Aiptek PVR focus problem?

Hi all,

You may have seen that BestBuy is selling the latest
incarnation of the Aiptek PVR, which shoots 640x480
videos and has a big LCD, MP3 player etc. It seems
that Circuit City sells a cheaper version of the same thing.

The saleswoman at BestBuy doesn't like it. She says
that people bring it back complaining of a focusing
problem, and I am curious if anyone here has
experienced that. However the store doesn't have one
on display, so how could I know?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1142301544192
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aipte...oductDetail.do

Thanks.

"QnA" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all,

You may have seen that BestBuy is selling the latest
incarnation of the Aiptek PVR, which shoots 640x480
videos and has a big LCD, MP3 player etc. It seems
that Circuit City sells a cheaper version of the same thing.

The saleswoman at BestBuy doesn't like it. She says
that people bring it back complaining of a focusing
problem, and I am curious if anyone here has
experienced that. However the store doesn't have one
on display, so how could I know?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1142301544192
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aipte...oductDetail.do

Thanks.


Hi.

Even if you saw one in the shop, how would you know if the AF worked
properly?

You might find out by reading up on the Camera on some of the well known
Review Websites.

If it is a piece of total crap, it might not get mentioned on any of those
sites.

Roy G

On 20 Dec 2006 07:31:22 -0800, "QnA" wrote:

Hi all,

You may have seen that BestBuy is selling the latest
incarnation of the Aiptek PVR, which shoots 640x480
videos and has a big LCD, MP3 player etc. It seems
that Circuit City sells a cheaper version of the same thing.

The saleswoman at BestBuy doesn't like it. She says
that people bring it back complaining of a focusing
problem, and I am curious if anyone here has
experienced that. However the store doesn't have one
on display, so how could I know?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1142301544192
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aipte...oductDetail.do

Thanks.

It's a piece of crap.
"Aiptek Digital Camcorder with Hard Drive and 2.4" Color LCD "
Oops, no hard drive; it uses SD and MMC.
There's no mic, so videos recorded through the lens have no sound.
Oh, wait: "Digital audio player plays MP3 files; built-in microphone
for rich, detailed audio." But wait, again; don't they mean "speaker"
instead of "microphone"? Below this, in Product Details, it clearly
says no audio sensor. But how can any audio from a speaker of a size
that will fit on this device deliver "rich, detailed audio"?
Use it as a PVR? Sure. What will you do with a movie on a SD card?
It will record SVHS quality. Wow.
It looks like they used Sigma's team of spec writers: "Enhanced
8.0-megapixel digital camera with a 5.0-megapixel CMOS sensor for
stunning detail and clarity in still images; 640 x 480 video
resolution." 8 MP out of a 5 MP sensor.

For this, they want $135. AND, they are sold out.
P. T. Barnum was right (and yes, I know he didn't really say it).
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

"Bill Funk" wrote in message
...
On 20 Dec 2006 07:31:22 -0800, "QnA" wrote:

Hi all,

You may have seen that BestBuy is selling the latest
incarnation of the Aiptek PVR, which shoots 640x480
videos and has a big LCD, MP3 player etc. It seems
that Circuit City sells a cheaper version of the same thing.

The saleswoman at BestBuy doesn't like it. She says
that people bring it back complaining of a focusing
problem, and I am curious if anyone here has
experienced that. However the store doesn't have one
on display, so how could I know?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1142301544192
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aipte...oductDetail.do

Thanks.

It's a piece of crap.
"Aiptek Digital Camcorder with Hard Drive and 2.4" Color LCD "
Oops, no hard drive; it uses SD and MMC.
There's no mic, so videos recorded through the lens have no sound.
Oh, wait: "Digital audio player plays MP3 files; built-in microphone
for rich, detailed audio." But wait, again; don't they mean "speaker"
instead of "microphone"? Below this, in Product Details, it clearly
says no audio sensor. But how can any audio from a speaker of a size
that will fit on this device deliver "rich, detailed audio"?
Use it as a PVR? Sure. What will you do with a movie on a SD card?
It will record SVHS quality. Wow.
It looks like they used Sigma's team of spec writers: "Enhanced
8.0-megapixel digital camera with a 5.0-megapixel CMOS sensor for
stunning detail and clarity in still images; 640 x 480 video
resolution." 8 MP out of a 5 MP sensor.

For this, they want $135. AND, they are sold out.
P. T. Barnum was right (and yes, I know he didn't really say it).
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

Hi.

You actually went to the bother of looking this piece of ****e up, to find
its specs, so you could advise. That is going the extra mile, just to be
helpfull.

I just said what I did because I had never heard of the maker, and thought
that if he really wanted to know about it, he would try for a review, and
then could conclude that it was crap.

Roy G

On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:31:29 GMT, "Roy G"
wrote:


"Bill Funk" wrote in message
.. .
On 20 Dec 2006 07:31:22 -0800, "QnA" wrote:

Hi all,

You may have seen that BestBuy is selling the latest
incarnation of the Aiptek PVR, which shoots 640x480
videos and has a big LCD, MP3 player etc. It seems
that Circuit City sells a cheaper version of the same thing.

The saleswoman at BestBuy doesn't like it. She says
that people bring it back complaining of a focusing
problem, and I am curious if anyone here has
experienced that. However the store doesn't have one
on display, so how could I know?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1142301544192
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aipte...oductDetail.do

Thanks.

It's a piece of crap.
"Aiptek Digital Camcorder with Hard Drive and 2.4" Color LCD "
Oops, no hard drive; it uses SD and MMC.
There's no mic, so videos recorded through the lens have no sound.
Oh, wait: "Digital audio player plays MP3 files; built-in microphone
for rich, detailed audio." But wait, again; don't they mean "speaker"
instead of "microphone"? Below this, in Product Details, it clearly
says no audio sensor. But how can any audio from a speaker of a size
that will fit on this device deliver "rich, detailed audio"?
Use it as a PVR? Sure. What will you do with a movie on a SD card?
It will record SVHS quality. Wow.
It looks like they used Sigma's team of spec writers: "Enhanced
8.0-megapixel digital camera with a 5.0-megapixel CMOS sensor for
stunning detail and clarity in still images; 640 x 480 video
resolution." 8 MP out of a 5 MP sensor.

For this, they want $135. AND, they are sold out.
P. T. Barnum was right (and yes, I know he didn't really say it).
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

Hi.

You actually went to the bother of looking this piece of ****e up, to find
its specs, so you could advise. That is going the extra mile, just to be
helpfull.

I just said what I did because I had never heard of the maker, and thought
that if he really wanted to know about it, he would try for a review, and
then could conclude that it was crap.

Roy G

What bothers me more than the fact that it's not really good is the
fact that they lie so blatently.
8 MP from a 5 MP sensor?
I understand that the people this device is aimed at aren't the most
sophisticated buyers, but that type of blatent false advertisement is
beyond the pale.
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

It is true that the Aiptek gadgets do not belong int othe category
"professional equipment". Some time ago I purchased a printer that came
bundled with an Aiptek still camera. I took the offer because the printer
with camera was cheaper than without. To my surprise the 3 MP fix focus
camera made pretty good pictures and I carried it around quite a bit because
it is so compact. After a while the battery cover hinge broke, German
customer service shipped me on the same day a new one without charge,
without asking for proof of purchase. Tell me a famous name brand
manufacturer which gives similar good service.

The manual says do not block the microphone with your finger, so it does
have one and it can record the sound (monophone).

Auto focus seems to rely on contrast detection only, so it may have the same
problems many compact cameras have when trying to focus on something without
sufficient contrast. I doubt however that you find better ones in this cost
class. The Sanyo Xacti models are definately better, offer optical zoom and
also use SD - cards (except the hard disk model), but you get what you pay
for.

If some of these cameras have a pixel interpolation program, that is
obviously not meant for people that use a PC to post - process their
pictures, but if you want a large print that would otherwise look pixelated
it might make some sense. Of course you can save some memory card space by
resizing on your PC.




"QnA" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
ups.com...
Hi all,

You may have seen that BestBuy is selling the latest
incarnation of the Aiptek PVR, which shoots 640x480
videos and has a big LCD, MP3 player etc. It seems
that Circuit City sells a cheaper version of the same thing.

The saleswoman at BestBuy doesn't like it. She says
that people bring it back complaining of a focusing
problem, and I am curious if anyone here has
experienced that. However the store doesn't have one
on display, so how could I know?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1142301544192
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aipte...oductDetail.do

Thanks.

Im sorry but i think your wrong .....This camera DOES have a speaker
and a microphone. I know because I have it. If you got to the website
again and click on "VIEW MORE PICTURES" (
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....1142301544192t)
you will see that the speaker is on the side of the camera and the
micrphone is on the top. It HAS a hard drive as well (the internal
memory may be small (16mb)) but it DOES HAVE a hard drive. For external
memory the highest you can go is 2 GB. The sound quality is rich for a
player its size. Its louder than nextel ringtones lolI would say its
quality is around the same as a PSP's....But for movies i see what you
mean who would record a whole movie on a sd card. But i enjoy recording
scenes from movies and clips from tv to my camrera. The quality is
great when recording stuff from your dvd player or high definition
television. People always compliment me on how clear the image is when
im watching playback of clips i recorded from my dvd player. Al l and
all I would say this is a great camera for its price and for its many
capabilities. If you dont believe me check out some of the reviews of
the older model the Aiptek MPVR.

On Dec 20, 12:02 pm, Bill Funk wrote:
On 20 Dec 2006 07:31:22 -0800, "QnA" wrote:





Hi all,

You may have seen that BestBuy is selling the latest
incarnation of the Aiptek PVR, which shoots 640x480
videos and has a big LCD, MP3 player etc. It seems
that Circuit City sells a cheaper version of the same thing.

The saleswoman at BestBuy doesn't like it. She says
that people bring it back complaining of a focusing
problem, and I am curious if anyone here has
experienced that. However the store doesn't have one
on display, so how could I know?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....t=aiptek&type=...
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aipte...era-DV5900/sem...

Thanks.It's a piece of crap.
"Aiptek Digital Camcorder with Hard Drive and 2.4" Color LCD "
Oops, no hard drive; it uses SD and MMC.
There's no mic, so videos recorded through the lens have no sound.
Oh, wait: "Digital audio player plays MP3 files; built-in microphone
for rich, detailed audio." But wait, again; don't they mean "speaker"
instead of "microphone"? Below this, in Product Details, it clearly
says no audio sensor. But how can any audio from a speaker of a size
that will fit on this device deliver "rich, detailed audio"?
Use it as a PVR? Sure. What will you do with a movie on a SD card?
It will record SVHS quality. Wow.
It looks like they used Sigma's team of spec writers: "Enhanced
8.0-megapixel digital camera with a 5.0-megapixel CMOS sensor for
stunning detail and clarity in still images; 640 x 480 video
resolution." 8 MP out of a 5 MP sensor.

For this, they want $135. AND, they are sold out.
P. T. Barnum was right (and yes, I know he didn't really say it).
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

On 21 Dec 2006 16:25:43 -0800, wrote:

Im sorry but i think your wrong .....This camera DOES have a speaker
and a microphone. I know because I have it. If you got to the website
again and click on "VIEW MORE PICTURES" (
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....1142301544192t)
you will see that the speaker is on the side of the camera and the
micrphone is on the top.

In that case, the company is inept (to put it kindly), and can't get
it right in the specs it provides for marketing purposes.
It HAS a hard drive as well (the internal
memory may be small (16mb)) but it DOES HAVE a hard drive.

A 16MB hard drive? Why? 16MB of flash RAM would be less espensive,
faster, and more robust.
For external
memory the highest you can go is 2 GB. The sound quality is rich for a
player its size. Its louder than nextel ringtones lolI would say its
quality is around the same as a PSP's....But for movies i see what you
mean who would record a whole movie on a sd card. But i enjoy recording
scenes from movies and clips from tv to my camrera. The quality is
great when recording stuff from your dvd player or high definition
television. People always compliment me on how clear the image is when
im watching playback of clips i recorded from my dvd player.

Well, on a very small LCD screen, the quality needed to look halfway
decent is less than SVHS. IOW, that's not saying much.
Al l and
all I would say this is a great camera for its price and for its many
capabilities. If you dont believe me check out some of the reviews of
the older model the Aiptek MPVR.

Why?
Saying this camera, *for its price*, is great is praising with faintly
heard condemnation.
The only thing it seems to do that a reasonable P&S of the same price
won't do is the PVR thing; but why would someone want a SVHS PVR?
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

wrote:

Im sorry but i think your wrong .....This camera DOES have a speaker
and a microphone. I know because I have it. If you got to the website
again and click on "VIEW MORE PICTURES" (
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....1142301544192t)
you will see that the speaker is on the side of the camera and the
micrphone is on the top. It HAS a hard drive as well (the internal
memory may be small (16mb)) but it DOES HAVE a hard drive.

heavily edited, for brevity

Hello,

No, it has 16MB of internal "flash" memory, rather than containing an
actual electro-mechanical hard disk.

Such a tiny HDD does exist, however; it's called a "Microdrive" and
is the size and shape of a standard CF card, but a bit thicker. IBM
invented it, and later sold the technology to Hitachi (along with the
rest of its hard drive business).


Cordially,
John Turco