ClearClickVideo to Digital Converter 3.0 (Third Generation) - Record Video & Audio from VCR's, VHS, AV, RCA, Hi8, Camcorder, DVD, Turntables, Cassette Tapes [Requires Working VCR/Camcorder & Tapes]

The user manual alone is sets this device apart from any electronic gear I've purchased in a generation!I've done video to digital transfers through the years with other devices, and this is by far the best. It is incredibly functional, yet in a nice small package, with intuitive buttons and menus. Not being connected to a computer is so refreshing, with a micro SD card slot, a USB-C for power or to charge its internal battery, and the built in monitor is wonderful.One thing that any who are expecting higher resolution than this device produces should recognize is that analog video media had a top resolution of 720x480 (and actual television recorded on VHS was 640x480). You've got to accept that video was different from digital, with a much lower ceiling on what could be compressed into its magnetic tape.(And remember that television and camcorders had a nearly-square 4:3 format -- which, in my opinion, should be left at that aspect ratio to maintain its true character; so put the aspect to 640x480 for recorded tv shows. Don't stretch 'em.)From my test recordings and viewing on my desktop's video editor, I am very pleased with its captures.How much do I like this great little tool? I am about to buy another! I returned because I realized that for its price, and the miles of old tv shows on VHS and recorded video on Hi-8 I have waiting for conversion, I could cut my project time in half by running two of them at once. (And I can even do overnight recordings using its simple and effective timer.) I have finally found a way to actually archive my video media, rather than "wishing" I would, or the piecemeal stuff I've done in past years. So I'm going to make this a spring project. Send me another!(I'm now finishing my Beavis and Butt-Head "Moronathon" from MTV, complete with all the goofy stuff broadcast in the 1990s, including commercials. Pee-Wee's Playhouse is next. The original wake-n-bake tv show! Fun times, digitally preserved.)

For a number of years, I've had 8mm, Hi-8mm and audio cassette tapes sitting in my closet. After transferring some to digital video formats like MP4 through video companies, it was getting rather expensive.Thankfully, I kept my high-end 8mm/Hi-8mm cassette deck.I bought the ClearClick converter to see if it indeed works on transferring video to digital. In short, it does and it does well.The ClearClick is very intuitive and easy to use. I found it works best with a USB drive. For some reason, I was not able to use the S-video output into the ClearClick from my cassette deck. But the resolution is very low on these 8mm/Hi-8mm tapes anyway.The image quality from the transfers varies on the type of cassette and camcorder I used originally. Some transfers look bland while others not so bad. After all, we're comparing 30 year+ video resolution to today's HD and 4K resolution.Audio quality was surprisingly accurate to the original tapes. I taped in stereo on those cassettes and transferred the audio to WAV quality.I also transferred audio from audio cassettes and again, audio quality varied on the original recording, tape quality and cassette deck. Some sounded okay while others much better.This little converter is well worth the reasonable price.

Like so many senior citizens, we have a collection of VHS camcorder tapes. We still have a VCR, but our son who would like to show his kids some of his childhood memories, does not. I figured digitizing the VHS tapes would be a solution. Looking into the cost of having them professionally digitized was too expensive. For the cost to digitize six tapes, I could buy this converter. I’m not as tech savvy as I once was, but reading the description and reviews made it seem within my capabilities. One caveat was that you had to have a device to play the media you wish to digitize. As mentioned earlier, we still have a VCR. So I ordered the converter and some thumb drives.The basic directions were clear and within 10 minutes I was ready to start digitizing our nearly 40 year old VHS tapes. The process takes the full time of the video you’ve digitizing, and while doing so you view the video on the device itself. This may be a reason to buy this generation rather than the second generation with its smaller screen. Once finished, I plugged the thumb drive into our computer and it played perfectly. Using the computer you can maneuver through the video, same as you can with any contemporary video. Of course, the quality of the video is very low by today’s standards, but you can show the grandkids how it used to be before you had grey hair! I was surprised to find that seven VHS tapes fit on a 32GB Thumb drive.My one complaint would be the instructions about things like setting the time and date are not clear. Fortunately they were easy to find on line. One other issue I had with the directions was they stated that once you stop the recording, you can’t add to it. I misunderstood this to mean that you couldn’t add anything else to the thumb drive that you used. As I said, I misunderstood it. You can add another recording to that same thumb drive. I probably just misled you by indicating you must use a thumb drive. That is not true, the device has a MicroSD slot.These days I am rarely able to successfully use technology that is new to me, but I had no trouble adapting to the ClearCut Digital Converter. It far surpassed my expectations.