little power (under 1.5 watt).It has a powerful feature not found on other similar mini-portable units that I evaluated, specifically, the ability to loop record, i.e., continuously record, writing over the oldest data when it reaches the capacity of the SD card.This allows the unit to record 24 hours a day forever without any attention whatsoever.If an event happens that you are aware of and want to review and save, simply stop the recorder and selectively play back the last minutes/hours recorded, and if you want to, download the data onto your computer to save it or simply pull the SD card with the recorded data, and insert a new one in the CVP800.Overall, I have found this unit to be well designed - user friendly, easy to understand, and highly flexible in both recording and playing back.The only reason I gave the CVP800 a 4-star rating (rather than 5-stars) is the absence of an out-of-the-box way to power the unit in a car other than depending on the internal AA batteries.

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Product Description:
Want to not only monitor your home or business but also record what the camera is viewing? The CVP800 is a miniature portable digital video recorder that provides you with the ability to record camera images on a SD card. Set it to record on motion detection or at a scheduled time. The search and play option and the time and date stamp allow you to find the footage you need with ease. The CVP800 also ensures you do not miss a sound or voice with its audio function. A 512MB card provides up to seven hours and forty minutes of recording time and up to 30 frames per second, and a 128MB card is included. Use the CVP800 with most SVAT wired cameras using the included A/V cables. This small and portable device will perform wherever needed and is quick and easy to set up and to use. Use the included AC adapter for power and included A/V cables to output the images to your TV or computer.

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Aiptek MPVR 8MP MPEG4 Digital Camcorder with 4x Digital Zoom Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)but luckily I was wrong. I bought the MPVR at Target for $128.77 (the lowest price I found). There were only 2 left, so I took that as a good sign. After the initial charge, which took less than the four hours stated in the manual, I was ready to play. I took a few pictures inside my house in low-light conditions, both at 1 and 3 megapixel resolution. I also shot a short video just so I could test it. The following morning I shot another video outside (it was a beautiful day with plenty of sun), and I took pictures in all the available resolutions: VGA, 1, 3, and 6MP. Here's what I think:

For under $150 you get a digital still camera, digital camcorder, MP3 player, voice recorder, and TV-DVD recorder. It's an amazing deal.

-The camera:
While it does tout the camera as being able to take pictures at 6MP resolution, the actual sensor is for 3MP. I was a little thrown off by this, but if you research, you'll find that more megapixels doesn't necessarily mean better quality, and this little camera is a perfect example. The way it achieves the 6MP resolution is by taking them at 3MP and adding in the extra pixels by the use of an algorithm (similar to what happens when you enlarge a picture using any photo-editing software) before the JPEG encoding, so the results are good. The images are crisp and vibrant. The get a little fuzzy when you take them at full zoom (4x optical), but that's nothing a good tripod can't fix. I currently have the resolution set at VGA because it's the perfect size for email attachments.

-The camcorder:
The first video I shot was indoors, at night-time, without engaging the night mode, and in low light. The image was good but a little fuzzy. The one I shot outdoors was beautiful. The colors were brilliant, and there was very little noise. Also the microphone is really good, and you can adjust the volume settings. You can also zoom in and out while recording video. There are two settings for video: VGA, and the lower-quality less-space consuming QVGA. All video is encoded in MPEG4 so it easily plays on your computer.

-MP3 player:
When you connect the camera to your computer, you'll find an MP3 folder. Just drag and drop your songs there and you're set. The speaker on the camera is pretty good, but it distorts a little if you have it on too loud. The included ear-buds are pretty good, although I'm sure it would sound much better with high-end Bose. You can't fast-forward or rewind a song, but how often do you really do that?

-Voice recorder and TV-DVD recorder:
I haven't used either of these functions yet, but from the sound I heard in the videos, I can probably say the voice recorder is good too. For TV-DVD recording, the camera comes with AV cables so it's just a matter of connecting the camera and hitting record. A 2GB SD card will hold about 2 hours of video.

The MPVR is amazing. It blew me away. And the size is fantastic. It comes with a 2.4" swivel screen, slim rechargeable battery and charger, AV-out/USB combo cable, AV-in cable, and wrist strap. It comes with an internal 16MB flash memory, and a SD/MMC slot accepting cards of up to 2GB. The only draw back that I could find is that the lens is not covered and it does not include a cap. So just be careful not to scratch it. When I first bought the camera I wasn't sure if I was going to keep it, but now that I've fallen in love with it I bought a small compact camera case (BestBuy has good, cheap ones) and a 256MB Kingston SD card. At the manufacturer's website, www.aiptek.com, you'll find extra accessories such as an AC adapter for the camera, extra batteries, tripods, and a wireless remote.

This camera does seem too good to be true, but I can assure you, you won't be disappointed.

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Product Description:
Aiptek???s MPVR is a hand held multi-functional Media Player / Video Recorder which allows you to connect to your TV/VCR/DVD player to record your favorite TV shows, Movies, video clips, pictures, audio recordings, and playback on the huge built-in 2.4 TFT color LCD or on your 60 TV for an affordable price!If that wasn???t enough, the MPVR also performs as your MPEG-4 DV Camcorder recording Super VHS quality video (640 x 480 VGA resolution at 30 frames per second), 3 Mega Pixel Digital Camera with 6 Mega Pixel enhancement, Voice Recorder, and SD Card Reader / Removable Hard Disk!The most convenient personal entertainment solution with exceptional value and features!

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Zoom Q3 Handy Video Recorder (Metal Blue) Review

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(More customer reviews)I think the past reviews are pretty slanted towards video enthusiasts and not audio enthusiasts, so I think the low ratings reflect that.That being said, yea, it's 640X480, but there's also nobody on the block offering a hi-fi audio recorder with video.If you know the parent company (Samson), then you know it's an audio company, not a video camera company, and their target audience is musicians who can see the usefulness of recording gigs and rehearsals.I know from experience in many groups that some of the best riffs and song ideas come from impromptu jam sessions that happen between tunes.By having this recorder running through the whole practice, I can now isolate those jams and play back the clip at home to transpose the parts, or I can simply throw the clip on YouTube if I like it as-is.The software it comes with is meant to be user-friendly and isn't trying to replace an expensive big-box video editor, it's there to make the editing process easy and quick.As a 19 year musician, I really find myself caring very little about video quality when I want to check out a new artist's clips on YouTube... and until this point, I've just put up with bad sound from standard handheld video recorders.Now I have a good solution to making the audio as hi-fi as possible in a convienient all-in-one solution.Will Zoom come out with an HD version of this?That seems pretty inevitable!But until then, I am very happy with this device and what it's meant for... high quality audio with decent video quality in a unit under $250.

PS- Does anyone really expect to get their high quality music video shot with a $250 handheld device ANYWAYS?Let's be realistic!Rent at least 4 or so $2k HD cams and run it through a real mixing board if you want your best bet! In the meantime, I feel this device will work great in getting all of those 'lo-budget/good audio' video clips up on YouTube!

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Product Description:
The Q3 Handy Video Recorder brings Zoom's renowned audio technology to the camcorder, making it the best sounding video camcorder you've ever heard. The Q3 uses the same microphone capsules as our industry-leading H4n Handy Recorder and is perfect for recording anything where great audio and video are a must. From live musical performances and rehearsals, interviews, conferences to video podcasts, journalism, education, recitals, weddings or sports, the Q3's pristine audio quality takes your videos to another level.Designed with everything you need to make your movies right out of the box, the Q3 includes HandyShare software for editing, and a 2GB SD card for up to 1 hour of video recording time. And the Q3 will also accept up to 32GB SDHC cards for a staggering 16 hours of moviemaking!The Q3 puts a little bit of video and a whole lot of audio together in one quick and easy to use camcorder that lets you produce great movies on the go.

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