Comments on: HomeStar – 21st Century Home Planetarium

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:18:45 +0000

Hi Chris.I was really interested in your report on the Homestar Extra.I am thinking of getting one and constructing a mini planetarium of sorts.Could you tell me,does the star disc contain the entire Northern hemisphere of the sky? i.e. if you sat and watched,would it show the rise and setting of all the stars/constellations throughout the night visible from your location,depending on the time of year etc? obviously,minus the Moon,Sun and planets.Is the remote used simply to turn the unit on and off,or can you preset times or dates to project the sky?

By: Mark Haywood

Mark Haywood — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:13:56 +0000

Chris,

Long ago you mentioned translating the manual for the Homestar from Japanese to English. I recently purchased and just received the Homestar Extra. It was supposed to come with an English version of the manual but it only came with the Japanese manual. Do you know where I can find an English version of the manual?

Cheers, Mark

By: Devin

Devin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:34:04 +0000

I bought a Homestar Extra this past March. Overall I’m very happy with it. I am continually amazed at the clarity and detail produced by the projector. If I squint my eyes I can see other stars. I have yet to use the remote control and really mainly use only the 1 black and white disc (without the constellations). I live close to downtown, so this is my faux nighttime sky. I typically set the timer on thirty minutes each night and fall asleep to the stars. I plan on getting the 3 disc set that was recently announced.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:32:30 +0000

I bought a Homestar Extra the end of December and there is no comparison to the Homestar pro, which I also have. The Extra is superior and a joy to use. The stars are almost too bright. The shooting star on the Extra is completely random and very realistic. The stars have 12 light levels. The Extra comes with a remote control. I have taken both units apart and the engineering of the Extra is superior to the pro. The optics of the Extra are also much more advanced and the stars at the edges are greatly improved over the Pro version. The only drawback is the higher magnitude stars are large than they should be to increase the apparent light, but this is the same with other version. I am currently working a replacement star disc that will have grey scales levels that should eliminate this problem.

By: JR

JR — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:48:44 +0000

Does anyone have a Homestar Extra? This model hit the market in Japan in late December, and supposedly projects 120K stars. Of course, the price is considerable…

If you have one, PLEASE post your experiences with it!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:05:41 +0000

@David Caldecott — First of all, this planetarium doesn’t simulate the moon, so buying a telescope and looking at the moon isn’t an appropriate comparison. Secondly, your incorrect use of a possessive apostrophe for “1000’s”, “your” instead of “you’re”, and “there” instead of “their” (all beyond simple typos) makes you out to be an uneducated person. And most people are hesitant to listen to, let alone believe, uneducated people.

It’d be easier to take your “review” seriously if you presented some points to support it. But you don’t actually mention any specific flaws with the product; only the fact that the planetarium is bad and not worth any money. I’m open for discussion here so that potential buyers will know what they’re getting, including any possible flaws, but you offer nothing to the discussion.

As such, I think most people will assume that you’re unreasonably unhappy with the HomeStar, perhaps because you were slighted by some service you received, or that you’re a high-maintenance customer who finds fault with everything, and completely disregard what you’ve said.

By: David Caldecott

David Caldecott — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:21:27 +0000

This product is rubbish, 1/10, don’t waste your money. It isn’t worth £20, buy a telescope and just look at the moon better. I bought it, you can get english manuel but it’s basic, becasue the product is. Your paying just for design which isn’t worth £20 also. The product is so bad, i’m ready to use it as a football. I think maybe in future, and if one spends 1000’s and get a proper one used for the big boys and there studys, don’t waste your time here, no matter how cheap. Drop me email if u want to know more… davidcaldecott@gmail.com. xxx

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 03:22:25 +0000

I purchased the cheaper version called “Homestar Pure”. I love the design and the price. At half of the price of the original one, it released in 2007. If you don’t need the shooting star and auto-rotate function, then I recommend the “PURE” version.

http://www.segatoys.co.jp/homestar/pure.html

By: Lu

Lu — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:51:14 +0000

I got my English one from Toys.Brando http://toys.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00109. Yep, that is really cool and I especially love it in my bath time....

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 10:57:07 +0000

Wow, thanks for the comments…glad my server could handle the /. effect.

Unfortunately, my reviews on digital cameras are limited to the fact that I only have two. For that I’d recommend http://www.dpreview.com, which is what I use.

Thanks for the generous offer to translate the manual, Chris, but I think I’d rather keep the manuals a mystery, heh.

And yes, I do have too much time on my hands.