Posted to Video Editing 2009-03-30
If you have a bunch of VHS tapes you want to convert to DVD format, the pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate can be used to ease the process considerably. And it can help you perform quite a few other tasks, such as editing your own videos captured on a digital camcorder. The MovieBox Ultimate is a sophisticated video capture device that interfaces to your PC via a USB port. In conjunction with the included software, the pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate can be used to capture video from analog sources such as VHS players, and digital sources such as DV, HDV and AVCHD camcorders. In addition, a variety of editing tools and effects can be used to produce a finished video with input from several sources.
FeaturesThe pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate sports lots of features, most of them in the included software. The device features input/output connections for composite video, S-video, stereo audio (analog RCA connectors), and IEEE-1394. Most of the work is done by the software on the PC, with features such as picture in picture, scene detection, transitions, titles and Surround Sound editing. One complaint is that some of the advanced features are locked in the software that comes with the device - apparently you have to purchase an upgrade to use all of the software features. PerformancePerformance of the pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate is a mixed bag. Many users reported no problems with converting analog VHS tapes to digital, while others reported problems ranging from not being able to do this at all to the device dropping numerous frames during conversion. The USB driver seems to need a little work as well, as quite a few users reported problems with the device not being recognized all the time. The same is true with digital video capture, with users reporting a variety of problems with various formats. SummaryIf it works with your system configuration, the pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate represents an excellent value. Many users reported being able to convert poor quality VHS tapes to digital without dropping any frames. And for most, the digital video capture worked seamlessly. But there do seem to be a few issues with this device, so be prepared to spend some time with Pinnacle's not so helpful tech support if you decide to purchase this device. You might also purchase it from a retailer that has a no-hassle return policy. Pros
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