PYLE PLR24MPF AM/FM Receiver MP3 Playback with USB/SD/AUX-IN Review

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(More customer reviews)Before I ever installed the unit, I already had a bad feeling about it. Being intrigued by new stuff, I pulled it apart to inspect. What I found was worse than what I expected. The comments below are in addition to the comments already made & you should take theirs into consideration as well.
1. The unit weighs almost nothing. That hints at a lack of components & heatsink (which would be necessary if it had decent amplification).
2. There are NO RCA outputs on this unit, so no amplification is possible.
3. The lack of RCAs isn't missed much, due to the fact that the unit outputs to mono (yes, I was amazed to find both the left & right speaker wires coming out of the exact same solder joint.
4. The radio is really only capable of running two speakers (only has wires for two as well) & pushing 4 would likely run it into distortion quickly.
5. The radio used antiquated common ground speaker outputs. This is something that I haven't seen since the 80's. It means that the entire chassis of the car is used for the negative on the speakers. It's not a good thing for noise at all (whining).
6. The knobs on the unit are actually knobs. Like the kind you found on radios from the 80's. This means that the radio's tuning isn't digital & there are no seek functions or presets. It also means that the volume knob is really hard to use.
7. It appears that most of the solder work on the board is hand done (common of Chinese products) & not in a good way (I saw what are likely cold solder joints).
7. All of the buttons on the unit feel like they are the poor kind of microswitches that I only see on equipment that fails within a few months & so I wouldn'texpect much more out of these.
9. Top everything off by a MP3 menu system that is from the early days of MP3's & you really don't want this radio.

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Magnavox NB500MG1F Blu-Ray DVD Disc Player (Manufacturer Refurbished) Review

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(More customer reviews)I can't say that "I like it" (4 stars) or "I love it" (5 stars) but this made in China, refurbished Blu-ray player met my expectations which explains the solid 3 stars, meaning "It's Okay".
As a player, this is an inexpensive, basic, no frills unit that does the job I expected it to do and not a lot more - play Blu-ray, DVDs and audio CDs in the bedroom. Nothing more than simple playback should be expected from it but, so far, it has played everything without a glitch. The picture is steady and crisp and so is the audio. There was no skipping so far and old DVDs that became unplayable on the DVD player that it's replacing can be watched again and play flawlessly.
First, for what the player lacks: Internet access. There is no Ethernet port and there is no WiFi - therefore there will never be Netflix or Pandora streaming or anything that needs a network connection. In addition there is no easy way to upgrade it or, if it's upgradeable, the capability is not documented in the manual.
On the positive side, besides the basic playback, this model does a pretty good job upscaling DVDs and has an SD slot - it supports SD, (miniSD and microSD will need an adapter) and SDHC and it does NOT support miniSDHC or microSDHC cards. You should be able to display JPEG pictures. Another welcome feature is its going into standby mode if no action is taken for a few minutes while displaying the 'menu'.
Available ports include HDMI Out, Audio Out, Component Video Out, Digital Out (coax) and Video Out.
The player came with a small and easy to use remote control (batteries included), a 50-page manual and an RCA component video cable.
I have no complaints about this model. It is, by design, an inexpensive, basic features Blu-ray player. Up until now, it performed as expected.
____________________________________________________
When it comes to the 'refurbished' aspect of this product, I am not as happy.
The unit that I got was dirty. This is not an exaggeration. It had greasy, visible fingerprints and palm prints all over it and I had to spend quite a while cleaning it up. It was also scratched. The scratches were minor but it was scratched nevertheless. The manual is a stapled Xerox copy of the original but it's readable. I understand that 'refurbished' is a rather fuzzy concept but I've been spoiled by the 'like new', quality of refurbished items I received from Linksys or Logitech. This unit arrived in a far from 'like new' condition.
Related to the not exactly 'like new' quality of this refurbished product, it's worth noting that the original 1 year Maganvox warranty does not apply. Instead, you get a 90-days warranty that "does not apply to the cosmetic appearance" (a quote). In addition, the buyer is expected to pay for shipping.
____________________________________________________I don't know if I should consider myself lucky for receiving a working unit but I can only review the product that I received which, once cleaned and hooked up to the TV worked well. The lack of high-end features is not a disappointment or a surprise and it's compensated by the low price. The apparent lack of support is a concern but, again, this is not an expensive product. The 3 stars are well deserved for what I got but I would not recommend this as a 'buy' to anyone who wants to play it perfectly safe or is shopping for a unit that should last for several years.MARCH 12, 2011 UPDATE:
4 months later, I like it more. It performed flawlessly so far. It was a good buy.
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>> Brush your teeth, it's the law!

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