UPDATED: 01/06/07

This is my new toy, the Sony DCR-DVD 105. My wife and I got it as a gift from my in-laws.

Most of the reviews that I read for this product were positive and in CNET.com, the average user rating for this product was 7, which is not bad. What ‘s consistent among all the reviews was the great video, audio quality and its 20x optical zoom. The only problems I read about it were transferring the video and editing the video in the PC. The Sony DCR-DVD 105 doesn’t have a Firewire or USB port coz all files are saved into the DVD and customers complain about the software provided which is Nero Express 6.

I Google searched about this and found suggestions on how to transfer and edit the video files but they didn’t provide a clear solution to it. So what I did was make a short recording using the camcorder, finalized the disc and loaded it into my PC. I looked for the VOB file and copied it into the PC and converted it into a WMV file using WinAVI Video Converter. Then I edited the WMV file using Ulead Video Studio 10.

Transferring files to PC:
1. Load finalized disc into CD-ROM
2. Browse disc and search for VOB or JPEG files
3. Copy & paste to any folder in your hard drive
(VOB files can be opened using Cyberlink PowerDVD or any DVD playing program)

Editing video files in your PC:

You’ll need:
1. video converter
2. video editing software

Steps:
1. Load finalized disc into CD-ROM.
2. Browse through the disc and look for the VOB file/s.
3. Using a video converter, convert the VOB file to AVI, MPEG or WMV file.
4. Edit the file (AVI, MPEG or WMV) using the video editing software.

There are video converters and video editing software that you can download for free. All you have to do is do a search in Google. Another option is todownload the trial version of commercial products. If you’re looking for the Picture Perfect software, leave a comment or contact me and I’ll tell you where you could get it.

Image source: Sony.com

Dreamed of owning an iPod? I’m sure most of us did in some point in time. And for those who can’t afford it, it still is a dream. However, with the help of old CD’s and DVD’s you can make that dream come true.

You can do it by trading your old CD’s and/or DVD’s to MillenniumMusic.com. MillenniumMusic.com is a used CD retailer based in Charleston, South Carolina. When they received the used CD’s or DVD’s, they evaluate the items and keep the ones that they can sell to their customers. The CD and DVD content can be either music or movies. To get a specific iPod model, you need to supply them with a number of CD’s or DVD’s.

Exchange Rate:

Aside from the Exchange Rate, they also have a Quality Criteria and Shipping Procedure that you need to meet. Another thing, you need to pay for shipping the items. If you meet all the requirements, you’ll receive your free iPod! Isn’t that cool? Well, technically it’s not free coz you have to pay for shipping the CD’s. But it’s still a good deal. I’m thinking of trying this out and start looking for old CD’s and DVD’s. Who knows, I might get myself a free iPod.

Btw, I forgot to include this earlier. If you’re from the Philippines or anywhere outside the US or Canada, this deal might not work for you coz of the shipping costs.

To find out more about the Feed Your Player iPod trade deal click here.