Hot Subb Blog

Archive for May, 2009

ZOpid Monitor answer

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

ZOpid Monitor

Good value baby monitor. We did quite a bit of research and were set on buying one of the Philips Avent products because we like the DECT technology (which we have in our home phone). In the end we decided to try the Graco Ultra clear II, saving somewhere in the region of $75. We have a 3 story house and have been able to use the monitors everywhere in the house. There is some buzzing so ZOpid Monitor might be a bit of annoyance in a bedroom but we don’t use them in our bedroom so this isn’t an issue for us. I like the simplicity of the product – we just leave each of the monotors plugged in and switched on pretty much permanently. We’ve owned the product for a couple of months and are happy so far. For $30 I think it’s good monitor.

Really Good Product. I am a first time mom…you know the “stress about everything” type of mom. The monitor is great! I use ZOpid Monitor everyday. The only time ZOpid Monitor gets fuzzy is if I put ZOpid Monitor next to electronics. I am giving ZOpid Monitor four stars for that reason. Try it…I think you will like this product!

works well, but sometimes make buzzing noise. This monitor works well overall, and it’s great that is comes with two receivers. The reception is good throughout the house and the sound is generally pretty good.

However, sometimes the receiver makes a buzzing noise. ZOpid Monitor could just be my house has bad electrical wiring that causes this, but it’d be nice if the thing didn’t buzz all night! It’s not extremely loud buzzing, but enough to be annoying.

EDIT: ZOpid Monitor is definitely NOT wiring in the house causing the buzzing. Simple test: use battery power! Using only the battery, the buzzing is unchanged.

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Get Strollers Mia Moda now

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Mia Moda Strollers

owned for 2 years and still great!. we have owned the stroller for about 2 years now and i still love it! it’s very sturdy and easy to use. i have used Mia Moda Strollers on several trips and it’s been great! i’ve read some of the otehr reviews about kicking wheels and i did at first too but got used to Mia Moda Strollers very quickly and haven’t had a problem with it…i am 5′7. if you are taller Mia Moda Strollers might be a problem though. i now have another baby and have a phil and ted’s but for our upcoming vacation i am going to buy another chicco and get the stroller connectors to use with Mia Moda Strollers for travel. my daughter started using Mia Moda Strollers when she was 6 months old and still uses Mia Moda Strollers at 26 months and is very comfortable. my baby is now about 7 months and has ridden in Mia Moda Strollers too and was comfortable. i highly reccomend this stroller. the only reason i gave Mia Moda Strollers 4 stars is b/c Mia Moda Strollers is a little hard to clean. all in all i love it!

Stylish, sturdy, good value. My son is 9 months old and we’ve been using this stroller for 3 months. We’ve taken Mia Moda Strollers on an airplane as well as using Mia Moda Strollers around the house and neighborhood nearly every day. Mia Moda Strollers is lightweight, folds down and opens up easily (the locking clip improved a lot after some use) and I love the storage bag. When we gate checked Mia Moda Strollers on the plane, Mia Moda Strollers came back in great shape because the bag took all the abuse.

It steers really well. I can easily walk the dog or talk on the cell phone and push/steer Mia Moda Strollers with only one hand. Also, the tires are a good size and can handle uneven pavement and choppy ground. The neighborhood I live in has some rugged terrain, and the wheels handle the challenge nicely.

My son is very comfortable in Mia Moda Strollers and often falls asleep in it. Mia Moda Strollers doesn’t recline as much as some Maclaren strollers, but that hasn’t been a disadvantage to us.

It does have a limited size basket underneath, but Mia Moda Strollers doesn’t tip over with a diaper bag or other bags hung on the handles, so that hasn’t been a big inconvenience either.

I prefer the grips on the handles to the other curved handles of other strollers I “test drove” at the store. They seem to keep my hands cooler and are more comfortable to hold, but that’s just my preference. You may find you like something else better.

My husband is 5′8″ and I’m 5′4″ and we don’t have any problems with the height of the handles, though I do occasionally find myself kicking the wheels. However, I did notice that I have more trouble with that when I wear a certain pair of shoes.

The foot release to collapse this stroller is tough to unlatch with my foot, and if I’m wearing sandals (and in our hot climate I wear sandals a lot) I can’t unlock Mia Moda Strollers with my foot. I have to bend down and pop Mia Moda Strollers open with my hand — a definite drawback. However, Mia Moda Strollers opens super fast and easy.

Lastly, I love the design of it. I am a design fanatic and Mia Moda Strollers definitely looks stylish and I love the colors and fabrics Mia Moda Strollers comes in. The unusual colors are a definite plus when you have to pick out your partner and stroller in a crowded airport. Its a standout!

Very strudy, easy to use. We’ve used this for mall trips, airport travel and vacations. Very easy to fold and use – very sturdy for my son. Not a lot of a storage space, but I didn’t buy Mia Moda Strollers for the storage.

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See LC46BD80U AQUOS Sharp now

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U

Fantastic product! Great price! At my door in 2 days with Super Saver Shipping!. I love this LCD TV! I wasn’t planning on buying an HDTV yet, but my 12 year old Sanyo 27″ finally tapped out right after Christmas. This product has all the inputs neccessary to hook up my DVD-upconverter with HDMI, PS3 with HDMI, Wii with component cables, PS2 with S-Video, and my local digital cable service (which is terrible) with composite cable. I have all the audio going out to my surround sound via digital optical cable. When my old TV failed, I originally planned on buying a bargain priced HDTV from Walmart, but they were all move expensive than this model, not to mention the Sharp they sell is not an Aquos. Check Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U out for yourself. In addition, the display quality of this unit is far superior to anything else being sold here locally at Walmart or any other store. Beyond that, once Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U shipped, Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U arrived at my doorstep in 2 days and there wasn’t a single dent or scuff on the box. I did have to adjust the factory default sttings a bit, but that is to be expected of any new TV. Oh, and anything HD format is absolutely breathtaking.

Sharp Aquos Delivers!. I am very pleased with my decision to purchase the Sharp Aquos LC32D44U 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV. The picture clarity is excellent and the screen size adequate for movies and gaming. For the price, I haven’t seen a better 32″ 720p… I like Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U .

Compared to my 32″ Sony XBR. I have a Sony 32XBR in my living room – which is an excellent TV – highly recommend

I bought the LC-32D44U for a little more than half the price of the Sony for bed room

Hard for me to say how much better the Sony is to Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U one

I guess the Sharp is about 75% comparing picture and sound

Colors are ‘better’ on Sony – across the board

Shadow detail is better on Sony but not by as great a margin as color diff

Both are sluggish channel changing but Sharp is twice as slow

Mine developed a very annoying buzz emanating from the lower tv housing after about a week

Took the back off (sorta) and put little foam sticky dots wherever the back and front touched and buzz is gone

This tv is good for the money and am ok with the purchase – but – I wish I had of waited a little longer (saved up more $$) and got the 37XBR for liv rm and moved 32 to bed rm

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What people think about Sharp LC32E67U

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Sharp LC32E67U

I love its warm color. . My 65″ came from Amazon without a problem. Sharp LC32E67U was for the replacement of my Samsung 46″ LCD for my bedroom. I choose Sharp LC32E67U over Sony 52″ XBR6. I knew it’s big, but I was going to put Sharp LC32E67U in my living room later. Other than its size, I noticed that its menu had not many choices for pictures as compare with Samsung. Its picture seemed too dark initially, but my wife and I love its warm and natural color as days pass by. As my son puts it, “This is a giganic TV! Sharp LC32E67U is just like watching a movie from the comfort of our bedroom!”

Shar Aquos 65″ LCD TV. This TV was absolutely the best buy available. Sharp LC32E67U has been perfect from the time of delivery. Amazon hires their own people to deliver and open the box to make sure everything is perfect. They have a policy of not plugging the set in until Sharp LC32E67U reaches room temperature, and I believe that that was a wise decision. The picture is perfect and the audio sounds great.

Great TV, Affordable price. Very happy with the TV. I have Sharp LC32E67U mounted over the fireplace.

Excellent picture. Easy menu system. I would highly recommend. This TV does not have all the frills as other more expensive alternatives, but in my opinion, I can’t tell the difference in picture . 120MHz, etc I believe is just marketing hype. I am quite picky about picture quality. Blacks are deep. Contrast is good in dark scene. Nothing is washed out. Color is vidid. No artifacts. 1080p picture from a cheapo (less than fifty) upscaling DVD player from costco looks fantastic with regular DVDs.

I have not decided whether to get a PS3 or a BluRay player, but I am completely satisfied with regular DVDs at this point. I did not expect to be pleasantly surprised.

Delivery was very fast. I ordered on a Monday, and Sharp LC32E67U was at my house on Saturday.

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LC32BD60U Sharp AQUOS headache

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U

Best Value for a Big TV. I originally bought a Sharp D64U, and Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U arrived a little defective. I’m not sure if this is Amazon’s fault, or if it’s Sharp’s fault. I’ll go with Amazon’s fault as I have suspicions that the TV wasn’t entirely new. So, I upgraded and had Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U replaced with a D85U. However this new TV was also a little defective, as the sound on the right speaker didn’t work right. This I think is Sharp’s fault, and Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U makes me wonder at Sharp’s quality and durability. So, I finally had this new one replaced as well with the same model D85U, and thankfully this third TV works good so far.

Pros:

-Picture looks good

-Trim is pretty slim, maximizing space and making Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U look slick

-Very light

-Top of the line, with 1080p and 120hz

-Price, compared to Samsung and Sony

-Returning/exchanging TV’s from Amazon.com was easy

Cons:

-The remote is long and clunky, looks and feels cheap, and is poorly designed (I might consider giving this TV 5 stars if the remote was cooler)

-Quality issues? (Oh and I have not seen any banding problems on the TV)

-Based only on reviews I’ve read, Samsung and Sony have better picture quality and blacker blacks (which you pay for in the price).

Like most people, I did a lot of research in buying a big TV. The consensus that I’ve found is that Samsung is the best, followed closely by Sony. However, I think that the cost of buying a Sony(XBR6) or a Samsung(650 or higher) will only get you a marginally better product, at a much higher price. Sharp is a respectable brand and this is their top of the line 42in. I got this TV and a free Sharp Blu-Ray player for a total of $1,040 dollars shipped from Amazon. You’d be hard-pressed to find a deal this good. I feel that I have definitely gotten the best bang for my buck.

Sound is good, excellent picture. I already have an earlier model of the aquos, and yes sound WAS low, but I use a sound system, but this model the 85U has great sound. We took Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U out of the box connected the stand and turned Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U on. Got all ready to tweek the color, but Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U was perfect. The only thing we had to do was Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U on the staand and select the input line. Excellent product, I could not see any banding, the colors were fantastic. As usual, sharp is a best buy.

Aquos LC42D85U. We had bought an AQUOS LCD before and were looking forward to this upgrade, but are quite disappointed. Hopefully we can work with SHARP to get a fix. The audio and video are out of sync. Particularly watching faces Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U is annoying to see the lips and hear words that do not jive. Sharp AQUOS LC32BD60U is not the broadcast, because our 3 year old AQUOS is perfectly in sync with the same programming at the same time.

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Sharp LC40E67U today

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Sharp LC40E67U

Sharp Aquos LC46D65U. excellent picture, very easy set up, sound volume using TV speakers is relatively low (have volume set at maximum for most programs). I love Sharp LC40E67U .

Fantastic. Based purely on the sale price, this is a fantastic tv in this size. I went round and round with all the different brands and styles and by far this is the most bang for your buck as long as you get Sharp LC40E67U on sale. I am not going to blither on about how amazing the picture is nor am I going to bash Sharp LC40E67U for its shortcomings. I will however say the main features I was seeking are pretty much all there. There are 5 count them 5 HDMI 1.3 inputs, Sharp LC40E67U is a wonderful 46″, native 1080P, anti-glare matte screen, and is energy star compliant.

Those were some of the highlights, there are more for instance Sharp LC40E67U has a pleasant appearance with a narrow bezel and several other functional features that I won’t go in to. Plus, I don’t know of many places where you get white glove delivery for free!

Is there better, sure, but for under a grand I don’t think you can match the features, size, and quality. Overall I would recommend this for anyone on a budget.

sharp lc46d65u. amazing picture 5 hdmi i have insignia, audiovox, and polaroid but sharp beat Sharp LC40E67U all in all aspect

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I love Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100

White Glove Delivery Service is a Joke!. The Sony HDTV lives up to its billing in every way; however, Amazon is advertising “White Glove Delivery Service” for 40″ and larger TVs. All that happened when the CEVA delivery team arrived, which was within the window adverised, was that one person asked where I wanted the television. He then set the box down on the carpet, ripped Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 open and asked me to provide him a screwdriver to attach the base to the set. When questioned as to why he didn’t have one, he said Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 was in the truck (located 20′ from the door). He plugged in the power cord and said, “See, Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 has power. Sign the delivery receipt here.” I found a pen, signed the form and asked where the checklist was that Amazon stated would be provided to guide me through ensuring the television was in working order. He stated he knew nothing about a checklist and left. They also said they didn’t remove packing material. Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 was only after I removed the shipping box did I discover that the bottom of the box was extremely dirty and and left dark marks on the off-white carpeting wherever Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 touched. The carpet had to be cleaned to remove the smudges left by the box.

Amazon should carefully re-evaluate customer (lack of) satisfaction with their choice of carriers. If there is no improvement in “White Glove” delivery, Amazon should expect CEVA to have a negative impact on customers reordering this type of merchandise from Amazon.

Love it!. We have had this TV about two months now. Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 was easy to get Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 up and operating, minutes after taking Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 from the box. The picture and sound have been excellent (though for really good sound we use our home theater system). I was hesitant to purchase because many of the LCDs I saw displayed pictures with steps of graduated color instead of a smooth color gradient. This set however has a beautiful picture with no hint of color stepping. I am very pleased. In the Sony line, the 40 inch model seems to be the cutoff for certain picture technologies that, IMO, really enhance the picture. This is true for other manufacturers too. Perhaps they think the smaller picture doesn’t benefit enough to justify the cost. Just something to be aware of, if you are buying a smaller set.

Absolutely Beautiful Picture. This LCD produces a beautiful picture. Standard definition channels look pretty good after making some adjustments. HD channels (like The Discovery Channel) and HD content (like Blue-Ray) looks fantastic. Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 actually makes watching tv fun again. The only thing I would add to this tv is the ability to play video content when you connect a drive to the USB port. Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 will recognize USB drives and display your pictures, but Sony BRAVIA KDL-52S5100 won’t play any video on the drive.

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Do you really like KDL-46S5100 Sony BRAVIA ?

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Sony BRAVIA KDL-46S5100

Great overall. This tv is just excellent. Got rid of my older Samsung 26a450 in favor of the sony 26m4000 purely cause the viewing angle is better, and this tv is easier to calibrate cause of the fewer video adjustments to make. The samsung LN26A450, I felt, was better for watching sports and for gaming, but I watch a lot of ‘dark’ movies and DVDs, and black levels and SD content looks better on the Sony.

The factory settings themselves seem pretty accurate, but make sure you set your picture settings from vivid to cinema (will extend the life of the set and reduce power usage and deepen black levels). Heres some good settings:

I’ve decided some of CNET’s settings are the best

Backlight: 2

Picture: 73

Brightness: 42

Color: 39

Hue: 0

Color Temp: Warm 2

Sharpness: 10

Advanced Settings (All Off)

The deepness of black levels on this tv are right on the heels of any CRT or Plasma I have seen yet.

DVD’s look absolutely amazing on my 480p dvd player over Component cables (beats the Samsung). HD looks great too.

Analog/Digital TV looks awesome too.

Cons:

Speaker hiss is just barely noticable, but its not loud enough to justify a return. I’d rather have the best picture if Sony BRAVIA KDL-46S5100 means sub-par speakers.

This tv has dynamic contrast that can’t be turned off, but its so subtle at adjusting the picture that Sony BRAVIA KDL-46S5100 does’nt appear to degrade picture quality at all.

Side viewing angle gives blacks/dark colors a little bit brighter appearance than normal (its barely noticable, all viewing angles are still very good despite this).

Overall this tv has no real flaws, unless the speaker hiss bothers you.

Overall great 26” hdtv.

Good 26″ tv. Picture and viewing angle are very good. Sound is clear but not much bass. The shiny black finish can be a little distracting. I like the remote layout and the on-screen menus. All in all, I like it. I like Sony BRAVIA KDL-46S5100 .

One Day and Happy. I had been researching lcd tv’s for quite a while (months). I had narrowed Sony BRAVIA KDL-46S5100 down to Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp. What finally pushed me over into the Sony M-4000 corner is that Sony BRAVIA KDL-46S5100 has a 178 degree vertical and horizontal viewing range, decent contrast, and the Sony Bravia Engine 2.

The tv is connected to basic cable and I have found the ghosting to be minimal and the hd stations are satisfying to watch.

PC input is excellent…dual monitors is new for me, and it’s great for watching online shows, esp. when having pc audio linked to the tv.

The speakers work for me, our tv viewing is limited to when our son is asleep, so no need for thunderous booms, etc.

All in all, Sony BRAVIA KDL-46S5100 has the features I thought important at a reasonable price. Channel switching is fast; the most often used functions are a button away. I’m content.

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KDL-52V5100 BRAVIA Sony happy

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100

Always beautiful. I have the 40 inch version and while the HD is amazing, I think where Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 will stand out to the average users is it’s ability to upscale standard definition signals. Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 does an amazing job. I have (non-HD) Dish Network (at least until AT&T’s U-verse is available on my block) and this set gives my Dish Network subscription a new lease on life.

The other killer feature is the ‘favorites’ button on the remote. Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 will allow you to select which input to view by a animated, ribbon like menu of icons (XBR) that you can somewhat customize. This makes Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 simple to change sources for those less likely to understand HDMI1, HDMI2, Component 1, Composite, etc.

Picture quality is flawless. The only thing Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 doesn’t have is…wait, it’s not missing anything. This costs more than most it’s size but Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 fits smaller spaces since the speakers are under the LCD and the frame around the LCD is less than 1 inch.

This set gave me the most bang for the space, not buck. It’s not the cheapest but I have no buyer’s remorse either – and I AM cheap.

Good TV, a little pricey….. I did swap a Samsung A750 for Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 SONY, ALthough the Samsung is great in terms of image quality and resolution, I didn’t like the colors (reds that never get reds, sort of brown/orange). I have other SONY TV’s so I know colors are more accurate on SONY’s. I was not dissapointed. Other feedback:

- Sleep is not one single button in the control.

- Sound is ok but not great

- Price is high compare with competitors (Samsung for instance)

- Not sure the difference between the V and Z series justify the price difference.

Awesome TV. I am very satisfied with this TV. I had been shopping around for a 40″ HDTV for a while. I definitely wanted a quality tv that is 1080p with 120 hz. I dragged myself to Bestbuy to see which ones look best. Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 pretty much came down to the Samsung 6 or 7 series and the Sony Z or XBR series. I decided to look on Amazon for prices and fortunately I ran into this tv KDL-40Z4100. Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100 was $999.99 from Tiger Direct, with no shipping or tax. In addition to this price I was able to get the 4 year extended warranty for $129! Unbelievable, considering Bestbuy and other vendors wanted at least $500 more!

Anyways, GREAT TV. I hooked up a PS3 with HDMI cable and the picture is GREAT! If you want to spend a little more, I suggest the XBR6 or XBR7 series. Also for the Samsungs, the LN40B650 is a great tv! Happy hunting!

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Say hi to KDL-32XBR9 BRAVIA Sony

Posted by hotstubb on 31st May 2009

Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9

Has no separate Antenna/Cable Inputs. The white glove delivery was smooth and picture and sound were the high quality I expect from Sony. But what a shock when I tried to connect the yagi antenna. On page 12 I was told to “go buy an A/B switch” and on page 46, as if an afterthought, I was told how to “Add Digital Channels” by using my A/B switch to select the antenna and doing another chanel scan (aka “Auto Program”). But FIRST you have to TELL the TV that you have swicched to the Antenna. Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 is the ONLY method, (nothing on the remote). Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 is what you have to do any time you want to “pop” over to the off-air local to see if, or enjoy, the program of interest in HD.

1. Press “Home” 2. Click three times to the left 2. Click twice up. 3. Press the center button (equivalent to “enter”),4. click once to the right 5, Click once down 6. click “enter” 7. click return three times.

I will not be buying another TV in my life time and given that the White Glove crew kindly took away the packing and all the inconvenience to return — I’m stuck sitting with a multi thousand dollar boat anchor.

Review of perfection. I have always purchased Sony televisions because of their quality and the reliability. The Sony Bravia XBR KDL-46 from the quality perspective is as good as Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 gets. Crystal clear HI DEF and the non-HI DEF shows an amazing improvement also. Obviously, I cannot comment on the reliability at this point but the Sony Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 replaced was 25 years old and fault free. A word of caution in choosing your service provider. Make sure that they do not interfere with the functionality of your television. Specifically, your PIP capabilities. My new cable provider has helped me around this problem (thanks to the multiple inputs of the TV) but Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 is still not to the perfection Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 should be. I could not be happier with Amazon, the set arrived as scheduled, undamaged with the “White Glove” handler very helpful and courteous. By the way, the price I paid was cheaper than the manufacturer and all the big-name electronics stores.

an amazing tv from sony once again . i was able to purchase this tv during the black friday specials, i wasnt thinking they would lower the price but they did so without any hesistation i purchased Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 on the spot at brandsmart. i also noticed Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 has a usb entry on the side of Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9 , ive been thinking of purchasing a usb flash drive to see how the pictures look on the tv.. for anyone still trying to decide what tv to purchase buy only sony bravia xbr brands and save up like i did………

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