Reddit reviews Elgato Video Capture - Digitize Video for Mac, PC or iPad (USB 2.0)
We found 62 Reddit comments about Elgato Video Capture - Digitize Video for Mac, PC or iPad (USB 2.0). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Transfer video from a VCR or other analog video source to your Mac or PCPut family memories and family videos on your computerEasy-to-use software guides you through every step and turns your analog into digitalCaptures video in the universal H.264 digital format – ready for iPad, iMovie, Windows Live Movie Maker, and YouTubeWorld-ready; handles NTSC, SECAM, PAL and PAL/60 videoComes with Elgato Video Capture, Composite-to-SCART adapter, Composite video/RCA stereo cableVideo resolution: 640×480 (4:3) or 640×360 (16:9)
The shop near us charges $20 per tape... So I bought one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-analog-iPhone/dp/B0029U2YSA
It wasn't perfect, but it did a pretty good job!
I bought this www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029U2YSA/ and converted all those little cassettes to digital. It connects your camcorder to your computer, then you just press play on the camcorder.
I used it for all my VCR tapes too. Then I copied them to a portable hard drive plus uploaded the digital files to the cloud (so I had the files in 3 places). Throwing out all the analog cassettes was very satisfying.
I sold the camcorder (with all its random cords) on Craigslist to someone who wanted to digitize their cassettes.
Random factoid: If you digitize your cassettes using the original device, you'll get better results. It minimizes the lines that show up in your videos.
I gotElgato capture hardware on Amazon and ran it from a VCR into my PC (have to use Windows or Mac for it, no Linux support unfortunately). Works great for preserving old home videos. There may be cheaper options but I wouldn't know what they are.
There are many cheap (under $30) options on amazon and eBay.
The one from the guide ($82.99)
Another one ($17.99), but if you want great quality I found this Blackmagic product for apparently 1080p from rca input into a hdmi on a laptop or computer.
This is what I use for N64, elgato. Although, I'm sure there's a capture card that can do everything, and not just standard A/V cables.
OH! And I'm with Cadacis on this one: YOU NEED A PC. What are you using right now? Get a laptop, dude. It's 2014.
If you need a recommendation, I used Elgato Video Capture to convert a bunch of VHS tapes to digital. It's a slow process but when you get tasked with creating a slideshow for your Grandpa's funeral (to give one very specific example), you'll be very happy you have video files to pull from.
Elgato Video Capture - Digitize Video for Mac, PC or iPad (USB 2.0) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5w5nDbKXDNXNC
This is what I used, FWIW. Have transfered from VCRs and 8mm camcorders.
Perhaps the most important and expensive is making sure you have a good computer or laptop that can handle streaming. Hopefully you or a friend in the scene can make that happen, 'cause that will be the biggest expense.
In terms of actual stream equipment, I'm going to assume you want the cheaper options:
You will also want a crt that has an output area in the back or a seperate device called a splitter!
I super recommend this, $50 for a good quality mic that is durable and super easy to set up. Since it is an open mic it will capture extra noise aside from a commentators but I think starting hear is best!
https://obsproject.com/
https://www.xsplit.com/
Old, but this thread can be helpful, even though it's for melee. Has a bunch of products with prices and quality tests.
https://smashboards.com/threads/beginners-guide-to-capturing-and-recording-melee-footage.298260/
For people who just want to record matches for cheap, there are a variety of recording cards, such as:
If you have any questions, lemme know! Stream shit is complicated at first, but once you get into the groove a lot of it makes sense. :)
You need a capture device to plug your Wii.
In order to record from a console you will need a capture card. Since it is a PS2, you will want one that does composite cables. You might look at:
ElGato Video Capture Device
Hauppauge HD PVR
There are cheaper ones, but the quality will go down significantly with them. You will generally get better video footage with an emulator since it will be upscaled to a better resolution.
EDIT: Corrected that it is composite cables, not component.
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Whoops, edited but here's the link https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029U2YSA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029U2YSA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There are cheaper products out there but I've had really good results with this.
I have had great luck with VHS, Betamax, 8mm, Hi8, etc. using an earlier model of this converter. It is especially good if you are playing back tapes on a machine that has S-Video outputs. This uses USB2 which for SDTV has plenty of bandwidth so there's no quality advantage to FireWire or Thunderbolt devices. Some professional converters may be slightly better, but unless you are using a well-maintained professional playback machine you will probably be able to see no difference. The machine you use for playbacks the most critical part.
Playing back on a Hi8 machine instead of a Digital 8 machine is probably going to give you better results because Hi8 playback on a Digital 8 machine is a backward-compatibility feather and is probably compromised in favor of best performance on digital tapes.
The Elgato box comes with a simple app that captures h.264 video (as .mp4 on Mac). The files are recorded in interlace files to match the original video. The best way to maintain the original quality is to transcode these to a higher frame rate and higher resolution format such as 720p. A free program like HandBrake can do this beautifully.
Hope this helps!
I use an Elgato which works well for what I'm doing. You can get one on Amazon if you are in the States, not sure if it's available elsewhere. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RR0ZDbF1ADYHE
I've been using https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-analog-iPhone/dp/B0029U2YSA . Works really good no issues, it just a pain to recod VHS tapes, takes foreverrrr.
You need a capturing device. I personally use a RCA composite to HDMI adapter then go into my Elgato HD60.
You could get something like this if you’re not planning to do any HDMI capture.
Elgato Video Capture - Digitise Video for Mac, PC or iPad (USB 2.0) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TGiDCb49T60AX
There are cheaper products out there too, but make sure to check the reviews because a lot of them suck.
You probably won't be using Final Cut to import footage, but you want something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-Digitise-iPad/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=digitize+VHS&qid=1556913670&s=electronics&sr=1-3
Once you create what you need you can then edit whatever you captured in Final Cut.
Not a tech guy. This is what i found. Anyone else? Seems pricey:
https://itstillworks.com/copy-shows-dvr-computer-13647.html
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-Digitise-iPad/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1541717804&sr=1-3&keywords=video+capture+device
No; don’t convert them to VHS, it’s 2019, VHS has degraded quality and the VHS itself will degrade overtime as will your 8mm tapes. Instead you should convert them to a flash drive or a hard drive with this Elgato Video Capture - Digitize Video for Mac, PC or iPad (USB 2.0) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cspGDbPVVP1YN
This might work for you...
There are less expensive composite analog to digital video USB converters, but they get bad reviews...
http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-Device-10020840/dp/B0029U2YSA
Is this the right one?
Not the person you were talking to, but give this one a look as well
I use an Elgato Video Capture set. It comes with the necessary software for your computer and a cable that connects the video output of your VCR to your computer via USB. The instructions are clear and the software is super intuitive, but the process goes in real time. Good thing to “set and forget” while at work or running around town, or take the opportunity to watch the tape on your computer while it records the video. It gives you a chance to crop the end video then outputs to an MP4.
It's funny that Roxio lists zero technical specifications. Looking at it the one I got is probably the exact same hardware in a different colored plastic shell. Here is the link to the one I bought.
Here is the mobile version of your link
I bought a converter on Amazon which you basically plug in either the s-video or component cables into the converter which goes into the USB. From there you can set the length of time you want to record (like 6 hours) and then it'll stop after the allotted time or you can do it manually in case you don't know exactly how long that the tape is. It shows the video on your monitor so you know exactly what you're recording. It was really easy with the one that I bought, I would reccomend it although it wasn't really cheap. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029U2YSA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00
Just search "transfer 8mm to DVD" on amazon there's a bunch of results, here's one...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0029U2YSA/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1420735577&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70#productDescription_secondary_view_pageState_142073562894
What do you use to convert your 8mm tapes?
I tried using this Elgato video capture device but the converted video has an audio lag that gets worse and worse the longer you record:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029U2YSA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
See if you can buy a cheap or used VHS player somewhere. Thrift store, pawn shop, whatever. Try old people.
I use this to transfer mine to my computer.
DVDs can go bad. This works to put an mp4 file on your computer. It's not that cheap but once you have it, you can always get tapes into digital form. And, make DVDs if you want.
I just got one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029U2YSA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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A bit pricey for sure, but it's extremely simple and the digital videos are excellent quality. Plus, Amazon returns if you hate it.
I want to convert Iraq war VHSc tapes to digital (PC). Is this converter decent? Can anyone suggest decent editing software for an amateur? Thanks!
https://smile.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-analog-iPhone/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525612938&sr=8-3&keywords=vhs+to+digital+converter&dpID=31ZZi8BFVEL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Thanks for the heads up. Unfortunitly I am at work right now with no access to YouTube, but will check out those two things when I get home...Thanks.
As far as the graphics, I have this Setup that my mom bought so I can record all of our old home videos from when I was a kid. I randomly thought about trying to set up the SNES to it, and that worked... is there a better cord to use? If so, can you link it, so I don't mess up with the wrong cord.
I really appriciate the feedback and will probably continue to post my videos on here, not for the karma, but for people like you that will give advice.
Thanks again!
Elgato external video capture card, AmaRecTV and OBS.
We are interested in seeing what we would need to improve our setup, whether or not that is a complete redesign. Cable channel is SD and I don't think they will be upgrading anytime soon. We are looking into getting a Video Capture device so we can plug into a computer during the meetings. I don't think this is an end-all solution though. Thanks for the advice!
Your best options are devices like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Multimedia-Capture-Device-VC500MAC/dp/B007QCIBX8
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-analog-iPhone/dp/B0029U2YSA
The problem is that just about every device I have used has a 1-2 second processing delay, so any game that isn't turn-based will give you trouble playing it, because what you see on your screen happened 1-2 seconds ago. You won't see the result of your button press for 1-2 seconds.
Such devices were intended to watch TV and movies on your computer, from a DVD or VHS player. Things like that don't matter how delayed the video is. Ones for gaming are more expensive to not have the processing delay.
Would something like this
http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-Device-10020840/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345699996&sr=8-1&keywords=elgato
not capture with good quality?
This has worked flawlessly for my VHS tapes. Worth every dollar.
This is what's known as FPV flying. (First person view). There are a lot of parts to choose from and a lot to know before you attempt something like this. It sounds like you don't know how to fly an RC plane. This is obviously a necessary skill to have before you move forward. Start here.
Most of these FPV videos are taken on a rear propeller type plane so the prop is out of view. These planes typically have two cameras. One is a low resolution closed circuit cam that transmits back to your ground station (same as a security system camera). You can view through video goggles, an LCD screen, a laptop, DVR, you pick. The other camera records high definition video locally to a memory card. Additionally, both cameras are usually mounted on one tilt/pan system.
There are entire forums dedicated to this on RCGroups.com such as this thread and this thread..
You can find video transmission systems on site like this one.
Any compact/light weight digital cam will work for the HD recording. GoPro Hero is a popular model for this hobby.
This is just the beginning. There are tons more parts, add-ons, gyros, special antennas, transmitter upgrades, etc...
I would suggest you start by attaching a GoPro or similar camera to your familiar RC plane (making sure it doesn't upset your CG), and fly it in third person like normal. This is quite fun. Once you get good at that, order a video transmitter/receiver/camera, and a way to view it.
I personally use elgato device to run the video transmission into my Macbook pro, although this can be hard to see outdoors because of glare. A cardboard box helps.
Advice: Make sure you pick your video transmitter/receiver carefully. Many are illegal to operate, depending on where you live. Also, start off with cheap gear in case you decide it's not for you.
Above all, have fun and be safe with it.
EDIT: typos
A guy in our office has spent probably 6 months digitizing some old super 8 tapes on his camcorder using this:
Elgato Video Capture, Capture analog video for your Mac or PC, iPad and iPhone, white https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hy7QAbC7PZKNW
Cheaper ones exist but he seems to like this one, it’s reliable and he likes the software it uses for capturing as well.
You would probably need to get a BNC to RCA adapter for the video.
You will need some sort of converter that can accept the RCA input and put it into a method the PC can accept. It also requires software.
Here are some low-end models:
https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-VC500-Touch-Capture-Device/dp/B000VM60I8/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-VHS-DVD-3-Plus/dp/B006GOFW3E/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502115206&sr=1-5
One of the better models:
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-analog-iPhone/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502115206&sr=1-1
You'll 100% need a piece of hardware to caputre the VHS tape.
Heres an amazon list - and thetop item an elgato capture device
I'd recommend searching this sub to see what other capture tools people have used.
​
THEN, it's about editing software.
So I just did this for my parents two weeks ago. I bought a software on amazonfor $80 and was able to get videos transferred as video files on my computer. I am going to buy an external hard drive so I can transfer all the videos there (they take up lots of space as you can imagine).
I contacted Carolina Custom Video but they charge ~$25 for the first 30 mins of your video. I've already transferred 3 hours worth of video so this software has pretty much paid for itself.
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If you don't want to DIY, then I'd recommend Carolina Custom Video. While pricey, they were pretty responsive and seemed reliable.
This is the one I have and I capture using VirtualDub software. I think I had trouble using Elgato software to capture in the past. Premiere doesn’t detect the capture card :(
That is what I did for hours and hours of VHS, using one of these Elgato capture cards (which you can probably find cheaper on ebay):
http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-10020840-Video-Capture/dp/B0029U2YSA
I would seriously just loan you mine (I probably will never have a need for it again), but I gave it to a family member in Houston for their videos. A easier alternative to getting a camcorder would just be to get one of those hi-8 to vhs adapter tapes (probably at Fry's or Radio Shack or online) and play the tapes in a regular VCR. That's probably better quality.
And all that being said, my wife got all her super 8 films transferred by Action Video Service in Richardson (near West Shore and Arapaho). They were really nice and helpful:
http://www.actionvideoservice.com/
Elgato Video Capture. Simple interface, works quite well. Note that if you don't have a fast processor or a dedicated GPU, the audio and video can get out of sync over time.
You'll need something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lf68ybVEEVHA7
That will let you plug your VCR into your computer where you can "record" the tapes into digital files which you can then upload to YouTube or burn to a CD
I believe the Dreamcast uses composite. You can get this capture card and a composite splitter in order to send one video feed to your computer and then one to the TV.
Elgato Video Capture - Digitize Video for Mac, PC or iPad (USB 2.0)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_24C5Cb3MQTT0W
This is what we've been using. I think we could try some post processing (sounds like kadano did some of that with his videos) to get rid of the interlacing but if not there are some other options in that post that I will definitely explore.
Edit: link didn't work
If it's not that old, there's a good chance that your camcorder has a Firewire connector so you can plug it straight in.
If not, something like this will work for you.
I use this
http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Capture-analog-iPhone-10020840/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1416893132&sr=8-3&keywords=el+gato
you can find some examples of it being used here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAhEVsccuuY
the splitter makes it a bit darker for some reason but that can be fixed easily. I'd recommend saving up and getting an HD cap card though so you can play lagless and in good quality. Only reason I use this one is because my dad had one laying around and had no more use for it
Generally I see these alongside a composite wire-splitter and two extra composite cables (one into the TV one into your computer). I use one of these with a powered splitter for my stream at home.
I've been doing this for a few months on and off. I have two sets of tapes: VHS-C and Hi8. I started off with Hi8 since my mom still had the camcorder.
The Hi8 camera looks like this. And best of all, she kept all the cables with it. I initially purchased a cheap USB capture device (not the exact one, but looks similar) and it worked-ish. It was able to record with the provided software, but it would for whatever reason fail if left unattended. And it only worked on my PC which I game on.
So I decided to spend the money on something both Mac and PC compatible and purchased an Elgato capture device. This has worked beautifully.
Installed the software on my macbook, hooked up the cables, hit the record button, and it works great.
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-analog-iPhone/dp/B0029U2YSA
I don't personally own this,but this might be what you are wanting:
https://www.elgato.com/en/video-capture
Generated files can be synced with video capable iPads, iPods, iPhones and Apple TV and can be edited in iMovie or Windows Live Movie Maker without re-encoding.
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-Digitize-iPad/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=vhs+to+digital+converter&pd_rd_r=0afa3745-5aef-4852-aaa4-98f15eaac9cb&pd_rd_w=LBinq&pd_rd_wg=2DPZ5&pf_rd_p=8c50fb3b-71cc-4f59-971a-9f0f19b41fd7&pf_rd_r=XCXPMFK18SM8V0BWG9HX&qid=1566787559&s=gateway&sr=8-3
​
Elgato and Apple go way back together
Elgato Video Capture - Digitize Video for Mac, PC or iPad (USB 2.0) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KVfADbTN3Y57B
If you want to do it yourself, this is what my BIL used to convert his childhood tapes.
Otherwise, there are services in every town now to do this...not sure how much per tape...maybe $25...wild guess.
If you don't want to use a company to digitize VHS, you can get your own video capture device like this one (there are cheaper ones, but this is what I've used and is the highest reviewed). It is a tedious process, requiring you to sit around and wait for the entire tape to play through (although you can also walk away from it while it's playing to do other things), but it could be cheaper than paying some service, depending on how many tapes you have
You could try a video capture device like this one.
You would still need a VCR to play the tape. Then you would hook up the VCR's video out to the capture device which is hooked up to your computer. I used a similar product years ago, but it required that I use proprietary software to read and edit the files. The product I linked you to looks like a better option because it can create H.264 files which you shouldn't have any compatibility issues with if you choose to further edit the footage or burn to disk.
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-Digitise-iPad/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=video+capture+device&qid=1562778897&s=electronics&sr=1-3