Adaptec's VideOh! DVD converter kit captures and digitizes analog composite and S-video signals and delivers them through your PC's high-speed USB 2.0 port. Bundled Sonic MyDVD and ArcSoft ShowBiz software help you edit clips, create menus, and record your projects onto DVD and CD media.
To test VideOh!, we connected the power supply, USB cable, and external video source (a VCR) and installed the device driver. Next, we installed the bundled software and restarted our PC. The entire installation process was simple and intuitive, requiring only about 10 minutes.
In Sonic MyDVD, we followed onscreen instructions to create a new DVD project, to capture and save a brief video clip, to create a simple DVD menu, and finally to burn the clip onto a DVD-R disc. After only an hour from opening the box, we had a playable DVD. Even in "best" mode, picture quality was only fair--slightly faded from the original, a few artifacts in the top and bottom scan lines, and occasional dropped frames--but consistent with our expectations for a low-end capture system.
Subsequent tests to create more interesting multi-chapter DVDs were unsuccessful. As we tried to capture clips longer than about eight minutes, to trim and edit clips, and to burn DVDs with more than about 20 minutes of content, VideOh! manifested show-stopping bugs. Even after downloading an updated device driver, our system would completely freeze at seemingly random times after MyDVD had been running for several minutes. Testing VideOh! with other capture and editing software is, unfortunately, not an option, as the manual warns that the "Adaptec VideOh! DVD converter kit supports video capture only by using MyDVD."
For extremely simple video-capture tasks and very short DVDs, VideOh! worked adequately well and was easy to use. For hobbyists who want to produce DVDs at home, we would recommend a more functional product. --Mike Brown
Pros:
- Quick setup
- Easy to learn and use
Cons:
- Soft video quality
- Too many bugs
Product Description:
Adaptec® Video Converter DVD USB Kit (VideOh!™ DVD) provides the easy way to preserve analog camcorder movies digitally then create easy-to-share DVD or Video CD discs with your home computer.
The kit includes an external USB 2.0 MPEG-2 capture/encoder box with USB & A/V cables for simple connectivity to camcorders or other analog video devices such as TVs and VCRs.
VideOh! DVD also includes Sonic™ MyDVD™ DVD-Video creation software for Windows®, which allows you to edit, organize and burn video clips with DVD- or CD-Recorders in DVD or Video CD formats. VideOh! DVD is backed by Adaptec’s world class reliability, compatibility and support.
Adaptec VideOh! USB 2.0 DVD Video Converter Kit