Targus USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Dual Video Docking Station, PC/Mac/Windows 8-Tablet/Netbook Compatible (ACP70USZ)

Targus USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Dual Video Docking Station, PC/Mac/Windows 8-Tablet/Netbook Compatible (ACP70USZ)..

Special Price Targus USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Dual Video Docking Station, PC/Mac/Windows 8-Tablet/Netbook Compatible (ACP70USZ) By Targus

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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful.
Getting better with driver updates
By MikeBaz
This is at least the second Targus USB 3.0 dock. (There was an ACP-70US - without the "Z" - and before that there was at least one USB 2.0 version of the same basic thing.) I purchased the non-Z version at a local store, and had a lot of trouble with stability of the dock, so I brought it back and bought this newer version.

It is still an unstable product, even with the current (Jan., 2013) firmware and drivers. The audio out dropped more than once a day, so I eventually stopped trying to use it and now plug the speakers into the machine (a Surface Pro) when the dock is being used, ignoring the on-dock audio completely.

And then, about once a day, the dock just "checks out". The hardware is still there, but it's nonresponsive - any peripherals attached aren't really available. The more common case of this is the monitors connected (I'm using both ports) just get frozen with whatever they had, the USB devices slowly drop out (e. g. mouse and keyboard work, but then at some point stop), etc. To fix this you have to unplug the dock from the computer, unplug the power (which at the dock is annoying, because the plug has a sliding, locking connector), plug the power back in, and connect to the computer. Then you're good for another... day if you're lucky.

I am very close to returning this unit and trying a different manufacturer's one at this point. The only thing stopping me right now is the fear that since all of these dual-display docks are basically the same guts (DisplayLink), that I'd be swapping one broken unit for another.

UPDATE IN APRIL, 2013: The very recent April driver update (7.1) has made a substantial difference. I've now gone nearly a week without the sound dropping or the Ethernet dropping. I see other posts about people having the exact same issues I was having, especially the Ethernet. I don't know if the updated drivers would help them, but it helped me. We'll need to see if it's a long term fix but so far at least, it's much better.

Also this is on Windows 8 - I should have said that before. Very specifically it's on a Surface Pro.

UPDATE APRIL 18: The drivers are not perfect still - I have had one drop of the Ethernet earlier this week after all, and just now, a loss of the sound. And there seems to be a new issue with this driver release around performance on the displays - the mouse cursor and scrolling are "jumpy" and that was not the case before. So it's still a work in progress even after all this time. So I am still waiting on DisplayLink to continue their improvements. The device works well enough at this point to not bother sending it back, and DisplayLink powers all of the other devices of this type so it's not like there's a choice around it even if I did send it back. That said I've dropped the rating back because it's a little silly that after all this time there are still issues around it.

I should also mention you CAN'T currently find the updated drivers on the Targus site - I just checked. They are at the DisplayLink site (7.2M0 released April 3, 2013).

UPDATE JUNE 18: The May 2013 drivers are better still. Biggest remaining issue is sound dropping every so often.

UPDATE AUGUST 30: The 7.4M0 drivers (from DisplayLink - Targus still has 7.3M1) seemed better, but audio dropout seemed to get much worse. I ended up completely uninstalling them (after unplugging the dock), rebooting, installing 7.3M1, connecting the dock, waiting for the hardware update and driver load (note: I don't remember seeing the update during an upgrade - that could be a UI issue or an actual installer bug, I don't know), confirming everything was working, disconnecting the dock, uninstalling fully again, rebooting, installing 7.4M0, connecting the dock (again including a hardware update), and then everything was happy for now. We'll see how stable it is. I've dropped my rating because this is a bit ridiculous, not having a reliable driver after all this time.

UPDATE DECEMBER 5: Even at 7.4M2 I'm still seeing the dropouts of audio. I did find a better way to fix it: (1) right-click volume icon in notification area (2) choose "Playback devices" (3) right-click "Speakers - Targus USB Audio" and choose "Properties" (4) change to the Enhancements tab (5) Change any of the enhancement checkboxes, click Apply, then change it back, and click Apply. [The change back isn't necessary but leaves you how you started.] Changing this setting seems to force the driver to sort itself out.

55 of 61 people found the following review helpful.
Works as advertised. Up to five displays, GigE, no waiting.
By Tyler Pomerhn
I'm not certain why so many others are having issues with this dock. I bought two (one for work, one for home).

Unboxed one, plugged GigE, some USB2.0 peripherals, and two 1920x1080 displays into the device, powered it up, and plugged it into the USB3.0 port on my Asus G74SX. The laptop detected the hub, but had very few of the components working. After inserting the driver CD that came with the unit and installing the drivers, the GigE port lit up and ran at 1Gbps, the USB2.0 fired up, everything worked but the dual external monitors. However, I waited about five minutes and the monitors suddenly engaged at the full 1920x1080 FullHD resolution.

Subsequent plug-ins to either of the docks worked flawlessly. A software update popped up with Windows Update a week later, with many updates for the dock; one of the biggest was for the DisplayPort software, which is software that extends video through the USB port. Technically, my NVidia GPU on the Asus doesn't see these monitors as external displays, so theoretically I could run with more than three screens. I tested and was able to run the GigE port to transfer files, while I was watching a 1080p video on one external display through the dock and another external display running YouTube, all while running apps on the laptop's main screen.

In short, This device was about as plug-and-play as can be, and that's saying something - I've been in the industry for 15+ years, and rarely had anything be so stunningly transparent, easy to use, and functional. I run with three displays (two external plus the laptop's own screen), GigE, and other peripherals all with a single USB cable.

My advice for others who might have problems - check your drivers, both on the software for the dock and for your own USB3.0 controller. I would wager that 90% of the issues are related to the laptop's own USB drivers, or perhaps running a set of screens at non-standard resolutions (though my work external screens are 1920x1080, which is standard, and my home screens are 1920x1200, and the docks have no issues switching between the resolutions, even when resuming from sleep), or running with outdated software. Maybe the 64-bit drivers are better than their 32-bit cousins. I dunno.

Bottom line? If there is some form of incompatibility, then you'll probably hate it. And let's be real, folks, it's been out a whole three or so months. But for those of us who need a docking solution that is easy to use and ubiquitous across manufacturers, and the drivers work, this is an EXCELLENT device.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
Works great, but don't lose you're power supply!
By B. Roldan
I've been using the Targus docking station for 3 months now with no problems. I've tested it with a Sony Vaio and Dell XPS, both performed flawlessly when I installed the latest drivers. I've used dual monitor and single monitor configurations with no problem.

Here is the biggest failing with the product. If you happen to lose your power supply, like I did on a recent business trip, you are out of luck. Targus WILL NOT sell you a replacement power supply. I tried mightily to convince their support team, but to no avail. Their solution to my problem? Go buy another Targus docking station... now I can have a spare docking station with my new power supply!

This decision by Targus is a major oversight in customer support, and so my total experience with the product goes from 5 stars down to 3.

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OmniMount ECSB Component Shelf Wall Shelf for TVs and Video Accessories

OmniMount ECSB Component Shelf Wall Shelf for TVs and Video Accessories..

GET OmniMount ECSB Component Shelf Wall Shelf for TVs and Video Accessories By OmniMount

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65 of 66 people found the following review helpful.
Picture is Deceiving
By Nak'm Dead
This is a quality unit, BUT the picture gives you the impression that the shelf does not extend out very far. The arm of the shelf extends so that the glass shelf begins 5" from the wall and extends out to 21" from the wall. This is the only complaint I have as the unit is otherwise well designed, sturdy, and the glass shelf(tempered) is first class. My suggestion, design a sliding extendable/retractable arm. The shelf is used to hold a direct TV receiver below a small wall hung 21" LCD in sewing room.

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful.
Good Looking Shelf
By (E) None Of The Above
This shelf is quite attractive and easy to install. The depth of it is greater than I was imaging, so if you're using it for a smallish item (like a DVD or cable box), it will stick out form the wall farther than you need.

70 of 81 people found the following review helpful.
Great product for the most part...
By Paul Waldman
This is a great wall mount shelf. There aren't a lot of 30 lb shelf mount speakers out there. I have Klipsch RS-62s that weigh in at 26 lbs each, and the shelves accomodate them. The down side is that one of the shelves was sent with screws that had no thread! Also you HAVE TO install thise into a stud, period! When you initially drill, make sure you find wood shavings as the drill bit comes out. When you install drill the other holes, MAKE SURE you measure from the ground to the top of the wall plate to assure the speakers will be at the same height. Also, make sure that before you do your drilling deep, LEVEL the plate using a LEVEL you can buy at any hardware store, so your speakers don't tilt in one direction or the other. Make sure the top side is on TOP and put the plastic cover on BEFORE you attach the glass, and that the glass is faced so the rounded edge is in the front! Good Luck!

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Asus ATI Radeon HD6450 Silence 1 GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI Low Profile PCI-Express Video Card - EAH6450 SILENT/DI/1GD3(LP)

Asus ATI Radeon HD6450 Silence 1 GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI Low Profile PCI-Express Video Card - EAH6450 SILENT/DI/1GD3(LP)..

GET Asus ATI Radeon HD6450 Silence 1 GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI Low Profile PCI-Express Video Card - EAH6450 SILENT/DI/1GD3(LP) By Asus

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59 of 64 people found the following review helpful.
Perfect choice for an older, small-form factor computer
By team W
I have an HP Slimline mini desktop dating from about 2009. (HP S5310t - but the slimline HPs from that era all used a similar form factor). The video card died when the fan on it seized up, and so I found myself shopping for a replacement. Going shopping for a video card for an older computer with a very small form factor is definitely a little unnerving.

On a computer this old, I am not exactly looking for serious gaming performance. Anything out there is a few generations ahead of what I had, so relative power is not the key question. Instead, my main concerns were:

(1) Will it actually fit in my small case?

(2) Will it actually work once I get it in there?

As for making it fit, this card is "Low profile ready". What that means is it won't fit a small computer case when it comes out of the box, but they give you the pieces you need to make it fit. Basically the little metal plate at the back of the card where you plug the card into the monitor cable is too long, but they give you two shorter plates that you can swap out for the big one.

One short connector plate is for the newer, digital connectors (DVI & HDMI) and the second is for the more basic, VGA connector. You can actually have all three connectors available, even when the card is installed in a small computer, just as long as there are two open slots on the back of the case next to each other. The cable that connects the VGA out to the card is long enough that you can reach the second opening in the back of the case. I happened to have that space available on my computer and so I set it up that way. All you need to swap out the back plates is a small diameter Phillips head screwdriver and some needle-nose pliers for the little bolts that hold it to the card. This is not a task for people terrified of anything remotely mechanical, but it is not hard to do if you are at least modestly handy.

Of course, making it fit is not just about the shorter plate on the back of the card, it also means that the card has to fit INSIDE the computer. A really, really fat video card with huge heat sinks all over it might not have enough space to fit inside a mini tower case.

Because this card doesn't have a fan and just uses a big heat sink to keep it cool, I was a little worried it would be too fat. But it is really barely thicker than the thickness of the back plate, and so it ought to fit pretty well everywhere. It really doesn't look much bigger than the card it replaced. I definitely like the idea of no separate fan on the video card, since the failure of the last fan was what caused me to go shopping for a new card in the first place. No fan means one less thing to wear out and break. It also makes the computer slightly quieter.

Anyway, I got the thing physically into the computer with no real hassles. So now it was time to reconnect the monitor cable, boot up the computer and brace myself for the possibility of a very rough ride. When you are installing a new video card, you are messing around with a lot drivers and so forth in the guts of Windows, and things can easily go south on you.

Turns out the install was actually fairly quick and painless. I have a 64 bit, Windows 7 OS, and for me the install actually went very smoothly. Just leave it alone and let it auto-start. It chugs along and requires a reboot but that's it. I was a little worried that my PCI Express x16 (1.0) bus was going make this newer, Express 2.1 card unhappy, but it seems fine. PCI Express is backward compatible, it just means the card runs a bit slower.

Before installing anything I did take the step of uninstalling the device driver software for the older card, so there was nothing but the built in windows drivers on the system when I installed this. They don't tell you to do this, but it is a very good idea to clear out any old drivers to avoid driver conflicts.

Whole process from opening the box to finishing the install took maybe 30 minutes, including installing the new back plates on the card. Not bad at all.

Now that all is up and running, it comes with a monitor utility that shows both capacity of the card and heat. Pushing full HD video out to a 24 inch monitor video through the DVI connector runs the card at roughly 30-50% of capacity and the temp seems to be well within the acceptable range. I haven't done long-term studies of the heat profile yet, but since I am mainly going to be using this computer for business productivity stuff and rarely even using it for video, I am not too worried about it. I think, at least for those light-duty users like me, a card with no fan on it is definitely the way to go.

You can actually overclock the card using the software they provide. I am not going to bother since I don't need every bit of performance here, but it is nice to see that they will let you push the card to its limit if you need to.

We'll see whether it holds up, but so far, this was a good purchase. Shopping for this was definitely a bit of a hassle, and I was worried the installation would be difficult, but it turned out just fine for me. I am back in business for not much money and will probably get at least another couple years out of this computer now. I figure it was worth the modest, incremental cost to get an ASUS, which is one of the larger and better known board makers. Maybe I could have saved a few bucks by going with one of these companies I'd never heard of, but for something like this, where a lot can easily go wrong, less hassle is definitely worth a little more cash.

52 of 58 people found the following review helpful.
A graphic card planned for your desktop
By David
If you have an integrated graphic card on your motherboard, radeon 6450 will be a good choice to add it.
For example, my desktop pc is a pentium e5800, 4 gb RAM, 500 HDD, power supply 275 Watts. I bought it recently because i use it for office work and sometimes a game. When i put it windows experience index increased from 3,4 to 4,5 in windows aero and from 3,4 to 6,1 in gaming graphics! You will notice that your memory ram use will be low than before and your HD video performance will get better. The graphic card consumption is very low and temperature is around 50 C (122 F) (the temperature is showed by smartdoctor software that it is included). Of course, radeon 6450 it is not for heavy gamers or full resolution games but it is more powerful by far than my GMA x4500HD intel integrated graphic card.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Great for HTPC's and office computers
By Gearhead Mania
Asus AMD Radeon HD 6450 1GB DDR3, Silent

I'll be blunt, the HD 6450 is not designed for playing the latest games. I'm hesitant to try older games with it, but it is a significant improvement over Intel's integrated HD2000 and HD3000 graphics in its Sandybridge processors. Intel's HD2000/HD3000 have serious issues with certain movie formats and overscanning with LCD TV's using the HDMI port. I cannot watch MotoGP.com videos in 720P with the HD2000 or HD3000 due to artifacts on the lower half of the screen. I read that 23.97 frame rate movies cannot be played either.

So for a HTPC build, or for a general-use build, this is where the HD 6450 shines! It sips energy, so you can run it with a 300W PSU. There's no fan, just a large heatsink so it runs silent. It doesn't get hot and doesn't use much power, and is DirectX 11 compatible. I ran 3DMark11 and got a low 501 score with a Core i3-2120 processor, so it is not setting any records. But it is reliable and runs cold.

Using Windows 7's built-in experience index, it went from 5.1 desktop aero graphics using my Intel HD2000, to a 4.5 with the HD 6450. I feel this is a misleading index anyhow. The gaming index with the 6450 Is 6.1, but it isn't that fast for 3D gaming.

The 6450 works straight out of the box with LCD TV's without any overscan issues. The HDMI audio is a bit low in volume, I have to turn it up to 100 just to get decent sound out of my TV.

Overall: 5/5 stars, does the work just fine for a HTPC build or for the office. It is silent, it runs cold, and it doesn't use a lot of power. So far it seems to run rock steady reliable as well. Just don't plan to play the latest 3D games.

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Sony BDP-BX110/S1100 Blu-ray Player with HDMI cable, Ethernet Streaming 1080p HD Video

Sony BDP-BX110/S1100 Blu-ray Player with HDMI cable, Ethernet Streaming 1080p HD Video..

GET Sony BDP-BX110/S1100 Blu-ray Player with HDMI cable, Ethernet Streaming 1080p HD Video By Sony

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260 of 266 people found the following review helpful.
The Sony BDP-BX110: Outstanding Value At This Price Level
By One-Shot Scot
The Sony BX110 is the best non-3D Blu-ray/DVD player that I have seen, anywhere near its price range. It takes 15 seconds to load Blu-ray disks, which took around 2 minutes to load in one of my earlier Panasonic players. A couple of Blu-ray disks (The King's Speech and Casino) would only load in this Panasonic player if I unplugged the Internet connection. Eventually, a firmware update came along which allowed loading of these titles, but they still loaded very slowly.

The owner's manual that came with the BX110 lists two Sony models in its title: BDP-S1100/BX110. However, the two models appear to be identical other than their different nomenclature. According to the owner's manual, the only difference between these two models is that the BX110 comes with a "High Speed HDMI Cable."

The Sony BDP-S1100/BX110 is not WiFi capable, nor is it WiFi ready. The only way to connect this player to the Internet is through the use of a LAN cable. When using a LAN cable, this player connects to the Internet quickly and produces fast and accurate streaming content. With Comcast Internet, the player quickly set itself up through the use of its Auto settings.

My previous experience with all-in-one Blu-ray players has found their Internet streaming capabilities lacking. This was not a problem for me because I have a Roku 2 XS for my Netflix and Amazon streaming videos. I assumed that this Sony player would be no exception and that its Internet streaming capabilities would not be good. But I registered the player with Netflix and Amazon just to see if it would actually play streaming video with any degree of accuracy. (By the way, the player has the ability to erase all personal data from its internal memory should ownership of the player ever be transferred.)

To my surprise, this player does an excellent job of streaming both Netflix and Amazon content. No dropouts, no stuttering and no lockups. The Sony streaming video interfaces are slightly different from those of the Roku, but they are very intuitive and easily learned. I couldn't be happier with the performance of this Sony player's streaming video performance.

This Sony player quickly loads both Blu-ray and DVD disks and when the Auto function is used, it plays both Blu-ray and DVD disks in 24p mode. The remote control system is very sensitive and the player responds quickly and accurately to all commands. The player allows faster loading of Blu-ray disks by allowing the BD Internet Connection to be shut off. I have shut off this feature because I have found nearly all BD Internet content to be a complete waste of time. There is also an optional Quick Start Mode which allows Blu-ray disks to load faster.

One of the audio settings of the Sony player was somewhat confusing to me until I did some research. The BD Audio MIX Setting when set to On produces a multi-channel PCM signal only, presumably adding alternate soundtrack information to the main audio program. When this option is set to Off, the primary soundtrack comprised of various audio types, such as Dolby Digital Plus, DTS HD and True HD are available. I set this option to Off.

A USB input on the front of the player allows the playback of MP4, MP3, WMV, JPG pictures etc., (those are the only formats that I have tried so far) and the USB device is also used to store BD data in a "buda" file, which the player can delete on demand.

My Pioneer receiver has the ability to correct lip sync problems through the use of an audio delay setting. The Sony player did not need any audio sync correction and the HDMI audio signal arrived at the receiver perfectly synchronized with the video. At least that's my assumption, because the Sony player, Samsung TV and Pioneer receiver may all be working seamlessly together. There could still be lip sync problems with other combinations of playback equipment. However, since player also has the ability to do an Audio/Video sync from 0 to 120 msec and the default setting is 0 msec.

Notes:

There is a coaxial digital audio output jack in the back of the unit -- a feature that is becoming rare in entry-level Blu-ray players. I did not check the digital audio output for possible lip sync issues.

Once the Internet connection was established, the player offered to update its software version to M14.R.0093 and this update was accomplished quickly.

The player generates almost no heat and therefore does not have a cooling fan.

This Sony player has a light that indicates that the player is turned on, but it does not display any disk time or chapter information on the unit. This disk information can be displayed on screen by pressing the "DISPLAY" button on the remote while the disk is playing.

UPDATE 12/08/2013 Regarding Netflix Dolby Digital Plus Audio: In order to receive DD+ sound, you must have a DD+ capable receiver AND make the appropriate Netflix settings in "Your Account" Playback settings. I just ran through the Netflix settings and got these results:

Low (0.3 GB per hour)=PCM Stereo.
Medium (0.7 GB per hour)=Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio.
High (3 GB per hour)=Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio.

86 of 94 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent inexpensive BluRay player
By Bob G
I purchased this at Costco for $69.99 including HDMI cable, without Ethernet cable. Compared to the Samsung BDFM59C which I returned, also to Costco and for which I had paid $129.99, the Sony is a gem. Much easier to use, particularly the search and type function, as well as having a feature the Samsung lacked, that of returning by default to the spot in the DVD last played after turning machine off and on later to resume watching.
Very satisfied with this unit.

82 of 91 people found the following review helpful.
Couldn't be happier
By yolo41
I did quite a bit of looking, reading reviews, etc before purchasing this sony bluray player. Most everything I read was positive and so I took the plunge. I am so very pleased with my decision. First, let me say that the set up could not have been any easier. I hooked up the unit and turned it on and it did the rest, which was wonderful because I can be a little intimidated by this stuff. The first thing I did was go to Netflix because we watch a lot shows here and I read in a couple reviews that there were problems with buffering and lagging. This was last night and I have since watched an entire season of a favorite show of mine and it ran absolutely flawlessly! We also watched a movie today and it also was perfect. For what I was looking for, something to stream netflix, hulu, etc and watch bluray/dvds, I couldn't be happier! It's a a great deal and I highly recommend it.

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MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 OC 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card N760 TF 2GD5/OC

MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 OC 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card N760 TF 2GD5/OC..

Buy MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 OC 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card N760 TF 2GD5/OC By MSI Computer Corp.

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55 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Buy two and watch them outperform a GTX Titan
By Jason Evangelho
I'm evaluating two of these for Forbes Tech, and running them in SLI yielded better FPS results than the $1000 NVIDIA GTX Titan. This wasn't just at 1080p either. I used both synthetic benchmarks and real-world game tests at 1440p as well, and these dual MSIs continuously impressed, and at half the price of the Titan and roughly $150 less than the GTX 780.

Benchmarks and analysis: [...]

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Great GPU
By MrPie
This is definitely the fastest GPU I've owned (granted my last one was the HD4350), but nonetheless a great card. I've been throwing some benchmarks at it and it definitely holds up (furmark, boinc, blender, etc.) The good thing about this card too is that it runs well in SLI, so that could be a future upgrade path. This is a great card and should run any modern game decently at a relatively high resolution.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
great mid-range card
By James W
This card rocks. Plays everything I've thrown at it on ultra. Can't wait to get another and run them in SLI. To these others giving low ratings, think about what you're doing before you give a great product a crappy rating. Just because you didn't take the time to measure your PC before you purchased this is not a good reason to give it 3 stars. NOR is it ever right to give a product a bad rating because ANOTHER product performs slightly better for $80 more. Stupidity. 33 other people agree. If you were looking for a fairly priced mid-range video card, stop here. This is faster than the 660ti for $50 less.

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