Zenith DVR413 Multi-Format DVD Recorder

Zenith DVR413 Multi-Format DVD Recorder
Manufacturer: Zenith
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
Zenith Electronics is focused on the digital future, building on a proud heritage of leadership in entertainment products for the home and professional markets.PRODUCT FEATURES: Slim and Stylish design; Recording Flexibility - full RW compatible recording on DVD?R/RW media; Multi-Format Playback - plays DVD?R/RW, DVD Audio/Video, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, JPEG and KODAK Picture CD; Easy Editing - edit your home movies for a more professional touch; Picture in Picture (PIP) - an inset window allows you to simultaneously watch television and a DVD; Enhanced Connectivity - connect your DV video camera via IEEE 1394 and transfer your home movies directly to DVD; Progressive Scan Video Output - video data is processed faster and sequentially to produce superior, crisp, clear and cinema-like images; Quick Set Up Guide - easy to follow instructions guide you through initial set up and installation.
Amazon.com Product Description
Treat yourself and your living room to the attractive DVR413, which will give you the power to time shift your TV viewing and share your home videos with friends and family. Zenith's silver, second-generation DVD recorder lets you archive VHS or camcorder footage to long-life recordable DVDs or record your favorite TV shows directly to disc. It records to DVD-R/-RW and DVD+R/+RW discs, encoding audio in 2- or 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound, and it offers a variety of video editing functions. Its progressive-scan DVD playback abilities include compatibility with DVDs, CDs, CD-R and CD-RW discs, and CDs loaded with MP3 music files.

The DVR413's handy, front-panel audio/video jacks simplify connections with camcorders, VCRs, DVRs, and other devices, so you'll always be ready to create a new masterpiece. Inputs include composite-video (with accompanying stereo analog RCA inputs), RF coaxial (accommodating antennas and older VCRs), and a front-panel digital-video input. The recorder digitizes your video sources in high-quality MPEG-2 (the same format used for commercial DVDs), with either 2- or 5.1-channel Dolby Digital encoding for the audio.

Recording features like disc project creation, title delete, A-B delete, program move, chapter/program combine, auto/manual chapter creation, and file naming make it simple and convenient to configure your projects.

Playback features include 4x and 6x moveable zoom, variable high-speed scan (2x, 4x, 16x, and 100x), parental locks, bookmarking, 20-track CD programming, and repeat and resume play. The DVR413 is also equipped to deliver the full potential of your commercial and recordable DVDs when viewing on a high-definition or HD-ready TV. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. Interlaced composite- and S-video outputs bring compatibility with nearly any television.

For the simplest hookup with your TV, you can use a single RCA composite-video connection to handle both DVD and VCR outputs. If you want a higher-quality connection from the DVD player, you can use a component- or S-video cable to an additional input on your TV. You can choose between an optical and a coaxial digital-audio output to feed a surround-sound signal to your Dolby Digital- or DTS-decoding audio/video receiver.

If you don't have a surround receiver or 6-channel speaker setup, you can still make every movie night the ultimate experience: the unit simulates surround sound through 2 speakers (even the stereo speakers on your TV).

What's in the Box
DVD recorder, remote control, 2 AAA batteries, a user's manual, a stereo analog audio interconnect/composite-video cable, an S-video cable, an RF coaxial AV cable, a registration card, and warranty info.

Average customer rating: 4.0

Great product...until you try to have it repaired
The platinum is GOLD
Wonderful, wonderful device except for...
bad price
Visor Platinum

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Handspring Visor Platinum (Silver)

Manufacturer: Handspring
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B00004Y7TC

Related Categories:

All Handhelds & PDAs

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Product Description

The Handspring Visor, the first infinitely expandable handheld computer, is now even faster. In fact, the Visor Platinum is 50% faster than the Visor Deluxe. The Visor Platinum gives you enhanced power, speed and performance so you can access all your data and view crisp grayscale graphics without the wait. And, like the Visor, it comes with the unique Springboard expansion slot, so you can instantly snap in a digital camera, wireless modem or even a phone. Best of all, it is Plug and Play so there are no drivers to load. Just snap in a module and it works!If you're one of those people who uses lots of RAM, keeps tons of records, plays games or uses apps that have high-performance requirements, the Visor Platinum has the very speed you need. Now you can access all your data without the wait. And the grayscale graphics - with 16 shades of gray - are so crisp that every picture is as clear as day. What's more, since the Visor Platinum is based on the latest Palm OS, it's got new usability, security and navigation features, too.

Amazon.com Review

One of Handspring's two new Visors running with the faster 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ processor, the Visor Platinum offers a competitive option to the Palm V series. Although it doesn't sport a color display like its new sibling, the Visor Prism, the Platinum offers 16 shades of gray, outputting sharper graphics in games and applications. It also features 8 MB of memory like the Visor Deluxe, providing plenty of room for storing contacts, notes, and e-mails.

But the Visor Platinum's selling point is its new processor, which performs faster than other Visors or Palm handhelds (Handspring claims up to a 50 percent increase in speed). While we didn't put a radar gun to the Platinum, it certainly felt speedier than the Visor Deluxe--tapping on an application opened it almost instantaneously.

Using a USB cradle, our desktop synchronizations sped along nicely, usually completed in just a few seconds unless we were adding applications. Additionally, since the Platinum uses the Palm OS, most third-party programs written for Palm handhelds will work for the Platinum.

One difference between the Visor Platinum and the Palm V series that Handspring most likely won't boast about is its size. Where the sleek Palm V series sports a depth of only 0.4 inches, the Platinum retains the standard Visor form factor of 0.7 inches.

But when you've got the expandability that the Handspring's Springboard module slot offers--allowing you to add a digital camera, a cell phone, a Tiger Woods golf game, or an MP3 player--you don't need to quibble over slimness. Also, like other Visors, the Platinum features a built-in microphone (though you'll need to add a module, such as a voice recorder or the phone module, to use it).

If you're already a Palm or Handspring user, there may not be enough about the Platinum to sway you to pick up this new product. But if you're looking for the cutting edge of handheld speed, the Platinum is ready and raring to go. --J. Curtis

Pros: <ul>

Fastest Palm OS processor around

8 MB memory

Expandable using Springboard modules </ul> Cons: <ul>

Thicker than Palm Vx

Microphone, but no voice recorder built in </ul>

Amazon.com Product Description

The Handspring Visor Platinum is an infinitely expandable handheld computer that's 50 percent faster than the Visor Deluxe. With its enhanced power, speed, and performance, the Visor Platinum satisfies your need for speed and makes accessing all your data and viewing crisp grayscale graphics even easier. It runs Palm OS 3.52 for the Handspring on a Motorola 33 MHz Dragonball VZ processor.

In addition to an address book, to-do list, and memo pad, the Platinum Visor features an enhanced date book, advanced calculator, and world clock. The 8 MB memory stores approximately 12,000 addresses, 10 years of appointments, 6,000 to do items, 6,000 memos, and 400 e-mails. It has usability features like address duplication and improved security and navigation. Since it uses Palm OS, you can beam information with other Palm users or download thousands of existing Palm-compatible applications. With the Springboard expansion slot, you can instantly snap in a digital camera, wireless modem, an MP3 player, and more.

The Platinum's USB connection makes synchronizing with your desktop computer fast and easy. You can quickly back up, update, or exchange information between the Platinum and your computer with the USB charging cradle and HotSync technology.

The Visor Platinum comes with a protective leather case, Palm Desktop software for Windows and Mac, and two AAA batteries. It is backed by one-year limited warranty.

Important note to customers: USB connectivity is compatible with Windows 98/2000/Me and USB-enabled Macintoshes running OS 8.1 and later. If you use Windows 95, Windows NT, or Mac OS 8.0 or lower, or your computer does not have a USB port, you will need to buy a separate serial cradle.

What's in the box
<ul>

Visor Platinum

Graphite HotSync cradle

8 MB RAM

AAA batteries

Graphite snap cover

Leather case </ul>

Customer Reviews:

Great product...until you try to have it repaired.......2003-09-24

My Handspring was a trusted resource for the first 9 1/2 months I had it. Last week, it suddenly stopped working. I went to Handspring's site and filled out the return form only to be told it was out of warranty, which wasn't true; I have 2.5 months left on my warranty. I called Customer Service and was told of my options: Call Tech Support with my claim, which charges a flat fee of $20; have it repaired "out of warranty," for $100; or, as Handspring's website suggests,
"Sometimes the cost of repairing an older device is almost as much as purchasing a new one. We welcome you to explore your options: maybe it makes more sense to simply buy a new device of the same type, or even treat yourself to the latest & greatest..."

Thanks, Handspring, I've explored my options--and I'm switching to Sony.

The platinum is GOLD.......2003-04-25

I bought this after much hesitation that I would "never need a PDA." Well, with the included software, sync-cradle and it's onboard memory, I couldn't live without it. From addresses to 3rd party software, it's my constant companion.
By sync-ing it with my work PC, I have all my emails, spreadsheets,[microsoft and word]documents in one convenient place.
I am also sold on AvantGo, a online site that downloads at sync all the things you ask it to: weather, sports, financials, etc.
Batteries are a [reasonabley priced] but it must know that because it uses them fairly frequently- but not like my GPS. It warns you, but listen to the warning- if you wait too long, your data's gone....until the next sync.
Very efficient on memory but you can always buy more-never had to.
Recommend if you want a black and white, no-frills, fast and convenient PDA that you can customize until the cows come home.

Wonderful, wonderful device except for..........2002-12-31

...occasionally bits of memory mysteriously disappears. For example, of my daily mileage tabs for the past six months, November's mileage records have inexplicably vanished, though this month's (December 02) mileage records are intact. This happened to me a while back with September's mileage records, but they inexplicably reappeared a few weeks later! I'm hoping the same will happen to the missing November records...

This is my first PDA, so have no idea if this is just a fact of life with all PDAs or what.

Other than that this PDA is more than enough for my needs, no need to blow $300-500 for some fancy schmancy full-color 400 MHz (same as an old Pentium II desktop!) HP or Sony running Pocket Windows, which is actually not as easy to use as Palm OS.

bad price.......2002-11-02

i think the PDA itself is awesome but if u want a good price with a free cradle, just go to [another website]...

Visor Platinum.......2002-10-04

This is a great pda for anyone! I use it for everything I do! My fried does the same. I reccomend it to anybody who is into computers, needs something to keep track of things on the go, or someone who has a busy schedual. Don't go with anyone else.

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