Video Converter with LCD Display

Works as advertised. Probably because of the RCA plug connection the picture is degraded a little. I would have liked to have more instructions with this product. I am satisfied.

I needed something to transfer my old VHS family vacation videos before they degraded any further. It worked very well and wasnt hard to use. Now I have everything saved in digital files that should last a lifetime.

I have recorded directly to my computer with an SMI device. I got the Video Converter With LCD Display, because it would be simpler/faster than the the recently used SMI device attached to my 8mm tape camcorder. But I found the video quality was POOR grainy with new device, and the picture was WAY too bright & washed-out. The ONLY advantage of the new device was I could put 4 hours of video on DVD vs. 2. But sacrificing video quality for discs used was not worth it. So I sent mine back.

I got this with optimism and uncertainty and was pleasantly surprised. The device is fully functional and works as advertised. However, I have several issues. First, there is no way to determine how long the battery will last because the charge indicator is old-school bars. This is important because it cuts off when it runs out of power AND when it reaches a full charge while in use. It only saves what it has recorded without stopping it manually if it runs out of power if it reaches a full charge and cuts off while you are recording, you get a 0 kB file and file open error on the device. The easy workaround is to charge the device as long as possible before every use and record on battery power. The second issue, which comes from the first, is that you have to keep your eye on the device to watch for when the screen goes black so you can stop the tape, plug in the device, and start recording again just unplug it maybe an hour or so later and run on battery power again. The recording is not affected by unplugging the charger while the device is in use. A small issue caused by this stop-and-go method is having to rewind the tape a bit to make sure you do not miss anything. Now for nitpicking the recording is more devoid of color than the tape, although this could be my TV settings and I not know it. A color saturation of 82% applied in a video editor restored the lost color, though it slightly over-accentuated some images. Also, the sound quality may be just slightly reduced from the source material however, this was only noticeable when I was recording from my PlayStation 2 directly. For those wondering, you can go RCA to RCA with gaming consoles through the provided RCA extension and bypass the need for a VCR, though it may be the cause of the reduced audio quality I noticed. Furthermore, I charged the device for two hours before I turned it on for the first time, as it is written in the instruction manual, and it seemed to crash once or twice initially and come back on again this is another reason to watch it while it is recording, but it has not done that since the first few minutes I was using it. For those wondering about an instruction manual, there is a PDF provided on the item web page below Features and Benefits in the blue bar next to Ask A Question. The same thing comes with the device, but the PDF is easier to read. Also, you can transfer recordings directly into your computer file system using the charging cable provided somebody said you need an HDMI cable to upload to a DVD burner and I want to clarify that is not a requirement to access recordings. This device does what it is supposed to do and I am pleased with it overall. The few problems I have noticed and pointed out are easy to work around once you know they are there, and I am very satisfied with preserving tapes of me as a baby that would otherwise be slowly corroding. This is a worthwhile investment if you have VHS tapes that you want to save.

Description of product was a little misleading. The pictures made it seem that this device played VCR tapes and not that you needed your own VCR player to play them and record.

I wish Id had this 5-10 years ago as my video tapes are definitely fading. Yes, should have MUCH more detailed instruction. We learned...if you record and can watch the recording on your tv, you will see a blue box when you first hit record. You must hit record again so there is then a blue arrow and you will hopefully see the little numbers on your tv screen begin changing. That is how we knew we were recording. Also, a suggestion is to stop the machine in segments of your tapes and it will save files by events. Hey, does anyone know what program to use to transfer them from the computer and onto recordable discs?

This unit seems to be manufactured well, but is less practical than as promoted. Might be good for some folks.

This little unit actually works! Simple to use and definitely worth the money

Video Converter works fine for audio capture. The internal connection of capturing video appears to be a little shaky. I had to hold the input wire just right in order to ensure a clear capture.

Directions were vague and omitted many important features. It it needs a record activity indicator. I too wasted much time not knowing what was happening.

The device works as shown however you will also need an HDMI cable to run to the PC to download the movie from the converter to the DVD writer.

It works well, except for the fact that you cannot tell when it is actually recording. As a result, several hours were wasted. When it is recording, it works well. There needs to be a more positive way of knowing when it is actually recording.