Sonic Impact V-55 Portable Speaker System with LCD Screen and Remote for iPod (Black) by Sonic Impact Technologies
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Digital camera reviews of Sonic Impact V-55 Portable Speaker System with LCD Screen and Remote for iPod (Black)
Digital camera Review: A terrific value
Summary: 5 Stars
I just got one of these from one of the discounted sellers, and I'd have to agree with those reviewers who describe the feeling of getting a whole lot more than they paid for. This thing is heavy, but not in a bad way, it just feels like a solid piece of equipment.
I like to be able to show clients interim versions of video projects, and I like it best when the method of showing them a video can reinforce their positive impression of the whole working experience. This unit does that by demonstrating good, compact design and substantive performance. An impressive touch is the well-designed slot for storing the remote internally. It makes you think, "Why don't all remote-controlled electronics have that?"
I was pleased with the image I was able to get by tweaking the settings just a little bit (it seemed truer when I lowered the contrast some and darkened the brightness just a tiny bit).
And the sound is very good for a unit of this size. I understand why some reviewers mentioned just using it for music playback.
Digital camera Review: A very cool gadget
Summary: 5 Stars
If you shop around, you may find this unit for a lower price, which makes it irresistable. It works perfectly with 5G iPods with Video. Using later video models requires some workarounds which many find bothersome and inconvenient.
With a 5G model, however, life couldn't be better. Set you iPod to Video Out, pop it into the V55 dock and watch your videos on a 5.6" screen. The screen is good, but not superb. More than adequate for portable video watching. Audio through the in-hinge speakers is surprisingly good. Battery life is okay - enough for two typical movies of about 2 hours or less each. The whole kit is very complete with a tiny remote that slips into the V55, AC and car chargers, a nice fabric slip-on case and regular A/V cables.
The unit is a bit on the heavy side. The battery is not easily user swappable, so you can't carry a spare. The tactile keyboard is finicky and doesn't work predictably. There's only on audio out jack, so get a splitter if you watch movies with someone else or want to keep a pair of kids occupied.
Be warned that if you want to convert your own videos to iPod format, you are going to have to learn how and use external software. Many people find this process very confusing, though there is a lot more software out there that offer one-touch conversion of unprotected non-commercial video.
On the whole, this is a very nice little unit. It also doubles as a pretty good external speaker for your music. If you're considering it, be sure to do some comparison shopping. This product has been available from several sources lately at very attractive, in fact irresistable, prices.
Jerry
Digital camera Review: All I wanted and More......
Summary: 5 Stars
This product is amazing. I expected it to be able to take the video from my ipod and put it on a larger screen but I never expected it to be able to go through a tv as well with no loss of picture quality. The sound is extraordinarly clear. When I was watching a downloaded program, I thought I was watching the original broadcast due to the sound and video being so clear. The size is easily transported. It comes with a bonus of a car adapter so I can use it for car trips. I think the battery will be sufficient for plane rides. The ipod is secure in the player and I would recommend this product to anyone who wants to have a larger picture than the ipod screen.Digital camera Review: An excellent AUDIO tool -- while it lasts
Summary: 3 Stars
UPDATE, SUMMER 2010
The built in amplifier has failed, sound is now very distorted. So this item appears, alas, to have a short lifespan.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I bought this on sale ($39) for the video capacity, but have ended up mainly using it as an audio docking station. I plug it into AC current, dock the ipod, then run the audio out cable to my very good sound system in the living room.
Advantages:
*Because of the extra stage of preamplification, the sound quality has more gain and is much more convincing than running the ipod directly into the main stereo amp. The flat, compressed quality that can make hearing mp3's seem depressing over time to serious listeners is much attentuated.
* I can shuffle my 9000 or so tracks all day long and the battery never runs down.
I may purchase another unit for use in another part of the world -- again, not because of the video, which in fact works acceptably well even if nothing great, but because of the improved audio performance. My five star rating is for this feature specifically.
Digital camera Review: Aspect ratio problem, it's true, it's true
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought a refurb from another vendor for forty bucks. I'd read about the aspect-ration problems , and had taken heart in reports that the problem had been fixed. Perhaps it has, but not, alas, for my unit. The output's incorrect for 16:9 videos. Turn fullscreen (widescreen) on in your iPod, and it letterboxes the output, flattening the picture terribly. Turn fullscreen off, and the image fills the screen, but it's STILL squished vertically, and cut off at the side, too, I think.
Do I want to rerip my videos to work with this idiotic machine? I doubt it. I'll either put up with it, send the unit back whence it came, or, most likely, toss it in the trash.