Philips AVENT Digital Video Baby Monitor, White Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My wife and I love this monitor.We have replaced a Summer Infant Day & Night Baby Video Monitor with 5" Screen - White with Philips Avent.The sound and picture are great, and there is no interference like we had with Summer.Both day and night video feeds are very clear, and the design of the baby and that parent units is clean and modern.

There are some nice features like night lights on the baby unit, and the ability to have baby unit start playing lullabies by pressing a button on the parent unit the.The parent unit can be set to turn the screen off automatically to save battery unless the baby starts making sounds.The camera is not fixed to the camera stand, but held by a magnet, so it can be easily adjusted in any direction, and it can be used without the AC adapter with AAA batteries.Philips manual tells you not to use rechargeable batteries because the baby unit does not have a charging function, but I do not see why one could not use low self-discharge AAAs like Eneloops.

This baby monitor is covered by Philips's Full 2-year Warranty, which I found pleasantly surprising because a couple of the Philips DVD players I own were only warranteed for 90 days and I expected the warranty to be no longer than a year.I noticed just two minor issues that may not even be a problem for others.

1. For my setup, positioning the camera was a little difficult.We like to see the whole crib from above, so the camera needed to be setup on the shelf above and to the left of the crib.The way the Philips camera and stand are designed, I had to put a wedge under the back of the camera stand so that the camera points where I need it to point.I could not simply rotate the camera down far enough because then the lens would be covered by the stand (see pictures).I did not have this problem with the Summer's camera design.

2. The night vision infrared lights on the baby unit glow red.They are low intensity, but still visible and distracting.The Summer baby monitor also had night vision, but the night vision LEDs did not emit any visible spectrum light.

While reading reviews for other baby monitors, I noticed low ratings because of interference.The performance of the monitor will depend on how "polluted" the frequency band on which it operates at your location.For example, we have absolutely no problems with the interference with this Philips Avent Baby Monitor even though my wireless (b/g) router is located in the same room as the parent unit.However, we did have some interference issues with the Summer baby monitor although baby and parent units were located in the same spots where Philips is now.At the same time, Summer baby monitor worked without any interference when we took the parent unit to the kitchen.The point is that you won't know unless you try.

If you are looking for a baby monitor, I recommend that you consider Philips Avent Baby Monitor.

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Product Description:
Even when you're away from the nursery, you can rely on the SCD600 Digital Video Monitor from Philips AVENT to keep track of your baby. This Digital Video Monitor features a generous operating range, superb sound quality, and a high-resolution digital-quality color screen, so you'll hear and see your baby no matter where you are in your home. With the infrared night vision feature, this digital video monitor even allows you to view your baby in the dark.

SCD600 Digital Video Monitor
At a Glance:

See and hear your baby with the latest technology in video monitoringHigh-resolution digital-quality color screen provides a crystal-clear view of your babyInfrared night vision allows for video monitoring day and nightCordless parent unit operates within a 492-foot rangeAutomatic channel selection ensures a 100% private connection

See and hear your baby at all times with easy-to-use digital video technology.
View larger.
Infra-red night vision enables you to see your baby around the clock. View larger.Digital Camera and High-Resolution Screen Provide Crystal Clear Viewing
Whether you're working in your home office or cooking in the kitchen, you'll be able to keep an eye on the nursery with the Digital Video Monitor from Philips AVENT. The monitor's baby unit features a ball-style camera that swivels up, down, left, and right for the best shot of your child. The camera wirelessly sends real-time high-resolution video to the portable parent unit, which has a generous 2.4-inch digital-quality color screen that provides a clear image of your baby.
Infrared Night Vision for Round-the-Clock Monitoring
Thanks to the infrared night vision feature, this baby monitor doesn't stop at night or when the lights are off. The parent unit displays a clear night-vision image when the nursery is dark. Volume and brightness controls further enable easy monitoring of your baby.
Display Screen and LEDs Signal Noise Level in Your Baby's Room
When the Digital Video Monitor detects a noise in your baby's room, the parent unit's screen automatically activates and its lights indicate the level of noise.
Generous Operating Range and Cordless Mobility
With a range of 492 feet, the Digital Video Monitor lets you feel close to your little one, even when you're not in the same room. The rechargeable parent unit with hands-free belt clip allows you to move freely in and around your home, and its digital link and power indicators give you assurance that you're connected to your baby.
Automatic Channel Selection Provides a 100% Private Connection
Operating on a frequency band of 2.4 gigahertz, the Digital Video Monitor automatically searches for the most secure connection with the least interference. You can rest assured that your monitor transmissions are 100% private, and that you're the only one who can hear and see your baby.
Lullabies and Nightlight Help Sooth Your Baby
For those times when your baby is restless and agitated at bedtime, you can select one of three soothing lullabies that will invite sleep in no time. You can also help soothe and calm your little one with the warm tranquil glow of the night light that can be activated from the baby unit.
About Philips AVENT
Since 1984 AVENT has been designing and manufacturing products that are inspired by nature and developed through extensive research and clinical trials. Now, as part of the Philips Group, Philips AVENT produces innovative solutions that make feeding and caring for your baby easier.
The Philips AVENT product range includes baby monitors, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, toddler feeding, and newborn gifts. The products are designed to fit your busy life and make it easier for you to make the best choices for your baby.
What's in the Box
Digital video monitor including camera and parent unit, belt clip, user manual, and quick-start guide.



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Summer Infant Securesleep Handheld Color Video Monitor Review

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Summer Infant Best View Handheld Color Video Monitor with 2.5" Screen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Video monitors might seem gimmicky, or for obsessive parents, but they are much more useful than you might think (see more thoughts in the last section of this review).

And the Summer Infant BestView is one of the top choices (the other one as of now being the more expensive Safety 1st High-Def Digital Video Monitor).Summer Infant has done a lot of things right - they got the basics of audio and video working, and added useful features like pan and zoom.And they haven't added too many useless features (like music or nightlights).

There are a few things, as mentioned in other reviews and below, that leave you wondering what they were thinking.But all of the monitors we've owned - three video monitors and two audio monitors - have had a few strange twists like that.And oddly our first video monitor, the seemingly stone age analog Summer Infant Video Monitor with a video tube, still has the best audio and video quality of all of them (when there's no static).But it's far from portable.

With any monitor, the video and audio quality are by far the most important features, and on the the Summer Infant Best View Monitor those work well.The pan and zoom also work well, and are useful features:

GOOD VIDEO: The video quality is good when using night vision, considering the limitations of night vision; and very good in normal light, with good color.There is little or no time delay, and relatively few skips in the movement.

The good normal-light video quality, together with the pan and zoom feature, would make this a very good playtime monitor for a toddler's room.(But I'm betting most people instead buy this as a baby monitor, and mostly use night vision / black & white.)

By the way, all night vision monitors will be black and white - they only switch to color when a room is well lit.That surprises some people.

BIG SCREEN:The 2.5" screen on the is bigger than most if not all of the competition.That, together with the batteries, makes the monitor a little bigger than some (2-5/8" wide x 1-3/4" deep by 4-3/4" tall plus a 1-1/2" antenna, for 6-1/4" total), but it's not really a problem as it only needs to be portable, not pocketable.

GOOD AUDIO: The audio quality is good, and doesn't seem to be subject to a time delay (like some monitors).You can hear a baby breathing if you want to.There is a wide range of audio settings from loud to quiet to off, so it works in a noisy kitchen or when the shower is running, on one hand, or in the bedroom at night, on the other hand.It's a little unfortunate that the audio doesn't sound a little more natural and accurate, so you could get every nuance.But at least the audio doesn't seem like an afterthought, like it does on some monitors.

NO STATIC: There is no static or interference on the audio or video, at least for us.While that may seem amazing if you're new to digital monitors, it's an old technology - phones have had this for years.

USEFUL PAN:The camera has a motorized mount, and you can turn it through a wide range of motion to see the area you want to see.There's a joystick on the monitor used to control it, and it works fairly well.It's not silent when it moves, but not very loud.

USABLE ZOOM:There are just two zoom levels (not continuous, as with the pan).It works well enough, and is a nice feature.

PRIVATE: The digital technology used for transmitting not only avoids static, but is also private.

DECENT RANGE: We don't need much range, so have never had any issues.But it's a real shame the product info talks about 350' range, that's going to mislead people, as an insert in the box makes it clear that's not realistic.It says you should expect that "Optimal distance for normal in home use is 15-60 feet."

One tip, you normally want to point the antenna so it's perpendicular to where the monitor is.So if you're using the monitor on the same floor, point the antenna vertically; if you're using the monitor on a floor above or below, point the antenna horizontally.

OTHER FEATURES:There's a button on the top you can use to turn the video on and off, either to conserve batteries or just to not have the distraction.

The power adapters work on US or international voltages, which can come in handy.

BATTERIES:I was a disappointed to find this uses NiMH batteries, rather than the smaller, more powerful (and more expensive) LiOn type.On balance, though, it's probably fine for most people.It probably helps keep the cost down, and even though it's bulkier the monitor doesn't really need to be as portable as a cell phone would.

And, since this uses three standard AA rechargeable batteries, you can easily replace them - rather than this needing expensive or hard to find battery replacements.It's weak that they only supply batteries with a capacity of 2000 mah, as 2650 mah batteries are widely available.But you can easily install your own replacements.

I can't comment yet on how long the batteries last, I'll have to do more tests and check back on that.

INTERFERENCE:There's no question that this can interfere with wireless networks or other devices that use 2.4 GHZ.Summer Infant has better customer support than most other consumer electronics companies, but they strangely don't seem to have spent any time trying to figure out how to help people with this issue.("Buy a different router" was the advice I got.Right.The product insert also suggests you just stop using other 2.4 Ghz products, that's somewhere between laughable and insulting.)

If you're experiencing problems, try moving the monitor or the other devices so they aren't too close to one another.Try changing the router settings to use another channel, maybe Channel 1.

OTHER ISSUES: The volume is a little inconvenient to use, you have to go into the menu and use the joystick.Given that's the control we use the most, it seems odd.

While the camera pans over a wide range, the design keeps it from aiming downward very far.So one of the most common locations for a video monitor - on a shelf or dresser, a few feet above a crib or out of a toddler's reach - doesn't work unless you tilt the whole camera forward.Not that hard to do, but not what I'd expect.

The menu seems to be modeled after a video pong game my mom got for free for opening an account at the savings & loan in the early 1970s.

As mentioned in other reviews, the (sort of) flashing lights on the camera and (sort of) flashing video are kind of annoying.Even in a bright room, the bright flash keeps catching my eye making me think the baby moved, then I realize it was just the monitor and not thebaby. It's hard to figure how why they did that.

Someone there does deserve a whack in the head for letting this product out the door with a big bright LED on the camera.

VIDEO MONITORS - MUCH MORE THAN A GIMMICK

When I got our first video monitor, I wondered if it would be useful, or just a gimmick, or one more way to worry about the baby! We've found it very useful. There are just some things that an audio monitor can't tell you. And being able to check on your child without the disturbance of going into her room can save a lot of trouble, especially in the transition times in the evening and in the morning, when little disturbances can lead to bigger ones.

The video was especially useful when our child was a little older and moving around more, and we had left her to settle herself - which sometimes can seem like crying herself to sleep! :-( We used the video monitor to see if she was just unsettled (so we very much did not want to go into the room, or she wouldn't learn to settle herself) or had gotten into a spot she couldn't get out of (stuck in the bars of the crib, or lost her lovey, so we needed to go in and set things right). Video monitors are also useful to see when a child is awake, and how awake - sitting, standing, lying down or trying to climb out of bed! - or on her way to sleep, or not. And they can be lots of fun, too, to watch and listen!

Our other monitor is analog, and once in a while we'd hear our neighbor talking on their cordless phone - which no doubt means they hear us sometimes! A digital monitor, like the Best View, should be private and static-free.

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Product Description:
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Levana BABYVIEW20 Interference Free Digital Wireless Video Baby Monitor with Night Light Lullaby Camera Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When I got our first video monitor, I wondered if it would be useful, or just a gimmick, or one more way to worry about the baby!We've found it very useful.There are just some things that an audio monitor can't tell you. And being able to check on your child without the disturbance of going into her room can save a lot of trouble, especially in the transition times in the evening and in the morning, when little disturbances can lead to bigger ones.

The video was especially useful when our child was a little older and moving around more, and we had left her to settle herself - which sometimes can seem like crying herself to sleep! :-(We used the video monitor to see if she was just unsettled (so we very much did not want to go into the room, or she wouldn't learn to settle herself) or had gotten into a spot she couldn't get out of (stuck in the bars of the crib, or lost her lovey, so we needed to go in and set things right).Video monitors are also useful to see when a child is awake, and how awake - sitting, standing, lying down or trying to climb out of bed! - or on her way to sleep, or not.And they can be lots of fun, too, to watch and listen!

Our other monitor is analog, and once in a while we'd hear our neighbor talking on their cordless phone - which no doubt means they hear us sometimes!A digital monitor, like the Levana, should be private and static-free.

So, I really wanted to like this product.Plus, I really needed it when a new baby arrived.But while it has an attractive design and some interesting features, the Levana Babyview monitor doesn't seem especially workable or useful for us.

The main issue, of course, is the video and audio quality.Both are problematic on the Levana BabyView:

Video:The video quality seems barely adequate.The resolution on the baby's face is OK, but just.The frame rate seems too low - you don't get anything like continuous motion.Every several seconds, the video freezes.From time to time, it freezes for a much longer time.The video compression used results in a blocky, low resolution quality, though luckily that primarily affects low-contrast areas. Overall it's tolerable but not especially enjoyable to use, and lower quality most of the time than our analog monitor.

Audio:The audio had a persistent high pitched background whine when it was on.Also, it's apparently set to switch off and on at low volumes, so the audio is intermittent with lots of clicks, which is less than useful and more than irritating.The tiny microphone is in an odd location on the camera, it almost seems like an afterthought, perhaps that's part of the problem.Overall, much lower quality than our analog monitor.

Further, the user should be able to better control the audio - have a microphone that picks up even low level sounds, and have a volume control on the handset that you can adjust; then the user can decide what to hear.Good quality audio can add a lot of information to how the child is doing.You don't want to lose audio quality to get video - a monitor like this should have good quality audio and video.

Some aspects of the Babyview are well done:
- The design is fairly attractive and compact.(Handset is 5.8" H with the antenna x 1" deep without the clip x 2.5" wide.)
- The 2.3" screen is reasonably large.
- The auto-switching between regular light and night vision seems to happen quickly and effectively.
- The lithium ion battery in the handset is the best battery technology, in terms of power for the weight.(It's what's used in digital cameras and cell phones.)They claim over 4 hours of battery life.
- The power adapters work at US or international voltages.
- The included clamp for the camera is well made and seems likely to work well in a variety of setups.

Other features are good ideas that don't work well in practice:
- The voice activation feature, which leaves the screen and the sound off until it picks up some sound, helps conserve battery and perhaps parents' nerves and sleep.But it needs too much noise to switch on - it's either set to too low a level, or the microphone isn't sensitive enough.And again, this is something that the user should be able to adjust.
- The little curved base is clever, but doesn't work that well at the optimum focal range of 5 feet. When placed on a dresser next to the crib with the camera is tilted down enough to see the baby, the base blocks a big part of the image.In addition, when the camera is in the base, the camera starts to tilt due to the heavy filter on the power supply wire (a biggish black cylindrical part on the wire).So for both those reasons, the cute clever magnetic base isn't much use in practice.

Some of the features seem potentially nice but I'm not sure I'd use them - such as the nightlight and the music.I almost wonder if they added them to distinguish this product from their security cameras.

Finally, there are a couple elements of the design that aren't so great.Having a bright green power LED on the front of the camera is thoughtless on a baby monitor, though luckily it's easy enough to tape over (and there are so many lovely colors of electrical tape these days).And the glowing red night vision lights seem to have too much potential for distracting or even upsetting a child.

The wireless frequency is 2.4ghz, the same as wireless internet and some cordless phones.The Levana has enough channels (32, with auto signal hopping) that intereference shouldn't be a major problem, but I can't definitely evaluate that at this point.

The company's website is [...], though there's very little info there.Their parent company is SVAT Electronics, which makes security cameras and the like.So even though this is a new product from an unknown brand, they do have experience with this sort of thing.Perhaps their next generation of this product will have some of the wrinkles ironed out.

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Product Description:
There is nothing more important to you than your child's safety and security. You want to be with them day and night to know that they are safe at all times. But with so much to do around the house in an average day, you know that it isn't always possible. The BABYVIEW20 is Levana's easy-to-use video baby monitor that ensures you're always there for your loved one. This portable system allows you to watch over your child with a handheld monitor and be alerted whenever she makes a sound, even when the system is in standby mode. The night vision feature allows you to see your child when it's dark, and you can play comforting lullabies directly from the camera. The BABYVIEW20 is the perfect solution for every parent - now you can rest easy knowing your child is safe!

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