Carson Optical Ezread Visual Aide Magnifier

by Carson

Product Features

• Transforms your TV into a visual aid
• Place the ezRead on top of your reading material and the magnified image appears on your TV screen
• Supplied 10 foot video cable to hook up to your TV
• LED Illuminated to ensure a clear,bright image on the TV screen
• The larger the TV screen the greater the magnification

Product Description

The DR-200 ezRead from Carson Optical transforms your television into a visual aid! Simply place the ezRead directly on top of your reading material to display the Magnified image in full color right on your television screen. Connects to your television in seconds using the supplied 10' video cable. Internal LED illumination ensures that the image on screen is bright and easy to read. The size of your television monitor determines the actual Magnification of the item. The larger the monitor, the greater the Magnification! The ezRead is ideal for those with low vision or macular degeneration. Operates with three AAA batteries (not included) or supplied 10' A/C power adaptor and is UL Listed. Magnification Table is 5.3x on a 14" television, 6.5x on a 17" television, 8x on a 21" television, 10.3x on a 27" television, and 12.2x on a 32" television

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8 x 3.2 inches ; 1.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B002ABY6RU
• Item model number: DR-200
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,656 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #23 in Sports & Outdoors > Hunting & Fishing > Hunting > Trail & Game Cameras

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bargain, May 29, 2009

By 

Judy (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this digital reader for my husband, who suffers from macular degeneration. He loves it, and was able to read for four hours the first day. We plugged it into a 27" TV that we don't use very often, and placed it in a room where it can be setup all the time. The only problem we noticed was the batteries need to be replaced frequently when using the reader for long periods of time. The batteries died around the third day. We plugged the reader into the wall outlet, and it works fine. The TV has to be plugged in anyway, so it's not like you don't have an electric cord to deal with anyway. I'd recommend this product to anyone that has problems reading, and the price is right.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like new eyes, November 11, 2009

By 

Sheila Fields (Hopewell, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

I gave this to my Dad (who has just been certified as legally blind) as a birthday present, and after a very easy set up he was almost crying - because he could read his newspaper again. My Mom has told me that he brags to his buddies in the dialysis clinic about his "new eyes".

I can't recommend this highly enough. An absolute bargain, easy to set up, and easy to use.

You just need to know that you will need a TV that has a "video in" or "component" input. So older, analog TVs will probably not be usable, and you should consider that in your purchase decision. But even if you have to by a new TV it will still be less expensive than some of the other digital magnifiers which can run $500-$800.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for Newspaper reading, January 21, 2010

By 

Daniel A. Koblosh (Redondo Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this for my dad, but my mom uses it more...and loves it.

Pros:
1. easy to set up and use. Uses AAA batteries to power the camera and its six LED lights or an included AC adapter.
2. reasonable price
3. sharp focus
4. output is standard definition 720x480 4:3 composite video that plugs into the yellow RCA composite input on any TV

Cons:
1. Its area of regard is only about 2-1/2" wide at a time. That's good for standard newspaper columns, but means you are dragging it across a book to read a line. You thus need to move it left/right over the text a lot.
2. It's not ergonomic. Old arthritic fingers need an easy-to-grab shape. Instead, it's tapered toward the top so that it tends to slip out of one's grip. I actually added textured gripper strips to it so it's easier to hold onto. It's like an oversized mouse that's not shaped properly.
3. Though it can be battery powered, it comes with an AC adapter that plugs into the back of the scanner next to the video output. It also needs the composite video output cable, of course, to get the video to the TV. That cable has a giant electronic choke attached to it on both ends. This makes the cable look like a snake that swallowed a giant rat. Now you have two cables to deal with. Both plug in and both can fall out as you use them, suddenly either losing power or video. They could have done it better.
4. The AC adapter and the video cables are too short. They need to be at least 10' long and should be attached together as a unit. You most likely will need to buy extensions for both the AC and the video cable, unless you want to sit five feet from the TV.

Bottom line, it's better to enlarge the text to your large screen TV using this miniature camera than to wear magnifying lenses and get closer to the book.