RCA ANT1450 Multi-Directional Digital Flat Amplified Home Theater Antenna (White) Review

When it comes to reviewing a TV antenna, SO much depends on geographical location. I live in New England about 40 miles north of Boston. The TV for this antenna is located on the third floor of a typical NE row house. I had been using a very basic pair of RCA rabbit ears, and was getting decent reception via my Insignia converter box. But I started looking for a new antenna because (a) it seemed that any change in the weather affected reception and (b) one of the connections on the UHF loop was broken. Another consideration was that when I had to reposition the rabbit ears to get best reception, the ears wound up in a traffic area. (And let's face it, rabbit ears just look cheesy.)
Most of the stations in my area are between 20 and 30 miles away. So I was looking to try an amplified antenna. I was intrigued when I saw the RCA ANT1450. I bought it, thinking I could always return it if it didn't work.
I was very pleasantly surprised when I hooked it up. It took me a few tries to figure out the best place to put it, but one of the nice things about the Insignia box is the signal strength meter. It turns out that the ANT1450 wanted to be located in a different place than the rabbit ears (about 3 feet away). I was also surprised to find that the ANT1450 really did work best when laid flat (horizontal), and definitely not on a metal surface. The ANT1450 now picks up the same number of channels as the rabbit ears, but with consistently better signal strength. I have the amplifier connected, but don't know if it's completely necessary.
And I really like not having those ugly rabbit ears any more!

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Cables Unlimited AUD-1380-06 6 Feet RCA Component Video/Audio Cable Review

Cables Unlimited AUD-1380-06 6 Feet RCA Component Video/Audio Cable
They work just as good as ones from a walk in store and 4 times the price. I ordered with the Amazon free shipping and they were on my front door step in about 23 house. I'm very pleased.

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RCA RP5430 AM/FM Clock Radio with 1.4-Inch Display and Auto Time Set Review

I took a chance and bought this, even after reading some of the other negative reviews. I take great care of my electronics, so I thought maybe I wouldn't have any problems. Multiple parts of the LCD display have burnt out over a little more than a year's time. At first, I just ignored it, but now it's beyond frustrating. I called RCA (and it's very hard to find a phone number for them), and they have terrible customer service. They are not willing to help me at all because it's been over a year since I purchased the clock.

Buyer beware.

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Cables Unlimited Stereo 3.5mm To 2 RCA Cable (25 feet, Black) AUD-1200-25 Review

It's a practical solution to the simplest of problems. But finding a 25' version of this cable is not very easy to find. Being able to place my Sirius radio receiver close to the antennae source and still able to connect it to my AV receiver across the room was the completion of my entertainment center.

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Cables Unlimited AUD-2350 VGA to S-Video or RCA Adapter Review

You cannot simply adapt the wire to go from composite or s-video to vga, or vice-versa. The video is encoded differently. In composite, all of the brightness and color information is on a single wire. VGA splits that information up into different channels. You need to transcode the video in order for the conversion to work. Transcoders generally cost >$100.

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RCA ANT1050 Digital Flat Passive Ultra-Slim-Profile Antenna with Enhanced Reception (Black) Review

The 1050 is only a bit less effective when compared to the ANT 1500. On the same TV, alternating between the two antennas produced almost the same result. The difference is one channel about 30 miles away which the ANT 1500 can get but not the ANT 1050. But, definitely better than rabbit ears. I am satisfied with the product and use it on a 2nd TV.

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RCA ANT1400M Multi-Directional Digital Flat Passive HDTV Antenna (White) Review

I purchased this antenna to replace a set a rabbit-ears I had connected to an LCD-flat-panel TV. Wall mounting this antenna was a simple task, and the reception of HD/digital signals was just as good as or better than with the rabbit-ears. I'm not sure how it works, but there is truly no adjustment necessary! I originally tried hiding the antenna directly behind the TV, which is connected to a wall by a swivel-arm, but this affected the reception. I would recommend hanging the antenna closer the ceiling, or wherever the least possible interference might be. This antenna will not correct problematic reception in areas of your home where reception is severely compromised. You will need to purchase an external antenna to correct issues associated with physical obstructions or building materials which may shield weaker signals.

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PH62089 Stereo Mini-Male to 2 RCA-Male - 6 Feet Review

This is just a garden variety adapter to connect a mp3 player to the aux input on a home stereo system. It does what it is designed to do.
Look locally for this item first because the shipping will make the total cost a little steep.

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Basic Indoor Antenna Review

I was lost when I was shopping for an antenna and there were so many to choose from. I ended up buying this one because I read about it from someone's positive review. I have tried another (amplified) antenna in the past and it was big and bulky...but this little passive antenna can get just as many channels. I got all the major networks now (need to adjust antenna to get certain channels). I highly recommend this little antenna.

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6' Sva To Rca Adapter Review

Awesome! Works just like it said! I went all over town with people at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, Microcenter telling me there was no such thing and trying to sell me expensive cables. But this works great! I am extremely happy!

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Cables Unlimited AUD-1205-06 6-Feet Pro A/V Series 6-Feet 3.5mm to RCA Stereo Audio Cable Review

There's not all that much you can say... it's a well built cable with a decent thickness, seems very well shielded and results in no interference. You can't beat the price.

I combined this with a 3.5mm extension cable and can now connect my laptop to my stereo.

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RCA ANT1500 Large Multi-Directional Digital Flat Passive Antenna (White) Review

This unit performed every bit as advertised on the RCA web-site. I recieve more than double the stations than I did without it. The number of stations recieved will greatlly depend on what is available in a particular area,obstructions,transmission quality, etc. The placement location is critical for best reception. I had to move it around some in order to get better reception. This unit will work fine for receiving transmissions up to a max of 30-40 miles. For greater distance, investigation of another unit would be required. I live in an urban area with a lot of obstruction, aircraft traffic, etc. and still get good reception. The reception quality is as good as any digital signal from a satellite system (which I used to have). Investigation still has to be done to pick the proper antenna for the situation. This is an excellant unit for my application.

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RCA L46WD250 46-Inch LCD Scenium Flat HDTV Review

last for about 9 months, and then blows a fuse in the converter box. rca knows about the problem. can be used as a monitor only now. what a piece of junk by thompson electronics, aka: rca. Dont buy. Samsung or LG or Sony.

jim

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Cables To Go 4-Feet RCA Stereo to Dock Connector Cable for iPod Review

I ordered two of these for use in two locations. Upon arrival neither worked with an old iPod nano (3rd gen) or and iPhone 3G. Completely a waste of money if your are looking for an out of the box solution.

Fortunately with a bit of internet searching, I was able to find the electrical pin-outs for the connectors and modify them to work for my devices. But the purchases were not what I orginally hoped.

[...]

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RCA ANT1450BM Multi-Directional Digital Flat Amplified HDTV Antenna (Black) Review

Right out the box, it gave wonderful reception. I am using it without the booster. I really love the design . A small little square sitting flat and you can't notice that it is there. I live in NY, in an apartment building. It picked up a wide selection of over the air channels. Also it is connected to a HDTV.

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RCA ANT1550 Large Multi-Directional Digital Flat Amplified Antenna (White) Review

I have always been dedicated to taking my TV off the air waves, and in the old analog world I was able to accomplish that with rabbit ears of various types. I began the new digital experience with the rabbit ears and found them to be a bit lacking in dealing with the weather conditions here in the north east. So I purchased a smaller version of this RCA multi-directional flat amplified antenna. In the meantime I had moved from a house on a hill where we had a clear shot to Boston TV transmitters to a condo behind a couple of hills where I am not allowed to have an outside antenna. This new antenna provides a beautiful picture on our new HDTV when the weather permits. Unfortunately this June that has not been often. I end up changing its position when I change stations from the low numbers to the high numbers. I will turn it off at night with great reception on a station and when I turn it on in the morning I have to change its position. I am not sure what to do next. Perhaps I shall build a remote controlled platform to allow me to change its attitude without bringing the capacitive influence of my body into play.
As some of the other reviewers said in reviews I read here before purchase it is not the end all. I think that may be a specialized antenna which will have to be buried out of sight in the attic of the condo. If you have patience it is a good buy.

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RCA ANT1450B Multi-Directional Digital Flat Amplified Home Theater Antenna (Black) Review

Have had this antenna for about a month now and find that it makes little difference, particularly with the amplifier inline and powered. We are using it with a Westinghouse SK26H730S TV. No visible difference in indicated signal. Maybe defective? Just bad location? Don't know. Programs are still intermittently breaking up. At least before DTV we could tolerate less than perfect broadcast reception and still follow the program. Those days are gone. Live in central metro area. Really hate the idea of cable or satellite tv. Sounds like other have had good experience with this, it hasn't been the magic bullet here.

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RCA ANT1450M Multi-Directional Digital Flat Amplified HDTV Antenna (White) Review

This thing took a whole lot of tweaking in order to pick up channels clearly -- and even then it doesn't pick up as many channels as my Terk HDTVa on the TV in the other room.

The claim of being "multi-directional" proved completely false for me, as I had to adjust it to a precise angle in order to get decent signal strength on the channels I wanted (and in doing so, lost a couple of channels that came in clearly when the antenna was in another position, so I had to sacrifice those channels in order to get the more important channels). The difference was literally about a one-degree swivel adjustment (out of 360 degrees total) between getting the signals and not getting the signals.

Mounting the antenna on the wall doesn't work because the antenna would be facing a direction that picks up next to nothing. So I have to have the antenna sitting at an awkward but very precise angle on top of my TV set.

Having done that, it works OK. But it's not the least bit inconspicuous. A nice big mousepad-sized piece of plastic standing upright at a weird angle on top of my TV set; what a lovely sight. Oh well. So much for "multidirectional."


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Belkin F8V235-12 12-Foot Y Audio Cable Review

I have yet to find any fault with the quality, performance or reliability of any of the Belkin cables I have used or purchased. In 15 years of professional and personal use, ZERO failure so far.

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RCA Jet 4 GB Sports MP3 Player with Video, Music, FM Radio, and Sports Features (Black) Review

I did a little research prior to selecting this MP3 player. I knew I did not want an ipod, and I knew I wanted enough memory to play on long plane rides, the gym, whatever. So far, I've been very happy. The accompanying software is easy to use, as is the device itself. I've had no trouble at all adding music and using the radio function. I was able to upload music from my own PC, and I was able to use the software to burn selected tracks directly from a CD to the MP3 player. I've not used the audiobooks function or any of the fitness functions--so I can't speak to that. I have not evaluated the length of the battery life, since I've only used it intermittently so far. I did find the user manual easy to read--except for the audiobook function.

So far, I have only two complaints. First, the user manual recommends that you discharge the device fully before recharging--and it only charges when plugged into the PC. So, make absolutely certain that you know exactly what music you want on the device for that cycle of battery life, since it would appear that plugging in prematurely can shorten your battery life over time. I find it extremely annoying because I want to update my music selection frequently. Second, it allows for the creation of only one playlist, a favorites list. My preference would be that I could create playlists as it suits me. In all other respects, the device performs well. I would recommend it to anyone.

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Maxell 3.5-mm-to-RCA A/V Splitter with 3.5-mm Cable Review

I got this to connect the iphone to the speaker system. Unfortunately, it does not work with the iphone. The connectors are not deep enough to fit it, and the sound kept coming out of the phone only. To confirm I wasnt doing the wrong this, I put the another connector and things worked correctly.

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RCA EZ200 Small Wonder Digital Camcorder with 60 Minutes Recording and 1GB Included Memory Review

It is both easy to use and very compact, so easy a child could operate. Besides being great for video it takes pretty nice still photos. With the fold out display monitor you can easily take pictures of yourself and a friend without being behind the camera.

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Cables To Go - 40645 - 3.5mm Stereo Male To 2X RCA Female Adapter Review

Good adapter. Some TV's, like my Westinghouse HDTV, can't use RCA (red and white wires) for audio when using a VGA connection. I have a XBOX 360 and I have component cables. I wanted to get the VGA cable because they WILL give me 1080p when I'm playing a HD-DVD. Component cables are fine, just that it will give everybody a 1080i picture when playing HD-DVD's, but not games though, they provide 1080p for games but not HD-DVD's for some reason.

Well, after numerous calls to Westinghouse and Microsoft about why I can't get audio using the VGA and RCA cables, I did my own research online, and luckily I came across this. Some HDTV's only will allow sound through VGA connection using the "MiniJack" input. REMEMBER THAT GUYS/GALS. It's hard to write a review on a small product, but it get's the job done.

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Cables To Go - 27992 - 12ft Value Series S-Video + Audio to 3 RCA Cable (Black) Review

Purchased this 12' for a niece with a laptop after my success with the 25'. Use it to watch Hulu (and others) full TV shows from my laptop to my analog TV. After initial setup, fullscreened shows look fine. Some are a touch "soft" (although not enough to make it unwatchable), but closed captioning is clear and legible. Economical solution to high cable TV prices.

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RCA EZ409HD Small Wonder HD Camcorder (Black) Review

With the EZ409HD Small Wonder high-definition camcorder by RCA, there is no easier way to share and save the moments worth remembering. The simple point-and-shoot capabilities make it easy to aim and record without having to push several buttons. It features 256MB of internal memory and includes a 2GB memory card for 30-minute HD recording and six-hours WebQ mode recording. Use the Micro SD card slot expansion that can expand the memory up to 16GB. Recording time with a 16GB card is capable of 8-hours HD recording, 19-hours of high quality recording and 49-hours of WebQ mode recording. View your videos on the large two-inch color display and record yourself with your friends and family using the flip-out lens. When you are finished recording, simply connect the camcorder to your TV with an HDMI or AV cable for simple viewing. Other features include direct YouTube uploading, simple computer downloading via the USB arm, and landscape/close-up mode. Enjoy the slim and compact design of the camcorder allowing you to easily carry it in your pocket or purse. The EZ409HD includes an AV cable, USB extender, Lithium-ion battery pack with charger, wrist strap and carry pouch.







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Belkin PureAV RCA Audio Cable 6 ft Review

What can I say? These RCA Audio cables work as stated and the price is right. They are also well built and the right length for my needs. They come with the Belkin warrenty if needed.

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Belkin PureAV RCA Audio Cable 3 ft Review

Not much to say here: the construction of the cable is excellent -- I used these cables for a car audio project and I really needed confidence that the cables will not give way in a tight spots and will be immune to vehicle noise and temperature conditions.

I'm not disappointed -- I can't tell any loss of audio fidelity. The molding is excellent and the connectors fit exactly.

Also, kudos to Belkin for using easy to open shrink wrap. So many products these days require (ahem!) industrial grade equipment to cut open.


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RCA Opal 4 GB Video MP3 player with 1.8-inch Display, FM Radio, and Voice Recording (Blue) Review

We bought 3 of these RCA MP3 players on black Friday from WalMart when they had them (the 8GB ones) on sale for $49. I gave the first to my oldest son (17 years old) for his birthday. He used it a few times and the screen stopped lighting up. We did all the suggested troubleshooting to no avail and had to mail it in to Audiovox for repair (WalMart would not take it back after more than 15 days). The second MP3 player worked for a total of 6 weeks when it went into the initializing mode and froze. We tried to update the firmware as RCA suggests as a fix for this extremely common problem with these. Well the MP3 player is not recopnized as even being connected to any computer we have tried. SO... that one is being mailed in for repair. We have just started using the 3rd one we bought but I am sure it will break like the other two and like the very many we see have broken for others. This is a little ridiculous! A product should last more than a few weeks. Once the warranty period is over, I guess we will be looking for new MP3 players as I am sure this will break again very soon!

Oh and whatever you do, do NOT lose your receipt. RCA will not do any warranty work without it and you will need warranty work I am sure!

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RCA EZ209HD Small Wonder HD Camcorder (Black) Review

This little camcorder is a GEM! I really am amazed at how good it is. Very light weight, great battery life (like 3 hours) , and excellent video quality.

When I took this guy out of the box, I read the quick start guide that came with it and quickly learned several things.
1. It needs to be charged before use (even though when I turned it on, it was at 75%).
2. The power on/off switch is a sliding switch on the right side of it. It's kind of springy, and you just slide it down and release it.
3. It has three resolution modes, and you need to just switch it to HD (720P!) and not look back. (Left side of camcorder).

After it was fully charged, I plugged it into my PC and Windows detected it, and asked me if I wanted to install the Memory Manager software. I said yes. It installed Memory Manager and immediately told me there was a new version. Cool! RCA made some improvements or something, so I let it update it. After it installed it again, it told me that the camcorder it self also had an update. Wow! I let it update the camcorder. It was very simple!

I have been playing with the Memory Manager software and it is very slick! It lets me edit and cut videos into a larger (or smaller) video and save them. I can even splice different resolution of videos together. I can also use it to create a smaller size video to email to friends, or upload to Youtube! This thing is SWEET!

I did find out that you HAVE to install the RCA software... Apparently, it installs a "special" video codec, and without it, you are not going to see the videos. Once you install the RCA software, you can also use Windows Media Player to view the videos! Again, WOW!

I bought an 8 GB micro SD card for mine. I get like 4 hours of HD video.

OH yeah, it also is a 8 MP camera!!! You have to be patient at first when you learn how to use it. You press the camera button once, and it puts it in camera mode. Press it again and it takes a photo. Just hold it still, as there is a shutter delay. Photo quality is awesome. To go back to video mode, you press the big red record button. Real simple to use!

A+ RCA! Great job!!!

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RCA EZ205 Small Wonder Digital Camcorder with 2 Hour Recording and 1GB Included Memory Review

I agree with most of the pros and cons already covered by other reviews. Top of mind for me are good for the price and compact but not the best quality especially on audio pick up and lighting.

Could be a decent value - however the big ding for me that I haven't seen mentioned is RCA's customer service. We paid $74.71 for the camera including shipping then unfortunately dropped it the very first day. The cost for repair ($74 flat fee for this model) plus shipping was going to cost 20% more that what I paid for a new one????

They should just say there is no warranty whatsoever. Why would anyone in their right mind have it repaired with terms like that?

My other bit of advice is two fold. Be very carefully with the camera because any knock could be fatal and do not purchase as a substitute for a youngish child as it will be broken pronto. I hesitated to purchase a grown up camera for my daughter but every camcorder made for kids had horrible reviews and many recommended spending a few extra bucks to get something much better (e.g. RCA Small Wonder). I rationalized that she'd managed to care of her Nintendo DS pretty well for more than a year so it was worth a shot. I lost that gamble.

Now the lens is totally smashed (from one drop) but surprisingly seems to still be taking somewhat decent photos and video considering. Appreciatively the vendor through Amazon was willing to take a return for a 15% restocking fee but we decided to let our daughter keep her $75 mistake as is. On the bright side we won't be hounding her as much to be careful now and when she uses it she'll be reminded to listen to mom and dad next time and take better care of her stuff. If that lessons sticks for life it will have been a cheap one in the grand scheme.



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Belkin Audio Y Cable Splitter 1-Mini Plug/2-RCA Plugs (6ft) Review

The left input works fine, going from my Dell to my Sony stereo system. The right input doesn't work at all. So, it's going back. :-( I can't believe this is rocket science or anything, so I'm going to order another one after this one gets credited. However, I will probably order a longer cable. 6 feet doesn't go far at all.
Update: the problem wasn't with the cable after all. My error. I wish I could change the star rating, but I did want to clarify that the product is not defective.

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