a blog about me & technology
Mouse & Keyboards
Review of Blu-Ray Player/Burner
Apr 19th
If you’re looking for the perfect Blu-ray player/burner combo, the LG GGW-H20LK is perfect. Newegg currently lists the LG GGW-H20LK at $179.99 with free shipping. I have owned this drive since November and I have had no complaints. True, it isn’t the fastest drive on the market with a Blu-ray BD-ROM read speed of 6x and a BD-RE write speed of 2x, but at this price point it’s the best deal on the market. LG makes quality products and it has stood up to the test I’ve put it through. I have burned, played and copied several disc with no problems. It’s whisper quiet too, so there is no need to raise the volume when the LG GGW-H20LK is in use. The included PowerDVD software is handy too. It took a while to install because it made you go through all of the updates, but this just built the suspense to test the player for the first time. It takes about 45 minutes to copy a movie to my hard drive and about the same amount of time to burn a movie to a BD-R.
LG GGW-H20LK
I have only used the RiDATA BDR-252-RD-JC disc to burn and haven’t had any issues. The best part about these BD-R’s is that they are the cheapest on the market at $4.99 a pop. This is currently the one thing that is holding Blu-ray burners from being becoming more popular is the price of blank media. When this price drops, the market for burners will rapidly increased. We have seen this issue resolved before last decade with DVD’s.
The biggest pros of the LG GGW-H20LK are the quality it has been built with, its price and the fact that is just works. There are only some minor cons. I wish it came with a flat black face plate to match my computer better and as with all drives, I wish it had a better, more universal mounting/install system.
Review of the Adesso WKB-4000US
Apr 11th
My current home theater setup isn’t anything amazing right now, but it’s being improved. I currently have an HTPC that I built last May hooked up to my roommate’s 20” Sharp LCD TV which is fine for a dorm room, but my lease starts in a few weeks and some upgrades will need to be made. I also picked up the Adesso WKB-4000US wireless keyboard with built in touchpad. This is a vital upgrade for any home theater with an HTPC because it gives you access to the computer outside of Media Center.
You may be questioning what’s wrong with a regular Bluetooth mouse and keyboard combo. The issue is that I like to sit deep in my couch and having a 2.4GHz wireless keyboard touchpad in my lap is extremely convenient considering the alternative. The other plus, is that the Adesso WKB-4000US is cheaper than most midrange Bluetooth keyboard mouse combos. It retails on Amazon for about $80, I was able to snag mine off of eBay for under $70 including shipping. I’ve had this now since January and I am very pleased with it. Some of my initial concerns were that since the market for this type of product doesn’t really exist, I was concerned about the build quality. Turns out it is built great. It’s taken some
small falls and has held up great. Nothing is loose and the keys don’t stick. The batteries also last a long time. I haven’t had to change them yet! One thing that took me a while to figure out was that to wake the keyboard up after a period of inactivity is that you need to push a button twice, the touchpad won’t wake it up.
If you are used to working on a laptop, this keyboard will feel like home. Honestly, I struggle to come up with any improvement
s for the Adesso WKB-4000US other than I wish it came in black. I love the reaction of people when they see it sitting around my room. Their first impression was that I hacked a keyboard in half, then I explain what it is, and they fall in love with the concept and its execution. All in all, this will always be a stable of my home theater setup.