Customer Reviews

New Media Technology USB Film Card Reader

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I had no trouble installing the software and the device, which Win 98 read instantly. However, after installing this device, Win 98 will not shut down properly. Also, about 50% of the time when turning my machine on with this device plugged in, I get a config error message and Win 98 won't load. If I unplug the device, Win 98 works perfectly. I thought the idea of plug and play was to plug in once and forget about it. I need to plug this in each time I use it and unplug when I'm done.

Worse yet, there is NO tech support information in the manual. I tried to find a web site for the manufacturer, but the one I found from Excite will not even load in IE5. Thus, I'm left with a product that seems to have defective drivers, but no way to contact the manufacturer to fix it. Buyer beware!

Within 10 minutes of opening the box I was downloading images from my CompactFlash Card. The installation instructions are simple to follow and took less than five minutes to complete. I downloaded 38 'fine' quality images in about 1 minute 15 seconds. This device shows as an additional drive in your Explorer. Just drag the file to transfer the images to any folder you want on your hard drive. Gets its power from the USB connection so it is great for use with a laptop (no additional power cords to carry) when you want to quickly download your images on the run.

One nice thing about this unit I forget to mention in my previous review -- It is powered through the USB cable connected to the computer. That means it requires no batteries and no separate AC adapter.

Got the device and followed the instructions for installation. Normal USB install is to boot, hot-plug the device into the running computer, and put in a floppy/CD with the appropriate device drivers when the "new hardware" window appears.

This USB install requires software installation BEFORE plugging in, reboot the machine, COLD-plug (with the machine powered off) the device in the USB port and reboot the machine. (The smart media card MUST be in the reader at reboot to work properly.) Only then, will it work properly.

Hot-plugging the device (with the machine running) does not work as most USB devices do, even after installation. And the reader MUST have a card in it at reboot time to function properly, even after installation.

After all these restrictions are followed, downloads are quick with drag and drop ability. However these type of requirements are not normal for USB devices.

I purchased this unit for downloading images from an Olympus D340R to my Windows 98 PC. The installation was quick and problem free. Images can be copied from the film card to the computer by dragging and dropping, and the transfer rate is very fast. So far, I am very pleased with it.

Installed in a snap, and reads pictures from every smart media card on the planet. (I have 2,4,8 and 16 MB cards). The installation was simple (though I would have prefered instead of the preinstall of the software if you could simple insert the disk when prompted for drivers). The only downside is that it tended to lock the machine when attempting to share one of the drives it created. All in all a great product and it does everything it is advertised to do.

The biggest selling point of New Media Technology Corporation's USB Film Reader, aside from it's price, is the ease at which the software loads on the computer and the short amount of time in which it is up and reading pictures. I've been really stood off about some of the software and hardware on the market for computers, but this is one of the easiest to use. Students, teachers, professionals, and computer geeks alike will be impressed by this little units performance. Once the software is installed, all I had to do was reboot my system, plug the unit into my USB port, and my operating system (Windows 98) did the rest. It automatically added two drives to my system, one for each of the film slots. I also liked the feature of not being restricted to just one type of storage media. I have two cameras, one that takes the ATA type film card, the other is Smart Media. It will also read the Compact Flash cards also. That's like having three readers in one. It's REALLY A GREAT PRODUCT!

New Media Technology Corporation's USB Film Reader works on any Mac that has a USB connector. When I bought mine, I called the company as their website said they had drivers for Mac, but their product specifications (pdf) didn't mention Macs. The Mac drivers should be included with the Windows drivers by now. I have not had any problems with the reader. It's great and it reads two types of media for a low price!

Flawed drivers -- not compatible with Windows98(2d Ed). I have had experiences similar to the Reviewer: "An electronics fan from Chicago." I wish I read that review, first! If the device is left plugged into the USB port, Windows98(2d Ed) wets the bed at bootup. The Tech support is a long distance call, weekdays during normal business hours. The support information is printed among the other hype on the box -- throw away the manual, but don't forget to read the fine print on the box! I wasted many hours trying to get the USB to function properly before I pulled the box from the trash and found www.newmediatechcorp.com listed as a website. Then, I wasted another couple hours trying to get the newer drivers to work. For the time being, I've given up -- I'll just have to remember to unplug the thing when I put the computer to bed -- or I'll find Film Reader USB has left a blue puddle on my screen in the morning.

I wasted an hour following directions, trying to install this thing, only to see my computer crash. Program never installed successfully (despite icon appearing on desktop)never allowed transfer of images. When instructed to remove floppy disk from drive, it emerged without its metal piece, thus ruining my disk drive.