Archive for the ‘Electronics’ Category
June 12th, 2010 | 
Author: Antennas Direct DB2 Multi Directional HDTV Antenna
Although the DB2 was originally designed for outdoor use, it has quickly become one of the most popular indoor antennas due to its small size and extraordinary gain. The bowtie design provides strong gain across the entire UHF spectrum and it functions incredibly well in areas where a low profile antenna is required.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars More consistent signal strength
Got a DB2 to replace an older rooftop VHF/UHF combo antenna. This antenna feeds 5 TVs, with amplification to keep signals usable despite all the splitting.
Our older antenna generally did fairly well, but was highly sensitive to angle for the local PBS station. Further, signal strength from the old antenna varied widely, leading to lots of dropouts even from relatively strong signals. We no longer needed VHF, so I figured why not give this smaller antenna a try.
The DB2 is tiny compared to the old antenna, whose widest elements were 7 or 8 feet from side to side. Despite this, the new antenna brings in nearly comparable signal strength, and doesn’t require angle adjustments. Better still, with the DB2 signals are far more consistent, so that even if peak strengths are slightly less, reception has far fewer dropouts.
A good little antenna, even in a fairly demanding setup like ours.
5 Stars Works in northern NYC
ZIP Code: 10466
Installed: In attic
Signal strength by channel:
100% – 2-1 WCBS-HD
100% – 4-1 WNBC-HD
100% – 4-2 NY NonStop
100% – 4-4 USports
100% – 5-1 WNYW (FOX)
100% – 7-1 WABC-HD
100% – 7-2 LivWell
100% – 7-3 Weather
100% – 9-1 WWOR (My9TV)
100% – 11-1 WPIX (CW)
100% – 11-2 Estrella TV
100% – 13-1 WNET (PBS)
100% – 13-2 Kids
100% – 13-3 V-Me
100% – 25-1 WNYE1
100% – 25-2 WNYE2
100% – 31-1 ION
100% – 31-2 qubo
100% – 31-3 IONlife
100% – 41-1 WXTV (Univision)
100% – 41-2 WFUT (Telefutura)
100% – 47-1 WNJU (Telemundo)
I initially debated on getting the more powerful DB4 as I planned on an attic install. I called Antennas Direct using the phone number listed on the website, to ask their recommendation on an attic install for my area (Bronx/Westchester border). The support tech gave me a generic CYA answer and suggested I get the DB4 if I was unsure. The only thing I was sure of was that I didn’t want to get stuck with a larger than needed antenna so took a gamble and went with the smaller DB2. In the end, the DB2 is the one I kept and installed. Below is the simple installation breakdown I performed.
The back of the antenna has two clamps tightened using wing-nuts. I had a scrap 2×2 strip of wood available, which was about 3 feet long. I attached one end to the clamps on the antenna and screwed the other end to an attic rafter. I then ran a 25 foot coaxial through a attic vent to the existing Cablevision splitter on the side of the house. Then, went in the house and turned on the TV to perform a channel scan.
The channels listed above are the ones which came through crystal clear. Your mileage may vary depending on structural obstructions in your neighborhood, but I for one am certainly pleased with the smug feeling of sticking it to the cable company with free TV, considering the very basic package will run approximately $45/month.
Netflix and Hulu fill any other gaps quite well.
5 Stars Longmont, CO – 30.8 miles away from tower – perfect reception with indoor placement
Just wanted to add a review for Longmont, CO since I looked through hundreds of reviews hoping to find one for this area to see if it would work but could not find one (would also apply to Erie, Firestone, Niwot, Frederic, Dacano, Mead, Platteville etc.).
I pointed the antenna SW towards Denver, plugged my cable wire into the antenna and rescanned the channels and instantly had perfect HD reception from inside my house (pointed through two walls and a neighbors two-story house even). The towers are exactly 30.8 miles away from my home. The antenna picked up 27 HD channels and they are all high quality HD. Direction makes a lot of difference – if I moved the antenna channels would drop out and sound/picture artifacts would appear (especially ABC channel 7 for some reason). If I actually put this on a mast outside or even on the second floor of my house I can’t imagine ever having problems with reception.
I can’t believe I didn’t buy this sooner! No more paying $17 a month for the Comcast “basic” plan just so I can watch network channels. This will pay for itself in two months!
5 Stars WOW!!!
I have to admit I was skeptical at first, but when I set up the antenna, and hooked it to my TV I was blown away by the beautiful picture!!!!! This is TRUE 1080i and its FREE!! I Love It!!
4 Stars Great Antenna but may vary on your location! Had a philips mant510 which was poor, and the DB2 pick-up alot more channels!!!
Just keep in mind that the antennas may vary on your location! I live in Brooklyn, New York (around Midwood area)on the 5th floor of a 6th floor apartment building. I had a Philips Mant510, it was one of my first DTV antennas, and let me tell you that it completely sucked!!! It just barely picked up 4 digital channels which was 5.1, 5.2, 9.1, 9.2. But after researching and crossing fingers of which antenna would be good I went with the DB2, and let me tell you something it picked up 25 channels which was very surprising. Plus I have this antenna indoors too! There are downsides, for example when you have very windy days you will get pixelated or fuzzy channels, also I’m still having a tough time getting 11.1, 13.1 (which are wpix and wnet thirteen) what is up with these channels??!
All in all I’m happy with it, I mean its enough for me I barely watch TV, most of the time I watch movies and there is no way I’m shelfing money for the cable company so they could rip me off of $40-$60 a month.
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Sony XL2100U Projection TV replacement lamp
Sony’s XL-2100 replacement lamp is designed to replace the original lamp of your Grand WEGA or XBR Grand WEGA rear-projection LCD television.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Replacement Lamp for Sony TV
This was supposed to be an identical replacement for the original Philips that came with the TV. However, what I got was a substitute which, according to other on-line reviews is not comparable or as good as the Original Philips replacement. However, I have not experienced any issues with this replacement and it was extremely easy to replace.
Only gave it 4 stars becasue the information presented does not specifically state that when you purchase the item you are NOT getting an original replacement but a substitute item which may be inferior to the original Philips lamb.
1 Star Blew out in a month!
MODEL: KDF60XBR950
The picture looked great, but this lamp blew out in just about a month of limited use. I am going back to the samsung model at least that lasts more than a year.
3 Stars Lamp
I placed the order, few days later got my shipping confirmation. I was able to replace the old lamp with the new but for some reason it work so I had to return it back.. After they received the Lamp back they credit my Card back. I then have purchased a new Television.
5 Stars Good product
The lamp works very well. The only thing that is missing when we received the package was the manufacturer’s installation guidelines.
1 Star Discount DLP TV Lamps
Do NOT! repeat Do NOT! purchase this projection lamp from Discount DLP TV Lamps.. After three days of use the first lamp I purchased literally blew (made a popping sound) which made me and my cat jump… I returned the lamp and received a second lamp. I’ve had this lamp in for approximately two weeks. The TV picture is not as bright as the original or even the second bulb that blew out. On two occasions while watching TV, the screen goes blank for about a minute then comes back on. According to the seller the warranty is only good for one replacement. The first lamp was packaged very well. It had Styrofoam around it in a box that had bubble wrap around it inside another box. The second lamp however simply had bubble wrap around the lamp inside a box… Neither package had “FRAGILE” written on it, so who knows what type of abuse these lamps went through during shipping. Now I’m stuck with an inferior lamp looking to purchase another one. Neither one of these lamps had the Phillips packaging so I’m not sure who the manufacturer is.
VideoSecu ML10B Articulating Wall mount for 10 to 22 TV LCD Monitor Display Black VESA100 75 1E9
The flexible swing LCD Wall mount supports up to 33 lbs LCD flat screens. This mount folds flat against the wall or extends out up to 12″. Its classic black finish elegantly complements offices, conference rooms, merchandising displays, hotel rooms or any room in the home. This two-link arm provides easy one-touch tilt and up to 180 degrees of swivel for or optimum viewing. Ships pre-assembled for fast and easy installation. This mount is VideoSecu brand
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars VideoSecu ML10B Articulating Wall mount
I was looking for a swing arm wall mount for a 22″ LCD TV and found this one on Amazon. I looked locally and found the prices 2-3 time more that this one listed on Amazon. It seems to be well made and functions as it should. You cannot beat the price for this type of mount.
4 Stars Great value, one issue
This is a great little mount, I have two and they each hold a 22-inch LCD TV in my RV. The only problem I had is that the bolts tend to loosen and the TV’s move around as I drive. I tighten the bolts and they still tend to get loose over time, I’m not sure if the metal is stretching or regular movement tends to loosen them. I don’t want to use lock-tite for fear of committing to a tension, but some straps should hold things in place while in transport. For non-RV use, these are very versatile and solid!
4 Stars Good item for the price.
Mounted a 22″ Visio on it and it worked fine. Only thing I saw was that when mounted vertical and the TV is shifted to the right-hand side, the TC is not quite plumb. Easy to install.
5 Stars Perfect fit!
This wall mount was exactly what I ordered. The installation process was simple and multiple sizes of screws were included so the mount could be attached to a variety of screens. They also included an allen wrench to adjust the tightness of the hinges which was convenient.
In this TINY office of mine, I FINALLY have some space on my desk. Great product. Great price. Thanks!!!
5 Stars Excellent Product
The wall mount installation was quick and easy. I found the wall mount to be very secure for my 19″ flat screen tv. The mobility of the unit allows us to watch the TV from the corner in any different angles.
JBuds Hi Fi Noise Reducing Ear Buds Pink
JBuds are the perfect companion for your iPod, mp3 player, laptop, portable DVD, MD, radio, or other audio devices, combining sleek design, premium sound quality, noise reduction, and maximum comfort. The soft silicone earbuds fit perfectly inside your ears, allowing you to comfortably enjoy your music non-stop while blocking outside noise. The new JBuds give you a high-intensity listening experience with crisp, clear sound and powerful bass. Includes 3 pairs of silicone earbud tips in small, medium, and large to assure the perfect fit! Generous 4.5ft wire with standard Y-formation to the earbuds. Available in white, black, or pink. One-year full warranty.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Acceptable for the price
For ten dollars, these headphones are not a steal, but still a very low price. But, you get what you pay for. Noise isolation with these headphones are not too great; I can still hear everything outside me when music is playing, but it’s just at a reduced volume.
The sound quality is good for this price, but in a more broad look at it the sound is nothing to brag about. For a few bucks more (5-10) you can get some skullcandy earbuds that isolate noise more optimally than these JBuds, and sound better with better lows and mids.
The cord is also very cheap – again, you get what you pay for, but I really expected more. The left and right pieces are almost connected to eachother at first, so you have to rip the cord to give a gap between the left and right pieces so you can put them on. I can easily see myself ripping the cord accidentally in the future, thus creating a bigger gap and a huge mess along with that.
These earbuds have 3 tips: a large, medium and small size. It comes attached with the medium size, and it was a little too big for my ear, so I put on the small tips. The quality of sound noticeably reduced, especially bass, but for many the bass should still be adequate – it’s not deprived of bass, but there’s definitely not a lot there compared to others. Again, if this matters to you, shell out the extra bucks and go for something else, like a Skullcandy. These headphones are $10, what do you expect.
Overall, these headphones definitely deserve 4/5 stars for the $10 price. But I knocked off an extra star, because of the way the cord rips. This was a very bad design choice for the manufacturers.
4 Stars They feel cheap; they sound awesome
These headphones feel pretty cheap. They weigh practically nothing, and the plastic seems extremely fragile. While I just received mine and therefore cannot comment on their longevity, I’m really not expecting them to last very long. That’s why they loose a star. But that’s not such a big deal for me given the rate at which I lose headphones, and there is a lot to be impressed about.
These are the first earbuds I have ever owned that actually fit in my ears, including a pair that cost me $30 and claimed to fit everybody. The JBuds come with a little plastic baggie of different rubber ends for different ear shapes, but the ones that were installed out of the box worked quite well for me.
Although I really wasn’t expecting it given the cheap construction, the noise reduction surprised me. No, these things aren’t as good as a pair of earplugs (or the headphones I use for lawn mowing) but with the TV on and my laptop’s volume set to 50%, I can listen to music without the TV sound being a problem.
The high-frequency response is a lot stronger than I’m used to, but it actually makes for a better sound on audiobooks. Some of the music I listen to has a lot of deep bass, and these perform well there too. Edit: There’s a frequency response graph in the product packaging. I’ve posted a photo of it in the customer images section.
Overall, I’m finding that I have to set the volume a little lower with these headphones than I did with the Apple earbuds these replaced, partly because the Apple ones didn’t fit in my ears, but also because I’m getting a lot more sound out of these at the same volume setting than I could ever get from the Apple ones. The 100% volume setting on an Apple laptop audibly overdrives the JBuds, but I’m really grateful for the extra gain on my Blackberry’s music player, which doesn’t have as powerful an amplifier.
For ten bucks, I doubt I’ll find a better earbud. My suggestion would be to buy three of them to get the free shipping, then just stick the other two in a drawer until the first set breaks or gets lost.
5 Stars Great Affordable Ear Buds
We’ve bought ten of these: for friends, the gym, our iPhones, computers, etc. So we don’t have to be looking for the ear buds, we keep them with the devices we use them with. They are an order of magnitude better than the ear buds that come with your iPod and sturdy enough to throw in your gym bag and survive most of a year. For the price, these can’t be beat.
4 Stars Good Value
Since these cost more at WalMart than on Amazon – this is a good value for the dollar.
2 Stars Nice Buds, if only they lasted more than two weeks
I got these for my daughter, who is an ipod addict. The noise reduction and sound were good. The noise reduction being almost too good as it was even harder than usual to get her attention when she had these on. Unfortunately, one side of the two buds died after two weeks. Fortunately, they have a one year warranty.
Panasonic TC L32X2 32 Inch 720p LCD HDTV with iPod Dock
Your music and videos hit the big time. VIERA