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"Works Great except for..." on by CeliaTrout
Pros: schedules recording, easy to set up, really easy way to get video onto your phone/pda/mp3/whatever
Cons: so far, doesn't recognize my directv receiver
Summary: Set up is fast & easy, firmware upgrade was also easy. User's manual is very sketchy as this is such a new product. Tried all the 4-digit codes provided for DirecTV receivers, but no go. put a call into SanDisk tech support--the tech seemed totally uneducated about this product--it's very new. However, she took great care to document the problem & promised an answer and call-back in 24 hours. Also bought a Sansa e280 about a month ago, and the video I recorded with the V-Mate transfered perfectly. Playback was awesome--very sharp video for such a small screen and 30 fps. All in all, an inexpensive, cool little device for getting that video onto your mp3 (phone/handheld, etc.)... also accepts just about every flash memory card ever made. I have no idea if this would work with an ipod, since i have never and will never own one.
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"Great substitute/replacement for my stand alone DVD+RW recorder" on by jadziasman
Pros: Every feature works as advertised, with the latest downloaded firmware. 640x480 rez medium quality looks great only 660 MB per 1 hour recording time
Cons: Video interference with the A/V input jack which is gone when files played with only the output jack
Summary: For what I paid ($76 shipped), I am so far happy with this product. Hopefully it will last a year or more until an ATSC model with 1080i is released. The remote is narrower than a credit card and is impossible to see in dim light since it's all black. Have watched recorded output from the V-mate on a 27 inch CRT HDTV and the video is as good or even better than my DVD+RW recorder. I especially like the IR transmitter function for scheduled recording. No big deal with real time recording if I'm not sitting there. The V-Mate automatically found the code for my Samsung SIR T-351 HDTV tuner - it took a little while.
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"Great concept! Lousy execution..." on by reynard61
Pros: Compact design. Good choice of storage media. Good for digitizing non-digital media (Videotapes.)
Cons: Too dependent on remote for functions. Remote is hard to use. Can't delete it's own files.
Summary: I originally bought this for two reasons: I wanted to digitize a bunch of video tapes that I have (a function that it handles relatively well), and I wanted to be able to record shows for my mom without having to wear out my DVD+RWs. (She likes some shows that are on cable, but can't afford it anymore.)
It worked fine for about three months (just long enough for the Geeks.com warranty to run out!), then I started having problems with the remote. I tried replacing the batteries twice, but no matter what I did it wouldn't work. (I eventually bought a more expensive --but remoteless -- VuPoint Solutions Digital Video Converter.) Okay, I thought, so I'll use it as a card reader for HCSD cards. (4GB and up. My Macs run Tiger and can't read them with a standard reader.) WRONG! Now I can't get *either* of my Macs to read my two 4GB cards! Sorry, SanDisk; but this thing is a useless piece of junk as far as I'm concerned. My advice: if you need a video-to-digital converter, get one with the controls physically on the machine. Too many things can go wrong with a remote and even $25-$30 is too much to pay for a card-reader that doesn't work. -
"Great new tool!" on by Jeff Lovitt
Pros: Records TV, movies, etc. so you can watch on your PDA or iPod
Cons: Needs a firmware update to allow recordings to show up on Palm Treo 680. It works on a 650, but video will not show up on a 680. Support was very nice & promised this would be fixed in a few months.
Summary: Once the firmware update is done to fix the problem I have with it, I'll be a happy camper.
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"Promising but flawed" on by jjankechu
Pros: Easy to use...
Cons: ...just like a VCR
Summary: I had high hopes for this recorder but it turns out I'm still waiting for someone to get video recording right. Tivo2Go *almost* had it right but it was so crippled that it became almost useless.
Which brings me to the VMate. Mostly I had a decent experience with it once you got over its inherent limitations (real-time recording). However, it's practically useless to me because there's no video pass-through while recording at 640x480. I am NOT happy with staring at a blank TV screen for the entire duration of a recording. (And updating to the latest firmware didn't help.)
SanDisk V-Mate user reviews
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