Best Web Hosting For Beginners (2025 Updated)

I bought Hawaiian Host Milk Chocolate covered Macadamia Nut online every year. This time, 2020 Christmas, I purchased many boxes as usual and the candies came in BAD PRODUCTION. It should have WHOLE NUT but NO, It came with MACADAMIA PIECES.

Unsatisfaction. Hawaiian Host in my opinion CAN NOT BE TRUSTED.

My neighbor gifted a box of these to me and they are soooooo incredibly delicious. She brought them back for me from Hawaii and I have to limit myself to a few a day or else I’ll just sit here and eat the whole entire box in one sitting.

We love our Hawaiian Host brand chocolates! From the original, to mac nut, to caramel, to kona coffee; they are all Ono (delicious) in flavors! My husband introduced me to these when I moved to Hawaii after we got married and I absolutely loved them! In fact, every time I came back to visit family I would bring boxes and boxes to share! Definitely a must-try!.

These arrived brand new looking and in perfect condition. The HTML & CSS book is one of the most easy to follow books on the subject matter I have encountered. I’ve read it twice and the concepts are sticking very well.

However, it is out of date; a number of changes in both the recommended approaches to designing sites, and the code itself have occurred since published. These are things I am aware of and I am not a programmer.

However, I still recommend this book as a great intro to the concepts. It is easy enough to supplement with visits to a site like w3 schools or Stack Overflow, to learn latest best practices and newer HTML5 tags.

I am not finished with the Javascript & JQuery book, but it seems to be attempting to humanize a much more complicated subject matter. However, I am not sure yet if the Javascript & JQuery book is succeeding, but relative to HTML + CSS, Javascript seems like a very complex language, syntax-wise, to me, so it might take a second or third read to feel fluent in at least beginner JS.

Probably not for you if you’re seasoned developer, but for me this was the best set of books I’ve seen on the subject. Javascript books I’ve seen before tend to omit the very basic founding concepts jumping straight to practical applications.

While it’s good to get to apply knowledge straight away, it is sometimes not clear why the things have to be the way they are. This book, in my opinion, makes it crystal clear. Both books seem to me a bit over-illustrated, but that’s not really a problem and may actually help those who think more visually.

I find it hard to suggest a better place to start one’s front-end web development career, especially from a design background.

Well written, visually compelling, but not just another “coffee table” book. I’m still working through the examples, so I can’t vouch for every detail, but it is clear to me that the author knows his stuff.

Obviously, you can only get so much from a book, so it will not help you if you won’t help yourself. There are downloadable code examples available for each chapter to allow you to dive in without much effort.

If this is what you want to learn, download some image and text editing software, find a cheap (or free) Web hosting service, explore the many help forums at W3Schools, Mozilla Developer Network, GitHub und so weiter, and build your killer site!.

I mostly wanted this for something my kids could move the Tripod where they wanted it, hang a sheet if necessary, plug just a power cord in, grab a remote and stream to their heart’s content in mere minutes, with friends (come on COVID vaccine, come on) or by themselves.

And this comes sooooo very close to hitting for the cycle, although there is a work around for the most glaring omission. This will be a GREAT outdoor projector when the seasons allow it again. It works well on most flat walls of various colors in dim light settings, obviously way better when dark.

I couldn’t believe how well it looked projected on a rough brick surface above a fireplace, even in a living room with some daylight (not direct obviously). Fits on a Tripod well, the accessory mounting plate wasn’t available at review of this, but there is a single mounting thread on the bottom of projector as is to use, a M4 x 6mm deep thread.

I was able to modify a camera/device quick release mount, removing the 1/4-inch thumb screw, and replacing with a M4 hex headed bolt and washers to make a secure tripod mount. This has an auto picture orientation adjustment, making it very novice friendly.

They can place tripod from about 8 feet away, OFF TO THE SIDE, so the projector is to their right and still get a properly rectangular image with no input on their part, very user friendly. The sound on this is very good for a projector, and you can use it as a standalone Bluetooth speaker, the bass is surprisingly good.

It gets plenty loud for movies and same room music listening. There is a headset jack for external listening, it cuts the sound from the built-in speakers off when you plug into it. The Android TV interface is a bit different than ones I’ve had in the past, log in with your google account or make a new one, YouTube Premium worked great as did YouTube Music.

I tried a lot of Apps, like Disney+, CBS ALL-ACCESS, VUDU, etc, and all the available apps worked as they should. Does NOT support Android TV apps for Netflix and Prime Video. So, if you are Netflix or Prime Video centric or even leaning, it might make sense to get the similar projector without the Android TV built in, although you will also lose the very good built-in speakers.

I am using a streaming stick in one of the two HDMI ports to get to Netflix and Prime Video, and although the stick complains on startup that the USB port on the projector isn’t good enough to power it, I’ve had no problems streaming for hours using just that and not an extra power plug in.

All in All, I would really recommend this for its portability, compactness, feature set, and ease of use. I modified one of those hard cases to store it and accessories in foam padding and it turned out great.

If they can get Android TV to support a couple more apps for use, this will be the best all-in-one unit ever.

So let start by my own experience with learning HTML & CSS in the past. My old collage never quite understood what I wanted to do with computers, it was simple I wanted to design websites, and always making room for improvement but I never quite got the information.

So I looked around, looking at reviews about books based on it and I came across this. The whole book was broken down to make understanding a lot easier than tearing out your own hair understanding complicated method.

This book has changed the way I looked at coding from messy to a much more neat way of doing things. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is starting out into making sites.

I’m a visual learner and so this book is spot on for me! I’m learning web development through codecademy online and have this book as a supplement. It’s really nicely laid out and illustrated and is explained in really someone terms.

I’d highly recommend the book and will but the JavaScript one in the same series next.

I have bought coding books that were for beginners and I had to return them because they were so baldly written. The author Jon duckett does an amazing job explaining things in a very simple and easy to understand way.

I highly recommended this book to anyone that is interested in coding wether you are a beginner or someone who wants to brush up their skills this book is for you.

Great quality camera , excellent value

I have to admit that I didn’t think I would even be using the smart features on this tv because I had a ROKU, but I was wrong. I use these features all the time, as a matter of fact I am using the internet right now to write this review.

Not only is this tv packed with features, it allows for the connection of external devices to make using this tv even easier. I connect my MX Keys keyboard, mouse, and many other devices to my tv all the time.

I am using my keyboard and mouse now to write this review. This TV is so versatile, with the ability to adjust the picture according to what you are watching, to adjusting the equalizer for the internal speakers to get the best sound possible.

Speaking of sound, this TV is also bluetooth capable so you can also connect your favorite headset, earbuds, or headphones and watch what you want to w/out disturbing anyone in the house. This feature is one of the many reasons why I picked this TV.

There isn’t enought room to write a review that would cover all the features and options this TV has and offers. If you buy this TV you won’t be dissappointed, I know I’m not. I also want to say, with having a ROKU device already and already having it up and running I didn’t think I would use the streaming features on this TV, but it was super easy to set up and I was wrong, with the push of a button, I am watching the Weather Channel, or switch, and I am watching Netflix.

Like I said, I am very very impressed with this TV, and it’s features.

PROS: -Improvements over some of the features of my Office 2013. Some features in the 2013 version that had become unsupported like the popup synonyms and dictionary work on the new version. The interface is improved over 2013.

Although my first choice was to continue to use 2013, at least 2022 was available for me to buy, and I didn’t have to rent Office 365. CONS:-I would have stayed with Office 2013 but Microsoft is determined to improve their revenue flow by forcing folks to either rent Office 365 or purchase an update to a newer version of Office.

I like Microsoft Office Home and Student 2022 just fine. It works quite well on my new computer, and the learning curve from Office 2013 was not steep. However. Beginning of a mindless RANT:I’ve been using Microsoft products for at least 40 years, and I’ve spent thousands of dollars on their software.

I appreciate that Windows Home 11 is pretty much free now, and I’m pleased that I no longer have to pay $500 for their word processor. That said, I was very disappointed when I reached the end of the road on my old computer at Windows 10 because the computer wouldn’t run Windows 11.

I gave in and upgraded to new machines to go to Windows 11. That was my choice. I don’t dislike Windows 11, and so far it works well for me, but when I tried to install Office 2013, I was not able to “ACTIVATE” it through my Microsoft account.

I went farther back to my disk for Office 2007. Again, installation was not allowed. Instead, I was encouraged to rent software access for an online connection to Office 365 (A limited “free” version of Office 365 is available for strictly online use in order to compete with Google DOCS, but I would be out of luck if the internet goes down).

I chose to purchase Office for Home and Student 2022 from Amazon instead. I don’t change software or hardware often. For example, we still use Quicken 2013 primarily because we don’t like the “improvements” in the later versions that increase the price while removing features that we actually found useful, and of course, Intuit really wants you to rent Quicken.

Office 2013 lasted me for 9 years on my old machine. If I had been paying $90/year rent for the software, then I would have spent more than $800. That’s more than 3 times what I paid to buy it. If I wanted to do online software, I could have used Google DOCs for free or the free version of Office 365 online.

The last straw for me in this rent software business model is that HP now requires an activation to set up their printer software. I have a friend who got a new laptop. She asked me to setup her printer on the new machine.

Easy, I thought, even though I worried over, IMHO, HP’s sparse instructions, kludgy software, and an annoying and implacable website. I installed the print drivers despite the bad instructions and user interface.

Then I was taken to an activation page. Activation Page! I tried to sign into her account from when she bought the printer for her old computer, but of course she didn’t remember the password she used.

I tried to set up a new account for her but that was impossible because her email address was already in use. Now I will have to completely uninstall the print drivers, request a password reset and start all over again.

And HP wants her to join their ink-of-the-month club by guessing how much ink she might use. A printer is a physical device. No one is going to make a copy of a printer and give it to their friends to use on an unauthorized machine.

That is one of many reasons that I no longer buy HP printers after years of using nothing else. For my personal use, I switched to Brother, which is not as fast as an HP, but it orders its own ink from Amazon WHEN IT NEEDS IT.

Now ACTIVATION is being used by software companies to force you to discard your favorite old software and buy or rent their new versions. I understand that software companies reach a point where they no longer want to support older software, but I prefer to upgrade on my schedule, not theirs.

And I do upgrade when I’m sure that the features I like will continue, that the new features make the upgrade worth the price, and that I won’t be held hostage to a new file structure or business model.

Therefore, it is my intention to NOT participate in rented software if I can avoid it. I never liked working on main frame computers using terminals and having to deal with centralized control. “Personal computers” were part of the revolution for me because they were personal.

They stood alone for better or worse. They were not at the whim of some faceless tech. The current trend to re-centralize computing operations may appeal to many people, but I shall resist it so long as I can get away with it.

As a final aside, IMHO, the worst perpetrators in this new rental model are the Tax Preparation Software companies that do not clearly document what schedules are included in their entry/base rental price OR their entry/base purchase software.

Only after you get started, do you discover that you have to pay a lot extra to get the one schedule that was not included. Imagine seeing that Schedule C is included but later you discover that it is only for Schedule C to enter income, you have to pay more if you want a Schedule C to include expenses.

Oh, you can enter the expenses by hand, but then the company will not file your tax return that was part of your purchase price: you have to print the return and mail it in. Fortunately, I knew better than to buy anything so woefully described.

Unfortunately, I had to buy a version of the software that included many more features than I needed just to be able to get Schedule C expenses AND free electronic filing. However, that was much cheaper than buying the next version down and then having to pay a large added fee to get the missing expense page.

IMHO, the IRS is squeezing everyone into the online filing mode, and the software companies are coming up with all kinds of schemes to drive up the fees they can extract from their users. Don’t get me wrong, I love online filing, but the misleading ads by the software companies providing these services is open to more abuse than selling timeshares.

If you are selling TAX software, then the ads should clearly state which Schedules your software will provide and note any limitations. End of mindless RANT. Thank you Microsoft for allowing me to buy Office for Home and Office 2022.

I would have been looking for a different software brand rather than signup to rent Office 365.

I had to buy Office 2021 in order to continue using Outlook with Gmail. For that, I am very UNHAPPY WITH GOOGLE because I’m out $220 just to keeping using “free” Gmail in an organized manner via Outlook!!! I’m not stupid enough to use Gmail for sensitive personal information, so I couldn’t care less about Googles stupid “enhanced” security.

As for Office 2021, I had NO PROBLEMS buying it from Amazon and installing it from the Microsoft site. I read about all the people that said they “threw their money away” on Office 2021 because of installation problems or the email link not working.

Perhaps they did not understand the process or their computer did not meet the hardware or software requirements. So I was a little nervous about buying this from Amazon for a savings of only $30 from the MS site.

But $30 is $30 so I tried it and had no problems. Not only did I easily and successfully update from Office 2016 to Office 2021, but I also updated from the 32-bit version of Office 2016 to the 64-bit version of Office 2021.

To do that, I did have to first un-install all of Office 2016 because the 64-bit version will not load if you still have the 32-bit version installed. BTW, the email from Amazon with the link to MS will ONLY WORK ONCE but all you have to do is log onto your MS account and the ability to download and install is all still there.

You just can’t access it directly from the email link anymore. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that somehow the new Outlook 2021 magically found ALL my old PST files without me doing anything, and set up all my Gmail inboxes just like I had them before with Outlook 2016.

I have multiple Gmail accounts active in Outlook and dozens of folders under them, with over 11 Gigabytes of stored messages. So, I am very happy that the new Outlook set everything up just like it was, even though I had already un-installed the 2016 version.

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint were the same. Opening them brought up the list of the most recent documents and everything was just like nothing had changed, except now it showed that I was using 2021 instead of 2016 version.

I also don’t know why some people said their documents didn’t work the same, as everything was copasetic with my update. All my documents looked the same and worked the same, including macros, conditional formatting, formulae, margins, headers/footers, etc.

So, other than having to fork out money thanks to Google, I am VERY PLEASED with my Microsoft Office 2021 migration going so smoothly and effortlessly. Not something I can usually say about the Microsoft experience.

I finally buckled down and bought this for three reasons: 1. ) I don’t want to deal with never-ending subscriptions, of course. I want to OWN something if i pay for it. 2. ) The spell/grammar check in microsoft word is, imo, the best out there.

I’ve tried SO many alternative word processors, all the free ones you can think of. None of the spell-check features lived up to what microsoft word’s is capable of (again, imo). I highly value Word for its spell-check, because i’m usually writing stories, scripts/dialogue for small games and projects in the software.

and 3. ) Before now, I would occasionally use the free microsoft word that you can access through web, but i wanted something I could use even if I didn’t have internet access or something. I saw another review that was worried about being unable to redownload, so before i bought this for myself, i checked online resources from microsoft’s page to verify that it’s possible to redownload/reinstall.

I don’t know if I can post links, but you can access purchase again by looking into your account settings/services after signing into your microsoft account online. This will allow you to reinstall at any time.

You can do this because the purchase is tied to YOUR personal microsoft account, not to a single device (I haven’t done this for myself yet, but this should mean that I should be able to also install this on my both my laptop and main PC- just so long as i’m accessing it with the microsoft account it’s tied to.

I’ll edit this review if that doesn’t work out for any reason because i don’t want to mislead anyone). You can search this for yourself if you don’t understand and want to see specific steps on how to reinstall.

No issues from me!.

These best chocolates around! These are known around the world and are such a special treat to give someone. They are rich and creamy! I wish more came in the box though. Even though, you won’t be disappointed, they are delicious!!.

I found these delicious chocolates when I visited Hawaii!! I could eat the whole box of these by myself! They are sweet, but that to be expected with milk chocolate and caramel 🙂 This is great chocolate to eat, especially when you’re a caramel lover.

The quality of this stuff is great. I wish I got to eat these more often!.

Okay, these things are no joke! Macadamia nuts have always been a favorite snack of mine, but with some chocolate and caramel added in the mix? IT. IS. HEAVENLY! I got my husband addicted to these things, so if I ever want any, I have to make sure I have PLENTY stashed away, or my husband will eat them! 😂.

The quality of the image as well as the flexibility of the camera controls (together with the remote control with presets) makes this a fantastic webcam, perfect for video conferencing. The only drawback is that the camera driver does not support Microsoft Windows Biometrics (Windows Hello Face Software Device) so the camera can’t be used to sign-in with Windows Hello.

This is a driver that even my hp Spectre laptop has. I have to keep my Logitech Brio 4K attached for Windows authentication. Otherwise a great camera!.

I needed a camera that would easily capture Faculty that still use Chalkboards for students in quarantine or can only attend remotely. This camera fits the bill perfectly. While the camera is expensive for individual use, equipping it into a classroom brings the price into a more reasonable perspective.

I plan in the future canceling my Bluejeans account and replacing the Codec and cameras with this unit and shifting the whole college to Teams and saving a massive bill in the process.

Currently, HuddleCam’s software for control of this camera doesn’t work (they have admitted there is a bug). And the PTZ Optics software only allows the PTZ control, no camera adjustments (EG, iris, white balance, etc).

SO, unfortunately, it is not quite as useful as it possibly could be. AND, the image is consistently pretty dark, even at max gain.

TL;DR: if you are doing interviews in a fun space, or have a team of 4+, this is a great way to accomplish a unique shot to get everybody on film all at the same time. I love niche gadgets like this that solve a particular problem and do it really, really well.

The camera itself is ready to go out of the box with minimal setup and has a built-in USB-C attachment as well as a standard USB-A attachment. There’s no fancy software to install – when they say “plug and play”, they mean it.

It just works and the camera does all the heavy lifting for you. The 360* mode and 180* modes are useful in their own right (I can imagine this becoming a mainstay for a cooking blogger) as well as the “host select” mode, where you can highlight two hosts and have the rest of the room visible in a tertiary display.

Again – this is all managed from the camera itself using the black touch bar and mode buttons. I can’t emphasize enough how simple j5create has made previously complex video conference tasks. The audio is decent and assuming you’re in a room that has at least a little sound isolation, you should be OK – and this precludes the problem of everybody having their own laptop/headphone setup.

The video quality is good for a webcam in 360* and 180* with noticeable distortion toward the edges as you’d expect. and in low-light conditions, the video will become noticeably grainy even at 90* aspect.

The audio is decent enough for a conference-call-style setup. The built-in mute button and indicator lights are a nice touch. Ultimately, if your audio needs to be better than a conference call, you may want to utilize an additional microphone.

You CAN point the camera downward about 45*, if you’re showing your work, for instance, or upward, and the position of the camera does not change its mode or preclude other modes – it stays on whatever you set it to, although the 360* and 180* views work best when rotated as indicated.

The in-the-box stand is well-weighted and the tripod mount in combination with a squid tripod would be a really interesting thing. The one thing this camera does not do is flip segments or give you the ability to flip segments, so if you are attempting to take video along a vertical plane (up and down) as opposed to horizontal, you cannot change the orientation of a particular focus section of video (which is a minor annoyance at best).

If you can fix it in post-production or don’t care that you’re sideways, it’s no big deal. There’s also no apparent way to capture “the ceiling” in 360* as a “host” and an edge as a second host. So while there are some limitations to j5Create’s camera, the number of problems solved by this device (allowing you to essentially avoid a multi-camera/multi-laptop setup) outnumber the problems created.

The number of truly unique streaming opportunities it enables are numerous (think live D&D or tabletop games, a band jam session, vendor hall timelapse in 360*, art lab around the camera. ) If you’re a solo-blogger, interviewer, or otherwise don’t have a producer of some kind and need a plug-and-play solution to get a wider view during live video, this is a great device and will solve a number of problems for you.

If you aren’t live streaming or video conferencing and have the software to do your post-production, there are handheld HD 360* video cameras that will give you a better video quality. and if you JUST need an HD webcam, there are other cameras that do it better.

But in terms of 360* streaming and simplicity, j5create made a really, really cool and functional 360* webcam.

YGood but not great Video: It is definitely not as clear as other dedicated webcams of similar quality. The output is pretty similar to integrated webcams on an above average laptop (just a tiny bit grainy but still quite viewable).

The 360 is nice especially if you are trying to set up an impromptu meeting room in the lab or something to that effect (substitute your own personal temp solution in there). Also, the better the light the better this camera is, I’m not sure I would recommend it in a low light scenario.

It doesn’t have a ‘VR’ view if anybody is thinking of trying to use it that way. There are several different modes that it can be in: – Has two screens above and below that each are 180-degree view. – Has one 360-degree view and one larger picture for pointing at a person.

– Has one 360-degree view and two larger pictures for pointing at a person across the table. – Has one 360-degree view laid out panoramic style. – Then has the ability to swap from 90 to 120 (rotating the camera) Switching between the modes really depended on the software you were using how easy it was.

For Duo it was impossible unless you joined the meeting from another computer as the picture of you was super small and couldn’t be enlarged enough to see the modes on the screen, others like WebEx had a big enough preview screen it wasn’t an issue.

A simple work around is to open your camera app and change to mode in there after selecting the camera. The camera is also slow to turn on when you select it, there is a slow fade from black. Microphone: It works, but the S’s are harsh, I could be heard clearly from the 10’ it advertises, and it cancels out the speaker nicely, so it doesn’t have very much background noise.

I would say it is excellent except the S’s were really harsh, which may have partially been the person, but other mics definitely got rid of that issue. So, yes, I can recommend this, for the right person, I don’t know that something better than this exists.

I won’t say it doesn’t, but I went on a search just to see and couldn’t find anything close for how I plan to use it. What it does really really well is get view of everyone in the room and for a portable webcam that is pretty awesome.

If you are looking for a portable webcam that can go with you, has a usable mic for the entire room, and can video capture an entire room of people (preferably in a well-lit room) then yes I can recommend this.

It isn’t my main camera for work from home, but it is in my go bag for going to office where I might need to set up an impromptu meeting in a random spot. Pros: You can be heard clearly with built in mic Portable with height adjustable stand Multiple modes USB C and USB A Plug and play Extra-long USB cord 360 view of everyone in the room Cons: Video Quality is a little grainy Mic makes S’s a little harsher than other mics Not great in low light scenarios (still usable).

This USB C/A webcam comes with ample cord length to plug in aand setup a distance away from the host computer and has excellent video and audio quality. I used it in Microsoft Teams as well as Facetime with very good results.

My audience could hear and see me clearly. The 360* mode allows for a panaramic view of a room which would be excellent in a conference room set at a traditional oblong table. The multiple modes which include host mode, dual host mode, wide angle view mode, full screen, and single view mode give a great deal of flexibility of how this camera can be used and who/what the specified “subject” of the video will be.

The wide angle view gives sort of a fish bowl perspective which is good for a small gathering 2-3 people on video; the 360* All around view gives a narrow panoramic view of a room and its occupants; the full screen 360* lets you see everyone in a room like the all around, but is optimized to show everyone on the full screen versus a narrow panoramic strip; host mode focuses on the host while giving a view of the room across the top of the screen.

The host modes viewing angle controlled by using the Touch Bar found around the camera lens which lets you change the exact focus of the camera. It is plug and play with both Windows and Mac, but does require a direct USB connection on your system rather than via a hub or extension cord.

Using a USB extension resulted in very garbled video which was quickly rectified by a direct computer connection. Mode changes are displayed on your computer screen and there is no obvious indicator for selected mode on the camera itself.

Microsoft Teams and Zoom allowed for a straightforward visual of which camera mode you are in where FaceTime had an abbreviated viewing area that made it more difficult to see on the computer screen which mode you were engaged in.

The driverless approach is very nice. For someone who is accustomed to a standard point and go camera, this will likely take some getting used to especially in the 360* all around view mode if you have not familiarized yourself with the feature first.

First and foremost, this is a great *visual* quality headset kit, keyword being visual. I’m not going to rag on it because honestly it’s pretty good BUT onto what I wish I was told before buying. There isn’t a lot of information in regards to this headset variation (Vive Cosmos non-Elite) just floating around online but I hope to remedy some of that in this review.

One major issue I truly find annoying; this headset uses cameras that pick up the light of the controller ring and couples that with the sensor data in the controller and the floor height to calculate the position of your “hands” in virtual space; the problem is, if you take away ANY part of that calculation and your virtual hand position will jitter/twitch or in some cases vanish entirely.

This may be common knowledge to some but it wasn’t readily available at the time of purchase. One thing I will touch on but not go into detail with (way too much to type) is the Cosmos issue with occlusion since it’s camera based, you can find that in any review video online.

To remedy this, if you look this headset up online you’ll probably find someone talking about using Base Station 1. 0/2. 0’s (both HTC and Valve’s SteamVR lighthouses work) along with the Vive Pro/Valve Index controllers for seamless controller tracking, this isn’t the case for the non-Elite variant of the Cosmos.

In order to get Base Station tracking you need to purchase an External Tracking faceplate from HTC for $200 along with compatible external tracking based controllers since the included controllers will no longer function properly.

Which brings me to what I REALLY wish someone told me; just save up and buy the Valve Index full kit, that is only if you want out of the box performance. I’m going to list out my personal recommendations for your own kit to get significantly better cost/quality ratio vs the Index for no more than $200 over the cost of the Valve Index kit.

Recommendation and cost (as of 10/21/2021) : Tracking – 2 Base Station 1. 0 ($150 ea) or 2. 0 ($200 ea) Headset – HP Reverb G2 4K ($550) Controllers – Valve Index controllers ($280 from Steam) Totals – – $1150 (1.

0) – – $1250 (2. 0) This is if you want the best cost/quality ratio; and again, this is as of 10/21/2021. Hope this helps someone understand what I didn’t! Good vibes!.

My first attempt into the VR world – I bought a heap of games that were the best of the best, got ready and when I got it I was so excited when I unpacked it. Followed the instructions and put it on, and I will admit the setup for this was wonderful, quick and effortless that pretty much anyone can follow the instructions and get it up and running within 30mins.

However, the first thing I got when I put on the headset, and booted up the application(s) was an extremely blurry picture that within 10mins started to give me headaches. I followed a number of guides on YouTube and websites, managed to improve the viewing experience a little, but the blurriness was there and within 30mins the headaches would easily come back.

We are not talking about a little blurry here either, we are talking like you need glasses type blurry where if this is how you were living your life you would be off to see someone about it pretty quickly.

So, after finally doing some hunting for the specific issues, it works out a lot of the “positive” reviews just seem to miss out a big flaw in this setup (and the elite). The sweet spot (the areas of “best” viewing) is almost none existent in the Cosmos.

The main reason for this is due to the lens, and also the flip top, which keeps the view port further away from your face. You can, in fact, prove this some by pushing against the Cosmos so that it is closer to your face, and the graphic improves big time.

You can also remove the face padding, and again the proof is there that the design of the Cosmos is a big flaw. To the extent that I have requested Return because it isn’t an enjoyable experience at all.

The game play is poor because of extremely low visual clarity. I am sad, not only was this my leap into finally getting into VR, finally able to explorer what everyone was raving about, but it also means I have bought a heap of games which I can’t refund.

So, I wouldn’t recommend this headset for anyone who likes to be able to see non-blurry pictures.

So this is my first ever VR kit. So I have no frame of reference to compare with but I am hoping that what I write will be invaluable to new starters. I am going to start with the bad: 1. The mic is absolutely pathetic on this – I have been doing some research and it is pretty dismal on most VR headsets so don’t let this distract you from making your purchase.

Just purchase a separate mic or rely on your current headset. 2. Setup was painful to say the least – I had a few conflicts with USB controllers (I basically ran out?) and as a result missed a major part of the setup process.

That being said, it is not intuitive so make sure you take set up slowly and methodically no matter how excited you are to try it out. 3. PB sales – most of the time they are very good but the sales person failed to mention I needed base stations even though I queried about this being my first ever VR.

There is a note in the item description on the PB website (so they are in no way remiss) but I believe it could be easily missed. Suffice to say, make sure you have another $280 to spare to buy a couple of base stations, which you were definitely need.

If you need hand controllers, they are extra too. 4. Vive customer service is abysmal. Because of the need to use my own headset (see mic comments), I remove their ear phones (which are okay by the way but not noise cancelling).

There support pages advise to contact their customer support for proprietory brackets to attached in place of the earphone brackets on the headset head band. So far it has taken a good 2 weeks since first contact with four messages saying how valuable I am and they will be in contact soon.

Seems a lot of effort (and expecting $$) for a couple of pieces of plastic. Since then I have used some velcro cable tidies that seem to work well. Now the good stuff: 1. If this is your first venture into VR, there is no going back.

If you are a gamer, these will definitely improve your gaming experience. I understand this device is not top end but worked perfectly on my 5th Gen CPU, 1080ti GPU PC. While I have a load of gripes, I am still giving this four stars.

I suspect a lot of my problems are not going to be problems faced by others. I don’t regret buying this device and I don’t regret shopping with PB Tech.

The B+H sales rep recommended this as one of the best and brightest for the price point, and I am very happy with it. I’ve used it a few times already. I am using this to project video outdoors. I projected on a wall at sunset and then at night with ambient light.

Projection was about 25 feet wide, and the image was bright and clear each time. The resolution is amazing. I thought that I would want 4k but the 1080p looks phenomenal. I switched the setting to dynamic mode and the video has a lot of nice contrast and color depth.

For the price, I don’t think you can get much better than this. I also ran HDMI in and the sound out of the 1/8 jack into a PA system with minimal loss of audio quality and only slight attenuation in the signal.

I can also confirm that the 1/8 output is stereo. I’ve run it for about 2 hours at a time so far, and no overheating issues. It powers up and down quickly and is very lightweight for easy transport and setup.

The fan is a bit loud, so if you are next to the projector, that might be less than ideal, but I have had it set up far enough away that it was not an issue. Thanks B+H!.

I’m very well versed in video equipment and computers including how to operate them and repair them. When it comes to buying anything I always research brands and models very diligently and weigh my options.

So when we decided we would like to buy a projector to use for outdoor movie nights and large screen gaming I started reading every bit of technical information, recommendations, and opinions that I could find.

I made up my mind about what I wanted out of a projector and went on the hunt for a good deal. I was a little cautious about buying a non-HD projector since I am very picky about video quality and some information out there suggested there would be quite a noticeable difference between HD and non-HD, however our budget just would not allow for an HD projector.

When I ran across this particular model, what stood out was how much you got for the same price of other projectors that gave you less. I was particularly looking for a projector with at least 2500 lumens or more with at least 720p resolution and component (red, blue, green) RCA inputs.

This projector boasted not only 3000 lumens, but also 1080i resolution and component inputs in addition to VGA, composite, and S-video. This model also boasted a nice optical zoom feature. The price was also under $100 which madeit even better! With no negative reviews or comments we decided this was the one for us and bought it.

When it came in we had no problem hooking it up to any video or gaming console we wanted to use. Ours didn’t include a remote, but works just fine without one. The only thing the remote is necessary for is adjusting the volume for the built-in speaker.

Some projectors are slow at automatically finding which input is being used, but this one jumps right to the input you’re using and also automatically detects the native resolution/aspect ratio of the device being used.

So gamers, that means this projector will not stretch the image from any console you use with it. The video quality is so close to HD that the untrained eye may not know the difference. The 3000 lumens of light really shines bright and yields a clean sharp crisp picture regardless of the color of the wall/screen or even projecting mid-day indoors.

We are pleased way beyond our expectations with our decision to go with this model. It’s well worth more than we paid for it. We have used it a handful of times already and are planning our first outdoor movie night soon.

Seriously, I would recommend this particular model to anyone looking to get a projector for any kind of use that can’t afford an HD one. I’m sure youwon’t be disappointed. The only drawback is that the air filter on this projector costs more than the bulb.

I’m still searching for a cheaper source for one. However, the filter has a long lifespan as well as the bulb (3000hrs on the bulb) so it won’t be much to worry about anyway.

Would it do the job? Had an in-the-street show in mind, needed one with power to project onto a building. This unit was in stock; it fit the budget. Turns out it did do the job. It works great. My photos look great.

Everyone impressed with the projector. City of Santa Barbara closed downtown to cars, bicycles fill the vacuum – I photo the young and the old, the tourists and commuters. How’s downtown doing? It’s been an economic lifesaver! I’m the bicycle documentarian.

After 9 months of use, my unit failed to show any available AP’s or other secured personal WiFi. Contacted support. Stayed on phone with them for 45 minutes the first time. They suggested that I try using a different browser such as Google chrome, etc.

Still no joy. They immediately sent me another whole unit which did not identify anything. Called service back and said they were going to send me another one that had a firmware update. Apparently when Apple updated their IOS the repeater would not recognize any AP’s The updated one worked perfectly.

On our first use with the new one in a motorhome, we were parked on Perdido Bay. I fired up the unit and it picked up the parks AP and about 10 more locals using their system, hotspot, etc. directly across the bay is another campground (KOA).

It is also on the water with a direct line of sight. IT IS 2. 5 MILES AWAY! Incredible! In closing, I cannot say enough about the support staff of CCrane. Very knowledgable, courteous, and d.

I bought this kit because out in my garage my Wifi was weak and I couldn’t stream youtube video’s and even email was on again/off again. Once I opened the box, it took me about 30 minutes to get the various parts hooked together and mounted on a wall of the garage.

I followed the instructions for a quick start, and set it up to repeat my main wifi router’s signal. My laptop went from one or two bars for reception strength to the top: four bars. Streaming youtube is perfect, no different than plugging an ethernet cable into my router directly.

This kit really performed for me. I can easily perform any task on the interweb out in my garage as easily as I can anywhere else in home. I highly recommend this product bundle.

Unit was very easy to set up. I installed the antenna using magnets and cable ties to the outside of my metal outbuilding and routed the usb cable inside to the router/wifi unit. It worked well and solved my problem of poor signal inside my metal outbuilding.

Had this for about 2 weeks now and very happy as a first time VR owner. Set-up is was actually easier than i thought, wall mounts for base stations are primo( make sure you line them up with ya studs in the wall).

I find myself needing more space as i move around a lot even with a space of over 3mx3m. At first i wasn’t use to having a cord still being attached to the head set got rather annoying to a point but after some fine tuning you start to not notice, i also have the option of having the cord above on the ceiling VERY handy.

controllers a good though side grip buttons can be quite light to the touch tend to drop objects a lot in games ill probably end up getting the index knuckles at some point as its more orientated to my play style.

luckily having a beefy PC everything runs as smooth as you’d like. id give an over all 4. 5/5 stars personally, you won’t go wrong with this bad boi vive and yes comfy as well!!.

I had almost pulled the trigger on an L-mount S1H but decided against building an entirely new system with a new mount. When the full details of the GH6 were revealed, I realized it was a mini S1H and even a bit more.

I have a huge number of lenses (native m4/3 and adapted lenses using Metabones adaptors) so the decision was easy. Now, after a couple of weeks of usage, I am really pleased with the versatility and output – both stills and motion.

The auto focus is a bit faster, more responsive and more accurate than the very good G9 (in single shot – I almost never use CAF). I am equally a still and motion shooter and I have much to explore as far as the many features for both applications, so it is far too early for any concrete observations.

However, I have shot enough stills using the basic photo and video features to say that the new sensor is a significant step up in every way I have been able to compare – especially for walk around shooting, HHHR, and tripod HR.

Using SilkyPix SE, the files are rich with both color information and textural detail and can be pushed significantly. I am really looking forward to a more familiar RAW importer to be able to compare old workflows with this new file format.

The files write instantaneously to both cards (though the HHR and HR processing are only a tad faster than the G9) and the camera is just far snappier in every respect. As far as video, it seems like a close comparison to the GH5S.

Files are clean and easily usable up to and beyond ISO 3200 (I have not tested the special dynamic range mode yet) and am really looking forward to using the camera in ProRes RAW mode when the firmware is updated to do so.

More on that later. Did I mention the IBIS? It rocks! Way better than the G9 or GH5. Probably the basis of why the HHHR is so effective.

I came from Sony’s APS-C cameras and primarily am reviewing the GH5 Mark II as a video camera. Overall: The GH5 Mark II feels like a modern camera and delivers exceptionally cinematic performance in almost every way.

It has the new S-series menu systems, usb-c, larger batteries supports professional video recording options. If you never owned a GH5, , then realize the camera is a little smaller than it appears in photos, which I think is a good thing.

You’ll need fast cards to capture the high quality formats (C4K 10-bit 4:2:2 etc. ) but the good thing is you don’t need any external recorders. Image quality: The GH5 Mark II out of the box using Cine-D or V-Log L picture profiles results in image that is so much more flexible than Sony’s 8-bit format.

The color science and rendering also feels more natural than the GH3 which I also owned. In my opinion ISO is useful up to 6400 with clean up and the dynamic range holds up at higher ISOs pretty well.

S5 vs GH5 Mark II The S5 and the GH5 Mark ii are almost the same price, so I’ll explain why a GH5 Mark ii might be more suitable for certain people. Don’t let the MFT size sensor fool you. Shallow DOF is easily attainable.

But it’s not even always desirable as it’s less of a concern for filmmaking. In that way, the MFT system seems ideal. I found it easy to adapt to other lens systems, especially for anamorphic shooting.

MFT and vintage lens are affordable compared to L-mount lens. With a 25mm F1. 8 the shallow DOF is substantial. But I also tested it with a Nikon 50mm f1. 4 and 0. 71x speedbooster and it feels like I I may be meeting or exceeding the DOF of Super 35mm (APS-C sized sensors).

As a bonus, the GH5 Mark II has better IBIS than the S5 by a large margin. And you also get Open Gate anamorphic mode which uses the entire sensor to capture video.

I’m a long-time Canon shooter (for still images) but stepped out and got a Panasonic GX85 a few years ago for occasional video work. I was more than impressed. As my needs have grown on the video side, I had my eye on the G9.

It was Panasonic’s attempt to make a camera for still shooters, but it had a number of fantastic video features. Firmware upgrades continued to add value, so I finally decided to go for it. I’ve not been disappointed.

For anyone doing occasional professional video work, this is a capable camera, but I’m now using it more & more for stills, too, in place of my Canon 70D. The ergonomics are fantastic, the menu system is intuitive, the customization options are extensive.

With recent firmware upgrades, I’ve found autofocus to be excellent, and it is fast in burst mode! Slots for two SD cards is a huge plus. From a usability perspective, I honestly don’t think you can beat the G9 on value.

Panasonic got a LOT right on this camera! Of course, at the end of the day, you’re after good image and/or video quality, and this is where the G9 may lose some folks. You can’t change the fact that it is a M43 sensor, which means pushing the ISO for better low light performance just doesn’t work, and you’re not going to have the same bokeh that you might get on a full-frame sensor.

If you can get over those hang-ups (which are way too easy to have) – a few have them for good reason, but for most, it is not an issue – you’ll be blown away at what this camera can do. The sensor aside, you’re getting a $2k camera for $1k.

If you’re a hybrid shooter, I don’t know that you can find anything close to this in terms of overall value.

The Professor Teaches series of tutorials from Individual Software are outstanding. I have been using Individual Software products for many years. They are always high quality products that deliver exactly what they promise.

Do not hesitate to purchase – you will be glad that you did.

Was sold on the product because it seemed to fill vacancy in technical support. Have been frustrated by the lack of guidance in products purchased without any accompanying notes or instructions for the user.

While this appeared to be the answer to my concern, I was not able to read the disk or open files. At this point, I cannot say if the problem is on the disk, or my attempt to access it or how the OS works with it.

In any case, it was a disappointment. MK.

Program excellent, but I will never buy software from Staples again as out of the 2 I bought 1 box was empty and I guess I will not be refunded for it. It looks like it was pryed open keeping the seals in place without breaking them.

They should have been checked properly at the register for that. I lost money on the second one (empty box).

I know there are many people not liking the subscription model Adobe has adopted. I’m one of them. But your can’t beat the value you get for all the software! If I could find a better suite of software, I’d switch.

But lately, some software makers are updating their software now on a yearly basis, even having you upgrade just to fix bugs! Offering little in the way of new features. So, I’m still subscribing after 4 years.

I’m lucky enough to work for the educational system to get this incredible discount for teachers and students. Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to pay the higher subscriptions prices as a normal user. I’d wait for deals like B&H are offering to get this Adobe suite of products.

This is a one year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (CC). You know what that is already and what it is worth to you. If you are a new CC subscriber, then this is perfect. If you are a current subscriber facing renewal soon, you know that Adobe will typically auto-renew your subscription at a rate at least $100 more than the product here.

In that you, can buy this product, cancel your subscription around the final day, and use this product to buy a new subscription that still has all of your original cloud content. No need to reinstall CC either.

Why Adobe will not simply renew CC at the best rate is a question I cannot answer. And that’s okay since I would rather B&H get a cut anyway.

Been using InDesign etc since it came out. So far, this version is just as good. Having to stumble around to find everything as it is set up differently but still a powerful tool