ClearClick HD Video Capture Box Ultimate - Capture and Stream Video from HDMI, RCA, VHS, VCR, DVD, Camcorders, Hi8

Quite rarely do I revisit and write a review for a product after a few years of purchase. The ClearClick HD Video Capture Box Ultimate deserves such a review. I had been infrequently using this product to archive my VHS movie collection. My first batch were low resolution MP4 file. This year I started archiving in HD format and the results are simply fabulous. As I switched from RCA to HDMI input, I noticed signal loss. When I contacted ClearClick, I was pleasantly surprised by their prompt and enthusiastic response. Tyler, the Support lead took charged and walked thru the usual troubleshooting, then tried a few software patch. He even stepped up to replace the product (without having to ask). Finally he went ahead and recommended a specific RCA to HDMI converter ($10 product on amazon) and the results were perfect. In summary, I believe the issue was with the RCA to HDMI convertor which reacted wildly to any change in scene, transition, bad patch in the video tape. The recorder is solid - the HD video and audio is the best I can ask for. And this recorder unit is by far the easiest, most convenient to use. No more computers, converting files, audio/video sync issues. Heck I do not even need TBC and am not sure what to do with some of the advanced VCRs. This is the best support team I have experienced with any of my Amazon purchases. They will not let go till they resolve the problem - in this case, the issue was not even of their product. I highly recommend this product and the team that stands behind it - great work folks!

My goal of purchasing this device was to record while steaming on Facebook, this device does not do that for USB 2.0. Playback of audio and video in device is not synched above 720p on screen but recorded files are good. RCA input works great. SD card drive is SDXC and the card is inserted upside down. Output speaker is not good audio is very "tin can" sounding worse than AM radio. Headphone jack works but is temperamental. You will need an HDMI adapter if your inputs are mini or micro. Power cord plugs into USB power adapter but is not USB, it's DC 5v, 2a.. My work around for broadcast is a/v from Roland v-02hd to HDMI in on recorder to HDMI out to HDMI to RCA converter to USB 2 RCA capture device. I have 32bit laptop. While it works for camera capturing, PowerPoint is a little blurry when livestreaming. Recorded files are good. Very happy with purchase.

This product is amazing, you know, on previous video transfers, one would have to adjust manifold settings for video compression, sound levels, etc., but this unit does just about everything, at least for video. Now for sound, you should adjust/watch the sound levels (just a bit) and make sure to get a sample of the intended video stream first, but after that, you are good to go. Don't make the mistake of leaving the volume too low, check it first, and do a test recording sample, would be my advice. I think one of the best features of this unit, is the capability to monitor both sound and video input, in the live stream, using the mini-monitor, and built-in mini-speakers. And whomever the engineer was who came up with the integral, rechargeable battery, they should get an award - that is excellent thinking, because the battery helps to maintain a continuous video stream (not to mention, a reliable, steady, voltage supply to the electronics). The battery appears to last between 2 and 3 hours (maybe closer to 2 hours+) but this system is designed to run plugged in, using the battery only for, as I said, any intermittent power fluctuations (that hopefully won't affect your other electronics). This costs a lot, but I think it's definitely worth it. I use this for recording my monitor, for self-auditing purposes, and reviewing data entry, to assure that I am working as efficiently as I can.

First, I got this for posting videogame tutorial videos online and it works good for that. Pros and Cons: Cons First Cons: 1. Wired microphone/headset only. So bluetooth will not work. 2. Remote control - sometimes I need to push the button twice to start/stop/pause recording. Not a big issue as I know to expect this, and watch for it. 3. SD card port is really tight. I have to use my multitool pliers to remove the SD card when I use one. Fortunately, I use the USB instead. 4. There is no true "passthrough". By that, I mean, If I am playing a game, even if I am not recording, I have to have the device turned on in order to see the game on my TV. This is not good as I have had devices in the past with a passive passthrough. I only had to turn the device on when I wanted to record/watch a video. Pros: 1. Excellent picture quality on videos and photos. 2. I use USB - insert and removal is easy. 3. Because of USB, I can transfer the video/photo files over to my tablet for voiceover/narration of videos. 4. Customer service is quick to respond. I contacted them on their website and inquired about which mic/headset they recommend for their product and got a reply back that day with the information.

Cons: There's plenty. 1) If you plan on recording more than an hour's worth at a time, this recorder will split up your video files in one hour segments, and you lose some frames between every split. You HAVE to use an editing program to join the two or more video files back together. Annoying. 2) The audio is super low quality, and low in volume. Even at the highest recording quality, the audio sounds terribly compressed and bad. You get a constant hissing/noise from even the best recording option. 3) Speaking of the highest recording quality, it's garbage too. There are too many codec glitches going on. Huge blocks of the footage will start to glitch for a split second or two. 4) You have no control at what frame rate you can record to. It's all 60fps. 5) The charging cable is very proprietary. You cannot just pickup a USB style AC adapter and use it. Pros: 1) I do like the idea of a battery in it. It falls roughly to 66% after an hour or so, so it doesn't last long. 2) Removable SDHC card selection is nice. 3) The on-board screen is nice. 4) The build quality is actually sturdy, and feels nice in your hand. FInal Thoughts: 1) Someone here on the customer reviews said it was "meant for a professional", which is absolutely NOT TRUE. If you want to see what is really "professional", go get an Atomos and see what is really designed for professional use. If you want to use this for paid work, I as a client would be upset at the quality of the final product. Even if you were just sending the recording straight to the customer, this isn't even suitable for a final deliverable codec. So don't expect to do any recordings and try to edit and color correct the footage. Do yourself a favor, and save up for a Atomos which would give you 10x better quality.

I feel like for 200 bucks this DVR is missing features for such a premium price. That said, I am keeping it because of these PROS: the video quality is top notch (and even has 5 different video quality settings) so I will trust it to encode older media from VHS, old 8mm camcorder etc. that I want to preserve at maximum quality. The other PRO is I like the idea of scheduling a timer recording and just ticking the day of the week. That works for my use case (theres a show I like that comes on Thurs & Fri starting same time). If you want to record shows that occur at different start times then bear in mind this probably won't work for your use case (you get one start time, but can tick multiple days). So I guess those 2 qualities justify me keeping it. For my CONS: I wanted to full-time connect the HDMI-out to my TV (I have a different AV input I can switch to) so I could access the Menu controls on a big screen using the remote, but the HDMI-out doesn't seem to stay on like that, it takes some tinkering (unplug, replug, hit a few buttons etc.) The 2nd CON, how in the world does it not have an option to delete a video????? Lets say I was test recording something and didn't want to keep it, and/or I watched some TV program and now want to delete it. In the Playback mode what SHOULD be implemented is Menu button pulls up a context-sensitive menu, with a DELETE option. That is such a basic feature and I've tried all sorts of DVRs: RipRoar Video Free (favorite), SanDisk Vmate (second favorite), Teon Pav, Mustek PVR-H140 & PVR-A1, Archos, EZCap, iRecord, iConvert etc. etc. - most of those I mentioned allow you to delete a video that you don't want. I really don't care to pull out the SD card each time just so I can delete a file under Windows with a USB card reader, nor attach the ClearClick itself via USB each time. I'm not even asking for a fancy File Explorer with folder view and copy/paste etc., I simply want to DELETE a file. If ClearClick is listening put that on your feature request for the next firmware update.

I have been looking for an HDMI recorder for years, and this one foots the bill. I have only had it for a couple of days, and I'm already wanting to buy another (for what, I'm not sure) :-) Here is what I have tested it with: 1) Connected to HDMI out of a Lenovo Linux/Windows computer as well as a Macbook Pro. The recorded video was extremely nice. 2) Connected an external Mic/Speaker earpeace and recorded from a computer. The sound from the mic was merged perfectly with the video - very nice for classroom demonstrations 3) Connected to a VHS player - worked flawlessly. Great for converting VHS tapes to Digital 4) Connected to a Blu-Ray and a DVD player, again, perfect. I love the passthrough from HDMI in to HDMI out to a television. 5) Connected to the HDMI out of a DirecTV box - recorded flawlessly. I haven't found anything wrong with it yet. I would have liked to have gotten a case with it as I'm a bit anal regarding the safety of my electronic devices, but I found a hard GPS case on Amazon that worked well. I highly recommend this unit.

Records well but recently had a problem plying video back through the unit. I get a blank screen. But playing the card back in my computer the recording is fine.