Media Carousel Plus Special Edition

I researched media carousels for about a month because I wasn't sure if I wanted to drop this much money on something that does what a shoebox can do. However, I must say I am very pleased and it was worth the money.I agree with most of the other reviews that the arm appears a bit flimsy. However, it works fine so far. The manufacturer claims that the software doesn't work with Vista, but it does. It just doesn't load all the pretty graphics. I entered in all 150 DVDs in about 20 minutes.The nice thing about the software is it has a print function. They provide a book so that you can write down all of your movies, or you can click the print button and it prints off a list complete with numbers and titles.You can use this without a computer by typing in the number on the keypad. I am very glad I purchased this. It finds a movie in about two seconds and is not that loud. It isn't the smallest piece of electronic equipment, mine takes up the top of my printer stand.Great product and I am planning on buying another for my software and video games. If you are considering buying electronic media storage, consider this as one of your top choices.

Like everyone else in the 1 star rating, both of my units gave me the 505 or SOS code as some call it. This code is due to a malfunction in the flimsy door release mechanism. I was unsuccessful in trying to repair it, so I disabled it instead. Now, I can use both my units again, its just that they don't spit out automatically. I have to reach in with my fingers and pull them out manually. Although this is not the perfect solution, its better than throwing them away or spending money to repair an item of poor engineering which will only fail again at a future date.

This is <almost> the perfect solution for those of us whose CD/DVD collection has grown out of control.First, though this unit is branded Ziotech, with the exception of the flashy blue lights and black case, it is EXACTLY the same as other similiar units, be that a Dacal DC-300 or BestTradeUSA CD Library II.The unit is very light, lending to a first impression of cheap manufacturing. Mechanically speaking, mine has been performed splendidly though, so don't be misled by the light weight.I've seen alot of non-flattering comments on the software, CD Library 4.0. Though certainly no frills, it does a fine job of organizing my media, and provides an adequate interface for searching and retrieving my disks. I see no reason to drop any extra cash on alternate software.As I mentioned above, this is essentially a Dacal DC-300 rebranded with a black finish. As with the DC-300, this unit is NOT compatible with Intel USB chipsets, though Ziotech tech support is seemingly unaware of this issue. I knew the DC-300 had that problem, so proactively asked Ziotech support prior to purchasing this unit. They indicated I shouldn't have a problem with an intel USB port. They were wrong, as on install I received the Windows error message, "One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it."Long story short, it will not be recognized by Windows unless your USB ports are of a NEC or Via chipset. Should you have the Intel chipset, you will need a USB hub, or to add a USB PCI card (make sure it is of the correct chipset) to your machine, which is what I did. I scored this a 3 for that reason alone. Otherwise a GREAT device.

I purchased 18 of these, mainly from CyberGuys, and a few from other places. I've had no problems with these units with the exception of USB issues.Carousels have a keypad for easy slot selection for easy disk insertion or retraction if not using included software on your computer. Left and right arrows are also utilized to select slot selection (Useful if you just want to move to the neighboring slot without using the keypad resulting in fewer keystrokes, otherwise redundant).Id recommend getting power liberators (I use ZT1212594) if running multiple units as the power adapters for the units aren't exactly power strip friendly. The liberators are also useful for combining two plugs into one.Each carousel is exceptionally quiet, considering what it is asked to do. The motor from the ceiling fan and the air cutting through the blades are slightly louder than the carousels.The software is pretty basic, actually extremely basic, however very useful than pen and paper on a list of over 100 titles, but for what its worth, all you really need is a basic program to run this. The software organizes titles alphabetically so you can easily choose a title you are looking for fairly easy.For those of you running a high volume of these units at one time in a daisy-chain effect like I am, I'd suggest the following:For up to 5 units:Daisy-Chain up to 5 directly to your computer (Utilizing 1 USB ports on your computer).For 6-10 units:Daisy-Chain no more than 5 and daisy daisy-chain the rest directly to your computer (Utilizing 2 USB ports on your computer). If USB ports on your computer are scarce, purchase an external powered USB hub (the Belkin F4U041v is the perfect choice that I'm using) and then daisy-chain them to the hub, then to your computer.For 11 to 15 units:This is where it gets tricky. For the Belkin F4U041v that I'm using, no matter what daisy-chain configuration you use (Whether it be 2,3,4 or 5) it seems that because of the units demand for energy, no more than 14 units can be attached to the hub (Or any hub that I have tested for that matter). You will have to revert to two hubs (Preferably that of the same make and model). Unfortunately, this is the only solution I can find that actually worked and remember that the more units you attach to the hub, the more you drain the external power from that hub and more errors you will get on your computer stating that "The power for the USB controller has exceeded".In this example it is preferred that you daisy-chain in 3's (Utilizing 3 ports on one hub and 2 ports on the other hub (Then of course two ports on your computer)).For 15 to 20 units:While still applying the same rule as above, daisy-chain up to 3 at a time, dividing the amount of units between the two hubs. (You also might to have to connect the nonresponsive units out of the daisy-chain array and connect directly to the hub).For my configuration of 18 units I have daisy-chained 3 at a time, utilizing 3 ports on both hubs, and two on the computer. The results are perfect with no errors.Seeing how you can only connect up to 14 units on a hub, the 7 port Belkin F4U041v that I'm using might be over kill, so a 4 port would probably suffice. If the Carousels already weren't expensive enough, plan to spend some more money on liberators and USB hubs to get the entire system working as expected. I took away a half a star for the additional equipment that you have to buy and another half a star for the fact that its not actually capable of running the way it is, without the additional equipment.

This product is okay as long as you know what you are getting. It is mechanically flimsy and the software is archaic. I just haven't found anything better...