Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing iMV712 Digital Mini Theater for iPod

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is simply the best sound i've ever heard from any of those sooo many Ipod boomboxes. My JBL Radial "High Performance" went straight to my kids after hearing the sound of this unit. If you want the best sound possible and love to watch Musicvideos or Podcasts from your nighttable, this is the unit to get. There is no alternative. I was lucky to get mine from amazon for 278.99 . (they keep moving the price) This is cheaper than the Bose unit and in my opinion a total no-brainer. The screen i would rate "above average" compared to the 8-9 inch range of DVD Players out there. The only thing i wish i could do is playing the music videos from my Iphone. But i assume with a firmware upgrade, Apple will eventually enable a video out.
Also onscreen Ipod Navigation would have been nice. When you play just music, it would have been nice to see the artwork on the screen. But all you see is an altec Lansing sign accross the screen. Remote works very well from a good distance. Overall this unit is very well built. Nice shiny black cabinet similar to the Playstation 3

update december 2007: There is a reason Amazon is selling this unit below 250.00. It is NOT compatible with the 6th Generation Ipod classic , Iphone and I touch, works only for the music but not for the Video. if you are the lucky owner of the 5th and 5.5 gen Ipod this unit is great, for all new ipods Apple has made this unit (the screen at least) useless as they disabled the video out. Very poor from Apple !!!

Not compatible with the ipod classic. I called Altec Lansing and they confirmed this fact. Unfortunately it is not mentioned in any of the instructions or materials. Very disappointed. To return it I pay a 20% restocking fee.

The Altec Lansing iMV712 is a quality product that produces exactly what you'd expect when used with the iPod (generation 5.5 - video, photo, music, podcast playback capabilities). When used with the newer "iPod Classic," this device is essentially nonfunctional. Audio playback is possible until the battery is charged. Video playback is NOT POSSIBLE through the standard docking function -- HOWEVER, it IS POSSIBLE through the external composite video cord (NOT the component video cord) available for purchase for 50 dollars at the online Apple Store. I have used this device with a great deal of success with my 160 GB iPod Classic, though only after I realized you have to specifically ENABLE video out capability - it does not allow for this function automatically, you must go through "Video Settings" to make the necessary change. Many of you longtime iPod users may already know this, but I did not. Back to the Altec Lansing iMV712 - good picture and sound quality, bigger than most people expect (check the Amazon.com dimensions, they are accurate enough), and through the rear inputs, excellent compatibility with other devices such as the iPod Classic, presumably the iPod touch, the Zune, as well as the latest offerings from Archos and Creative. Multiple options for video and audio input make this a solid choice for the present and near future. Despite the lack of compatibility with my iPod Classic, I can say with certainty there is no device I'd prefer for my situation now that I have it hooked up using the composite video cable.

If you are like me and love the idea of having all your movies on your ipod and want to watch them in style on the go or around the house, this device is for you!
Sound-Music lovers relax! Sound is Altec Lansing quality all the way. Bass and treble are fully adjustable via the remote. I assure you the sound quality on this unit is as good as any on the market.
Video-the 8.5 inch widescreen blows away the 2.5 inch screen on the ipod or the 4.3 inch on other devices. Picture quality is S-video or better. If you buy this unit to watch movies on it's because you love movies and don't require high-def to enjoy them. If you want high def just because it's the "latest thing" then look elsewhere.
Brightness and Contrast are fully adjustable via the remote. There is also a composite video in, audio in, and universal bracket to play other devices if you wish.
Caution! Once you get this you may find excuses to buy a second one for the office.
Enjoy!

The unit never did work right. The seller keep in touch with me once they knew there was a problem. They no longer have this unit. And a settlement was reached. They are great to work with, and are egar to please. Will bye from them in the future.

It looked like a bargain, and it was compatible with our iPods. It was easy to install, and the size of the speaker units was impressive! But I'm afraid the sound wasn't - far too much base, and not enough treble, and not enough options to adjust the sound levels properly. Perhaps it's fine if you're just looking to use it for videos, but it's not worth relying on for the music reproduction quality. Often the lyrics are simply drowned out. Going to have to buy something else - this just doesn't cut it for us.

If you have an ipod 5g or erlier this is the perfect item that you want to have in your room. Great sound quality and its not to heavy and also this is the best for the price that you pay.

I bought this for myself as a Christmas gift to use with my 5th generation video ipod and it is fabulous. I can now watch my movies without worrying about the battery running down and the sound is incredible. I got it for $119 which is a steal. I highly recommend for those who have compatible devices--it's a must-have item. I'm considering buying a second unit.

I've enjoyed this product immensley. I own an iPod Nano 4G. Unfortunatly the video display of the iM712 isn't compatable with the Nano 4G but the sound makes up for the video incompatability. It has outstanding sound which fills the room. The remote is easy to use and you can navigait easily through the iPod menus. The best thing about this product is, it has tremendous sound without spending an arm and a leg. This system can rival any other sound system that costs several hundred dollars. At a price around $150 it is well worth it! It's also easy to pack up and bring to a differnet place or into another room.

I fell literally madly in love with the iPod Video 80GB when it was introduced in '06 and to the dismay and amazement of my friends I bought five of them. I haven't regretted this severe case of Applelytis one minute since. The following Classic generations never brought fundamental improvements [maybe even the opposite] and I never had problems with accessories, like this excellent Altec Lansing, that became incompatible with each 'new' iPod [I love the simple and versatile TV-out function of the 5.5 gen iPod: not only via the jack-plug, but also the dock-plug. Both can be used with this 'Mini Theater'].
The sound-quality of the iMV712 is amazing, but I don't comprehend the concept of a wide-screen, designed for this model, since the iPod Video has a full-screen. The only way I can use the entire screen is with a 'flattened' picture on which every person looks fat and everything is deformed. If I want a normal picture I regretably can only use part of the screen. Another problem is that it is impossible to turn off -when just listening to music for instance- the LCD-screen [which has a relative short life-span, sometimes just 10.000 hours, except with LED backlights which last 50.000 hours, but those have only recently become standard]. When the screen dies the sound-function will become redundant too since the screen is incidently but essentially needed when listening to music. This will be a sad waste of the great speakers of which I'm sure that they'll last a lifetime...

PS: I would be very grateful to be corrected when I'm wrong in these matters!