Price : Too low to display
Old VHS tapes taking up space in the attic or garage? Now you can preserve memories of your wedding, birthdays and more in digital format with just a press of a button on the VC500 One Touch Video Capture. You can easily edit those embarrassing moments of falling on the dance floor or dropping the cake with the Arcsoft Video Studio SE (included) and burn to DVD/VCD (software included) to share with family and friends. The VC500 can capture video and audio from almost any video device, such as VCR, Camcorder, DVD player, or any device supporting video output through an S-Video or composite RCA connection. In the box - Diamond VC500 one touch video capture USB 2.0, Install CD, Bonus CD, Quick start guide System requirements - Operating system - Windows Vista32, XP, and MCE System CPU - AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium 4 CPU speed - 1.4GHz System memory - 1024MB Power Supply - USB 2.0 port, charges directly from connection to a USB port Power supply instructions - 600MB to 3GB per 1 hour of recording Hard disk space - 300MB CD DVD - yes Requires an available USB port Monitor - digital flat-panel (DFP) displays or DV-I compatible or digital CRT display or high-resolution VGA monitor Dimensions (WidthxHeightxDiameter) - 1.3 x. 5 x 3.8 inches; Product Weight - 0.45 pounds 1 Year limited warranty
This review is from : USB Video Capture
Very good for the money . After reading some of the other reviews I wanted to leave some thoughts of my own for anyone interested in some proper comments from a person with some degree of video editing. Before I get into specifics however, I'd like to say a few words about video and video capture that could very well have been factors with other folks reviews.
The first thing you need to know about working with video on a computer, be it with this product or others, is that video is a resource intensive thing. If you are running an older system and particularly an "off the shelf" computer, such as an HP, Dell or other so-called "name brands", very simply you may have some problems. Please remember that many of these computers are designed for your average brain dead computer user who is typically interested in surfing the internet, playing their mp3's, im'ing, email, watching Youtube, playing games, etc. They are -NOT- professional systems designed for video production!!!! Even when you watch one of these newer animated movies where in the credits you see something like "computers provided by Hewlett Packard", be assured those systems were custom built for their specific function and are NOT the same systems you typically see at Best Buy or Micro Center. In other words, if your system is using a slower hard drive or an older IDE drive (I recommend at least a fast SATA...7200 rpm is a good place to start) or you're trying to do everything from a single hard drive that's loaded with a bunch of crap, your very likely going to have problems.
The second thing is that working with video on a computer is -complicated-. Ok, I can't stress this enough...if you really delve into the world of PC video, you'll find yourself wading hip deep in a cesspool of compression codecs, video formats, frame rate issues and specialized software that can easily boggle the most experienced PC user. Despite the packaging hype, this stuff is -NOT- really as simple as "press a button and go" the way you would on your VCR or your TIVO. If you think that programming the display on your VCR is complicated, prepare to be flabbergasted!!! Now I'm sure that someone just said "but all I want to do is put some of my old VHS tapes on DVD" and that's all fine and dandy but know this; if you really want professional looking results, there -IS- a learning curve here...and it's a steep one. Just using the wrong video codec...or using the right codec the wrong way...can give you really BAD looking video (or audio). To be perfectly blunt, don't blame the vid unit here is you simply have no clue what you're doing!!!!! It's a very good unit but there are -A LOT- of really stupid people out there...and unfortunately they seem to be all to willing to leave reviews on product that have no knowledge about at all.
Now all of that said, I'm using this Diamond VC-500 on a system I custom built for doing photography and video editing...it's not top of the line, but it's pretty tweaked out for doing this kind of work. I'm not running any screen savers at all, my desktop is blue...plain blue...no idiotic pictures of Final Fantasy or other such crap. I don't have IM running in the background (in fact I don't use instant messaging -at all-) and really the -only- thing that loads on my PC at start up beside my drivers is my anti-virus software (ok...ok...I do have SQL server running in the background most of the time for one of my photo apps). Beyond solitaire and an old copy of Doom 2, I don't have any games on my system -at all-...if you want to be a gamer, get a separate system for your video work!!! I do use this system for email and I do have Firefox installed, but straight up, I don't have a lot of useless crap on my system...it's a "work PC" and that's what I use it for. The system itself is an Intel based, quad core, Intel motherboard, 2 gigs of ram (I'd really recommend at least 4 gigs if your serious about this stuff, if not 8) and I'm running 3 beefy, fast hard drives. The OS is Windows XP 64 bit with SP3 installed.
So with all of that out of the way, let's get down to business... The first issue that I've seen concerning these Diamond units is audio lag. My first try here, recording about 20 minutes of video from my Sony Video 8 Handycam, using the default software (EZ Grabber) set to DVD...no problems with lag AT ALL. If you have problems with audio lag, I STRONGLY suspect it's either a codec issue or simply your PC. Again let's be clear on this...don't blame the capture unit if you're running a bunch of crap on your PC or you were ignorant enough to install Windows Vista, etc.. The same applies to your experience or lack there of...don't blame the cap unit if you simply have no idea what the devil you're doing!!!! Quite honestly, this is a really great little unit so far...no issues with the install and set up and for a video device, it's actually one of the easiest I've found to use. Diamond Multimedia has a well deserved reputation for quality products and this VC-500 stands up to that reputation very well, particularly considering the price! In fact the -only- issue that I've had so far is that there does appear to be some minor degree of scan lines in the video I've recorded. Nothing that can't be cleaned up in post and I suspect it could simply be the 10 year old camcorder itself but it would be interesting to compare the quality directly with a higher end capture unit. Otherwise, this little unit was pretty much good to go right out of the box and works really well for getting those old analog vids onto a PC (and I won't comment on Macs...if you were really dumb enough to spend that much money on a piece of fruit, you're on your own).
I would like to add a couple of notes here... First, expect large file sizes. If you're use to working with highly compressed FLV files or something similar, you need to remember that DVD quality MPG, let alone uncompressed AVI's take up a TON of space on your hard drive (yet another reason to use multiple FAST harddrives!). The vid clip I just recorded was somewhere just over 15 minutes and the file size is just about a gig....pretty hefty. As far as quality goes, also remember that if your recording from a camcorder or a VCR (trying to save some space on the ol' video shelf), that not all camcorders and VCR's are created equal. Remember that your video (and audio) quality are only going to be as good as the equipment they were recorded on. For example if you're using that cheapy Fujiyamoshi VCR you got at a closeout store for $40 and you've dunked it in the fish tank a couple of times...well...as they say, "garbage in, garbage out". Likewise, remember that the resolution of a TV may NOT be comparable to that of the pc monitor you're viewing on. If your videos looked "really good" on that old 27" RCA standard resolution TV which only has a resolution of 320 x 240 a computer monitor...even a CRT...usually has a MUCH higher resolution and you -are- going to see all of the pimples and warts of the equipment that your video was recorded on. Think of it this way...anyone remember vinyl records? Remember when CD's first came out and how awful your old vinyl suddenly sounded because all of a sudden you could hear EVERYTHING in the recording (like the end of "Dark Side of the Moon"? Same thing. If you're copying material from a VCR or an old camcorder, you are NOT going to get Hi Def quality regardless of the capture device! If you still don't understand this then try downloading a thumbnail jpeg off any website and blow it up to a poster sized print. You can always downsize pictures or video but you can't upsize...it just doesn't work. The same applies to cables as well...if you're getting noise or interference with your signal (another complaint I've seen in various reviews), as with ANY video or audio application, CHECK YOUR CABLES! Now in this case, I didn't use the cables that came in the box...I went straight for my studio cables instead. When it comes to audio and video, cables are typically the weakest link in the chain so it pays to invest in quality cables.
I would also like to add a couple of things on the software install. Ok...I haven't read the instruction booklet here but this is what I did right out of the box and I didn't have to "play" with anything at all. It's a USB device...install those drivers first, then plug in the device and give Windows a chance to recognize it (you may need to tell windows to look for the drivers). Yes, I did get the little notices about the Windows signature (seems to happen a lot these days)...as others have said, just hit "continue". In other words, most USB devices typically need the drivers install -BEFORE- you actually plug the device in. And if you're using Vista...well...get a life because it's time to upgrade. Very simply, there is a VERY good reason why so many people complain about Vista...it's like Windows ME in that it's a mistake right out of the box. Go with XP or Windows 7 instead. Once you've installed the drivers and the software, check those settings. Make sure you set your video format for the correct region (that would be NTSC for most of North America...check your local standards if you're not sure)and again I recommend going straight for the DVD setting for the record format. You can always downsize and/or re-compress your video later in editing (then save the original files to a DVD to get those large files off your hard drive...always a good idea to keep backups of the originals). I'm not going to comment on the editing software that came in the box as I use Adobe Premiere and After Effects...no sense playing with "Microsoft Paint" when you already have Photoshop at your finger tips :-)
So to wrap this up, I can highly recommend one of these Diamond VC-500 but with the condition that you plan to dust off your common sense when using it! If you've never really worked with video on a computer before, plan on taking some time and surf that learning curve instead of Yahoo for a while! Understand that things like video codecs and slow equipment can and do cause issues like audio lag (as well as basic ignorance) and remember that your video is ONLY as good as the equipment it was recorded on. Once you've learned the in's and out's of working with video (both figuratively and literally), then hit that one touch button...it actually does a pretty decent job.
Very good for the money . After reading some of the other reviews I wanted to leave some thoughts of my own for anyone interested in some proper comments from a person with some degree of video editing. Before I get into specifics however, I'd like to say a few words about video and video capture that could very well have been factors with other folks reviews.
The first thing you need to know about working with video on a computer, be it with this product or others, is that video is a resource intensive thing. If you are running an older system and particularly an "off the shelf" computer, such as an HP, Dell or other so-called "name brands", very simply you may have some problems. Please remember that many of these computers are designed for your average brain dead computer user who is typically interested in surfing the internet, playing their mp3's, im'ing, email, watching Youtube, playing games, etc. They are -NOT- professional systems designed for video production!!!! Even when you watch one of these newer animated movies where in the credits you see something like "computers provided by Hewlett Packard", be assured those systems were custom built for their specific function and are NOT the same systems you typically see at Best Buy or Micro Center. In other words, if your system is using a slower hard drive or an older IDE drive (I recommend at least a fast SATA...7200 rpm is a good place to start) or you're trying to do everything from a single hard drive that's loaded with a bunch of crap, your very likely going to have problems.
The second thing is that working with video on a computer is -complicated-. Ok, I can't stress this enough...if you really delve into the world of PC video, you'll find yourself wading hip deep in a cesspool of compression codecs, video formats, frame rate issues and specialized software that can easily boggle the most experienced PC user. Despite the packaging hype, this stuff is -NOT- really as simple as "press a button and go" the way you would on your VCR or your TIVO. If you think that programming the display on your VCR is complicated, prepare to be flabbergasted!!! Now I'm sure that someone just said "but all I want to do is put some of my old VHS tapes on DVD" and that's all fine and dandy but know this; if you really want professional looking results, there -IS- a learning curve here...and it's a steep one. Just using the wrong video codec...or using the right codec the wrong way...can give you really BAD looking video (or audio). To be perfectly blunt, don't blame the vid unit here is you simply have no clue what you're doing!!!!! It's a very good unit but there are -A LOT- of really stupid people out there...and unfortunately they seem to be all to willing to leave reviews on product that have no knowledge about at all.
Now all of that said, I'm using this Diamond VC-500 on a system I custom built for doing photography and video editing...it's not top of the line, but it's pretty tweaked out for doing this kind of work. I'm not running any screen savers at all, my desktop is blue...plain blue...no idiotic pictures of Final Fantasy or other such crap. I don't have IM running in the background (in fact I don't use instant messaging -at all-) and really the -only- thing that loads on my PC at start up beside my drivers is my anti-virus software (ok...ok...I do have SQL server running in the background most of the time for one of my photo apps). Beyond solitaire and an old copy of Doom 2, I don't have any games on my system -at all-...if you want to be a gamer, get a separate system for your video work!!! I do use this system for email and I do have Firefox installed, but straight up, I don't have a lot of useless crap on my system...it's a "work PC" and that's what I use it for. The system itself is an Intel based, quad core, Intel motherboard, 2 gigs of ram (I'd really recommend at least 4 gigs if your serious about this stuff, if not 8) and I'm running 3 beefy, fast hard drives. The OS is Windows XP 64 bit with SP3 installed.
So with all of that out of the way, let's get down to business... The first issue that I've seen concerning these Diamond units is audio lag. My first try here, recording about 20 minutes of video from my Sony Video 8 Handycam, using the default software (EZ Grabber) set to DVD...no problems with lag AT ALL. If you have problems with audio lag, I STRONGLY suspect it's either a codec issue or simply your PC. Again let's be clear on this...don't blame the capture unit if you're running a bunch of crap on your PC or you were ignorant enough to install Windows Vista, etc.. The same applies to your experience or lack there of...don't blame the cap unit if you simply have no idea what the devil you're doing!!!! Quite honestly, this is a really great little unit so far...no issues with the install and set up and for a video device, it's actually one of the easiest I've found to use. Diamond Multimedia has a well deserved reputation for quality products and this VC-500 stands up to that reputation very well, particularly considering the price! In fact the -only- issue that I've had so far is that there does appear to be some minor degree of scan lines in the video I've recorded. Nothing that can't be cleaned up in post and I suspect it could simply be the 10 year old camcorder itself but it would be interesting to compare the quality directly with a higher end capture unit. Otherwise, this little unit was pretty much good to go right out of the box and works really well for getting those old analog vids onto a PC (and I won't comment on Macs...if you were really dumb enough to spend that much money on a piece of fruit, you're on your own).
I would like to add a couple of notes here... First, expect large file sizes. If you're use to working with highly compressed FLV files or something similar, you need to remember that DVD quality MPG, let alone uncompressed AVI's take up a TON of space on your hard drive (yet another reason to use multiple FAST harddrives!). The vid clip I just recorded was somewhere just over 15 minutes and the file size is just about a gig....pretty hefty. As far as quality goes, also remember that if your recording from a camcorder or a VCR (trying to save some space on the ol' video shelf), that not all camcorders and VCR's are created equal. Remember that your video (and audio) quality are only going to be as good as the equipment they were recorded on. For example if you're using that cheapy Fujiyamoshi VCR you got at a closeout store for $40 and you've dunked it in the fish tank a couple of times...well...as they say, "garbage in, garbage out". Likewise, remember that the resolution of a TV may NOT be comparable to that of the pc monitor you're viewing on. If your videos looked "really good" on that old 27" RCA standard resolution TV which only has a resolution of 320 x 240 a computer monitor...even a CRT...usually has a MUCH higher resolution and you -are- going to see all of the pimples and warts of the equipment that your video was recorded on. Think of it this way...anyone remember vinyl records? Remember when CD's first came out and how awful your old vinyl suddenly sounded because all of a sudden you could hear EVERYTHING in the recording (like the end of "Dark Side of the Moon"? Same thing. If you're copying material from a VCR or an old camcorder, you are NOT going to get Hi Def quality regardless of the capture device! If you still don't understand this then try downloading a thumbnail jpeg off any website and blow it up to a poster sized print. You can always downsize pictures or video but you can't upsize...it just doesn't work. The same applies to cables as well...if you're getting noise or interference with your signal (another complaint I've seen in various reviews), as with ANY video or audio application, CHECK YOUR CABLES! Now in this case, I didn't use the cables that came in the box...I went straight for my studio cables instead. When it comes to audio and video, cables are typically the weakest link in the chain so it pays to invest in quality cables.
I would also like to add a couple of things on the software install. Ok...I haven't read the instruction booklet here but this is what I did right out of the box and I didn't have to "play" with anything at all. It's a USB device...install those drivers first, then plug in the device and give Windows a chance to recognize it (you may need to tell windows to look for the drivers). Yes, I did get the little notices about the Windows signature (seems to happen a lot these days)...as others have said, just hit "continue". In other words, most USB devices typically need the drivers install -BEFORE- you actually plug the device in. And if you're using Vista...well...get a life because it's time to upgrade. Very simply, there is a VERY good reason why so many people complain about Vista...it's like Windows ME in that it's a mistake right out of the box. Go with XP or Windows 7 instead. Once you've installed the drivers and the software, check those settings. Make sure you set your video format for the correct region (that would be NTSC for most of North America...check your local standards if you're not sure)and again I recommend going straight for the DVD setting for the record format. You can always downsize and/or re-compress your video later in editing (then save the original files to a DVD to get those large files off your hard drive...always a good idea to keep backups of the originals). I'm not going to comment on the editing software that came in the box as I use Adobe Premiere and After Effects...no sense playing with "Microsoft Paint" when you already have Photoshop at your finger tips :-)
So to wrap this up, I can highly recommend one of these Diamond VC-500 but with the condition that you plan to dust off your common sense when using it! If you've never really worked with video on a computer before, plan on taking some time and surf that learning curve instead of Yahoo for a while! Understand that things like video codecs and slow equipment can and do cause issues like audio lag (as well as basic ignorance) and remember that your video is ONLY as good as the equipment it was recorded on. Once you've learned the in's and out's of working with video (both figuratively and literally), then hit that one touch button...it actually does a pretty decent job.
USB Video Capture Reviews
Diamond Media VC500 USB Video Capture . The hardware works great. Much better video quality than expected. The software sucks and support in non-existent. I just use other software once the video is captured
Diamond Media VC500 USB Video Capture . The hardware works great. Much better video quality than expected. The software sucks and support in non-existent. I just use other software once the video is captured
USB Video Capture Opinions
I am enjoying it . This works just how I thought it should. I've been able to copy parts of VHS tapes that I wanted to edit as well as entire movies and it was quick and easy to use. I didn't use the software that comes with it because I was afraid it would crash my computer (from other reviews), and I'm still trying to adjust HOW I'd like to save the video on my computer for optimal transfer to DVD (the DVD option squishes the picture and the .avi option seems to be poorer quality), but it works just right for this non-computer-literate person!
I am enjoying it . This works just how I thought it should. I've been able to copy parts of VHS tapes that I wanted to edit as well as entire movies and it was quick and easy to use. I didn't use the software that comes with it because I was afraid it would crash my computer (from other reviews), and I'm still trying to adjust HOW I'd like to save the video on my computer for optimal transfer to DVD (the DVD option squishes the picture and the .avi option seems to be poorer quality), but it works just right for this non-computer-literate person!
diamond vc500 video transfer device . Worked very well to transfer my video tape to digital computer files. The editing software included on disk was difficult to use. I found editing my work with a different program helpful.
Great tool for the money
Great tool for the money
So-so but there are probably better systems... . I purchased this to play back videos to the computer so that I could then put them on DVD. The problem with this system is that the picture is difficult to select the proper settings for so that you get a good, clean image. I tried various settings and the best picture still had little lines in it so I went back to another, older system that I have used in the past. Maybe it will work better for you, but I'd suggest finding something with better overall performance.
Cons Review
terrible directions . This product came with little or no instructions on how to use. We tried many many times to load, unload and reload the software thinking we missed something. But we could never get it to work. We resorted to YouTube to try to find instructions but that did not work as well. Sent it back.
Lousy . I bought this gadget to convert my old 8mm video cassette tapes to hard-drive. VCD mode is the best it can do, even though the bottom edge of the picture is messed up. Trying to convert it with DVD mode preserves the picture quality but there is a 1" yellow vertical band in the center of the screen. VCD mode is below par resolution, didn't have the time to return it, wished I had.
Feature USB Video Capture
- Arcsoft Video Studio Software SE (included)
- Burn videos to DVD/VCD (software included)
- Capture video and audio from a VCR, camcorder, and DVD player supporting video output through an S-Video or RCA connection
- Ports - 2 RCA; 1 S-Video
- HDTV Display support
Related Post
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Your USB Hard/Flash Drive Into A Media Player! - Mede8er MED500X High Definition Multimedia Player 1080P DTS MKV
- Diamond Multimedia BizView USB to HDMI Video and Audio Adapter (BVU1000)
Product Details
EAN : 0757448006513UPC : 757448006513
MPN : VC500
Brand : Diamond Multimedia
Weight : 1 pounds
Height : 3 inches
Length : 10 inches
Width : 7 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Manufacturer : Diamond Multimedia
Model : VC500
Platform : No Operating System
Publisher : Diamond Multimedia
SKU : MCE88-IMVC500
Studio : Diamond Multimedia
Where To Buy
You can buy USB Video Capture on Amazon . Click here to Read More
