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    June 6, 2014
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    February 19, 2017
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iampete's Reviews
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Enjoy an immersive entertainment experience with this Epson Home Cinema 4K projector. The three-chip design with 3LCD technology delivers high-quality visuals, while the built-in dual 10W speakers produce crisp sound. This Epson Home Cinema 4K projector has HDMI and USB ports for connecting a wide variety of devices, and Bluetooth connectivity lets you play media files from your mobile device.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Great 4K projector!
on December 5, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Ok, this is my much overdue review on Epson’s new entry level Cinema 3800 4k Projector. I take my reviews serious and like some use it for a while to get the full grasp of the product. Also, like most I search on line on several ,models, reading learning and shopping around so when I pull the trigger on a purchase, especially an expensive one I am well informed going straight into it.
When we got our RV, we didn't want the usual hand an LED outside. I read, searched and found the perfect portable 1080 that I easily hung on our RV and projected it to the white underside of our awning and plugged it right into the RV's Coax. reading and preparing for a purchase is all part of the research we all do and should do before settling on a product. If we don't we cant compare it or later find features we didn't get with one model that we could have gotten with another. With that said I always compare my reviews with what I have and know!
I have an LG PF50 1080p projector so I know a little about these. On the Epson, they are well known for their projector's! First off, this project is of considerable size. We also have another Epson projector at work that we use for presentations and I compared it with that one as well as my coworkers played with it. So here is my take,
It’s a bit larger than what I am used to seeing but surprisingly light. For those needing dimension and weight so they can prepare where to mount it, it weighs in about 15 lbs and measured about 16” by 6 ½” H by 13” D it has a good footprint.
There is really no instruction manual which I see more and more electronics heading in this direction. While the quick set up pamphlets are pretty straight forward as is the on screen menu, I found myself with questions that I could not find answers to. A quick phone call later on to Epson got me my answers.
What’s impressive? It’s Bright, extremely bright! 3000 Lumens is A LOT of light. We easily could see a great picture at work in a lit training room as well as with the lights off. The focus is manual turning the huge front lens. We easily got a 120” Screen from about 10 ft. The 3800 differs in that it has 2 x 10 Watt rear firing speakers as well as connects to Bluetooth speakers. In my opinion the built in speakers is a huge plus and here’s why. They easily can fill a room with great clear sound that’s balanced where with a Bluetooth Sound bar you may find yourself with great sound but in many cases too loud where you can disturb others. I’m sure there have been many times we get home and turn on our TV to watch it without turning on our home theater or Sound Bar. My better half loved it as well as my coworkers all agreed it was a great add on.
It may seem pricey but doing some research and comparing it to others it’s far from it, especially for the size of screen you are getting.
Adjusting the screen size is simple, manually reduce or expand the screen size at the front of the unit and you want to keep it as small as possible while moving the unit away from the wall to increase the picture size. This will keep the resolution as high as possible but at 4k, I doubt you’d see pixels at full zoom! Co Workers, my better half and I found the colors were rich and the contrast was very good. We tried it at work in our training room where we have a 130” Electric roll down white screen, it looked awesome. One note that some may find interesting, there is no built in pointer in the remote but then again this is a Home Cinema projector, my coworkers pointed that out but also commented that a laser pointer is no big deal. They were quick to want to trade me their unit for mine, I respectfully declined.
Now at home we weren’t fully prepared with such a screen so we shot the picture right up on the painted wall. 2 different walls at that, a very light blue and a very light yellow. Again, it looked awesome on either wall. On the Living room wall or Bedroom wall my better half loved it with comments such as I can get used to this.
Now some other details, there is a cooling fan with filter to upkeep. On eco mode its relatively quiet with little air, warm air, on bright high, the fan kicks up as you can image 3000 lumens pumps some serious light and a bit of heat. Those in small rooms may take notice although in our bedroom and on eco we did not notice it and only noticed it on high because we were paying attention. The built in speakers easily covered it on low volume settings.
In a dark room, on pretty much any setting this shoots some serious light so don’t expect a pitch black room to stay that way when you shoot 3000 lumens! Still it was very impressive!
There are a few ports in the rear, AC Power, a Locking port so you can use a security lock cable, HDMI 1 and 2, a USB POWER only port at 2 A and a USB in port, a service port, Audio Out Jack and a RS232C and a trigger port.
HDMI is easy, we all know that,
Service port is not for us,
Audio out Jack in case you want to connect a speaker system via a 1/8 Audio Jack
Trigger ports will connect a motorized screen to open and close when the unit is turned on using a 1/8 Audio cable.
USB power, ok, to power a plug in device that requires power so you won’t need a wall wart. Greta.
USB, hmm, I tried 2 different USB sticks and the unit would not see it. A 4 Gig and a 8 gig standard Memory stick. I could not find any info in this on the Quick start up documentation or any other supplied documentation. This was the Phone Call to Epson I spoke of earlier.
The on screen menu was very straight forward but it showed an option to mirror a pc or electronic device such as a table or cell. This option was greyed out. The second reason to call Epson.
A call to Epson support, I was informed that the USB would not see Memory sticks or certain memory sticks, she could not give me a definite answer and then came back to say it was solely for their add on Epson plug. This Optional Epson plug will allow this feature screen cast feature, so electronics would be able to screen cast to the 3800. A downer that it’s not built in. BUT I have a HDMI Actiontec plug in screen casting dongle. Plugged it into the available HDMI, Powered it via the USB power plug and easily mirrored my call tablet whatever I wanted. I expect others such as Chromecast will work the same way.
The Unit has controls on top of it to adjust the Azimuth, Picture angle and side to side for when a straight shot to the screen is not possible. It does make these corrects extremely well. But not if its ceiling mounted, it may be difficult to get to although once adjusted you’re done. There is no built in tuner, in case some will ask. In order to get the 4k you will need the appropriate 4k feed device, Sat Box, Cable Box or DVD player as well as correct HDMI cable to allow the bandwidth for 4K. The Built in HDMI on this projector obviously has the latest HDMI connections for 4k.
I compared this to our work Projector as well as my LG PF50KA which is basically a 1080 Smart TV without the screen that fits in your hand loaded with Bluetooth, Screen Cast, Tuner, Coax connection, HDMI and the remote controls everything except focus which is like the Epson Manually. The LG does use a true LED for light with an 80,000 hour life compared to LGs 3500 hour to 5000 hr life in Eco mode. I was curious as to the cost and found the bulb at around $100. There is a life reset in the menu to keep track of the bulbs hours and can be reset. The LG is rated at only at 600 ANSI Lumens which is a lot for 100” , its fit in your hand size and its bright but the Epson Cinema 3800 even as an entry level 4k Projector it EASILY and obviously outsized our LG which maxes out at 100” , its 3000 lumens is not ANSI but its ISO 21118 which they claim is similar to ANSI. It’s definitely Bright!
If you’re looking for a Large screen quality 4K Projector you can’t go wrong with The Epson Cinema 3800, the overall picture quality and speaker add on makes it ideal at home or business such as a sports bar where you’ll want a quality large screen video and not have to worry about light or breaking the bank to buying one.
Note: the pic's with the TV on the bottom, that's a 49" TV
The 2 pic's with the couple at the diner and the Intel Widi, that's a light blue wall ! Screen is well over 120" and the projector is in line with the Cat/ Ready To Connect message so its at a serious angle which was easily adjusted to square!
I could post pics of the unit but I'm sure BB has it already, We all want to try and see what kind of picture we can expect so the pic's I have included should help with that. One more note, all were taken on ECO mode! On High its a bit brighter!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Feel the beat with these Marshall Major III headphones. Powerful 40mm dynamic drivers deliver clear, accurate audio, and the detachable 3.5mm cable is compatible with a range of devices from phones to MP3 players. These Marshall Major III headphones offer a secure, comfortable fit and boast a collapsible design that folds easily for travel.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Good Bluetooth Headset!
on August 26, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Ok, Getting down to review this Marshall Over the Ear Bluetooth headset. I can quickly give you the pro's and cons. Now I have several which are neck bands type headphones that I am comparing it with. I always start out with ease of use. My LG's are a pain to use, tiny buttons and what not, the JBudsBand is super easy to use and this new Marshall even easier, a very easy straight forward design.
Now its an on the ear design, so take note if you wear eyeglasses it can bother you after a while. It not too tight on the ears so I didn't feel the need to remove my eyeglasses or pull them off and back on placing them over the headphones pads.
There is 1 button, yes just 1 ! Consider it like a joystick. Push and hold it turns on with a tone and push and hold it turns it off. Blue tooth pairing you push it and hold it past turning it on and it starts the pairing process. I quickly paired it to my LG cell phone and TV with no issues. So now I compared the range with the 2 other neck band Bluetooth headsets. The range is exceptional, more that twice, well over 100 ft. it easily outranged my other 2 headsets so if your looking for range, this is a winner. Getting out of range it disconnects but walking again towards it automatically reconnects.
Now controlling the headsets volume , FF RW and picking up a cell call is easy, the 1 button is a joystick. Toggle it Up and volume goes up, down and volume goes down, fwd it skips to the next track and back it reverses. 1 quick push answers a call and 2 hangs up, pretty straight forward and easy. So how well does it sound?? Its crystal clear, clearer than my other Bluetooth headphones. The highs are super clear, mids nice but it lacks a bit of bass. If you like bass, this may not be for you. Now you're probably thinking "Het its a small over the ear, what do you expect? Yeah, but being so, it still has a sizable driver, far larger than the ear buds and the JBuds had more thump and they were ear buds over the neck. So while the quality of sound clarity surpasses my other head sets, I feel the bass is lacking, if it were a bit more bass, I feel they would have nailed it.
Pro's
The Highs and Mids are unreal, crystal clear!
The volume is loud enough, louder that my other head phones. Range exceptional.
Battery life is exceptional, plays in what seems forever. I had no need to charge it after many hours of use.
It's compact design makes traveling with it easy.
Cons
Lack the bass that with this larger design it should have but it should be adequate for most.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Winning in business means working smarter. This HP Color LaserJet Pro M479fdw printer is designed to let you focus your time where it's most effective - growing your business and staying ahead of the competition.Prints up to 27 ISO ppm*, up to 27 ISO ppm* in color
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Impressive Office Grade Quality Wireless Printer!
on August 12, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Upon reviewing this new HP Color laser Jet Pro MFP M479FDW, I have some experience with wireless printers. At work we have a lot, somewhere around 18 of these laser units. They mainly consist of Brothers MFC and a Few Color Canons so I compared this HP to what we are using now, just to name a few.
Brother MFC-L2700DW
Brother MFC-9330CDW
Canon MF624CW
Now it’s tough to beat Brother and Canon but I had an open mind. I’m not no expert in Wi-Fi copiers but I’ve had more than my share of frustration setting copiers on the Wi-Fi before. I did purposely did NOT look at the setup instructions. I literally opened the box, placed the Copier next to our Canon MF624CW, removed the protective films and plugged it in. Weight and footprint (size) was pretty much identical to the Canon and Brother 933. Its footprint is 16 ½” Wide 18” Deep 15 ¾ “ High at 51lbs but keep in mind there is a rear paper feeder which would increase the depth , with the top door open its 26” high. Holds 250 sheets of paper capacity and can hold 50 sheets for scanning on its top feeder. Opening up the trays and toner storage, it felt well-built and sturdy, like a business copier should. It comes with a phone cable and a USB printer cable. Trust me in this, you won’t need the USB cable unless you don’t have Wi-Fi.
The control screen is large for a printer and a breeze to navigate and tilt-able. Unlike the competitors, you don’t have to tap to go to a next page, just swipe left or right as you would do on your cell phone. It was bright, clear, easy to navigate and self-explanatory. Within MINUTES I had it connected to our Wi-Fi, a first. I then scanned for wireless networks, found the HP Printer and connected to the printer directly with a simple password. Next step I did a search for wireless network printers, found the HP printer and windows installed it. Once done I reconnected my PC to my Wi-Fi internet and all was done! It WAS that simple.
Loaded with features such as double sided printing, 1 pass double sided scanning so you can scan a double sided page in just 1 pass, impressive. It’s equipped with a walk up USB slot as well as a rear USB for Storage. It can handle up to 7 PC’s connected wirelessly. Printing was fast and clear. I then installed The HP Smart App on my cell and within minutes I was printing from my cell directly to the HP MFP M479FDW, so easy a caveman can do it. Once sent, it woke the printer and was printing within seconds. The quality of the color prints were amazing for a color laser and I was using regular stock 20 lb. paper, I wished I had photo paper to really get a feel for color.
This is the FIRST printer I ever had to deal with where I could not only connect 1 but up to 7 PC’s so easily and wirelessly. Not To leave out it has Apple Air and Google Cloud print, first page prints in 9.5 seconds and 28 PPM which these specs beats all of our in house laser printers. A check on price when comparing, this HP is a bit more expensive than the competitors BUT you get Blue Tooth print, Apple air and Google cloud which others don’t support. I just noticed it’s on sale, a bargain and a no brainer loaded with options and ease of use.
It outperformed ALL our in house laser printers in EVERY aspect. Speed, resolution and especially in ease of set up. I can stress enough how easy it was to set up! After a little reading I see HP designed this copier with small business in mind and HP got it right. No fuss, no Cat lines, just plug and connect. Everyone in our office has taken notice and has spent a little time with it. Several have connected to it and are using it. Everyone has been impressed. Time will tell how rugged it is but as of now, HP has a winner. I took my company Black and White Brother MFC-L2700DW Laser printer off, gave it to my boss and said I’ll use my new HP printer thank you!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+44points
57of 70voted this as helpful.
 
Watch over areas remotely with this Defender 2K Wireless IP security camera. The IP67-certified metal housing offers protection against inclement weather conditions, while the integrated app lets you watch footage live from a smartphone. This Defender 2K Wireless IP security camera uses 128-bit encryption to help secure the video feed.
 
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Customer Rating
1 out of 5
1
Could be so much more but falls short
on July 24, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
I got the opportunity to review this new Defender 2K (4MP) model IB2KCB1. Let start at the beginning now, I’ve had a 4 camera IP Security system tied into a DVR recorder years ago, as in 15 years ago. I installed it myself, 4 cameras, all had its own power supply and feeding into my Security DVR which was cat line plugged into my router, quite a job. Seeing this new stand alone with the ability to connect via Wi-Fi was interesting. My old cameras all had a DC power feed and a coaxial BNC connectors, so the Wi-Fi as well as using a cat line was interesting, not to mention in Hi-Def. Here’s what I found, Camera is well build and sturdy no doubt in its aluminum body. For those that may know or not now, night vision is rated in LUX and how far it can see. This Camera has a 1 Lux rating which is good for 100 ft. night vision. A .5 is better and .0 is best. The Camera came with a pre-installed generic 16 GB micro SD memory card. Now take note, you have to unscrew a small cover to get the Micro SD card out, so if the camera is mounted high, grab a ladder, then unscrew the cover, remove card, copy files and reinsert or swap with another MicroSD card. There is a small preformed rubber gasket O ring that is pre-fitted on the cover to weatherize it and it tends to fall out! Yes, not something you want to do continuously. It came with a screw on Wi-Fi antenna and a small bag with covers for cables as well as an O ring for the screw on antenna. Nowhere in the paperwork was there any mention of this O ring or what it was for! The instructions that came with it were only a quick reference start up guide pamphlet, has to be easy? It wasn’t, and frustrating at times.
Let’s start with the App, which is required. The app has shortcomings. Installation of the App gives you a log in screen where you have the option to sign up? Easy huh? So I skipped pressing the Login button and pressed Sign up. Then Country United States, and Next. Next screen asks for you to enter an Email and a password and select the Verification code which does nothing. There is a “I have read and agreed” circle with a check mark, it shows a check mark but it’s not agreed until you tap it and high lighten it, simple yes but initially I tapped it and what popped up was the Smart Privacy Policy which I scrolled down and closed and tried the Verification button again. It was not until I zoomed it that I could select the “I have read and agree” button and could move to the next stage. Defender then sends a Verification code email, not minutes later you’ll receive it and the email states, this code is for registration ONLY, valid in 15 minutes not FOR 15 minutes. Now I take it that it will be valid in 15 minutes so I wait 15 minutes, enter the code and its invalid! Evidently it’s valid for only 15 minutes once sent so I go thru it a second time with success. These 2 hiccup’s, seems simple but it threw me off for a few minutes and Defender should have caught this, after all we are working thru a phone’s screen to sign up. Some screen images on the app are not fitted to the screen size as one would expect, so you may see a screen and be at a loss only to then slide it up a hair and see the next step button.
I did try signing up on line and it directed me to use the app. I am now getting the feeling that this quick start manual has issues with say when it’s written by someone who’s native language isn’t English and we have these small language barriers that come into play. Forward I move and finally the app is installed. Scan the code on the camera, the serial number is locked into the app and give your wifi access password. Within a few minutes the camera is logged in and it loads it into memory. My cell is also connected to the same network as the camera and I can see what the Camera see’s so I’m thinking I’m good. The camera records and you get alerts and can see the recordings on the memory card and can download them. So I’m finally thinking ok, a rough start but its working. Night vision was good as well. But here is where it comes short, the moment I leave home and leave my home Wi-Fi network, I can’t log in live. You will see messages such as percentage loading only to fail and get “Play error, click to refresh” “Cloud Storage not available at this time” You’ll still get the alerts after it happens you can download them, or wait till you get home and back on your network to download them or climb up and remove the SD card. BUT it’s not as what one would expect with today’s commercial of live video cams and one using their cell to view and speak with someone on the other end.
So I went on line looking for answers and how to. After a bit I was chatting live with tech support. I clearly explained what I have gone thru and what I was trying to accomplish. They clearly understood what my objective was. I was then told I needed to have a Dual Band Router and have the camera hard wired in with a cat line, hmmm. Then I was told I could accomplish it via Wi-Fi. After 15 minutes they advised they would email me instructions on how to accomplish what I wanted, live video stream. A short while later I received the email, puzzled as what they sent me were the exact same pamphlet instructions that came with the unit in PDF format! At this point I was done.
Searching more on line I learned this same camera is sold in a generic form and is used with an add on security router as well as a DVR router box which is the best ideal solution. The add on security router allows you to hard wire the camera or cameras to it and plug it into your router so you can see live feed or you can go via the DVR box does the same but adds much more features, Defender has the upgraded DVR. Take into consideration that this is a Hi-Def camera and if you do get it going to stream live, you will need a fast internet connection as well as fast Wi-Fi router IF it even can connect live via the Wi-Fi method. So results are while this camera is a good value in price and quality, it falls short in features and easy of set up. The lack of a detailed manual explaining all the features, how to use the app as well as lack of customer support and knowledge I feel will make it somewhat frustrating for most individuals. After all it is advertised as a quick set up and use, which it fails on. This is more of a standard security camera with Wi-Fi option and is definitely not a RING type or I should say camera like on the insurance commercial where the mayhem guy breaks into a guy’s car while he is away from home and chatting with him. Where you save in money, you will pay in frustration.
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Immerse yourself in music or movies with this LG 2.1-channel soundbar. The HDMI interface permits streaming from consoles or HD devices, while the 220W subwoofer with Bass Blast brings out the best in both songs and dialogue. This LG 2.1-channel soundbar is equipped with DTS Digital Surround for a truly enveloping experience.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Great 2.1 BT Sound Bar loaded with Features!
on June 28, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Owning an LG 43UJ6200 43” 4K TV , I love its features as well as its colors and clarity so matching it with an LG Sound bar for remote and compatibility issues is a no brainer. When I do a review, I am honest and judge on Quality, Features and Value which is what I look for when shopping. Sometimes I compare it to similar models I may already own or am shopping for and add weeks of research before pulling the trigger. I already own a much more expensive Samsung 5.1 HW-K550/ZA paired to my 49” Samsung Q6 as well as a LG SJ4R 4.1 and love it, so reviewing this upgrade SL5Y was interesting. The SL5Y’s specs and size are almost identical to that of the LG SJ4R. Sound bars are sized identically, the SL5Y has built in controls on the end and obviously has a larger Subwoofer and more power, 300 vs 400 watts and it clearly shows. The SL5Y’s power punch is definitely greater and it has a few more audio add on’s such as DTS Virtual X and Bass Blast. Both shared same features such as HDMI In and Out, Optical out, Aux jack in and USB Input which I’ve never seen on a sound bar before. The Sound Bar and Sub unit feels good, looks expensive and sleek.
Connection is easy, Blue tooth 4.2 is just great. With more and more TV’s having audio output via Bluetooth, this means one less cord to be seen. Wireless sub paired right up. Blue Tooth paired right up perfectly to my LG V30 as well as my better half’s Samsung S9 and to our TV. The included Optical cord is my preferred choice for the TV and one is included but take note, don’t bend it or crease it. It’s an optical cord, sharp bends and creases can distort the optical light signal and you may experience connection issues. I’ve seen a complaint that it falls short due to it has no center channel and experiencing volume spikes which may occur while watching movies as this channel is now sent to the 2 main front speakers which handle other sounds. I won’t get too deep into that other than it doesn’t have a center speaker channel, it’s not advertised or sold as a 3.1 or 5.1, Period. Yes, this can be a slight issue but it would be to a select few.
We are seeing more and more electronics with Blue Tooth and Apps to control them with more settings than you would be able to using a remote or the electronics built in buttons. With that said this LG Sound Bar is one of them. You WILL need to download the APP to control certain settings that already can be controlled thru the Sound Bars buttons or remote but a few more features that are only accessible thru the app such as Auto Volume which will make a world of difference. See above about the complaints on volume spikes. With the LG App you can now fine tune the Sound Bar setting and use Auto Volume. This is one cool feature. It allows the Sound Bar to adjust the volume so when it switches to commercials and as we know commercials are much louder you won’t have to turn it down just to turn it back up when the movie comes back on! This alone is worth buying this system and I love this feature! There are a few more features available thru the app such as Night Mode and Dynamic Range Control. With LG’s Music Flow Bluetooth app, using an external Bluetooth device to stream music just got a whole lot better.
In short, the system does great working as a 2.1 and is loaded with features that would have never occurred to me a few years ago would be in a Sound Bar of all things. Unless you’re a true movie audiophile which then this system may not be for you and you’d be looking at a true 5.1 $$$ which can break or at least hurt the average bank! This LG SL5Y’s has great sound, solid extra loud bass for its size and Bass Blast, better than my other LG Sound bar but at the cost of losing the rear or adding it at a substantial price unless you can grab the rears on sale. This system is wireless rear speakers ready!
In short, SL5Y system is perfect for most and a great 2.1 system. This SL5Y system on sale is a steal. It’s priced right along the same as other similar 2.1 systems. It does have DTS Virtual X which my lesser LG SJ4R doesn’t with a ton of Blue tooth features most unseen a few years ago and some would have commanded a hefty price a few years ago such as Blue Tooth Connectivity to your BT TV.
If you own an LG TV, an Insignia or any off brand and don’t want to break the bank, and looking to improve the sound tremendously, don’t want or can live without rear speakers or can add them at a later date this is a great mid-level entry sound bar. If you want it for a spare room or kid’s room for gaming, for listening to music, it’s a great sound bar. Snatch up some LG wireless rears when they hit sale and you will be thrilled.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
ASUS Q406DA Laptop: View an unrestricted picture with this ASUS laptop. A 256GB SSD lets you open programs quickly, and the 14-inch FHD touchscreen offers detailed visuals and an intuitive interface. The two 1.6W stereo speakers deliver high-quality audio for enjoying streaming video. This ASUS laptop has an AMD Ryzen processor and 8GB of RAM for prompt multitasking.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Incredible is Right!
on June 9, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Got this just released new Asus Zenbook Q406. So what is it? Let’s see, Zenbook is Asus line of ultra slim, powerful lightweight class of laptops that are equally good at Programming as well as gaming. While many of Asus Zenbook's are equipped with the Intel core processors, mine came with the newly released AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Processor. So for you computer aficionados , Ram is set at 8G DDR4 , SATA3 SSD Solid State Drive, USB 2.0, 3.1 and the new 3.1C USB-C, Next generation Wi-Fi, Wireless router connection and Bluetooth along with Micro SD card slot. HDMI out for multi screen or plugging into your HD TV. Running Windows 10 64 Bit on a 14 inch display. Power is the standard Asus wall wart transformer so its small, light weight and easy to carry.l and easy to carry.
Now we compared this to my daughters MacBook 2015 Retina 13 and my 4 yr. old Dell Business laptop running Intel I5vPro with a Hybrid 500GB SSD drive.
First impressions, this Zenbook with it's very slim Brushed Aluminum body is nothing less than amazing. It feels well built, sturdy, feels and looks very expensive, nice clear big HD touch screen, color is clear and nice! It’s a lot thinner and so much lighter than our older laptop and newer Mac, just look at the pictures. My daughter loved it, saying controls are just like my Mac! 2 fingers required for mouse curser moving so you Mac Users will get it quick. Her only wish was if the track pad could be a bit wider as it was narrower than her Mac and her hand kept coming off because she was used to her Mac’s pad. But that’s just a matter of getting used to it. She does computer graphics Photo Editing for a living so her Mac is her job. She pushed the Asus Q406 by starting to open multiple windows, programs and pushing it hard. When she came back saying she was blown away by the Asus Zenbook’s performance and how much quicker and responsive it was than her Mac, I knew Asus got this Zenbook right! We both loved the 360 Degree Flip back Touch Screen, it’s to the edge screen design makes for a more compact laptop, Military Grade built aluminum chassis, 3D IR Face Recognition camera, HDMI output, backlit keyboard, this Zenbook is loaded but still affordable. Battery life on my i5 is still unreal at 4 ½ hours, this Asus Q406 may just run all day! Asus power supply is small and light, a great idea, unlike my Dells power brick which alone probably weighs in at half the weight of this Asus laptop!
Now at the heart of this Ultra light book is the newly released AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor. It’s AMD’s mid-range level processor and from what I’ve seen its a top performer. With 4 cores for its CPU running at 2.1 GHz and max boost set at 3.7 GHz, it packs a punch. On the Graphics side, its 8 core graphics processor clocked at 1200 MHz has the punch you’ll need for gaming or working. Now while I am comparing it to an I5-4310 with 4GB of ram so obviously this Asus Zenbook Q406 is running circles around it as well as the newer MacBook but in today’s comparison this new AMD Ryzen5 3500U is ahead of Intel’s I5 8250 and almost on par with the 8265 in single core tests but ahead in multi core hyper threading test. Now this is impressive coming from a mid-level more affordable processor!
This Asus Zenbook’s graphics is the Ryzen5 Radeon Vega 8 graphics. I’ve always preferred AMD graphics cards, GeForce my second choice and Intel was always my last, just my personal choice. The new Ryzen5 doesn’t disappoint in gaming either. Our son was quick to run it thru his online gaming and graphics were running smooth without an issue. This processor has the power for gaming, the power for multitasking and coupled with stunning looks at an affordable price that just can’t be beat let alone ignored.
So in the end, I’m not a super techie guy but may know a bit more than the average consumer. I would have liked to have seen a larger SSD but with today’s external SSD’s , crazy sized Micro SD cards and given the Zenbook has a MicroSD slot, it’s not a deal breaker. There is so much value and performance, the choice is a no brainer. My take on Asus new Zenbook Q406 is its one well thought out design, matched with AMD’s brand new Ryzen5 3500U processor, not last years model, it’s a clear winner. It’s well-built and should last for many years. One beautiful machine with just stunning looks, you will need a nice laptop case or slip cover case because you will want to keep its stunning looks looking new. If you don’t want to break the bank, there is no need to. This new lightweight ultra-book competitor delivers all across the board, period. AMD’s just released Ryzen 5 3500U Processor is a winner delivering a lot of bang for the buck. No one at home will be disappointed.
Now if I can only get it back from the kids!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+21points
28of 35voted this as helpful.
 
Protect yourself in the event of an accident with this ESCORT dash cam. The built-in collision detection system stores important footage in the event of a crash, and Wi-Fi connectivity lets you instantly share data with your insurance company. This ESCORT dash cam uses super-capacitor technology to keep recording, even in extreme temperatures.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Quality Camera Perfect add on for the Escort!
on May 23, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
The M1 Hi Definition Dash Camera was designed around the Escort line of Radar Detectors. I used it with the Escort iXc. Check to see if its compatible with your Escort. The things you need to know! You will need to download Escort M1 Dash Cam APP. Its easy and links your cell phone quickly to the dash cam.
The M1 Hi Definition Dash came with a longer mounting screw for the hinge point of the Suction cup mount to allow the camera to mount along side the Radar Detector. The Camera mounts to the Suction cup mount and plugs into the radar detector. The Power plug then plugs into the camera so its daisy chained to power both the camera and the detector. So you will need to download the Escort M1 Dash Cam App. The App is very straightforward and easy to use making the use of the Camera easy and quick. It links your cell to the M1 Camera via Wifi so you can see what the camera see’s to assure proper camera alignment, quick video download and more. It lets you adjust the cameras resolution and other features/settings such as, it lets you download the cameras stored video to your cell phone so you can quickly send the video out via on line or YouTube. Now you can also do so via Micro USB cord or just pulling the Micro SD card. The Camera came with a Sandisk 16 GB MicroSD Card. It’s set to video loop every 30 seconds but I changed it to 3 minutes thru the app. Now this is important. It doesn't over write the 30 second video loop right away. It continues to make these 30 second, or in my case 3 minute video loops UNTIL the 16 GB Micro SD card is full and only then it starts to rewrites the OLDEST files and wont rewrite locked files. The Camera has a built in G sensor, on impact, such as an accident, the last video taken when the G Sensor was triggered and stored is LOCKED so it won't be over written and available for review later. Now, what if someone is driving unsafe or road rage, and you need to record it? There is an emergency record button that you can press to record and lock that video for safe keeping. The video is Hi Def, wide and clear. Night use is excellent as well. This camera has some weight, feels sturdy and well made and Escort boasts its designed to deal with the high heat. I've included pictures on a rainy day and at night showing the clarity of this camera.
Its a well built QUALITY camera, it looks super cool as well, no doubt.
What I wasn't in love with, 2 things,
1) The Camera is bolted down to the suction mount. The same mount the Escort Radar detector is mounted to. The Escort iXc is held tightly via a square magnetic base which is very impressive! Quick on and off but you'll have to unclip that phone jack cord from the camera to the detector. Now I'm not a fan of the phone type plug Escort uses. Us older individuals remember house phone cords and the little plastic tang breaking off and the cord keeps popping out! So if you don't have a garage, and have a need to remove it at the end of day or possibly several times a day, I fear sooner or later, that little plastic tang that secures the plug into the Radar detector will eventually break. It would be fantastic if Escort would use the USB C or design a better plug such as a twist and lock.
2) Quick disconnecting the Radar detector still leaves this nice pricy camera for would be thieves to be possibly be tempted to steal. So on to the next option, take the whole unit off, suction cup, detector and camera. So much for the detectors cool magnetic base. Now all this is irrelevant if you have a garage, park in a secured safe area and so forth. It would be perfect if this camera had a better designed plug to the detector and into the camera as well as a quick release mechanism as the detector has. That's my only grip. Right now, its always completely removed. I plan to order a new power cord so I can hide the cord up the side and thru the rear view mirror and mount under the rear view mirror as close to the rear view mirror as possible so its harder to see.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
 
Observe proper speed limits while driving with this Escort iXc radar detector. The GPS-enabled AutoLearn technology and improved IVT Filter prevent the reoccurrence of false alerts for precise tracking and reduction of unwanted distractions. This Escort iXc radar detector is compatible with Wi-Fi-connected cars for automatic firmware and software updates.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
A Very SMART RELIABLE Radar Detector
on May 22, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Having owned several Radar detector’s over the years, when the opportunity came to review this new Escort iXc came, I jumped on it. Now I was thinking with today Interactive GPS Apps that can identify “Police Reported Ahead” I thought I was covered. But then there’s the times such as this trip, on the road for 3 days, late night hours, no other app users on the road to possibly report the officer. Always the concern. So, we were off cross country. Now the last radar detector I owned was a great Beltronics 880. This new Escort is a far cry from Radar detectors of years past. This is by Far the smartest radar detector I’ve seen to date. How so? Read on.
First it arrived, it’s well packaged, so well it’s like opening a box in a box. Once opened, you can feel the weight and how well designed it is. Several button on the top but I have yet to use ANY of them. I came with its special 12v plug power adapter, a travel case and the windshield (or Dashboard) suction mount. Assembly of the windshield mount is easy, it quick look at the quick set up pamphlet is all it took. Now the detector is designed with the use of the optional M1 Hi Definition Dash Camera. The M1 Camera comes with a longer mounting screw for the hinge point of the Suction cup to allow the camera to mount. The Camera mounts to the Suction cup mount and plugs into the radar detector. The Power plug plugs into the camera so its daisy chained to power both the camera and the detector. The power plug has a USB so you can plug a USB cell power charge cable to it and not require a second 12v outlet and has a mute button. If the iXc goes off, one push mutes that alert one time. The next alert will alert as normal and you can push it again. I did plug my LG V30 into the iXc’s power plug and although my V30 did not show fast charging, it was. My cell reported the same time required to 100% using this charger as the Anker 12v charger that fast charges and displays it on my cells screen. The iXc mounts to the suction cup via a small pad and hidden Magnet! Yes its clips onto the mount magnetically and requires some force to detach them!
Ok, So it’s all set up, I had a business trip pop up from Myrtle Beach to Mesa Arizona, perfect timing to test it over 3 days of travel. Now I’m running my interactive GPS app, leaving the city the detector goes off, yep, soon enough there is the sheriff with his radar gun and nothing on my app! Hmm, off we continue! Now unlike my OLD unit, which would go off quite a bit, you get used to the false alert’s caused by radars used by supermarket doors that open automatically and past other vehicles with radar detectors, this unit did give some false reports but I swear I could count them under 2 dozen. You will think 2 dozen?! Yes but that’s over 3 days of 12 hours a day driving across the country! One the first day we left SC, crossed Ga and was in Alabama and didn’t get a false alert! We were wondering if it was even working but it was. I will explain later how they cut the false alerts and new false alerts in a bit. You’ll need to download 2 apps, Escort M1 Dash Cam App and Escort Live app. It connects Via 2.4 Ghtz Wifi and Bluetooth. To the Escort iXc and M1 Dash Cam.
First, if you use the optional dash cam, you will need to download the Escort M1 Dash Cam App. It does 2 main things. It links your cell to the M1 Camera via Wifi so you can see what the camera see’s to assure proper camera alignment. It lets you adjust the cameras resolution and other features/settings such as, it lets you download the cameras stored video to your cell phone but you can also do so via Micro USB cord or just pulling the micro SD card. The Camera came with a Sandisk 16 GB MicroSD Card. It’s set to video loop every 3 minutes BUT you can change that thru the app. The Camera has a G sensor, on impact such as an accident, it locks the stored video for review later. The video is Hi Def, wide and clear. Night use is excellent as well. See my M1 review for Screenshot pictures.
Now the Escort Live App. This app lets you link your cell to the iXc via Bluetooth and play with the settings. Once connected you have a world of options available from changing the displays colors to fine tuning the radar bands. It just unreal how many settings there are! KA has so many different frequencies and you can check them off or on. The iXc has built in GPS, the display has a screen that is preset to display 70MPH, once you pass this preset speed , you will get an over speed protection warning. This set speed can be change BUT it’s not GPS informed. In other words, it’s not GPS controlled to display the speed limit of where you are. This was a con as unless you drive in a say town that is all 45 MPH and set it to display 50 MPH, it’s really an irrelevant feature. So you can change what speed it displays to warn you when you pass that set speed, but that’s all. Now you can change it to display none and it will display the cars voltage. Now if you do set the speed say to 75 mph as that’s the speed limit, and you are driving cruise control at 75 mph or LESS, the iXc will now its on cruise control as the speed is GPS’d, it sees your under it and if the Escort iXc gets a radar hit, it will be silent as you are under the speed limit but you will still get a visual alert. That makes sense.
Now some other cool features, it has an aircraft setting, if your vehicles 12v outlet is always on, when you shut off your ignition it senses a voltage drop and a timer starts. It will then shut your detector off after 10 minutes. There are so many more features and settings all turned on or off via the Escort Live App.
So, the few false alerts? Well, taking a close up picture with your cell phone will trigger a laser alert! New technology such as Auto Braking on 18 wheelers and vehicles, lane change assist, all these new technologies use radar and are new causes of false alerts. While the iXc does a great job of cutting them down, it doesn’t have a display showing which direction the radar is hitting you on. The iXc is a mid-range priced unit, Escort however does have a upper end Radar detector that does have this feature and uses a distinctive different tone for side radar hits from these lane change assist radar to show you it’s a false. I had cars drive by the opposite lane and it quickly triggered the radar alert. That’s a Con and you may want to spend a few more bucks for the side ID feature on a more expensive model.
Another issue I felt was a Con is the common phone style plug. If you remove the Escort iXc, you need to squeeze the plastic tang to release the plug. We all have had a phone cord with a broken tang, the cord falls out! So you have two options, remove the iXc from the mount and unplug it from the camera leaving the camera and power cord intact or unplug the power cord from the camera and remove both the iXc and camera together. Another thought is the camera is hard mounted to the suction mount. The iXc is magnetic. On impact, the detector may detaches from its mount? I don’t know but if it does, it’s still connected to the camera via a small cable with that phone plug and plastic tang. There has to be a better way such as the new USB-C plugs used in today’s cell phones. This would make plugging and unplugging quick and easy!
My last Con is the OSP (Over speed Protections) doesn’t change when the speed limit changes. Although via the app setting you van select different set OSP limit, it would be fantastic if it did so automatically as it already has GPS. Maybe Escort in the future can do so via tether and its app. Right now you set it at the MAX speed and it just gives you a slight aural warning once its surpassed.
Now the unit has many more features, I can write a book. It learns fake alerts and remember the location via GPS. It reports to a cloud and can learn from other Escort units via Escort Live app much like Waze. I opted to use Waze and the iXc together. While nothing can be 100 %, 3 days of driving across county we felt secure.
All in all it’s a fantastic unit, smart, firmware can be updated via wifi and well-built great looking unit. Coupled with the camera, you’ll be set for sure!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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-2points
2of 6voted this as helpful.
 
Control your audio experience with this Jbuds Bands wireless headset. Bluetooth 5 technology delivers CD-like sound via the soft, angled earbuds designed to snugly fit into your ear. This Jbuds Bands wireless headset vibrates when a call comes in, making it convenient for you to leave your workspace without missing important calls call.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Great Quality and Sound! Ease of Use!!
on May 10, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
This is my second pair of Bluetooth headsets so I am comparing this with a well-known name brand for comparison reasons only. I’ve own a JLabs Crasher portable Bluetooth mini speaker which I loved and still going strong after 5 years so I decided to try this headset as I was unhappy fumbling thru the awkward controls on my lG headset. I quickly notice the controls, very basic and simple which I quickly liked. On my older headset, the controls are very small, the print is very small and hard to read. When wearing my older set its possible it backwards, thus the controls are on the other side of your face and can get confusing.
This separate control clearly had my attention and was my favorite feature! So I quickly put them thru the test. While these controls seems basic, they do the same functions as my more expensive LG model with so much less confusion! Arrow up and down serve as volume up and down when pushed repeatedly. When arrow up or down is held it skips tracks. Center button hold down for pairing and power on and off. Taking a Bluetooth call is easy and comes in clear. Vibrates when a call comes in, one push answer and built in mic is pretty much standard. I was able to accomplish all this with easy and without the use of the manual! Plug in port is easy to use, a rubber weather resistant cover for the charge port.
Now the important stuff, how does it sound. Well let’s start by range. Line of sight I got +70 feet compared to 40 ft with my older model. Non line of sight I got about the same, 30 ft so if you are looking to go thru multiple walls this may be an issue. It did give voice alerts saying out of range and reconnected quickly when you came back in range. Battery life is excellent. I was very impressed so far.
The sound, Blue toothed same song and switching back and forth, clearly the JLabs had better Bass and clarity and slightly louder! I was shocked yet again. Now my comparison model is a great headset, it’s just that this JLabs won me over with the ease of use straightforward controls and better sound quality, not to mention it’s slightly louder. This was another plus as I like it loud, let me control how loud, period. Seems years ago you could buy headsets and turn them up till you went deaf, now with all the safety warnings, manufactures restrict this which I hate.
The only drawback was the ear pieces. While they do snap together magnetically, it still hangs/pulls on the wires which I feel is a draw back. I so wished they would have had a home where they can be held in place magnetically as in my LG. This way they don’t get tossed around when not in use. In the end, JLabs Audio JBuds deliver and then some. They are a great headset at much less than others while delivering all around a better headset. Sound quality, ease of use and cost, I’d pick these over my much more expensive model.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Experience lag-free, immersive audio with this wireless Plantronics gaming headset. It has support for lifelike Dolby Atmos sound, and the sound-isolating ear cups and noise-canceling microphone keep your focus on the game. This lightweight Plantronics gaming headset has a 24-hour battery life and convenient analog adjustments for custom game audio settings.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Nice Headset, definately a Gamers Headset.
on April 1, 2019
Posted by: iampete
from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
I got this cool Plantronics Wireless RIG 800 HD Headset to review, I try and be as thorough and precise as possible, this one I questioned as it stumped me. We had our son use it and give us a review it. He is a gamer, like extreme going to competitions. He does have a home PC gaming system. Now we have Hi Speed cable internet. 100 Mbps. Computer is a 1 year old desktop PC running Windows 10, USB 3.0 and Microsoft account so we met all the requirements. The game was an on line game called Mindcraft and Counterstrike Global Offensive. He complained of issues such as choppy staticy audio as well as the loss of use of his mouse and keyboard?! The sound was like as he explained talking on a Walkie Talkie. His mouse and Keyboard are not wireless but USB plug in. He went on to explain this happened no matter what he was on such as a game or site such as YouTube.
He was impressed with the battery life as well as to how comfortable it was when wearing it.
None of this made sense to me. Since then I got them back and recently tried them. Using my 4 year old Dell Latitude Intel Core i5 vpro Laptop running Windows 7 Professional. Plugged into my USB 2.0 port and after 5 minutes it was installed quickly via Windows Drivers Update on line.
Now this headset sat untouched for 4 months due recovery from Hurricane Florence and battery was still high. I tried various sites. Everything came in clear, I experienced no issues with my Laptops keyboard or touch pad and wireless mouse which happened to be on 2.4 ghtz. I'm baffled and not quite sure why his experience was different than mine so I was hesitant to leave a review that wasn't fair but this is what we ran into.
It feels well, sturdy and of solid construction. There isn't a whole lot of documentation but pretty straight forward. It pairs easily to its small USB plug In Transmitter which has about a 2 ft plug lead so you can position it where needed and not plugged into the rear where it can get hit and broken off. The transmitter is about 1 1/2" x 1 1/2 " by 1/2" thick. I walked across and outside to where normally my LG Wireless Headset would start to lose signal and get choppy but these didn't. A few more notes, the volume knob adjusted the PC volume when turned, the headset has a balance knob to adjust game sound balance to team players chat. Like most headsets of today there really is no way to make it really loud! Too much emphasis on safety so you can't hurt your ears but plenty loud enough. Battery life is unreal and the self adjusting headset is super comfortable.
Has anyone experienced similar issues? Due to Hurricane Florence I didn't jump on this to try and sort out if there was a hardware conflict but I'm the type to try and figure it out no matter what. I plan on trying it myself on our home pc using my wireless Keyboard and mouse again as well as on a co workers gaming PC in the next week or two try and narrow it down but I had no issues.
I truly think we have some sort of hardware conflict on our Sons gaming pc. I will update as soon as possible but I would recommend this headset with caution to try it.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
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Expand your existing sound system with these Samsung wireless surround-sound rear speakers. Forget about wires as you add these speakers to your setup to get great sound all around. A massive 80 W per channel ensure that these Samsung wireless surround-sound rear speakers deliver excellent audio for your home cinema experience.
 

Has anyone set these up in the front vs the rear? If so how was the sound?

No, audio output is for rear channels not front!
7 years, 1 month ago
by
iampete
 
Expand your existing sound system with these Samsung wireless surround-sound rear speakers. Forget about wires as you add these speakers to your setup to get great sound all around. A massive 80 W per channel ensure that these Samsung wireless surround-sound rear speakers deliver excellent audio for your home cinema experience.
 

Does this Samsung sound bar put out better sound if audio connected with HDMI

While hooking it up with a optical cable is easy and digital, if you plug the cable to your TV's audio optical output , you will get you sound no matter what input you're using to feed your tv such as DVD satellite or cable, the problem lies in that almost all TVs audio optical output is only in stereo so you won't feed 5.1 or above to your sound bar . If your TV has hdmi audio out, that's preferred as you will feed whatever true audio is fed to your TV from whatever source. Newer Samsung TV will connect to the sound bar via Bluetooth!
7 years, 1 month ago
by
iampete