Neuros Technology Forums

I realize that this may not the the ideal place for objective answers, but I am considering purchasing the Recorder 2 and was wondering if anyone, including the manufacturer had comments regarding how their unit compars with the new V-Mate from SanDisk.  So far the main difference that I see is that it is cheaper and accepts mor types of memory cards.  Does the Neuros have any advantages of the SD unit?  I am not trying to start aflame war, but just trying to gather honest opinions.  See link below for specs:

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Item(2171)-SDVM1-A-SanDisk_VMate_Video_Memory_Card_Recorder_.aspx

Hi PSPDriver,

I've owned & used (almost daily) my R2+ since July 2006.  Your post is interesting and I took a quick look at the SanDisk link you provided.  I don't think the SanDisk product was being offered back in July when I was conducting my search for this type of device.  Back then, I thought the r2+ was the only game in-town.

You mentioned cheaper & more card types as a difference.  My cursory look at SanDisk also shows it to have an IR Emitter.  Having that would allow the SanDisk to control channel changes of the video source device (VCR, etc) during user set up of timed recording.  The r2+ does not have the ability to control the source video channel tuner.  I have on occasion wished it did although I wouldn't say that this would be deal breaker for me if I was shopping to purchase this type of device today.

A second difference I've noticed is that the SanDisk has an On/Off switch on its backside.  The r2+ can only be turned on and off using the remote.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  I guess it would depend on if you're a couch potato or not.

A third difference I've noticed is that the SanDisk looks to have a FireWire input on its backside.  This is only a guess on my part since I didn't look at the manual pdf (was there one available to look at on the website?) but I'm thinking that this is another video source input.  In my opinion, that would ideal for transferring DV video shot on camcorders rather than copying them via composite video.  My JVC DVR has FireWire input source for recording on its HDD or burning to DVD-R.  It's a nice feature.

I hope my observations have been some help for you.  Honestly, the SD unit does look to be a stronger item but one thing I always tell myself before purchasing devices:  The is no such thing as a perfect machine.

Best of luck,
Dave

We actually played with the Sandisk unit some a few weeks ago. I won't make a full review here, but here is what we found:
It seems like the chipset used by Sandisk is inferior to ours, as there was a significant quality difference in the recordings made a high bit rate (best quality settings). The VGA resolution looked actually terrible on TV set with a jumpy playback and the Audio/Video were out of synch.
The V-mate does only playback the types of format it uses to record (MP4 and 3GP).  With Neuros Recorder, you can download movies on a card and play them back on your TV (the Recorder supports video playback of MP4, AVI, ASF, Divx and Quicktime up to DVD resolution)
There is not slide show mode on the V-mate
We liked the IR blaster (we actually have one on our Neuros OSD), although we had issues getting it to work consistently.

Overall, the unit is decent if you are only looking to get content for a small screen. If you want a more versatile unit for video playback from small to bigger screens (like a PC or even a TV) , Neuros Recorder will be a better choice. Feel free to check out Treocentral forum, a few users compared both units (it will give you an unbiased opionion).

FJ
Neuros

It's not a firewire port, it's a mini USB port.
My only guess of why it's there is for using the device itself as a card reader with a computer. Although there is no mention of that functionality in the product description page on SanDisk's website.

Like other people on this forum I was looking into a flash-based recorded for getting car video (track days and races). I was looking at the V-Mate as a potnential device to get, however the more I looked into it the less it seemed like a good option. Their documentation was sparse at best, there didn't seem to be any real user community behind the device, and the device itself didn't seem to have the functionality I was looking for.

While SanDisk does make some nice flash memory cards their entry into the very small flash recorder market seemed to be an afterthought.

FJ is completely correct about the poor quality of the VMate.
We tested the VMate  and were not at all impressed with the quality.
The On/Off switch seems to have some flaws with the unit also.


For sure the Neuros R2+ is the best buy.

I have a growing feeling that Neuros sometimes doesn't "feel the love" for its existing user base, and that they are more focused on developing the next big thing. The NR1 had numerous complaints about its substandard audio quality, and nothing was ever done about that. The NR2 had numerous complaints about the 2-hour limit, and Neuros has declared that there is nothing they can do about that either. Even flaws with the players' core functionality (like AutoRecord) have taken a very long time to be fixed and still have some issues (e.g., why is AutoRecord STILL so hypersensitive to a signal that is even slightly weak?).

I'm not trying to flame Neuros or be insulting... the Neuros Recorders have changed the way I watch TV and essentially enhanced my everyday routine. I know they are making a good effort, but I still find it hard to keep plunking down the money for their products when I sometimes can't help but feel like they have abandoned me before the receipt finishes printing.

I am considering buying to....   I actually tried the VMate but ended up returning it because the remote stopped working the first day -  I did pay a lot less ~$80 total  with google checkout on buy.com and I am trying to justify whether or not it is worth it spending about $60 more for the Neuros Recorder 2 Plus (I want the SD slot) especially hearing unaddressed complaints re: audio quality and 2 hour video limit

I do have a couple of questions that might help with my decision:

Can you choose what folder to save the video in?   With the Vmate, to my knowledge, it would only save in the root folder which meant I would have to use my pc to drag it in the proper folder so my phone can play it.

Can you alter the video bitrate settings?  I believe if it is too fast my phone will also have difficulty playing it.

Anyone know of any rebates for this product?

Thanks.

Don't blame Neuros for "moving along", they can't get stuck on one product in a market that's rapidly evolving. The R2+ is a simple device that performs a simple task.

Personally, I only use it to record DVD's in realtime or to transfer home video from tape to SD.

As far as everyday recording I have an Archos 604 wifi, and I consider the R2+ as an accessory, not as a primary "does all" device. It's just another tool in my arsenal.

As far as the IR Blaster feature is concerned, you STILL have to go to the program guide on your sat box to see what's coming up, how hard is it to just press the auto-tune button at that time, then set up the start/stop on the R2+? This procedure will guard against overlapping recordings as well.

Bud

 
 budwzr  - do you know if you can specify a specific folder on your flash card to save your recording