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Robert N.

Robert N.

Joined on 03/07/11

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 10
Most Favorable Review

Event Manager and Network Support needs help - otherwise Great!

Aposonic A-S0401R2 4 x BNC H.264 Pentaplex Real Time Recording Standalone DVR
Aposonic A-S0401R2 4 x BNC H.264 Pentaplex Real Time Recording Standalone DVR

Pros: Please read my other review for all of the pros thus far. Great Unit

Cons: Motion Detection allows you to configure areas to watch for motion. When you are in motion detection mode, the device will auto-record for the duration of the motion. This works fine. The problem is that motion capture should be active all the time. I would like for the motion capture to "log" a motion event even when the device is recording 24x7. Right now, there is no way to capture motion events unless you are explicitly in motion mode. This is kind of lame.

Overall Review: See my other review. Network support is also kind of a kludge. If you are using this as a DVR for cameras and you have it hooked to a TV or LCD directly - it's awesome. IF you desire to use networking to remotely monitor your site, and you would like it to track activity while recording 24x7, you need to look elsewhere.

11/16/2008
Most Critical Review

Cool and adjustable if you like a wiring mess.

Rosewill 80mm Computer Case Fan (Case Cooling Fan) - Black Frame & Red Fan Blades, 2-Ball Bearing, Silent Fan with Rotation Speed Controller; RFX-80
Rosewill 80mm Computer Case Fan (Case Cooling Fan) - Black Frame & Red Fan Blades, 2-Ball Bearing, Silent Fan with Rotation Speed Controller; RFX-80

Pros: Quiet, Ball Bearing, includes a backplane with an adjuster knob for manually changing the speed.

Cons: The wires are not "twisted" so you quickly make a mess of your case with five or six small wires of pretty great length that are impossible to keep looking neat and tidy.

Overall Review: Nice idea, easy to install - but please - the wires are a nightmare for those of us who like to perform a quality, neat build.

11/16/2008

Very nice case for a cool HTPC rig

Moneual Black Aluminum MonCaso 972B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
Moneual Black Aluminum MonCaso 972B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

Pros: Great looking, able to support the weight of normal sized Receivers and other stereo equipment. Touch screen works great, looks cool, and the bundled iMon and MediaHD software is pretty slick. Inside of the case is constructed very nicely and is easy to work with.

Cons: Need a 170mm or less optical disk drive. Some of the cables inside the case are a little too long or a little too short. Doesnt include the hard disk cooling fans (an 80mm case fan will work fine).

Overall Review: On one of the Moneual case reviews, someone had claimed that the calibration of the touch screen was way off. This is true, however, using the iMon software, you can calibrate it and then it's spot on. This previous reviewer obviously never read the manual.

11/16/2008

Great affordable DVR

Aposonic A-S0401R2 4 x BNC H.264 Pentaplex Real Time Recording Standalone DVR
Aposonic A-S0401R2 4 x BNC H.264 Pentaplex Real Time Recording Standalone DVR

Pros: Very configurable by mouse through an attached VGA monitor, or an attached composite video source (TV, for example). Able to view and playback through the network connection and included software and/or via a web browser through a service.

Cons: While you can view through a web browser, you must connect to a service in order to download the activeX controls necessary to view video. This box really needs to include a small Web server and be self-standing. The service provides DDNS functionality, but if you already have this - a simple web server would be nice. Video over the network is relatively small (low resolution) and the included software AND web client are not resizable. This unit is best for someone who is going to hook up to a TV or VGA monitor and only use the network video occassionally. I've also noticed that the "search" mode which allows you to scan through what has been recorded works swimmingly over the WEB client, but not at all when using the bundled software. You can select a specific time until you are blue in the face and it will simply start over from the beginning. Perhaps a firmware update will fix this eventually. Also - naming the cameras on the hardwired connection does not update via net.

Overall Review: Great DVR for the money. If you are using it attached to a VGA monitor or a TV through a composite input, and are using the mouse attached to the DVR to configure it, you'll be amazed. If you plan on heavily using the network functionality - you might want to look elsewhere - although this is definately a nice unit for the money. Pay attention to the drive you use - I've got a WD 2500KS (250G SATA 3 drive) - and it appears to "skip" slightly. Download the manual and look at the recommended drive list. I had this same problem on my NTSC DVR and it is usually the drive causing the "skips"

11/16/2008

Great Little Camera

Aposonic A-CDBI03 480 TV Lines MAX Resolution 480TV Lines 28 IR LEDS Outdoor Waterproof Camera
Aposonic A-CDBI03 480 TV Lines MAX Resolution 480TV Lines 28 IR LEDS Outdoor Waterproof Camera

Pros: Small Size, Good Mount, comes with all hardware. 12V, 0.41 amp power adaptor sufficient for 60'+ runs easily. Image Quality is good, Night vision is good for 30-50 feet rather easily.

Cons: Not much - nitpicking reveals that if mounted on a vertical surface, the swivel joint does not allow complete range of motion. You can, however, carefully position in order to get a rather large range of motion. IR emitters visibly glow red when in use (I have other cameras which remain invisible). I wish that the wires for the camera went through the base, but they dont. You could easily render one of these cameras inoperable with a set of snips or bolt cutters to the wire coming from the rear of the camera head.

Overall Review: I am very impressed with the picture quality, easy installation, and nightvision range.

11/16/2008

Incredible TV, Incredible Service - Very Happy Customer

SAMSUNG HL-T5687S 56" 16:9 Black DLP Technology 1080p HDTV w/ ATSC Tuner
SAMSUNG HL-T5687S 56" 16:9 Black DLP Technology 1080p HDTV w/ ATSC Tuner

Pros: Picture quality with this TV is top notch. I upgraded from a 51" Sony CRT Rear Projection, and I'm usually not fond of the "sharpness" of DLP and LCD TVs - I like the smoothness that CRTs provide. I'm happy to report that this TV looks even more natural than my CRT projection in most circumstances. Colors are very rich, Contrast is incredible, size is right, and the overall performance of the TV is astounding.

Cons: No Picture in Picture - but that isn't that big of a deal considering that most Cable and Satellite boxes offer a form of picture in picture now days.

Overall Review: I'm very pleased with this TV. I ordered on Tuesday and received on a Friday - which is amazing since it had to travel from CA to OH. Kudos to newegg for partnering with the shipping companies that they have.