Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Check Out the Latest Unique & One-of-a-Kind Electronics Direct from China at Below Retail Prices!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

What's The Difference Between Different Digital Audio Recorders?

Recording Digital Audio - Considering Your Options and Choosing Products

Remember when dictaphones and answerphones had mini cassettes, and you recorded radio onto your tape deck?
Thanks to advances in technology, it is now easier to record audio, in higher quality, more portably, in shareable file formats, with cheaper devices,
for longer periods of recording time.









Benefits of Recording Digitally



  • Digital recording devices typically have few or no moving parts, eliminating machine hiss and other noise.

  • Easy choice of compression, so you can store huge amounts of audio on small, portable recording media.


  • Digital recording devices, due to the lack of moving parts, are typically smaller and more durable than tape recorders, and have lower power consumption.

  • Digitally recorded audio in standard formats is easy to edit, share, store, manage, search, and overwrite - especially when working with computers.

  • Digital recordings can be stored on a wide range of digital media, giving you better options for backup and long term data fidelity.






Considering Quality


When you are considering different electronics to record sound digitally, you need to start by deciding what audio quality you require:



  • Mono, compressed audio: good for storing voicemail, voice memos, or informal recordings.

  • Stereo, less compressed audio: good for shared audio such as podcasts and records of speeches.

  • High quality lossless audio: suitable for music recordings or recording "clean" tracks for mixing later.



If you want to record audio to go along with video, e.g. the soundtrack for a movie you’re shooting, it’s advisable to use specialist equipment to make sure your audio channels are synched with the video stream.



Audio Quality


Apart from the recording device, and recording medium  / storage format, there are two main factors affecting the quality of your recorded audio:


1) The quality of the sound signal recorded in the first place. Obviously a recording in a padded room in a studio is going to sound much better from the very beginning, than something you shot on a windy day by a busy road.



2) The quality of the microphone and its connection to the audio device. You can buy a cheap karaoke microphone for under $20, but professional studio mics go into the thousand dollar range, so when it comes to getting higher quality sound pickup, you get what you pay for. Professional sound recording is a highly technical profession, so beware of asking sound engineers open ended questions.


A microphone is of course just an audio input device, from the point of view of the recording device. Digital recorders that can record from an external microphone will also accept line-in audio recording from any audio device. You could record radio, record from an electric musical instrument, or input sound data from a computer or even a telephone.









How Long Is A Piece Of Audio?



  •  Digital audio can be stored in any number of different formats. Most formats involve some kind of data compression.

  • Most formats have different "minutes per kilobyte" if you change the sampling rate, compression ratio, and number of channels (e.g. stereo or not)

  • With 1GB of storage space you can comfortably record over 4 hours of audio at very acceptable quality. The same amount of storage could hold only half
    an hour of the best studio quality audio, or over 10 hours of phone-quality audio.







Considering Devices


Let’s take a look at some of the latest Made in China gadgets that will help you with your digital recording needs, and assess what applications they would be useful for.















Device Recording Method Application
Flash-Based Personal Multimedia Player



Portable Multimedia MP4 Player
[Click Here]




Recording is via a small built-in microphone. Recording is in mono, and stored in either WAV or VOX format in variable compression on the player’s flash memory storage.


Suitable for informal voice recording. Microphone will only pick up close speaking or loud noises.

















Device Recording Method Application
Bluetooth To Wired Audio Adapter


Stereo Bridge For Bluetooth Devices

[Click Here]



This new gadget is a receiver for Bluetooth audio signals, which relays the signal to a standard (RCA or audio jack) wired audio signal.
This means you can use better speakers for audio signals from, say, a bluetooth mobile phone.



 



The reason for including this here is that if you need a solution for recording wirelessly, or for recording mobile phone conversations,
you can pair this with a compatible Bluetooth microphone, earpiece, or mobile phone, and use your normal digital recording equipment (as above, or a computer) to record in fairly good quality.


















Device Recording Method Application
Spy Cameras with Audio



Wireless Mini Spy Camera with Audio
[Click Here]


A discussion of audio recording would not be complete without dipping into the realms of surveillance.
Whilst this is not exactly an invisible bug, it is a discreet mini security camera, transmitting color video and audio wirelessly to a remote receiver.



If you want a way to record the video and audio of day to day events, from a fixed vantage point (indoors),
then this is a cheap and unobtrusive way of doing it. However this is just an AV pickup device and you will need a
DVR Digital Video Recorder for actually monitoring, recording, and storing the video and audio!












More Great Product Ideas


One other solution for recording audio is, paradoxically, to record video.
Many Digital Camcorders
have excellent quality built-in, directional microphones and you will find that for portability, battery life, ease of use, and sound quality, they are hard to beat.
In addition, most digital camcorders incorporate a voice-record-only function too.




Click Here


 


For a little audio novelty, check out this Parabolic Spy Audio Listening Device:



Click Here


 




Conclusion


Before purchasing kit for recording audio, "Begin with the end in mind". Ask yourself these key questions:



  1. What quality do I need the audio in?

  2. How many hours of audio am I going to record in one session?


  3. What is my budget?

  4. Do I need my recording kit to be portable? (Do I need the equipment to be discreet?)

  5. In what situations will I be recording? (What special aspects, e.g. for the mic, power, weatherproofing - will be required?)

  6. What kind of microphone will I be using?

  7. Where/how am I going to be storing and editing the audio? (What is the easiest way to transfer my audio to my storage or editing equipment? What starting format is going to make it easiest to store and edit the audio? )

  8. What solutions have I tried in the past, that were not good enough, and how will my new hardware overcome these problems?






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Monday, August 20, 2007

How To Convert Movie Files for Your China Made MP4 Watch or MP4 Player

MP4 movies are a snap to convert...right? Then again, they can be huge headaches. It all comes down to a little know how. :)



Therefore, in our never ending quest to further simplify and clarify, here is a little generalized list of how to convert movies on your Chinese MP4 Watch and other MP4 players.



If you already knew this and figured this out all by your lonesome then congratulations oh great grandmaster of MP4 players. If you do not know how or searched around the internet endlessly and still don’t know then we sincerely hope this helps.


Please emember that this is a generalized "how to" for the conversion of movies.


If you think it needs more specifics for your MP4 Watch or other MP4 Player, then tweak it according to your own specific needs.


1. Take the Mini CD that you got with the MP4 Watch or MP4 Player, put it in the computer, and open the CD.


2. Click on a folder with words like "Converter" or "Conversion" or something similar to that in the file name. There might also be other names, and it might not even say converter, but a quick look inside the files should tell you what the program is for.



3. Sometimes you need to install the converter, other times it can simply be clicked and dragged to your desktop. Click on the converter icon, and if it brings up a installation program, install it. If it opens the conversion program, just click and drag it from the CD menu to your Desktop for quick use.


4. Now you have downloaded your converter. If it was installed rather than clicked and dragged, click the main "Start" for your computer and then go to "programs". Locate the program you installed. Click on the icon that says the conversion format (SMC, NVX, ect.), or looks like something that has to do with movie files.
This will open the conversion software. You can now use the converter any time from your start menu, but we recommend that you click and drag the converter icon to your desktop so you can find it easily later on when you need it.


5. Open the Conversion program and you should see a screen with input file/ source and output file/ target somewhere on the menu screen. Or perhaps it may something else. This can change depending on the conversion software. Basically, just look for the buttons that are able to be pushed. They are the first ones you will need.










4GB MP4 Watch - Sports Edition - 1.8 inch TFT LCD Screen
4GB MP4 Watch - Sports Edition - 1.8 inch TFT LCD Screen
2GB MP4 Watch - 1.5 inch OLED Screen
2GB MP4 Watch - 1.5 inch OLED Screen


6. Choose/Find/Steal/Download a video file to convert for the MP4 Watch Player (it must be one in a format that is advertised as compatible with the MP4 Watch or other MP4 Player) Also, we suggest that you put the video file somewhere easy to remember on your computer (for example on your desktop ) and give the video file an easy to remember name to make the next step simpler.


7. Push input file/source, click it and some kind of browse menu should come up. Choose the movie file to convert (remember what we suggested in Step 6? Aren’t you glad you followed it now?) Push output file/target, and choose where the file will be go after the conversion (again on your desktop where it is easy to find) and what the file’s name will be (if you want to change it).


8. Find some button on the menu that says start, or convert, or just looks suspiciously like it might convert files, and push it. Conversion will automatically take place after you push it, and the converted file will go wherever you told it to go (remember step 7 and the output file advice).



9. Plug your USB into the computer and to the MP4 Watch or MP4 Player, and after you have connected and opened the MP4 files, click and drag the movie file to the MP4 Watch or MP4 player. You don’t have to create a special movie folder, and you do not have to put the movie in any of the folders already on the MP4 watch or MP4 player in order for it to play. The MP4 Watch Player will know it is a movie.


10. You should now be able to view movies on the MP4 Watch or MP4 Player when you go to the movie icon and choose that movie file to play. Congratulations, you should now be able to import movies to your China Made MP4 Watch or MP4 Player.






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Thursday, July 26, 2007

MP4 Watch Player Online Video Demo

MP4 Player watches are digital watches that play music and videos right from your wrist. Not only that, but they can also be used as MP3 watches for you to listen to all your favourite MP3 music files on the go. The hi-res OLED screens make the viewing of your favorite movie files and music videos seem to come alive in their bright and vivid color displays. Add in the built-in voice recorders and you have a completely unique portable multimedia player that can be used at home, in the office, at play or on vacation.



These all-in-one features of the MP4 MP3 playing watch, combined with the convenience of being small, slim and portable is one of the most attractive features about a MP4 MP3 wrist watch.



This user video, demonstrating the original MP4 watch, gives you a great idea of all the cool capabilities of this portable multimedia player.


 






 


There are many types of MP4 watch models. Some include Bluetooth functions so you can communicate wirelessly with other Bluetooth enabled devices while others have USB capabilities to help download files and charge at the same time. The memory capacity of the MPEG-4 watches range anywhere from 1GB to 4GB with storage sizes getting larger every time. Battery life has also been improved where a fully charged MPEG4 watch, or some like to call a MP4 wrist watch, can last anywhere from 7 - 9 hours of continuous playing. Some of the MP4 watches are also RF transmitter watches so that you can listen to the music in the comfort of your own car. All in all, the potential of the MP4 watch is still in its infancy stage as manufacturers discover more and more new ways to cram cool functions into these portable multimedia players.


 




1.8 Inch OLED MP4 Watch Player - 4GB
1.5 Inch OLED MP4 Watch Player - 2GB

Check out these cool MP4 Player Watches which includes a full color OLED display






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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Car Video Monitors Abbreviations and Their Definitions



A quick quide for beginners to the common abbreviations associated with car DVD entertainment systems.


The so called auto DVD entertainment system has gained incredible popularity mainly due to enthusiasts of "car modding" or "suped cars" — so as you might expect with anything that combines hobbyist enthusiasts with geek cool gadgets, there’s a fair bit of jargon to cut through especially if you are a car mobile video newbie.



  • Changer
    = a CD changer; a device which holds several CDs and plays them on demand without having to eject or manually sort discs. Needless to say you can now get DVD changers too.



  • Crossover
    = a device that limits the range of frequencies sent to different speakers.


  • DIN
    = it basically stands for "Deutsches Institut für Normung" (DIN, the German Institute for Standardization), similar to ISO. The relevance for car DVD systems is that DIN means a standard sized dashboard slot, so 1 DIN means the device takes up one slot, and 2 DIN means the unit is ‘double-decker’ and uses the space of two slots.




1 DIN Car DVD Player + TV Tuner with fully motorized retracting 4 inch screen.
2 DIN Car DVD Player + TV Tuner with fully motorized retracting 7 inch screen.


Examples of a 1 DIN and 2 DIN Car Monitor






  • DTS
    = "Digital Theater Systems" multichannel audio — simply another surround-sound standard like Dolby Digital 5.1 — Pretty pointless in your car but it’s another thing to show-off.


  • DVD-A
    = DVD audio — Similar to a music CD with the exception of more features and higher quality.



  • RF
    = Radio Frequency — Refers to things such as wireless headphones. RF is generally better than Infra Red because you do not have to be in the clear unobstructed transmission or line of sight wireless transmitter.


  • Inverter
    = A power supply device that you can plug into your car dashboard cigarette lighter to supply AC to energy-demanding devices.


  • In-dash
    = A device such as a in car DVD player installed in your dashboard, usually in the same slot of your old car radio.


  • GPS
    = Global Positioning System — this essentially means navigation / map display software linking to a signal receiver and a readout on your car monitor or screen.



  • GUI
    = Graphical User Interface — ie: you can control the device using on-screen menus, often with a touch screen monitor.


  • Headliner
    = The coverings that make up the ceiling / roof inside your car.


  • Modulator
    = A FM transmitter that turns an audio input source, for example an MP3 player or audio line-in, into a radio signal for you to tune into using your car stereo.



  • Monitor
    = A display screen that receives a signal from a car DVD player or car TV tuner — if a product is described as simply a "Monitor" it typically means it does NOT include the actual player such as a car DVD player unit. This is fine if you are buying each unit separately or you are building a full in-car entertainment system piece by piece.



  • Motorized
    = Where the TFT LCD screen of the display, usually in a car in dash unit, neatly folds and slides inside its housing when it is not in use.



    1 DIN Car DVD Player + fully motorized touch screen monitor
    1 DIN Car DVD Player + fully motorized touch screen monitor


    Motorized 1 DIN Touch Screen Car Monitor ~ Open & Closed





  • Power port
    = A "powerful" name for the little dashboard cigarette lighter socket


  • RCA
    = A red and white (for audio) and yellow (for video) connector used for connecting your car DVD player to your car monitor or your home media center to your widescreen TV.


  • RDS
    = Radio Display (Data) System — The cool function with the ability for your car radio to display detailed data such as the name of the station or the track name from FM radio signals.


  • Receiver
    = The device that "transmits" your video signal to a screen such as a car DVD player. Confusing? Yeah, we know.


  • S-Video
    = Is a high quality cable for analog video signals that carries the video data as two separate signals, both brightness and color.


  • Sub
    = Commonly known as a subwoofer. Refers to either a driver or a complete loudspeaker dedicated to the reproduction of bass audio frequencies, typically from 150 Hz down to 20 Hz.


  • Toslink
    = A standardized optical fiber connection system. Its most common use is in consumer audio equipment where it carries a digital audio stream between components such as MiniDisc and CD players and DAT recorders.


  • Versatile
    = a vague term that generally just means “feature rich”, eg. a car DVD player that also has a built-in radio and connects with external storage devices.






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  • Monday, July 23, 2007

    What Does TFT, LCD, OLED, LED, MP4 and Car DVD Screens Mean?


    When you’re looking at electronics, what kind of screen should you be buying? What’s better and what do all the acronyms mean?


     


    LCD, and TFT, and OLED???. Having trouble with your technical acronyms when you look at screen specs for an MP4 or a Car DVD Player, or anything that has a screen? Well, that's why we present this little guide to aid all those stuck in the confusion and misery caused by those often unintelligible tech specs.



    A good explanation of what all of these are can be a little tricky and really really wordy, so this is just going to be a very basic overview with the Advantages (pros) and Drawbacks (cons) all laid out for you.


    Knowing what the letters mean is the first step to enlightenment, so lets begin with a quick breakdown of what those pesky little letters stand for-



    • LED - Light-Emitting Diode

    • OLED - Organic Light-Emitting Diode

    • LCD - Liquid-Crystal Display


    • TFT-LCD - Thin Film Transistor Liquid-Crystal Display (note that this is the compete name, but it is often just shortened to TFT)


    So know comes the fun part. Here are the very very basic definitions of what the screens mean/do, some pros and cons for each, and our own little overall opinion of them.


     


    LED


    LED is the most basic of all in this list. It can basically be called a substitute for a light bulb, but probably the most widespread. Very useful for displaying information on a small screen.


     



    Pros



    • Cheap Cheap Cheap...and, oh yeah, Cheap! - Cheap to make, cheap to use. Pass the savings on!

    • Reliable - Very long lasting screens that do not burn out easily with long term use.

    • The Future - The future looks bright (pun definitely intended) for LED.

    • Brighter screens, more colors, more uses, less price.



    Cons



    • Display - Really this kind of screen is just for showing characters, information and the like. If you are looking for high quality pictures, forget about it.


    Overall
    Great for information displays on screens of MP3's and gadgets that flash with bright colors. Not that great for anything else.



     


    OLED


    OLED is one of the cooler screens that you can get for a product. It is similar to an LED in that it has a light emitting diode, but that is where the similarities end. As to the organic part of the name, well that involves a lot of explanation to really understand,
    but basically it uses conductive organic materials rather than conductive crystals. Plus the screen is one complete structure layered on top of each other. Understand? We did say it could be a little wordy.


     



    Metallic 1.8 Inch OLED MP4 Watch Player - 4GB
    Metallic 1.5 Inch OLED MP4 Watch Player - 2GB

    Some samples of a Metallic MP4 Player Watch which includes a full color OLED display


     


    Pros




    • Color - OLED pixels directly emit light, so the range of colors is very high, very bright, and very sharp.

    • No Backlight - An off OLED screen uses no backlight, meaning that it produces no light while off and uses no power.

    • Viewing Angle - pixel colors will appear correct and unshifted even if you view the screen at an angle of almost 90 degrees.

    • The Future - Exciting things are going to be coming out with OLED screens. They are very flexible, can be very thin. It can be printed onto flexible substrates so just imagine a normal looking pen with a roll out OLED screen. Yup, that is the future.



    Cons



    • Screen Size vs Price - Sad but true. Most times you will not be able to get a larger OLED screen for as cheap as an LCD one.

    • Lifespan - The lifetime of the organic materials is a factor. For PMPs it is not so bad, as they are off for very long periods, but larger screens that are on for extended times simply won’t last as long as a LCD. There is work being done on this, but it is not quite ready yet.

    • Water - Do not, under any circumstance get your OLED Screen wet. We mean it! Because if you do it can damage the organic materials, and really dampen the colors and sharpness.


    Overall
    Incredible screens with great colors and details, but really better overall at this time with smaller screen PMPs (1.5-2.0 Inch screens)



     


    LCD


    Ahh LCD, where would we be without you? This has been one of the standards of the electronic business for quite a while. They are basically liquid crystals that are activated by electric current and are constructed of layered materials (liquid crystal that is sandwiched between layers of glass or plastic).


     



    7 inch rear-view mirror LCD car monitor with radar system and camera

    This Car Rear View System clearly displays what’s behind you when you are reversing or parallel parking, on a color LCD screen.

    When the LCD is turned off, it reflects images like a normal mirror.


     



    Pros



    • Price - Cheaper than most of the other screens that you will find. A lot of bang for the buck.

    • Screen Size - Very large screen sizes are possible with a LCD. The resolution for these larger screens can be quite high as well, but the higher the resolution, the higher the price of course.


    Cons




    • Image - LCDs will display images very well, but only in their native resolution. It is best to have your images the same resolution as the screen or there will be noticeable loss of clarity .

    • Viewing angle - The larger the angle from the screen you are, the worse the image will look.

    • Backlight - LCDs need a backlight to illuminate the screen, and draw quite a bit of power


    Overall
    One of the best choices for a medium priced screen. You won’t get as clear a picture as maybe some of the others, but you will not be disappointed at all in what you get. Well established and reliable technology, especially good for small handheld screens.



     


    TFT-LCD


    TFT is very similar to LCD screens in construction, but improves on the image quality. It uses an Active Matrix rather than the Passive Matrix used still used in many LCD products. In essence it is an evolved form of an LCD Screen.


     



    Car DVD Player - 6.5 inch TFT LCD + Bluetooth - Touchscreen
    Car DVD Player - 4 inch TFT LCD + Bluetooth - Touchscreen
    Car DVD Player - 6.2 inch TFT LCD + Touch Screen


    These Bluetooth Touch Screen Car DVD Players features high resolution TFT Screens



     


    Pros



    • Price - Definitely one of the features. A little more expensive than a LCD screen but worth it if you want those clearer images.

    • Image - Like LCD it produces very clear images, but they are much brighter and sharper. You still should keep the resolution the same however.

    • Screen Size - Large size TFT screens are no problem and are very nice to look at.

    • Future - The future looks good for TFT screens, and more and more products screens are starting to use them than almost any other.



    Cons



    • Viewing angle - Less of a problem than a LCD, but you will still see a difference if you view it at a larger angle.

    • Backlight - TFT screens use a backlight that’s a bit of a drain on a battery if you’re using a portable device.


    Overall
    What more can we say than this is a better LCD for generally a little more money? Expect to see many screens in the future that use TFT. Especially good for Car DVDs in our opinion.



     


    Thus ends our little look at different kinds of screens that you will often see with products that you are buying or selling.





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